Life is ‘nowt but queer’ I think, as I find myself standing in a lengthy queue of people snaking through the housewares section of a Macy’s department store in Portland, OR. Taken there one recent early evening by my assistant Marcy, who apparently thinks I am at a loss for something to do and just perhaps am sorely needing to learn how to pitch product while being entertaining. Trust me when I say I have never been in a Macy’s before. Heck, I think I have been in a shopping mall less than a handful of times in my life and here I am now shuffling slowly forwards through the bed linens in order to see a ‘celebrity chef’ by the name of Tyler Florence. Too weird.
The mood in the queue is jovial and patient, not at all like being at the airport and we are not at the back of the line for very long at all, as its tail keeps growing. Hundreds of people are showing up and all are expected to fit into a pretty small space between pots and pans and the bed linens. There are too few chairs and a few tall tables to lean upon and cleverly, the wine provided takes the edge off any perceived discomfort. This is starting to look like the Feeding Of The Five Thousand. People talk of books Tyler has written and carry his books to be signed. I am pretty sure there are books to be bought as well. The man has an avid following by the look of things here and I have a difficult time trying to sound intelligent to those with whom I am propped against a table, not knowing a jot about TV chefs nor the finer points of cooking beyond that necessary to feed a household most often comprised of three guys.
Tyler Florence http://www.tylerflorence.com/blog/ appears with something of a flourish, introduced by both Macy’s and The Oregon Food Bank and the assembled fans applaud heartily. The man is an entertainer and the audience is rapt as it is wined and dined with samples of what he is preparing up front. I recall a delicious artichoke dish, some tasty pork with some pretty fancy mashed spuds. The preparation of which was good fun to watch as he went about it all with some pretty rudimentary tools and a lot of positive energy, all the while bantering back and forth with his audience. I must say I am quite entertained and in no hurry to leave… especially as it means missing the desert.
When out and about I have heard people making mention of celebrity chefs, almost as if they are rock stars. I see their products on the grocery shelves and am aware of my youngest being a sometimes follower of their shows on TV when not more productively engaged in football practice or homework… but am still surprised to see the entertainment value, in person. More than ever there seems to be a fascination with food and its preparation plus a plethora of shiny and sharp utensils in stores whose lighting twinkles and shimmers off stainless steel, cool copper and featherweight crystal. In these Aladdin’s caves, guys like Tyler Florence are every bit the magicians. Now, while people are quite happy to spend an hour or so listening and learning of culinary delights I wonder how many would give that same time or even a little less to be entertained by flowers and all their is to know about them? Can a feast for the eyes be put to work as well as that for the pallet? I think we had best find out some day soon…