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Already, it’s that crazy time of year again when the fourth-quarter shopping season is buzzing and new celebrity chefs are hoping to launch their stars on the Food Network. Four series premiers are set to debut, while well-known stars continue to build their branded images. So what will be hot this season? Is there enough room for both Emeril and Rachel Ray?
Following is a snapshot of what will be happening in the world of television, cookbook publishing, and food writing in the coming months.

The Small Screen
“The Food Network”continues to build its audience and feed your customers. New shows announced over the summer include the winners of the The Next Food Network Star contest and expanded Iron Chef programming.
“The Next Food Network Star” was a major success story for the network this spring. The series completed its four-week run on Sunday, June 29th, 2005, and was the highest-rated, most-watched prime-time series among households and adults aged 25 to 54 in the network’s history. The show’s live finale earned a 1.4 HH rating with a 1.0 rating among adults aged 25 to 54.
Rachael Ray launched her new half-hour series “Tasty Travels” last month. It spotlights her journeys around the country in which she tastes the cuisine of one city at a time. From food markets to mom-and-pop stores to restaurants offering unique eats, Ray offers the best finds each week. Viewers will get insider details like where to get a burger for a buck, find fresh oysters on the half shell at 2 a.m., and how to pick up affordable kitchenware.
“The Next Food Network” Star winners Dan and Steve will hit the big time with their series airing in the network’s successful In the Kitchen programming block Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. this September.
Next month, Food Network will celebrate the whimsical wisdom of desserts with “Sugar Rush,” a show dedicated to the most eagerly anticipated course of any meal. Hosted by Warren Brown, Food Network will show viewers the well-guarded secrets of world’s greatest pastry chefs and chocolatiers with equal parts fun and decadence. From cakes to cookies and pies to pastries, “Sugar Rush” is confection perfection for anyone with a sweet tooth (and even for those without one).
Also premiering this fall will be Giada De Laurentiis’ “Behind the Bash” series and a new series called “Chefography” (working title). De Laurentiis will take viewers to six-figure weddings, high-roller Vegas soirees, and Hollywood movie premieres where she cites food as the common denominator. On the heels of her enormously popular “Everyday Italian” series, Giada invites viewers behind the velvet ropes to see what goes into creating the world’s most spectacular parties in this documentary program.
“Chefography” will answer some of the most frequently asked questions regarding Food Network’s stars. For instance, the new specials will reveal what Emeril Lagasse makes for a late-night snack, delves into Ina Garten’s previous job in the White House, and examines the influence Dino De Laurentiis had on his granddaughter Giada. In this five-part series of chef profiles, viewers will enter their homes and learn from friends and family where these culinary superstars find inspiration and what they do when they’re not shooting a television series. “Chefography” will reveal the secret ingredient that turns a great chef into a Food Network icon.
While viewers are discovering what inspires these chefs, the branding game continues as new books and additional merchandise are launched and promoted. Signing Chef Emeril Lagasse as the spokesman for its kitchen category appears to be a winning recipe for the Shop At Home Network based on the debut of “From Emeril’s Kitchen” over the summer. The five-hour live special that featured the popular Food Network chef in cooking demonstrations using a wide variety of products from a sauté pan and a 10-inch cast iron grill to a stainless steel pasta set and ice cream makers anchored a record-setting day for Shop At Home’s kitchen category on Saturday, July 17th. It sold almost 6,000 units and beat projections for sales revenues by 200 percent, according to Shop At Home President Judy Girard. This was the first of three five-hour specials planned with Lagasse this year, with the next event set for this month and the third airing occurring on Thanksgiving weekend.
The release of Emeril’s Delmonico by Emeril Lagasse (October, William Morrow) will feature recipes from his best-loved restaurant. Adapted and simplified for home cooks, the recipes feature a combination of Old World classics and Emeril’s kicked-up Creole creations. From barbecued shrimp and grilled fish, to roast duck, flavorful pastas, and juicy steaks (including Emeril’s “E-1” Steak Sauce), plus show-stopping desserts, Emeril’s Delmonico is brimming with recipes for the hearty, innovative, no-frills foods that have made him America’s favorite chef.
Gordon Ramsay Makes it Easy by Gordon Ramsay (October 2005, Wiley) is bound to score an audience due to the popularity of Ramsay’s television show “Hell’s Kitchen,” which showcased both his formidable cooking skills and his infamous temper. His latest book is his first geared specifically to the needs of the home cook. Its simple, accessible recipes take very little time to prepare.
Dakota Beef has partnered with Celebrity Chef Sara Foster to launch her new cookbook, Fresh Every Day (Clarkson Potter 2005). Foster will highlight Dakota Beef organic beef products in her cooking demonstrations and book signings at various Williams-Sonoma locations across the country.

The Book Store
And speaking of beef . . . The Niman Ranch Cookbook: From Farm to Table with America’s Finest Meat (Ten Speed Press, October) by Bill Niman and Janet Fletcher will give you a great cross-merchandising tool for your Meat/Deli Department.
Besides the complete history of Niman Ranch, a company dedicated to compassionate farming and responsible land stewardship, the cookbook includes more than 40 recipes for beef, pork, and lamb by restaurant chefs across the country.
More cross-merchandising ideas are available in The Gourmet Toaster Oven: Simple and Sophisticated Meals for the Busy Cook by Lynn Alley (Ten Speed Press, October). The follow-up book to the best-selling Gourmet Slow Cooker (60,000 copies) features simple yet sophisticated meals for the toaster oven — a small electric with promising fourth-quarter sales. Merchandise your barware with the new Ten Speed release The Bar: Spirits, Cocktails, Knowledge (September) by Olivier Said and James Mellgren. This boldly designed guide to hundreds of spirits will educate, inspire, and amuse both professional and home bartenders who want to better understand their favorite cocktails. And your Wine Department will benefit from The Wine Guy by Andy Besch and Ellen Kaye. Besch, owner of the popular Manhattan wine shop West Side Wines, provides personal guidance and practical information to help today’s wine drinkers acquire the one and only skill they really need — the ability to identify and articulate their own taste in wine. Or check out Wine Style: Using Your Senses to Explore and Enjoy Wine by Mary Ewing-Mulligan and Ed McCarthy (November, Wiley), an appealingly straightforward and unintimidating guide that will help wine drinkers discover what they like and make informed choices.
Slow-Cooked Comfort by Lydie Marshall (November, HarperCollins) will provide you with an opportunity to showcase your enameled cast iron collection and slow cookers. These prepare-ahead dishes actually improve with time, making them perfect for busy home cooks who want maximum flavor with minimal fuss. From a substantial beef stew a la Provencal, which will warm you on the coldest winter day, to a light and satisfying zucchini and tomato custard featuring the flavors of late summer, Stews, Casseroles, and Braises is a year-round resource for delicious dinners.
A fun cross-promotional cookbook is The Ultimate Peanut Butter Book by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough (September, William Morrow). It features hundreds of recipes and thousands of variations for using good old American peanut butter in every way imaginable from cookies to curries. The Ultimate Peanut Butter Book is the tenth addition to Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough’s Ultimate Cookbook Empire. With major new book and television projects in the works, the popular series is set to expand even further.
Create a world tour for the holiday-entertainment and gift-giving season. New cookbooks can whisk customers away to any country they desire. From Ten Speed Press will be coming The Cuisines of Spain: Exploring Regional Home Cooking (November) and Washoku: Recipes from the Japanese Home Kitchen (October) by Elizabeth Andoh, Gourmet Magazine’s correspondent in Japan. The Cooking of Southwest France: Recipes from France’s Magnificent Rustic Cuisine by Paula Wolfert (October, Wiley) will bring an updated version to the home chef with 150 recipes and text for the modern cook, as well as more than 60 new recipes. Latin Chic: Style, Sass, and Salsa by Isabel Gonzalez and Carolina Buia (October, Rayo) offers easy party tips, enticing recipes, cultural history, and fabulous style. In their first book, they dole out recipes and tips on everything from decorating, music, and cocktails to fabulous party attire.

Monthly Magazines
Real Simple gets its readers to keep the grills lit through the winter season with a focus on indoor grills this fall. Real Simple editors will road test all of the different indoor grills, reviewing sizes, surfaces, cooking ability, ease of use, and ease of cleaning before offering readers their top picks. Also in editors’ sights are graters — editors will pick “4 Great Graters” in the Box, Handheld, Flat, and Rotary categories and explain when and which various types of the gadgets chefs should use. Grating techniques and cleaning tips will be included.
Real Simple editors will also test non-disposable plastic storage containers that solve common food storage problems so that you don’t end up with a mountain of stained, flimsy, or warped containers.
Bridal Guide’s September/October issue includes snapshots of plenty of tableware and kitchen products. Some items include: Wonderful World teapot by Villeroy & Boch; Chip n’ Dip Platter by Woolrich (Zrike Co.); Wine Rack by Two’s Company; Jasmine Napkin by Danica; Green Pencil Case by Kate Spade; Cheers Martini Glass, Martini Shaker, and Ice Bucket (all by Mikasa); Sterling Ice Scoop by Reed & Barton; Loft Collection Porcelain Sauceboat by Rosenthal; Daisy Napkin by Now Designs; Fiesta Carafe with handle by The Homer Laughlin China Co.; Bora Bora Plate by Tabletops Unlimited; Colorwave Square Plate by Noritake; Fire Round Platter and Creamer by Denby; Fiesta Turquoise Disk Pitcher and Yellow Sugar and Creamer set with tray by The Homer Laughlin China Co.; Pistoulet Sugar and Creamer Set, Ceramic Salad Servers, and Salt Shaker all by Pfaltzgraff; Café Collection Cappuccino Pitcher, Large Metal Leaf Tray, and Oval Platter, all by Portmeirion; and J.A. Henckels’ Twin CUISINE 8-piece Block Set, Silicone Whisk, Peeler, and Cold Meat Fork.
The October issue of Saveur will look at the wines of Argentina and Germany. For Argentina, the magazine’s writers traveled to Mendoza, a province in central-western Argentina that produces three-fourths of the country’s wines and 85 percent of its quality bottles. Most of the growing areas are close to or in the foothills of the Andes, and the scenery is stunning. A profile of the patriarch of Mendoza wines, Nicolas Catena, showcases his family at their farmhouse for a lunch of empanadas, saffron chicken and rice, and other Spanish-Argentine classics.
Manfred Prum lives in a baronial mansion on the Mosel River and produces some of the finest Riesling wines in Germany under the J.J. Prum label. His grapes grow on slopes above the Mosel that are so steep and high that workers often sit on the grape-filled buckets, which are lifted by motorized pulley-like cable cars. Saveur vividly describes this place’s beauty and the wines it produces. Also in October will be a Saveur list of the finest hotel restaurants in Europe and a look at Big Tips candy bars, a collection of old-fashioned chocolate bars.