Florida enlists star power to reveal culinary secrets

“In Pensacola, I had this amazing guide, a chef called Blake Rushing who loved the pub scene in the UK and brought it back with him to Florida, with Union Public House, which celebrates the area’s local cuisine, with its Spanish influences. Blake boiled peanuts in traditional Cajun stock for 24 hours and they were so soft, unctuous and spicy, just right for snacking on with a cold pint. This actually inspired me to make peanut hummus when I returned home.”

In Panama City Beach, he went head-to-head with the fastest oyster shucker in the US, Honor Allen at Dat Cajun Place: “Honor was amazing,” Jimmy notes, adding: “There was no snobbery about the way they eat oysters there. They’re not eaten in a fancy restaurant on ice, but sat by the bar, with a bottle of beer, and there were so many delicious recipes.”

He also had an otherworldly encounter at Kennedy Space Center with astronaut Winston Scott, finding out how highly regulated the food eaten in space is, in terms of nutritional quality, and how astronauts’ favourite meals are replicated for consumption in space to remind them of home. “We talked about the future of space food and about the potential to grow micro greens in a lab in space,” says Jimmy.

Among his surprising discoveries was that cowboys originated in Florida, not Texas. He explored Westgate River Ranch, an authentic dude ranch about an hour south of Orlando, where he watched a rodeo, partied with a live band and cooked an authentic cowboy breakfast on a campfire.

“Everyone follows the crowd in Florida, but these places are so accessible,” he says.

Jimmy loved the beautiful beaches of Ana Maria Island, with their low-key restaurants lining the sand, where the fresh clams offer a sustainable dining experience with benefits: “The more you eat, the more the clams are in demand and the clearer the water becomes, the more the seagrass grows and thrives, which means more manatees are drawn into the area.”

Even when it came to the theme parks, Jimmy was keen to show a different side to Florida: “We tend to think it’s all hot dogs and chips,” he says. He spoke with Universal Orlando Resort’s executive chef Jens Dahlmann who oversees menus in restaurants ranging from sushi to steak, and plenty of culinary innovations too: “In the Minion restaurant, you’re eating food from the films, and it’s outstanding,” Jimmy says. “I ate something that looked exactly like a banana but when I took a bite, it was soft vanilla cream.”

So did his experiences match up to his preconceptions?

“It was really lovely [to go and film this],” he says. “Our TV show this week will deliver a beautiful splash of sunshine at a time when it’s drizzly and miserable here. Florida has a great food story to tell… and it didn’t disappoint!”