Juliette Rossant

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Celeb chef turn-on for women

The ladies still love Rocco DiSpirito. And every weekday from 11 a.m. to noon, they're calling to tell him.

That's when DiSpirito, last year's celebrity chef, cookbook author and leather-panted Lothario, hosts Food Talk on the WOR Radio Network (710 AM).

DiSpirito took over the daily call-in show in October, after long-standing host Arthur Schwartz (a former food editor and restaurant critic for the Daily News) left in a huff.

For DiSpirito, it was an encouraging end to a really bad year - 2004 saw the canceling of his reality TV show, the slow death of Rocco's on 22nd St. and his departure as chef from upscale Union Pacific.

For the local radio station, it was a no-brainer, says WOR spokesman Paul Siebold. After all, DiSpirito is a top Culinary Institute of America-trained chef with a business degree, mega-sex appeal and a rock-star persona, who really needed the job.

But for those expecting careening charisma - or something like phone sex with food - think again. This isn't so much a staged comeback as a comedown, although a charming one.

If city sophisticates haven't yet heard of his new venture, it's 'cause Food Talk isn't for them, says DiSpirito.

It's for Deb, from New Jersey, who wants advice for her catering company. It's for Mary, who's curious if her jar of pickled beets is safe to eat.

It's for Jen from Oakdale, who needed help with her barbecued pork. "You're awesome," she told DiSpirito, echoing the sentiments of many other callers, mostly women, many Italian-American, few Manhattanites.

Now, is a radio show for the bridge-and-tunnel crowd really a step down, after a meteoric rise among the limos of haute Manhattan? Not for all these happy listeners, who thank DiSpirito daily for help with dinner. And although he's sometimes a little lethargic - these aren't chef's hours - DiSpirito says he likes it, too.

"What I love most is that now I get to enjoy the company of everyday aficionados of the good life," he says, "instead of the elite who can afford three-star dining experiences.

"Turns out, the everyday people are much more fun."

But for those tracking DiSpirito's career, the verdict's not in.

While sweet and often informative, the show doesn't make full use of his sophisticated skills and cheeky charm, says Juliette Rossant, author of Super-Chef, a book about the world's most successful cooks.

Rossant, who is also a career consultant for chefs, recalls a riveting day with him (and "400 screaming Rocco fans") at a public event last year.

"He really articulated, talked eloquently and knowledgably at moments, and really waxed almost poetic about food. I mean, I was really inspired by the guy. I missed that inspiration in 'The Restaurant,' and I miss it now on 'Food Talk.'"

That's not to say the show's a bad idea. On the contrary, Rossant thinks his move toward the media, rather than the multiple kitchens of top chefs, could be a savvy one. And "it could be terrific," she adds. "There is an intimacy to food - it's sexy."

DiSpirito exudes that in person, says Rossant, and if he can get more of that into his show, it could play way beyond the bridges and tunnels - and maybe even put him back on top.

Until then, he'll always have his ladies. ***

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