I just got through watching the first episode of Ham on the Street, the Food Network’s newest series. It stars George Duran as a “man on the street” asking questions of people on the street and working in restaurants. George was born and raised in Venezuela, but attended New York University. He majored in Communication Studies and was on many shows, including MTV’s House of Style. However, in 2002, he decided to move to Paris to attend culinary school at the Ecole Superieure de Cuisine Francaise Groupe Ferrandi. He hosted Pop Cuisine and won seven French d’Or awards (equivalent to the Emmys) for it. Now he has returned to America to become the Ham on the Street.
So attending the Ecole Superieure de Cuisine Francaise Groupe Ferrandi in Paris sounds somewhat stuffy, but if you expect Ham on the Street to be a stuffy food show, guess again. Must be his MTV exposure, but Ham on the Street is actually a very amusing show. The first episode has George exploring breakfast foods in America. He visited a restaurant and found out eggs was the most popular breakfast food when eating at a restaurant. We found out how NOT to cook an ostrich egg (those are huge!) and exactly how hard it is to crack it open without breaking the yolk. There were not many actual recipes given during the show, but there was a good one for a French breakfast item. I cannot remember the name, but I can remember the main ingredient – chocolate! It was two pieces of French bread, toasted with butter, and then you add a slice of chocolate and a couple of slices of fruit, like strawberry. Let that melt and put it together like a sandwich. It sounded yummy yet decadent, but I think my 18 month old would eat it. And to see the one guy on the street say he could eat a dozen donuts then do it – that was priceless!
The next episode will be about hot dogs. If you read my blog about Pinks, you know I will be watching this episode. Find out more about George and the show at the Food Network.
Ham on the Street is on Wednesday nights at 10:30 pm EST on the Food Network.