Welcome Back, Dinner Impossible!

Surfing around the net the past few days, I have read numerous posts about the return of Robert Irvine and Dinner: Impossible to the Food Network on April 8th. That makes it almost a year since Robert was "fired" from the Food Network because of alleged embellishments on his resume. For the record, I never watched DI because Robert cooked for the Royal Family, the White House or anyone else of fame or fortune. I watched the show because I learned so much from watching Robert and his team tackle some amazing challenges. The man and his team members are true professionals who DO KNOW HOW TO COOK, and cook very well under extreme pressure and unusual circumstances. For anyone who doubts the legitimacy of Robert's abilities, I challenge you to set up a bed and breakfast at an ice hotel and report back as to what kind of effort it takes for you to get a gourmet meal on the table for your guests. I found myself using some of the lessons learned as I tackled my own kitchen challenges -- time management, ingredient and equipment swaps, what cooking methods work to achieve flavorful results, etc...each episode brought new lessons. Class in session.

Then Robert was removed and temporarily replaced with Chef Michael Symon. The aspect that brought the most pressure to Robert and his team ("what you are about to see is real...Chef Robert Irvine has no knowledge of the challenge he is about to face") and which made the show one not to be missed for me, was eliminated to give Chef Symon a fighting chance at the challenges he faced. The disclaimer was removed, and the lack of passion demonstrated clearly spoke to the fact that Chef Symon was adequately briefed before the challenge. Perhaps that helped Mike claim victory on the challenges, but it sure made for boring TV.

Chef Irvine did keep in touch with his fans over the past year with a well written, thoughtful blog of his own: http://www.chefrobertirvineblog.com/. I found the postings to be very uplifting and motivational, and I would encourage anyone who stops in to visit me, to click the link to Robert's blog if you need a bit of good news in your week.

Meanwhile, I'm counting down the days until the new season of Dinner: Impossible begins and class is back in session!