The Surreal Gourmet faces reality
By Stephanie Snipes
CNN
(CNN) -- Bob Blumer, also known as the Surreal Gourmet, started cooking out of sheer necessity -- and because it could help him get girls.
In college, Blumer said he and his roommate struck up a deal: one would cook and one would clean. As it turned out, Blumer had a knack for the culinary arts.
Now, four cookbooks later, Blumer has made a name for himself with quirky artistic food and a giant "Toastermobile" (a trailer-turned-kitchen in the shape of a giant toaster) that is the center of his television show, "The Surreal Gourmet."
Blumer's new book, "Surreal Gourmet Bites," is a collection of appetizers with a unique twist. Everything from latkes to fish-and-chips comes in tiny finger-food form.
Blumer spoke to CNN about his wild ride in the culinary world.
CNN: How did you come up with the recipes?
BOB BLUMER: Some of them are recipes that I've developed for my show. Some of them are some of my favorite entrees that I shrank. And some of them I developed for the book. So they are from all my walks of life.
CNN: Why do you think this is the profession you were made for?
BLUMER: I was always a jack-of-all-trades and a master at none. And at the same time I was a hedonist. I think that those two things allowed me to have certain cooking skills and an ongoing desire to have instant gratification through food. And when I wrote my first book and I started cooking a lot, and sort of focusing on this, all of a sudden I had the focus. ... So I was able to take all my energy that was sort of floating around in a million different directions and focus it on food.
CNN: How do you cook at home?
BLUMER: I shop at my local farmers market every Sunday, so in the beginning of the week, when I have fresh produce, I tend to make a lot of vegetable-based things. And sometimes pan-sear a small piece of fish or something like that. I'm all about a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables.
CNN: Do you have any tips for people who may be intimidated by the kitchen?
BLUMER: It's hard to give general advice because some people will never get over it -- the same way I have a fear about opening the hood of my car. I think in life people are comfortable with certain things and are not comfortable with others.
The next thing I would say is baby steps. I think a lot of people get encouraged when they try something that works and their friends really like it. And so it's about baby steps and making things you can be confident about. And then sort of take a practical point of view. If you are really paralyzed by all this, then pick things you can make in advance and all that usual stuff.
CNN: How did you get the name "Surreal Gourmet"?
BLUMER: My first book was my entire bachelor repertoire and there was nothing really surreal about the food, but the pictures -- which I did myself because I couldn't afford an illustrator -- were of the surreal nature. So, I called myself the "Surreal Gourmet" for that reason and that reason alone.
And then a funny thing happened on the way to the forum, and that is that the book came out and it did quite well, and the Salvador Dali Museum [in St. Petersburg, Florida] was selling a lot of them at their book store. And they invited me to come down and cook a dinner ... and so I thought, "Well, if I'm the 'Surreal Gourmet' at the Salvador Dali Museum event I should create some surreal food," and so that's how I started coming up with recipes that had a surreal twist to them. That dinner I made a dessert that was "sunny side up eggs" -- the egg white was cheesecake and the yolk was an upside down apricot half. And I just went from there.
