Chef At Home

Chef at Home is a popular cooking show hosted by multi-talented Chef Michael Smith, on Food Network, Canada. The unique selling point of this show is to demonstrate recipes which need no previous preparation, or elaborate ingredients. The idea is to toss up something delicious with anything and everything available in one’s refrigerator, pantry or kitchen.

History

Chef at Home is written and hosted by chef Michael Smith ever since its inception in 2004. The show currently, in its Season 6, continues to be a favourite with those who like to cook on the spur of the moment. The show has been produced by Ocean Entertainment Limited – which is a Canadian production company since 1995, operating out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. All episodes of the show, right from Season 1 upto its current Season 6, has been shot in Smith’s kitchen, on Prince Edward Island where he lives.

Format

Chef at Home has been produced and directed with a ‘homely’ feeling to lend credibility to the show’s name. The first rule of this show is to close all cookbooks and pick up favourite and interesting ingredients from home cabinets. Chef Michael Smith is shown to be cooking around in his home kitchen, with ingredients readily available in his refrigerator, pantry or kitchen garden! What follows is a creative mind at work with these ingredients, using the most basic cooking techniques to rustle up the most simple yet delicious meals for the family. Each episode also has a sneak peek into Smith’s kitchen and refrigerator.

Noteworthy Episodes

1. The first episode of Season 1 of the show titled ‘ All Veggie Dinner ’, was a treat for all the viewers of the show. On this episode there was a last minute guest for dinner, who was a staunch vegetarian. Smith improvises to make an all vegetable meal, from whatever available in his refrigerator.
2. The first episode of Season 6 shows how our humble kitchen can be turned into “flavour laboratory”. The episode was titled ‘After School Party’. The episode basically focuses on some useful kitchen physics which help to create the most wonderfully delicious recipes of Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oven Fried Potatoes and Grilled Chicken Wings.
3. An episode titled Homemade Pasta shows Smith fiddling with his pasta maker to make his very own ‘homemade pasta’. He makes San Marzano Sauce for the freshly made Fettucine and in keeping with the Italian theme makes an Olive Oil Cake. All done without any previous preparation and just out of the blue.

Trivia

• Chef at Home is the highest rated television series on Food Network, Canada.
• Chef at Home’s host Michael Smith is the winner of the James Beard Broadcast Media Award, 2002 for the best cooking show in North America.
• Chef at Home’s host and writer chef Michael Smith is the official food ambassador for Prince Edward Islands, which is also where he lives.