Frankie Celenza elevates the hack on his new Tastemade show, interview

While many people learned to conqueror their cooking fears on Struggle Meals, Frankie Celenza is back with a new show on Tastemade. On Frankie vs The Internet, Frankie tackles some of the most talked about food trends, hacks and internet sensations. After peeling away the hype, Frankie proves that the wow moment might entice, but the sensational flavors have people craving more.

On Frankie vs the Internet, the cooking competition show is part humor and part teaching. With a similar vibe to Cooking Struggles, the food television show engages viewers by starting with those internet videos beg people to watch. You can’t believe your eyes, but you can’t look away either. But, the show is more than hype and viral videos. It encourages people to step into the kitchen.

Recently, Frankie Celenza spoke to FoodSided about his new Tastemade show, the importance of viral food trends and ways to elevate the food hack. Needless to say, after this conversation, it was time to put down the device and start cooking.

When it comes to food television and even the videos that people watch, the experience is one dimensional. Although people can imagine the aromas, tastes and textures of that perfect bite, the image on the screen needs to entice.

With viral food trends, the visual often drives the discussion. From vibrantly colored food to the size of a dish, that visual is the first ingredient to the conversation.

When asked, Frankie shared his appreciation for the visual, the art and the complexity that goes into that moment. He said, “In my early cooking show days, I’d conduct an orchestra to the edits of the recipe videos. My logic was simple, we can’t taste, smell or experience any texture through the screen, all we have is the visual and aural and therefore, I should maximize the two senses I do have control of. So, yes, Absolutely the visual matters, it’s 50% of what people are absorbing on the other end.”

Even though that appearance matters, the food has to deliver beyond that first look. People eat with all the senses. Just because people turn their head to take a second glance at the bold color, doesn’t mean that the plate can only feature a rainbow with no substance.

What does Frankie Celenza think about colorful food trends?

When asked the colorful food trends, Frankie shared that he thinks it might be time to dial back the technicolor and turn towards natural ingredients to bring that colorful appearance to the plate.

He said, “we’ve done amazing things recreating nature in our modern world, but it’s time to turn back towards it, embrace it and work with it. Besides these OLED screens also increase the saturation and vitality of natural ingredients, so we can celebrate the beauty of what comes from the ground too. We’ve just got to stop using yellow 40, it creates an imbalance the yellow foods we see after that.”

Even though rainbow of colors might start to fade from view, it doesn’t mean that the food conversation will turn stale. The rise of platforms like TikTok create an open door to push foodies to imagine what can be possible.

Specifically, Frankie believes “When I think of food and eating I also think of our food systems. These videos spark interest and an internal dialogue with the viewers, I think it’s great. ‘Whoa, that’s a lot of steps’ they most likely say to themselves, and that thought subconsciously leads to a greater appreciation of the effort that goes into creating a meal when they eat at a restaurant or attempt to make a dish themselves. While the hacks may get some people into the kitchen, all these videos peel back a little bit of the magic that we all experience everyday in food that’s prepared for us.”

Whether it is a glimpse behind the curtain, fostering a sense of excitement about food or just entertaining viewing, there is not shortage of food programming. Even though people might not be sitting face to face, the common experience fosters a sense of community.

Frankie commented, “It’s so easy to be cynical and think that everything has become too far removed and too big for any sense of community. But a lot of these trends have proven that concept wrong. Community still exists, it’s just different now that we’re in a digital landscape (and a pandemic). Humans are social, and humans will be humans.”

Frankie Celenza shows how to elevate the food hack.

That sentiment shows that people are longing for ways to connect, and food is that conversation starter. Even if the premise starts with a hack, it doesn’t end there.

Like Frankie explained, “Of course there are ways to elevate a hack. In Frankie vs the Internet, that’s exactly what we’re doing. We take a hack and then say, how can we make it our own, how can we elevate this – and then the two cooks do exactly that, often creating two completely different interpretations. It’s so beautiful how everything is moving so fast on the creative side of food these days.”

That ability to create and think beyond just the ingredients or the recipe is key for anyone to appreciate the experience of cooking. While many people long to push a button and have an expertly prepared meal arrive at the table or simply put a plate on the table, it is more than that simplicity.

While Frankie believes that the struggle is surmountable, the reality is that people have to choose to try. Explaining his reasoning, Frankie said, “it sounds cliche, but it’s two things. First, people need to accept that they will fail, and then just do it again. Cooking is a skill, it requires some practice, but it’s not rocket science, it uses common sense. We do however have to make some mistakes so we can fall back on our experiences. The second thing people need to get over, is following a recipe to the T. Recipes aren’t instruction manuals to assemble a credenza. All ingredients are different all over the world, we need to feel free in improvising a bit. That’s it! Failure is OK, try try again and feel comfortable with making educated swaps in ingredients.”

Beyond the ups, downs, failures and triumphants, the one thing is clear. Food is woven into every aspect of people’s lives. While Frankie Celenza might be taking on the internet in his new Tastemade show, viewers will be served their own challenge to turn on the stove and pick up the knife to see what creativity can come out of the kitchen.

Frankie vs The Internet airs on Tastemade. It can be seen on Tastemade’s Streaming Network or Tastemade+ on demand.