‘Bite Club’s’ Florence embraces future of cooking
Tyler Florence has spent 22 years on Food Network, nearly half his life. He’s written 16 cookbooks. Yet he’s not sure he’ll ever write another.
He finds himself with a collection of nearly 1,000 cookbooks, but he can’t remember the last time he opened one.
The world of cooking is entering a new chapter, and Florence is embracing it. His love of food, people and storytelling remains constant.
His newest program, “Bite Club” on Food Network, takes him to six hotspot food cities across the U.S., from Chicago, Savannah, Nashville, Indianapolis and Charleston to Milwaukee. Five chefs from each city compete for best chef bragging rights.
Milwaukee is well-represented in the episode airing Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. with Caitlin Cullen of The Tandem, Barkha Limbu Daily of The Cheel, Matt Kerley of Stand. Eat. Drink. Hospitality Group, Aaron Patin of Iron Grate BBQ, and Frankie Sanchez of Sabrosa Cafe & Gallery.
Building upon a podcast he started last year, this summer Florence got behind the camera for his free weekly online documentary video series, “Wolf It Down,” every Wednesday.
Florence, who lives in California with his wife and kids, premieres his first documentary, on the 2017 wildfires in wine country, “Uncrushable,” in October at the New York City Food and Wine Festival.
Question: How did Milwaukee get in the lineup for “Bite Club”?
Answer: We really want to make sure we’re getting a beautiful slice of American pie, and that’s going to be all kinds of cities big and small. I think Milwaukee’s on fire right now. We were there for three days shooting the show.
Paul Bartolotta is a dear friend of mine. We got a chance to hang out in Milwaukee. His restaurants are amazing, he and his brother are amazing.
The chefs in Milwaukee are no joke. It is one of the most beautiful areas we got a chance to shoot in. We shot at Lake Park Bistro.
I love the premise of this show. The bragging rights of being the best chef in town is kind of hot, everyone wants that title of being the best chef in Milwaukee, Chicago, Charleston, Nashville or Savannah. There is no money involved, so it is a friendly rivalry.
Q: What can people expect to see in the Milwaukee episode?
A: The premise of Bite Club is to determine who is the best chef in town. It is kind of like a sporting event, as if all the chefs have an away game. All of them cook in a kitchen they’ve never cooked in before. The chefs have to think on their feet.
Each chef brings an ingredient, their signature item. We’ve seen everything from alligator to wild boar. Milwaukee is going to be (airing) Sept. 27, that’s where you see the boar.
Each chef is going to pull a ticket. Three say chef, two say judge. When they pull the judge ticket, they sit by me and offer color commentary like a sporting event. The chefs present their secret ingredient. Then they get in the kitchen and make their dish.
I’m the hammer, the enforcer. My opinion doesn’t really count, though I have broken a tie. The judges take a look at the three dishes, and the first least successful dish, that chef is eliminated. The two other chefs go on to the final round.
This is somewhat like “Chopped” and “Iron Chef ” on the road. We let the world know that Milwaukee’s culinary scene is there and legit.
Q: How has social media changed the world of food, particularly in communities outside New York or Los Angeles?
A: When I was first starting, you’d have to fly across the country and try the food to see the culinary scene. Now you can use social media. … Because information is so vast and freely shared, we have created the country’s greatest generation of chefs.
Q: What’s the story behind your weekly online series, “Wolf It Down?”
A: It’s always been a want to make a bigger deal of micro moments, a show about the show. We started the podcast Wolf It Down and it did really well.
Then Twitter reached out to us and wanted to know if there was a video component, not just audio. I think it translates way better in a video capacity. So Twitter is our distribution partner with the project, but it is completely me … I shoot and edit and post everything myself. My schedule is the script.
Q: There’s a shift in technology in the kitchen, from smart appliances to apps that help us cook. What do you see changing?
A: I think cookbooks are dying, the same way records and vinyl are dying out. I’m looking at my cookbooks in my living room right now, I’ve got more than 1,000. I love them, but I haven’t pulled one of the shelf in more than a year.
When I look things up, I’m rarely in the place where I can pull out a book. … They’re beautiful, heartfelt works of art. I’ve written 16 books, but I’m in this mode where I think I’ve written my last one. I’d rather spend my energy making 116 videos.
Q: What do you most want to be known for?
A: I think this next evolution of what I am. I really want to be a filmmaker. I really do.
Table Chat features interviews with Wisconsinites, or Wisconsin natives, who work in restaurants or support the restaurant industry; or visiting chefs. To suggest individuals to profile, email nstohs@ journalsentinel.com.