TV PREVIEW
“Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook Off,” 9 p.m. Monday, Food Network
Herschel Walker is a savvy arbiter of his own brand name, frequently finding ways to keep his name in the spotlight.
He’s known best as the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner with the beloved University of Georgia Bulldogs. He spent 16 years in pro football. He has dabbled in ballet, track, bobsledding and more recently, mixed martial arts. He runs a Savannah-based food services company appropriately named Renaissance Man. And he opened a restaurant last year in Athens.
Now Walker is back on reality TV, courtesy of the Food Network and its competition show “Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook Off.” This third season, debuting at 9 p.m. Monday, features Walker on Guy Fieri’s team with “SNL” comic Chris Kattan, 1980s pop star Tiffany and early 1990s rapper and current DIY Network reality star Vanilla Ice. Walker is no stranger to this genre: He was on Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice” in 2009.
We recently talked to the garrulous Walker, who has offices in Dallas, Savannah and Alpharetta.
Q: What’s your cooking background?
A: I've been doing it a long time. Most Southern boys clean, cook and sew. Cooking is something I gravitate to.
Q: What’s your specialty?
A: I think I'm more of a dessert guy. My mom and I when I was little used to make these apple tarts. It's something I'm comfortable with.
Q: What did you learn on the show?
A: I've definitely become a better cook. Guy showed me things I never would have tried in the kitchen. I've really improved my knife skills! I used to do things that would have cut my hand off!
Q: What did you think of your competitors?
A: I had never met any of these people before. I was excited to meet Vanilla Ice. And Florence Henderson. I grew up watching "The Brady Bunch"! Everyone knows Chris Kattan from "Saturday Night Live." And Tiffany was Britney Spears before there was Britney Spears.
Q: How’s the new restaurant (Herschel’s Famous 34 Pub & Grill) going in Athens?
A: It opened during the Super Bowl last year. It's been doing well. We get a lot of students, not as many intowners. There is hardly any parking there, which is something we're working on. I went back for a couple of Georgia games against LSU and Missouri. During the game, we had more visitors than people from Georgia!
Q: How much is the restaurant about you?
A: We have a lot of pictures. I'm thinking of bringing in the Heisman Trophy so people can see it and touch it. And I visit a lot. People are shocked when they see me there. When I do something, I get involved. In this case, it's not just my name up there. I want to have input. And I think I'm going to add a couple of items I learned from the show!
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