FOODIES
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By Ian Mellor-Crummey Houston’s food scene is on a meteoric rise, and on September 15-16, we received a taste of the future. The second annual Metropolitan Cooking and Entertainment Show, presented by the Houston Chronicle and held at the Reliant Center, was abuzz with thousands of excited foodies hoping to catch a glimpse of national celebrity chefs and local legends alike. This year, guests were treated to appearances by Paula Deen, Giada De Laurentiis, Jacques Pepin, and Martie Duncan, as well as local celebrities Hugo Ortega, Kiran Verma, Michael Cordúa, Randy Evans, Rebecca Masson, Ronnie Killen, and Jamie Zelko. Walking into the cavernous event hall, the enormity of the show was immediately apparent. Columns upon columns of vendors expanded to fill the entire space, displaying a dazzling array of cutlery, spice mixes, prepared foods, pots and pans, and other culinary accoutrements. A general admission ticket offered access to every one of the over 150 vendors presenting at the show, as well as the Cooking Theater, where one could watch live cooking demonstrations from local chefs, and the HEB Tasting and Entertaining Workshops, where those lucky enough to grab a seat could watch exhibitions on everything from knife skills to sari-tying to party decorating. Those exhausted by all of the show’s activities could wade their way through the crowd to the Houston Chronicle Style lounge, where attendees could give their feet a break by making use of the plush couches and chairs and meet writers from the Chronicle, as well as learn about the Chronicle’s new Style section, which will be debuting soon. Of course, the highlight of the show took place in the Celebrity Theater, where Paula,
Jacques, and Giada entertained their fans. Depending on which celebrity was performing, the experience changed drastically. Giada, as bubbly and animated as usual, tried to include the audience as much as possible by bringing up volunteers to help prepare her dishes and by fielding questions about her life, family, cooking, and show. Some of her responses were educational, like her warning against using truffle oil, while others were simply charming anecdotes about her personal life, such as her sharing her first memories cooking pizza with her grandfather at the age of five. In contrast, Paula’s demonstration was less like a family gathering and more like a rodeo, complete with raucous cheering and southern festivity. Paula displayed her trademark sass throughout, and even brought out her precious Javanese dog Lulu to perform tricks for the audience. The one constant, regardless of the celebrity, was that every experience in the Celebrity Theater was amazing and unique, and not a single guest left disappointed. Overall, the Metro Cooking and Entertainment Show brought enough activities to appeal to anyone’s tastes, though trying to keep track of all of the special appearances and events was a tad daunting. What could have easily taken up an entire week was packed into just two days and it was over just as quickly as it began. As Houston’s food scene continues to grow, we can only expect more spectacular events such as this to find their way into the city. Though the Metro Cooking Show has only just ended, many more amazing culinary opportunities loom on the horizon, and I, for one, cannot wait.
Ian Mellor-Crummey is a freelance writer and photographer. His photography recently appeared in Houston Center for Photography’s Collaborations IX: Aging. He is currently a senior at St. John’s School. (ianmellorcrummey@gmail.com)