Which Celebrity TV Chef is actually the BEST CHEF?

[BreezyCooking]

Yup - good old Graham Kerr. When The Food Network was just getting off the ground, they used to air his old shows - as well as those of Julia Child - in the middle of the night. I'd get up specifically just to watch them.

 

[GB]

Graham Kerr was one of the first people I enjoyed watching cook on TV.

 

[Katie H]

I have 2 of Graham Kerr's original cookbooks. The pages have yellowed with use and age.

 

[AnthonyStanley11]

Bobby Flay...I visited his restaurants and I have nothing but GREAT THINGS to say about the entire experience. He knows what he is doing!

 

[DramaQueen]

Bobby Flay...I visited his restaurants and I have nothing but GREAT THINGS to say about the entire experience. He knows what he is doing!

You got that right. We go to the Mesa Grill here in Vegas and am always blown away at the originality and quality of his dishes. Never had anything less than awesome there.
Click on this, then menu [/URL]

 

[BreezyCooking]

Hey - even Anthony Bourdain, who is definitely not a fan of Food Network or its "stable" of "celebrity chefs", enjoyed the food at Bobby Flay's Las Vegas Mesa Grill. (It's on the "No Reservations" Las Vegas episode.)

 

[AMSeccia]

Graham Kerr was one of the first people I enjoyed watching cook on TV.

Me too, I remember watching him as a little girl!

 

[Glorie]

Graham Kerr was one of the first people I enjoyed watching cook on TV.

I agree. Besides Julia, he was a huge influence on me when I was younger and showed me how fun cooking can be!

 

[Jeff G.]

I forgot one... Chef Jeff Besh... personally I thought he beat Michael Simon for the Top Chef spot.

 

[Lefty7887]

(although he, also, wasn't a "chef" - lol)

He owned his own restaurant he was a chef.

 

[Andy M.]

He owned his own restaurant he was a chef.

Restaurant ownership doesn't automatically qualify you as a chef...

 

[PieSusan]

Me too, I remember watching him as a little girl!

I did, too! I thought he was soooo sophisticated.

 

[PieSusan]

Larry, I didn't take it as knocking him, I was just offering a possible explanation.

I have always been fascinated watching him because everything looks so easy and second nature when he does it. Also, he is explaining every step of the way. More of a teacher than a personality.

Exactly AndyM/ And you can add the following folks that I admire(d) about Julia Child, Maida Heatter, Nick Malgieri, Michelle Urvater, and Sara Moulton--all these fine folks are superb teachers. They are not just personalities or beautiful people to look at but they can offer a lot in terms of recipes, technique and how to choose quality food. I think that is one of the gifts my mom taught me. When I go into a grocery store, I know how to choose the best that I see and will change my menu rather than buy something that is not good.

 

[bullseye]

Anyone remember "Two Fat Ladies?" They could cook for me anytime...butter, mmmmm!

 

[jasonr]

Ramsay hands down. You can't argue with three Michelin stars. I also am a big fan of the original Iron Chefs, like Michiba. That guy is like the grand master. Sakai was great too.

I like watching the food network, but can't say I learn anything very often. It's just very hard to pick up anything useful from a typical cooking show. I do like that girl that does the French food show. She has this sultry quality that gives her this je ne said qua. And other nice qualities too that are always well documented by the cameras

But I think you have to distinguish between real chefs like Ramsay and TV chefs like Rachel Ray. In fact, as I recall, Rachel Ray even admitted she was not a real chef when she went on Iron Chef America to do that team match with Bobby Flay against Nigella Lawson and Mario Battali. (or maybe it was the other way around?)

 

[BreezyCooking]

Oooh - "The Two Fat Ladies". I LOVE them, & my dear husband gifted me with the complete DVD set of all of their tv episodes for Xmas this year (along with some Anthony Bourdain DVD's as well). It's been a real hoot watching them!!

 

[ChefJune]

Peter,

I don't know about anyone else, but the chefs I mentioned taught me things that have made my cooking so much better. I can turn out a decent meal without what I learned from them. But, I have turned out some dishes that were "memorable" applying techniques that I learned from them. I am very critical of my food, but I have managed to amaze myself on a few occasions.

Any one of them could cook for me. But, you said tv chefs.

If I knew when I was having my last meal, it would be Patrick O'Connell, from the Inn at Little Washington, who has chosen to run one establishment, and do it extremely well. He is also self taught.


The Inn was the first establishment in the Mobil Travel Guide's history ever to receive 5 stars for its restaurant and 5 stars for its accommodation.

The Inn was the first establishment ever to receive AAA’s highest accolade, the 5 Diamond Award, for both food and accommodation.

The Inn at Little Washington, and Chef Patrick O’Connell, has received 5 James Beard Awards including: Best Service, Best Wine List, Restaurant of the Year, Best Chef in the Mid–Atlantic and Chef of the Year.

The Inn has been rated one of the Top 10 Best Restaurants in the World by The International Herald Tribune.

The Inn at Little Washington dining room is rated number 1 in America by the Zagat U.S. Hotel Survey. The Inn has been rated number one in all categories (food, dècor and service) of Zagat's Washington D.C. restaurant survey for the past 14 years.

The Inn’s dining room has been rated #1 in North America, and #2 in the World, by Travel + Leisure Magazine’s ‘World’s Best Awards’.

The Inn has been awarded Wine Spectator magazine’s “Grand Award” for its wine list every year since 1995.

The Inn at Little Washington is a member of Relais and Controix and their restaurant group Relais Gourmand. Chef Patrick O’Connell is the president of the North Atlantic Relais Gourmand and serves on the International Board of Directors.

Robert Mondavi awarded Patrick O’Connell the Mondavi Award for Culinary Excellence and labeled him “the Pope of American Cuisine”.

The Inn received Cigar Aficiando's “Grand Cru” award for its wine list.

The Inn received the “Readers Top Table” award in Gourmet's Restaurant Issue.

curious, Toni, what tv show Patrick O'Connell cooks on or has cooked on, more than one guest appearance? That is one place I would LOVE to dine and stay at..... much moreso than The French Laundry.

I have been privileged to eat the food of (and to cook with in some cases) Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Emeril, Lidia Bastianich, and Mario Batali of the well-known tv "chefs." In every case, I would enjoy to repeat the experience. All produce (or produced) amazing, delicious food, and their company, while different in each case, was stimulating.

 

[ChefJune]

I agree with Jacques Pepin.
But what I thought was funny, is I had the pleasure to see him in action at a cooking show in September. He said that now, he goes to stop and shop, gets the pre cut vegetables, has the Butcher as stop and shop debone his meat .... He did everything from scratch during the demonstration. And there is nothing wrong with the precut stuff. I was just a little surprised to hear him say it.

Doesn't surprise me. His hands don't work as well as they did, so he saves them for cooking classes, demos and company dinners. for everyday, he knows what he's looking for, quality-wise. (I'm surprised the folks at the meat counter at his Stop and Shop can debone meat, tho.. My sister's experiences at her local supermarkets certainly indicate otherwise.)

 

[larry_stewart]

Well, Jacques seems to think his particular Stop and Shop did a decent job, since he mentioned it over and over again. What I liked is that he had no problems saying he did this. I admire and respect him %100.

 

[FincaPerlitas]

I'll cast my vote for Spanish chef José Andrés. He has a very popular cooking show in Spain and Latin America, Vamos a Cocinar, and although I've never seen it (I don't get PBS in Costa Rica) I understand he also has an English language cooking show on PBS called Made In Spain.

P.S. Last year he appeared on Iron Chef and handily beat Bobby Flay.