Madeleine Dee, who has been a personal chef, and now runs Fond, a locally-focused small grocery and dinner restaurant, is trying to branch out into TV, with her proposed series “The Seasoned Cynic’s Guide to Entertaining,” which she is funding through Indiegogo.
The concept for her show is that she plays a “cynical, unapologetic, and delightfully crass glamorous chef [who] points out what can go wrong when entertaining and provides reliable, time-tested solutions in a hilarious and original web series.” Dee writes and produces the show, which she calls “a playful look at modern party hosting that uses elements of pop culture, culinary arts, etiquette, anthropology, science, and history.” The show will have a complementary website/blog with recipes, tips, tricks, and advice.
Out of high school, Dee moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career, but a stint in culinary school, meant to be a sideline to support her acting efforts, turned out to be her true career path. Back in Louisville, she started a business as personal chef and dinner party caterer, and last year opened what she describe as “a restaurant & tiny grocery store called Fond,” at 2520 Frankfort Ave. There she sells her own baked goods and frozen dinner appetizers and entrees, and a thoughtful selection of locally-produced groceries. On weekends, she serves a changing dinner menu for up to 12 people.
“Though I am very pleased with the success of my businesses,” she said, “my dream is still to have my own comedy show. Since I love to cook almost as much as I love to make people giggle, I’ve spent the past couple of years figuring out how to combine the two in an original way.”
As a result, she has created a pilot for a show called “The Seasoned Cynic’s Guide to Entertaining,” which can be seen here. In order to continue to produce her TV series idea, she is attempting to raise the $10,000 she needs to begin production. On the Indiegogo site, she details her budget.
She has a major backer who has committed to providing half her budget, but needs to continue to raise money. The link above contains a full accounting of her estimated expenses, and her intentions for the project.
