Gourmet Next Door
Monday, October 22nd, 2007
Amy Finley, otherwise known as the season 3 Next Food Network Star, is finally on the air in her shw The Gourmet Next Door. I loved Amy on NFNS, and actually cheered when she won. So I was super excited to see this show on the Food Network today. For a first episode it was good, not great but good. The food looked tasty, and the dessert sounded especially yummy. I wouldn’t call the triple layer “Mocha Ice Cream Terrine” gourmet, but I would certainly make it, for a birthday party or something.

The biggest issue I had with it was the appearance. Gourmet food looks gorgeous, and most of all, finished. The use of plastic wrap to aid in getting the ice cream out of the loaf pan was practical, but not pretty. The wrinkles that were imbedded in the surface of the ice cream treat made it look… unfinished. If I were her, I would have covered the whole thing in nuts or cocoa powder or something to make it a little more polished. All in all though, not a bad show at all, and I will certainly watch again!!!
Le Food News recently posted an article on the Next Food Network Star and apparently Rory Schepisi. While I didn’t have a chance to read the article I did find her response to it on their site. If you’d like to read it you can find it at:
Tonight was the night that some of you have been waiting for since season three of the Next Food Network Star began. Amy, Rory, and all of the other finalists were on the Food Network stage to find out the results of the winner of the Next Food Network Star. As my regular readers know, I was pretty nervous about who would win, especially considering the fact that Rory spent a good amount of time advertising through email and celebrity websites. However, there was much more to this show beyond the winner so let’s get down to the recap and talk about the winner in a minute.
Tonight is the conclusion of the Next Food Network Star on Food Network. In less than an hour, one of two women will be given their own Food Network show for at least six episodes. Based on the talent offered in these remaining two, I’m hoping the reign really is only six episodes, but that’s for another article.
The commercial keeps running on Food Network. JAG steps down. Amy comes back. Now there are two. Amy and Rory are the last two standing, one by default, but still she is here. In the commercial, Bob Tushman asks, “Do we even have a star here?”
Rory Schepisi from The Next Food Network Star made some comments about her co-contestants while on the Ron and Fez Show, which airs on XM Radio. Her comments basically stated that she thought Amy would be easier to beat, but JAG would be harder thanks to his ethnic backing. You can find more about last week’s show in my
Last week I wrote an article on my blog, Literary Illusions, about my thoughts on the