Craig Melvin wears his heart on his sleeve — and his taste buds on his face.
Asked if he can name the best thing he’s ever eaten during a TODAY Food segment, Craig visibly flips through his Rolodex of memories, finally shaking his head.
“I can’t answer that question because every month or two, I’m like, ‘Oh, my God,’” he says, his eyes lighting up.
He’s getting ready to guide an audience through a cooking demo at the TODAY Fan Fest event Taste of TODAY, hosted at Platform by the James Beard Foundation.
Also in attendance, a slew of super-fans watch TODAY Food segments happen in real life, mingle with the anchors and world-class chefs, and enjoy bites from the demos.
“We had some Korean fried chicken this morning; she’s here tonight,” Craig says of chef Judy Joo and her recipe. “I was like, ‘Oh, my God, this is the most amazing Korean fried chicken I’ve ever had.’”
Craig adds that earlier in the week, chef Brian Lewis prepared his Herbed Pork Roast during the 3rd Hour, and he thought the same thing: “Oh, my God, this is the best pork I’ve ever had,” he remembers.
Sheinelle Jones has a similar reaction to another one of Lewis’ dishes that day: the Roasted Beet and Burrata Salad.
“It was like a beet salad, but it’s not just any beet salad,” she says, waving her hands in the air, emphatically. “It had fennel and pistachio. It was, like, amazing.”
Alongside anchors Savannah Guthrie, Jenna Bush Hager and Dylan Dreyer, three chefs make their dishes from the “TODAY Loves Food” cookbook. While sampling those foods, attendees are also being served wine, beer and cocktails like Savannah’s Savanita, provided by Diageo, Rockaway Brewing Company and Brooklyn Winery.
On the menu tonight: Ayesha Nurdjaja’s Chicken Shawarma with White Sauce, David Rose’s Ancho Grilled Skirt Steak with Chipotle Chimichurri and Katie Lee Biegel’s Chopped Dill Pickle Salad, all prepared live for the audience by each chef.
Craig says his favorite thing about food segments is the expertise on display.
“It’s just the quality of food,” he says, especially from culinary stars like Siri Daly, Edy Massih and Priyanka Naik, who are all in attendance. “The untold part of the TODAY Food story is the TODAY Food team, and they just do a remarkable job.”
He enjoys most things he eats on the show, but every now and again, he tries a dish that’s not his thing — and his face makes that clear.
“I can’t hide it,” Craig admits.
“My mother has said the same thing. But, listen, I’ll try anything,” he says, adding that not everything is for everyone. “I think I’ve gotten better.”
Sheinelle says she’s taken home food from the show that she really enjoyed, but it’s not always a hit with her kids.
“My kids don’t like their food to touch, so they’re still in the like, ‘We like chicken, we like potatoes,’ so sometimes I’ll bring something home, and they’re like, ‘I’m not sure.”
But the easiest way to tell if an anchor enjoyed the dish is to take a look at their plate at the end of the segment. If it’s empty, it was a hit.
“I’m called out on a lot on how much food I’m eating,” Dylan says during the event’s opening remarks. “When you’re surrounded by the best-of-the best chefs, you want to taste their food.
“And then my mom’s texting me after, ‘Was that really as good as you made it sound? Should I try that recipe?’ and I say, ‘Yes, you have to try that recipe.’”
