A chef and a cook: Therein lies the difference between Jamie and Sunny

As promised a quick review of the other two new Food Network cooking shows:

The Chef
Jamie Oliver, the artist formerly known as "The Naked Chef," has re-invented himself, not so much in how he prepares food, but in how he presents it.

Jamie first impressed viewers in 1998 when, at the age of 22, his "Naked Chef" show featured the spiky-haired urbanite zooming around London on his moped, securing fresh ingredients for simple (but not simplistic) flavorful dinners he'd prepare in his loft apartment kitchen and serve to his posh Gen X friends.

The pace of the show was quick, modern and uber-hip, and Oliver became a minor celebrity.

Today, after seven years in which he pursued a variety of activities -- most notably trying to rid Britain's public schools of processed foods -- Oliver's back as a laid-back Birkenstock-wearing country boy.

The new show is as sparsely produced as is Oliver's food, and that drives home the point. You see extreme close-ups of brightly colored food (and of Oliver's sausage-like fingers). You hear no music, only the chopping, popping, sizzling and splashing of food preparation.

The second episode of "Jamie at Home" featured asparagus, prepared in a variety of ways, redolent of the simple Mediterranean flavors and aromas he'd first presented in "The Naked Chef."

One scene finds Oliver sitting in his herb garden (herb pronounced with the full English "H" of course), pulling some chervil from a plant, adding it to a sizzling pan of olive oil, then frying up some fresh fish and asparagus. Yummy.

The only issue for American viewers is translating all the metric measurements (500 grams of this and 250 grams of that) into American units. (The series is produced by the BBC, and it debuted in Europe last year.)

At the end of the day, though, it's clear Oliver is a talented young chef whose basic theme -- simple, fresh and elegant foods can be prepared by anyone, anywhere -- is a timeless message that's as important today as it was 10 years ago.

The Cook
Oliver's training contrasts greatly with that of "Cooking for Real" host Sunny Anderson's training.

Anderson is an Air Force veteran who has run her own caterinig business and has served as food editor at Hip Hop Weekly magazine. She's not a chef, and she makes no claims to be one.

Unfortunately, the recipes she puts together on her show underscore that.

Her second episode, "Mexin' it Up," featured recipes that both echo and contradict Oliver's call for freshness. She forgets the importance of simplicity, however, in an attempt to create uniqueness.

For example, she creates an interesting (if not all that appetizing) version of huevos rancheros featuring all fresh ingredients. She bakes them in ramekins, but the end result isn't as appealing as she tells us it will be. Contrasting that is a batch of deep-fried churros that ends up being so time consuming and intensive that no home viewer is likely to take that much time and expend that much effort.

Where Oliver is a chef who also understands the challenges his non-chef viewers face daily, Anderson is a cook who works too hard to make up for that difference.

Still, Anderson's show in its infancy is better than anything Rachael Ray has done in her decades (or does it just seem that long) on television.

New Food Network shows: One good, one not

The Food Network added four new shows this month, hoping to fill some glaring holes in its programming schedule.

Three of the shows feature new talent, while the fourth is hosted by Jamie Oliver, formerly known as "The Naked Chef" -- a reference to his uncomplicated cooking style, not his state of undress.

Two of the shows feature African-American hosts, which is a real breakthrough in a genre and a network that have been the exclusive territory of white Americans and Europeans, with an occasional Australian thrown in.

The four shows and their hosts:

• "Cooking for Real" with Sunny Anderson
• "Jamie at Home" with Jamie Oliver
• "Down Home with the Neelys" with Pat and Gina Neely
• "Rescue Chef" with Danny Boome

I'll wait to write about "Cooking for Real" and "Jamie at Home" next week.

Of the two I watched last week, "Down Home with the Neelys" carries the most potential for survival.

While the show should probably be followed by a show hosted by Nathan Pritikin's ghost, the hosts genuine enthusiasm and the knowledge they have about their specialty (barbecue) makes it s fun show to watch. Yeah, the portions are huge, and the food is uber-fatty, but it sure looks tasty. If you don't know how to monitor your own food intake for balance and portion size, then this may not be your show.

The biggest question: how will the owners of a barbecue restaurant in Memphis come up with fresh show ideas through the course of this season and hopefully into a second?

"Rescue Chef" appears to be a warmed-over version of Tyler Florence's old "Food 911." Unfortunately, Florence's professional demeanor and pedagogic flare have been replaced by Boome's pretty-boy camera-mugging and hog-the-knife pedantry.

In short, get down-home with the Neelys (just cut the portions in half), and lower Boome on your list of television priorities.