Both adventure/hunting and culinary shows attract their own audiences but what if you combined the two. Man Eats Wild is an upcoming series premiering on the Outdoor Channel this fall. Those who attended SeriesFest this year had the opportunity to catch an episode followed by a conversation with its creator and star, Mario Kalpou.
The screened episode had Kalpou exploring the mountains of southern New Zealand trying to track fallow deer. The stalking portion can be a little slow at times and there are some near misses as the host bow hunts to drum up suspense. After successfully taking down his prey, Kalpou has a cooking demonstration where he shares a recipe involving the meat he hunts. The dish, fallow antler pie, is a bit rustic but with a unique presentation. As the name implies, it involves making it and serving it on the deer’s antlers.
Man Eats Wild does present an ethical means of hunting because the animals are all natural and free range. In addition, Kalpou never takes more than he needs and doesn’t waste any of the meat. It has a similar feel to last year’s Farming the Wild but with less foraging and more hunting. Plus, there’s more of a down under twist since the host is from Australia and this particular episode takes place in New Zealand.
The panel was moderated by fellow Outdoor Channel star, Nick Hoffman. Kalpou discussed his background coming from a cooking family; his grandfather was a world-famous chef. The food focused show is a passion project and he’s been developing it for five years. He hopes to educate viewers and reconnect them with their food and where it comes from.
To close the conversation, Hoffman asked a series of quick questions to get to know his guest. If he had a choice, Kalpou would like to live in Montana, fears getting eaten by a shark, his go to Karaoke song is AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” and if he could share a meal with anyone it would be Sir David Attenborough.
SeriesFest is taking place from now until July 11. Man Eats Wild premieres September 30 on the Outdoor Channel.
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