By Karen Kemmerle mliss1578
The James Beard nominated-chef Dale Talde is one of the pioneers of the reality TV culinary cooking scene. Since his debut on Top Chef Season 4, Talde has continued to cultivate his growing food empire, both on and off screen. His wildly successful Tastemade show, All Up In My Grill, is back for its fifth season. The series emphasizes that a grill essentially is an outdoor kitchen. When utilizing a grill correctly and with the right equipment, home chefs are able to produce amazing meals using all sorts of different preparation techniques right in their own backyards.
“For Season 5, we’re really focusing on technique and simplifying the recipes,” said Talde. Through social media exchanges with fans, Talde realized that audiences didn’t have access to the variety of ingredients he had been using to make certain dishes. Talde and his culinary team were able to make changes so that his menus were more accessible, allowing people to focus on preparation and honing their craft. “We want the viewers to understand that grilling—like cooking—in general becomes an intuitive skill as opposed to just following a recipe,” said Talde.
Tastemade is not the only platform that allows Talde to show off his knowledge and talent in the kitchen. He’s also a beloved presence on the Food Network, having judged dishes on shows like Chopped, Knife Fight, and Beat Bobby Flay. However, what really excites Talde is utilizing his skills from his Top Chef days and competing against other chefs on Guy Fieri’s Tournament Of Champions. “It’s really hard, but you’re put in a group of chefs that are just amazing, amazing talents whom you have instant camaraderie with,” said Talde. Thanks to the show’s infamous randomizer, Talde can be much more present in the competition. “In the past, my mentality was that I had to plan for everything. Now, I’m much more of a free thinker,” said Talde.
Talde stopped by the Decider studio to talk about grilling, the new era of culinary cooking competitions, his love of Bravo, and why watching The Bear is “triggering” to him.
DECIDER: First of all, congratulations on your 5th season of All Up In My Grill! What techniques and recipes are you excited to share with audiences this time around?
DALE TALDE: For Season 5, we’re really focusing on technique and simplifying the recipes. Through interactions on social media with people watching the show the past few seasons, I would hear: “This is great recipe. It’s super fun to see you make these things, but I don’t have the 13 ingredients to make that dish.” That’s when I knew we had to try and pare down some of these recipes and put an emphasis on technique. We want the viewer to understand that grilling—like cooking—in general becomes an intuitive skill as opposed to just following a recipe.
You strive to show audiences that a grill essentially is an outdoor kitchen. When did you decide to make that your mission?
Right from the beginning. We wanted to show how versatile a grill can be. It’s really just a heat source, right? You can use gas, live fire, charcoal, wood, whatever you want. The grill can be used as a vehicle to bake, to pan fry, and more. You can use a lot of these different techniques while still being outside. This season, we are introducing a tandoori oven, which is something we haven’t done before.
I love that you start off the season by cooking two different kinds of ribs in different ways. What about ribs make them versatile?
Ribs are marbled really well, so they have a lot fat and lend themselves to staying juicy. They’re also on the bone. Ribs on the grill is a classic American cooking method. In other countries—like the Philippines —people tend braise ribs slowly so that all that inner muscle breaks down and makes the rib unctuous and succulent. Different cultures cook ribs in a lot different ways.
Can you walk me through the process of getting a meal to screen? Are you coming up with the recipes?
Getting a meal from inception to the screen is a collaborative effort. I’ve worked with wonderful culinary directors on these shows. It’s a conversation between Tastemade, myself, and whoever is the culinary lead. It usually starts off by them asking what I want to do. Sometimes, there’s an idea the network is jazzed on. When I’m given a conceit, that can help with inspiration. Oftentimes it’s easier to cook with some type of parameters because there are so many directions you can go in.
We jump on with the culinary producer, and then we discuss what we think the recipe should be and how we’re going to move through the segment. You need to use the magic of TV because these recipes take much longer to make than the length of an episode. You need to cheat some of that stuff. Those are the things that we talk through to get to the end result or else we’d be there for like three and a half hours.
I’m obsessed with your grilling space. Where do you film the show? It’s not at your home, right?
We rent people’s homes for however long we’re there. Art production and culinary producers set how they want the grill to look and how it’s going to shoot easiest. My own personal backyard setup is much more cluttered [laughs]. My wife is on the edge of telling me no more equipment. I have two pizza ovens. I got one of those ceramic grills. I got a wood fired grill. I just got a 36-inch griddle. I have no more space, but I will be starting to do my own grill content on my Instagram, which I’m excited for.
Tastemade is not your only platform. You are also a frequent presence on the Food Network. What’s been your favorite show that you’ve done and why?
I love working with Guy Fieri. Tournament Of Champions is such a fun show. You’re put in a group of chefs who are just amazing, amazing talents whom you have instant camaraderie with. After filming, it’s not all-night party sessions, but you get to have great meals with these people. It’s a fun way to stay connected to people, and that environment’s been really fun. I’ve been able to do some other stuff like Wild Card Kitchen and Guy’s Grocery Games. They’re all fun, but Tournament Of Champions is really the pinnacle of those shows on that network.
This is a safe space. Tell me your real thoughts on the randomizer on TOC.
I’ve done two seasons of TOC. By now, the randomizer and I hopefully are becoming a little bit more friendly. In the past, my mentality was that I had to plan for everything. Now, I’m much more of a free thinker. The less I plan, the more I am inspired by what that randomizer gives me, which makes my cooking better in that situation.
The TOC environment is stressful, to say the least. How do you deal with nerves?
The nerves are only up until the clock starts to go. Once I start cooking, the nerves drop. Some of these younger chefs—especially on TOC—don’t know who I am. I’ve been doing cooking competitions since Top Chef Season 4. They had glue sticks in their hands and crayons when I started doing this. Hopefully, I get to keep this youthful glow so they continue to underestimate me. What I’ve learned is, the more you relax and calm down, the better you cook and the fewer nerves you get. That’s what takes you to the next level.
As a Food Network/Top Chef fan, I’ve noticed more and more crossover with talent. Have you noticed that as well? Why do you think that is?
Shows like TOC require a certain type of talent. You look at someone like Michael Voltaggio. That dude lives and breathes culinary competitions because they help him become a better chef. He gets really inspired by competition. He and his brother, Bryan, are like the scariest dudes on earth to go against because they’ve been doing it so long. People are also familiar with Top Chef and the rivalries that come with it. There are already built-in storylines with us. We’ve all competed against each other before. When I first met Shota Nakajima, I judged him Top Chef Season 18. He’s just an animal on these Food Network shows. It would be compelling for us to cook against each other because of that history. That makes us more fun to watch.
Speaking of fun to watch, are you watching The Bear?
I love the idea of that show, but I can’t watch it. It’s a little close to home. I was watching the first season and that scene with Jeremy Allen White where Joel McHale was his executive chef got to me. When Joel was leaning over him and getting in his ear, it got to me. It was like PTSD because I experienced that exact same dynamic. It was really triggering for me. I just didn’t want to relive that.
Instead of watching The Bear, I just go to work. That’s how accurate that show is. They really nailed it. However, the culture has changed quite a bit. It took a lot of us looking at how we were acting and at the industry to stop the cycle. The berating, the negative ways that people were getting treated—including myself—were part of a different generation. Many chefs won’t engage in that type of behavior anymore. It’s important to build a team that has your back and that wants to work with you. How do you do that? Not by the way The Bear portrays it.
I know you’re a big Bravo fan. What’s your favorite Real Housewives franchise and why?
Dubai was pretty good. I love Miami, both the Housewives and the city itself. I used to have a restaurant in South Florida. I’d probably be living there if I didn’t have two kids and a wife in New Jersey [laughs]. The Miami Housewives give it their all. The show reminds me of Jersey. I love Jersey. I don’t know how the cast is getting redone or who is coming and going. My wife and I just love those shows.
If you had to invite a Real Housewife on All Up In My Grill to make a meal with, who would it be and why?
Oh, it would be Teresa Giudice. She’s a special one. I mean, she’s gone through it. I think maybe she’s still going through it, but she’s doing her thing. I’d love to have her on the show and see what I can teach her on a grill.
She’s quite an accomplished chef herself!
I love RHONJ so much because I love to see where they are eating. I look up all the restaurants and tell my wife, “okay, we got to go eat there.”
All Up In My Grill Season 5 premieres on Wednesday, July 2nd at 7:30 PM and 8:00 PM on Tastemade