Don’t we all have a television fantasy? You know the one, where you deliver a confident, polished – even witty – performance, and the director, producers, and your fellow ‘talent’ beg you to come back for more?
Pastry Chef David Guas is living the dream, fresh from his eleventh appearance on The Today Show, which coincided, remarkably, with the 11th of November. David explains that after all this time, while he’ll never deny that he takes each appearance very seriously, and that, yes, there are still butterflies, he’s now able to relax on air.
It’s a good thing, because on live television, anything could happen – and often does. Like the time David was demonstrating a kid-friendly Pumpkin Seed Oat Crunch recipe and turned an induction burner on at the far end of the set to start caramelizing his honey. A minute later, Al was yelling “We got a fire over here!” as co-host, Natalie Morales, ran on from backstage brandishing a fire extinguisher. Once you can roll with that kind of punch, you can handle anything.
Which is why he got back on the horse, so to speak, torching a crème brûlée on a later appearance. He offered to change his plans when the producer mentioned they’ve have a licensed fire marshall on-set for the entire segment, but they said “no, no; this is just the way we do things here.” And sure enough, the New York City safety official checked the blow-torch [provided by The Today Show,] and stood at alert while David demonstrated his poise under fire – literally.
And yet his most memorable show has nothing to do with fire, but rather, the time when Hoda and Kathie Lee were ‘helping’ him make his signature beignets. “The dough was pretty sticky – ok, I hadn’t floured it, so you could call it a set up. I handed the rolling pin to Hoda, who saw what was coming and passed it right along to Kathie Lee, who dove right in, finger bling and all. People kept telling me it was like an I Love Lucy episode – too funny, and the kind of thing that can only be improvised by good natured people with a knack for slapstick. It was a riot, and it would have been, had it happened in my own kitchen or on national television.”
David typically shows up at the studio for an hour-long rehearsal the afternoon before each appearance. He doesn’t know for sure who his host will be until the next morning, and probably won’t even speak to him, her, or them until a minute or so before he’s on. So the rehearsal is all about getting the cooking demo down pat – all the ingredients, all the equipment, and the order of operations. Luckily, Bianca, the behind-the-scenes chef/stylist, is there to take care of everything, adding her television skills to David’s culinary prowess. “Having Bianca there in the wings makes it seem homey and comfortable, even under the glaring lights,” says David, “and now I feel pretty much at home, sneaking in to the kitchen for coffee when I arrive in the morning, instead of waiting in the Green Room.”
Other aspects of television took some getting used to. “I’m sure I still don’t understand all the union rules,” he laughs, “there’s a different union handler for every kind of equipment – someone let me have it when I picked up a spatula in the equipment room; apparently there’s someone in charge of the spatulas, and that’s that.” The props are chosen before the show in the morning, from what David calls “a giant room of goodies – every imaginable kind of cake stand or platter.” Ed, the set designer, will pop in to make sure everything looks all right, and between him and Bianca, all David has to worry about is his own performance. Which, watching him live, seems like a piece of cake!
Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!
The National World War II Museum was unveiling something new November 6-9 and it was going to be big in many ways. D-Day for me was going to be November 6, 2009, when the star studded cast of distinguished guests were paying tribute to the men and woman of World War II. I’m not talking about the celebs on stage like Tom Brokaw, Patricia Clarkson, and Tom Hanks, but the true stars of the day: the 300 or so World War II veterans in attendance. My niece, Aimee Rathle (14 years old), got to accompany her “Auntie Monie” to what I indicated was to be a Social Studies project. I truly believed it would be a great experience for her and Aimee had every intention to learn something, but as soon as she caught a glimpse of Hanks, all bets were off! Her goal was to say hello and get a picture with him. “It would be the coolest thing,” Aimee said, nudging at every moment. 
I made her pay attention during the whole ceremony and understand the importance and sacrifices of the veterans sitting directly behind us, standing proud for fighting for us and supporting the rights of this country, and rightfully so. It was warm day and the sun was beaming ferociously down on all of us. I saw water bottles under each of the veteran’s chairs but most were not able to bend down so far, so I began to grab the waters underneath their chairs to give it to them. I stopped counting and made sure they were completing hydrated! It was wonderful to listen to Gordan Mueller and speak of his great friend Stephen Ambrose. The museum would not be here today if it was not for Mr. Ambrose - a man with vision, heart and determination. He wanted to give these brave men and women something back for all their unconditional love for this country… our country… my country! 
