Swoosh! Whir! & Fizz: The Rhetoric of Alton Brown

What do you visualize when you hear the word 'chef'? Does your mind bring forth images of the typical chef's white coat with off-center buttons, a tall white toque, a spoon in one hand, a knife in the other? If that's what you're looking for in a celebrity chef, you may as well forget Alton Brown. He may have donned chef's whites during his stint at the New England Culinary Institute, but they must have kept his set when he graduated. Brown is known, and recognized by, his flamboyant, bright style and personality. Sometimes it's like seeing a young child discovering the wonders of the microscope, watching his curiosity and determination to find the answers to some very puzzling, yet virtually unasked, questions. He isn't above demonstrating his points using toys, props, or even wearing a chicken suit.

If you've never watched any of the shows Alton Brown hosts, you're missing out. He has two of his own shows, Good Eats and Feasting on Asphalt, and Iron Chef America, where he acts as host, commentator, and sometimes, a food educator. Regardless of whether he's on one of his own shows, hosting Iron Chef, or making an appearance elsewhere on radio or television, Alton Brown brings his own flavor to the party. In his years at the Food Network, he has become quite the expert in the use of the rhetorical triangle, doing his best to connect himself and his topic to his audience (Aristotle, Book I Ch. 3). His ideas about cooking and kitchenware are becoming quite popular, especially among men, engineers, and home cooks who don't favor the styles of other Food Network personalities, such as Emeril Lagasse or Rachael Ray.

Not surprisingly, Brown did not start out as a chef or even in the food industry at all. He did learn to cook from his mother and grandmother, though these lessons were applied more to his dating life than his career. He spent a decade as a cinematographer and video director, during which time he became bored with the cooking shows being offered, calling them boring and uninformative. Brown decided he had something to offer in the cooking arena, something nobody else was bringing to the table, so he moved to Vermont and enrolled himself in the New England Culinary Institute. Admittedly a poor science student in grade school and college, he began studying science to better understand the things he was learning in culinary school. According to Aristotle's Rhetoric, Brown's transformation from cinematographer to celebrity chef occurred at precisely the right moment for him to establish credibility and believability, as 'men in their prime' develop a character between that of young and old, free from the extremes of either age (Book II, Ch. 14). Brown also has something else going for him: an amalgamation of American cooking styles. Born in Los Angeles, formally educated in Georgia, then culinary school in Vermont, Brown experienced many of the United States' varied culinary 'schools' from an insider's prospective. This is a vital part of his first show, Good Eats, as he explores the staple food stuffs from all regions of the US (Food Network).

As you can see from his atypical background, Brown is not typical of a celebrity chef. While it isn't unusual these days to find Rachael Ray or Paula Deen-most of the Food Network cast, really-in their everyday clothes on their respective cooking shows, Alton Brown still stands out from the crowd. His messy blonde hair, dark angular glasses, and loose, brightly colored and patterned button-down collared shirts reflect his personality-offbeat and fun, but in a somewhat neat and orderly way. Like some of the other Food Network personalities, Brown integrates 'family' into his show, especially in Good Eats, he often utilizes actors, actress, even production assistants to act as family members and other characters in the show, such as his chiropractor, who plays 'W'-the know it all kitchen gadget salesperson. On occasion, Brown has brought his real family onto the show, notably his grandmother, his daughter, and the family dog. There was even one episode filmed in his own home. When it comes down to it, Alton Brown is a pretty private person. Even in the vastness of the internet there are few references to his life outside of his shows, books, and other appearances. While he is open about himself and his own personality, he is one of the few celebrities these days who does not disclose every detail of his personal life to the public (www.altonbrown.com).

Even though Brown chooses not to display his family photos on every website and magazine cover (or even mention them at all, for the most part) he puts the very best of his 'self' out there for all to see. This is seen most in his own shows, Good Eats and Feasting on Asphalt, both of which were planned, developed, and starred in by Brown himself. His background as a cinematographer allows him to do some interesting things on both shows, though his camera tricks and inventive use of technology and props definitely display his adeptness in his first profession. As a matter of fact, Brown himself writes, produces, and hosts Good Eats on his own. On this show, Brown often uses unusual camera angles to bring home a point, to display the proper technique, or as an attention-getting device to keep the viewer entertained, often placing the camera just outside his window, on the floor or ceiling, or even inside the oven. He uses props, actors, and 'food specialists' to back up or demonstrate the scientific background of each episode. It is not unusual to tune into Good Eats to find Brown conversing with two production assistants dressed as glucose molecules, a food anthropologist, or 'the Lady of the Refrigerator.' Even a talking man-sized mountain of greens would not be surprising to those familiar with Brown's show. His unorthodox methods are appealing to many home cooks, most notably those whose professions fall into scientific or engineering fields, as well as those who are often curious as to why certain things are done when it comes to food, how or why foods work the way they do, or where some strange foodstuffs came from.

One of Brown's biggest pet peeves in the kitchen is the uni-taskers inundating American kitchens. Exuberant items such as egg white separators, pizza stones, special pans and other utensils that cannot perform multiple tasks take up too much space and encourage clutter. The only uni-tasker welcome in his kitchen, says Brown, is the fire extinguisher. He is known for using hardware store finds to produce effects similar to some specialty tools. As Aristotle would say, he is guided not by nobility (or in the case of kitchen appliances and utensils, by brand names) or by usefulness, but by both, using each to influence the other (Book II, Ch 14). In one appearance on the Letterman show, Brown uses the heating element of a charcoal starter to put 'grill marks' on steaks that would be cooked in the oven, thus giving the appearance of grilled meat without the need for additional equipment. In the same show, he removed the manual turning top of a pepper grinder, using a handheld power drill to grind large quantities of pepper quickly. Even small appliances that cannot handle a multitude of tasks are ousted from Brown's kitchen. You won't find a popcorn popper on his set-he uses a large stainless steel bowl covered with aluminum foil, tongs, and his stovetop to make all sorts of popcorn, from buttery, salty movie popcorn, to more refined herb and oil flavors (Good Eats).

Neither of his other shows is quite as educational as Good Eats, but they do retain elements of Alton's first show. In Feasting on Asphalt, Brown uses some unusual, often kooky, tools to 'survive' on his motorcycle trip across the USA reliving culinary pastimes with his buddies, bringing along some of that trademark AB craziness that makes Good Eats so interesting to watch. On Iron Chef America, Brown does wear a suit and tie, though he adds his own colorful flair to the outfit. Acting as the host and lead commentator, Brown not only describes the ingredients and cooking methods being used by the various participants in the show, but also provides history and background for many of the 'secret ingredients' used on the show as well.

Regardless of the lens through which you view Alton Brown, his personality remains consistent-his flair for theatrics, his viewpoints, and his knowledge are never left behind. Often called the King of the Culinary Backstory, Brown has not quite risen to the top tier as Food Network celebrity chefs go, but he has brought an inventive new twist to a formerly one-track minded production line. Though Brown himself may never rise to the peak of stardom like some of his colleagues at Food Network, his influence has influenced both the Network and its viewers with shows like Unwrapped, Ace of Cakes, and numerous others which delve into the depths of the culinary scene.

References to Book #, Ch # Refer to Aristotle's Rhetoric.