BAM! Emeril Lagasse Unearths Fresh Ingredients on Planet Green
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 02.28.08
Planet Green, Discovery's upcoming eco-lifestyle television network, will be kicking it up a notch this July with the launch of Emeril Green, a new original series starring celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse.
Set in Whole Foods Markets, the show will feature healthy meals prepared with high-quality organic produce, seafood, and meats, as well as fresh, seasonal and local ingredients. Lagasse will also be working with a revolving door of everyday cooks, the staff of Whole Foods, along with other culinary experts to handpick and prepare the best ingredients for every recipe.
"Since my early days as a chef, I've always been passionate about using the freshest quality ingredients from farmers, fisherman and ranchers," says Emeril Lagasse. "While I'm no green expert, I try a little harder every day to think greener and be respectful of our environment and our resources. In this new series, we'll unearth how easy and fun it is to cook with the foods that are fresh, tasty and in-season and find smart ways to make each day a little greener for you and your family."
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Why am I so unimpressed by the concept of this TV show? The Whole Foods in Northern Va, where I live is barely "green" in that it does not sell much (if any) locally grown produce or locally raised meats. Organic fruits, for example, are imported from New Zealand. And Whole Foods treats their employees like crap. Good luck trying to unionize that a WF store - your ass will be canned.
i'm of two minds about this. the first is that i hate bandwagoneering. i feel it undermines the credibility of the green living movement when celebrities leap onto a bandwagon as part of a marketing campaign (read: milking a trend for fast bucks). i think emeril is full of shit, in the first place. i've eaten at two of his restaurants, in two different cities, and the food is overpriced, overhyped, unexceptional, fussily and rather unappetizingly presented, and doesn't live up to its own pretensions.
i know that every good cook and chef worth their grey salt prefers to use organic ingredients whenever possible. organics just taste better, hands down. everyone agrees about that. no question. most of them don't try to use it as a huge, overhyped marketing effort, however.
the other, and admittedly less strident, little voice in my head is squeaking that perhaps more celebrity endorsement will lend credence and weight to the idea of sustainable living in the minds of your average twinkie-chucking middle-american soccer moms. and i certainly hope that's true, but i must say i'd rather see more people embrace slow living out of common sense and an educated viewpoint that it's the right thing to do, as opposed to toying with it briefly because it's the latest craze.... and dropping it as quickly as something else comes along.
Wham Bam thank you Martha Stewart for the buy-out.
Emeril on Tree Hugger green basics network cooked gluten free, dairy free dishes. I cannot find them on the website. He cooked spaghetti squash, marinara sauce, brownies, white been dip, and a wrap in a rice paper. I am gluten free and dairy free. Pretty much vegan. How can I get these recipes? I wish Emeril would write a cookbook for people like me.