Celebrity Chefs

Rachael Ray and Her Love for Cooking

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If there’s one female celebrity chef that I admire a lot (and I know there are many of us who do), it has to be Rachel Ray. Cooking may not be her main profession but this famous talk show host can really cook and has excellent skills that can compare with the real chefs out there. Her cooking and hosting skills are incomparable.

I watch the Rachael Ray show as often as I could when I have the time. I used to watch her Rachael Ray Vacations as well. But it was only lately that I learned that this amazing woman actually has four shows in the Food Network and 14 best-selling cookbooks. Currently, she also has a magazine called Every Day with Rachael Ray and has a line of kitchen products that are of vibrant colors (orange, yellow green, red and yellow) unlike the usual black and silver colored ones we’re used to seeing.

Rachael is also a devoted wife to John Cusimano. She’s proud of her man whom she features in her show every now and then. And if you think that she’s too tired to cook for John when they get home after a busy day, think again. She loves to cook at home and the favorite dish her husband craves for every time is Carbonara. Rachel even describes as “extra sexy” her eating Carbonara in big servings with husband John especially at midnight.

Rachael was exposed to the art of cooking at an early age when she was around three or four years old. Being the daughter of a restaurant owner, she would often watch her mom cook and then she would try it out herself.

As she was growing up, Rachael got more exposed to a variety of cooking techniques courtesy of her maternal grandfather and the family of her dad. Her family owned a number of restaurants in Massachussets and Rachael herself got involved in several jobs that dealt with food and drinks until she got into TV hosting.

If you like to learn some quick yet delicious recipes for your every day meals, just tune in to the Rachael Ray Show. You’ll not only learn to prepare and cook food but will get updated as well on your favorite celebrities.

Photo via ew.com

Originally posted on October 8, 2012 @ 7:01 am

Train to Become a Celebrity Chef

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Celebrity chefs of today have inspired many young people to consider a career in culinary arts.  Even the not-so-young working professionals have been observed to be showing incredible interest in the field.  This may be due to many reasons but it is quite clear that immense financial possibilities and popularity form the core of this renewed interest in cooking careers.

Steps in Training to Become a Celebrity Chef

1. Get the Required Education

Enrolling in a Culinary Arts Program provides advantages in terms of the basic and “academic” learning that may be needed by chefs.  Available programs range from certificate courses to master’s degrees.  The appropriate program would depend on the skills and education already acquired prior to the program.

2.  Get the Experience

Graduates of cooking schools do not automatically become good cooks or chefs.  Experience is probably the single most important factor in determining whether a chef is destined for greatness or not.  There are actually several famous chefs who have gone on to stardom on the strength of their extensive experience rather than by virtue of academic honors.

3.  Identify the Career Path Desired

Celebrity chefs have different fortes in which they excel in.  It is best for an aspiring celebrity chef to identify which path he desires and work on that choice vigorously.  This may involve internships and apprenticeships under a preferred celebrity chef, and further formal and specialized training.

4.  Create an Identity

No chef can ever be a celebrity if he is not able to set himself apart from the rest.  This may be done by operating a restaurant of his own while seeking to develop a unique brand that will identify him.  Nowadays, joining competitions on TV appear to be the most commonly practiced route to stardom.  Even non-winners eventually find themselves recipients of offers if they managed to get the attention of producers.

5. Never Stop Learning

One of the secrets of celebrity chefs is that they never stop at their laurels.  They continue to learn and evolve so that they remain current with the times while maintaining their established image.  Celebrity status comes with work and responsibility.

An aspiring celebrity chef can either put his career on the hands of fate or he can do what most celebrity chefs have done which is to train hard and work hard.

About the Guest Blogger:

Gina is a recruitment officer who regularly handles applications on jobs for chefs.

Originally posted on October 4, 2012 @ 9:32 am

Healthy Celeb Recipes

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lamb kebabs

Gourmet cooking is often about packing in the flavor with lots of butter, cream, and rich ingredients, but even celebrity chefs make healthy recipes. When Paula Deen was revealed to have diabetes, people were quick to criticize her unhealthy Southern food as the cause, and even she has come out recently with healthier versions of her favorite recipes. After all, these chefs go home and pull food out of their own refrigerators and freezers to prepare meals they eat day in and day out. When you’re looking for delicious food that will keep you healthy, turn to some of these healthy recipes from celebrity chefs.

Roasted Chicken from Tom Colicchio: It’s time for fried chicken to move aside, thanks to Tom Colicchio’s recipe that uses just three tablespoons of oil to make a delicious roasted chicken. The secret is to brown the chicken in a pan beforehand with a little bit of peanut oil to get the crispy skin, and then to baste it with butter and its own juices as the chicken cooks, infusing the whole bird with flavor. Stuffing the chicken with fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme provides extra flavor, too. [Read more…]

Originally posted on March 20, 2013 @ 10:33 pm

Chef Rocco’s Chicken & White Bean Soup with Spinach & Parmesan

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Rocco_DiSpiritoI have been trying to eat healthy in the past month, and I have to say that I think my efforts are paying off! First thing I did was to quit eating so much fried food – believe it or not, I used to eat fried something every single day. Another thing was to buy more chicken and fish and less beef and pork. Of course, looking for easy but good recipes was the next step.

In the course of my search, I ran across a recipe from Rocco DiSpirito. It combines three of my favorite ingredients – chicken, beans, and parmesan. It also makes use of spinach, but I am thinking that if I don’t feel like it, it can be removed from the recipe.

Buy
FRESH: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts; basil; baby spinach; Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
STAPLES: Crushed red pepper; low-sodium chicken broth; salt and pepper
PACKAGED: Pasta sauce; cannellini beans

Ingredients
3 14-ounce cans low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons tomato-and-basil pasta sauce
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced thin
Salt and pepper
6 ounces prewashed baby spinach
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. In a Dutch oven, bring chicken broth, pasta sauce, cannellini beans, and crushed red pepper to a simmer. Turn heat to low.
2. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper; add to broth. Gently poach chicken, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes. (The broth should barely simmer.)
3. Stir in baby spinach. Continue cooking soup until spinach is wilted and chicken is just cooked through, about 2 minutes more.
4. Stir in basil; season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into bowls, and top with grated cheese.

Nutrition facts per serving: 407 calories, 43g protein, 36g carbohydrate, 10g fat (3g saturated), 10g fiber.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe adapted from Rocco Gets Real by Rocco DiSpirito, Meredith Books, 2008.

Let’s go try it!

Recipe courtesy of Fitness Magazine

Originally posted on November 29, 2010 @ 6:30 pm

Tomato Soup Ala Giada

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giada-delaurentiis-2-0807Giada DeLaurentiis may not be my favorite celebrity chef, but this recipe of hers warms my heart – and stomach. Many of you are probably enjoying your beautiful surroundings, courtesy of the snow that has fallen everywhere, but I am also sure that you cannot help but dislike the cold that it brings with it. The next time you go out into that cold winter day, make sure that you have some of this soup ready for you when you get back – you’ll forget your irritation for sure.

Hearty tomato soup with lemon and rosemary
Giada DeLaurentiis
Makes 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 15-ounce can cannellini (white) beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• Zest of one lemon

DIRECTIONS
I made this for an après-ski menu on “Everyday Italian.” It is quite hearty and the beans give it nice body without making it too thick. The whipped cream garnish is beautiful and becomes even more fragrant as it slowly melts into the soup.

In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, covered.
Puree the soup in a blender in batches, being careful to remove and discard the bay leaf. Return the soup to a soup pot and keep warm over low heat.

Season with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks. Fold in the lemon zest and the remaining teaspoon of rosemary. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and dollop each bowl with the lemon rosemary whipped cream. Serve immediately.

In the recipe provided by MSNBC, this soup is supposed to go excellently with panini. Visit the article for the panini recipe, or choose your own bread to go with the soup!

Originally posted on November 22, 2010 @ 3:11 pm