Canadian chefs are cooking on television — but barely

Nation's Restaurant News, March 3, 2003

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- Jamie Oliver bills himself as the Naked Chef.

But Murray Bancroft and Gennaro Alorio really are naked chefs on television here. Bancroft and Alorio alternate as host of a program called "Barely Cooking," which airs on cable TV. Bancroft works with Dena Ashbaugh, an actress and cook, while Alorio is paired with actress Eva DeVivieros.

According to a report by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, full frontal nudity is not an issue here; the article mentions that the hosts wear "immodest" aprons, and Ashbaugh told the newspaper that she gets "creative with duct tape" to keep from being totally nude.

Producer Larry Sugar argued that despite the titillation factor, the show does have culinary substance. As proof, he noted, each episode's menu and recipes are printed on the show's Web site.