Acclaimed Charleston Chef Bob Waggoner Debuts His New Cooking Show on ETV

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Acclaimed Charleston Chef Bob Waggoner Debuts His New Cooking Show on ETV

Sneak Preview of Ucook!™ with Chef Bob Premieres Saturday, March 12 at 4 p.m.

For Immediate Release
March 8, 2011

Columbia, SC… Charleston’s status as one of the hottest destinations for ‘foodies’ is due in no small part to the work of Chef Bob Waggoner. A finalist for multiple James Beard awards, Waggoner has spent the past 13 years in the Holy City dazzling locals and tourists with his spectacular recipes, creating a new flare of dining he calls “French Lowcountry.”

But what he’s been cooking up lately is a new public television series called Ucook!™ with Chef Bob that will be presented nationally by South Carolina ETV and distributed by NETA this spring. The program is produced by Charleston resident and film and television producer Michael Kirk.

While the series will begin airing on ETV in May, this Saturday, March12 at 4 p.m., viewers will be treated to a sneak preview as Waggoner is LIVE in ETV's studios to help introduce the first two episodes. Encore broadcasts of this sneak preview will air on The South Carolina Channel on Wednesday, March 16 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, March 19 at 10 a.m.

Recorded in Charleston, Ucook! offers Waggoner’s classic dishes along with contemporary cooking techniques and simple instruction so that the viewer can easily prepare these delicious entrees. In each reality-based show, Waggoner teaches an “Average Joe," chosen from his live studio audience, the techniques and art of gourmet cooking, paired with wines from around the world. This appeal to “the every person” is a unique approach.

In the premiere episode, Waggoner prepares one of his favorite party pleasers, carrot and cantaloupe soup. He uses fresh garden mint and limoncello liquor to finish it off. Served chilled, this is a perfect summertime dish to offer friends. With this soup, Chef Bob pairs it with an Australian Reserve Chardonnay to compliment its earthy hints of fresh melon and peach with a crisp finish.

He also teaches his guest chef how to make seared pork chops with cipollini onions and fava beans in a honey, red wine vinegar and blackberry reduction sauce.

And in episode two, Waggoner creates a delicate foie gras in the traditional French style but with a flare of his own: over caramelized granny smith apples and cognac raisins with candied pecans. Paired with this dish is a soft Australian Pinot Grigio that has hints of fresh citrus fruits to compliment the sweetness of the apples and raisins.

Waggoner then helps his guest chef to prepare sautéed veal tenderloin over a diced ratatouille in a yellow tomato, green olive and roasted garlic sauce.

About Chef Bob Waggoner
Waggoner is one of the leading culinary masters in the Southeast and is one of many Charleston chefs who have been finalists for multiple James Beard Awards in recent years. A classically trained French Chef, Bob Waggoner is one of the few Americans to be Knighted with the “l’Odre du Mérite Agricole” from the Government of France. Most recently, he has appeared on The CBS Morning Show, The View, and The Wheel of Fortune. Waggoner was also honored with an invitation by Gourmet Magazine to cook at France’s 10 Greatest Chefs event in NYC June 2008.

About Michael Kirk
Kirk has produced, directed and written television programs such as A&E’s Biography and American Justice, The History Channel’s History’s Mysteries and The Wrath of God, The Weather Channel’s Storm Stories, PBS’ About Your House with Bob Yapp, Great Finds and The Procrastinator’s Guide, and one of the first reality-based shows to air on any NBC affiliate, Roommates. Kirk was also the co-creator, producer and director of’ Odysseys and Ovations: Travel in the Arts, a 28-episode series that has been airing worldwide on Public Television. Kirk also produced and directed feature film, A Trumpet at the Walls of Jericho, narrated by the late Ossie Davis and America’s Iliad: The Siege of Charleston, narrated by actor Tom Berenger, which airs nationwide on Public Television in April, 2011.

About South Carolina ETV 
South Carolina ETV is the state's public educational broadcasting network with 11 television transmitters, 8 radio frequencies and a multi-media educational system in more than 2,500 schools, colleges, businesses and government agencies. Using television, radio and the web, SCETV's mission is to enrich lives by educating children, informing and connecting citizens, celebrating our culture and environment and instilling the joy of learning.

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For more information, contact Rob Schaller at (803) 737-6556 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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Chef Bob Waggoner

Chef Bob Waggoner with his guest chef Lacey preparing the sautéed veal tenderloin over a diced ratatouille.