Cooking Channel Gets Added to Optimum Lineup; Food Lovers Start Binge Watching Marathon

Mo Rocca and Ruth Teig during an episode of My Grandmother’s Ravioli, Courtesy Cooking Channel

Finally, the day has arrived.  NY Metropolitan area Cablevision/Optimum subscribers are getting Cooking Channel, Food Network‘s sister channel.  Find it by couch surfing over to Channel 166.  We’ve missed Cooking Channel very much after our move to Greenwich (we had AT&T in Stamford), so we’re very happy to see Optimum step up to the plate for all the food obsessed people out here.  Even better?  There are so many more shows that they’ve added to the lineup since we’ve lasted checkout out Cooking Channel, including a few of your Food Network favorites.

Now, you can look forward to some new shows such as (full listings here):

Colony Grill Featured on New Cooking Channel Show Pizza Cuz

Want some stingers and hot oil with that pie?

A while back we wrote about a special TV filming at the cult legend pizza of Connecticut:  Colony Grill.  At the time, all we knew that it was for a new show on a major network.  Well, we’ve got the scoop for ya:  Colony Grill of Stamford will be featured on a brand new Cooking Channel show called Pizza Cuz.  The series premiere is May 6 and the Colony Grill episode will air Monday, May 13 at 9 pm on Cooking Channel.  We’ll have more information about the show and the episode shortly, but in the meantime, check out the episode description:

Epic Interview with Cooking Channel’s Loveable Mo Rocca

Mo Rocca and Ruth Teig during an episode of My Grandmother’s Ravioli, Courtesy Cooking Channel

Mo Rocca:  he’s the man who doesn’t need any introduction.  But, you know how this works…we’re going to give you one anyway.  Mo Rocca’s all over your TV and there is no doubt that you’ve seen him, laughed at his jokes, or even smirked with him in agreement.  Maybe you were obsessed with his writing on the children’s show Wishbone, his special reports on The Daily Show, his spot on jabs at pop culture on VH1 specials, his humorous and insightful comments while a judge on Iron Chef, his human interest stories on CBS Sunday Morning (did you see the professional pencil sharpener story?), his show Food(ography), or his brand new show on Cooking Channel, My Grandmother’s Ravioli? Phew, busy man!

However you’ve come to know Mo Rocca, it’s hard not to love him.  His boyish charm, his wit, and his natural ability to tell stories make him the geektastic star of the TV world.  He’s definitely showing all these qualities off in My Grandmother’s Ravioli, a Cooking Channel show that features how-to cooking lessons from a different grandma or grandpa each week.  Along the way, we learn about these interesting people and Mo becomes their adoptive grandson.

Well, we had an opportunity to talk with Mo Rocca about what has made him successful, why he moved over to the culinary world, why he named a show after his grandma’s raviolis, some of his most memorable moments on camera, and some great advice for holiday meals.

You received your B.A. in Literature from Harvard.  Some say that will prepare you to do well on Jeopardy questions, but clearly it has done a lot more for you.  How would you say your Lit. degree and your time at Harvard helped get you to where you are today?

(Hesitates and takes a deep breath)  Great question.  I feel like my whole career has been a continuing education program. I don’t mean that in some kind of airy fairy abstract sort of way…I’m drawn to jobs and projects where I end up learning stuff.  I’m especially drawn to areas where I know nothing at all. I’m one of those people that would have benefited, perhaps, more from my fancy college education if I had it later in life. I had all these great professors, took all these courses, some of them with world-class scholars, teaching.   But, I couldn’t really take advantage because I wasn’t completely ready.

Nadia G from Bitchin Kitchen Gives Us Her Bucket List Dishes and Holiday Cooking Tips

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One night flipping through the channels, we switched on over to the Cooking Channel and witnessed a cooking show like we had never seen before. We were mesmerized and couldn’t bring ourselves to change the channel. The host was an eclectic, loud, joke-cracking chick dressed in some pretty rockin’ clothes with looks that could knock off a few mobsters.  When the episode ended, we looked at each other with hesitation and simultaneously blurted out, “That was awesome!” With killer recipes, a cast of attractive and charming characters like The Spice Agent, Panos, and Hans, and of course Nadia Giosa (or Nadia G. for short), we were officially hooked on Bitchin Kitchen.

Each episode (Wednesdays, 10 pm on Cooking Channel) revolves around typically edgy themes like “Deflate Your Mate,”–ways to gently help your mate lose a few pounds while still enjoying delicious food. In addition to step by step instructions on how to make her delish recipes, you’ll be treated to comedy skits, hysterical commentary, gratuitous shots of her shoes and clothes, super cool cooking accessories and equipment, and sometimes even a song.  You can also take the fun and recipes home with her cookbooks, Rock Your Kitchen and Cookin’ for Trouble.

Here’s more on the show from none other than Nadia G. herself!