That would be Sam the Cooking Guy.

"I didn't start cooking until I started a cooking show," said Sam Zien. "It sounds weird, but it's true."

Disillusioned with his job in the biotech field, he quit in 2001 and set out to "become a traveling TV guy," to find ways to make exotic places affordable and enjoyable for the average person.

However, a month before he was scheduled to leave for his first demo shoot in Tokyo and Hong Kong, Sept. 11 hit. Zien decided a travel segment at this time was not such a good idea.

Zien said Sept. 11 changed many people's lives, including his own. "I was always one of those guys who never knew what he wanted to be when he grew up. I needed to figure out what to do."

Zien decided to stay with TV and change the concept to cooking. Not, he notes, because he is a great chef but because he felt anyone could be a good cook if the process was demystified.

"I really appreciate what real chef's can do. I'm not taking anything away from real chefs," Zien said. "They have earned their skills through education or working in restaurants. I have neither. I just want to be a regular cook. I'm not trying to show off."

Zien made a demo tape and sent it to the major TV sources. It was met with disdain including a suggestion, one of the milder ones, to "get a better kitchen."

That might be difficult seeing as Zien films his show from his own kitchen in San Diego ... and that includes cooking with his wife, kids, dogs and the occasional neighbor.

Undaunted, he sent the tape to two San Diego stations and ended up with a twice weekly segment on one. As his audience grew so did his segment. He was soon hosting a 30-minute weekly show, "Sam the Cooking Guy," which still airs in various cities across the country. He also can be seen on "Just Cook This" on Discovery Health.

Zien has won eight regional Emmy Awards and is nominated for four more. He also recently released his first cookbook "Sam the Cooking Guy: Just a Bunch of Recipes" (Wiley, John & Sons, Inc., $19).

One benchmark of Zien's rejection and acceptance seems to come from his being an everyday person who is not shy to speak up and just be himself.

His show is irreverent with his wife often hiding off-camera and his two dogs (Haley, a golden retriever, and Lucky, a Chinese crested) meandering around the kitchen, perhaps picking up a dropped tidbit or two. "Once I put Lucky in a bowl, but I won't put him on the counter."

Zien recalls one station was appalled by him petting his dogs and then continuing to cook.

"The way I touch my dogs and then cook. They still don't get it. Wow, I wish someone had reminded me to wash my hands. How stupid can your audience be?" Zien said.

Of other networks, he said, "I just don't think they understand me ... the way I do things, the way I cook, the way I joke around." And, he does it well. Here are some tidbits from his recent show at Henry's Farmers Market 11th Annual Wellness Fair in San Diego:

- Low fat: Here's the low-fat part. Just don't eat the whole thing. If the recipe says it serves six and you eat the whole thing, there's either a problem with the recipe or you.

- Roasted peppers: Roasting your own peppers is a complete pain. Just keep a couple jars in the cupboard. The same goes with broth.

- Cooking utensils: Nine times out of 10, I reach for the wok. And, a good pepper mill is a must.

- Cleaning: I like to cook but I don't like to clean so I do it as I cook. You always have a minute or two while you're cooking to clean something. You'll be so much happier later that you did.

- Fav foods: If I could have just one type of food for the rest of my life it would be Asian/Japanese. You get a little bit of a lot of things ... variety that is good and fresh. Here your stomach catches up with your head. You have a roll, some sake, you take your time. It's not just like a big slab of meat and you say, "Oh, I guess I just have to eat it."

- Recipes: I make up my own recipes, but I also rip things off. There was this nice cabbage salad I had in San Francisco and I figured I could do that.

With that in mind, here are the three dishes Zien served up for the Henry's audience (with comments - quell surprise).

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Bacon, mushrooms, blue cheese and that cool-looking Napa cabbage you'd never known what to do with. In fact, you could make a meal around this, I think. OK, I don't think - I know. I've had it by itself and it's terrific. And how come people don't say "terrific" all that often anymore? By the way, my friend Dave says NOT to use a vinaigrette (which apparently blows).

WARM CABBAGE SALAD

4 ounces crumbled blue cheese

1/2 head Napa cabbage, finely shredded (about 6 cups)

8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 (2-ounce) package cooked bacon, sliced thin across strips

1/3 to 1/2 cup your favorite honey-Dijon dressing

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Yields 4 to 6 servings.

In large bowl, place cabbage. Place cheese on top.

In saute pan, saute mushrooms in oil until quite soft; add bacon. Cook 3 minutes until bacon just begins to get little crispy. Add dressing to pan, being careful as it'll splatter a bit, and heat through. Pour mushroom-bacon dressing on cabbage and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

- - -

Feel free to make this soup using fresh red peppers and going through the whole roasting, steaming, peeling, cleaning and chopping process. Or, you could just use the delicious ones that are already roasted and in a jar and can be done in about 15 minutes. But, it's up to you.

ROASTED RED PEPPER SOUP

2 (12-ounce) jars roasted red peppers

1/2 cup onions, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 cups chicken broth

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Sour cream

Fresh cilantro, chopped

Yields 6 servings.

Drain peppers well in colander.

In large pot, saute onions and garlic in olive oil until softened. Add peppers and cayenne and mix well.

Place pepper mixture in food processor with about 1 cup chicken broth and process until smooth.

Return pepper mixture to pot. Add remaining broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper and heat through. Bring soup to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Serve soup hot or cold in bowls garnished with a spoonful of sour cream and chopped cilantro.

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Put this in front of your friends - they won't believe you! You can say, "Yeah, I made it - I mean I made that!" No one has to know it took about 5 minutes in the kitchen but you.

SALT-AND-PEPPER SHRIMP

1 tablespoon peanut oil

2 large cloves garlic, chopped fine

1/2 inch fresh ginger, minced

1 bunch green onions, cut into 2-inch lengths

1 pound shrimp, raw shell-on and deveined (see note)

1/2 tablespoon Kosher salt

1/2 tablespoon fresh ground pepper

Yields 6 appetizer servings

Mix salt and pepper in a small bowl and set aside.

Turn on fan above your stove and heat wok or pan until really, really hot and smoking; add oil. When pan smokes even more (don't let smoke freak you out) add garlic, ginger, green onions and shrimp. Stir often so all is mixed and shrimp are fully cooked - which should take only a couple of minutes - then add salt and pepper. Stir-fry quickly to coat shrimp in salt and pepper and serve.

Note: Shrimp are typically sold by a ratio signifying the number of shrimp per pound. For this recipe, 31/40 shrimp are the perfect size.

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