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Food Network: Down Home with The Neelys
By JULIETTE ROSSANT  The Food Network's new show, Down Home with the Neelys seems to be glancing backwards – its the 70s sitcom, Good Times in which a African-American family played their lives for laugh meets Paula Deen's brand of Southern cooking. The Neelys are Pa and Gina, co-owners of barbecue joints in Tennessee. The show is all about their family relationships and their restaurant dishes prepared at home. Super Chef got a sneak peak at the premier episode, "Sunday Supper" scheduled to air on Saturday, February 2 at 11:00 ET/PT.  Get ready for a lot of sugar. They make Signature BBQ Ribs, both pork and beef, with a sugary dry rub. Pat's brother shows up to tend the smoking meat. . Gina tells Pat: "Give me the pork. The pork is always sweeter then the beef. I am sweet and you're not." Then she tells the audience, " Pat is going to do the beef because he's the stud." Gina and Pat make Sweet and Spicy Cole Slaw, slathered in more sugar, with mayonnaise and yellow mustard. Pat and his brother make barbecue spaghetti, essentially barbecue sauce with pulled pork tossed over spaghetti. For dessert, Gina says she has traded a Gucci handbag for Strawberry Short-Cut Cake, a box cake mix jazzed up with strawberry Jell-O and some marinated strawberries and whip cream. Gina jokes that she needs to add more cognac to the cream because "your family's coming." Was the handbag worth the recipe?  In this first episode there is a whole lot more talk than cooking – mainly consisting of a lot of clichés and banter played to the camera for laughs. The show needs to introduce us to the family - but it feels like we are getting too large a dose too fast. It is clear that Pat is serious about producing great barbecue - and Super Chef loves great 'cue (see articles on Chubby's), but the rest of the recipes aren't as interesting or very healthy.Previous articles: Food Network 2008 News Shows [Food Television - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, Neelys --> back to Super Chef |
posted by Juliette Rossant at 1/28/2008 08:24:00 AM
24 Comments:
I love the show they are great together. That's what you call home cooking you in the kitchen cooking as a family.I have my DVR set for every show.
You go girl!!!
Kathy
If Good Times is the only positive African American family you can think of I guess you haven't been watching the Huxtables where Bill and Claire always had fun in the kitchen. Maybe you missed My wife and kids or DL Hugley's family show both were #1 hits for over 5 years. I find your review to be a bit racist.
Commenter No. 2,
Wait, are you saying Super Chef was being racist?
The whole point of the article was that the _Food Network_ was being racist!
Are you sure you read the article just above here?
too sexually connotated
Great show!!! It adds much needed diversity to The Food Network.
Why does the network have to be "glancing backwards" and why is there a picture of the "Good Times" cast when the article is about the Neelys. I just find the review unacceptably written. Review the recipes without comparing the show to other shows!
I love this show, and it seems the Neelys are being very natural. I watched them on one of Paula Deen's shows and they were the same way.
I love to watch them and even though the recipes aren't necessarily healthy, it is still great to watch, with some great ideas.
I find it a refreshing change from some of the other food network shows.
I love the show it has shown me how to cook great meals for my family and the green beans with ham hock was off the hook I did not have any left overs. I can`t wait to try the other recipes. keep up the great work.
Thank you
Just when I was about to write the Food Network, asking why there isn't any African American cooking 'shows' vs. just 'features', low and behold, here comes The Neely's. I remember the family being 'featured' on Paula Deen's show, and was excited to see them offered a 'show'. After 15mins., I jumped on my computer to see if others felt like I do. First, I tend to agree w/SuperChef. It is glancing backwards. Their style is over-the-top and stereotypical. As if they have been 'instructed'to perform. If you listen carefully,pieces of their not-so-ethnic/southern inflections come through. As for the previous comments, The Cosbys or the Hugleys would not have performed in such a clown-ish way. Shame on the FoodNetwork for pandering to the belief that no one would watch this show unless it had a "Bo-Bo the Fool or Good Times" format. You don't see Emeril, Giada, Mario,Nigella or Wolfgang portraying their culture in such a 'comical & unauthentic' manner. Their scripted format represents their culture w/dignity and education. I wish The Neely's had more to say about African American Culture...and was better said. Not interested in one of my sistah's complainin' bout how her man is always tryin' to steal her suga'. I'm disappointed. I've got to believe this is not how The Neely's wanted to be portrayed. But they 'sold-out' in order to pur their product on the map. I can't even comment on the dishes, as I was shocked by their delivery! Note:spell check off.
I am not happy with this show. They are too talkative and wordy. I think they are show offs, and try to be funny, well your not.
I watched about 5 minuets of this show hoping to see some good BBQ recipes. When they started acting like they had shit for brains I changed the channel.
I can take Pat, but his wife Gina gets on my nerves - she's bossy and overbearing and loud. It's HIS family restaurant, Gina, not YOURS!
I Love the Neelys. The only problem is that I do not speak or understand (ebonics). So I am unable to listen to the show I only watch. Please food network have an educated white person translate for people like me so I can also enjoy the entire show.
Why do did you post a picture of pat neely and nell carter on your blog. Is Mr. neely a big fan of nell carter or something
I am a white male that can translate Ebonics for example:
Here is a quote from a recent episode of "Down Home with the Neely's" stated by Pat Neely:
"You ain’t gotta be in a Caddie to be a Pimp Daddy. Just make sure it’s clean. When in doubt... Chevy Cutlass it out. Tint that shit first thing. Next, slap on some rims that spin... That’s how you start to get that skin."
TRANSLATION:
You sir, do not need to have a Cadillac to be successful. Just make sure your car looks nice! When you have exacerbated all your options just make your current vehicle look swell. Purchase some quality window sun tinting and also some neat looking wheel accessories; that will help you in your endeavor to find that special lady for the night!
Thank You,
Walter Scott Buckingham III
I LOVE THE NEELY'S and I am a white male that can translate Ebonics for example:
Here is a quote from a recent episode of "Down Home with the Neely's" stated by Pat Neely:
"You ain’t gotta be in a Caddie to be a Pimp Daddy. Just make sure it’s clean. When in doubt... Chevy Cutlass it out. Tint that sh!t first thing. Next, slap on some rims that spin... That’s how you start to get that skin."
Translastion:
You sir, do not need to have a Cadillac to be successful. Just make sure your car looks nice! When you have exacerbated all your options just make your current vehicle look swell. Purchase some quality window sun tinting and also some neat looking wheel accessories; that will help you in your endeavor to find that special lady for the night!
Thanks, and I am glad this show is on the Food Network!
The Neely's Are the best thing on TV. They talk about real food that I really want to make. Not like all the other shows that talk about crap I would never put in my mouth! I cook out in the back yard every weekend and their advice keeps me going strong!
Nell Carter have you seen Mrs. Neely, she is definetly fine! Of course I would bang Nell Carter as well, but I would put Mrs. Neely on top of my to do list!
Down home with Neely's is a great show. I love everything they do!
I love the Neely's there food is great I have been to both of their Memphis locations!
i make sure I watch this show every Sat. morn. They cook real food that people have around the house on a daily basis. Who cares if they aren't healthy, believe me there are plenty of other shows on Food Network that are...tune in later...But don't hate cause us southerners like to eat good food..Leave the Neely's and Paula with all her buuutter alone. Some of us aren't health fanatics..
It kills me who people (usually food snobs)feel that only souther and sould foods are "unhealthy," yet say nothing about the unhealthiness of Chinese, Italian, etc. Food that can be just as fat ladden, and calorie overflowed as any other food. The Neely's style is about having fun, enjoying each other, and making delicious food. This review is quite racist. Obviously the writer knows nothing about the variety of African American communities. The Neely's are a savvy business couple, with great chemistry, and delicious American classic food.
It is a great show but as a chef I believe that there should be a lot more cooking than all the remarks about how sweet and spicy she is and more tal about the food. To the reader who thought that the columnist was racist,I dont think there was anything racist about using Good times as an example, because if you remember james and flo would show a lot of affection for wach other. Another thing is that claire and cliff nor did d.l and elise neal show as much affection as these two.
I love this show, I record every episode and I have used numerous of their recipes. These are real southern recipes that I can use for everyday cooking. I also get a "kick" out of Gina, I think they are great together and they make a wonderful couple, this is what the food network needed some diversity that "keeps it real". I love the Neely's as much as I love Paula Deene. What needs to be taken off the food network is the crazy chef that yells and throws food all over the place. Big ups to the down south chefs.
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