In a recent phone interview from New York, where he was filming his third series of commercials for Crest toothpaste, Lagasse said he's no stranger to green living. "As much as I joked over the years with 'bam' and pork and butter, people don't know there's another side of me. 'Emeril Green' is like going back home for me," he said. "I [was] growing products organically when people didn't know how to spell it, especially for my restaurants."
For example, Lagasse said he has 80 acres of heirloom tomatoes. "I feel very, very connected with the soil," he said. Planet Green is the brain-child of Discovery Communications and replaced the Discovery Home channel last month, said Reenie Kuhlman, spokeswoman for Planet Green. The channel is distributed to about 50 million homes via cable and satellite, she said, and is available in this area through Comcast and Cablevision.
The network's programming is entertainment focused, she said, with an "underpinning of doing things that are environmentally friendly."
Eileen O'Neill, president and general manager of Planet Green, said a food show was a natural fit so they approached Lagasse with the
"We had no reservations about Emeril," she said. "Our hope with the channel and Web site is that people will get excited about green [living]. The fact that Emeril as a chef is so highly regarded and now has an organic message is a terrific opportunity for us."
The show is set in a mega Whole Foods store in Fairfax, Va., that's about 60,000 square feet and has several mini-restaurants inside, said O'Neill. The premise of the show, she explained, is that Lagasse will go shopping with "an average Joe" with a cooking challenge — such as a fear of cooking seafood or an unusual vegetable — and explain how it's done. Along the way, they'll also get advice from the Whole Foods staff as they work their way through the store.
The show "connects the shopper to the table," O'Neill said.
By show's end, Lagasse and "Joe" will be cooking in the kitchen. Recipes will be posted on the Planet Earth's Web site. About 22 of the 80 half-hour shows planned have already been taped, O'Neill said. The last several months have been a sea change for Lagasse — striking a $50 million deal with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia for his nonrestaurant holdings in February and writing a column, called "Kick It Up," for Stewart's Everyday Food magazine. He and Stewart grace the magazine's July/August cover. (See B2 for a recipe.)
"I love to write," said Lagasse, author of 11 cookbooks. "The column may not be all recipe-based" but also include health tips and continues his emphasis on organic foods.
"Our recipes have always kept dinner interesting and now Emeril's new guest column, his distinct point of view, and his verve give readers another tool. 'Kick It Up' shows that a few big, bold ingredients — and a surprise here or there — can make an everyday meal special," wrote Debra Puchalla, editor in chief of Everyday Food, in an e-mail about Lagasse's new role. His relationship with Stewart seems straightforward, but they are still figuring it out, he said.
"Martha is chairman and founder [of MSLO] and I'm founder of Emeril. We have merged. [Stewart] bought my company that is non-restaurant and non-foundation. "I have a restaurant life and a charitable world and family and Martha understands that," said the father of four. Lagasse said he is still under contract with the Food Network, which will continue airing reruns of "Emeril Live!" during the day as well as new episodes of "Essence of Emeril," which is still in production. But having a show in syndication is a good thing, said Lagasse.
"There's no hard feelings about [leaving] "Emeril Live!", which was on for 11 years," he said. "That's unheard of, you know, except for 'M*A*S*H' and 'Seinfeld.'
"My fans are ready for a new show and have been anticipating one," he said. The new show "is really cool," said Lagasse, who likes the idea that in "Emeril Green" he'll be teaching viewers about all kinds of things, from a lesson on super foods to cooking with whole grains to discussing the difference between wild-caught and farm-raised fish.
With all his new ventures, however, some things won't change. He's still the food correspondent for ABC's "Good Morning America" and any rumors about retiring one of his favorite expressions is totally false, he said.
"The 'bam' lives on," he said. The Food Network airs reruns of "Emeril Live!" weekdays at 2 p.m. and new episodes of "Essence of Emeril" weekdays at 10:30 a.m. and Sundays at 8 a.m. New episodes of "Emeril Live!" will air on Fine Living Mondays at 7 p.m.
Catch the premiere week of "Emeril Green" on Planet Green Monday through Friday with back-to-back half-hour episodes from 8 to 9 p.m.
EMERIL'S FISH PROVENCAL
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon anise seed, crushed
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 small sweet onion, such as Vidalia, thinly sliced crosswise
6 small zucchini, thinly sliced
4 haddock, cod, or striped bass fillets (6 ounces each)
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Heat grill to medium. In a small bowl, combine lemon zest, Italian seasoning, red-pepper flakes, anise seed, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and teaspoon pepper. Set spice mixture aside.
Place four 14-inch squares of heavy-duty aluminum foil on a work surface. Dividing evenly, place onion on one half of each square (leaving a two-inch border), followed by the zucchini; season with salt and pepper. Top with fish; sprinkle with spice mixture. Top with tomato; drizzle with oil. Fold foil over ingredients; crimp edges to seal. Place packets on grill. Cover and grill until fish is just cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove packets from grill; open carefully (hot steam will escape), and transfer fish Provencal to serving plates.
— From Everyday Food magazine, July/August issue
Font Resize
![Quantcast](http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-18RwvsI7rqyEk.gif?labels=ConnecticutPost"){kind=small}