Firehouse-Based Reality Show Films Pilot in Calif.

Is it a cooking contest, a travelogue or a day-in-the-life-of-a-firefighter show? Creator, executive producer and host of Firehouse Kitchen, Steve Sprague, says it's all those things, and its pilot program features Vallejo.

"It's a cooking competition that travels the country, highlighting firehouse chefs, fire departments and the cities they serve," said Sprague, a Sacramento area paramedic who teaches advanced life support to medical personal. He's also a former firefighter, a stand-up comic and a self-described "foodie."

Sprague says the show's concept marries all his passions to create what he hopes will be the next big reality show hit. He's kicking it off in Vallejo because he said he's old friends with one of the Vallejo Fire Department's best cooks.

"Matt Choy is an old friend. We started in the fire service the same day, in Davis," Sprague said.

Choy will compete against Vallejo Firefighter James Brunson, for bragging rights in the pilot episode. The men work in different fire stations. They will both create a chicken dish, to be judged by the crew of yet another fire station to avoid any bias, Brunson said.

"You live in the firehouse when you're working, and you gotta eat, so, someone's gotta cook," said Brunson, whose pizza recently won a firefighter cooking contest in San Francisco to benefit the Firefighters Foundation.

Though all firefighter crew members must share cooking responsibilities, it's not everyone's long suit, Sprague

said.

"There are firefighters who just order pizza, who burn water, and others who could be professional chefs. I was one of the ones who enjoyed it," he said.

Sprague and Brunson agree that featuring Vallejo in the show is a good thing for the department and the city.

"It's exciting and a great time to come in and highlight some great things at the Vallejo Fire Department." Sprague said. "Vallejo's is a traditional fire department, they have a great reputation in the fire service."

Vallejo firefighters need a diverse skill set, he said.

"They deal with structure fires, they protect universities, freeways, an amusement park, industry, lots of old buildings, waterways, everything," Sprague said. "These guys work. It's a place with a lot of traditions, a lot of history, a lot of unique and interesting calls."

Brunson, 48, a Vallejo native and resident, said he's happy the show will highlight some of the city's positive attributes and answer some questions and seem to nag at some residents.

"People ask us all the time, what we're doing in the supermarket with the truck, and why are we all there together, like we're wasting taxpayer money," he said. "But we need to be together as a crew and have the truck if an emergency call comes in. The show will show that."

He said many people don't get the whole picture of a firefighter's life, "like, they think the city pays for our food, and that's not so, we pay for our own food."

The 27-year department veteran said he learned to love cooking as a child and enjoys doing it at work and at home with his wife and five children.

Sprague, 43, said he actually sold the show's concept to a network six years ago, just before the economy tanked, taking the idea with it. He recently picked it back up and several networks have expressed interest in the program,he said.

"I wanted to start the show in California but already have permission to film in Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma, Baltimore, New York and Chicago," he said. "The pilot is an opportunity to overcome some public misconceptions, to show a city what their fire department does for them besides that they cook real well and are dedicated to the people they protect."

Contact staff writer Rachel Raskin-Zrihen at (707) 553-6824 or rzrihen@timesheraldonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at Rachelvth.

Copyright 2013 - Times-Herald, Vallejo, Calif.