Have we had enough of celebrity chef TV and what is it doing to our industry????

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Permalink Reply by Jose Ruiz on February 28, 2010 at 7:46pm

I think that cookery programs have become a national obsession. Look at the number of celebrity chefs out there: Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, Gary Rhodes, Antony Worrall Thompson, to name just a few as there are just way more than those.

It is ridiculous and often has very little to do with cooking an more to do with making money (books, TV programs, blogs, sponsorships, etc).

The irony is that we now live in a society where very few of us seem to have the time or the inclination to cook much.

Go figure...

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Permalink Reply by Hugh McGivern on February 28, 2010 at 9:39pm

I for one totally agree with the Celebrity Chef as it promotes our industry, but on the other hand it gives youngsters a false sense of the hard work it takes to become a proper bona fide 'Cook'. A head chef at 20 yrs old to me is unthinkable and yes ask them to make a hollandaise let alone any other mother sauce and you will get some excuse or a bad attempt.
If we can get some good young cooks coming through because of the impact of TV programmes then fantastic and it is these guys and girls we should be promoting.

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Permalink Reply by Remo Mongiat - FBII on March 1, 2010 at 9:10am

Hi Richard,
I agree with everything you are saying and I like Raymond Blanc a lot, especially since staying at Le Manoir aux Quat Saison. What is great is that he still gets involved, personally. But I do not like The Restaurant series, where couples are chosen to open a restauranr with him. The last result , I thought, was disastreous. My wife and I cook a lot at home, for oureselves and for friends as much as we can. We also dine out a lot and there are but a few of ' Celebrity Chefs' who can be found at their premises. Most of the TV series should have encouraged people to cook at home and become more adventureous in what they choose to cook. Yet you see more and more people buying ready meals and take aways. I have worked with some very excellent chefs and I know that it is hard work to be 'spot on' all the time. I could not work in a professional kitchen myself and therefore admire chefs who give their best all the time. My favourite 'TV - Celebrity ' chef was Keith Floyd. Very entertaining and admitted to any 'cock ups' without shame. And he liked a very impotand ingredient ' WINE' , enough said.

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Permalink Reply by Marcus Weedon on March 1, 2010 at 12:58pm

I think its great for the industry, though i can see the negatives about certain programmes such as Hells Kitchen with MPW - (No idea why he needs to do this) also The Restaurant ( What is Raymond trying to prove)

I think its great for youngsters to see what / where / how they can achieve in the cookery industry, and what better way to do this through TV and the internet, well lets be fair if we did not have TV, internet how would these names become famous and how would children be able to look up to their Food Icons and want a career in this industry.

If you look back to the 80's before we have celebrity shows, before we had internet, celebrity Chefs were not really celebrity chefs they were more of an institution and they were not in it for the money - but lets forget that factor as the message is primarily the same and its to encourage people what ever age to cook or to try something different.

I love to cook and if i see an idea presented simple in food terms then i will try it out.

I love Market Kitchen, Saturday Kitchen with the celebrities that come on there, they seem genuine and again seem to want to help and educate the public.

I will keep watching my favs but the first 2 mentioned a def turn off for me

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Permalink Reply by Richard Zermansky on March 1, 2010 at 1:07pm

Thank you for all your points,

I would like to make it clear that I am all for enticing youngsters to our trade but for the right reasons and not as Hugh quite rightly states, to become a Head Chef by the age of 20. Chefs must learn to walk before they run and I feel by watching quality cooking on TV instead of the humourless reality rubbish, it will demonstrate how committed you have to be to get to the top

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Permalink Reply by Sonya Lipczynska on March 1, 2010 at 4:07pm

The thing with the 'old-school' celebrity chefs from the eighties - Keith Floyd et al, was that they were chefs first and foremost. They got into the industry because of their passion for food, and then became famous because their individual styles and/or charisma made them ideal for TV. Even the Lord High Emperor of TV chefs, Jamie Oliver, was discovered doing his thing at the River Cafe rather than actively seeking out a media career.

The problem nowadays I think, is that with such an excess of celebrity chefs, potential cooks are more likely to go into it for all the wrong reasons rather than because they have a genuine love for and interest in food - almost as if they think they're going to fall out of catering college and straight into the Saturday Kitchen omelette challenge.

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Permalink Reply by Matt Louis on March 2, 2010 at 5:58pm

Hello Richad,

A holodaise sauce recipe.

TARAGON,PEPPERCORN SHALLOTS, CLARIFIED BUTTER, EGG YOLKS, WHITE WINE VINEGAR AND HOT WATER.

METHOD

BOIL YOUR WATER

MELT YOUR BUTTER

ADD TARAGON SHALLOTS & PEPPER CORNS TO YOUR WHITE WINE AND REDUCE BY HALF ALLOW TO COOL

AND THEN PASS THROUGH A FINE MUSLIN.

PLACE YOUR EGGS AND COOL REDUCTION IN A METAL BOWL OVER YOUR BOILING WATER AND WHISK UNTIL YOU HAVE A SABAGION AND IN THE MEAN TIME YOUR BUTTER SHOULD OF MELTED

YOUR BUTTER SHOULD BE THE SAME TEMP AS YOUR REDUCTION THIS STOPS YOUR SAUCE SPLITTING

THEN WITH THE WHISK YOU SHOULD BE DOING THE FIGURE EIGHT THIS HELPS AS YOU NEED TO GET ALL YOUR MIX MOVING AROUND YOUR BOWL THEN SLOWLY ADD YOUR BUTTER NOT FORGETTING TO CLAR ALL THE MILK FROM YOUR BUTTER AND WITH LUCK ON YOUR SIDE IT SHILD NOT SPLIT

MY FAVOURITE STARTER WOULD BE
SMOKED SALMON & HALIBUT MOUSSE WITH MELBA TOAST

MAINS WILL BE A BEEF WELLINGTON WITH HONEY ROAST VEGETABLES & MOUNGE TOUT (THYME JUS) YUM

DESSERT WILL BE A STAWBERRY CHEESE CAKE.

MATT

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Permalink Reply by Marcus Weedon on March 4, 2010 at 9:19pm

Talking (writing about) celebrity Chefs did anyonje watch Master Chef the other night when the 3 waanabe chefs went to the Landmark to work in the Winter Garden Kitchen....sooo funny that Gary Klaner got called Gary Flaner by the woman that does the voice over. I bet that is one exec chef that will have boiling blood about the wrong pronounciation and speeling of his name in public

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Permalink Reply by Marcus Weedon on March 4, 2010 at 9:21pm

Matt,

Love Beef Weelington as well especially with Roasted Honey Veg, when are we getting invited around for Dinner. Maybe we can do a Hotcat dinner at your place....lol

Marcis

Matt Louis said:

Hello Richad,

A holodaise sauce recipe.

TARAGON,PEPPERCORN SHALLOTS, CLARIFIED BUTTER, EGG YOLKS, WHITE WINE VINEGAR AND HOT WATER.

METHOD

BOIL YOUR WATER

MELT YOUR BUTTER

ADD TARAGON SHALLOTS & PEPPER CORNS TO YOUR WHITE WINE AND REDUCE BY HALF ALLOW TO COOL

AND THEN PASS THROUGH A FINE MUSLIN.

PLACE YOUR EGGS AND COOL REDUCTION IN A METAL BOWL OVER YOUR BOILING WATER AND WHISK UNTIL YOU HAVE A SABAGION AND IN THE MEAN TIME YOUR BUTTER SHOULD OF MELTED

YOUR BUTTER SHOULD BE THE SAME TEMP AS YOUR REDUCTION THIS STOPS YOUR SAUCE SPLITTING

THEN WITH THE WHISK YOU SHOULD BE DOING THE FIGURE EIGHT THIS HELPS AS YOU NEED TO GET ALL YOUR MIX MOVING AROUND YOUR BOWL THEN SLOWLY ADD YOUR BUTTER NOT FORGETTING TO CLAR ALL THE MILK FROM YOUR BUTTER AND WITH LUCK ON YOUR SIDE IT SHILD NOT SPLIT

MY FAVOURITE STARTER WOULD BE
SMOKED SALMON & HALIBUT MOUSSE WITH MELBA TOAST

MAINS WILL BE A BEEF WELLINGTON WITH HONEY ROAST VEGETABLES & MOUNGE TOUT (THYME JUS) YUM

DESSERT WILL BE A STAWBERRY CHEESE CAKE.

MATT

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Permalink Reply by Richard Zermansky on March 5, 2010 at 12:50pm

Matt - Your holondaise recipe is perfect
Marcus - I also saw MC at the Landmark, it was soooo funny I couldnt stop laughing for three days :)
Matt - When are we having Beef Wellington at yours?

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Permalink Reply by Sonya Lipczynska on March 5, 2010 at 3:10pm

I was going to say, let's all head over to Matt's place for dinner. That menu is making me hungry.

Richard Zermansky said:

Matt - Your holondaise recipe is perfect
Marcus - I also saw MC at the Landmark, it was soooo funny I couldnt stop laughing for three days :)
Matt - When are we having Beef Wellington at yours?

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Permalink Reply by Matt Louis on March 5, 2010 at 11:53pm

Most people ask me the same question all the time, Who inspiers you with food who's your role model.

My answer is always the same. The people around me the chef's I have worked with in the rest/hotels my own buisness.

Most of these so called celebrity chef's have made a name for there own bank ballance and have bought a lot of jumped up so called people into the industry. If we all decided to go to a well known establishment for a meal I can assure you the jumped up so called TV chap in a white uniform would not be there cooking he /she would more than likely be signing a book that they did not know they even wrote. And another thing the recipes are more than likely wrong (THIS IS THROUGH TRYING QUITE A FEW) If you are a great/good chef why do you need to open ten restaurants why not have one or two so at least people can say I had a meal cooked by ??? Even though we do or we dont get a chance to eat at these (SHALL I SAY WONDERFULL PLACES) you all know as well as I do the buggers are away doing there bank ballance a favour. This is blunt but it's the truth and we should educate youngsters who find it facinating to have a week at a top London hotel for a month and then ask them are they still interested? And all you lecturers out there maybe you should place some of these students into these Hotels and ask them how was it? I am sure you would find there answers exciting and maybe a change in carerer. I am all for teaching and education but to be a chef or what your mind tells you you want to be get some back ground knowledge and speak to someone who has been in the industry for twenty years or longer and listen to there stories. Over all the Hotel Industry is a very comfortable place to be and as they say its like family.

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