Representing on Reality TV: Tommy Grella on "The Next Food Network Star"

We were deeply disappointed that a Boston chef isn't on the new season of Top Chef, but the Food Network picked Tommy Grella of Methuen as one of the competitors for "The Next Food Network Star."

The show made its debut last night, and we can see why the Food Network gravitated towards Grella. As soon as he walks into the house, he makes an impression with his girth and his declaration that he is "Grella-sized." He's a big boy who likes his cigars even bigger. Throughout his interviews, he waves around a stogie. During the tense elimination moments, camera cutaways show Grella clutching his cigar like a child would a stuffed animal.

As for his cooking - well, Grella is a joy to watch, but for all the wrong reasons. While many of his competitors have formal experience, Grella is a financial planner by trade. The lack of chops showed because he was nervous and jittery throughout. At one point, while catering a wedding meal for 100 people, including many vegetarians, Grella was in charge of the vegetarian entrée. So he made vegetarian polenta, which would have fit the bill had he not used chicken stock in that polenta.

Despite his flagrant cooking foul, Grella made it to the next round because the show is as much about personality as it is about food. To us, that goes against the whole point because it's called the "Food Network," not the "People Shouting at Us About Food Network." The judges, including Bobby Flay, eliminated two contestants in the first show, and one of them made some seemingly tasty dishes, but the judges didn't find him exciting enough. So they kept a woman who made a "Texas Sunset" wedding cake whose fluorescent lumps of frosting were an assault upon the eye.

We'll keep our eyes on Grella because he's highly entertaining, and he's probably learned his lesson about what vegetarian food really is. It's on the Food Network every Sunday night.

Screengrab of Tommy Grella sans cigar from Food Network promo.