Scraps from Robert Irvine

Today’s story about Food Network host Robert Irvine's Hilton Head restaurant was rather lengthy, so we left out some interesting tidbits. Or, at least I think they're interesting.

Two of my favorite questions he got during his cooking class:

Q. How often do you work out?
A. Cardio almost every day - no heavy weights, though. Just 25 pounders and lots of reps.

Q. What's your comfort food?
A. Chicken and mashed potatoes.

Also, he gave a bunch of cooking tips. Example: He recommends grape seed oil instead of olive oil in most cases. Grape seed oil, he says, doesn’t add any unwanted taste to the dish. Sometimes, olive oil might detract from the taste of the food itself. It was a common theme of a class - don't add a spice or oil if it might take away from how the food tastes.

If you're curious about future cooking classes, the next one is June 18. Cost is $50. Typically, they're held every other week. Get the details here.

We go somewhat into Irvine's rocky past, but that’s really a story in itself, something the St. Petersburg Times chronicled quite extensively.

Also, check out Irvine's blog here and his response to those allegations.