Getting Sauced: How I Learned Everything I Know About Food from Working in TV

by Karen S. Katz

Karen Katz's memoir, GETTING SAUCED , is a fascinating, flavor-filled journey from humble culinary beginnings to the glittering and intense world of high-profile cooking shows. As executive producer of Emeril Live during its glory days, Karen Katz witnessed all the backstage chaos, drama, and intrigue as the show’s growing pains were splayed out like a butterflied leg of lamb.

Her story goes behind-the-scenes into the wild world of food television production to give the reader a seat at the VIP table as she shares the dish behind each dish. But her story isn’t a straight line from culinary school to cooking show producer. Karen grew up in Long Island, the daughter of a woman who thought that a combination of Lipton Soup Mix and orange juice made the best basting liquid. Her journey from Mrs. Paul’s Fish Sticks to Michelin star dinners takes the audience along for a glutton-to-glamour ride from Sunday family take-outs of Moo Goo Gai Pan to the Swiss Alps for spit-roasted wild boar, and eventually into the Food Network kitchens where she learned all the secrets of how to prep a turducken for television. 

Along the way, encounter a culinary Who’s Who — Emeril Lagasse, Julia Child, Bobby Flay, Susan Feniger, Jacques Pepin, Jean Georges Vongerichten, Buddy Valastro, Martha Stewart, and more, to name drop a few. Each in their own way taught Karen not only how to cook, but how to cook with love and enthusiasm. 

Genres: Nonfiction

268 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2024

About the author

For the past thirty years, Karen Katz has been a multi-award-winning television executive producer, showrunner, and writer, with over 1,500 hours of programming under her belt. Her work has appeared on Food Network, Discovery Networks, HBO Family, WETA, BBC, NHK, Nickelodeon, Lifetime, PBS, and Fox International. From behind the camera, she has witnessed and taste-tested the delectable creations of some of the world’s most beloved chefs.

Her work has taken her from the comfort of her Brooklyn home, which she shares with her husband, to the far reaches of Europe and Asia where she spent her downtime discovering all the culinary delights available. She is a passionate home cook and very proud of her lobster risotto.

Reviews

[Lyon.Brit.andthebookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just found my under the radar NF gem of 2024…

GETTING SAUCED

All book lovers that appreciate food writing, let this be your next read! Karen Katz gives you a peek into her adolescent years and what food looked like on her plate back then… the nostalgia of it all had me calling my mom and telling her all about it… which made for a fun conversation about Mrs. Paul’s Fish Sticks, the love for a TV Guide and many more pieces from another time.

Fast forward and you see Karen accept a position as an executive producer for the well known Food Network show Emeril Live… Bam💥 yes that guy.

What unfolds are memories about working in the competitive high profile cooking show industry, with lessons on of course cooking, taste and friendship. I LOVED THIS BOOK! Karen chats a lot about working with Emeril…who was never really on my radar and now I would love to have a meal with him. At the end of each chapter she has added in a recipe, and I looked forward to seeing what delicious dish she shared upon finishing each one.

She quotes Emeril in the book saying…

“My goal from day one has always been, if I could influence one person, to get them just a little bit more excited about food or wine, or about cooking or eating, then I could sleep well at night.”

And it was funny because that is exactly how this book made me feel reading it. INSPIRED. Now I may not have a 500 book culinary library 😉 but I’m working on it… and I did peruse a few cookbooks I’ve been meaning to pick up.

This will be on my favorite 2024 NF list!

Thank you @abprlifestyle

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[Elizabeth Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Getting Sauced is food blogger Karen Katz’ (The KatzTales) homage to food, food television, exotic food travel, and her passionate love of cooking and eating. Woven in here are excerpts from a childhood in which such fare as fish sticks and TV dinners were doled out on a regular weekly schedule (Sunday Night- Chinese!).
Here is one woman’s delightful feast of storytelling that delivers up an eclectic life of eating and cooking in every conceivable context, with stories from a career of wacky adventures working for Emeril Lagasse and other celeb chefs at the Food Network, with all the fixings. As she says, “I’ve lived a good life very much thanks to food.”

If you love to eat and love to read and a good belly laugh, too, you’ll enjoy this memoir from a woman who could have easily been a stand-up comedian, but would rather spend time in her kitchen or at the table. This global gustatory gallup will leave you drooling and laughing and craving another serving each time you pick it up. Each chapter has a single theme and is topped off by a recipe or two. So delish! So much fun!

[Roni Selig · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Flavorful, Fast, Yummy And Dishy Read!
It’s no secret to my friends, colleagues and family that as a TV producer myself I have been a fan of the Food Network since they moved into the Chelsea Market back in the early 2000’s. I also happened to be working there at the same time, for a start up cable channel called Oxygen.
Often times I had wished I could have traded places with the producers who worked just down the hall of this trendy food emporium. Alas, the closest I ever got, was to see them filming sometimes at the various foodie shops (and there were many).
I followed the trajectory of Emeril Lagasse’s on camera performance and program religiously. I was kinda envious this team was able to bang out episode after episode with so much creativity. When I learned about Karen Katz’s book GETTING SAUCED, I could not wait to get my hands on it.
Katz is such a witty, spicy writer with story after story about how she landed this coveted sweet role as Executive Producer of the Food Network’s hottest and most profitable series. I love her behind the scenes dishing as well as her family history growing up as a Jewish girl in NY with a mother who could barely cook. Her story is absolutely hilarious and one I can totally relate to.
But what comes out most strongly is her passion for food which grew out of being immersed in the crazy word of TV food production. Her enthusiasm is palpable and delicious. She writes with words and expressions you can practically taste right off the page. Her book makes me hunger for more foodie TV and wishing I had applied to the “other” network for a job amongst people who love inspiring cooking and appreciate a well cooked meal.
No doubt this will be a book I gift to friends who are foodie fans or who just love to eat. Her recipes at the end of each chapter made my mouth water.
I hope this book gets made into a scripted TV series, it clearly has all the ingredients!
A Hungry Producer

[Linda Tazzia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Book Makes Me Hungry For MORE!!!!
I am a cookbook addict. I collect them. I devour them. (Sometimes I even cook from them…lol!) And, I love to gift them. It’s my thing. What I love about THIS book is…It has it all!!! Page turning, laugh out loud stories and great approachable recipes that I’d actually make! This behind the scenes tale offers eye opening insights into what really happens in the fast paced world of food television as well as an unexpected bonus behind the scenes peak into the author’s highly entertaining, relatable and interesting life. Ms. Katz’ storytelling style is very endearing. You feel like you’re sitting beside a best friend that you just can’t get enough of. A Chicken Soup for the Soul read or should I say “Sauce for the Soul!” So soooo good!

[Betty Cammisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for Readers and Eaters!
GETTING SAUCED has it all - a warm, funny read full of unique characters with behind-the-scenes insights into the reality of food television production plus sure-fire palate-pleasing recipes.
Surprising and inspiring, the writer's adventures running the show for one of America’s most famous TV chefs and her personal story as a nice girl from Long Island trying to make it in a tough business is revealing. She tells her story with humor and self-deprecation never losing her enthusiasm for food and life, even while trying to solve all of the backstage problems and drama that surround her seems impossible. If you are a fan of food TV—or if you just like to eat—you'll devour this entertaining memoir.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I watch Food Network a lot. I mean A LOT. Look on my TV planner, and at least 80% of the shows are cooking shows. So I knew I was going to love this book, and I was right. Going behind the scenes of Emeril Lagasse and others was amazing. Karen was an executive producer in the early days of Food Network and her stories are fascinating. Many famous names - Bobby Flay and Martha Stewart, anyone? - but there are also tales of her home life with a mom who couldn't cook, and of her married life too. Anyone who enjoys food will get something out of this book, and there's a recipe at the end of each chapter. Well-written, engaging and entertaining.

[Judy Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gal lives in a whole different world, a world of non-stop action, rubbing shoulders with stars and indulging in unbelievable gourmet food and wine and yet she seems as approachable as my neighbor and walking buddy. Karen tells it like it is with glimpses of her adorable mother and supportive and gifted husband as well as peeks at some of the stars. She shares it all, the good, the bad and the ugly and proves that failure is not the end of the story, just part of the process.

This is a fun book, especially for those of us who are foodies and want a glimpse into the mysterious life of a producer. Hoping there is more to come.

[Joni C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is delicious! Author Karen S. Katz managed to weave together an eclectic menu of tasty stories from her childhood, through her work as Chef Emeril Lagasse’s Executive Producer at the Food Network and beyond. She feeds the soul with her adventures in eating, from the frozen fish sticks she devoured as a young girl to the Michelin star masterpieces, made just for her, by some of the most renowned chefs in the world.

This book is for anyone who’s ever watched TV, eaten a meal, or just wants to be thoroughly entertained.

[Elizabeth Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a yummy memoir! Food blogger and serious foodie Karen Katz’ (The Katz Tales on Instagram) homage to food, television, exotic food travel, and her passionate love of cooking and eating is a delicious read. From her childhood of fish sticks and TV dinners to an adult life traveling (and eating) around the world and working for the Food Network as a producer to creating her own lavish and homey meals, you will be so glad you dug in.

As she writes, “I’ve lived a good life very much thanks to food.”

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mouth has watered nonstop. I’ve savored and raged with Karen through Italy and giggled at her drunken lunch with Emeril. I’ve treasured her stories of Europe with her uncle AG and boy the food! She takes the reader along on a journey that’s almost as delicious as I’m sure that food was!. Her anecdotes about Emeril are hilarious and make me sad I missed the show - I shall have to check YouTube! Hell, she’s convinced me to read through recipes! And I read the top ten tips for hanging out with chefs RELIGIOUSLY because you just…never know!!

[Lisa Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love food, I love cooking, and I love cookery shows, but even if you don’t this memoir by Karen S Katz is a tasty read.
Karen is a TV producer and her memoir beautifully combines its main ingredients: Karen’s working life producing cookery shows and her memories of the foods which influenced her as a child.
Karen whips up a great story which kept hunger pangs at bay until the very end. I learnt a lot about TV food shows and the hard work which goes into them. There are even fun ‘recipes’ at the end of each chapter, which were the cherry on top of this delicious cake.

[Ronald Mackay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karen S. Katz offers a rollicking book of memories about food. She writes enthusiastically and close up about its preparation as well as its enjoyment by those who eat it and those who consume it vicariously on television. Her memoir is a skillful blend of anecdotes from her personal life and her professional work as a veteran TV producer.

The easy-to-follow recipes following each chapter are a welcome bonus for those of us who enjoy cooking as much as we do reading.

[Kevin Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely read books about cooking or memoirs, but this was really terrific: funny, insightful—and often mouth-watering. Katz gives us a terrific trip around the cooking show world. She is often witty but never mean, and her obvious affinity for both good food and good people shines through. First rate!

[Ellen Abrams · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you eat, cook, or want to know what goes inside a TV-cooking show with a celebrity chef, you will want to read GETTING SAUCED. Karen Katz is a charming, funny, and insightful host into the world food fun!

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spectacular memoir, written with great wit, delicious food descriptions and recipes, and a glorious peek behind-the-scenes of the Food Network, including Emeril Lagasse's famed show which she executive produced. Bam!

[Debbie Jeske · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ok. I'm interested in most things food-related, so since she was executive producer of Emeril Live during its glory days, I was curious to hear what Karen Katz had to say. I was a big watcher of the Food Network years ago, so it was interesting enough.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and informative book about behind the scenes on television shows, particularly food shows. Planning to try a few of the recipes included at the end of each chapter.

[Zoann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, quick read on how cooking shows get made. Short on detail but lots of recipes that look really good.

[Jay Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun way to share your love of food and story all at once. Not only does this book take you on the journey and an incredible life but heaps you taste your way through.

100% worth reading.

[Ellen1984 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable! A culinary adventure tale with lots of funny moments.

[Alison Cubitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up in a home where food was fuel, devoid of flavour, the ultimate recipe for success would be that you either became a chef or hung out with them. This is the premise of Karen S. Katz’s delightful memoir, Getting Sauced.

But before becoming an executive producer in television, she tastes her way through Europe, to get as far away from her mom’s cooking as possible. In New York, the author lands a job in the emerging channel, The Food Network. It’s a steep learning curve as she gets up to speed with the challenges that cooking shows present. The most obvious is that you don’t wait around for a dish to cook in real time and make much use of, ‘here’s one we prepared earlier.’ Even though the network’s original remit was to be the CNN of food programmes, Katz soon finds out that she has to make do with a fraction of their budget.

Despite the perks, there’s no escaping from how hard you must work, especially when filming on location. Twelve-hour filming days, then back to your hotel to deal with all your other work, then prepping for the next day. So far, so familiar.

In the fiercely competitive world of TV, you’re only as good as the last programme you worked on. As the author points out, it’s a workplace that ‘thrives on gossip with a pinch of backstabbing.’ And of course, no matter how high up the food chain you go, there’s always a Queen Bee ready to remind you that when it comes down to it, you’re just the hired help.

I devoured this book in one sitting. As someone hooked on reality-based food TV, I loved it. I highly recommend it to foodies and anyone interested in what goes on behind the scenes in the media.
I received a free copy of this book.