Guy Fieri brings "Diners, Drive-In's & Dives to the Gulf Coast to focus on "Real Deal Fast Food"
Chef Pete Blohme is no small presence in any room, standing 6 feet 4 inches.

But when the room is roughly the size of a yellow 1974 Volkswagen Beetle (with automatic stick shift) things really get interesting really fast. Throw in a television crew along with the usual kitchen staff and a few folks who want to try to see what all the fuss is about and, well, you get the picture. It's chaos.

This madding crush is taking place in the Blohme's postage stamp-size kitchen at his namesake Panini Pete's Cafe and Bake Shoppe, where he and his staff turn out tasty sandwiches, burgers, salads, wraps and soups.

It doesn't help, either, that his special guest is Guy Fieri, a ball of fire, a spiky-haired live wire disciple of good food who roams the countryside in search of folks who share his passion for the plate. He is in town taping an episode of his Food Network program, "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives."

He rolled into the quiet hamlet of Fairhope early in March to tape a segment in Chef Blohme's kitchen.

The profile, titled "Real Deal Fast Food," will air at 9 p.m. Monday on the Food Network.

If you've never seen the show, it is all about local food from across the country that is served with an enthusiasm and style that reflects the owners and the region where the eateries are located. It's a lot of fun.

Blohme is definitely dressed for the occasion. He's decked out in bright orange pants and his signature black chef's coat.

Fieri, on the other hand, has his hair spiked to a glossy peak, and his choice in jewelry includes an Oakland Raiders sweatband on his arm and a bracelet made from what appears to be bones. His flip flops are definitely not regular kitchen footwear.

Clearly, Fieri loves his work. But what's not to like about finding out-of-the-way places all over the country and spending time with the owners?

Speaking to one of Blohme's kids who was on hand to watch the taping, Fieri says, "Your dad is one funny dude, he's hysterical," before breaking out in a piercing, staccato laugh that viewers of any of his programs know well.

What he said to crack up the amiable television host is a mystery. Those of us relegated to the cheap seats in the dining area can only pick up the odd aside or loud jibe between the two chefs.

Their shared joy of food is evident when Blohme schools his high-voltage guest in the fine art of making fresh mozzarella.

While these two culinary comics lob one-liners back and forth, a steady stream of regulars ignore the signs on the door warning of the taping and come right on in. It's almost lunch time and they're hungry, TV or no TV.

After a short break to reposition cameras and lights, Blohme demonstrates an herb rub that he uses to season a top loin of beef. Rosemary, salt, pepper, lemon zest, black pepper, sage and garlic are combined in a large bowl; after a coating of olive oil is applied, it is patted onto the outside of the giant chunk of meat.

Later, through the magic of television (and having already cooked a roast earlier) they showed the finished product coming out of the oven. The pair also prepared a turkey panini and Blohme's signature seared yellow fin tuna.

And even later, after more camera jockeying, they filmed beignets being made. All-in-all, they took a lot of pictures, not uncommon in this business I found out.

"We'll usually shoot about 20 hours of tape to make a seven minute segment," Fieri said.

The final shots of the day were of Fieri walking up to the front door of the eatery for his entrance, a shot that flummoxed him on several tries. When he finally did get it, a small crowd of onlookers who had happened on the scene gave him a round of applause.

The actual process began several months ago. Blohme said he started interviewing with network researchers back in November, both on the phone and via e-mail.

"We e-mailed pictures and recipes and talked about food. They said we may hear back from them, we may not," Blohme said.

Fieri said the researchers look for a certain "feeling" about a place that can't be quantified.

"If it's funky, we'll find it," he said.

One thing they do look for is a solid grounding in the culinary arts and Blohme, a graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, fit that part nicely.

"We want folks who are living the lifestyle and living out their dream, and Pete is doing that," he said.

Then more questions and answers back and forth until finally Blohme got the call alerting him that they were coming. After a week of cleaning and moving stuff around, they were ready.

While the four-person crew, along with Fieri, were taping at Panini Pete's, a separate crew was taping segments at the Gumbo Shack in Fairhope and Manci's Antique Club in Daphne. (A spokesman for the Food Network said no air dates have yet been scheduled for those episodes.)

When they did arrive, Blohme said they did two days of pre-production.

"It was quite a production. They did all sorts of hand shots and different angle shots, it was a lot to it," Blohme said.

He said he and Fieri hit it off right away. So much so that after the day's taping they took their act on the road to another local eatery where they had dinner.

"We ended up that night heading over to Wintzell's in Fairhope to watch the premiere of his third season on their big-screen television," Blohme said.

The two ebullient chefs commandeered the kitchen and made dinner for the entire party.

"We made stuffed flounder and topped it with a jalapeno alfredo sauce. I don't think the day could have been any better than that," Blohme said.

"It was a lot of fun," Blohme said later, describing his day with the cable television host. "It was almost surreal, getting to hang out with a celebrity like him is exciting."

Fieri said that the chemistry between the two men is very real.

"You can tell when somebody has a passion for food; it shows in what they do," he said of Blohme.

Blohme had similar praise for Fieri: "Oh he's great. He's just like he is on television."

After Fieri and crew left, Blohme said he and his folks moved all the kitchen equipment back and got back to the business of serving first-rate food.