'Restaurant: Impossible' chef Robert Irvine brings stage show to Naperville

Ambushes are no problem for Food Network celebrity chef Robert Irvine.

First, the British native completed a career in the Royal Navy, where thinking on your feet is key.

Then he became the star of shows like "Dinner: Impossible" and "Restaurant: Impossible." In the latter program, producers send him - with no knowledge of what he is about to face - to save sorely failing eateries.

It only makes sense then that his current tour, "Robert Irvine Live," is anything but predictable. The show is coming Friday, March 27, to North Central College in Naperville, and Irvine says fans looking for a traditional cooking show should just stay home.

So what is the show, exactly? The Daily Herald spoke with Irvine to get a taste of what the 49-year-old has cooking. This is an edited version of that interview:

Q. I understand this show is nothing like a typical cooking demonstration. How would you describe it then?

A. It is not your grandma's cooking show, that is for sure. This is what I call a multisensory experience. Everything you can think about, every emotion: laughter, tasting, smelling, seeing. Even crying is involved too, with laughter, normally at my expense. It's a two-hour variety show that gives you a look into the world of Robert Irvine, through cooking, through video and through my charity efforts.

Q. This is a second, revamped version of the show, right? What can our Naperville audience expect that's different?

A. The whole two hours is dictated by the audience, through a series of buttons, challenges and wheels (Digital Challenge Wheel). And that's what makes it interesting. You think I've done everything and that's not correct. I don't know what food my producers are going to buy, I don't know what tools they're going to give me, or not give me.

(Editor's note: Up to 30 people may be called onstage to participate in challenges. Tweets and Facebook posts collected prior to the show and during intermission are also incorporated into the performance, whether it's questions, challenges or just something funny.)

And it's great for kids, a great family show. After the show the audience has an opportunity to buy T-shirts and aprons and knives and jackets, all going toward the Robert Irvine Foundation (robertirvinefoundation.org). We work to build homes, support veterans and children with cancer. So you do something good while having a good time.

Q. You seem to have a knack for the unscripted and the spontaneous. Do you ever get tired of staying on your toes?

A. That's how I live my life. I travel 345 days per year doing shows and love it that way. For this show, we've developed it and its spontaneity so I can touch as many people as possible in the two hours we have with them.

And when I talk with people, they say "Restaurant: Impossible" changes their lives just watching. Because it's not just about the restaurant, it's about the people. It changed my life and I never anticipated it would. I get invested in these 143 families that I've worked with and I'm about to film with another tomorrow. I've put my own money into a business because I didn't want it to fail.

Q. Has anything already happened on the road that has stuck out in your mind? Any surprises you weren't ready for?

A. There have been some food products I've been paired with that have been a challenge. And then somebody has to eat that food and tell you, does it suck, does it taste great? Some challenges I've not wanted to do because they're ridiculous, some of them. Or I worry: Do I have equipment or do I not? We've done things in the past where I've been upside down in a straight jacket making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for kids. It's always crazy.

So if you think it's a cooking show, don't come, because it's not. It's a way for my fans and friends to be able to meet me and interact and talk and do things in a way they don't get to do through TV.

Q. What if I'm a terrible cook, will I still think it's fun or will I be totally lost?

A. No. And by the time you finish with me, you won't be scared of the kitchen.

Q. Keeping fit and healthy are not typically priorities of celebrity chefs, but it's your trademark. Why do you think that's important?

A. When I was in the military, that's what I learned and it's the way I live my life. It's just part of my being.

Plus, I travel so much, but I don't get sick - I'm knocking on wood here now that I've said that. I eat not perfectly, but pretty much healthy and I work out every day. It helps set me up for the rest of the day.

I was just in Japan and was just working out with 20-year-old military men. I do a lot of work with veterans and I want them to see that I'm truly vested in what they are and have to do on a daily basis. I also have my wife (Total Nonstop Action pro wrestler Gail Kim) who keeps me on my toes.

Being healthy doesn't take a lot of time, but what it does take is a lifestyle change. I truly believe in our job. We need to give information so people can change their lifestyles.

A couple of hundred people come through each show. And we want them to understand where the food comes from. Nowadays, moms and dads, we are working and don't get a lot of time with our kids. My mom used to say, "Don't play with your food." I'm saying I want you to play with food and I want you to make a mess. Not just because it's better bonding time, but to understand what it does with your body. I still love french fries, cheese and beer and you can have those sometimes. But being fit and healthy is a lifestyle change, that's all. We can do it together.

If you go

What: Robert Irvine Live

When: 8 p.m. Friday, March 27

Where: North Central College Pfeiffer Hall, 310 E. Benton Ave., Naperville

Tickets: $50, $40 and $35

Info: northcentralcollege.edu/showtix or (630) 637-7469