You know how much I love press releases. This one is just too good not to share.

“Famed culinary expert Ted Allen joins the Food Network family with the debut of his new series Food Detectives, premiering Tuesday, July 29th at 9pm ET/PT.  The half-hour primetime series explores the delicious connection between science and food, pulling back the curtain and revealing the answers to some of the most puzzling food mysteries.

'We’ve wanted to work with Ted for years on a series of his own and we’ve found a great fit in Food Detectives,' said Bob Tuschman, Senior Vice President, Programming and Production for Food Network. 'Not only will this show provide a wealth of interesting information for our viewers, it also gives Ted an opportunity to show off his wit and culinary knowledge.'

'I'm so excited to be working with Food Network on this new series,' said Allen. 'It's a fantastic opportunity for me to head up my own show and I know that viewers are going to be totally engaged with the information we are discovering on Food Detectives!'

Food Detectives mixes a healthy dose of humor with a wealth of fascinating factoids. Aided by willing culinary techs and the brains from the leading science and technology magazine Popular Science, the series will conduct experiments to find the truth behind the most interesting food myths. Ted and his team will dig deep to answer questions like: Does it really take seven years for gum to digest in your stomach? Is the five-second rule true? Can an 'apple a day' really keep the doctor away? Viewers can also get in on the fun by submitting their most puzzling food conundrums for potential show experiments."

The underlining is my addition. I liked Queer Eye as much as anyone, but Ted’s talent, along with Jai Rodriguez’s, seemed the most manufactured of the five lads. Ted’s culinary tips were a joke on that show, as is the rest of his content that I have seen throughout the years. As a presenter, he might be decent; we will have to tune in to find out. But based on listening to him talk food on Top Chef, QE, and behind-the-scenes at food events we have both been attending, I am not optimistic. And the Tuschman pat on the back underlined above makes me laugh whenever I read it. It is a shame that Alton Brown is already engaged in several other hits on that network because this concept is perfect for him.

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Steven Read of Shepherd’s Way let me know that

“Jeff Roberts, the author of The Atlas of American Cheese is in town.  Roberts, who lives in Montpelier, Vermont, is the Northeast regional governor of Slow Food USA and an organizer of the American raw milk cheese presidium. The Atlas of American Artisan Cheese, tells the stories of 345 small cheesemakers around the country. Roberts will be doing a book signing/demo/seminar at Mississippi Market in Saint Paul on Friday afternoon, July 18th and we'll be there sampling Big Woods Blue.  That evening, you can join Slow Food Minnesota and Surdyk’s for cheese, wine, conversation and a book signing at Elsie's, at 729 Marshall Street NE, Minneapolis from 6:30-9:00 p.m. For more info about this and other Slow Food Minnesota events, check out their website at www.slowfoodmn.org. On Saturday, there will be a benefit for the American Cheese Society at the Cafe Brenda Atrium, 301 1st Avenue North, Minneapolis. This will be a celebration of Local Artisanal Beer and Cheese featuring Chef Brenda Langton and Jeffrey Roberts. The press release reads "enjoy an evening of award winning artisanal cheeses and beers and lively discussion with Jeff Roberts about the local food scene and what Minnesota and Wisconsin food producers can grow and nurture sustainably. Savor appetizers prepared with local ingredients by acclaimed chef Brenda Langton and inspired by the award winning cheeses being sampled".  For information call Classic Provisions at 763-544-2025. Copies of The Atlas of American Artisan Cheese will be available for sale and signing.”

Thanks Steven!

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Local-lad-turned-NYC-uber-chef Gavin Kaysen was on the Today Show. As the local corn comes into season, you might want to try the recipe he taught Matt.

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As Ariane Daugin put it in her latest newsletter:

“Bastille Day, known popularly among the French as ‘Le Quatorze Juillet’ or the 14th of July, is a national holiday celebrating a landmark event in French history: the storming of the Bastille in 1789. This uprising of the people, in defiance against the tyranny of the Monarchy was a critical turning point in the French Revolution that ultimately led to its end. To commemorate the event on July 14, 1790, the populace of Paris celebrated the ‘Fete de la Federation’ on the Champs de Mars--then on the outskirts of Paris, and now the site of its iconic Eiffel Tower. As part of the ceremonies, both King Louis XVI and his confidant and Captain of the National Guard, General Lafayette (who had also served in the American Revolutionary War as both a general and a diplomat), took an oath to the new French constitution. What followed was a huge four-day feast of eating and drinking to celebrate freedom and the enlightened ideals of the fledgling nation state--Liberté, Egalité et Fraternité.”

In that spirit, head to Vincent A Restaurant, and grab a glass of champagne and a wedge of terrine, and toast the French. Vive la France.