Local chef takes love of food on the road with ‘The Food Explorer’Date: 11/17/2023 EAST LONGMEADOW — People in East Longmeadow are fairly familiar with Bill Collins, the owner of Center Square Grill. Beginning in mid-2024, he will become familiar to others in the region through their TV screens, as the host of “The Food Explorer.”
Collins has been in the restaurant business for 28 years. When he was young, his family owned a hotel in New York, which is where he first learned how to provide hospitality. For a time, he worked in corporate restaurants, but credited his time working at the Northampton restaurant Spoleto with teaching him the ins and outs of running a restaurant.
“I think food has always been a way for people to connect. Travel has always been the ultimate escapism,” Collins said, adding that combining the two seemed like a natural fit.
Collins and the film crew will travel around the country and perhaps even overseas to try different foods. He said the episodes will include special guests and special features.
Collins said the plan is to record the entire season of the show before the first episode is broadcast. The show will be airing live on a local TV station with “broad reach,” Collins said, but did not name the station because negotiations were ongoing. The show will also be available online for those who did not catch it on air.
“The Food Explorer” was developed after Collins met Stonegate Studios founder and CEO Tony Colapietro through an East of the River Chamber of Commerce event.
“We’re really interested in some positive programming that people can relate to, something obtainable,” Collins said. He said the food highlighted in the episodes will be something people can try their own hand at making or sample the next time they take a trip. The message Collins wants people to take away from “The Food Explorer” is “don’t be afraid to try new things.”
Collins wanted to assure patrons of Center Square Grill that “The Food Explorer” would not interfere with running the restaurant. He said that he has always “kept [his] knives sharp” by traveling to other cities to gather ideas and menu items. Collins said the team at Center Square Grill is well trained. Referring to the restaurant’s quality and service, he said, “Things will remain right where they are.”
When asked why he wanted to host the show, Collins shared that he recently took a trip to New York with friends. After enjoying oysters at the Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant, they went to Chelsea Market to try a variety of street foods and finished the evening with a meal at an invitation-only restaurant in Manhattan.
“To be able to share an experience like that with friends is so cool, and to go one step further and share that with the public is incredible,” Collins said. “This is an exciting journey and I hope everybody takes this journey with me.”
Center Square Grill is located at 84 Center Sq. and can be found at centersquaregrill.com. Updates on The Food Explorer are available at facebook.com/TheFoodExplorerTV. For more information about Stonegate Studios, visit stonegatestudios.com.
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