Rocco a wasted talent wants to sell frozen food

When Anthony Bourdain said Rocco DiSpirito was painful to watch, that becomes even more meaningful after the man who used to be a chef became a pitchman.  Chef Bourdain went on to say, "We see him now as having wasted that talent.  ...Rocco doesn't want to be a chef. He wants to be an entertainer.  ... I don't see him as a chef anymore, so I don't feel like beating up on him.
Rocco DiSpirito a celebrity chef better known these days as more celebrity than chef. Lately, he received less than stellar reviews, found himself in legal troubles and lost his restaurants. But on the bright side, he has become a cookbook author and has a new television show, “Rocco Gets Real,” on the A&E cable network.

Rocco also has landed yet another roll, pitchman for frozen food.
Rocco DiSpirito stood before food bloggers and people who spend a lot of time with recipes, cooking, and  he's there trying to sell them on frozen food. Yes, he was the pitchman Bertolli's new line of frozen foods.

Rocco faced a crowd of people dedicated solely to food bloggers. About 300 people were in attendance for the sold-out Sept. 26 event at the St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco.

The fresh salad that Rocco made with canned tuna and salad in a bag was just for starters.
The review for Bertolli's Lemon Herb Shrimp & Penne, was compared by one blogger as "vaguely airplane food."  The second course, Meat Lasagna Rustica and Tri-Color Ravioli -- the meal was regarded by many as inedible.
Those in attendence were "offended" that these Bertolli meals were served at a food blogging conference, and the sentiment was  "It's not that hard to make lasagna or make your own pasta."
But these were by no means the opinions of everyone in the room.
With Rocco's reputaion on the line (that's was a joke), he told the audience that he was a "reformed gourmet" who'd seen the light when he realized that many of the highfalutin dishes he cooked were simply out of reach for working men and women who could not come home after the end of a long day and spend hours at the stove.
He said it was time to change the conversation and raise awareness about the food that we eat on a busy Tuesday night. "We can't pretend, or be afraid to admit that  that's an issue for everyone."
Sorry Rocco but we are already aware about the food we eat.  As far as the rest of your sentence, what are you talking about?
The crowd may have loved the entertaining, and engaging Rocco, who working the crowd like a seasoned  pro, engaging in small-talk, food talk and photographs,  but his food was something else altogether.

While we are playing tabloid and kicking Rocco around, has anyone else noticed that Rocco Dispirito suddenly looks different?
We're not sure what happened, but he looks nothing like the Rocco we remember.

The event was sponsored in part by  Pillsbury, Bertolli, Cuisinart and Scharffen Berger chocolate.

GRAVEYARD PUDDING

Graveyard Pudding is one of our most requested recipes and the perfect dessert to horrify the politically correct food crowd.
Perfect for parties and to celebrate Halloween at home, school or work. 

Here's what you need:

Oreo type cookies crumbled, 1 whole box (we use chocolate and vanilla cookies)
Pirouline Chocolate Hazelnut Cream wafers broken (not crumbled)
Vanilla Pudding 16 oz prepared
Chocolate Pudding 16oz prepared
Whipped Cream ( we beg you, please, not from the can)
 
You will need 1 pint of high-quality cream
Simply whip the cream with your mixer until the cream looks like soft butter.
You wont be adding sugar, vanilla or anything, we want plain whipped cream.
Here’s a little tip, room-temperature cream won't incorporate air,
so use well-chilled cream straight from the refrigerator.
 
Here's how you make it:
 
First, layer the bottom of your bowl or pan with chocolate pudding.
Next comes a layer of whipped cream.
Layer some of ther crumbled Oreo type cookies on the top of the whipped cream.
Next comes the vanilla pudding, the whipped cream and more cookies.
Keep repeating this process until you run out of pudding and cream.
Now sprinkle the rest of your Oreo type cookies on top (so it looks like dirt)
Next add the broken Pirouline wafers on top (they are suppose to look like bones)

 

Number One Smokers? It's the Food Industry

Those of us in the Voodoo Kitchen have collectively been in the restaurant, mostly kitchen business for a long time.  We weren't surprised to learn about the study that came out saying that people in food preparation and service jobs are more likely to smoke cigarettes than those in any other profession.
According to Nation's Restaurant News, Health Services Administration point the finger at the food industry 
as number one in cigarette smoking. The lowest: education, training and library workers.

Chef Gordon Ramsay made some observations about smokers in the food business not to long ago:

" You know what? My father died at the age of 53, about 10 years ago, to smoking.  And my grandfather died at 49.  I've never smoked a cigarette in my entire life.  So I find it really hard, and it's a bitter pill for me to swallow, to sit and watch these guys smoke their lives away earlier than anticipated.  I can't understand how you can taste food, reflect it, smoke, go back and taste it.  There has to be an inaccuracy beyond belief.

"I'm not their dad. I'm not there to mother them.  But more importantly, I wish to hell they could understand the damage in terms their palate. A refined palate is a trained palate.  Smoking at the same time - it's hard. Smoking is the one thing that I find it hard to tolerate. And it frustrates me.

"Secondly, you know, when you train a palate, it's like being an athlete. Every part of your body is toned.  When you bring dishes and an ingredient together and it's missing something, it's complicated. It's your palate that gets you there in the end.  So if I could ban smoking for every chef in the world as a mission, I'd start tonight."
When asked about all the Hells' Kitchen contestants who seem to be smoking what seems like an endless number of cigarettes.
Chef Gordon Ramsay thinks it's appalling. While he understands that the scenes are shown in the interest of  the reality show, he personally condemns the fact that the contestants smoke at all, which he says numbs their palates
He said: "The biggest issue with chefs today is smoking. The first thing I teach a chef is how to taste. If you don't understand how it tastes, you shouldn't be cooking it." Ramsay says that's why he blindfolds the aspiring chef every season on Hell's Kitchen to test their taste buds in a blind taste test.

Here's the complete list: