Back in 2009 I was on Better Connecticut promoting my comic "Obscene Cuisine." I got to cook next to UConn legend, Donny Marshall (Scot Haney was off that day) and broadcasting legend, Kara Sundlun. I gave a shout out to my unborn son and then wife in the audience. I made Shrimp Puttanesca, which I figured would be a good choice given the 'obscene' origins of it's name. It's actually one of my favorite pasta dishes, second to Zingarelli.
At that time I was a Sous Chef at a cafe in Hartford for a worldwide hospitality organization, and the comic was my way of reflecting on the things I had seen and heard in the restaurant business. The place I was at was relatively tame in comparison and was a welcome change because it was nice to have broken free of pirate culture I had been working in up to that point. I went by the alias Jimmy Jazz, which is one of favorite Clash songs, and had developed a decent following on Myspace, not Dane Cook decent, but decent... (yes, I'm that old.)
My Chef at that time let me make Shrimp Puttanesca for a Chef Table special the day before. The "Chef Table" was a... make something from start to finish in front of the customers kind of thing. I practiced my banter while cooking the whole service. I thought that was very nice of him. The Chef even gifted me the ingredients from the restaurant so they wouldn't come out of my own pocket. I wasn't nervous at all throughout the taping and at the end of the segment, Donny Marshall even commented on how he couldn't believe how fast I had made it, which was really cool to me.
The one mistake I guess I had made in hindsight was I took, what they perceived to be a 'dig' on their range. Prior to the taping another chef friend of mine gave me a head's up that they weren't gas, but rather induction, so be prepared to adjust accordingly. I noticed in the days on the show that followed there was more than usual product placement for the stovetop they used. My mistake, but again it wasn't my intent. Overall it was a success and a lot of fun. I don't think you can find it anymore because they delete them after so many years. I think I still have it downloaded somewhere, but where I don't know.
In my comic many of the exchanges were things I had heard. I guess I was "New Guy." I changed a lot of the names and faces. I did actually work with a Freddie, who was a really cool dude, and under a Chef Vin who is very cool as well, but although the character's names are the same the characters themselves are composites of lots of different people I had known up that point. I always do that type of thing, it's more interesting to me then writing solely about myself. I'm not that interesting.
But, please keep in mind this was made when stuff like the Chapelle Show, and Borat were cool...different times...not like now. My guess is things will revert back...but I don't know. It seems cyclical.
I read "The Wanting Seed" a long time ago and it did a number on me.
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