Diary of a Lousy Cook
Drax Productions executive produced Chi Media and Ian McGlocklin’s proof of concept for a TV cooking show with working title “Diary of a Lousy Cook”.
LOG LINE
“Diary of a Lousy Cook” brings us aboard the uphill culinary journey of renaissance woman Karla Cavalli, tracking her path from amateur to master, or at least to something edible, one dish at a time — even as she often burns her way to the top.
THE SERIES
Cooking made tragically simple for those who know nothing but love a challenge. Our protagonist Karla finds herself tested. She wants to make better food choices for her family, use local and sustainable ingredients, and serve up tasty dishes to her friends. Only so far, she’s completely failed to make even a decent grilled cheese sandwich.
EPISODE FLOW
Each episode introduces a celebrity chef, who guides Karla through one specific dish, which she then has to recreate for a group of unforgiving guests. Each episode sends Karla to the source of her ingredients (i.e. a cattle ranch, a pumpkin farm, lavender field, etc.), where she meets the artisans responsible for tasty ingredients, and showcases a restaurant that excels in that dish. Each episode also introduces a cold open at the beginning, includes diary cam interviews so we know what goes through Karla’s head, and ends with a verdict where her cooking skills are judged.
VISUAL LANGUAGE
The visual language employs today’s high end visual tools to craft a fun and unique look to engage the audience. From sumptuous food imagery that rivals the best of the cooking show genre, to flowing scene coverage using gimbal rigs, camera sliders, and drones - the series sets a high visual bar.
EPISODE 1: WHAT’S AT STEAK?
"All I want to do is jiggle it." - Karla Cavalli “Don’t even think about it!” - Cari Golden
Guided by guest chef Cari Golden, Karla sets out to find and make the perfect steak - no small task for a first time cook. Her lesson goes reasonably well, but can she recreate it alone for her guests?
POSSIBLE FUTURE EPISODES:
PLANT BASED PASSION. Los Angeles is practically synonymous with healthy eating and fashionable diet trends. How does one transition into a plant-based eater, and what are some of the myths, stereotypes, and truths?
NORTHWEST SOUL. Karla partners up with LaNicia Williams, who whips up killer soul food on the Oregon Coast. But can Karla learn how to make collard greens and cornbread on her own?
SOMETHING’S FISHY.Karla sets sail on a search for the freshest fish at her neighborhood fishmonger, then soon finds herself off the coast fishing the seas herself. But when it’s Karla’s turn to make crustaceans and chicken of the seas, will she sink or swim?
THE ITALIAN JOB. Karla is thrust into working at her father’s authentic New York City Italian restaurant on the Upper East side. Can she overcome flashbacks of failure and meet the expectations of her harshest critic?
A FAIR FIGHT. There’s no place like the local State Fair, especially when it comes to entering a Pie Baking Contest. Karla will learn how to make one heck of an apple pie, but can her solo turn outshine the locals?
IN KARLA’S WORDS:
“La famiglia. It’s in the family”.
My father has been in the NYC restaurant business since 1962. He crossed the Atlantic on a ship named the DaVinci in search of the American Dream and never looked back. And in 1969 he was even named New York’s Bartender of the Year.
I grew up around the business. I was raised on the most amazing food. But I can't for the life of me function in a kitchen. It was all already done for me—my entire life. Although my palette is refined, my cooking skills are hellacious. I’m talking: burnt water; soggy toast; eggs over hard, rubbery steak; Mojave desert-dry turkey… you get the idea.
Over time, though, things have changed. I’m a mother of two. It's time to “cowgirl up” for the sake of my beautiful kiddos and supportive husband. As a full-time parent with an increasingly hectic schedule, my time has come! Time to take on that stovetop like a conquering queen! Time to take the oven by the rack, and not let go ‘til I’ve mastered every — single — thing that it can do. Or, y’know, at least ‘til I’ve made some halfway decent lasagna!!!
CREATORS
IAN MCGLOCKLIN
Ian McGlocklin is a two-time Emmy award winning cinematographer and camera operator based out of the Los Angeles area. He is an active member of the Society of Camera Operators and IATSE Local 600 International Cinematographers Guild.
In 2015, he won a Daytime Technical Emmy for Cinematography on the PBS show "Mind of a Chef," produced by Zero Point Zero Productions. In 2019, he won an Emmy for camera operating on James Corden's "Carpool Karaoke PrimeTime Special," as part of the technical team.
Ian has traveled the globe shooting content for Netflix, HBO, CNN, CBS, CNBC, TNT, Disney +, PBS, Discovery, Animal Planet and Travel Channel, among others.
ERIC SHAPIRO
Eric Shapiro is a partner in Chi Media Company, where he assists with the company’s marketing strategies while working to develop new original content including books, TV shows, and movies. He is also the Content Editor and Creative Director at The Milpitas Beat, an independent Silicon Valley newspaper. Eric’s first novel “Red Dennis” was published by Independent Legions in early 2020, and is a study of toxic masculinity amid contemporary American politics. He was previously the co-founder of Ghostwriters Central, a writing and editing firm recognized by Consumers Digest and The Wall Street Journal.
