While my husband, Gabe, is watching football on Sunday, I am often flipping through stations, seeking something that will grab my attention and then I find comfort in the soothing sounds of David Venable on QVC.
I have been watching Venable for 30 years on the television shopping network.
My mother started me on this journey with her love of the tall foodie.
There is something comforting about his large presence and the timber of his voice. He has that lovely southern accent thanks to being from Charlotte, North Carolina. And the man loves Carolina Blue.
I rarely order from QVC.
I just love David.
Do I need bags of breaded chicken bites? No, I do not.
Do I need more LocknLock food storage sets? Nope, our cabinets are full.
Do I need HoneyBells. Well, actually, yes, I do. We love them and David did convince me to buy some last week. I’m weak. I admit it.
While Venable is focusing more on his health, I have loved all of his enthusiastic responses to the food he gets to sample. It seems so genuine.
“Happy dance, happy dance!” can be heard when he takes a bite of mac and cheese or ribs or something sweet that is truly exceptional. He has danced with chefs like Carla Hall, Rachael Ray and Lidia Bastianich.
They are pure moments of joy in a world that is usually filled with negative news.
When football is off, Gabe will sometimes watch a few minutes of David Venable promoting items on TV with me.
It is mindless. It is innocuous. It is familiar.
So when you are bored or have some free time on a Sunday afternoon, tune in to QVC and find comfort in David Venable. Trust me, you’ll feel better. He’s like a bowl of chicken pastina soup on a winter’s day. And now with Ronzoni no longer making pastina, I think we all need more Venable in our lives.
Gina Rullo is the editor-in-chief of The Hammonton Gazette. In 2022, she was named an “Editor Extraordinaire” by Editor & Publisher Magazine and in 2021 won two awards for investigative journalism.