On Monday Oct 21, 2002, I met my TV hero, Alton Brown. Dave and I went down to Sur La Table in Los Gatos, CA a month early into this class (the only day they took reservations because the class sold out in about 6 minutes flat) - and we went at 4 in the morning, so you know I'm a die-hard fan!
Here then are the highlight photos from this pinnacle of my culinary life thus far!
Alton hams it up for my pre-class camera test. He wasn't mad - he was goofing off.
He's not doing his Welcome to San Francisco interpretive dance. He's expounding on the properties of a foam. A few moments after this, he slapped that hand right on the foam and splattered it everywhere.
He's big on interaction and makes it so much fun to interact you just have to!
Stirring the grits, which had cooled into a nasty mass while he was talking.
Alton and Dave pray for a Giants World Series win. NOT! Actually, they were imitating tightly coiled proteins. No, really!
In his left hand is the white mixer - the wimpy, quiet one. In his right hand is the Cuisinart which has a motor on it like a Harley. His bliss regarding the power of a good mixer motor is apparent.
Alton borrowed me for a demonstration of what happens if you over-beat egg whites...
Then he tried to kill me in a headlock when I said BAM! No, I'm kidding. Actually, we got really close to illustrate what happens when you overbeat egg whites to the point of breaking - you squeeze the water out from between the proteins and the whites get grainy and dry but there's a puddle of water at the bottom of the bowl. See - I can listen and giggle at the same time!
Why am I holding an ear of Indian corn? Well, when he squeezed up next to me, several people took pictures, to which Alton quipped, "What is this? The prom? I didn't bring a corsage." Then he handed me the corn as a substitute.
After class he let me indulge my need for documentation once again. "This is just so you can get another hug, isn't it?" he wanted to know. Well, bien sur!
The signature.
So was it everything I dreamed it would be? Yessir, yessir and yessir! Alton's about as down to earth and approachable a TV personality as I ever expect to meet.
Gush, gush, gush... yup - I love me some Alton!
