Loved Julia (I said above she set the sandard--meant to say she set the gold standard). Really like Jacques, too.

Fortunately PBS still shows these 2, so I only rarely watch Rachel Ray. Do you think her wedding dress was 3/4-length sleeve and featured a "lengthening" V-neck?

Now you all have got me curious about this Sandra Lee character.

Even though I am British, I never liked the 2 Fat Ladies either, which is odd considering I grew up eating they kind of food they prepared. (My grandmother's pasties weighed more than a brick, and her bubble & squeek could keep you up pacing all night.) I never found them funny at all. They had a very lower-class sense of humour.

Like St. Cirq, I love watching Lydia Bastinach (sp?). She really knows how to cook, and you can tell a lot of love goes into her cooking. She is also one who loves plunging necklines.

There will never be anyone like Julia Child. She is an icon, all the others mentioned her are just her wannabes. By the way, Julia was at my sister's wedding. She was good friends with my sister's in-laws in Cambridge.

Yes, I liked Julia too. I thought it amazing that she could admit she actually liked to eat a Big Mac once in a while; that and her belief that if you can't eat butter then life isn't worth living! Wow.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who noticed Giada's big head. My friends and I call her "Big Head Girl". She looks like a grape on a toothpick.

Ahhh yes, Lydia Bastianich..I love to watch her cook, but I would rather just let her cook and eat it

Does anyone like to watch Jamie Oliver cook? I don't, but I might be missing something..hmm?

OK so here is my totally not first hand connection to Julia C. My daughter who attended Julia's alma mater sat next to het at afternoon tea (quaint custom retained at school). Julia was very frail and required assistance to get around but my daughter said her mind was still sharp and she talked politics quite animatedly. This was about 3yrs ago or so, so Julia wasn't any spring chicken (capon?). That's my goal-not to be drooling at age 80 (that's not drool right now, I promise).

No one else like Julia and what an interesting life. Even though I find Emeril annoying with his "cutsie" stuff, Julia thought he was a great cook and I have used some of his recipes but I get them off the Food Network site so I don't have to watch him. I loved Jamie Oliver and miss him. "Whack it in the oven!" LOL I think Giada is adorable, it's just her head looks big on TV and I love her food. Just like she says, "Every day Italian", and anyone can do it. Mario is great..I don't see him much anymore, he's on at the wrong time for me, but he is so knowledgable about the food and regions. Lidia is just awesome. I love her. Gee, and it all started with a question about Rachael's wedding. That's what I love about Foders!!!! Oh, and my connection to Julia Child: when I was working at a Flooring store in Marin County, Julias sister lived in Sausalito, and we installed flooring in her house...so there ya' go. LOL

Thanks for all the laughs!
Julia [no last named needed]- I loved her since her first shows for PBS. She signed my old "The Art of French Cooking" 10 years ago and was still very sharp.
Ina/B.C.-Love her show: you can tell how she loves to eat when she tastes.
R.R. - I find her relaxing to watch but the only recipe I've tried wasn't great. What I can't stand is her constant use of the word UP. It's always fry UP, wash UP, freeze UP, etc.

daph,
"UP"...it might be subliminal ? lol

I can't believe all the entertainment I've been missing out on by not watching the food channel!

No more travel channel for me, too much poker, anyway

I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this yet, but did anyone see Rachel Ray in FHM? My boyfriend pointed it out to me, and I was surprised:

http://www.durzy.com/news/rachelray10252003.htm

I found a late 60's French cookery book by Julia child in a book sale in Dublin. I thought it was such a find but few people here knew who she was. I liked her a lot.

I always got such a laugh out of the two fat ladies. Sadly the dark haired lady died a while back. My favourite was when they were driving up to Kylemore Abbey in Galway and the stopped to chat to one of the nuns asking her how she manages the cows on her own to which she replied I have a man once a week and they thought it was hilarious/risque...I tell you that nun knew exactly what she was saying for a laugh. Guess you had to see it . Most of the food I could not eat but I loved the look of the Welsh Rarebit. They loved food and that is what it's all about.

Siobhan, that's hysterical about the nun! Missed that one ... I liked the 2 Fat Ladies because their oven was always dirty like mine, and the pots and pans looked like they'd been to hell and back!

Only an Irish Nun would do that for a laugh. Not as stiff and starchy as they used to be....she was an older woman as well. They reminded me of 2 girls who went to boarding school together...they are from another time but have a good sense of fun.

You are pretty tough on someone that is really self-made. Could it be you are jealous? Read her bio:

Bio: Rachael Ray




Rachael Ray was born into cooking. "My first vivid memory is watching Mom in a restaurant kitchen. She was flipping something with a spatula. I tried to copy her and ended up grilling my right thumb! I was 3 or 4," says Rachael. "Everyone on both sides of my family cooks."

Rachael's maternal grandfather grew and cooked everything that his family of 12 needed for sustenance, and her dad's family was steeped in the food-rich traditions of Louisiana. The Ray family was also in the food business, owners of a family restaurant in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Eventually the family relocated to New York, where her mother went to work as the food supervisor for a chain of upstate restaurants.

Rachael's career started at Macy's Marketplace in New York, first at the candy counter and then as the manager of the fresh foods department. After Macy's, Ray helped to open Agata & Valentina, the prestigious New York gourmet marketplace, where she was the store manager and buyer. Though this New York City food fast track was exciting, Rachael decided she wanted to return to the lifestyle of the Adirondacks.

Once upstate, Rachael managed pubs and restaurants at the famed Sagamore resort on Lake George and was then recruited by Cowan & Lobel, a large gourmet market in Albany, to be its food buyer. Rachael turned the job into dual positions as food buyer and chef. As a way to increase grocery sales during the holidays, Rachael began a series of cooking classes.

The "30 Minute Meals" classes became so popular that the local media sent a feature reporter to cover the phenomenon, and the following week, an Albany TV station asked Rachael to do a weekly "30 Minute Meals" segment for the evening news. Nominated for two regional Emmys, the show was a major success: A companion cookbook sold 10,000 copies locally. Rachael's TV work grew to include a series of travel segments following the same theme of living a rich life without having to be wealthy. Today Rachael's work continues on Food Network's 30 Minute Meals and $40 a Day programs.

I'm an Alton Brown fan.

Does dislike/annoyed = jealousy?

I'm thrilled that Rachael is self-made and love some of her recipes but her mannerisms still annoy me.

And I agree, Tyler Florence is a hottie!

Curt, please don't misunderstand! It's not that I don't respect Rachael and her family and all her hard work ... I have several of her cookbooks, and think her recipes are usually quite tasty and workable. BUT sometimes, I think if she instructs us to "let the garlic hang out" in that oil one more time, I will truly be ILL!!! (Just not used to my garlic 'hanging out'!!!)

And all this stuff about how great RR because she's "self-made" I don't really understand. Rachael Ray is no more self-made than Emeril or Bobby Flay or Jamie Oliver or practically anyone else, except that unlike them, she won't shut up about how humble her background is and how small-town she is. In reality, she's using this so-called humble pie stuff to make her and her food seem more approachable. She's shrewd and it apparently works. Thus, if I hear one more time how "her Mom had to cook for her family of ten, so she really knows how to stretch a dollar," I'm going to scream.

Having said that, while I find her utterly grating to watch, I do think she's created a niche by promising that people can cook a healthy meal in 30 minutes, faster than the Pizza Hut guy can deliver a pizza. In this era of fast food and obesity, that's actually a public service.

JocelynP, I totally agree that Mario rules!!! BUT he could look a bit nicer if he would wash up. He is great on the Iron Chef as well.

Bobby Flay is a close contender for #1.

Paula always makes me feel like calling my girlfriends in and sharing quite a few rounds of Sangria or Margaritas....

The Napa guy is OK and I agree with the previous poster: I WANT THAT HOUSE!!!

I do not know why, but I do not like Giada. The comment about the big head is hilarious, I totally agree.

I am not crazy about Alton Brown either.

Ina enjoys her food just as much as Paula and I think that it makes a big difference to their favor.

I enjoy Emeril but he really needs to find some new lines.