The Brothers Green Talk New Season of Their MTV Food Show
Jakarta. Food television has become a popular genre that captivates worldwide audiences over the years. From cooking shows by the likes of Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson to a variety of culinary competitions, such as “Top Chef” and “The Great British Bake Off,” each show delights the viewers with its mouthwatering displays of straight-from-the-pan dishes and the vivacious personality of the person behind the stove.
While growing up in Philadelphia, Josh and Mike Greenfield — the creators and hosts of MTV’s food adventure series “Brothers Green: EATS!” — developed an obsession toward such television shows and became encouraged to start experimenting in their own kitchen. Fast-forward several years later, the brothers found themselves cooking for all kinds of parties and teaching cooking lessons in Brooklyn not long after they graduated from college. And with the help of a film-graduate friend, they started putting together a cooking-and-musical series on Vimeo called “YuNork.”
This ultimately led to their popular YouTube channel, in which they demonstrate simple and cheap recipes that anyone without “fancy gadgets, pro kitchens and expensive ingredients” can master. The brothers’ recent videos include “How to Eat Incredibly Well on $3” and “How to Make the Entire Wendy’s Value Menu.” It’s food porn, democratized.
On their half-hour MTV series, however, the Brothers Green get to explore the world and draw culinary inspirations from the many characters they encounter during their global adventure. In the second season, which airs every Monday on MTV Asia, they are traveling to cities like Rio, Toronto, Mexico City, Rotterdam and Malta while cooking alongside famous musicians such as Alessia Cara, Joe Jonas, and Austin Mahone. Spiced up with their hilarious banters, the show is a tasty mix of food, music, travel, and comedy that will indulge everyone’s palate.
Josh and Mike Greenfield were recently on the phone with the Jakarta Globe from New York to chat about the show, their favorite comfort foods and why it's important for young people to learn how to cook. Here are the edited excerpts of the conversation.
Q: How did you both prepare for the second season of “Brothers Green: Eats!”?
Mike Greenfield: Season two is a little more adventurous. We interact with a lot of different musicians, artists, restaurants and food people. For us, it’s definitely exciting but also a little scary with the traveling and doing something new. It really turned out to be a great and fun season. If in the first season, we had to come prepared with the knowledge of what we’re cooking, now we just have a lot of fun and enjoy any situation we are thrown into.
What’s the biggest difference between doing videos for your YouTube channel and filming this series?
Josh Greenfield: Our work for YouTube is a bit more all encompassing. I’m doing everything — we’re filming, editing, coming up with every idea. It’s a fun, creative outlet for us. Whereas for the MTV show, it’s the opposite. Whether we have to film something in the roller-skating rink or cooking with a celebrity, we just show up there and all the stuff is already taken care of. It’s a good balance.
Mike: We definitely get to do things we never do on YouTube. MTV gives us the ability to do wild things on the show.
Which guest star left the greatest impression on you this season?
Josh: I really enjoy cooking for [singer] Alessia Cara. We were just in the moment and she talked about her song and also sang. It’s something that was inspiring for us.
How about the most memorable city?
Mike: We went to Brazil for the first time, and it was really incredible. The food was super fresh, and it’s great to go to another culture and see how food becomes part of the culture there.
Both of you are known for also playing music. What are the similarities in your creative process when it comes to creating a new dish and a new piece of music?
Mike: It’s about creating art. When we’re creating food, a lot of times, it’s just in the moment. I know what I’m cooking but, you also want to create something that is inspired by your inner needs to create. It’s the same thing with music — you write the lyrics and all of a sudden, you’re in this meditative state to create something new.
Food has become so ingrained in our culture right now. A lot of people proclaim themselves as a foodie and like to try new stuff, but they don’t necessarily know how to cook. Is it important for young people to learn about cooking?
Josh: Yeah, definitely. I find food has become a part of our everyday life. We cook when we have friends over, we cook for a date, we cook for ourselves. It’s really exciting. And on our show, we show that we are two guys who love to cook. We are not professionally trained, but we are cooking all the time with our own recipes and what we have in the kitchen. And if we can do it, you can do it.
Mike: You can start practicing by using whatever you have in your pantry. Try four-ingredient recipes that involve things like eggs, bread, and mayonnaise — really simple things that you can try. On our show, you’ll find things that are super-simple to make. Try to create those and don’t be scared of messing up. That’s the most important thing because it is the way you learn.
Do you have any message to your fans about the show?
Josh: If you want to watch a show that is exciting, funny, entertaining, inspiring and education, feel free to tune in. You’ll get some laughs, learn something new about food, learn about your favorite celebrities. We’re just having a good time and keep watching because you never know what’s going to happen next.
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“Brothers Green: EATS!” air on MTV Asia every Monday at 6.30 p.m. Jakarta time.
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