Apr 21, 2013 By Dave Slusarick 2 min read

Chef Mario Porreca and Bill Alexander are familiar faces to the Fayette TV viewing audience. You’ve seen Mario and Bill on our primetime variety show, “Going LIVE with FCTV,” co-hosting various segments and showing you how to make some gourmet dishes from the comfort of your kitchen.

You may have also seen Mario’s columns in the Herald Standard’s “Go!” Weekend magazine, or heard Mario and Bill’s radio show, which is gaining popularity on Your Local Station, 590 Radio WMBS. The Mario Cooks Show, which airs every Saturday at 9 a.m. has featured guests such as local chef Joe Carei, a representative from Chobani yogurt, and Alex Presley of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

You don’t have to be a culinary expert to enjoy The Mario Cooks Show. This fun, interactive hour-long show makes food and cooking accessible to everyone. Mario and Bill describe the broadcast as a blend of food, cooking, talk radio, and most importantly, fun. The content of the show is true to the Mario Cooks slogan: “Cook, eat, be happy!”

Now, those who would consider themselves night owls rather than early risers can catch a rebroadcast of The Mario Cooks Show on Fayette TV. The show currently airs in its entirety during the late-night hours on Atlantic Broadband cable channel 77 and via our online stream at FayetteTV.org. Accompanying the audio from the radio broadcast is a series of cooking tips, terminology, and factoids that will be entertaining and informative to even the most amateur chef. These graphics are produced by the talented students at Albert Gallatin Senior High School.

As you may have read before in this column, education is one of the focus areas for Fayette TV. That means that we air content produced by and focusing on local students, but it also means that we broadcast programming that promotes lifelong learning. The Mario Cooks Show is a perfect example. It’s an educational program interspersed with a healthy dose of fun. We hope it brings you some laughs, equips you with some new knowledge, and makes you feel more comfortable and confident in the kitchen! For more on The Mario Cooks Show, visit the website www.MarioCooks.com.

Dave Slusarick is creative director of Coordinated 360, subcontracted operator of Fayette TV. Contact him at david.slusarick@coordinated360.com or 1-800-893-8516.