The Twilight of Celebrity Chefs

[CraigC]

I watch triple "D", not because of Guy, but to get some fresh ideas. I do miss the shows where the whole show was devoted to teaching and learned a lot from them. I hate Chopped. I love watching the shows on PBS and Create. Learned a lot from Rick Bayless.

Don't know how many of you have heard of Michelle Bernstein, but she has a local show on PBS, called "Check Please". Three guests recommend their favorite restaurants in the Dade/Broward/Palm Beach county areas. Then each one goes to the others recommended places and critique them on the show. We've learned about many places we had never heard of. Its great!

 

[Just Cooking]

I feel the same. At first I was hooked. Watched the shows, went to the food shows, saw the live demo's, did the book signings... It was fun, bun then it became reality TV focusing more on competition and less on learning. It was amusing at first, but as the informative shows started to dwindle, so did my interest.

I like the simple, no frills PBS shows. Always liked them and still do. Just show me what your making, introduce me to a few new ingredients, cuisines and techniques, and Im happy.

Nailed it...



Ross

 

[larry_stewart]

I've walked by many 'celebrity chef's ' restaurants, but never actually ate in any of them. Most dont serve anything that Ill eat, and if they do, its likely not worth the money to get the token vegetarian item they have to have on the menu to appeal to everyone.

I have tasted some of their foods at cooking demos, and it was good, but no better or worse than anything I've eaten elsewhere.

One of the Food Network shows that started to put me off was that show where they are looking for the "Next Food Network Star". It's a reality show where they compete to get their own television show on the food network. It wasn't the contestants that annoyed me, but the judges. They were focussed too much on the persons personality, story telling, appearance and other celebrity qualities, and less on their actual cooking ability. I guess for entertainment and ratings purposes, I get it. But for the person who is just interested in learning something, it fell short. At that point I viewed the rest of their shows differently, and watching how it was more celebrity - ratings based than quality cooking and education. Sure, I get it, need ratings to get the sponsors to pay the bills, but its not what Im interested in.

I remember one of the early winners got a show which basically focussed on making a meal for like $10 ( I dont remember exactly, but something like this). What annoyed me, is she would talk about how her family just got back from Europe and all these exotic places ( nothing wrong with that), and then she would go on about making a cheap meal, often using ingredients that everyone should have on hand in their fridge , which were often expensive ingredients and would clearly run up the price if included in the cost of the meal. Just wasn't realistic or accurate ( and the recipes weren't that great either).

I remember back in the day when I was a student and limited myself to $3 a meal. I had no income, and my wife made like $6 or $7 an hour. Trust me, I knew how to make a cheap meal, and where to shop to get the best value for my money. I also wasn't flying back and forth to Europe, nor did I have expensive ingredients in my fridge or pantry. Whats great is, it forced me to be creative, and to this day, I still make some of the things I made when I was broke ( sure with a some extras I couldn't afford back in the day, but my limitations and creativity were able to produce some decent meals).

 

[GA Home Cook]

Very few "shows" I care about either. I remember the day when we moved over to cable and I wanted to make sure Food Network was on the list. Only thing I care about now is Ina Garten, who to me, truly teaches things. Cooks Country and ATK are still my favorite. Although I do miss the some what "odd" Chris. Oh yeah and some of the old reruns of Alton Brown.

 

[Mad Cook]

So much of the "celebrity" chefs' restaurants is about "Ooh, look at me!" rather than "Here is food which has been lovingly prepared so that the customer will enjoy his/her evening in my restaurant". I agree that "meat and two veg" every time you go out to eat is boring but I'm afraid I've got bored with gimmick-y food. There are many restaurants in the nearest city to me where the various chefs seem to be involved in a completion with each other to put the weirdest dish on the menu and charge the most ridiculous price and you're served by scruffy, ill-mannered oik who knows
little or nothing about what they are putting in front of you or about customer service.

And these restaurants don't last - read the bankruptcy reports for fashionable restaurants in your area! Yet Simpsons-in-the Strand in London (I used to be taken there when I had a "well-heeled" boyfriend!) is booked up for weeks in advance and has been going for nearly 200 years on precisely what the trendy chefs are trying to persuade us is old-fashioned food that no-one is interested in eating - and the waiters are knowledgeable and polite without being servile!

And you don't need to pay Simpson's prices. If you come to England you can do a lot worse than eat in a country pub which has a good reputation for its food.

Perhaps I'm biased in that I come from a family background of people involved in all areas of the food business - from the field to the plate, so to speak. Including a cousin who trained as a chef in the Royal Navy and was responsible for a banquet where the guest of honour was George Bush Snr. (no brussels sprouts on that menu)

 

[Mad Cook]

Very few "shows" I care about either. I remember the day when we moved over to cable and I wanted to make sure Food Network was on the list. Only thing I care about now is Ina Garten, who to me, truly teaches things. Cooks Country and ATK are still my favorite. Although I do miss the some what "odd" Chris. Oh yeah and some of the old reruns of Alton Brown.

I'm with you on Ina Garten. I've learned a from her, too.

"Triple D" has a sort of horrid fascination. The discussion with the chefs is interesting but when the customers are eating platefuls of cholesterol-laden food I can't help waiting for one of them to collapse with a heart attack.

We don't get the others that you mention but on your recommendation I'll look out for them.

 

[Addie]

I like the simple, no frills PBS shows.

Me too. They tell you how and the why of each step they take. I have been watching PBS since Julia started the whole interest in cooking good meals for your family. And since they took Kimball off ATK and Cooks Country I think the show is so much better. Unfortunately, they are still hanging on to some of the old stuff. But with a few more quirks and changes, it will still be a better show than when he was in charge. He was really upset when they incorporated and voted him out. But he put up a good fight. If you look at one of your back issues you will find the letter he wrote to the viewers regarding the changes that were coming to both shows. And he was not to be part of either one. But as a consolation, they gave him Milk Street. I simply cannot get my head wrapped around that show. He still is the same ole Chris Kimball. Following the same manner that he used on the other shows. At least, Julia learned and changed for the better the longer whe was on the air.

Also, is it my imagination, or are they filming more episodes of each show than they were before? And they are making available the recipes more available to the public for a longer time before you had to pay for them.

Yeah, bit change in both shows, and I for one like it. Wake up Chris, before you find yourself without a show at all.

 

[JustJoel]

Re Food Network Star, it was kind of a fun show when it first started, because they actually gave the winners their own show, a few of which lasted for more than a week or two. And it was fun to root for your favorite, and dish (no pun intended) the ones you hated. I still look up some of Aarti deSequiera’s recipes on line, even though her show only made it one or two seasons. Indian food made simple for those of with neither the time nor money to buy esoteric Indian spices we’ll probably use only once. Some really good Indian “fusion,” too.

I watch Fox’s Master Chef, but like everyone’s already mentioned, it’s become more about the celebrity judges than the contestants, and both Ramsey and Bastianich don’t instruct as much as they insult and debase.

I still like Alton Brown’s Good Eats. It usually focuses on one ingredient or one dish, and Brown talks about food science a lot. But he’s so pedantic, and such a bad actor (and writer, if he’s the one writing the show) that sometimes I just need to change the channel.

 

[GotGarlic]

The only celebrity chef restaurants I've been to are Vivian Howard's The Chef and the Farmer and The Boiler Room Oyster Bar in Kinston, NC. She might be a bit of a different case because her show - A Chef's Life - is on PBS. We love it and have been to the restaurants three times. The food and service are consistently excellent - fun twists on familiar foods. The Southern Mule cocktail with jalapeño simple syrup and a sprig of rosemary was amazing Her cookbook won a James Beard award when it came out.

I haven't seen her there, but I have talked to her husband - who manages the front of the house - and the farmer she features on the show. We might go back again this fall.

Do none of y'all have DVD recording? The afternoon and evening shows on the Food Network are mostly competitions, but there are still several cooking type shows on. The Pioneer Woman, Trisha Yearwood, Guy Fieri's Ranch Kitchen, Giada's series in Italy and another on entertaining, Farmhouse Rules, Barefoot Contessa, Southern at Heart, Valerie's Home Cooking. I record a few of them.

 

[caseydog]

Perhaps I'm biased in that I come from a family background of people involved in all areas of the food business - from the field to the plate, so to speak. Including a cousin who trained as a chef in the Royal Navy and was responsible for a banquet where the guest of honour was George Bush Snr. (no brussels sprouts on that menu)

Actually, he was famous for talking bad about broccoli, but I doubt he liked Brussels sprouts, either.

CD

 

[caseydog]

Do none of y'all have DVD recording? The afternoon and evening shows on the Food Network are mostly competitions, but there are still several cooking type shows on. The Pioneer Woman, Trisha Yearwood, Guy Fieri's Ranch Kitchen, Giada's series in Italy and another on entertaining, Farmhouse Rules, Barefoot Contessa, Southern at Heart, Valerie's Home Cooking. I record a few of them.

I assume you meant DVR. I don't even have cable or satellite. I have to get my very few favored TV shows online.

BTW, for Alton Brown fans, he is planning to revive Good Eats under the title, Return of the Eats. That's all I know. Google time.

CD

 

[Dawgluver]

I've eaten at Emeril's NOLA in New Orleans, Morimoto's in Philly, and one of Bobby Flay's places in Vegas, all pre-Food Network saturation. The first two were fun experiences with decent food. Bobby's hamburger was nearly inedible it was so bad, and the waiter had to be reminded to bring out the included basket of rolls that we watched everyone else but us eating.

 

[caseydog]

I've eaten at Emeril's NOLA in New Orleans, Morimoto's in Philly, and one of Bobby Flay's places in Vegas, all pre-Food Network saturation. The first two were fun experiences with decent food. Bobby's hamburger was nearly inedible it was so bad, and the waiter had to be reminded to bring out the included basket of rolls that we watched everyone else but us eating.

I went to Bobby's MESA Grill in Vegas with a friend. We had an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert. The appy was very good, and the dessert was, too (even though I'm not a big dessert fan). The entrée was not bad, but not great, either.

I think the problem is that many of these chefs only enter these restaurants for public appearances and book signings. If your name is on a restaurant, you need to be their on a regular basis to make sure the food and service are up to the highest standards.

CD

 

[GotGarlic]

I assume you meant DVR. I don't even have cable or satellite. I have to get my very few favored TV shows online.

BTW, for Alton Brown fans, he is planning to revive Good Eats under the title, Return of the Eats. That's all I know. Google time.

CD

Yes, I meant DVR, thanks.

 

[caseydog]

One competition show that I like, as a format, but is seriously flawed in its execution, is Beat Bobby Flay.

You get to see some creative cooking, but in the end, the Judges clearly know which dish Bobby made. Bobby and the competitor are right in front of the judges, so they can see Bobby's facial reactions to critiques of his food. Many of them probably feel it is in their best interest to give him the win.

But, reality TV is not reality, whether it is cooking or cars.

CD

 

[caseydog]

There are a lot of good cooking videos on YouTube. Many of you already know about Chef John.

This guy, Brad Leone, is fantastic. He knows his stuff, and is really funny. Here are a couple of samples. Bon Appetit channel on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snxb_PSe3Ps

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adnaPmVSkqE

CD

 

[RPCookin]

​

Actually, he was famous for talking bad about broccoli, but I doubt he liked Brussels sprouts, either.

CD

Reagan is the one I remember who would not allow broccoli to be served in the White House.

 

[Andy M.]

I remember the elder Bush as the president who notoriously hated broccoli.

 

[Addie]

I remember the elder Bush as the president who notoriously hated broccoli.

What I remember is President Bush, the elder, stating that "now I am a grown man and I don't have to eat broccoli if I don't want to. And I DON'T WANT TO EAT IT EVER AGAIN. No matter what my mother says.

 

[caseydog]

I remember the elder Bush as the president who notoriously hated broccoli.

Yes, you are right, it was the elder Bush. It stirred up way more commentary than it should have. We all have foods we don't like.

CD