The much celebrated cooking show, Iron Chef America, is making history – it just filmed an episode at the White House, no less! The news is that First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed the cast and crew with open arms. She was even the one who introduced the secret ingredient at the beginning of the show, sidelining the Chairman. Another important aspect of the episode is that the food that the chefs prepared came from the vegetable garden of the White House. In addition to this, this is the first time ever that a First Lady is going to appear on a TV show. Talk about breaking new grounds!

CNN tells us more about the show, which is going to air in January:

The episode will feature White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford as well as celebrity chefs Bobby Flay, Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse.
Cook-off judges include British chef Nigella Lawson, actress Jane Seymour and U.S. Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin.

During her appearance, Obama spoke about the influence that cooking shows like “Iron Chef” have on the American perception of healthy foods. “It’s going a long way to help change the way this country thinks about food,” she told the chefs.

So is this just a stunt for the TV show? I think it’s also more of an attempt on the part of the First Lady to get the word out about her efforts to promote healthy eating in the country. I say it’s a great way to attract the attention of people!

Photo courtesy of Diet Food Pyramid

But nothing is sweeter than having a plethora of desserts piled in front of you, is there? My uber sweet tooth got the best of me when I heard that Top Chef is going to have a spin off dubbed Top Chef: Just Desserts. The show is supposed to be aired some time next year.

No other details have really been released as of yet. We do not have an idea as to who the judges will be. We do not know who the contestants will be. The people behind the show are not sitting idle, though. As early as now, they are starting to get people together for casting. They say that over the next few weeks, screenings for cast members will be held all over the country. For sure, we will be meeting a lot of new pastry chefs when the show starts airing.

I, for one, will be a big fan of this show. Top Chef has already caught the attention of so many people and while the idea of focusing on desserts is not that novel, the format of Top Chef is certain to create a buzz. I am already starting to imagine all the concoctions that they will whip up in the show – and I am telling you that my mouth is watering! Another plus that I can see is that having this spin off will assure Top Chef fans of a year-round dose of the show. Now can you think of anything sweeter than that?

If I were to meet celebrity chef Jamie Oliver face to face (or even simply talk to him on the phone), that would be the question to ask. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but he is currently working on a new TV show, titled Jamie’s American Road Trip. The filming of the actual footages is over and done with, and some tidbits of information have been released.

The Telegraph recently published a feature on the 34-year-old chef, and they revealed what is perhaps the most exotic dish that Jamie Oliver has sampled to date. You guessed it – sheep’s penis. The new TV show revolves around Jamie’s trip all over the United States to sample local dishes. Of course, one would normally think of hamburgers and hotdogs; but the Naked Chef went out of his way – literally – to get a taste of the “real” America.

In Arizona, he bypassed famous American fast food chains and went deep into the desert instead. He paid a visit to an almost extinct American Indian tribe in a Navajo reservation. There, he was treated to a plethora of traditional dishes, many of which the tribe has been enjoying for more than a thousand years.

The highlight of the visit? Sheep penis and intestines. YUM! Jamie, like most hosts of foodie shows, has a strong stomach and an even stronger spirit when it comes to trying out new food. A source from the production team says, though, that the sheep’s penis was quite a test for Jamie.

So, Jamie, what was it like?

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has always been a favorite of critics. Who can blame them? The chef does not seem to have public relations on his priority list anyway. He has never masked his foul mouth – on air or off air. He slammed an Australian TV personality and likened her to a pig. Why should anyone wonder when reservations at his restaurants have spiraled downward? Why should anyone wonder when exposes have been done about his dishes being pre-prepared at a location separate from the restaurants?

We are only starting the second half of the year and the critics do not seem to be done with Chef Gordon Ramsay yet. The latest issue? His restaurants are overpriced and disappointing.

Several newspapers have already published these “findings,” as reported in the most recent edition of Harden’s London Restaurants. According to the magazine, even Ramsay’s main restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea, has gone down the drain. This is quite surprising as, only last year, the restaurant was hailed as the best foodie experience in all of London!

In spite of all the bad reviews and publicity about his restaurants, however, Ramsay still has staunch supporters. There is Fox TV, which has renewed his contract for the TV series Hell’s Kitchen. It is running its 8th season. A special is also in the works, titled Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live. The chef also seems undaunted by the setbacks as he is opening restaurants in London and Italy.

Time will tell, along with the food and service that the chef continues to offer discerning gastronomists.

Gordon Ramsay is perhaps one of the most controversial celebrity chefs today. His foul mouth and raging temper is known all over the world, and is always seen in his TV shows. For the Australian audience at the Good Food and Wine Show, Chef Ramsay has gone too far.

This time, Ramsay had TV personality Tracy Grimshaw in his targets. He pulled out a picture of a naked woman on her hands and knees. The woman was in the likeness of a pig, with multiple breasts. To the dismay and shock of the audience, he went on to say that that woman was Tracy Grimshaw. He didn’t stop there, though, and proceeded to make jokes about the journalist’s activities and sexual preferences.

With lots of women and children in the audience, it is but expected that they all got huffy about the incident.

LG, a major sponsor of the event, has not commented on the incident. Ramsay’s spokesperson, however, says that it was merely a stunt – a joke – and should be taken as such. She said that “He really respects her as a journalist, it was just a joke. She interviews him every time he comes to Australia; they have a great relationship.”

I have to say, Ramsay does have a tendency to be a little rough on people. You only have to watch one of his shows to realize that. Joke or not, I have to agree with the audience in saying that it was tasteless and inappropriate. How about you?

Are you a fan of making the impossible possible? Then you probably love Food Network’s show Dinner: Impossible. Hosted by Robert Irvine, the show is packed with excitement as he struggles to meet deadlines with ambitious goals.

The bad news is that the season will end in August of this year. The good news is that the channel has already given the go signal for a new season. From Monsters and Critics, we get the dish on the chef and his show:

Every Wednesday at 10pm ET/PT, he accepts a variety of missions like an extreme dinner for 200 Winter X Games athletes, preparing odd but tasty combinations of food for 450 Yahoo! employees or taking a gamble on a mission at the renowned casino at Mohegan Sun. Can he complete the task before time runs out or will it be Dinner: Impossible?

Born in England, Irvine began cooking at the age of 15, when he joined the Royal Navy. As part of his service, he worked on board the Royal Yacht Britannia where the Royal Family and their entourages regularly dined.

In addition, Robert participated in a guest chef program, allowing him to cook at the White House.

In his 25 year-long career, he had the opportunity to serve 6,000 servicemen and women on a US aircraft carrier and plan the menu at a spectacular celebrity-studded after-party at the Academy Awards.
Robert also wrote a cookbook entitled “Mission: Cook!” (Harper Collins, 2007). He currently owns his own multi-faceted company, The Irvine Group.

I guess we’re up for more exciting episodes once they finish taping.

Who is your favorite celebrity chef? I bet that I would get tons of different answers from each of you. More so, I bet that all of them would be at least 30 years old. I would even go as far as to say that no one would be less than 20 years old, much less someone who is 5 years old.

But yes, there is a celebrity chef who is aged 5! His name is Julian Kreusser and boy, is he cute! At this very young age, Julian says that he has always dreamt of having his own cooking show, well, at least since he was four years old. Now that he is five, his dreams have come true. Talk about getting your wish!

Julian is the host of The Big Kitchen With Food, a TV program that is shown over the Portland Community Media. True, it is not The Food Network or some other big cable channel, but hey, how many 5-year-olds can say that they have their own cooking show?

I have never seen his show, but Sylvia McDaniel, the executive director of Portland Community Media, says that viewers are loving Julian and his show. She says that in spite of his age (did I mention that Julian is only 5?), he actually understands what he is doing and is not simply following orders.

What can I say? I have to see this show. Heck, I can’t even trust my 8-year-old brother to make me a scrambled egg yet!

There is no dearth of cooking shows these days. From the United States to the United Kingdom to Asia – shows featuring one celebrity chef (or a group of them) are everywhere. So why should we be excited about Top Chef Masters?

If you have not already heard, Top Chef is one of the most popular shows, but the previous season is over. I am pretty sure that a lot of you are having Top Chef withdrawal right now, so this pece of news about Top Chef Masters should whet your appetites somehow.

So back to my question, why should we be excited? Here are a few reasons. One, there will be 24 chefs in the show, all of them pitted against each other. Not one, not two, not even 12, but a whopping 24!

Two, the successful formula that has been followed in Top Chef will be followed in Top Chef Masters. This is certainly something that a lot of people will appreciate (Top Chef withdrawal symptoms remember?).

Three, the line up is more than interesting – both for the judges and the contestants. For the judges, how do Tom, Padma, and Gail sound? Previous winners are always interesting for me. We also have some surprise judges thrown in – writers and produces of Lost, for example. As for the contestants, they are only some of the most well known personalities in the restaurant scene.

For more details, visit the Top Chef Masters web site.

You have to admit it, celebrity chefs fulfill more than the role of being cooks. While they most probably came to fame because of their cooking skills, they are also engaged in so many other activities that they are involved in. This time, we have Michael Quinn encouraging people to stay away from the dangers of alcohol and drugs. The Lancashire Telegraph recently did a feature on him:

An educational visit from a celebrity chef educated Blackburn College hospitality students about the dangers of drink and drug abuse.

Michael Quinn, centre left, told his harrowing tale of how he went from receiving an MBE, being a head chef at the Ritz and cooking for the Queen, to becoming penniless, homeless and narrowly escaping death because of alcohol abuse.

The chef uses his personal experiences to warn young people of the slippery slope to alcohol and substance addiction in the industry, and delivers seminars at various institutions all over the world.

While a good drink is always welcome to top off a great meal, it is general knowledge that moderation is the key. Then again, sometimes indulgent tendencies get the better of us. To this, the celebrity chef says:

“Alcohol is readily available in hotels, restaurants and bars and because it can be a stressful job, young people need to be educated about the dangers of getting into bad habits.”

For those who didn’t know, Quinn was actually an alcoholic himself. The realization that he was one was a big thing for him and now he is using his experience to reach out to others as well. Bravo!

Now that sounds rather fun, doesn’t it? Food fight? Heck, count me in! So what is this all about? TV channel 4 in the UK has gotten together 4 of the most popular celebrity chefs in the country. Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, Heston Blumenthal and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall – these are the 4 heavyweights that will battle it out over the 2 weeks that the show will be aired.

So what will the platform be? Would we be seeing something similar to Iron Chef? As much as I love that show, I find the idea of this food fight quite interesting as well. The platform is such that each of the celebrity chefs would have his own program and his own challenge. Let’s meet the challengers.

Heston “The Geek” Blumenthal
His challenge? To turn Little Chef restaurants into something of a success. Currently, these restaurants do not have the best reputation. The Geek has £350,000 and 6 months to do his job.

Gordon “Raging Bull” Ramsay
His challenge is to “force” the locals to eat out at restaurants. It could be a tough one since people are cutting back on extra expenses.

Jamie “The Kid” Oliver
The pretty boy chef is going on a campaign to rescue British pork. He needs to encourage the people to buy locally grown pork products as opposed to cheaper imported ones.

Hugh “The Squire” Fearnley-Whittingstall
If Jamie is to take on the case of pork, The Squire is going to take up for chicken.

Now the variety in the challenges is sure to present interesting episodes, isn’t it?