As if you didn’t already know, Guy Fieri is a television celebrity on the Food Network Channel with Guys Big Bite and Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. He is also the host of Minute to Win It and the co-owner of five restaurants in California. The Guy Fieri Roadshow started in 2009; a multi-state food tour including some of his fellow Food Network personalities that were cheered in Tulsa Thursday like rock stars.
For the 2011 tour, Guy, the self proclaimed “pal of pork”, teamed up with the National Pork Board and brought along some of his favorite chefs from the “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” show. The tour also supports Fieri’s latest cookbook, “Cookin it, Livin it, Lovin it!” which is dedicated to his sister Morgan who passed away, February 2011.
Guy Fieri and his Kulinary Krew blazed in with what he calls a Rock-n-Roll Foodapolooza show Thursday night. You ask, “What is a Rock-n-Roll Foodapolooza”? It’s definitely unlike anything you have experienced before – a combination of mixed drinks, Rock-n-roll, story telling, good food and a great night out.
At the Joint, Tulsa’s own Hard Rock Casino showplace, this show opened with an Australian flair bartender, Hayden “Woody” Wood. He’s a natural entertainer and author of The Liquid Kitchen. A mixologist, Wood got the crowd started with lots of dancing and music as he made different cocktails for members of the audience.
When it was time for Guy Fieri to walk on stage; “Kick Start My Heart” by Mötley Crüe was blaring through the room. You would have thought you were at a major rock concert at his entrance. Fieri’s energy on stage is immediately engaging. Side kicks included Panini Pete and Gorilla, both chefs from the DDD shows. They interact with talent, style and skill adding significant entertainment at a rapid pace.
While Fieri and crew were making Sangria Shrimp, he told stories that had the audience rocking and rolling with laughter. They could have easily been titled: Please Don’t Feed Me, Boiled Nuts, and How Not to Deep Fry a Turkey. Oh, and let’s not forget the “Gus Ferrari” story about some people who claim to be his biggest fans that don’t even know his name. There is no way to replicate Fieri’s stories in print. You really need to go to the live show and hear them for yourself.
Fieri’s son Hunter came out to serve as master of ceremonies during a segment that became a game from Minute to Win it called “Face the Cookie”. The Tulsa crowd, in rare rowdy form, played with enthusiasm.
Throughout the night video some clips from DDD, showed the chefs’ specialties like Panini’s, BBQ and Pizza’s. If you weren’t hungry when you came to the show, you certainly were soon after it began. Chef Stretch who appeared on the Road Show and is also an art sculptor, made the 25 gallon margarita machine that was loaded to the brim and in the blink of an eye had the people at the front of the stage lifting cups to get a fill.
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Photos by: Kevin Pyle
To finish the night, Fieri who claimed “we’re fueled by Jack Daniels and powered by pork,” made a pan seared pork loin sandwich that smelled so insanely good we all wished we had bought tickets to be on stage to get a bite. But the large audience in majority could just inhale the alluring aroma. Some lucky fans at least got cheese thrown at them by Fieri and crew before assembling the Gi-normous sandwich.
Fieri spoke about the “Food Revolution” he promotes to get kids in the kitchen cooking real food and to stop eating the junk causing countless health issues facing many families today. He then introduced Tulsa’s Nathan Hale Culinary Arts Team that catered the food on stage for the evening. To this, Tulsans provided a standing ovation.
This rock-n-roll, cocktail, food show lasted for almost three hours of great fun. Yes, it left the audience with a hunger for and deep appreciation of quality cuisine. If you missed the Guy Fieri Roadshow this year at the Joint, don’t let it pass you by again.