Jeff Houck

The Tampa Tribune’s food writer since 2005, Jeff Houck covers the way people live through their food. He also hosts the Table Conversations food podcast and believes that everything crunchy is good.

 @JeffHouck
 The Stew
 Table Conversations
 StewVision
 Foodspotting
 Email Jeff Houck

Most Recent Entries

• USF Poly senate expresses alarm at independence bill in the Legislature
• USF showcases creationism critic tonight
• Times reporter goes to work at USF St. Pete
• Slutty Brownies, Homemade Snickers And Bacon-Wrapped Beef Hot Dogs [This Week’s Weekend Eats]
• USF Poly board member quits, saying USF is scuttling the “Poly model”
• Decision 2012: Florida’s Pizza Primary [Every Slice Of Newsroom Pie Tells A Story]
• USF gets big grant for veterans research
• Merlot Jelly, Korean Fried Chicken and Grand Marnier Souffle [This Week’s Weekend Eats]
• Researchers say cell phone waves can reverse Alzheimer’s
• Klasko and Obama grip and grin
• Genocide, memory and art the focus of USF conference
• Poly announces budget cuts; fires top administrators
• Debate turns into test of free speech. Some students failed.
• Homemade Potsticker, Pulled Pork With Fried Egg, And Unstuffed Pork Chops [This Week’s Weekend Eats]
• What’s up with the USF debate?

More

• The Stew
• The Dirt
• Hot Pursuits
• HOMEwork
• Inside USF
• L Archive
  • Green Lite
  • Bring It!

Monthly Archives

• February 2012
• January 2012
• December 2011
• November 2011
• October 2011
• September 2011

‘Dinner: Impossible’ Comes To Town [Robert Irvine Returns To The Tampa Bay Area]

Posted Mar 18, 2010 by Jeff Houck

Updated Mar 18, 2010 at 04:46 PM

In 2008, the St. Petersburg Times published a story that said Robert Irvine, star of the Food Network show “Dinner: Impossible” had padded his resume and, generally, acted like an a boor in the Tampa Bay area while portraying himself as being on the verge of opening two restaurants in downtown St. Pete. The spaces for those restaurants, then-named Ooze and Schmooze, were supposed to go in on Beach Drive. (He touted the restaurant in September 2007 during my Table Conversations podcast interview with him.)

Soon after the story about his resume fluffing, Food Network yanked Irvine’s bio from FoodNetwork.com and redacted a few pronouncements from the intro of the show. Irvine also was scheduled to appear at the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival in February 2008 in Miami Beach, but became chef non grata at the event and canceled at the last minute.

Chef Michael Symon assumed the helm of “D:I” for one season (Like that abbreviation? I invented that. You’re welcome.) Irvine took over again the following season, having served in culinary television purgatory for the requisite amount of time. He released an apology and moved on with his TV career. As he should have, really.

What saved it for him? Not sure. Perhaps his huge fan base helped. (The most commented post The Stew ever had was the one about Irvine apologizing.) Maybe it was the fact that just about every chef other than Thomas Keller has reached a little too far on a resume. It’s practically culinary tradition to claim you worked at Spago or cooked for Wolfgang Puck, when, in fact, you probably only did prep on a bag of potatoes that may or may not have gone into a gratin made with a recipe borrowed from someone who lived next door to Wolfie when he was in grammar school. It happens.

Fast-forward a couple years.

The prodigal chef will return to the Tampa Bay area this weekend to film an episode of “D:I.” at an undisclosed location.

Here’s the press release:

SWEETBAY SUPERMARKET SELECTED
FOR FOOD NETWORK’S DINNER: IMPOSSIBLE

TAMPA, Fla. – Food Network has selected Sweetbay Supermarket as the backdrop for an episode of its hit primetime series, “Dinner: Impossible.” Food Network will be filming in a select Sweetbay store on Sunday, March 21, as Chef Robert Irvine is tasked with the “impossible” challenge of feeding the Phillies Minor League team in town for Spring Training. The episode is scheduled to air on Food Network this fall.

Food Network’s Robert Irvine is ready for any challenge – on his popular series “Dinner: Impossible,” Robert is challenged to overcome culinary obstacles and deliver a delicious meal before his time runs out.

“We’re proud to be a part of Dinner: Impossible,” said Nicole LeBeau, Sweetbay Supermarket.  “The production’s decision to shop at our store confirms what our current customers already say about our outstanding selection and the quality of our meat and produce.”