With a dozen best-selling cookbooks tucked under his belt, Jeff Smith, is best known for hosting the popular American cooking show that began in Washington. The show was aired in PBS from 1988 to 1997.

Smith was a United Methodist who graduated at the University of Puget Sound in 1962 and Drew University in 1965. His first run at food ventures was the Chaplain�s Pantry where he held cooking classes to the public and stored deli and kitchen supplies as well.

Being in the celebrity status that he is in the world of cooking, Smith has had his share of controversies as well. Legal issues concerning sexual harassment in the 70�s were just some of the trials that Smith had to go through.

Known to be the food genius that he is, Smith has authored several books under his wing including The Frugal Gourmet (1984), The Frugal Gourmet Cooks with Wine (1986), The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American (1987) and The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines: China, Greece, and Rome (1989).

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Chef Mary Berry started out as a broadcaster and is known to be one of the well-respected cookbook writers that the United Kingdom has produced. She is also known for her signature cakes which sold over 350,000 copies. Chef Berry typifies the role of a plain housewife who should know her way around the household, something that most of her avid viewers have followed in her shows over BBC.

Outside her evident signature trait of making extra ordinary cake recipes, she has also written over 40 cook books including The Aga Book. Her approach towards cooking is branded as family style emphasizing on healthy recipes that focus on fresh ingredients rather than cholesterol animal fats, something that most people of today are quite particular about. With her exposure on various TV shows, Chef Berry has gained headway and prestige, all through her continuous efforts through tri-media, including magazines that are bought worldwide.

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Chef Ann has an incredible and impressive list of achievements and credentials in the course of her culinary career. Among these accomplishments include that of Chef of the Year awards and winning national American Culinary Federation awards.

Chef Ann Cooper works as an industry services consultant for the Culinary Institute of America, a corporate chef and as a consultant to various restaurant and hotels located around New England. Ann was among the first 50 women to be certified as an executive chef by the educational arm of the American Culinary Federation.

Chef Anne has also published a book titled “A Woman’s Place in the Kitchen” that narrates the vision of women and their role around the kitchen. It contains both traditional and innovative approaches that women have had in the field of cooking. She also authored another book, “The Sustainable Kitchen” that will surely make the grade and be a hot commodity among aspiring chefs of today.

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Taking his cue from the family business Chef Cesare Casella enrolled at the Culinary Institute Ferdinando at the age of fourteen. After graduation, he applied his knowledge to their family restaurant which eventually became a famous regional destination spot. After some time, all of Chef Casella’s work had paid dividends, attracting various personalities who have acknowledged his fascinating dishes that have become a signature trademark for him.

His rise to stardom started to accumulate by the year as he was eventually named the Executive Chef of Coco Pazzo that produced sister restaurants Il Toscanaccio. But seeing that he should also find security for his talent, he opened his own New York Restaurant in 2001, Beppe and in Maremma in 2005.

He has also written three books, Diary of a Tuscan Chef, Italian Cooking for Dummies and True Tuscan. He has also appeared in various food networks where he showcases his unique style of cooking that has been acknowledged worldwide.

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Eunice Kennedy Shriver is known to be the executive vice president of the Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation and honorary chairperson for the Special Olympics. Her main goal is to be able to provide support in enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities all throughout the world. With such efforts comes a moniker that is used by people to associate with certain bake goodies.

Such was the tag given to an extra ordinary way of presenting the usual baked cookies that people are used to. While the recipes for preparing such are almost similar to that of mixing baking powder, vanilla, cream butter and sugar, the twist comes in when the butter is brushed and sugar is sprinkled to produce the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Sugar Cookies. This recipe was originally founded in 1989 during the Winter Games which contain heavy cream for the people who savor their sweet tooth demands.

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The world knows him as a foul mouthed, mean tempered dictator in the kitchens who just happens to have a talent in the kitchen and a restaurant empire to prove it. His shows Hell’s Kitchen and F-show are titled aptly, most feel. Yet one wonders if this is really Gordon Ramsey or is this all part of the show.

Gordon Ramsey answers the question himself in his new book, Roasting In Hell’s Kitchen. This autobiography gives quite an insight into the man who is in command of this kitchen. Imagine that he himself was surprised when he first saw the first tape of his show. He wondered if he really seemed such a bully. In spite of the way the shows portray him, Gordon Ramsey says he really isn’t that bad. He’s a perfectionist because he wants to be the best at everything he does.

In the book, Chef Ramsey writes about growing up with a father who beat his wife and children. He opens up about the disappointment of losing the dream to play soccer when his knee got injured. He talks of his devotion to his family and the loyalty of his staff. It truly makes Gordon Ramsey very human.

“Roasting in Hell’s Kitchen: Temper Tantrums, F-Words, and the Pursuit of Perfection” is available courtesy of HarperCollins.

Among the many chefs and celebrity chefs that abound, Matsuhisa Nobuyuki is a celebrity among his peers. He is a true treasure - a fantastic chef and true artist.

Chef Matsuhisa began as a Shinjuku Sushi Chef in Japan. A customer invited him to open a restaurant in Peru and the chef took the risk. He later decided to give up Peru and move to Alaska were misfortune caused his restaurant to burn after a mere 50 days. Not one to give up easily, Chef Matsuhisa opened another restaurant. California was his chosen venue this time and the first Matsuhisa was born.

Currently, Chef Matsuhisa has 17 restaurants spread out across the world. They can be found in California, Colorado, London, Milan, New York, Tokyo, Las Vegas, Greece and Hong Kong. Each Nobu and Matsuhisa restaurant has wonderful food made from the heart and excellent service - factors that are a requirement for this chef.

Chef Matsuhisa is a very unassuming person. He doesn’t grandstand but he is considered by many the master of Nouveau Nipponese food. If you love Japanese food, you will definitely want to go to the nearest Nobu or Matsuhisa. Be sure to make your reservations as early as possible.

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Christmas is the season for giving and receiving and Wolfgang Puck has certainly received a very nice gift this Christmas. He and fiancee Gelila Assefa welcomed their second son last December 18, 2006. They have named the baby Alexander Wolfgang Puck. He weighed 7 pounds and 3 ounces at birth.

Puck and Assefa now have two children together, both of them boys. They named their older child Oliver, who was born in July, 2005.

The Austrian chef also has two other children from his previous marriage to Barbara Lazaroff, his business partner. Again both of the children were boys.

Wolfgang Puck must feel like he’s on top of the world. A new son, loving family and business is going great. The latest addition to his restaurants, Cut, is so popular it is hard to get reservations to eat there!

There really isn’t much more that he can ask for. Now that’s a truly a great way to end the year.

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Born on March 29, 1964, Ming Tsai was never a stranger to great food. His family owned a restaurant called the Mandarin Kitchen in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio. Ming Tsai worked alongside his parents gaining valuable experience.

Ming Tsai has a degree in mechanical engineering from Yale. He also holds a masters degree from Cornell University where he studied Hotel Administration and Hospitality Marketing. He studied under renowned Pastry Chef Pierre Herme in Paris and he later studied with Sushi Master Kobayashi in Osaka between earning his two degrees.

Ming Tsai had been exposed to East West cooking when he was in Paris. He gained more exposure to it when he worked at Silks, the Mandarin Oriental San Francisco’s east west restaurant, as a sous chef. Later he moved to Palo Alto, California where he served as the executive chef of the Ginger Club before moving again. This time he moved to Santa Fe to serve as executive chef of the Santacafe where he was honored as best chef.

Ming Tsai and his wife Polly now own their own restaurant, the Blue Ginger in Wellesley Massachusetts. It has earned many awards including three stars from the Boston Globe and Ming Tsai was honored 2002 Best Chef Northeast by the James Beard Foundation.

Ming Tsai has written three cookbooks. Blue Ginger East Meets West Cooking with Ming Tsai made it to the Food and Wine Magazine top 25 best cookbooks of 1999. His second book Simply Ming was published in 2003 and his third book Ming’s Master Recipes was released in 2004.

Ming Tsai first appeared on TV via the Food Network where he hosted the show East Meets West. The show won him an Emmy in 1998. Currently he hosts and produces the TV cooking show Simply Ming which was awarded the prestigious CINE Golden Eagle Award in 2005. You can also watch him on his other show, Ming’s Quest.

Ming Tsai is also a founding member of Chefs for Humanity, a charity organization created in response to the needs of those devastated by the tsunami in 2005. They organize fund raising and relief activities for those in need around the world.

For those of us who love reality TV shows or cooking shows in general, the name Gordon Ramsey is well known. The title of his reality TV show Hell’s Kitchen really catches people’s attention and his temper has left a few people gaping in amazement. Yet, people keep watching this amazing man and so his shows are still on air, in fact you may have caught his other shows The F Word and Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares.

At 15 years of age, Gordon Ramsey was playing professional soccer for the Glasgow Rangers until he sustained a leg injury. He gave up professional soccer and went back to college, completing an HND course in hotel management.

He first began working in the kitchens in Harvey’s in Wandsworth, with Marco Pierre White who is Michelin-starred chef. A couple of years later he moved to the Le Gavroche and worked alongside Albert Roux. Three years later he traded London for France and worked in the kitchens of Guy Savoy and Joel Robuchon. In 1993 Gordon Ramsey became chef of the newly opened Aubergine restaurant. It earned many awards and accolades including two Michelin stars within three years.

Gordon Ramsey also became an author. His book Passion for Flavour was published in 1996. It was followed by Passion for Seafood in 1999. His third book, A Chef for All Seasons was published a year later followed by Just Desserts in 2001. Let’s not forget Gordon Ramsey’s Secrets which was published in 2003 and there are still more books.

However, that isn’t all he is. He is also a restaurateur. His company currently owns and operates nine establishments, one of them in Tokyo and another in Dubai. He opened his very first restaurant wholly owned restaurant, Gordon Ramsey at Royal Hospital Road in 1998. It has been ranked 3 Michelin Stars since 2001.

Gordon Ramsey is a fiery tempered man and a perfectionist. He is also a world renowned chef, a man with a great business acumen, a published author, TV personality and restaurateur.