Last week, I had the pleasure to speak with actor, comedian, author and certified foodie, James Cunningham, host of Food Network‘s increasingly popular, Eat St. James recently wrote a cookbook, Eat St. Recipes from the Tastiest, Messiest, and Most Irresistible Food Trucks, which has been flying off the shelves in Canada and the US.

In a very candid, exclusive Skype interview with Stitches ‘n Dishes, James reveals how he’s gone from being a stand-up comic to teaching over 150,000 young adults every year on the in’s and out’s of money management with his Funny Money show, to traveling the globe in search of the best street food for Food Network.

A self-described terror in the kitchen, James admits he couldn’t cook to save his life, but even he’s been tempted by some of the incredible recipes his new cookbook has to offer. “I’m a professional eater. I can’t cook to save my life, but my brother is a brilliant chef. He’s furious that I wrote a best-selling cookbook,” he said.

The experience inspired James to try his hand in the kitchen, and he admits he has a passion for his new panini press. Always the comedian, James wasted no time in injecting a few laughs throughout the interview, including a few jabs about my own kitchen nightmare, involving the Canadian staple, poutine in April.

James explains that in writing the cookbook, he and Paperny Entertainment, the show’s producer, contacted chefs and owners at some of the best food trucks and carts featured on the show. Surprisingly, they were met with overwhelming support. “They didn’t just give us their secondary or tertiary recipes; they gave us their best recipes.”

“If you can’t get to Portland, Los Angeles, or Miami for some of the most incredible street food on the continent, we’re bringing the food to you,” James said.

Watch the interview where James reveals how he became the host of Eat St. almost on a whim, what he thinks about the future of the street food industry, how Eat St. is revolutionizing interactive television, and a surprising new travel trend that’s utilizing the Eat St app to plan vacations. This interview is chock full of great inside info, back-stories, my own kitchen outtakes (it’s worth watching for this surprising clip alone), and James’ classic humor.

Download the free Eat St. App for iPhone and Android , and grab your copy of Eat St. Recipes from the Tastiest, Messiest, and Most Irresistible Food Trucks at the Stitches ‘n Dishes store. Of course, if you’ve got college-bound kids, preserve your future man caves, sewing rooms, and home gyms – give them a dose of Funny Money. Visit http://www.funnymoneyinc.com.

In 2013, at the height of social sales, even a teddy bear and a box of chocolates can sit squarely at the center of a multi-platform social media conversation powerful enough to reach hundreds of thousands around the globe and back in three days. In my latest blog article on Food Network’s Eat St. blog, I show how social sales is the very core of food truck operations and vital in this year. Times have changed, and the landscape is quickly evolving on today’s social media platform. Companies’ stories are being subverted, inverted, juxtaposed and turned sideways. The harsh reality is that businesses no longer drive their own brand messaging; their customers do. And, those customers are stronger, faster, and smarter than ever before. Their voices are far-reaching – they are empowered.

Years ago, during the Great Depression, two brothers, Harry and David Rosenberg (I’ve also seen the last name, Holmes) found themselves struggling to sell their prize winning pears from an orchard in Oregon that their father left to them. They took to the streets, hoping to gain some new found customers.  Ultimately, the two paired (no pun intended) up and hatched a plan to sell their pears by mail. They traveled the country, seeking new customers and spreading the word about their business. It wasn’t long before Harry & David became known as the nation’s premier direct marketer of gourmet fruit and food gifts. Today, Harry & David is one of the oldest, low-recognition / high-esteem catalog mail order companies in the United States, grossing approximately half a billion dollars in annual sales.

I’ve purchased products from Harry & David’s online mail order catalog on about ten occasions since last October. It began with an order of pears – during his research one day, Andrew came across the Royal Riviera pears at Harry & David, and decided to give them a try. These aren’t just any pears. The Royal Riviera pear from Harry & David is actually the French Comice pear known for its smooth, creamy texture and flavor. There are only a few places in the world where these pears can be grown, making them an exquisite treat.

It was after we used the pears in a salad, that we wanted to take a closer look. I ordered more. I gifted them, I cooked with them, I baked with them, and I snacked on several of Harry & David’s treats. I didn’t look for Harry & David on Facebook, and frankly I opted out of email. But, I continued ordering. As I’m always exploring the vast world of food, I thought the quality of the gourmet products at Harry & David would be worthwhile to write about, but in the course of a ten-minute conversation, this story quickly took a completely different turn.

A single online purchase followed by a series of poorly executed communications from Harry & David led to a week-long melee of interaction between Harry & David, me and about seven other individuals – and it all unfolded on social media.

Back in the old days, Harry and David didn’t have Facebook accounts. They couldn’t build a Twitter following, and there was no e-mail marketing. The only tweeting they knew of was the scolding shlenk of the Scrub Jays on their orchard in Medford. They understood that if they were to sell their pears before they fell off the trees, they’d need to do some foot work. They knew they’d need to engage with people in a real way, and they’d need to shine.

They had to show their potential customers the value of their pears, and they’d need to become trusted advisors in this new world of gift-giving. Harry and David would become experts in the field and nothing less than exceptional service would be their standard.

Why is this history lesson so important in social sales?

Businesses, large and small are just now beginning to understand what “social” is about. Five years ago, it was all about the numbers. Regardless of the type of business – mail order fruits and gifts, automobiles, soft drinks, health products, or restaurants and food trucks – the goal was simple and direct: attain as many fans and followers in as short a time frame as possible and build an audience.

The larger the fan base, the better they felt they were doing in the marketplace. Fan count was worn like a badge of honor; it said something about the business. Harry & David is no stranger to the bumps and bruises businesses encountered on social platforms today. In fact, it’s taken the company some years to gain its footing in social media, and it’s still experiencing growing pains. Not without its challenges, Harry & David forged ahead into the 21^st century, adopting email marketing and more recently, in May 2010, social media in its marketing strategy.

In less than three years, Harry & David attained well over 300,000 Facebook fans, but despite its impressive fan base, it maintains a B- rating with the Better Business Bureau, a 2.5 star rating on Yelp, and nearly half of the comments received on Facebook are negative.

The Teddy Bear Melee

What became known as “The Teddy Bear Melee” at my house last week was a culmination of fumbles, errors and multiple charges to my bank account. One simple order for a “Bear Mountain Gift” from Harry & David for a birthday resulted in seven canceled orders, multiple empty promises, and countless canned responses. I ordered the gift, Harry & David canceled the order without notifying me then when I’d call to get some answers, they re-entered the order. Rinse and repeat. We repeated this exercise daily. I escalated calls to supervisors, I sent email, I posted to the Harry & David Facebook page, and I tweeted. The response was, in a word, astounding. I received no response to email, I was ignored on Twitter, Harry & David deleted my comment on Facebook, and ignored me on Twitter.

UPDATE: As of 4/23/2013 Harry & David has continued to delete customer comments on its Facebook page. 

Meanwhile, my seventh and final order was still processing. The one time my order was not canceled, Harry & David didn’t bother to inform me, just as they hadn’t informed me that they had canceled it six times prior. I continued to escalate the issue, which in turn caused “The Teddy Bear Melee” to explode in a mushroom cloud all over the internet. I talked about my experience on my Facebook profile, then on the Stitches ‘n Dishes Facebook page.

The Facebook post received about 40 comments, and reached 630,000 people, catching the eyes of some very strong social influencers, like Ross Quintana at Social Magnets with a social reach of over 25 Million readers. My friend, John Philpin is a partner at Reality Works, a global sales strategy and implementation services firm with a unique expertise in phone/online/social selling, utilizing Sales 2.0 and Social Sales practices. He and I clicked immediately, I think because his passion is the customer – he’s always focused on answering one overriding question, “so… what does it mean to our customer?”

John’s experience spans Europe and the U.S. with enterprises such as CitiBank, GEC and Oracle. He and I talked this week about my experience with Harry & David. In fact, he’s one of the seven people who experienced first-hand one of the biggest social media mistakes a business can make. After I was banned on the Harry & David Facebook page, several people, including John, Ross and tech reviewer, Michelle Harris who writes for, Womworld Nokia, Nokia Creative, Techforce, and purpleplanet each posted comments on the Harry & David page, and each was deleted and they were banned.

Understanding the customer’s needs and his buying process is the basic foundation of and compulsory to a successful business, especially in social sales where customers and potential customers have the power to be brand ambassadors or a company’s worst critics. Any business should not even consider a social strategy or implementing tools and technologies until it has established a firm footing in this basic foundation. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got a staff to handle a social media department, or if you’re a food truck operator, hoping to make it big in the exploding food truck industry.

John had just published an article where he said that selling is about relationships and adding value. He points out that through the evolution of social media, businesses lost sight of building relationships with their customers and really understanding their needs. And this brings me to Rule #1.

Rule #1: Assure customer retention and loyalty by understanding customer needs and developing a relationship with them.

It wasn’t the teddy bear, or the trouble of having to find another gift then ship it that really bothered me. I felt ignored. Harry & David failed to establish the first building block in a relationship with its customer – it didn’t think about my needs.

Rule #2: Assure customer trust by being transparent and honest, and by addressing their needs.

Consequently, deleting Facebook comments and banning customers does nothing for the relationship, and it won’t silence them, either. Unless a customer is abusive, there is no acceptable reason to delete comments or ban them. There’s an old business adage, “A happy customer tells a friend; an unhappy customer tells the world.” Back then, they didn’t even know about the internet yet, but they realized the potential for the voice of the customer. The adage couldn’t hold more true today, when the average American can easily tell 500 people about a bad customer service experience in less than five minutes. So take to heart this golden rule in the voice of the customer:

Satisfied customers tell three friends – Angry customers tell 3,000

Remember that bit about trust? Assure customer trust by being transparent and honest, and by addressing their needs. Nothing is as untrustworthy as a business who attempts to hide customer complaints or silence customers, and it doesn’t stop them from telling 3,000 others about it in a tweet. If you’ve established a relationship with your customers and understand their needs, this should be second nature. Customers want to communicate with people. Which reminds me,

Do unto others as you have others do unto you

I spoke with Darren Prescott, Vice President of Customer Care at Harry & David not only about my order, but my overall customer experience. Ultimately, Darren resolved my order problem personally, which reassured me that Harry & David is serious about building relationships with its customers.

He assured that the teddy bear gift was not only shipped, but that it was shipped overnight. Then, he gave me a full credit for the gift, as well as a $50.00 gift certificate to be used in the future. His gesture built upon the damaged trust in our relationship and brought me closer to purchasing from them again in the future. He spoke with the social media department within the organization, and immediately unblocked all customers – a wise first step to building customer trust in social media.

If a business doesn’t engage with customers in social media, it is far more likely to lose those customers. And worse, one customer’s story could go viral, potentially reaching millions of people, sometimes for a very long time. In 2013, we’re shifting back to the founding concepts. Relationships, retention, loyalty, and trust are the new black. Customers have the ability to be our ambassadors or our worst critics, and businesses will not sustain a social presence unless they engage and empower their workforces, get to know their customers on a personal level, and create brand advocates.

Prescott believes that Harry & David will succeed in Sales 2.0, and that the bumps along the way are part of the growing pains. These can be expensive lessons for businesses, that can ultimately turn into PR nightmares. He did assure me that Harry & David will be closely examining its social strategy, and making some changes. I’ll watch for improvements on the company’s Facebook page. If a business doesn’t engage with customers in social media, it is far more likely to lose those customers. And worse, one customer’s story could go viral, potentially reaching millions of people, sometimes for a very long time.

In 2013, we’re shifting back to the founding concepts. Relationships, retention, loyalty, and trust are the new black. Customers have the ability to be our ambassadors or our worst critics, and businesses will not sustain a social presence unless they engage and empower their workforce, get to know their customers on a personal level, and create brand advocates.

From Television Screen to Your Kitchen Counter – Eat St the Cookbook Arrives

In January, Paperny Entertainment, the show’s producer announced that Eat St was nominated for two Canadian Screen Awards. A week later, another huge announcement. Eat St is coming soon to a bookstore near you. Paperny Entertainment teamed up with Penguin Canada to create Eat St., a companion cookbook based on the hugely popular television series. Written by the show’s globetrotting host James Cunningham, Eat St. is now available in bookstores in Canada and will soon hit the shelves in the U.S.

Tried and true American foodies in the know and in search of a good bargain have already found their way to the Amazon store for discounted pre-orders. The book is on sale for 30% off on Amazon until April 2 when it officially launches in the U.S.

I received my copy a few weeks ago – seeing James on the cover was like receiving a giant post card in the mail from a traveling friend. James, an admitted terror in the kitchen, may not possess the culinary know-how to boil an egg, but he knows good food when he sees, smells, hears and tastes it. Like a bloodhound hot on a scent, James Cunningham has popped up in as many cities as Martha Stewart has napkin designs.

With a great introduction to a culinary adventure, James opens Eat St with a bit of a background on the show and the exploding food truck phenomenon that’s literally taken the continent by storm. The book takes foodies through seven sections, including Mobile Snacks, Burgers, Dogs & Slices, Ultimate Street Sandwiches, Tacos, Wraps & Cones, Soups, Noodles & Saucy Things, Curbside Meals, and Sweet Wheels (you didn’t think it wouldn’t include desserts, did you?). James finishes the book with some very thoughtful words of gratitude that really make you realize how much effort and dedication have gone in to both the TV show and the book.

The first thing I noticed about this book, other than its sheer volume (this is one very packed cookbook), were the extraordinary photos. This is seriously Triple-F-Rated food porn, and if watching the episodes doesn’t make you hungry, the book is designed to stop you dead in your tracks. In fact, several of the photos of food trucks, people and mouth-watering street eats in Canada were taken by Eat St Media Correspondent, Sean Neild. A born and raised Vancouverite, Sean has taken the time to find some of the best food that Vancouver has to offer. With a background in the video game industry, Sean has taken his love of technology and applied it to his love of photography and good food by creating Sean’s Adventures in Flavor Town. He also contributes to Eat in, Eat out and EatinginVancouver.

Nacho Grande Poutine – Smoke’s Poutinerie, Toronto, Ontario

I couldn’t wait to try something out of this street foodie’s ultimate cookbook. I wanted to pay homage to James, and since he’s Canadian, I was all over the Nacho Grande Poutine recipe from Smoke’s Poutinerie like a monkey on a muffin. And just like the episode that aired last June, I felt like I spent some quality eating time at Smoke’s, where the poutine is made with cheese curds imported from Quebec and topped with everything from grilled chicken to Italian sausage to green peas.

Poutine is officially pronounced, poo-TIN, but it’s widely acceptable to pronounce it as, poo-TEEN, especially if you’re American. Either way you say it, you’re bound to get a reaction. It’s a gut-busting, artery-obstructing, colon-clogging French Canadian concoction of french fries, gravy, and cheese. James describes poutine as “a proud Canadian dish that combines all the heart-stopping power of melted cheese curds and gravy with the healthy benefits of a plate of deep-fried potatoes.” The guys at Smoke’s Poutinerie are so serious about their poutine, they actually grow their own potatoes.

This poutine smelled so good, and I couldn’t stop myself from nibbling on the cheese curds, I actually forgot to top it with the sliced jalapenos. But that’s OK, because this is Eat St – if it’s messy, tasty and irresistible, James won’t mind.

James Cunningham on his book signing tour

Season four of Eat St premiers on Food Network, Canada and the Cooking Channel in the US in April. Check your local listings, and grab your copy of Eat St the companion cookbook so you can watch along with me in your own kitchen this season.

Le Truc in San Francisco has pulled off a similar concept for several years, but Vitarello plans to offer something a little different. He imagines his customers sitting down to a meal in a 1957 bus retrofitted as a 21st-century dining car “When I walked into [the bus], I knew it would work,” Vitarello says. “It would be something that would complement what we do. . . . We want to be part of a growing mobile culture. It’s meeting people where they are with their lifestyle,” he told the Post.

Fojol Brothers, featured on Food Network’s Eat St this passed season serves Indian, Thai and Ethiopian food while wearing fake mustaches and brightly-colored turbans. They are a fictional “traveling culinary carnival” from the country of “Merlindia” to “share their family traditions with the world.”

The traveling food circus is also featured in the upcoming book, Eat St, written by the show’s host, James Cunningham. The Fojol Brothers may not take themselves seriously, but they take their food very seriously. Pre-orders for the book are available for $6.00 off the cover price until April 2, when the book officially launches and ships.

Retrofitted Dining Cars Serve as Peace Offering

Vitarello feels that his concept may serve as a peace offering in an ongoing debate between food trucks and bricks and mortar restaurants. The owners of bricks and mortar restaurants view street food vendors as poachers or wandering vagrants. The new proposed regulations establish Mobile Roadway Vending locations, where trucks would enjoy expanded hours but probably find their numbers limited. The buses are part of a new trend of food truck round-ups on private properties, including parking lots.

Some, more extravagant round-ups include patio seating, canopies and entertainment like the events seen in California and Portland, Oregon. Vitarello and co-founder Peter Korbel plan to reinvigorate areas of D.C. and are working with food truck operators, private developers, businesses and arts organizations to bring street food to focused areas. They’re primarily focused on single areas that are removed from the spaces controlled by the District Department of Transportation and away from the major restaurant rows.

“The proposed stationary truck/bus venture may be in anticipation of a change in the vending regulations, or it may be a sign of a maturing industry that is adjusting its business model to mitigate the mobility ‘downside,’ ” Kathy Hollinger, the new president of Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, says in an e-mail statement to the Post. She considers the cutthroat competition for parking spots one of the “downsides” for food trucks.

“Stationary, off-street vending of the type proposed by the Fojol Brothers is new to the District but well tested in other cities such as Portland, Oregon, and Austin, Texas,” Hollinger adds. “This type of ‘mobile’ vending is certainly worth looking at as the city struggles to manage the most popular public space for safety and accessibility by all concerned.”

Stephen Crouch, a sculptor at the 52 O Street Studios, is the creative director for the buses. He’s transforming the buses into functional spaces, with the idea of getting them on the road by summer; the rehab work is expected to cost about $50,000, which the Fojol Bros. hope to finance via a Kickstarter campaign. Crouch figures, as of last week, that he has spent about two months working on the first bus: ripping out seats, stripping off layers of exterior paint and designing the interior for its role as part of the District’s street scene.

The spacious, turquoise-colored interior will be outfitted with modular components, such as tables that snap onto the old overhead hand rails, so the buses can take on various personalities, depending on the function. Read the full story http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-03-12/lifestyle/37648185_1_food-trucks-fojol-bros-truck-event

I’ve always loved Cuban cuisine. Combining Spanish, African, and Caribbean influences, it’s what fusion cuisine is all about. The result is a flavor explosion of cultural influences of spices and techniques seen in Spanish and African cooking and spices of the Caribbean. You’ll even find some Chinese influence in some Cuban dishes. Food Network’s Eat St. visited Seattle, Washington last July, and they made a stop at one of the hottest Cuban kitchens on wheels, Snout & Co.

Fifteen-year Seattle bar veteran, Lee Scott, owns Snout & Co. He adds a South Carolina flare to his Cuban fare, creating an entirely different culinary experience.  Growing up in with a Cuban grandmother in South Carolina made combining the two a natural fit at Scott’s house. Today, he sticks to his roots, offering dishes that blend fresh citrus and spices, creating an amazing style of pork that the Cubans have perfected. His family recipe of black beans and fried plantains served with smoked tomatillo-coconut sauce are a favorite in Seattle.

“Growing up with a Cuban grandmother has always given me a sense of pride. Cubans love their community and share their food with smiles,” says Scott. A good rub is what makes barbecue what it is. Cooking pork with rub and smoke is only a part of  the process. Scott adds a small amount of a mustard-based sauce to compliment the flavors and finishes the pork slowly at a low temperature.

Snout & Co. also offers house made finishing sauces, like ancho molasses and a habanero-honey molasses. “Food from the soul is what feeds the soul. Food should have a story. I love unlocking those recipes and sharing this food with people.” Scott worked as a caterer, and has been a lifelong cook before launching his Snout & Co. food truck in 2010.

Scott shared his secret family recipe for a mouth-watering Cuban bowl with Tostones (plantains). Loosen up your belt for this one; this recipe yields 12 servings, so you can feed the family and probably still have leftovers.

It starts with a heaping helping of mojo pork, with its garlic and citrus marinade, then black beans and rice in a smoked tomatillo-coconut sauce, served with sliced, fried plantains.

Snout and Co. in Seattle delivers comfort food with flavors drawn from Cuba to South Carolina, and features a Homemade Black Bean Burger and a Pulled Pork Sandwich with meat that has been slow cooking for 24 hours. Find out more about Snout & Co. on their website, or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Cuban Bowl with Tostones

Ingredients

• Jasmine rice
• Cooked Black beans
• Cushion meat
• Tostones
• Tomatillo-coconut sauce

Directions

Mix together jasmine rice and black beans. Top with cushion meat. Place tostones in rice and drizzle tomatillo-coconut sauce between tostones.

Yield: 12 servings (see below)

CUSHION MEAT

Ingredients

• 1.4 kilograms pork cushion meat
• 2 cups orange juice
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons black pepper
• 3 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons cumin 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar

Directions

BLACK BEANS

Ingredients

• 450 grams dried black beans
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 red onions, diced
• 4 bell peppers, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons black pepper
• 3 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons sugar

Directions

Eat St. is a lip-smacking celebration of North America’s tastiest, messiest, and most irresistible street food. Join James Cunningham on the ultimate cross-country culinary road trip to find the most daring, delicious, and inventive street food across the country.

The Next Great Baker, winning cake (left) made by Ashley Holt. Second place cake (right) made by Gretel-Ann Fischer.

“Here’s what I say to that “cheating” thing…,” reads the message tweeted by Winooski, Vermont resident, and owner of Cupp’s Bakery, Gretel-Ann Fischer on February 11, 2013 at 6:16 PST. Earlier, she took second place in the Season 3 finale of The Next Great Baker (TLC) TV show.

Attached to the tweet, a photograph of Fischer holding a hand-written sign, “It’s not cheating… It’s Culinary 101 – What you learn when you go to culinary school.”

In response to outraged fans, Gretel-Ann Fischer (above) tweeted this message during the airing of The Next Great Baker, Season 3 finale.

But, was it cheating? Did Gretel-Ann Fischer cheat her way to the top in a nationally-broadcast baking competition? According to a flood of hate messages from angry show fans, that is precisely what Fischer did, and they’re not putting up with it. In fact, Fischer told NECN.com on Wednesday that she has received death threats. The authorities are monitoring her social networks, however no actual evidence of death threats has surfaced.

With a $100,000 prize, a spread in Redbook Magazine, and a job at Carlo’s Bake Shop at stake, Fischer pulled out all the stops with the intent to take home the title, The Next Great Baker.

Gretel-Ann Fischer claims that life has been difficult for her and her family. Struggling to make ends meet, and facing a failing bakery, Fischer threw her hat into the ring to save her business, the livelihood of her employees, and her family’s well-being. A $100,000 prize would do just that.

Her failing business comes with a reputation, though – a long laundry list of poor service, sub-par quality, and over-priced goods. As of February 13, 2013, nearly 70% of Yelp! reviews for Cupp’s, Fischer’s bakery, rated it 1-2 out of 5 stars for an average 2.5 star rating.

Cupp’s Bakery owned by Gretel-Ann Fischer

Since early 2011, customers at Cupp’s have complained, calling it a “sub-par bakery that isn’t much better than grocery store fare,”

“the place that provides service with a SNARL,”

“mediocre at best with greasy hole-less pastry bagels,”

“save your money and go to one of the great bakeries in the area.”

Prior to opening Cupp’s, Fischer owned and operated Fischer’s Fancies, a wedding cake business. She moved the modest wedding cake operation into the Cupp’s location when she opened the business. Clearly, Gretel-Ann Fischer faced a long, uphill battle, if she were to get close to winning that $100,000 prize.

Throughout the season’s competition, Fischer continually stated that she wasn’t on the show to make friends and the other contestants didn’t realize that they were in a competition, because they developed a comrardarie among each other; they were too friendly with one another. But, Gretel-Ann Fischer was there to win, and in her own statements, said she was willing to do anything to get to the top. On at least three occasions, Fischer admitted to sabotaging her competitors in order to gain a competitive edge, and stated that she deserved the title more than anyone else.

Needless to say, Gretel-Ann didn’t make many friends on this season’s The Next Great Baker, or many fans for that matter.

Then there was the tweet; Fischer, on her own Twitter account, holding a sign written in her own handwriting, claiming the tactics she used were taught to her in culinary school.

The show, in its third season, is hosted by Buddy Valastro, owner of Carlo’s Bake Shop in Hoboken, New Jersey and host of Cake Boss on TLC. The Next Great Baker is a competitive baking show that offers a cash prize, a job at Carlo’s, and appearances on Cake Boss.

Fischer plays by a different set of rules. Rules she claims, according to her tweeted message, she learned while attending culinary school. According to Fischer’s LinkedIn profile, she attended Paul Smith’s College, in Paul Smiths, New York from 1995 until 1997. Paul Smith’s College is a New York State school offering two and four year degrees in culinary, hotel and restaurant hospitality, natural resources, outdoor recreation, and ecology.

Competitive cooking is part of the culinary arts curriculum at Paul Smith’s College. On January 23, 2013, current Paul Smith’s culinary arts student, Linnea Shumway won a position in the regional competition of the S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition over eight other culinary students from all over the northeast United States. Shumway will be moving on to compete in the Nationals in Napa Valley, California.

In March, the institution’s Hospitality, Resort, and Culinary Management Division will host its 16th Annual Culinary Arts Competition where students compete for scholarship funds, culinary tools, and cookbooks. The competition includes Culinary Arts and Baking contests with more than $24,000 in scholarships and prizes awarded.

Fischer’s statement has raised the question as to whether Paul Smith’s College encourages sabotage and cheating to gain a competitive edge. Fans of The Next Great Baker have voiced outrage and concern over the photo statement, prompting Fischer’s interview with WCAX 3 in Vermont on February 12, just one day after she discovered that she lost the competition and tweeted the message.

Photo: http://www.wcax.com/story/21140222/next-great-baker-competitor-tells-all

“The track records of our hospitality and culinary arts students speak for themselves. [For example], Wally Ganzi, class of 1963 is a co-owner of The Palm Restaurants, Jon Luther, class of 1967 is chairman of Dunkin’ Brands, the parent of Dunkin’ Donuts, [and] this semester, one of our current students will head to California to participate in the finals of a cooking competition sponsored by S. Pellegrino, the mineral-water company,” said Ken Aaron, Director of Communications and Marketing at Paul Smith’s College. “With regards to Gretel-Ann’s tweet, I’ll leave it to her to explain what she meant by it.”

During the airing of the finale, Holt tweeted when she discovered that Fischer had hidden the baking sheets.

While she does admit to hiding baking sheets from her competitors, during the WCAX 3 interview, Fischer first explains that she followed culinary school protocol. She set the oven temperature, and gathered the necessities for making eclairs. She said that she set the oven to 450 degrees, then removed the eclairs when they were finished. Hiding the trays – “that’s strategy,” according to Fischer.

During the airing of the finale episode, Ashley Holt, winner of the competition, tweeted, “I was wondering where those damn sheet pans were going!!!! Evil @cuppsvt #ashleyngb,”

Fischer stated that Jen Kwapinski failed to check the oven temperature, prior to use, however the episode clearly portrayed Kwapinski setting the temperature to 350 degrees for cupcakes, and Fischer laughing as she told show producers that she raised the oven temperatures, and “didn’t tell anyone.” She went on to state that she “just knocked out ten-percent of their profits.”

Later in the same interview with WCAX 3, Fischer claimed that she “never touched any of the ovens at all,” and that assistants were responsible for setting the oven temperatures and gathering all of the necessary items for baking. However, the episode tape clearly portrays Fischer herself setting the oven temperature to 450 degrees.

At no time during her interview with WCAX 3 did Fischer state that she had received death threats, and she composed herself positively with confidence. She even stated that business is booming, and she’s very comfortable with everything that she did.

Gretel-Ann Fischer is supported by her family after she found out that she was not the winner of TLC’s reality show The Next Great Baker. The finale celebration took place at the Bluebird Barbecue in Burlington on Monday, Feb. 11, 2013. / DAMIR ALISA / for the Free Press (http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20130212/ENT/130212001/)

Within hours of the taped interview being uploaded to the WCAX 3 website on February 12, angry fans fired disapproving comments to the webpage. One Fischer supporter wrote, “Stop being so mean! She has ben getting death threats, that is ridiculous!”

The calm and confident Gretel-Ann Fischer didn’t suggest she had been threatened during the interview, however. This has led to additional backlash from show fans who suspect that Fischer has now stooped to telling tall tales in order to gain sympathy, much like she did during the season when she faced the axe.

Within 24 hours of the positive, upbeat, forward-looking interview with WCAX 3, Fischer notified authorities and TLC of the alleged death threats, and appeared on NECN. She immediately posted a link to the interview and story on the NECN website to her Facebook and Twitter pages, only again to be faced with a flurry of disapproval.

This isn’t the first time that Fischer has met with disapproving and disappointed fans during Season 3. In a challenge during episode seven, Fischer won immunity from elimination. During the subsequent elimination round, she plotted to sink her own cake in order to send home one of her teammates, Jen Kwapinski or Chris Luna.

During the challenge, Kwapinski said, “Knowing that Gretel-Ann is a friend and I know her well; being that she has the immunity, I’m not worried. I think that she’s gonna put out her best effort and she’s gonna do a good cake with us.” The team was challenged to make an Italian-themed cake. “She trusts me too much,” Fischer said.

Fischer then stated during segment interviews that she would leave certain details out. Her work became sloppy, and she intentionally left the border of the cake unfinished. “I’m hoping she doesn’t notice,” Fischer said, pointing out that the unfinished border could send Kwapinski packing. Ultimately, the team actually won, and Letty Alvarez from the opposing team was sent home.

Fischer was pleased with the outcome; she and Alvarez had previously met with fiery debate during the season. Fans were outraged, and confidence in Fischer’s integrity cracked within her hometown in Winooski and across the nation.

Fischer contends that the reality TV show’s producer, High Noon Entertainment deliberately edited the tape to make it appear as if she were sabotaging the competition. She now claims that the tape was edited so the show would be more interesting and dramatic. “If it were just 13 cake decorators putting butter cream on a cake, who’s going to watch that?” she told Burlington Free Press.

While it is true, and almost common knowledge, that reality TV is “hyped,” the content is derived from actual events and actual footage. Taped interviews, supporting the clips of the bakers in the kitchen were not fabricated. Fischer claims that she is contractually bound to High Noon Entertainment and TLC not to divulge actual events that occurred during the taping of the show.

WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-

During the finale competition, Fischer told producers, “I’m putting up the oven temps, and not telling everybody.” Then she continued by mocking Jen Kwapinski, “What the hell? Who turned up this oven? Why is this so high? And I was like, mmm hmm!”

Meanwhile, in multiple interviews with the press since losing the competition, Fischer paints a different story. She’s claimed that it wouldn’t have been in her best interest to win, and that Valastro knew this. Despite the Valastro’s desire to work with her, and award her the $100,000 prize, the family felt it was in the best interest of her business for Fischer to stay in Vermont.

According to Fischer, it was the best thing that could have happened. Business is now booming, thanks to the publicity the show has given her, and she hopes it keeps going. She’s become something of a local celebrity, and according to her Cupp’s Bakery Facebook page yesterday, life couldn’t be better. The following was posted on the Cupp’s Bakery Facebook page

“I have been trying to post for 3 days but we have had a line out the door sense [sic] then! Whew what an amazing couple of days!! I will post pics soon of our yummy Valentines [sic] treats here in a bit Happy Valentines [sic] Day!!!!!!!!”

UPDATE: Buddy Valastro stated on his Facebook page that he was not aware of Fischer’s activities during the course of the competition. Had he been aware, he says he would have disqualified her immediately.

The question remains, did Gretel-Ann Fischer cheat her way to the top, or was the entire season of The Next Great Baker a hoax? There is no question that Fischer’s tweet was posted after the segments portraying her cheating aired. And, she did not deny sabotaging a cake, increasing oven temperatures or hiding baking trays. There is no denying that during the WCAX 3 interview, she stated that she set the ovens herself, then in the same interview said that she never touched any of the ovens. Was this a publicity stunt to gain show ratings and benefit a failing business? Or, as thousands of show fans suggest, was it a simple case of greed and cheating?

Since the airing of the original Yellow Submarine episode, Andreas, Flavio and Angela soared to new heights in their yellow, American bistro on wheels, transforming the roaming food truck into a counter-service, vintage-poster-covered bricks and mortar eatery now named, “Rock That Burger,” resembling a garage that a 1960s high school band practiced in.

Rock That Burger boasts a fresh new look and a name that represents its roots and original concept, bringing together the best burgers and hot dogs in an atmosphere of great music. Their musically themed menu fires off with burgers, including a fries-stuffed Boys of Summer, the Breakfast in America (bacon, fried egg, American), the BBQ and chili-smothered Hungry Like the Wolf, and the original Yellow Burger.

The Yellow Burger is their original signature burger, based on a recipe mom passed down. This mouth-watering burger is made with a well-seasoned beef patty, provolone cheese, tomato, onions, lettuce, mustard, ketchup, pineapple sauce, and crushed chips. Brothers and sister still serve the best dogs in town, including the Paradise City (a tubesteak version of the Yellow Burger), the Stairway to Heaven, and the Wonderwall.

“The quality of our food and service is our priority. We use the best quality ingredients and home-made recipes that give our food a delicious flavor that distinguishes us,” says Andreas. Based on what their customers are saying, we’d agree.

Eat St. is coming soon to bookstores everywhere. Paperny Entertainment, the producer of the Canadian Screen Award nominated hit Food Network TV show, has teamed up with Penguin Canada to create Eat St., a companion cookbook based on the hugely popular television series. Written by the show’s globetrotting host James Cunningham, Eat St. will be published by Penguin Canada in Spring, 2013 and simultaneously in the U.S. by Pintail Books to coincide with the series’ highly anticipated season four launch.

Today’s recipe is a sneak peek preview of Eat St., featuring Rock That Burger’s (Yellow Submarine Truck), Yellow Burger. Download the recipe!

The original Yellow Submarine Truck in Miami, Florida was launched in 2009 and featured in Season One of Food Network’s, Eat St.

With the same great menu, but a new name, Rock That Burger boasts a fresh new look and a name that represents its roots and original concept.

Ingredients

• 1/2 can (14 oz / 398 mL) crushed pineapple in heavy syrup
• 2 lb (900 g) ground chuck
• Ground cumin
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 4 burger buns
• 4 slices provolone cheese
• Lettuce leaves
• 4 slices tomato
• 4 slices onion
• Mustard, ketchup, and coarsely crushed potato chips for garnish

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, bring crushed pineapple to a boil, then let cool.
2. Puree in a blender.
3. Preheat grill to high.
4. Using your hands, mix beef with cumin, salt, and black pepper to taste.
5. Shape into 4 patties. Grill patties for about 4 minutes per side.
6. Toast cut sides of burger buns on grill. Put a burger on the bottom half of each bun; top each with 1 slice of provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, some crushed pineapple, mustard, ketchup and crushed potato chips.

According to The Boston Globe, things are really starting to heat up for Boston food trucks and their fans. By April, more than 50 trucks will be serving hungry Bostonians all around the city – not bad for a trend that just started only six months ago.

The Globe reports that food trucks are popping up in parts of the city where folks hadn’t seen the likes of gourmet kitchens on wheels before, and Boston residents are loving it.

Trucks across the city now serve ­everything from Southern comfort food to Asian barbecue. The trend has become so popular that local truck chefs have their own food festivals and cooking contests, and some operators are even opening their own brick-and-mortar restaurants. Meantime, there is a growing network of businesses such as truck repair and emergency staffing to support them.

“It’s become a job creator,” said Edith Murnane, director of food initiatives for the City of Boston. “It’s incubating new businesses, and it has become a real launching pad, for healthy, creative food in the city.”

Clover Food Lab emphasizing fresh, seasonal foods started with one food truck, and has grown exponentially to a workforce of 250 people with two restaurants and seven food trucks. Despite the booming success, new industry and countless jobs created for the economy, bricks and mortar restaurant owners are bitter about the possible competition these gourmets on wheels are bringing to the city.

“I understand the restaurants’ complaints. They are investing huge amounts to serve their customers,” said Peter Christie, chief executive of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association. “But I also understand food trucks saying, ‘This is an emerging market and we’re trying to make it work.’ ”

However, a few savvy restaurateurs have jumped on the food truck bandwagon themselves, rolling their own mobile kitchens out to the streets.

“Overall, the restaurant scene in Boston is doing incredibly well,” Christie said. “And I think the mayor and city planners have done a good job controlling” the food trucks.

Boston prohibits food trucks from operating within 100 feet of a restaurant serving the same type of food, which helps keep the restaurant owners at bay, and the rule doesn’t seem to affect the food truck operators. The new food trucks have even created more city jobs with plans to hire additional health and safety inspectors. The city has allocated some 20 locations where food trucks can congregate to serve the masses, bringing hundreds of thousands in rent revenue.

“With so many more trucks, we’re seeing a lot of competition for the best spaces,” said Jesse Brackenbury, chief operating officer of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway. “This industry has a lot of creative, entrepreneurial people, and it’s fun to work with them and see their success.”

Last year, the Greenway hosted the city’s first annual Food Truck Throwdown, a competition between vendors from New York and Boston. The event attracted more than 20,000 people, and will be held again this year, along with new events involving vendors from other cities.

Read the entire story on The Boston Globe: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2013/01/25/food-truck-trend-goes-into-overdrive-greater-boston/s2nUm9yY9MQWbHqaerPIFM/story.html

The Eat St. cookbook will allow food truck foodies to recreate a roadside experience in their very own kitchens. Bringing together the best recipes from all four seasons of the series, the book will feature over 125 mouth-watering recipes from the top mobile food vendors from North America and the U.K. From Nacho Grande Poutine, Triple Cream Brie Melt and Drunken Shrimp Tacos to Hot and Crunchy Chicken Cones, Maple Bacon Cupcakes and S’mores Waffles, the Eat St. cookbook will feature some of the most daring and delicious street food around.

The Eat St. cookbook will be packed full of eye-popping food photography and great snapshots of the trucks, people, and chefs behind the mobile-truck food revolution that’s sweeping the nation. It’s the perfect companion cookbook for fans of the hottest food trend—a full-course meal of the world’s ultimate truck food.

“Eat St. has captured the zeitgeist of the food truck frenzy currently sweeping the culinary world, and we’re thrilled to be taking all that’s wonderfully delicious about the television series to a new level with Penguin Canada,” says Audrey Mehler, Executive Vice-President, Paperny Entertainment. “Those in the know when it comes to gourmet dishes served out of a truck will be well served by the fabulous recipes and mouth-watering photographs packed into this cookbook. Now at last these delectable treats can be enjoyed in the comfort of home.”

Look for the Eat St. cookbook in bookstores everywhere in Spring, 2013.

The truck is owned and operated by Chef Samir, who was born and raised in Casablanca, Morocco.

As the story goes, he wasn’t much of a cook when he arrived in the States, but was determined to learn to feed himself in order to stop eating pizza everyday. He started asking his mama for tajine recipes over the phone, and one recipe after another, he fell in love with cooking.  A tajine is a clay cooking vessel made of a low dish and a cone shaped lid, traditional in Moroccan and other North African cuisine. The rest is history.

After cooking for friends, word spread, and Chef Samir found himself becoming the talk of the town. It wasn’t long before he was inspired to launch his Comme Ci Comme Ça food truck. The name is inspired from a song Samir sang as a boy when he went scouting in the summertime. In the evening after dinner, the kids would gather, and each boy would pick a girl for a dance. They’d dance to this song.

Comme Ci Comme Ça
Je t’aime
Choisi la plus belle
Et dance

[Like this like that
I love you
Choose the most beautiful
and dance]

Chef Samir loves cooking with couscous, so what better way to celebrate his time-honored traditions, than with his recipe for couscous with lemon chicken? It’s one of my favorites. Chef Samir and his Comme Ci Comme Ça food truck were featured on Food Network’s Eat St. this season, and after discovering this great truck, I not only want to learn how to speak French, I’m ready to go back to New York City.

Couscous with Lemon Chicken

VEGETABLES & SAUCE 

1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon olive oil
1-1/2 tablespoons salt
1/2 tablespoon pepper
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 liters water
1/2 handful parsley leaves, chopped
1/2 handful cilantro leaves, chopped
1 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight
3 turnips, peeled and halved
6 carrots, peeled and halved

1 small butternut squash, quartered (or a small section of pumpkin, cut into 3” pieces)
4 or 5 small zucchinis (long or 8-ball round), ends removed and halved
2 or 3 small sweet potatoes, peeled and halved (optional)

Mix the onion, tomatoes, oil and spices in the bottom of a pan. Cook uncovered over medium to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, or until browned and the onions and tomatoes have formed a thick sauce. Add the water, parsley, cilantro, and chickpeas. Cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, and simmer rapidly for 25 to 30 minutes.

Add the carrots, turnips, and sweet potatoes and cook about 15 minutes. Add the zucchini and butternut squash and cook for another 25 minutes. 
At this point, all of the vegetables should be cooked. Test the vegetables to be sure, cooking longer if necessary. Taste the sauce – it should be salty and peppery. Adjust the seasoning if desired.

LEMON CHICKEN

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 1/2 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon thyme
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 preserved lemon, finely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil

Cut the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces 
In a big bowl, mix all ingredients very well, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Skewer marinated chicken.
On a very hot grill, cook chicken skewers for 7–10 minutes, basting frequently and turning occasionally.

COUSCOUS

3 cups water
1 tablespoon salted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups couscous

In a large saucepan, combine water, butter, salt, cinnamon, turmeric and olive oil, bring to boil. Remove from heat. Add couscous, stir very well and cover. Let stand for 10 minutes. Toss the couscous and rub it between your palms to break up any balls or clumps.

To serve the couscous, shape it into a mound with a well in the center. Put the vegetables into the well, and arrange the lemon chicken on top and all around. Distribute the sauce evenly over the couscous and vegetables, reserving one or two bowlfuls to offer on the side for those who prefer more sauce.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Find Chef Samir online: