PBS television show Lucky Chow shoot

Top: In the midst of bentomaking demo

Bottom Left: Display of various bento boxes and tools

Bottom Right: The Lucky Chow team (and me)

We had a bit of excitement last week over here at Happy Little Bento when the team from the PBS show Lucky Chow came over to shoot a segment for an upcoming episode of their second season. This episode will focus on Japanese culture and food, so I talked with host Danielle Chang about bento, and then we assembled a couple of cute bento together while her cameraman walked around filming us. I gave behind-the-scenes camera duties to MisterMan, and he took a bunch of photos I'll share with you here. Thanks MM!

They arrived at 5pm, so I spent the afternoon setting up a display on the table and preparing food and bento supplies for us to use for our bentomaking in the kitchen. TS and I think it looks all right!

They wanted to film a greeting for the opening, so TS filled in with an impromptu performance. She really got a kick out of that.

I had to wear a microphone and transmitter so that we could walk around and talk. They decided to have us talk at the table first.

I didn't realize someone was peeking around the corner here...

The bentomaking itself was a lot of fun. I've never done a bento demo alongside someone else at the same time. It encouraged me to explain exactly what I was going to do next and clearly describe the tools and foods.

Are you ready for your close-up?

Make one, teach one! 

The whole thing took about 3 hours and we were finished with our bento just as the natural light was pretty much fading. Perfect timing. I think things went well and in fact my kids couldn't tell whose bento was whose!

The completed bento sets!

 Guess who ate the bento for dinner? ^__^

It was a lot of fun. If the editing goes well and the episode airs, I'll let you know. Thanks for taking a look at our adventures. Happy bentomaking! 

Cooking Channel Promo Shoot

Cooking Channel Promo Shoot, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Yesterday we had a bit of excitement over here: The Cooking Channel sent over a crew to film an interview and bento-making session with me and the kids. They're interested in using it for a promotional spot to be aired sometime in the summer (I think). About 15 people came to the house and set up a bunch of lights and cameras both inside and out in the backyard. They spent 3 hours filming us making bentos and then interviewing us about our passion for bento. It was quite an experience! Everyone was very friendly and warm, and made us feel as comfortable as we could under the blazing lights. After our photo shoot experience for the New York Times article a year and a half ago, I was a bit nervous about how the kids would react to all the attention. Can you guess how they did? MisterMan was the essence of chill: laid-back and reserved. He thought the best part was all the gear they brought in their giant trucks double-parked in front of our house, and the fact they coned off the street.

TinySprite was the exact opposite: so excited she could barely contain herself. Added to her usual -er- "enthusiastic" self, and the fact that it was nearing her bedtime, you can imagine the antics. She named some members of the group (Beautiful Lady, Makeup Lady, Brown Lady, Big Hair Man) and referred to them by those names DURING the filming; she tried grabbing the mike hanging over us several times, and she insisted upon running to the kitchen, fetching another bento and eating (again) while we were conducting the interview. Sigh. Well, I guess you can't say it was a dull shoot for them! It certainly was a fun learning experience. Stay tuned for updates! ^_^

*Edited to add: See the link to the finished commercial here!