Bob Blumer
Encyclopedia
Bob Blumer is the host of Food Network
's The Surreal Gourmet
and Glutton for Punishment
. He is also a cook book author
and illustrator. Blumer was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, but now calls Los Angeles, California
his home. Bob serves as an Ambassador to Second Harvest
in Toronto spreading the word about food rescue and hunger relief.
program at the Richard Ivey School of Business
at the University of Western Ontario
. From 1984 to 1993 he was business manager for Canadian singer-songwriter
Jane Siberry. Although his official website states he is a chef
, Blumer has never worked as a chef in a professionally recognized setting.
, Blumer set a Guinness World Record
on July 10, 2008 by flipping 559 pancake
s in one hour. This record has since been broken in 2009 by Steve Hamilton, who flipped a record 956.
Due to Blumer's success in Calgary
, the next season of Glutton for Punishment featured attempts to break other world records. On June 12, 2010, Blumer broke the Guinness World Record for making the largest bowl of salsa
at the 26th Tomato Fest in Jacksonville, Texas
. Blumer and a crew of Jacksonville volunteers made a bowl weighing in at 2,672 pounds. The feat was filmed for Season 5 of his show Glutton for Punishment, which recorded Blumer's attempts to break six world's records.
On July 4, 2010, Bob Blumer broke the Guinness World Record for most pizza
s made in an hour at the 14th Annual Corso Italia Festival in Toronto
, Ontario
. He made 168 pizzas in 60 minutes, complete with tomato sauce and cheese.
On August 30, 2010, Blumer broke the Guinness World Record for removing individual grains of rice
from a bowl with chopsticks
. He picked up 134 grains of rice in 3 minutes in Taiwan.
On July 10, 2010, Bob Blumer broke his sixth and final record of the record-breaking season, by setting the fastest time for peeling 50 pounds of onions. Blumer set the record in 2 minutes 39 seconds at the Walla Walla Sweet Onion Festival in Walla Walla, Washington, USA.
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
's The Surreal Gourmet
The Surreal Gourmet
The Surreal Gourmet is a program on Food Network hosted by Bob Blumer. The show features creative techniques for cooking and the memorable Toastermobile. Generally the foods prepared on The Surreal Gourmet are intended to be served at parties or other get-togethers...
and Glutton for Punishment
Glutton for Punishment
Glutton for Punishment is a program on Food Network hosted by Bob Blumer and produced by Paperny Films. The show features the host in various food-related challenges. He is given five days to become proficient enough in the episode's featured specialty. His newly acquired skills are then put to...
. He is also a cook book author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and illustrator. Blumer was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, but now calls Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
his home. Bob serves as an Ambassador to Second Harvest
Second Harvest
Second Harvest Toronto is a food rescue and redistribution charitable organization that strives to decrease hunger in the city of Toronto. The organization is based on the principle that fresh and prepared food should not be going to waste while in the same city people are hungry...
in Toronto spreading the word about food rescue and hunger relief.
Before cooking
In 1981, Blumer graduated from the HBAHBA
HBA can refer to:* Health and beauty aids, a term used for cosmetics and toiletry items* Honours Bachelor of Arts* Hobart International Airport * Hewa Bora Airways...
program at the Richard Ivey School of Business
Richard Ivey School of Business
The Richard Ivey School of Business is located on the University of Western Ontario campus in London, Ontario, Canada, and is consistently rated as the top business school in Canada. It is offered, along with a range of other programs, by the University of Western Ontario, but is managed separately...
at the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
. From 1984 to 1993 he was business manager for Canadian singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Jane Siberry. Although his official website states he is a chef
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
, Blumer has never worked as a chef in a professionally recognized setting.
Writer
Books written by Blumer include:- The Surreal Gourmet: Real Food for Pretend Chefs
- The Surreal Gourmet Entertains: High-fun, Low-Stress Dinner Parties for 6 - 12
- Off The Eaten Path: Inspired Recipes for Adventurous Cooks
- Glutton For Pleasure: Signature Recipes, Epic Stories, and Surreal Etiquette
World record attempts
As part of an episode of Glutton for Punishment shot during the 2008 Calgary StampedeCalgary Stampede
The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year and features one of the world's largest rodeos, a parade, midway,...
, Blumer set a Guinness World Record
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
on July 10, 2008 by flipping 559 pancake
Pancake
A pancake is a thin, flat, round cake prepared from a batter, and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. Most pancakes are quick breads; some use a yeast-raised or fermented batter. Most pancakes are cooked one side on a griddle and flipped partway through to cook the other side...
s in one hour. This record has since been broken in 2009 by Steve Hamilton, who flipped a record 956.
Due to Blumer's success in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, the next season of Glutton for Punishment featured attempts to break other world records. On June 12, 2010, Blumer broke the Guinness World Record for making the largest bowl of salsa
Salsa (sauce)
Salsa may refer to any type of sauce. In American English, it usually refers to the spicy, often tomato based, hot sauces typical of Mexican and Central American cuisine, particularly those used as dips. In British English, the word typically refers to salsa cruda, which is common in Mexican ,...
at the 26th Tomato Fest in Jacksonville, Texas
Jacksonville, Texas
Jacksonville is located in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,868 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Jacksonville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Cherokee County and part of the larger Tyler-Jacksonville Combined Statistical...
. Blumer and a crew of Jacksonville volunteers made a bowl weighing in at 2,672 pounds. The feat was filmed for Season 5 of his show Glutton for Punishment, which recorded Blumer's attempts to break six world's records.
On July 4, 2010, Bob Blumer broke the Guinness World Record for most pizza
Pizza
Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings.Originating in Italy, from the Neapolitan cuisine, the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria"...
s made in an hour at the 14th Annual Corso Italia Festival in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. He made 168 pizzas in 60 minutes, complete with tomato sauce and cheese.
On August 30, 2010, Blumer broke the Guinness World Record for removing individual grains of rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
from a bowl with chopsticks
Chopsticks
Chopsticks are small, often tapered, sticks used in pairs of equal length as the traditional eating utensils of China and its diaspora, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and Northern provinces of Laos, Thailand and Burma. Generally believed to have originated in ancient China, they can also be found in some...
. He picked up 134 grains of rice in 3 minutes in Taiwan.
On July 10, 2010, Bob Blumer broke his sixth and final record of the record-breaking season, by setting the fastest time for peeling 50 pounds of onions. Blumer set the record in 2 minutes 39 seconds at the Walla Walla Sweet Onion Festival in Walla Walla, Washington, USA.