"interview" news and stories

You can't help but really like Ellie Matthews. Ten years ago, she won the Pillsbury Bake-Off with her Salsa Couscous Chicken recipe, a blend of salsa and the flavors of Morocco.

Now she's written a book about her experiences: "The Ungarnished Truth: A Cooking Contest Memoir."

NPR's Steve Inskeep recently chatted with Matthews. Turns out, she's an unbelievably down-to-earth, sweet woman with a self-deprecating streak that you can't help but appreciate. Throughout the interview, she insists that she's not anyone special, that she "doesn't claim to be a better cook than anyone else." Typically, Matthews says, she will "buy ingredients that look good, wrestle them into a pan, and serve a meal."

"I'm not a fussy cook," Matthews said. "I don't put four different kinds of sea salt into something, or 18 different kinds of vinegar" (it could be assumed that the book title partially refers to the fact that her final recipe for the contest wasn't garnished or artfully arranged, but she won anyway).

What's more, she didn't even really seem all that impressed with the prize money. She simply enjoys cooking, and was a little disappointed when she won because she knew it would disqualify her from participating in the contest again.

As for what she did with the money? She admitted, "I'd like to think my life is just more than just what I buy on a whim or how I indulge myself," and then said that if she was, say, at a plant nursery, she could maybe splurge on a new plant for her garden.

Again: how can you not like this woman?

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These and other equally pressing questions were answered recently when Cookie Monster (and Cheryl Henson, Muppet creator Jim Hensen's daughter) were interviewed for NPR as part of the station's "In Character" series. Henson revealed that Cookie Monster's large black mouth is actually a hole in the puppet costume, where most of the food is deposited (directly on top of the puppeteer's head). The rest is mashed into crumbs and flies around his head during his frenzied eating.

Cookie was asked several questions similar to the format adapted by Inside the Actors' Studio host James Lipton. We've summarized them here for you, using actual quotes from Cookie himself, to reveal just a little bit more about what goes on inside that big furry blue head of his.

Favorite word: COOKIE! Ahahaha....What did you expect?
Least favorite word: "OUT OF COOKIES! Does that count? Okay...how about pusillanimous?"
What sound/noise do you love: "Anumumumum!" (the noise that he makes as he's devouring cookies)
What sound/noise do you hate: Snoring.
Favorite curse word: "Well, me have favorite dirty word: Oscar the Grouch! That is one dirty word."
Who would you like to see on a new bank note? "Bert. Me think he'd look really nice there, just the shape of Bert's head would fit nicely in the center of the bill."
What profession would you least like to try? Ophthalmology
If you were reincarnated as another animal, what would you like it to be? A Snuffulupagus.
If heaven exists, what you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? "COWABUNGA!"

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A couple of weeks ago, I headed over to DiBruno Bros. to buy some fresh ricotta. I was making a cheesy egg casserole for a Saturday brunch and like to use ricotta to give it some heft and body. It was a Friday afternoon when I headed over and the line at the cheese counter was several people deep as people were shopping for the evening and weekend. The cheesemongers were working with people, helping them determine what cheeses would work best for them and giving them lots of opportunities to taste the cheeses before they purchased. I stood there, patiently waiting my turn, watching as one woman looked for just the right cheese to take with her to a dinner party.

The guy helping her saw me watching as she tasted cheeses and the next time he offered her a sample, held one out for me to try as well. As luck would have it, the sample he offered me was of Twig Farm Wheel. It's soft cheese with a pungent rind that has a powerfully delicious taste. I liked it so much that I kept thinking about it after over the weekend and on Monday headed back to the cheese counter for my own small wedge (which I stretched out over the course of two meals, so as to better relish it).

Fast forward to this afternoon, when I came across an audio interview done by the folks at Cheese by Hand with the cheese makers at Twig Farm. It makes the cheese seem all the more delicious, knowing the background behind Twig Farm and the time and energy they put into crafting quality cheeses. If you like knowing where your food comes from, this interview will appeal to you.

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I'm not the most regular reader of Chow, so it took me some time to notice that they have been interviewing all of the contestants from this season of Top Chef as they get eliminated from the competition. So far, they have spoken to Chef Tom, who chats about the previous season's cast and Suyai, who was eliminated in the first episode; Otto, who was eliminated after an infamous lychee incident; Emily, whose food didn't wow the firemen in episode three; Marissa and Josie who were eliminated after their trio of palate cleansers failed to impress; and Carlos, the contestant who left after the most recent episode.

It is definitely interesting to hear the perspectives of the different competitors and to hear what their experiences were like. Some seem like genuinely nice people, while others seem to have a bit of resentment over the way their time on the show went. Type-A personalities working in cramped quarters in record-breaking Los Angeles heat is a recipe for conflict, to say the least. It is also interesting to get another perspective on the chefs and their personalities without Bravo's editing and to see if you still think that the judges made the right decisions.

We've been waiting for some time now for Fast Food Nation, the theatrical version of Eric Schlosser's popular book from about 5 years ago, to hit theaters. Fortunately, we don't have to wait much longer as the release date is November 17th.

The Washington Post has an interview with Schlosser and director Richard Linklate, who co-wrote the loosely adapted and fictionalized screenplay with Schlosser. Instead of only taking questions from an interviewer, however, they opened the floor to some curious readers from around the country so that they could ask their own questions about what went into making the film and what issues Schlosser has had to deal with since writing the original book. For example, one wants to know how many lawyers they needed to "cover-their-ass," while another wants to know if Schlosser has seen any big changes since the first publication of the book.

The interview doesn't offer as much food for thought as the book, but it's still enough to whet the appetitie for the movie's premier.

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