Last week, almost twenty dads from our NYC Dads Group participated in the studio audience at the taping of the Martha Stewart MAN SHOW. That is right- 20 dads who almost always put their kids first, took a break from parenting, found child-care coverage, and enjoyed some “me” time. What is a Man Show you might ask? Well, this unique theme show set to air today, Friday February 5th @ 11am (two days before the Super Bowl) is where the entire audience of 165 people was all men, aged 18 – 40. Consequently, the audience was still a diverse and motley crew of guys – members of the NY Fire Department, a local Rugby Team, the Clinton Global Initiative Group, our NYC Dads Group, and many others.
How was my experience on this annual Super Bowl theme show? Fantastic! A sports star, a “top chef”, & beverage director talking food & sports with Martha. With such a small audience, every seat is a good one to view the show – our group was placed together as a unit in the 3rd & 4th rows with a prime view of the action. Hosting a Super Bowl party? This show was for you! First, Kerry Rhodes, Safety for the NY Jets (I am a huge fan and wonder if he would have still been an attendee if they were in the big show), comes charging out…and, we are taken on a magical journey of Supreme Nacho making. The guy was a class act and even said a few words to the audience after his segment was over – we were told this was extremely rare (I believe it).
Next up, was Tom Colicchio, star of Top Chef in addition to being a successful restaurateur with eight restaurants. Colicchio & Sons, his latest restaurant, is aptly named after himself and his two sons. He flashed up a picture of his new baby to the audience which drew a round of applause. Colicchio worked his artistry with two culinary dishes that are Super Bowl worthy- the first was a pulled pork shoulder and clams dish – a featured dish at his restaurant. Then, he prepared a roasted chicken, mozzarella, and pepper panini sandwich!
Ready for the surprise gift for every member of the audience. “Warm-up guy” Joey Kola shouted out to the audience that it’s a $350 retail value, but he better not find them on eBay!…a macho & sleek looking Breville Smart Grill for all attendees. Thanks Breville! This grill is billed as a panini sandwich maker, indoor grill for searing meats, and griddle for eggs and pancakes. An appreciated take-home gift by all of the guys! Now, most of us need to find some counter space for this enormous “Cadillac” of indoor grills.
Not only was comedian Joey Kola (the warm-up guy) hilarious, but was running around like a wild man handing out little trinkets for the studio audience during each segment break – coffee, cologne, recipe books, and more. As if the grill weren’t enough!
Finally, the last piece of the puzzle to the Super Bowl party- beverages. Enter the Beverage Director for Minetta Tavern, Lawrence green, to show us all how to make some “Game-Day” Punch packed with real “punch.” Entertaining to watch him quibble with Martha over the amount of water to use to dilute the potion a bit.
Overall, it was an interesting experience to see the behind the scenes on how a tv talk show gets put together. “Good guests, good topics, great give-away!,” as one of the dads had said. The major highlight for me was having the chance to talk with Martha after the taping & telling her about our awesome dads group. She seemed genuinely interested to learn about us & remarked, “so you have all found one another!…that is fantastic.” My only low point – leaving the studio without having the chance to taste some of those nachos! If you missed the show, check out the Martha Stewart Show site for the Super Bowl recipes, a clip of the show, and more. For those of you that use the recipes, Curious to hear how they came out. Was it as simple to prepare as it looked on the show?
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