Alton Brown keeps TCR audience in stitches

CEDAR RAPIDS - Ignoring the flickering lights indicating the main event was about to start, Food Network star Alton Brown continued to sign autographs and pose for pictures at a reception before his lecture Friday night at Theatre Cedar Rapids.

The Cedar Rapids Public Library presented its first “Inside Out” performance to a sold-out audience. The performance, as well as the pre-show reception, benefited the library, which will be rebuilt after being destroyed in the Great Floods of 2008.

“I've got a soft spot for libraries,” Brown said.

But then he admitted his real motivation for fitting the Cedar Rapids show into his busy schedule.

“I have a bucket list,” he said. “And on it was to visit the birthplace of Ashton Kutcher.”

Before his lecture, “10 Things I'm Pretty Sure I'm Sure About Food,” he presented a box of books he is donating to the new Cedar Rapids Public Library.

Sitting on edge of the stage, he went through the box and explained the books. The collection included his own books, including “I'm Just Here for the Food” and “Good Eats.”

Other books suited for Iowans were “The Story of Corn” and the “Food Substitutions Bible” - because Iowa is “prone to natural disasters.”

He explained his lectures change each time he gives them. Friday's night's lecture was no exception as each point he made was interspersed with personal stories and questions from the audience.

His lecture was a frank discussion about what he believes about food and how it should be prepared and eaten.

“If you want safe food, raise it yourself,” he said to a round of applause.

Brown said earlier in the week he wanted a piece of homemade strawberry-rhubarb pie during his brief stay in Iowa. He'll have plenty to take back to Atlanta with him.

Andrea Lewerenz-Norris, 36, of Cedar Rapids, brought a homemade strawberry-rhubarb pie to the pre-show reception. “What made him perk up was that it has a little bit of lard in it,” she said.

Lewerenz-Norris said she has been a long-time fan of Brown.

“He was the first TV guy who got me interested in cooking,” she said.

Lewerez-Norris' friend, Stephanie Rex, brought Brown a jar of her homemade strawberry-rhubarb jam. The Kirkwood Community College culinary arts program and Kathy's Pies also delivered pies to him.