 "Photo: Jordan Gomez")
Chefs Brian McCormick and Brian Hay answered questions like "Do you wash a chicken before you cook it?" and "Is it unsanitary to host a cooking show from an ostrich farm?" at a launch party Wednesday for a new Austin cooking program. The show, "Austin Cooks," is an Austin Community College project.
"I've not seen anything on TV like this cooking show," said Melissa Griffith, a video producer for the show. "The chefs are such a great duo that it's entertaining, and they're instructors at ACC, so it's easily educational."
"Austin Cooks" began when Hay, an instructor at ACC's Culinary Arts Program, tried to film himself cooking, McCormick said. Hay and McCormick talked about ways to incorporate videos into their teaching, and Charles Quinn, dean of the college's business school, initiated the idea of a cooking show.
"The main purpose of the show is educational, but it is also entertaining," Quinn said.
The show targets students and other young adults, said Virginia Lawrence, chair of ACC's hospitality department.
"ACC has a great relationship with UT, and since UT has no culinary program, we hope that UT students learn about our program through 'Austin Cooks,'" she said.
The episodes feature simple recipes and out-of-the-ordinary sets. While cooking ostrich in the second episode, Hay and McCormick work from an ostrich farm, Griffith said.
"Austin Cooks" hopes to incorporate students and alumni from the culinary program into the show, McCormick said.
"We hope that students can become involved with 'Austin Cooks' and use it as a recruitment tool to land better jobs," Quinn said.
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