Celebrity chefs often gain fame from having a television show. The term celebrity chef is often seen as derogatory by those chefs who eaned their title through school and hard work. As we all know, it takes a lot of sweat and practice to be a professional chef, cooking for many people none of whom are related to you.

The show Iron Chef gives the celebrity chefs a chance to prove that they aren’t just for show. Iron chef show began in Japan and a spin off was later made called Iron Chef America. In both shows, there are preselected Iron Chefs. These chefs are masters at their craft. In the US, The Iron Chefs are Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, Masaharu Morimoto (who was also an Iron Chef in the show in Japan) and the first female Iron Chef, Cat Cora.

Every week a challenger comes forward. These are chefs with good reputations theselves in the cooking field. They choose which Iron Chef with whom to do battle and then they are given a secret ingredient which they must use in all their dishes.

It is a tough battle with only 30 minutes to make a full course meal. It challenges each chefs creativity and ability to the limit. It is also a great show because it shows that no true chef works in the kitchen alone. He has to have a great team - who themselves are great in their respective areas.

The question is: whose cuisine will reign supreme?

If you are looking for something light to read, check out Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. Written by New York Chef Anthony Bourdain, the book was a bestseller when it first came out in 2000 and it is still an interesting read now. Originally written as an expose of what really goes on in the restaurant business, the book is funny and entertaining. If you’re expecting a cookbook, this isn’t the book to read.

There are some fascinating and quite important tips included in the book. For example, do not order the fish on Mondays since this usually isn’t fresh but 4 day old stock. He also mentions that some establishments do recycle their unused bread.

Kitchen Confidential though also talks about something that most people forget. Professional cooking isn’t an easy task. It is work, and sometimes hard work at that. The book talks about what the life of a cook is really like - not the glamorized version we see on TV. This book reminds us that there are many people behind the scenes who put together the meals we all love.

This book is better than any reality TV cooking show if you want entertainment and learn something about the restaurant business. It is now available in paperback in stores.

Everybody loves pasta. Pasta is an easy dish to make, flavorful and can be made in an endless number of ways. The limit of the dishes truly is in our imagination.

Mario Batali and Giada de Laurentiis worked together with 10 celebrities to bring forth, in authentic Italian style, pasta recipes that these celebrities absolutely love. Some of the recipes have been handed down in the families of these celebrities for generations. There are recipes from Pierce Brosnan, Harrison Ford and Tony Danza - just to name a few. Thanks to chef Batali and Giada de Laurentiis, everyone will now be able to make these well loved recipes with ease from the comfort of their own home.

Perhaps the best news is that anyone can download this special cookbook for free up to this February 2007. By downloading this cookbook, pasta lovers also help a charity because Barila - the publisher of the cookbook - is donating $1 for every copy of the cookbook downloaded, up to $100,000, to America’s Second Harvest - the food bank network of the United States. Anyone interested to get a copy can simply click here.

Celebrity chef Rachael Ray continues to grow and evolve. She is constantly trying new things. The latest of her new experiences: walking down a runway in the Heart Truth Red Dress Collection Charity Event.

The show was the kick off event for the New York Fashion Week. It was intended as a way to increase awareness of heart disease. Instead of the usual ultra thin fashion models walking down the ramp, curvy healthy and normal women were showing off the dresses for this event, each one walking down the ramp in her own style. Rachael Ray was visibly nervous, but she pulled it off, flashing her signature big grin at the foot of the runway and pretending to wipe her brow at successfully making it down the ramp without mishap.

Ray was the only celebrity chef sashaying down the runway. Some of the other ladies were actors Kim Cattrall, Angela Basset and Phylicia Rashad. Astronaut Mae Jemison and American Idol finalist Katherine McPhee took a turn on the runway as did athlete Billie Jean King - who got a standing ovation.

Frank Bruni, the New York Times’ renowned food critic visited Gordon Ramsay’s first New York restaurant, The London. Sadly, the rating came to a mere two stars out of a possible four. In his critique, Bruni wrote that he found the place “unexciting” and the food “predictable and lacking in inspiration”.

The rating was a surprise. Gordon Ramsay’s other establishments have had much better ratings. The fiery chef’s food is normally able to command better reviews. To be fair though, Bruni did note that some dishes did earn his “compliments to the chef”.

Bruni also noted that the decor was unimaginative, with the exit sign the most eyecatching object. He wrote that he felt he was “in a space capsule floating through a supra-national limbo” while eating in The London. Not exactly the most appealing of settings.

While a two star rating from the New York Times may mean very good but it falls far short of expectations for a restaurant of Ramsay’s. Looks like some adjustments in the kitchen will be happening to add more “excitement” as Bruni suggested.