Celebrity Chefs

Anthony Bourdain and the Casa Nostra Chef

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Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain, the infamous traveling chef now on almost every lifestyle channel in existence- had quite a story to tell in one of his first bestselling books: “Kitchen Confidential“. Finally, after many trial and tribulations, he had found his sous-chef extraordinaire, Steven Tempel, for the Supper Club in New York, where Bourdain had just been made head chef. To say that Steven was eccentric was, according to Bourdain, putting it mildly…

Nevertheless, Bourdain reveals in the very frank and no nonsense book (as in how it really goes down in the restaurant business), Steven was somewhat of a genius. It turns out that Bourdain had recruited Steven from Casa Nostra Restaurant, in Northern California, where he had been working in the kitchen with “idiot savant” and “baking genius” Adam Real-Last-Name-Unknown!!

Kitchen Confidential is an excellent read and here at Celebrity Chefs we highly recommend it. As it turns out, the owner of Casa Nostra Restaurant (which was known for serving the best italian cuisine in town)- Joey Velardi, has recently opened up a branch in Manila, Philippines- where it is receiving rave reviews from the locals and in fact Bourdain recently visited for his show “No Reservations“.

Let’s hope Bourdain doesn’t steal the chef again 😉

Originally posted on November 4, 2011 @ 3:50 pm

The “Dos” and “Donuts” of Chef Endorsements

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chefs-nov-21.jpg

Celeb chefs are huge opinion makers, and it’s not uncommon for them to spin that image to their advantage by releasing cookbooks or endorsing products. But critics are wondering when they should draw the line. For example, Anthony Bourdain was disgusted by Rachael Ray’s decision to plug Dunkin Donuts, a product not really known for its refined flavor (more of refined sugar).

“She’s got a magazine, a TV empire, all these best-selling books — I’m guessing she’s not hurting for money,” said the Kitchen Confidential chef. “She’s hugely influential, particularly with children. And she’s endorsing Dunkin’ Donuts. It’s like endorsing crack for kids.”

The endorsement comes amid reports of increased juvenile diabetes, and in some people’s opinion, runs counter to TV chefs’ efforts to teach families to cook delicious, nutritious meals. Jamie Oliver, after all, actually went school cafeterias to think of non-greasy alternatives to the average school lunch.

Originally posted on November 21, 2007 @ 11:06 pm