Craig Melvin wears his heart on his sleeve โ and his taste buds on his face.
Asked if he can name the best thing heโs ever eaten during a TODAY Food segment, Craig visibly flips through his Rolodex of memories, finally shaking his head.
โI canโt answer that question because every month or two, Iโm like, โOh, my God,โโ he says, his eyes lighting up.
Heโs 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.
โWe had some Korean fried chicken this morning; sheโs here tonight,โ Craig says of chef Judy Joo and her recipe. โI was like, โOh, my God, this is the most amazing Korean fried chicken Iโve ever had.โโ
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: โOh, my God, this is the best pork Iโve ever had,โ he remembers.
Sheinelle Jones has a similar reaction to another one of Lewisโ dishes that day: the Roasted Beet and Burrata Salad.
โIt was like a beet salad, but itโs not just any beet salad,โ she says, waving her hands in the air, emphatically. โIt had fennel and pistachio. It was, like, amazing.โ
Alongside anchors Savannah Guthrie, Jenna Bush Hager and Dylan Dreyer, three chefs make their dishes from the โTODAY Loves Foodโ cookbook. While sampling those foods, attendees are also being served wine, beer and cocktails like Savannahโs Savanita, provided by Diageo, Rockaway Brewing Company and Brooklyn Winery.
On the menu tonight: Ayesha Nurdjajaโs Chicken Shawarma with White Sauce, David Roseโs Ancho Grilled Skirt Steak with Chipotle Chimichurri and Katie Lee Biegelโs 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.
โItโs just the quality of food,โ he says, especially from culinary stars like Siri Daly, Edy Massih and Priyanka Naik, who are all in attendance.โฉโThe untold part of the TODAY Food story is the TODAY Food team, and they just do a remarkable job.โ
He enjoys most things he eats on the show, but every now and again, he tries a dish thatโs not his thing โ and his face makes that clear.
โI canโt hide it,โ Craig admits.
โMy mother has said the same thing. But, listen, Iโll try anything,โ he says, adding that not everything is for everyone. โI think Iโve gotten better.โ
Sheinelle says sheโs taken home food from the show that she really enjoyed, but itโs not always a hit with her kids.
โMy kids donโt like their food to touch, so theyโre still in the like, โWe like chicken, we like potatoes,โ so sometimes Iโll bring something home, and theyโre like, โIโm not sure.โ
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 itโs empty, it was a hit.
โIโm called out on a lot on how much food Iโm eating,โ Dylan says during the eventโs opening remarks. โWhen youโre surrounded by the best-of-the best chefs, you want to taste their food.
โAnd then my momโs texting me after, โWas that really as good as you made it sound? Should I try that recipe?โ and I say, โYes, you have to try that recipe.โโ
