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Celeb chef Flay in gingerbread 'throwdown'

Posted October 09, 2007 11:00 pm

Kathryn Rem

More than 50 "extras" clad in Christmas sweaters and sandals showed up at the historic Pasfield House Tuesday to be a part of what they thought was a Food Network holiday special about gingerbread. But the excitement was kicked up considerably when celebrity chef Bobby Flay made a surprise appearance, bringing with him a 13-story gingerbread replica of the Empire State Building.

"Hi, I'm Bobby Flay. I've heard a lot about you," the New Yorker said to Macomb gingerbread artist Johanna Rosson, who was demonstrating for the cameras and crowd how she made Springfield's Abraham Lincoln Home in gingerbread.

Visibly shaken by Flay's sudden appearance, Rosson quickly regained her composure and said, "I hope it's not a throwdown," referring to Flay's Food Network program, "Throwdown with Bobby Flay," in which he competes in a variety of cooking challenges.

He told her it was, and the two hugged, to the cheers of the crowd.

"This is fantastic," said Jan Sorenson of Springfield, an extra who wore a blue sweatshirt adorned with glittery holiday candles. "I rode to the Christmas party in a convertible this morning." Temperatures were in the 80s Tuesday.

The chefs, working side by side in a large parlor festooned with life-sized toy soldiers and decorated Christmas trees, engaged in small talk as they put the finishing touches on their edible structures.

Rosson's Lincoln Home, which she estimated took more than 45 hours to make, was decorated with M&Ms on the roof line, candles in each window and icing "snow" on the front lawn. She planned to give the house to her mother after the taping.

Flay's Empire State Building was constructed - in New York, Chicago and Springfield - by staff of the Food Network. The skyscraper had clear windows made of gelatin, red windows made of melted Red Hots and a candy cane "needle" on top.

The judges were Tony Leone, proprietor of the Pasfield House, and Rob Flesher, co-owner of Pease's Candies. They first sampled gingerbread cookies made by the two chefs.

"Both were soft cookies, but very good," said Flesher. The judges gave the nod to Flay's cookies because they were decorated so ornately.

But the winner of the competition was Rosson.

"Bobby did a beautiful job of replicating the Empire State Building," said Flesher, "but Lincoln's Home was phenomenal. I'm going to go past it again to see the details that she had on her house."

Flesher was invited by Leone to the taping, but didn't know in advance that he would be asked to be a judge or that Flay would be part of the program.

"I thought I was coming to watch a show being shot," he said.

Likewise, local chef Mike Taylor was invited to the taping in case the network crew needed kitchen assistance.

"I was out in the parking lot and a young man went past me and said, 'Good morning,'" Taylor said. "I said, 'Good morning, Mr. Flay. Welcome to the Pasfield House.' It was a hell of a surprise."

The Food Network production crew camped out in the Pasfield House, 525 S. Pasfield St., for several days preparing for the shoot. On Sunday evening, local chef Augie Mrozowski prepared a dinner for them using only local ingredients. The menu included beef tenderloin, goat-cheese soufflé, squash soup and apple pudding cake.

"Some of them had only known Springfield for the horseshoe. They were wowed," said Leone.

Flay, who wore jeans and a blue shirt, arrived in Springfield Monday night. He said it was his first visit.

"I'm really bummed, because I wanted to see the Lincoln (presidential) museum. But I gotta go to work tonight," he said. Before leaving for New York, he posed for photos and signed autographs for the extras and Pasfield House staff.

The red-haired Flay is the owner of several restaurants, including the celebrated Mesa Grill in New York City, known for American southwestern food. Among his many cookbooks are "Bobby Flay Cooks American" (Hyperion 2001) and "Bobby Flay's Grilling for Life" (Scribner, 2005). His other Food Network programs are "FoodNation," "BBQ With Bobby Flay" and "Boy Meets Grill," and he is one of four Iron Chefs on the program "Iron Chef America."

Rosson, the mother of three young boys, makes her gingerbread creations in her Macomb home. Last year, she made a replica of Springfield's Union Station that was displayed in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum during the holiday season. Rosson is a contributing writer for Cooking with Paula Deen magazine and has appeared on Deen's Food Network show, "Paula's Home Cooking."

Flay is the second Food Network star to visit Springfield recently. Two weeks ago, Guy Fieri shot a segment at Charlie Parker's diner for his show, "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives."

Food Network producers said the Pasfield House "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" episode will be shown around Christmas, but did not know the exact date. The program airs at 9 p.m. Tuesdays on Insight cable channel 48.

"It was exciting to see how much work goes into a half-hour show," said Sorenson. "I'll never forget this."

Kathryn Rem can be reached at 788-1520 or kathryn.rem@sj-r.com.

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