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LIVING THE GOOD LIFE

Our exclusive interview with Bob Blumer

by: Jennifer Matthews

There’s a slogan on the last page of one of Bob Blumer’s books that reads: “Use Less. Live More.” It pretty much sums up this transplanted Canadian’s approach to everything he does—everything being the key word.

Although he’s best known for his quirky cooking show, The Surreal Gourmet (which aired for five seasons and is now syndicated in more than 30 countries), Blumer has his finger in many pies. He has written four cookbooks (with a fifth book on grilled pizza on the way), pens a column and features for WineX magazine (he’s passionate about wine), acts as Canada’s official Tabasco ambassador (his self-styled commercials will air across North America this spring), and stars in his newly created TV series, Glutton for Punishment, which began airing in April in Canada on the Food Network and in the U.S. on the Fine Living Network.

Watching this self-described “culinary adventurer” plate chocolate mousse in the shape of a moose (you can take the Canadian out of Canada...), poach salmon in the dishwasher (he swears it works perfectly every time), or create cauliflower “popcorn,” you might think he’s a little too surreal. But try to follow one of his recipes and you realize that they’re actually very accessible and down-to-earth, despite their offbeat presentation.

Blumer is much the same way: If you’re unsure why you’d want to watch him compete in an oyster-shucking contest, fling booze bottles in Vegas or ingest massive quantities of chili peppers in record time, tune in to Glutton for Punishment just once. Blumer’s enthusiasm is infectious, and his likeable nature (and often, hopelessly underdog status) has you rooting for him from beginning to end.

Blumer’s persona doesn’t seem to change off camera: He’s approachable, friendly, and a little quirky. We shared a few minutes recently, and he shared his thoughts on food, entertaining and life in general.

	It’s not a fish story! Salmon actually can be poached in the dishwasher, and Bob Blumer swears it works every time. Tempted to try it for yourself? Get the how-tos here from Bob's article on Winexmagazine.com

Bob Blumer on “shooting” Tabasco sauce:

My favourite way to use Tabasco? Sometimes I shoot it straight from the bottle— I have a high heat tolerance. But it’s great to add to all kinds of recipes for a little kick—guacamole, for example.

On “brown bagging” it on an airplane:

My $25 upgrade [in which Blumer advises flying coach but packing a selection of delicious snacks, bottled water, herbal tea bags and freshly squeezed orange juice, and picking up your favourite takeout meal en route to the airport, thereby avoiding the curse of “tasteless airplane food”] has been affected by tighter airport security, for sure. You can’t really bring liquids or sauces now. But you can still get lots of takeout meals that you can bring through security. And the whole concept is even more important now because so few airlines serve any food at all.

On his favourite cocktail:
My all-time favourite is freshly squeezed orange juice and vodka. You just don’t get freshly squeezed juice all that often, though...

On becoming a wine “expert”:
I think you sort of have to ‘creep up the path’ of wine knowledge. If you’re interested in wine, then you’ll start to pay more attention, and you’ll retain all sort of tidbits of information, and before you know it, you know a lot.

On entertaining when you’re short on cash:
When I was younger, before my real cooking days [Blumer was a music manager for Canadian singer Jane Siberry before becoming a “foodie”], my friends and I loved to get together and loved to eat well, but none of us had any money. That’s where the concept of my $20 dinner party came from.

The meal would often be a pasta dish. I would delegate an ingredient to each guest—one brings a block of Parmigiano cheese; another, fresh pasta; another, fresh, crusty bread; and another, salad greens. Then—and this is why I call it the ‘not-luck’ dinner party—we would open a bottle of wine and I would prepare the meal. No one would be out more than a few dollars, and my cost would be less than $20, including the staples I used from my kitchen. It was all about the spirit of it, not how much it cost.

On entertaining when you’re short on time or skills:
Unless your friends are food snobs, having them over is all about spending time with them. Takeout for guests is fine— the only thing I don’t like at a party is a ton of incredibly bland food. Get to know the places in your neighbourhood that serve great ethnic food, like Thai or Indian, and make that part of your meal with a few homemade add-ons. There’s a place near me that makes the most incredible Peruvian Roasted Chicken. A whole, delicious chicken for under $10, and it serves four people!

On the most important thing you can do to make your dinner party fun:
Going to someone’s house is all about the spirit of the party. If your host is flustered because she’s been running around trying to make everything perfect and is stressed about all the details, you catch that energy. Much better to focus on simple food you can manage, and enjoy the time you’re spending with friends. That’s what they’ll remember.

On his approach to pretty much everything:
A lot of what I do is how to get a lot out of life regardless of your lot in life...You’re really limited only by your imagination.

Related articles:

NEW: Tabasco® TV Commercials with Bob Blumer.

Bob Blumer's "From Bland to Bold" recipes

More Recipes from Bob Blumer

Our feature on TABASCO SAUCE