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5/7: Alton Brown coming to Variety Playhouse
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
One of the biggest Atlanta-based TV stars is Alton Brown from the Food Network. But despite his long-time ties to the area, he doesn’t do as well here with book signings compared to other major cities.
“I can do shows to standing-room-only crowds in St. Louis, but not here,” he said, calling in from a gourmet food show in Las Vegas earlier this week. “I’m not sure why.”
So he decided to jazz things up for Atlanta to promote his new “Feasting on Asphalt” travelogue/recipe book, based on the Food Network series last summer. On the show, he rode a motorcycle along the Mississippi River checking out mom-and-pop shops along the way.
Instead of holding his signing at A Capella Books, he’s hosting it at Little Five Points’ Variety Playhouse, a far bigger venue than a bookstore. Check him out at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 8. The $29.50 ticket includes a copy of the book.
How is this going to be different from your typical book signing?
They’ll be a talk, a lot more questions and answers, a lot more interaction with the crowd. People will be able to take pictures with some of the motorcycles from the trip. They’ll be food available, video from the show. And since it’s a school night, families with school children will get to the front of the line. Typically, 25 percent of the people at my events are kids.
Why do you think you draw so many kids?
I’ve been doing “Good Eats” for 10 years now and our kid audience has grown and grown. This show wasn’t designed for kids but it really appeals to them. I’m proud that we cover such a wide demographic.
Last November, you weren’t sure if you were going to sign a renewal with the Food Network. What happened?
They asked me back. I was kind of up in the air last year because I never assume anything will ever continue. It wasn’t done until it was done. I’m glad they still want me. I’m old guard now.
Any new shows on the horizon?
We’ve got a very open-ended deal. I’m still doing “Good Eats” and “Iron Chef.” We’ll start new shows when I have the capabilities to do so. We will continue the “Feasting” brand. This year, I shifted from “Feasting on Asphalt” to “Feasting on Waves.” We traded in our motorcycles for sailboats. We went to the Caribbean. It’s a very different type of show. It’s still about real people. My goal was to discover what Columbus discovered. The Caribbean was the first culinary melting pot on the planet. [The series is set to air again in September.]
What’s your favorite recipe from the “Feasting on Asphalt” book?
I really love the Kool-sicle, which I found in the Delta. That’s a dill pickle cured and concentrated in a Cherry Kool-Aid solution. It sounds hideous. It makes these pink things that look like they came from somebody’s body. But when cold and placed on a stick and eaten like a popsicle, you won’t believe how good they are!
Comments
By Michael
May 7, 2008 12:16 PM | Link to this
I recently saw Alton at a fund raiser for the Cobb County Library System. It was fantastic! Very entertaining, informative, and funny: Just like Good Eats! I recommend everyone go see him. It will be money well spent.