Come On In My Kitchen with Wade England

Area music fans are well acquainted with Wade England, a blues and heavy rock guitarist who has showcased his talent in some of the area’s most popular bands including Sixth Floor, The Chuck Wells Band, Southbound and Atomic Pimp Hand.  But what many fans may not realize is that England also has talent in the kitchen, not to mention as an on air television personality.  If you are unaware of his culinary endeavors check out his show, Come On In My Kitchen for a tasty treat.

A supporter of the Kentucky Blues Society and participant in many of their Sunday night jams at WhaBahs, the title of England’s show is a nod to bluesman Robert Johnson’s song of the same name.  In fact, plans are in the works for filming an episode on location at one of the Blues Jams.  WhaBah’s won’t be the first restaurant used in an episode, previous entries included Sorrento’s Italian Restaurant and Big Mooses BBQ.

However, most episodes are staged in Glasgow’s Electric Plant Board Cable channel 6 kitchen.  The show began two years ago and aired for two seasons until England’s busy schedule caused him to take a haitus from filming.  But beginning early next year if not sooner, Come On In My Kitchen is back and expected to be broadcast, like the older version, each Wednesday at 7 p.m.  For those not in the viewing area, Come On In My Kitchen can also be seen on Wade England’s YouTube channel /buckwade76 as well as the new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Come-On-in-My-Kitchen/145573372209747.

“My favorite celebrity cook would have to be Emeril Lagasee. Guy Feiri and Bobby Flay would be close seconds. To me those guys just have great personalities. They seem like they would be a lot of fun to hang out with.” England explained.  And like his favorite chefs, Wade England’s fun loving personality shines through after just a few seconds of watching an episode.

Though his charasmatic personality has been evident for some time to anyone in his prescence, he’s only been cooking for about five years.  He elaborated, “My wife and I both come from families that have always cooked so I probably picked some of it up from growing up around it. The main thing that got me started though was my love of Cajun and Creole foods. My wife is from Biloxi, MS so we spend quite a bit of time on the Gulf Coast and in New Orleans. I always craved that sort of food when we would get back home and there wasn’t anywhere that I could get it. I decided I would just teach myself how to make those dishes because I didn’t want to have to wait until the next trip down south to eat them. I just started trying recipes and talking to my wife’s family when we were down there and with a little trial and error I taught myself how to make Gumbo and Jambalaya. Everybody that tried it seemed to like it so I just kept trying other things and eventually was able to teach myself enough to be able to cook most things that I tried. I did make some pretty horrible stuff every now and then though, I guess you have to learn from your mistakes.”

England has been a quick study, garnering everything he could from a variety of sources. “I usually find a recipe I like and I modify it to suit my tastes. Sometimes I’ll take a couple recipes and sort of mix and match the parts that I like. I usually always base it off a recipe but there are some times that I’ll just experiment and see what I can come up with. I have a ton of cookbooks and I watch a lot of Food Network and Travel Channel and I ask a lot of questions when someone else is cooking.” he said.

In addition he watches television foodie shows like Diners Drive-ins and Dives, Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations and Man vs. Food. He explained, “I really like shows that focus on the foods from different parts of the US or different countries. I love to travel and try foods so those shows really appeal to me.”

In the past, the show has focused on simple to cook recipes, often ethnic or related to a holiday.  Cinco De Mayo, Valentine’s Day, Superbowl Sunday, Mardi Gras and even St. Patrick’s Day have been featured.  “The concept of the show is to basically show people that with a little help and practice anybody can cook. I usually focus on the types of foods that I like. Not your everyday beans and taters kind of meal, not that there’s anything wrong with that but I tend to like foods that are spicy and that remind me of my favorite places that I have been or foods that I get at my favorite restaurants or maybe foods that remind me of certain good times I’ve had in life. There’s not really a set format to the show though. I’m pretty open to trying anything as long as I think it’s something that will interest people.” said England.

Recently, on the Facebook page he has asked fans to let him know what they would like to see prepared on an upcoming show.  “My favorite situation to cook for would be any time that we have a get together and I get to cook for my friends and family. I really get a lot out of seeing people enjoy something that I made and seeing them happy and just getting to hang out with each other and share good times. That’s what life is all about, enjoying the people and experiences around you and making the most out of it.”

Some of his earliest experimental subjects were his bandmates, “He used to cook at all my band cookouts. He’s a very good cook and pretty decent bass player, lol.” wrote John King of Sixth Floor and Southbound in a Facebook message.

“The thing that I hope that viewers get from my show is that cooking can be a lot of fun and can bring people together and it’s always cool to try new things even if you normally wouldn’t like them. I’ve found some of my favorite foods by trying something that I normally wouldn’t try. Take as much in from other regions and cultures. You only live once so make the most out of it.”

Come On In My Kitchen Valentines episode: