"From Scratch: Inside the Food Network" by Allen Salkin

I realized about halfway through this book that what I really wanted was individual biographies about my favorite Food Network stars; Alton Brown, Duff Goldman, etc. Instead, this book is crammed with details from the Network's 20 year history, way too many details. The information was interesting and I found out more than I ever thought possible about my favorite channel, but I almost feel like there could have been more focus on individual shows and events without trying to cram in every detail. I think a series of books could also be intriguing and be a better fit for all of the stories. It was clear that Salkin had tons of material that he was trying to cram into just 400 pages.

Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of great information in this book and the story of the Food Network is really amazing, there is just a lot of it. There was so much about it that I didn't know (how it started for instance and the development of some of my favorite shows). I think that long time fans of the network will enjoy this book, but many readers may find it overwhelming. Now if there can be a TV series that ties in with this book that interviews some of these people...

Happy Reading!
-Melly