The Life of Zien
The Chronicles of Sam the Cooking Guy
By Joel D. Amos

Sam Zien is the first to tell you he is no chef. His television moniker, “Sam the Cooking Guy” - a suggestion from his wife of 21 years, Kelly - sets him apart from the culinary institute-trained crowd. His whole niche is just that: Zien is a regular guy. And with seven Emmys based on that premise, “Guy” hit new heights with its June 24 premiere on a new network, Channel 4 San Diego.

The Canadian-born Zien may stand out because of his Great White North accent, but his appeal reaches much further. “I thought it was imperative to differentiate myself from chefs. The term “chef” is a term of respect that you have earned through experience or education - neither of which I have. I wanted to be seen as a regular guy because that is what I am. My goal is not to get people to go to a restaurant, my goal is for people to say “Hey, I can make that.”

Zien awoke on 9/11 to have his life drastically altered by the day’s horror. He had left his Biotech career in July 2001 and was set to shoot a travel show demo across Asia in November. “That September changed thousands of people’s lives way more significantly than it changed mine, but I still had quit my job to go do that,” he says.

He had a full crew employed and his dream within reach. It all fell with the World Trade Center. Stunned and recoiling like so many in the days that followed, Zien knew the last thing anyone wanted to hear about was getting on an airplane looking for adventures abroad.

With sons Max, Jordan and Zack to think about, Zien moved quickly. “I didn’t have a job. I needed to rethink completely what I was going to do,” he said. “The travel show was a regular guy going places that were supposed to be complicated. I needed to find a different concept for that regular guy.”

Scanning the food shows that have overtaken television, he noticed a void. None of these culinary artists were relatable. “I chose cooking not because I was a great chef, but because of the hole there. Nobody was showing you how to make things in a casual, simple sort of way with lots of entertainment.”

The experience of launching a show, even if it never saw the light of day, was not new. Applying those lessons, he created a “Sam the Cooking Guy” demo tape. Beginning with local television stations’ morning shows allowed him a greater chance of success. They were free of the national network demands of “Today” and its kin. That only left KUSI, Channel 51 and Fox 6. “This has to work,” Zien told himself at the time, thinking of his paternal responsibilities. “If not, then I have to become an accountant which wouldn’t work, because I can’t add to save my life.”

Soon after sending his first cooking demo, the phone rang and Fox 6 wanted to see what he could do with their morning news. “I came off like a breath of fresh air,” Zien said. They immediately made “The Cooking Guy” a regular two or three minute feature. Although not paid, he was getting closer to his dream and receiving accolades in the process. “My first year out, we won two Emmys,” Zien said. And with the Emmys, Fox opened the coffers. He was now getting paid to be “Sam the Cooking Guy.”

In late 2004, CTN, the County of San Diego’s network, approached him about bringing the show in a full half-hour version to their station. To have his own show seemed the perfect next move, even if some thought he was crazy. “People have heard of Fox. They’d tell me “you’re going to leave that and stay on CTN - what is that? I have to stick with what I believe in,” Zien said.

“Sam the Cooking Guy” debuted in its current format in January 2005, airing 14 times a week across the county and the nation. Through agreements with sister cable companies, the show’s expanse revealed itself to Zien in the form of emails from Las Vegas to New York City. His co-star and beloved dog, retriever Halley, also gets her share. The furry Zien appears in every episode. “She is as much a part of the show as anything else,” he proudly said.

His CTN tenure produced another two Emmys. “I always wanted to do ‘Sam the Cooking Guy‚’ and that only,” he said. This burgeoning dream added another chapter when Zien signed a book deal in December 2005 with John Wiley and Sons to create a cookbook which captures his television electricity for readers. Wiley senior editor Justin Schwartz was impressed. “I had never seen anything like it before. To me, he seemed like the anti-PBS chef. It was fresh, vibrant, real and casual,” Schwartz said. “Sam creates recipes in a way so that you don't need to have a degree from the Culinary Institute of America to attempt them.”

At this year’s Emmy’s, Zien received three more statuettes, with his proudest from the category Religion Program/Series for his episode entitled “Jewish.” Zien saw the show as an arena to educate a public who did not know Judaism, much less its cuisine. “The first segment was what I call Judaism 101, what a synagogue is like and how the Torah differs from the Bible - the basics,” Zien said.

Viewers discovered gefilte fish, knishes and kugels. Zien even made his personal specialty, matzoh brei, “one of my favorite things of all time,” Zien said. Sharing Jewish cuisine with the world could not make him prouder. “I have the soul of the Jewish people in my heart. I am very proud to be Jewish, very proud of our people.”

Although “Jewish” earned him an Emmy, “The Cooking Guy” is not about cuisine or even the geographical birthplace of a dish. “I cook easy stuff - that is the theme,” Zien said. Affirming his goal of separating himself from the cooking show pack is what sold Channel 4 station manager Dennis Morgigno. “I thought it was an interesting take. Supermarket ingredients, not specialty store stuff, done in his own kitchen,” Morgigno said. “More importantly, here’s a guy who is really connecting with the audience and having fun.”

Zien’s journey continues with a year-long contract at Channel 4 which will keep him busy and his family well-fed. Morgigno is excited. “There are a lot of cooking shows,” he says, “but there is only one “Sam the Cooking Guy.”

The pride of Congregation Beth Israel is ready for his close-up while his future possibilities multiply. “I can see us doing a whole series,” Schwartz said. “When I watch Sam on TV, I feel like I can trust him. If Sam told me how to refinish the hardwood floors in my apartment, I know I could trust him.”

A long way from scrambling for a career after 9/11, Zien’s success lies in him being himself - a persona influenced heavily by his Judaism. “I wear it on my sleeve,” Zien said. If someone decides they do not want delicious food created with ease because of that fact, so be it. “I fully understand not everybody is going to dig my act, that’s fine. That’s why my grandmother said they make different flavors of ice cream.”

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