How Celebrity Chefs Share their Culinary Insights

The art of cuisine is probably as old as civilization itself. But it wasn’t until the late 19th century and the early 20th century, with the proliferation of journalistic media, that celebrity chefs started rising. When television came along, cookery shows displayed the talent of these chefs and live shows further enhanced their appeal. They became household names and people like me started dreaming of their kind of work and living their kind of life. So let’s take a look at two of the most famous celebrity chefs in history and find out what we can learn from them.     

Auguste Escoffier

Let’s start with Frenchman Auguste Escoffier who lived from 1846 to 1935. Ranked among the most influential cooks ever, Escoffier brought the conventional French cooking techniques to modern standards. Escoffier’s techniques were actually built on the style of Marie-Antoine Carem, another famous chef who is credited with codifying haute cuisine. All Escoffier did was simplify Careme’s elaborate style. But, being a restaurateur as well as a culinary writer, Escoffier was among the earliest celebrity chefs. There were also five mother sauces for which Escoffier codified recipes.

Escoffier’s book “Le Guide Culinaire” is still used as a reference as a guide for cooking and as a cookbook. His techniques continue to influence chefs across the world. But arguably, Escoffier’s greatest contribution was making cooking a respectable profession by bringing in discipline and order. He was given the title“King of chefs and chef of kings” -- earlier bestowed on Careme -- making him France’s most prominent chef in the early 20^th century. He was the secret behind the success of the Paris Ritz and London’s erstwhile Carlton Hotel, both originally part of the Ritz-Carlton group.

 

Anthony Bourdain

From the past let’s come to a more recent period, the time of American Anthony Bourdain (1956-2018). As much as Bourdain was known for his cuisines, he was also a major media figure. He has written many bestselling books on food including “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly”, and also essays and articles that have appeared in various leading newspapers and publications.

But Bourdain really became a household name with his TV shows, primarily “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations” that ran from 2005 to 2012. It all started with “The Cook’s Tour” (2002-2003), which combined his culinary adventures with travels to various destinations of the world. His final TV show was “Parts Unknown”, where he focused on the politics and cultures of exotic regions along with the cuisine. One episode even featured the then US President Barack Obama. Apart from his own TV programs, he also appeared in other shows including reality shows such as Top Chef, and created YouTube videos as well.  

These two chefs were of two different eras, but their competencies were more than just culinary talent. They shared their culinary insights with the world. That’s what made them celebrity chefs. And that’s the quest of Peter Theodorou as well, looking to make the world a better place with good food.

Why Peter Theodorou Recommends Natural Food

Natural food has the advantage of being free from artificial ingredients. You are one with nature and, as a result, your body stands to gain a lot.

Traits that Differentiate a Chef from a Cook

Ever wondered what distinguishes a cook from a chef? There is one basic principle at work here – the cook cooks, but the chef puts imagination to work. The chef doesn’t just cook, he/she brings culinary ideas to life, draws inspiration from cuisines around the world as well as trends beyond the world of cuisine, and takes great effort in presenting the cuisine in an inspiring manner. In other words, the chef adds art and life to an otherwise mechanical task. While chefs learn a lot through hotel management and gastronomic schools, they need to have an innate desire to learn new things, and the ability to imagine and think outside the box.  

Going Beyond Where a Cook Treads 

The word “chef” compulsorily implies an individual’s role in a professional environment, unlike a cook who could be performing his/her task event at home or in some kind of domestic environment and not necessarily a restaurant kitchen. A chef usually has an experience of somewhere from two to four years of serving in a professional environment. Anyone can be a great cook but not necessarily a great chef. That title is reserved only for the best of the best cooks who look to satisfy not just the taste buds of their guests but also give them an experience permeating to their inner mind. 

Distinguishing Between a Chef and a Cook

• The word “chef” originates from the French language, a term called “chef de cuisine” or “chief of the kitchen”. And that kitchen is usually one of a palace or a high-end restaurant. The term “cook” doesn’t necessarily convey that professionalism.
• Another important distinction is that a chef usually has a team of cooks under him/her. Each member of the team has a specific task to perform, as directed by the chef. This delegation is necessary because of the expansiveness of the setting and also the requirement to create culinary masterpieces that are perfect in every way and satisfying the highest standard.
• A cook usually works in an environment where the focus is on food that tastes good and not necessarily satisfying a particular kind of palate, and where presentation isn’t necessarily as important as it is for the guests of a chef. There can be several cooks serving under a chef, but in domestic settings and less professional environments the chef usually handles all aspects of cooking and preparation of the meal.    
• A chef often plays an integral part in designing the menu at major restaurants. The entire reputation of the restaurant hinges on the capability of the chef. Chefs who conquer hearts with their cuisine end up becoming celebrities. 

If you’re a cook but have the imagination and talent to go beyond what you’re doing now, all you need is the required education and training. Everything else comes from inside, as celebrity chef Peter Theodorou realized on his road to the top.  

A Page from the Life of History’s First Celebrity Chef

The celebrity chef trend isn’t new to the 21st century. Marie-Antoine Careme is considered the first celebrity chef in the world, and he lived back in the late 18th and early 19th century. He rose from just a kitchen boy for a Parisian chophouse at the age of 8 to probably the most popular patissier among the social elite of Paris, France, so much so that even the great Napoleon Bonaparte requested his services.

The Right Contacts Make the Difference

The key point in Careme’s life came at age 15 when he became an apprentice to a famous patissier, Sylvain Bailly, in a high society neighbourhood in Paris. Bailly was highly influential in Careme’s development as a highly sought after chef. But it wasn’t just on the baking table that Bailly exerted his influence.

In fact, Careme’s informal education owes a lot to Bailly. Bailly’s encouragement made Careme educate himself on various aspects. It was at the Bibliotheque Nationale that Careme spent his free time studying books on architecture and art. That would prove crucial in his culinary career. Art and architecture impressed him so much that he incorporated what he saw in the books into his baking. Careme started making pastry shaped in the form of famous buildings and various architectural attractions.

Pastry Replicas of Architectural Marvels

While he was still a teenager, Careme would create pastry replicas of Chinese fortresses and Athenian architectural ruins out of crumbled confectionary. Some of these edible replicas towered 4 feet high! All these made Bailly’s bakery a much sought after place among Parisians, who would just gaze at the window of the bakery to view these masterpieces being displayed. All it took was marzipan, sugar and pastry.

All that elaborate baking made him one of the early exponents of grande cuisine, a genre of French cuisine specializing in the high art. Careme later started his own shop called the “Patisserie de la rue de la Paix.” The astronomic rise of Careme is a testament to the promise the career of a chef holds. It also offers a lesson in what separates a chef from a cook – imagination and a desire to push the boundaries.

Peter Theodorou has certainly done a great deal of that to become one of the most well-known chefs in the United States. So can you. Remember, there’s more than just education and a college degree for being a successful chef – there is imagination!