One unsuspecting Sunday afternoon, P and I were plopped on the sofa, flipping through channels on the television. We were camped out in what P calls his “Man Cave,” a room in the house dedicated to his larger-than-life entertainment system and sports memorabilia – he loves it. Somehow, we ended up on the local CBS station and came across how to Do florida, a little gem of a show that sums up my idea of a dream job.
In half hour episodes, host Chad Crawford takes viewers on an adventure in the Sunshine State – everything from hot air ballooning and RVing to logging, treasure diving, and camping. We caught the tail end of his episode about the Silver Spurs Rodeo in Kissimmee and I was immediately hooked. For those of you who don’t know, I adore all things rodeo – cowboys, cattle, horses, boots and spurs. Professional bull riding is my favorite sport and in a perfect world I would live on a farm with lots of baby animals.
Anyway, what really got P and I going was that each episode ends with a cooking segment featuring local Florida fare… and it just so happened that the show’s chef, Justin Timineri, was whipping up what sounded like the most delicious meal on the face of the Earth: buttermilk fried southern chicken with sweet corn and ricotta cakes. We oohed and ahhed over his preparation and now I’m convinced I need a fryer (adding that to my registry!).
how to Do florida is now in its seventh season, which so far has included episodes about a Bradenton family vacation and how to rent a chartered yacht. Crawford, a third generation Floridian, honed his skills as the “host of fun” serving as a Permanent Activities Orderly in the United States Navy. After the military, he attended Full Sail University in Orlando where he learned all aspects of the video production process. After years of successfully running a production house, he dreamed up how to Do florida to share his love of his home state with TV audiences. Crawford wanted to answer questions he was often asked by his friends, such as “How do I take my kids fishing?” or “How do you do Florida?”
Seriously, Chad Crawford has my dream job on lock. I have to give him credit – he does some things I don’t think I could ever muster the courage to do. I could handle backpack camping, paddle boarding fishing, and even dry caving, but I’m leaving the venomous snakes to him. Mr. Crawford, if you ever read this, please take me on one of your adventures someday!
how to Do florida airs in West Palm Beach on CBS-WPEC Sundays at noon. For more information, visit http://www.howtodoflorida.com.
xoxo,
JUP Girl
Photos, videos, and information regarding the show were taken from http://www.howtodoflorida.com.
JUP Girl 