QVC’s David Venable Goes Back To Aspen To Hawk His Cookbook

Here’s the job we want: Going to Aspen each year for the “prestigious” FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen.

Yes, QVC’s usually kitchen-bound David Venable will be back in Colorado. And he’s written a cookbook, which he will be hawking. Good Lord.

As part of the F&W Classic’s 30th anniversary celebration, QVC will air a special edition of “In the Kitchen with David” Sunday at noon.

The program will feature the season’s culinary “must-haves” as well as a star-studded lineup of celebrity guests including Lidia Bastianich and Susan Feniger, who will be offering her new cookbook “Street Food,” one month before it hits stores.

FOOD & WINE Editor in Chief Dana Cowin is also scheduled to stop by the broadcast to offer FOOD & WINE’s Best of the Best cookbook and bonus FOOD & WINE Cocktails 2012, more than three months before it hits stores.

During his three-hour show, Venable will also be cooking up some excitement of his own as he offers shoppers the opportunity to pre-order his new cookbook “In The Kitchen With David: QVC’s Resident Foodie Presents Comfort Foods That Take You Home,” more than four months before it drops.

“Participating in the FOOD & WINE Classic is a huge honor, which is why we are thrilled to have the opportunity to, once again, take viewers inside the prestigious event,” John Kelly, QVC’s vice president of merchandising, said in a canned statement. “Beyond the latest cooking gadgets and gear, this year’s broadcast will include dynamic segments featuring recipes and tips from David as well as a variety of star chefs attending the festival.”

Assisting Venable with celebrity and guest interviews will be recognized media personality Sissy Biggers. Biggers, who regularly hosts the FOOD & WINE Classic Cook Off, will assume an additional role this year and serve as a guest correspondent during the QVC broadcast.

QVC viewers will also be given VIP access to some of the premier celebrations marking the FOOD & WINE Classic’s 30th anniversary with special content from exclusive parties and tastings, including the multimedia retailer’s own “QVC Experience” tent, which will be at the entrance to the F&W Classic’s renowned Grand Tasting Pavilion.

Designed to bring the “In the Kitchen with David” broadcast to life, the “QVC Experience” will allow attendees to sample recipes from Venable’s upcoming cookbook and even participate in a blind wine tasting challenge where participants can vote on their favorite wines.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to preview premier cooking and dining products available through the retailer, including KitchenAid, Le Creuset, Capresso and more. The “QVC Experience” will also feature the QVC and In the Kitchen with David applications.

Hottie Mario Lopez To Debut His New Cookbook As QVC Broadcasts Live From Aspen’s Food & Wine Classic

QVC, and its kitchen meister David Venerable, will be doing a show from the Food & Festival in Aspen for the first time. But we’re much more interested in Mario Lopez, who left quite an impression on us with his stint on FX’s “Nip/Tuck.” He donned a bustier and heels in one episode.

Kicking off at noon on June 19, the special three-hour “In The Kitchen with David” broadcast is scheduled to feature a variety of culinary “must-haves” as well as special guests, including author and restaurateur Lidia Bastianich and “Extra!” host Lopez, who will be debuting his new cookbook “Extra Lean Family.”

FOOD & WINE Editor-in-Chief Dana Cowin is also scheduled to join the broadcast to offer the much-anticipated FOOD & WINE “Best of the Best” cookbook and bonus Cocktail Guide 2011, more than three months before it hits stores.

“I am so excited to be attending the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen,” Venable said in a canned statement. “I will be surrounded by all the culinary greats and I cannot wait to translate the tips, tricks, and techniques I learn back to the QVC customer.”

In addition to the “In The Kitchen with David” broadcast, QVC will have a significant presence at the Food & Wine Classic with an interactive “QVC Experience” tent.

Located at the entrance to the Grand Tasting Tents, the “QVC Experience” will feature a display of cooking and dining products that are available at the home shopping network; an Internet café for online shopping; a blind wine tasting challenge that will allow visitors to post photos and results of the tasting onto their favorite social media site with DELL tablets; an interactive kiosk showcasing QVC’s iPad app and “In the Kitchen with David” app for iPhones and much more.

“We are thrilled to launch the first ever In the Kitchen with David remote from one of the culinary industry’s most premier events,” John Kelly, QVC vice president of merchandising, said in his canned statement. “Not only does the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen give us the opportunity to introduce our brand to potential new shoppers, but it also allows us to bring our viewers inside this phenomenal festival.”

TV Chef Lidia Bastianich Lands First QVC TSV Wednesday

TV chef Lidia Bastianich will have her first Today’s Special Value on QVC Wednesday, a three-piece hand-painted stoneware set. It will be selling for $49.38.

Here’s the scoop on it:

Add a touch of Italy to your table with this beautiful stoneware trio from renowned chef Lidia Bastianich. Showcasing a handpainted scroll motif designed by Lidia herself, the bakeware set makes supper extra special–and oven-to-table convenience more attractive than ever.

The big Italian family dinner–it’s something every household can appreciate. With three beautiful bakers of different sizes, this set is perfect for serving favorite recipes, family-style. Use the large dish for roasting meats and veggies or other main courses. Prepare side dishes like casseroles or stuffed shells in the medium baker. The small baker is perfect for desserts and smaller sides–or just meals for one or two. Because the dishes are stoneware, they can go right in the oven and then straight to the table. They make a pretty presentation for any occasion.

Bellisimo! The bakers’ design, inspired by a salad bowl owned by Lidia’s grandmother, has an intentional time-worn beauty that looks like it’s been in your family for generations. Graduated shading and a subtle hammered-like texture help achieve the rustic, antique look–it’s an old-world style you can appreciate now.

Already love Lidia? The set matches her other popular QVC serving dishes perfectly. Just getting started? The pieces are subtle enough to work in almost any kitchen. Choose your favorite from the decorative colors offered, and serve friends and family with unmistakable Italian flair.

And here’s QVC’s description of Bastianich, information courtesty of Lidia:

Lidia Bastianich has contributed significantly to America’s burgeoning appreciation for Italian cuisine over the past two decades through her cookbooks and television series. Now she wants to bring some of her kitchen into the homes of her loyal fans.

QVC Announces TV Cooking Show Host Lidia Bastianich’s Debut Date As This Sunday

We first reported that chef/restaurateur Lidia Bastianich was coming to QVC when network honcho Mike George mentioned it during a second-quarter earnings call.

Cooking show host Bastianich will launch her cookware and servingware line, Lidia’s Kitchen, this Sunday at 7 p.m.

“Lidia’s Kitchen combines the beauty of Italy and the functionality of Bastianich’s own cooking style to create a cookware and tabletop collection that is reflective of her practical culinary sensibilities,” the press release Friday said. “After many years working in restaurant kitchens, Bastianich has designed cookware created with simple, easy cooking in mind, with plenty of style and utmost functionality.”

And of course, there was the canned quote from ol’ Lidia.

“I have always wanted my own line of kitchenware and QVC allows me to introduce my products to the whole country,” Bastianich said. “Collaborating with my daughter Tanya to design pieces that can work in any home has been a true labor of love.”

Bastianich designed the collection herself, with attention to practicality and detail.

“The pieces are classic with a modern edge and remind Bastianich of the staples that were in her kitchen as a child in Italy,” QVC said. “Select items from the line include ceramic serving platters in earth tones, pasta pots, terra cotta casserole dishes and steel knives, with prices ranging from approximately $15 to $60.”

John Kelly, QVC’s vice president of merchandisingm chirped, l“We are thrilled to share Lidia’s authentic Italian style with QVC viewers. Her practical, well-designed pieces will appeal to novices and seasoned chefs alike.”

Bastianich’s signature line, “Tutti a tavola a mangiare!” means “Everybody to the table to eat!” Lidia is looking forward to bringing her line of cookware and servingware to tables across the country through QVC.

Bastianich is a popular TV chef,, a best-selling cookbook author, restaurateur, and owner of a flourishing food and entertainment business.

Her cookbooks include “Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy” and “Lidia’s Italy” – both companion books to the Emmy-nominated television series, “Lidia’s Italy,” as well as Lidia’s Family Table, Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen, Lidia’s Italian Table, La Cucina di Lidia and the release of her first children’s book this fall, Nonna Tell Me a Story: Lidia’s Christmas Kitchen.

Bastianich is the chef/owner of Felidia, Becco, Esca and Del Posto, as well as Lidia’s in Pittsburgh and Kansas City. She is also a partner of Eataly, the largest artisanal Italian food and wine marketplace in New York City.

She also produces award-winning wines at Bastianich Vineyards in Friuli and La Mozza Vineyards in Maremma, Italy. Along with her daughter Tanya, son-in-law Corrado Manuali, and partners Robert Quinn and John Baker, the team launched Nonna Foods in 2010 as a platform to distribute an array of both existing and new “Lidia’s” food products.

The Kardashians, Mad Chef Gordon Ramsay To Bring Reality TV To QVC

The Kardashians are coming to QVC

Ornery chef Gordon Ramsay and the horny (just kidding) Kardashian sisters are coming to QVC.

QVC president Mike George gave Wall Street analysts that news during the second-quarter conference call for the home shopping network’s parent, Liberty Media, last Monday.

“The Kardashians,” according to George, will launch an apparel line called K-Dash. Dash is the name of the boutique that the three beautiful sisters and reality TV stars have in LA and Miami. Kim Kardashian appeared on QVC earlier this year, selling an exercise tape.

QVC will also be adding three chefs to its roster, George said.

Will Gordon Ramsay play nice on QVC

“We’ll be launching a new celebrity chef series featuring Gordon Ramsay, well known for his ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ series and his ‘Master of Chefs’ series, which premieres this summer, as well as Lidia Bastianich, David Burke and Tyler Florence,”
George told analysts.

On the fashion front, QVC will expand its participation in Fashion Week in Manhattan. The network will co-sponsor Fashion’s Night Out with Vogue magazine, the city of New York and the Council of Fashion Designers of America, according to George.

As part of that event, QVC will launch a pop-up store in Rockefeller Center, he added.