Back before there was a Food Network, before cooking was a competitive televised sport, before chainsaws and power tools were part of cake baking and before “BAM!” had enetered the American lexicon as a prelude to seasoning, there were people like Jacques Pepin and Justin Wilson. They ruled the world of PBS, their TV kitchens a stage for discovery. They and colleagues of their era were the real deal, not the result of a successful Hollywood recipe (take two parts good looks, one part creativity, a dash of food sense, add a gimmick, and beat vigorously until watched). So, while I might tire quickly of the Food Network’s ”throwdowns,” give me an old-school cooking show with a real chef and I’m parked in front of the TV.
What’s this got to do with UTMB? Vickie Orton with Morrison’s dropped me a note to say that one of the giants of the old-school cooking shows is coming to campus Oct. 3. Martin Yan, of “Yan Can Cook,” will be in Cafe on the Court. He’ll be selling and signing copies of his latest cookbook. I think it’d be cool to get his autograph written in sesame oil.