The Black Cooking Show

Essence

A Black cooking/food show. Six half-hour (22-minute) episodes. An adult cooking show. Two Black hosts with a guest. Breakthrough series.

Food is such an incredible part of Black culture. And yet there is not a single Black food show or cooking show on North American television. It is astonishing because Black people have their own definitive and distinctive cuisine: an amalgam of southern U.S. (soul food), Caribbean, African, Creole and traditional foods from the 400-year development of Black culture in North and South America. This series will expand culinary horizons and cultural dimensions and teach how to cook the funky chicken and beyond.

Each episode will have the two hosts with a guest. Possible guests include Don King, Senator Don Oliver (who had a cookbook in the 1980s), Jean Augustine, Pinball, Clemons, Oscar Peterson, Measha Bruggergosman. The aim will be entertainment: food talk/life talk/tricks/tips/techniques/ new dishes and recipes.

Proposed titles:

• “SAXXY COOKING”
• “TWO BLACK GUYS COOKING FOOD”
• “DANDELIONS AND PIGS' FEET”

Goal

Illuminate and profile Black food cuisine. A popular series.

Legacy

Respect for one of Black culture’s most important elements - its food.

Recommendation

It’s about time. There’s absolutely a need for a series dealing with Black cuisine. Film companies need to be lobbied in a concerted manner. A clear, professional-quality proposal should be made to TV networks.

Community Outreach

Each week a guest from the Black population.

Film is enormously expensive - a director or a writer charge under equity standards $6000 per half hour episode - this would mean for a 6 show series $72,000.00 - even for a cooking show. However there are so-called “Breakout prices” where a lower fees can be streamlined and this the reference for the budget. In my research the costs came to approximately $ 250,000 - I believe realistically we could do the 6 episodes for about 2/3rds that amount.

copyright - Da Costa 400