287200 Fri May 18 13:56:49 -0700 2001 6 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1543541 Over the past 10 years the role of chef as a celebrity has been growing. Many top chefs seem to be a cross between a rock star and a corporate executive, making time to looking over the P&L of their 10 restaurants between a photo shoot and a book signing. I am not critical of chefs that have sought and found fame and leveraged that fame into a successful brand. In fact, I applaud chefs that build organizations that produce excellent food, offer good service and pleasant surroundings in multiple locations around the globe. There are however, a number of organizations that start out as a great restaurant, yet fail to deliver in their other locations. So I put it to you, what is role of celebrity for the modern chef and how is it shaping the direction of culinary arts. Fri May 18 13:56:49 -0700 2001 0 Chris 1 1543545 The celebrity thang is good and bad in this profession,just like everyehere else.Having your fingers in a lot of pies makes you a hell of a lot more money,and you can spend time running here and there instead of busting your butt in the same hot kitchen day and night.The business has definitely been over-glamorized in the past decade,but in terms of bringing people into the schools and restaurant kitchens, has leveled off somewhat.All the tv shows have certainly helped educate people about food.I'd like it if there was a lot less show biz,and more information,but who am I kidding.... Fri May 18 17:30:52 -0700 2001 1543541 0 M.K. 1 1543551 Frankly, I'm getting abit tired of them. It seems that their shows are becoming more and more like travelogues. Hell, I saw Emeril lagasse walk into the Book and the cook with a security entourage complete with earpieces. I still like the PBS stuff and the GReat Chefs series (my dream is to have the entire series on tape!). the only thing I really like on the food network is "good eats" and "Taste". I don't even think Chef Du Jour is on anymore. and please get rid of that Ainsley what's his name. Christ what an annoying S.O.B. Ditto for Jmaie Oliver. His shows remind me of really bad ripoffs of "a Hard Day's Night". Sat May 19 14:21:17 -0700 2001 1543541 0 Pat i. 2 1543555 Hurrah and Huzzah for your common sense. Ainsley "Chicken George" Harriott is a blight on the UK and is now foisted on the US and my views on Jamie are well documented below. Few people were born with a face made to be slapped, but he is all of them S Sat May 19 17:09:39 -0700 2001 1543551 0 Simon Majumdar 3 1543588 Simon - Do you live in the UK or the USA? Your reference to Jamie Oliver brought back a memory of my engineering mentor in the aerospace industry. He used to call people like Jamie "Smackfaces". People who look so obnoxious that their faces just beg total strangers to to wail upon them with reckless abandon. When forced to deal with smackfaces he would wear finger puppets and force the half wit to talk to them. he would not answer any questions until they did. When they really got on his nerves he would twist a rolled up piece of bubble wrap which sounded like machine gun fire. this was accompanied by war dialog (he is a decorated Vietnam vet) like , "I'm HIT!!! MEDIC!! MEDIC!! CEASE FIRE!!! I SAID CEASE FIRE DAMMIT!!! They would run away screaming. I was in Barnes and Noble the other day and looked through a book on MPW. Don't know much about the guy - but the greasy wild hair and the intense "live and die for your "art" mentality (the quotes were hilarious) made the clueless Dharma and Greg posers and the tragically hip, black clad members of the jack Kerouac Liberation Army in the Cafe' seem normal by comparison. Give me the two fat ladies any day. PS: Oh and thanks a helluva lot for Graham Kerr. Mon May 21 15:05:26 -0700 2001 1543555 0 Pat i. 4 1543602 You can't blame us for Graham Kerr, he is an aussie. Jamie Oliver has, as we say here, a face you could never tire of slapping. Tue May 22 00:59:24 -0700 2001 1543588 0 Simon Majumdar 3 1543589 Was this guy ever a real chef? Did he ever cook in a real restaurant? Mon May 21 15:10:26 -0700 2001 1543555 0 PAt I