Food Network Alton Brown personality to give an explosion of experiences at Columbus show

Abigail Hofrichter
Fri, 08 Nov 2013 00:09:21 +0000
Campus, alton brown, chef, Columbus, food network, ohio state, osu

Food Network star Alton Brown is set to be at the Palace Theatre Nov. 8 for his Alton Brown Live! The Edible Inevitable Tour.
Credit: Courtesy of Dan Grody

Columbus locals have the chance to break from the usual Friday night dinner and a movie as one Food Network star plans to bring comedy, education, music and cooking together in one live performance.

Alton Brown is set to be at the Palace Theatre Friday at 8 p.m. with his Alton Brown Live! The Edible Inevitable Tour. The tour began Oct. 18, taking Brown across the country with his first ever live show.

“Stage work is theater and although it has its challenges and limitations, in the end, it’s a lot more rewarding because instead of having a camera suck your soul out of your eyes, there’s an audience there to provide energy,” Brown said in an email to The Lantern.

The show brings the audience a taste of Brown’s mind, incorporating his own stand-up, musical numbers and new food experiments. Audiences are warned that one of the demonstrations warrants giving ponchos to those sitting close to the stage, but Brown wouldn’t give any further details.

Brown said he got the inspiration for this show by doing everything that was never allowed to do on television. The demonstrations on his shows such as “Good Eats” were meant to provide everyday cooks with practical skills where as his tour provides a different experience.

“In the stage show, (the demonstrations) are very opposite: crazy, wild and completely undoable at home … unless you’ve got a workshop and some fairly specialized tools,” Brown said.

Brown serves as a favorite television personality and an inspiration to many in the culinary field. Ohio State alumna and former president of the Food Science Club, Brittany Towers, said Brown played a major role in her decision to pursue a degree in food science.

The combination of cooking and science on Brown’s show “Good Eats” showed her she could balance something constructive with something she loved, Towers said.

“His show made me more interested in learning more science because I can relate it back to something I really enjoy — food and cooking,” Towers, who currently lives in Chicago, said.

This is Brown’s first live tour, giving audience members a new view of the culinary scientist.

Candid performances entice audiences as they provide such a refreshing atmosphere, said Leah Crose, a third-year in human development and family science.

“I always like to try something new,” Crose said. “I saw (‘How I Met Your Mother’ star) Josh Radnor when he came and it is always cool to see someone stand up in front of people and step away from all the hype of being famous.”

Towers said she wishes she had an opportunity such as this while she was still an undergraduate student.

“I am very jealous that the Union is selling awesomely priced tickets to see Alton Brown since he is a food science idol in a sense,” Towers said.

D-Tix began selling discount tickets Oct 29. for $15. Tickets sold out through D-Tix and can now be purchased online through Brown’s website starting at $40.15 after fees.

The Palace Theatre is located at 34 W. Broad St.