I love to cook. I love stories. I'm a big fan of cooking shows on TV. What's that got to do with Storytelling - A lot!

If you watch any of the shows on the Food Network, you'll notice that there's always a STORY behind the dish, cooking style, recipe or other part of the program. We all know that stories are the best way to connect with people. On the "reality" show, The Next Food Network Star, the "mentors" & judges are always asking contestants, "Where's the story?" And those chefs that can successfully deliver a story, along with good cooking are, the ones that win!

In addition, they are always asked to describe the food with more than just, "It's yummy, wonderful, delicious, tasty, etc." Their descriptions have to be full of adjectives (descriptors) that paint a picture of the food and make the viewer want to try it or cook it. 

There's a new show on The Food Network: Guy's Big project. From cooking maven Guy Fieri and Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. It's about finding the next Food Roadshow. One of the exercises for the contestants is to have them describe a dish. The winner last week was a gal who said, "If you like hot, ooey-gooey, cheese, that S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-S, you'll love it!" She stretched the cheese way out with both hands to demonstrate. She was the front-runner for the day!

I've spoken about this before (click here). Don't just say, "They fell in love." Use colorful descriptors to paint the picture, like, "One look at her alabaster skin, and Cupid’s arrow struck his heart!" Find metaphors or similes that capture the underlying essence of what you want to say. Think in images. Think in "outrageous, over-the-top images. You may have to scale back a bit from the flowery, but start big. You can always cut back.

Watch some of these cooking shows to get a handle on stories, and descriptors!