Frank Bonanno’s “Chef Driven” on Channel 12 aiming for PBS

[Colorado Media Newsroom]

From The Denver Post:


Denver chef Frank Bonanno visits Colorado food and beverage artisans — and plugs them along the way — in a new five-part series commissioned by his company, to begin airing on local public TV Jan. 26 and available free online.
The producer is Stage Multimedia Ltd., an independent video company. The concept began as an ebook, turned into a TV series. “Chef Driven” will air at 6 p.m. Sundays, and 7 p.m. Tuesdays on Channel 12. The station says there will be more if it goes well.
“We’re trying to experiment with primetime,” said Channel 12′s Brad Haug, director of programming. The station picks up “Mind of a Chef” through PBS and is building more programming on on food, literature, arts themes.
“Chef Driven” is all about farm-to-table philosophy with nods to Colorado Catach of Alamosa, GrassRoots Meats of Pagosa Springs, Greatful Bread of Golden, Pagosa Springs Brewing Co., Hellimae’s Caramels of Lakewood and Denver’s Leopold Bros.
Producer Christopher McNeal says Stage Multimedia launched in Denver initially to make Bonanno’s Lucca d’Italia cookbook. CPT-Channel 12 had been talking to Bonanno about a show for years. Originally 12 episodes were planned but underwriting only came through for five. In the future, “we’d love to do some hunting, split the seasons summer and winter.”
McNeal was manager at Bonanno’s Osteria Marco. Now he does the camerawork, writing, directing, producing on the series. How’s TV production compared to working at the restaurant? “Equally stressful.”
Denver-based Dan Mull-Ferace, executive producer, served as location scout and put together the crew and music. It was shot in July. The aim is to take the show national on PBS.


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