Food and television have meant to be together ever since Julia Child pulled a fry pan out of her handbag and prepared a simple omelette on live television in 1961. The PBS production was a talk show about books, but rather than merely discuss her cookbook, Julia demonstrated how easy it is to make a delicious omelette in the French tradition. The lively segment was a hit and eventually spawned a massive industry devoted to food preparation on television – which became the motivation for Centennial’s Food Media graduate certificate program.
Chef Matthew Duffy, who teaches the one-year program, was once again invited on CTV’s The Social last week to demonstrate the versatility of sourdough bread and all the wonderful baked goods that can be made from the same dough. Chef Duffy took the opportunity to bring along his entire Food Media class to observe the live production behind the set and to watch the show’s taping.
The Social visit is an example of how experiential learning delivers an immersive, engaging experience for college students. Meeting the show’s hosts and production team was a highlight for many in the class, providing them with firsthand insight into the different roles and coordination involved in putting together a broadcast segment, by getting an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how the show operates.
"Our visit to The Social was a fantastic experience for the students. As a guest on the show, I had the opportunity to talk about my sourdough experiments, which sparked a lot of interest both from the hosts and our class," Chef Duffy said. "They were treated to a mini tour of the studio and even got to sit in the audience, which gave them a real sense of how a live broadcast is executed."
Back in class, Chef Duffy took the time to break down the entire setup, discussing how much work and detail goes into producing such a short and seemingly simple segment. "This experience offered them a practical look at food media production in action – an invaluable addition to what they’re learning," he noted.
Take a look at the full episode of Chef Duffy speaking with his CTV hosts about the wonders of sourdough.