Food shows have often been twinned with travel, none more than the series the late chef and author Anthony Bourdain filmed over the years.
Now, CNN is airing its first food travel show since Bourdain’s death nearly three years ago. And if the buzz about it is any indication, it has a hit.
On Valentine’s Day, CNN launched Searching for Italy, a six-part series hosted by actor Stanley Tucci.
The premiere debuted as the No. 1 show on cable news in its time slot, attracting 1.5 million viewers, the network said.
This week’s episode made Tucci a trending topic on Twitter. The show is repeated several times overnight after the original episode airs, and there’s also a re-run on Saturday night.
Tucci isn’t simply an actor who likes to travel and eat, although he’s appeared in a number of movies, like Julie and Julia, The Devil Wears Prada and Big Night, where food was a centerpiece.
Tucci has written several cookbooks, beginning in 2012 with The Tucci Cookbook, which focused on his family memories, with recipes and wine pairings. (Because my mother liked his work on screen, I bought her that cookbook, and found it to be a pleasurable read.)
More cookbooks followed, and through the years, Tucci jotted down notes for a possible TV show. While others had approached him about doing a show, the CNN opportunity seemed “more right,” he told the Los Angeles Times.
Tucci seemed like a plausible host, given the number of celebrities who have delved into streaming, public and cable television. And, he has an avid fan base. Thus far, his Instagram video of a Negroni cocktail has attracted 1.1 million views.
Filming on the series began in 2019. Its premise is simple: Tucci visits six places in Italy — the first two episodes featured Naples and Rome, while future chapters focus on Bologna, Milan, Tuscany, and Sicily.
He eats locally known dishes, learns to make foods like mozzarella, chats with chefs and writers, and shares his impressions, all illustrated with stunning photography.
Throughout the show, Tucci speaks in a mix of English and Italian, and provides the narration. His Italian is nice practice for people whose language skills have grown rusty during shutdown, and there are subtitles in English.
Searching For Italy was largely filmed before the pandemic, which crippled Italy’s economy, but two episodes were completed after COVID protocols went into place.
The program is pure comfort TV, of the kind that has worked for streaming stars like Phil Rosenthal, host of Somebody Feed Phil, and Samin Nosrat, whose Netflix show Salt Fat Acid Heat echoed her best-selling cookbook.
And, it gives food lovers a reason to watch CNN on Sunday nights. The only jarring note is the constant interruption of commercials, which can be solved by recording the show and fast-forwarding through them.
But, CNN has to pay the bills, and if Searching For Italy continues to be a fan favorite, Stanley Tucci may have found a new role as a documentary host, in addition to all his others.
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February 22, 2021 at 10:33PM
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Just Like His Negroni, Stanley Tucci’s CNN Show Has Food TV Fans Buzzing - Forbes
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