A Farewell to Anthony Sedlak

Dan    Thoughts     Anthony Sedlak, Food Network Canada, The Main

photo credit: Food Network Canada

When I woke up this morning, I couldn’t believe what I read on the Food Network Canada home page. Anthony Sedlak had passed away. I never knew him, but as with most public personalities, this comes as a shock to people. Anthony is just slightly older than I am, and I can’t imagine what it would be like to have my life cut short at such a young age.

I remember the first time I saw Anthony on television in 2005. He was a contestant (and eventual winner) on Superstar Chef Challenge, Canada’s equivalent to the series Food Network Star. Sedlak brought a personality that was missing from the network. A youthful, vibrant person with a passion for cooking. I’m not saying that popular chefs like Michael Smith or Anna Olson lacked in likability or star presence, but before Anthony came along, there was no Canadian host on the network that I as a young man starting out to learn how to cook could relate to.

Watching him grow on television through his series The Main was fantastic. I loved his charisma and the ‘I’m going to put this on the plate and it’s going to be awesome!’ kind of attitude he brought to the table. He made the process of cooking engaging. He made me think ‘Hey, that looks cool. I’m going to try that!’. I’d like to think that Anthony influenced part of the cook that I am today.

It’s weird how you associate memories with different individuals throughout your life. I will always remember Anthony Sedlak for introducing me to flank steak. It was 2007 and I was, most definitely, not the culinary adventurer that I am now…I was sitting on my couch, probably eating mac ‘n cheese (wishing I was eating something better) watching season one of The Main. I vividly remember thinking ‘What the hell is flank steak?’.

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