Bob Blumer
Culinary adventurer Bob Blumer is the host and co-creator of the adventure television series Glutton for Punishment. Produced by Paperny Films, the fourth season of Glutton for Punishment premieres in spring 2010 on Food Network Canada.
Bob Blumer is an instantly recognizable television personality who is best known as the creator and host of the Food Network series The Surreal Gourmet, one of the most innovative and entertaining cooking shows on television. A two-time winner of the Gemini Award as Best Information Program, the series ran for five seasons and is still seen in over 30 countries.
Blumer is also the author of four cookbooks including The Surreal Gourmet, Real food for Pretend Chefs (1992); The Surreal Gourmet Entertains: High-Fun, Low-Stress Parties for 6 to 12 People (1995); Off the Eaten Path: Inspired Recipes for Adventurous Cooks (2000); The Surreal Gourmet Bites: Showstoppers and Conversation Starters (2004); and co-author of Pizza on the Grill: 100 Fun & Fabulous Fire-Roasted Recipes (2008).
His cookbooks have earned such praise as "an indispensable volume for action adventure hosts" (The LA Times Book Review); "Emeril Lagasse, eat your heart out" (Wall Street Journal); and "this is the perfect gift for irreverent, kitchen-cautious friends who believe cookbooks are boring, tedious tomes for unhip old farts" (San Diego Times Advocate). Bob has also written columns for Salon.com, Men's Health and WineX. He is a regular contributor to Cuisine (an award-winning New Zealand food and wine magazine) and has contributed features to Maxim, Food Arts, Smoke, Wines & Vines, Canadian Living, and Seventeen.
As a chef, Blumer transforms common ingredients into wow-inspiring dishes through the whimsical presentations and unusual cooking methods that are his trademark. His artful approach to cooking combined with his confidence-inspiring instructions and contagious enthusiasm have given him a loyal following. As the host of Glutton for Punishment, Blumer channels his love of food and his natural competitiveness into a series of culinary adventures that are inspiring, entertaining and often amusing. In every episode, he takes a licking and keeps on ticking.
It comes as no surprise that many of Blumer’s interests and escapades inspire the episodes of Glutton for Punishment. The transplanted Canadian currently lives in the Hollywood Hills in the shadows of the Hollywood sign. When he is not traveling for work or pleasure, which is most of the time, he cycles daily in the canyons near his home doing his best to stay in shape for his next big adventure.