Detective Cognac Scores His Own Show on FoodTV

This week I received a request from a Los Angeles police detective for a bottle of the 2004 Dover Canyon Zinfandel Reserve. I was asked to courier it overnight to New York City, where experts would examine it.

Tonight our Dover Canyon Zinfandel Reserve will be served at a celebratory dinner in New York, as FoodTV vice president of programming Charles Noordlander discusses with Orange County detective Chris Cognac the concept for his new ten-episode food show to be aired this fall.

At right, Chris poses in FoodTV's 'Kitchen Stadium' where the Iron Chef series is filmed.

Chris is a man of boundless energy and enthusiasm for life, food, and wine. Formerly a sex crimes and child abuse expert in Los Angeles, he is also a helicopter pilot and detective. Chris’ unsinkable optimism and love of people, combined with an unabashed enthusiasm for hearty eating, initially led him to write a food column for the Los Angeles Daily Breeze on local and popular ‘dive’ hangouts, ethnic restaurants, and undiscovered gems throughout his beat and beyond. His enthusiasm resulted in a local cable cooking show featuring precinct and fire station cooking.

Recently, Chris hooked up with FoodTV celebrity Alton Brown for a forthcoming episode in Alton’s Feasting on Asphalt food tour. Chris has also recently appeared as a judge in FoodTV’s cult hit, Iron Chef America. Chris poured Dover Canyon wines backstage and during the staff dinner at Mario Batali’s new restaurant Del Posto.

And now, FoodTV has offered Chris his own show.

The name of the show will be revealed to Chris tonight. The cities Chris will visit in his first season include Philadelphia, Dallas, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, San Diego, Charleston, D.C., New York, and Boston. Chris will post research threads in each city’s dining forum on the culinary site eGullet.org, and readers are encouraged to post their recommendations for go-to dining in their city, from upscale to undiscovered. This is the first collaboration between the FoodTV network and a public culinary discussion site. If you are a foodie or just a local fan, here’s your chance to recommend your favorites, and maybe even be on hand for filming.

Las Vegas has already been filmed, and Chris’ accumulated vacation time this summer will be spent filming the remaining nine episodes. "The food is ice cold," reports Chris, "because the lighting crew keeps moving everything around. But it’s a lot of fun."

Congratulations, Chris!