NEW YORK — It is midafternoon, and George Stella is sweating out a rehearsal under bright lights. He's perfecting his patter about snacking on low-carb cheese.
Over and over, Stella champions the benefits of fresh berries with a dollop of ricotta, each time better than the last.
A cameraman follows him around a set that might look like a cozy home kitchen to TV viewers but is clearly fake. An unseen producer is talking in Stella's ear, telling him to move this way and that, and to fill the time with information and chat. Dead air is not good.
Just hours before, Food Network uber-chef Emeril Lagasse tapped into more than 20 local morning news shows across the country from the same small set, moving west from the Eastern time zone with the sun.
Unlike Lagasse, Stella is not yet a star. The former Disney chef is filming a second season of "Low Carb and Lovin' It" in the network's new studios in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. He is not used to the crowd watching.
While Stella rehearses, Giada De Laurentiis, host of "Everyday Italian" and granddaughter of movie director Dino De Laurentiis, films a segment of a wedding special in the test kitchens. She is not the least bit nervous. And when the camera lights up, she flips on a smile as wide as a slice of cantaloupe.
In a nearby conference room, network staffers wish two colleagues happy birthday. In the midst of gleaming stoves, classically trained chefs and all the bounty Manhattan provides, the celebrants blow out candles on store-bought cakes.
It's Monday at the Food Network.
The Food Network moved in July to its new digs in the Chelsea Market, a more-than-100-year-old group of 17 buildings that once housed the manufacturing plant of Nabisco. The first Oreo was tested there in 1912. The Food Network is on the upper floors, along with the offices and studios of Oxygen and New York 1, a 24-hour cable news station.
There are 22 ovens in the test kitchens, a cheerful place with walls the color of melons, honeydew and cantaloupe. Light streams through a bank of Palladian windows. The network's 100- by 85-foot studio is where an audience and band fuel Lagasse's energy, where Rachael Ray makes meals in 30 minutes and Sara Moulton shares her secrets.
Susan Stockton, vice president of culinary productions, oversees 24 people, many of whom are professional chefs. They make sure recipes on FoodNetwork.com are correct and that Bobby Flay has plenty of information at his fingertips when he is featuring Argentinian barbecue. The culinary staff participates in the network's newest venture, writing cookbooks.
And they also prepare much of the food that makes our mouths water via the tube.
Meanwhile, Aaron Lazar and LeAnn Garris have won a contest to have the Food Network cater their wedding. She's a Southern Baptist from North Carolina and he's a Jew from New Jersey, but both live in New York. The challenge for the on-air talent is to come up with a menu that will satisfy the bride, groom and their families.
Yes, they had a good food story, said Allison Page, director of programming, but it didn't hurt that both are telegenic. She's a model and he's an actor. The special will be shown in March.
As De Laurentiis flashes that wider-than-wide smile at the camera, Lazar and Garris raise a toast in the background.
"Aren't they the luckiest couple?" she stage-whispers into the camera.
And that puts a fork in Monday.
Recipes from the Food Network Kitchens:
BROILED FLANK STEAK WITH TOMATO-SCALLION RELISH
Steak:
1 flank steak (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon herbs de Provence
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Relish:
3 ripe medium tomatoes
1 bunch scallions, trimmed
8 whole garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 tablespoon balsamic or red-wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Toasted crusty bread, for serving
Position a broiler pan on the rack closest to the broiler and preheat to high. Rub the steak lightly with some of the olive oil, and sprinkle with the herbs de Provence, and salt and pepper to taste. Put the whole tomatoes, scallions and garlic cloves in a large bowl; drizzle with about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Turn the vegetables until they are lightly coated.
Carefully lay the steak in the center of the hot pan, arrange the vegetables around it and broil until the steak is brown but still tender to the touch and the vegetables are charred, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn the steak and the vegetables, and broil another 5 to 6 minutes until the steak is medium-rare (an instant-read thermometer inserted crosswise into the side of the steak registers 130 degrees) and vegetables are charred. Transfer the steak and vegetables to a cutting board.
Core the tomatoes, squeeze the garlic cloves from their skins and chop them both with the scallions to make a chunky relish. Transfer the vegetables and all their juices to a bowl and stir in the remaining 1/4 cup or so of the olive oil, the vinegar and the Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Slice the meat against the grain and on an angle, transfer to a plate or platter, and serve with the relish and toasted bread. Serves 4-6.
— "Food Network Kitchens:
Making it Easy"
(Meredith Books, $24.95)
SESAME NOODLES WITH CHICKEN
Kosher salt
1 pound spaghetti or Chinese egg noodles
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 1-inch piece peeled fresh ginger
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup hot water
1 Kirby cucumber, halved and sliced
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
6 scallions (white and green parts), sliced
1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped
Bring a large pot of cold water to a boil over high heat. When the pasta water boils, salt it generously, add the spaghetti or noodles, and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain and rise under cold running water. Put the spaghetti in a large bowl and toss with the sesame oil.
To make the peanut sauce: In a blender, drop in the garlic and ginger while it is running. When the chopping is complete, stop the machine and add the peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and red pepper. Process until smooth, then — with the blender running — slowly pour in the water. To serve, toss the spaghetti with the peanut sauce, then top with the cucumber, chicken, scallions and peanuts. Serves 4-6. — "Food Network Kitchens: Making it Easy" (Meredith Books, $24.95)