Gawker: Chefs

Americans Demand Imaginary 'Chef' to Prepare All Fast Food

Hamilton Nolan — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:27:17 EST

Fast food is a luxury these days. Fast food chains can no longer just set up a plastic lean-to on the side of any major highway and expect Americans to flock in for 99-cent anus burgers; now, they have to convince impoverished Americans that their "Val-U Men-U" items were prepared by a real live chef. More »

Boring Cannibal Chef Settles for Human Meatballs

Max Read — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:28:00 EDT

You'd think a professional chef who is also a cannibal would be into some ambitious human meat food, right? Nope! A 21-year-old Russian cook and (now-jailed) cannibal settled for some boring old meatballs and sausages. More »

Barefoot Contessa Fits Cancer-Stricken Child Into Busy Schedule

Maureen O'Connor — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:17:54 EDT

Three days after the internet shamed Ina Garten for rejecting a pediatric cancer patient's Make-A-Wish request to cook a meal with her, the Barefoot Contessa has agreed to fit a 6-year-old leukemia patient into her busy schedule. After twice rejecting Enzo Pereda's request, Ina is now pleading ignorance: More »

On Hell's Kitchen Finale, the Runner-Up Chef is a Really Whiny Sore Loser

Emily Chen — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:00:00 EST

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In the most aggressive season to date, Nona and Russell battled through sabotage, near fistfights, and incompetent teammates to make it this far. However, when the winner is finally announced, the second place chef doesn't take it gracefully at all. More »

Insult Yelpers at Your Own Risk

Eater.com — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 18:29:00 EST

Whatever you do, don't talk trash about Yelp users. If you do—like Denver chef Scott Parker recently did—then they'll do one of two things: More »

Mario Batali and Business Partners Sued by Angry Waitstaff

Richard Lawson — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 10:13:57 EDT

Rotund, Croc-clad celebrity chef Mario Batali, who also works part-time as Gwyneth Paltrow's spirit guide, is being sued by the waiters and busboys at his highly regarded New York restaurant Del Posto. The staffers claim their tips were pooled illegally. More »

Suicide Chef Also Had Coke Problem

Hamilton Nolan — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 09:16:41 EDT

New Jersey chef Joe Cerniglia, who once appeared on Kitchen Nightmares, committed suicide last week. Since then, his ongoing affair made the papers. And today, we find out he OD'd on coke last summer. Suicide kills reputations, too. [NYP] More »

Suicide Chef Had Bigger Problems than Gordon Ramsay

Hamilton Nolan — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 09:49:02 EDT

Joe Cerniglia, the chef and former Kitchen Nightmares contestant who committed suicide last week, was reportedly having an affair with his pastry chef. Suicide's tendency to make all your private peccadilloes public is just one of its drawbacks. More »

Second Gordon Ramsay Show Chef Commits Suicide

Hamilton Nolan — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 09:33:45 EDT

Joe Cerniglia, the chef at New Jersey restaurant Campania, jumped to his death off the George Washington Bridge last Friday. His death's in the papers because he once appeared on Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. Cause and effect overreach alert? More »

Iowa Chef Fined for Licking Toads

Adrian Chen — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:16:00 EDT

Iowa chef Christopher Turla was fined $335 after county health inspectors saw a video of him "kissing and licking" two small toads on a prep table in his restaurant's kitchen. So that's how chefs come up with those weird recipes. More »

Attack of the Tween Foodies

Hamilton Nolan — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 10:56:37 EDT

This is what America's sad obsession with cooking reality shows hath wrought: a whole generation of kids who attend "culinary summer camps" (by choice). Are 13 year-olds not unbearable enough? Must they be foodies as well? More »

Chef Arrested For Running Multi-Million Drug Ring Out of His Restaurant

Eater.com — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:40:13 EDT

Fred Wills, Jr.—chef and owner of Virginia Beach restaurant Big Daddy's: A Touch of the South—has been charged with running a cocaine and marijuana drug ring in four states, Eater.com reports. More »

Daniel Boulud Is Getting Divorced

Sergio Hernandez — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:48:09 EDT

Daniel Boulud—world-renowned chef, restaurateur, and occasional Top Chef guest judge—is adding another title to his resume: divorcé. More »

Anthony Bourdain Has No Reservations About Not Paying Authors for Their Work

Eater.com — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:14:54 EDT

So the ex-cook-who-tells-stories Anthony Bourdain is running a contest on his book's website, inviting people to submit a 500-word essay answering the question "Why cook well?" (or alternatively "What does it mean to cook food well?" It's a little confusing, they mean every so slightly different things.) More »

Former TV Chef Accused of Hiring Hobos for Murder

Ravi Somaiya — Sat, 15 May 2010 17:20:53 EDT

Juan-Carlos Cruz, report CNN, used to host Calorie Commando on the Food Network. He's now "accused of plotting to hire homeless people to carry out a murder," according to police in California. More »

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Will Try to Save the Unhealthiest City in America

Whitney Jefferson — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:48:24 EST

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British chef Jamie Oliver has a new television series where he's given the task of changing the way that the residents of Huntington, West Virginia eat. It's both entertaining and sad to see his efforts in the fattest American city. More »

Worst Cooks in America are the Biggest Crybabies in America

Mike Byhoff — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 11:25:46 EST

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In the arena of reality cooking competitions, Worst Cooks in America is definitely the most cringeworthy. Because not only are the contestants laughably incompetent, but their incompetence leads to constant emotional breakdowns. More »

Gordon Ramsay's Path To Easy Living

Hamilton Nolan — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:38:00 EST

You wouldn't know it by his calm, collected demeanor, but Gordon "You Donkey" Ramsay's restaurant empire is still facing significant financial troubles. We have a surefire plan to get you back on track, You Donkey! More »

Todd English Tries Out Something New

cityfile — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:43:00 EST

Todd English, the celebrity chef who abandoned his bride-to-be at the alter a few weeks ago, later claimed he ditched her after she assaulted him and sent him to the hospital, and has since been seen "sucking face" with mystery women at random bars around town, says he is "not dating right now." Instead, he's "taking it slow" and hanging out with his friends. Go figure! [NYM] More »

Event Honoring Gourmet Needs Gourmet People to Honor

Hamilton Nolan — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:21:02 EDT

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This Sunday, some of the world's most famous chefs are getting together in Manhattan and "honoring the editors,writers and staff of the legendary culinary publication Gourmet Magazine." The only thing missing: Gourmet staffers. Um...you know any? More »

Your Chef Is On Drugs

cityfile — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:43:00 EDT

The chef in this picture could be mixing some flour. But he could also be using the bowl to store his supply of coke. According to Jason Sheehan, a former chef and food writer, the odds that your next restaurant meal "will be prepared by someone on drugs" is "very high," since "cooks and coke go together like salt and pepper." It's not something they can help, mind you. Chefs are hard-wired to be coke fiends, Sheehan says, since "being a cook or a chef means being in the pleasure business," and is "the sort of person who has a yen for experimentation and excess." So if you're looking for ways to curry favor at your favorite restaurant, bringing a key of coke with you might not be such a bad idea. [TDB] More »

Dining with Tom

cityfile — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:23:00 EDT

If you spot Tom Colicchio eating out and he appears to be displaying bad table manners by not having his napkin on his lap, keep in mind it may have been an intentional move on his part. Colicchio's biggest pet peeve at restaurants: "I do not want the server to pick up the napkin and put it on my lap. I know it belongs there; maybe I don't choose to put it there." Duly noted! Oh, and if you should happen to invite Tom over for dinner and he takes you up on your offer, avoid preparing any dishes with okra or grated mountain yam, and make sure your fridge is stocked with Fresca. He'll be forever grateful. [NYT] More »

The Incredible Shrinking Celebrity Chef

Hamilton Nolan — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 09:40:33 EST

Give Gordon Ramsay money now, prats! The John McCain of food continues to bring the awesome on cooking reality shows. But he is severely impaired when it comes to bringing the money, to banks. More »

Celebrity Chefs Square Off

cityfile — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 09:34:00 EST

Could stress and anxiety over the state of the economy explain why so many celebrity chefs are getting a bit belligerent as of late? Anthony Bourdain went out of his way to launch a verbal assault on Alice Waters recently. And the war between Mario Batali and Gordon Ramsay has been heating up in recent days, too. Apparently, Batali made some critical comments about the Hell's Kitchen star more than a year ago, a move that prompted Ramsay to start calling Batali "fanta pants" in honor of the orange shorts he's long been fond of. More »

Sushi Chef Attacks

cityfile — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 09:10:00 EST

A bit of advice: Be nice to the man serving you toro tonight. A 23-year-old Brooklyn man says he was attacked by an out-of-control sushi chef who used his 12-inch "work knife" to "fillet" the man's face after the two got into a traffic dispute. [NYP] More »

Food Magazines Ready To Spice Up Poverty-Stricken America's Recipes

Hamilton Nolan — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 09:34:44 EDT

Yesterday we learned that our national diet is shifting towards cheap, simple meals like tomato soup and Kool-Aid because of the national economic meltdown. But that doesn't mean your tomato-Kool-Aid soup must be boring and plain! Publishers are flooding the market with a new crop of food magazines, just in time for our collective shift from a nation of gourmet snobs to a nation of bony, coupon-clipping scavengers. More »

Gordon Ramsay: The McCain Of Food

Hamilton Nolan — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:46:02 EDT

I love that asshole Gordon Ramsay. He combines all the best qualities we seek in television chefs: cooking skills, abusive language, a foreign accent. As well as the occasional tender moment! Kitchen Nightmares, the show where Ramsay travels to nice, homely restaurants in the New York area and berates their owners to distraction before showering them with thousands of dollars worth of new kitchen equipment, is coming back to Fox tomorrow night. And not a moment too soon—with the Republican convention wrapping up, where else will America turn for our televised dose of a blond man with an ill-concealed temper demanding that foreigners accept his help or be destroyed? See the parallels there, zing? Yes. Watch the trailer after the jump; the cockroaches represent Islamofascism: More »

Foolish British Chefs Start Feud With Gordon Ramsay

Hamilton Nolan — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:49:32 EDT

Most Americans are coarse oafs whose idea of fine dining is a grilled cheese sandwich with Grey Poupon on the side. So we all tend to like shouty British TV chef Gordon Ramsay, who screams cuss words at people on reality shows, which is behavior we all relate to. But other British chefs are not fans! Last week one Ramsay protege called him a "sad bastard" and said he hopes to never speak to him again. And today, famous chef Herbert Berger said celebrity cooks like Ramsay are "petulant," "spoilt divas," and act like "children." Berger, you donkey! You can't possibly hope to win this battle. Though I'm sure it's not fun to work for Gordon Ramsay, it is certainly fun to watch Gordon Ramsay exhibiting his forthright management skills when dealing with his inferiors in the kitchen, as he does in this helpfully uncensored clip from his show Kitchen Nightmares: More »

Lying Chef, Lying Governor Supported By Nobodies, Nuts

Hamilton Nolan — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 09:45:53 EDT

No matter how scandalous the situations that public figures find themselves in, it seems that there will always be some people willing to rise to their defense. Groups have sprung up to save the careers of both scandalized hooker patron/ Governor Eliot Spitzer, and disgraced former Food Network celebrity chef Robert Irvine, who was outed as a big fat liar and subsequently fired. Both those guys can use all the help they can get. Unfortunately for them, the types of people who form ad hoc online groups in support of fallen idols always seem to be non-influential nutcases (like Democrats!). More »

Massive Celebrity Chef Also Massive Liar

Hamilton Nolan — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:26:50 EST

Robert Irvine, the nerdy, crewcut, heavily muscled celebrity chef who rose to fame with his show "Dinner: Impossible" on the Food Network, may be suffering from a serious case of pants-on-fire. Irvine had big plans to transform the fine dining scene in St. Petersburg, FL with two new fancy restaurants. He ran around town entering partnerships, hiring consultants, and generally proclaiming himself to be a food VIP. But the local paper noticed that, three months after the scheduled opening date, the new restaurants are still unfinished construction sites. So they did some investigating [SP Times], and it turns out that most of Irvine's big-shot credentials are just a huge pile of unseasoned poop! More »

All Of New York City's Sexiest Chefs Gay, Married And/Or Ugly

Joshua Stein — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 13:25:57 EST

The Daily News is running a contest to pick New York's Sexiest chef, because it is apparently a blog now. You also enter a contest to win dinner for two. This dinner does not include "wine, beer, liquor or gratuities" and is "subject to availability." Fun! Of the eleven chefs, quite a few lounge in the littoral zone of heteronormative behavior and at least six are either married or in relationships. Also, approximately none of them is actually cute. Except perhaps Sam Mason of Tailor. And he's not only taken but the chef with the most vexed sexual identity. More »

Rocco DiSpirito, former celebrity chef and...

Choire — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 10:00:09 EDT

Rocco DiSpirito, former celebrity chef and now TV dinner spokesmodel, is the guest chef at the Conde Nast cafe today! Will he wear a hairnet? Will he make old-lady grunts while he ladles out the slop? Your first person accounts requested! Bonus points to anyone who nails him in a broom closet. Or to a broom, in a closet! No no, no violence. Just pity. [Eater] More »

Coming Soon: 'Who Wants To Be An American Citizen?'

Doree Shafrir — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 15:00:34 EST

Lost amidst all the brouhaha over illegal immigration, border fences, Minutemen, Lou Dobbs, etc., is the fact that there's a significant population of people who really need to get into this country, like, right now, and all those people sneaking in really aren't helping the cause! We're talking, of course, about foreign chefs who need to work at high-end New York restaurants so that Frank Bruni has something else to write about, who are apparently having trouble getting into the U.S. because the INS doesn't consider chefs to be workers with "extraordinary ability." Also, getting a specialty visa (one of 65,000 distributed annually) is pretty tough, because "these visas are often snatched up first by other foreign professionals, including fashion models." We're picturing a reality show, kind of like a Top Chef/Project Runway hybrid, with Padma Lakshmi hosting. The prize, of course, is a green card, and the chefs and the models are on different teams, and it would be kind of like the Apprentice, and they'd all be living in the same house, like the Real World, and then the chefs would hit on the models ... Hey, is this how reality shows get made? More »

Jason Neroni's Not Sweating This Whole Beard Award Thing, Okay?

Doree Shafrir — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 17:20:28 EST

Last week, the restaurant world was tittering about a post on New York magazine's food blog Grub Street about Porchetta chef Jason Neroni, who seemed to be soliciting votes for a Beard Foundation Rising Star Award, and while he was at it, noting that "Danny Meyer does it all the time." (Soliciting votes, that is.) Then Neroni emailed Grub Street defending himself. More »

Piggy Self-Promoter: Jason Neroni?

abalk2 — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 10:10:07 EST

So that self-promoting chef who sent an e-mail around asking his friends to make him a Beard Foundation rising star? No one has coughed up the e-mail yet, but we have it on good authority that it's none other than Jason Neroni, of Brooklyn pig purveyor Porchetta (home of the pork margarita). An earlier Grub Street item on the cook noted that he

credits Alice Waters and Dan Hill for teaching him about ingredients, Floyd Cardoz for teaching him about "multidimensionality," and Alain Ducasse for teaching him to "slow down, combine all the elements, and create a cuisine that I could, for the first time, truly consider to be mine."

No word on who gets the credit for teaching him punctuation, but that's probably for good reason. If you still want to send us the e-mail, go ahead, we'll be happy to append it to this post. More »

If Danny Meyer Does It, It's Not Illegal

abalk2 — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 17:25:36 EST

Grub Street notes an e-mail making the rounds from a desperate young self-promoter in the world of fine dining:

"hey everybody, I need your help!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE vote for me for rising star chef [in the James Beard Foundation Awards]! I will trully be indebted to you all. And if you really wanted to, fwd to all your friends and have them do the same thing. Accually please fwd this, it will help. Danny Meyer does it all the time."

The coy SOBs have edited any identifying material out of the letter, but surely it shouldn't be too hard to find? We'd love a copy, and we promise to name names. Also, we are kind of in love with the "Danny Meyer does it" excuse; we're particularly interested in knowing what joint this fellow cooks at and if they serve shit with their shitakes. More »