At 9 years old, Dani Álvarez attempted his first recipe: a mixed chickpea dish that remained inedible because he forgot to boil the vegetables. Now, he waits behind the camera of Canal Sur, going over his notes one last time, checking all of his ingredients before he hears “Action!” and films his very own cooking show.

Family First

“I was always experimenting in my kitchen at home,” Dani says. At a young age, he was drawn to culinary art. His first official start was at age 17 when he worked as a waiter at his family’s restaurant in Granada called Restaurante Sevilla. This third-generation restaurant was opened in 1930 by Dani’s grandfather and still stands today as one of Andalusia’s finest. After working there, Dani studied at a hotel in Málaga before traveling all over Spain to better develop his understanding of the entire spectrum of Spanish cuisine.

One set of Eyes

As far as picking which cooking show she watches, Concha Mije has never really had a preference. “Thirty years ago, I didn’t even have a choice which ‘one’ to watch because there was only one,” she says. Concha is a native of Seville in her early 60s, and she is a domestic chef both by hobby and by trade. She is an avid fan of chefs on television. If a cooking show is on and location permits, she is watching it. For her, it has really never been about the host. “The dish they are preparing is what most concerns me. Will I like it?” Well then, if avid fans and harsh critics, like Concha, coexist as one package, how is it that cooking shows have lasted this long?

In the Beginning

So when did the kitchen jump in front of the camera lens and seize the limelight for a 30- or sometimes 60-minute time period? Though they have been a programming staple since the early days of television, cooking shows actually began on the radio and then transitioned onto the television screen during the 1940s as an avenue to help ration recipes during World War II (specifically in the United States). These “filler” shows offered an inexpensive, economic solution to odd space between programs, and they still do. The public’s appetite for this genre has stood the test of time, unlike the Westerns or other “classics” that seemingly faded away. Names like Julia Child in “The French Chef” and José Andrés kept the interest peaked to really kick-start the evolution that would turn into programs such as the reality show “Top Chef.” These one-time “fillers” are now main events on some stations’ evening rosters. Somehow, the culinary culture on television has managed to stay afloat, even amid an ever-changing society. Old legends live on and new faces join the game.

Just Dani

Dani Álvarez has become one of those new faces. In building the structure of this genre, it is easy to remember the big names and rave about those unforgettable recipes, but at what point does being projected into millions of people’s living rooms change the way one cooks, or more specifically, change the way Dani cooks? A a professional, he has mixed feelings.

There are certain benefits to being a TV chef: endless recipes to try and share, fame, recognition, reaching audiences across the world and more. However, drawbacks in this same realm are not as often a part of the conversation. Dani explains that for a chef on television there is very limited time, so one can only work with a set number of ingredients. Thirty minutes, which is the length of Dani’s show, can only bare so many culinary secrets; the rest must be left behind. In addition to the limited window, there is always criticism from the public. Something that bothered him at first, but in hindsight he is now able to accept it and move to use that to improve his cooking style.

“The cuisine of a country is its image, the image of its citizens,” he says. In following his own decree, Dani went down the line and carefully mentioned that although that statement is true, particular areas or states, within a country, add even more diversity. Whether it is in a Catalan, Basque, Extremaduran, Valencian or Andalusian kitchen, if examined closely, it will bear the resemblance of its local people.

“I mean, for example, look at Andalusia’s style… lively, cheerful and colorful, just like us,” Dani says, smiling through his words. And, of course, like anybody, he has his favorites to cook as well. His particular favorite is rice because of its wide range of cooking possibilities. “Black rice, rice Abanda, rice with snails or anchovies… but then I also love to cook fish too, both with rice and without.” Dani, an avid Real Madrid fan, acknowledges that just like any great soccer player must practice to become great, so must a great chef. “The truth is, though, even the great ones need to have a little bit of magic in their hand. That part is absolutely true,” he says, referring both to on the field and in the kitchen.

Today’s a Good Day

According to Concha, today Dani has the magic. His recipe is brown rice with chicken and cinnamon. So, she’s decided to sit and watch Dani’s show and follow along closely to write down all the ingredients. “I will probably try it tomorrow for dinner, so as not to waste a meal at lunch. In case no one likes it.”

The difference between Dani’s real magic and television magic, is that this one is determined by the viewers. That power is what keeps this genre alive and flourishing. The audience has a role. In the end, viewers like Concha have the final say. Boiled vegetables or not, they still might not eat the chickpeas.

::Aquí es el cocinero Dani Álvarez en Málaga, durante su programa. Antes de nuesta entrevista, él esta preparando para la audiencia de televisión. Mi visita a Málaga era una perspectiva muy interesante ver la escena detrás del escenario. Ahora, estoy trabajando en la escritura de mi artículo de “ambos lados de la cámara.” Aquí es uno lado.

Con el fin de conquistar a cualquier ciclo de malo, tiene que haber excepciones. Alejondro es el comienzo de muchas más excepciones.

Sé que esto es un poco cliché, pero cuando pienso en los diferentes días en que recuerdo los detalles exactos de lo sucedido, inmediatamente pienso del 11 de septiembre de 2011. Yo solo tuve doce años y durante el día a mi escuela, no supe nada de la tragedia que he devastado el mundo, específicamente mi mundo. Yo recuerdo que fue el fin del día y mi profesora dije que ella quiso nosotros recordar que todos nosotros tenemos el poder a cambiar nuestro circunstancias e incluso nuestro mundo. No yo y ninguno de mi compañeros de clase entendieron. Yo recuerdo que las luces estaban apagados, la cara de mi profesora era muy seria y ella llevaba un suéter morado.

Hasta mi autobús se detuvo a la escuela intermedia, todavía no tuve un idea que pasó.  Mi amiga, Mackenzie, para viajaba el autobús conmigo porque nuestros hermanos tuvieron un juego de fútbol americano. Mientras estábamos a la escuela intermedia, nos dimos cuenta que el juego fue cancelado pero no supimos por qué. Pensé que tal vez el tiempo, pero los cielos fueron completamente azules. Cuando los chicos mejores llegaron nuestro autobús, eso fue que comprendí que algo andaba mal. Un chico dijo que cinco aviones se había estrellado y tres otros todavía estaban en el cielo. No comprendí nada; en realidad no parecía real.

Cuando Mackenzie y yo volvimos a mi casa, encendió la tele y eso cuando vimos las noticias. Habían personas saltando por las ventanas y mucho gente llorando. Nosotros no tuvimos palabras. Hasta hoy eso momento ponme muy muy triste. Era la vista de los demás sufrimientos que todavía puedo ver hoy. Yo recuerdo diciendo a Mackenzie, “Pienso este evento es como ‘Pearl Harbor” de siglo 21.

(Monica Jo es mi amiga mejor, con quien experimenté el día entero)

En la primera parte del proyecto, voy a empezar a entrevistar a diferentes restaurantes.