Kevin Brauch is the host of the Thirsty Traveler, which is currently being aired on Tuesdays and Sundays on Discovery Travel & Living. On the show, Brauch takes viewers to various countries, where he enthusiastically partakes of the local tipples.
You get paid to eat and drink around the world - how did you get such a great job? 'I was approached by The Food Network [in the United States]. They were looking for an amiable, inquisitive guy who would go around the world and eat, drink and ask questions. They were more focused on my curiosity and performance as a host than they were about my qualifications as a foodie.'
So were you a foodie when you were growing up? 'No, food wasn't important in my family. I was a fat kid - in grade four I was 100 pounds [45kg]. We ate very poorly and I'd go to burger joints at least four to five times a week. My dad is German and his food is honest and European, but my mother has Ukrainian ancestry and it was fish fingers and French fries, the worst processed food possible. It wasn't until university that I started cooking for myself.'
Have you ever tasted something on air that was so awful you wanted to spit it out? 'I'm not a hard-ass. If you make a lousy drink but you're passionate about making a lousy drink, I'm more interested in that and drinking with you and trying it. We don't go around the world and judge and rate things; I'm more interested in the experience. I've had lousy bottles of wine but had a great time because of the people I was with. I've had great bottles of wine ruined because I drank it with the wrong person.'
Have you had any really bad meal experiences? 'There was a Michelin-starred chef in Reims, in Champagne, France. We were shooting a programme with this chef and he was so into the performance. But he didn't know what we were trying to achieve and it didn't work for the show. It was over-analysed. There's only so much architecture you can put on a plate but you have to remember that it's food - it has to taste good and it has to come from the heart.'
How much time do you spend travelling for the job? 'Last year, it was close to 270 days. That was the worst year. It's only 13 half-hour shows, but it doesn't include the promotion I do and speaking engagements.'
