I laughed when I saw my picture with Guy Fieri from the International Home Housewares Show which was posted on GuyFieri.com a few days ago.

While standing beside Guy, the photographer asked me to move in closer.  As I anxiously stood there pondering how close to get, Guy turned to me and said “Come on and hug me Brad…”

Thanks Guy for the great photo and for the opportunity to review your Knuckle Sandwich Series Knives!  I’m really excited to try them, theres nothing like the feel of cold hard flaming steel in my hands…

…8″ Chef Knife – “Big Stick” w/ CrissCross Crusher On End…

…5-1/2″ Utility Knife “Dragon Dagger” w/ Universal Edge Guard…

They will be put to good use when I prepare my Creole Bacon Poached Chicken Wings for Baconfest Chicago, where I am a finalist in the Nueske’s Amateur Cook-off Competition.  

Ming Tsai is another celebrity chef I had the pleasure of meeting.  My picture with Ming did not turn out, but I did get some great photos and videos of him in the goho cooking theatre. 

Ming talked about his love of noodles, and about the Noodle Bar opening at the Blue Ginger Lounge on March 30th.  

The Noodle Bar will serve a lunch only menu consisting of three different Ramen noodle soups, and three types of stir fry.  The menu looks tasty and I would try the Spicy Pork Miso Ramen.

After waiting in line to meet Ming, we briefly discussed the finer points of confit chicken wings.  He descibed a recipe where the confit wings are deboned then rolled in Panko, before being fried to perfection.   

Wow does that sound great!  Ming also autographed my copy of Ming’s Master Recipes, inscribing “To Brad, Peace and Good Eatz!!”

A unique product demo I saw was for the Perfect Sandwich, which will be available in stores this summer.  It has dual compartments that separate a sandwich’s wet and dry contents, which prevents soggy sandwiches.

The Perfect Sandwich also features a removable cooling gel pack to keep the container’s contents fresh and cool. 

One of my favorite cooking demos at the housewares show was by Iron Chef Michael Symon. 

I had to agree with Michael when he preached about how animal fats will make a comeback as part of a healthy diet.  He also predicted that lard will be popular in everyday cooking within the next few years. 

The Iron Chef prepared a pan fried veal chop and arugala salad, explaining the need to balence a rich fatty piece of meat with a simple salad and acidic dressing.

Check out how he carefully plates the delicate salad in the mirror view at the goho cooking theatre.

Michael is also co-owner of Lola and Lolita, two of Cleveland Ohio’s best restaurants.  The menus at both restaurants are filled with so many savory and indulgent dishes, it would be difficult to decide what to order first.

As if meeting one Iron chef wasn’t enough, I also met Iron Chef Cat Cora when she signed a free copy of her book Cooking from The Hip…

She included a flyer that gave a sneak peak at the recipes from her new book, Cat Cora’s Classics with a Twist, which will be available May 20th.  With recipes like “fettuccine with scallops, red pepper, and lime” it is sure to be a hit. 

Todd English demonstrated his Gourmet Juicer by cooking carrots in carrot juice with fresh ginger and honey.  He also whipped up some beet juice risotto,  then brought it out into the audience so they could see and smell his wonderful creation…

After waiting in line to meet Todd, he signed a free copy of The Olives Dessert Table, inscribing “To Brad, Happy Bakin!” and then took a cool picture with me…

I told Todd that his recipe for carrots simmered in carrot juice with fresh ginger and honey sounded really good.  He agreed and told me how intense the carrot flavors are when simmered in their own juices.  Now I’ll have to do some “bakin” and try some of the mouth watering recipes in his cookbook.

When I came accross The Ex products, I had to stop and check them out.  These are some of the dramatically different knife and skewer holders they offer…

Now that’s a great way to combine food and humor!  The Ex products are designed by Raffaelle Innanello and distributed by CSB Commodities, Inc.

Wow, so much more happened at the housewares show. I’ll write about more of my experiences soon.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Brad