Celebrity Chefs

Fat Panel: Stay Away From Celebrity Chefs

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learn-how-to-prevent-039-heartburn-039-caused-by-fatty-food-feasts-2I am in an argumentative mood. I am not sure why but perhaps reading all these things targeting celebrity chefs is contributing to it. In my previous post, Jamie Oliver was being attacked by pregnant women in metal cages. Now I read about a Fat Panel saying that celebrity chefs offer recipes that have too much fat in them.

The Straits Times had a write up on this a few days ago:

A REPORT from United Kingdom group, the Fat Panel, has found that the single servings of recipes in celebrity chef cook books contain too much fat.

Some recipes from celebrity chefs like Nigella Lawson and Gordon Ramsey’s were found to have more than the entire daily recommended fat intake of 30g for men and 20g for women said a report on Friday.
‘Celebrity chefs are incredibly influential when it comes to what we eat,’ dietician Sian Porter said. ‘While these delicious meals are fine as occasional treats, people do not realise the health implications.’

Mind you, I am not a big fan of either Nigella or Gordon Ramsey but hey, aren’t we thinking adults here? If you see a recipe and you decide to make it, wouldn’t you figure out if there is too much fat in it? And wouldn’t it be up to you to decide whether or not to make it anyway?

Come on, people of the Fat Panel. Don’t take away our treats. Let us decide if we want these recipes or not.

Originally posted on March 31, 2009 @ 8:16 am

Gordon Ramsay Slammed For Overpriced Fare

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gordon_ramsay-730834Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has always been a favorite of critics. Who can blame them? The chef does not seem to have public relations on his priority list anyway. He has never masked his foul mouth – on air or off air. He slammed an Australian TV personality and likened her to a pig. Why should anyone wonder when reservations at his restaurants have spiraled downward? Why should anyone wonder when exposes have been done about his dishes being pre-prepared at a location separate from the restaurants?

We are only starting the second half of the year and the critics do not seem to be done with Chef Gordon Ramsay yet. The latest issue? His restaurants are overpriced and disappointing.

Several newspapers have already published these “findings,” as reported in the most recent edition of Harden’s London Restaurants. According to the magazine, even Ramsay’s main restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea, has gone down the drain. This is quite surprising as, only last year, the restaurant was hailed as the best foodie experience in all of London!

In spite of all the bad reviews and publicity about his restaurants, however, Ramsay still has staunch supporters. There is Fox TV, which has renewed his contract for the TV series Hell’s Kitchen. It is running its 8th season. A special is also in the works, titled Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live. The chef also seems undaunted by the setbacks as he is opening restaurants in London and Italy.

Time will tell, along with the food and service that the chef continues to offer discerning gastronomists.

Originally posted on September 6, 2009 @ 5:37 pm

Mario Batali Heads Back To The Kitchen

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So where has he been all this time? Haven’t we seen him in the kitchen in the past several years? I know I have been watching him on TV cooking this whole time!

The matter of going back to the kitchen for Chef Mario Batali is as real as can be, though. He means actually cooking – for real – and not for a TV audience. As you may have heard from other chefs, TV cooking is not the same as actually making your own food in the kitchens of your restaurants. We’ve already heard so many critics lambasting celebrity chefs. They’re too busy cooking on air. They’re too busy running their restaurant empires. They’re not in touch with the real chef in them.

Well, Batali is not content to do that anymore. He wants to go back to his roots and is undertaking a gigantic project. Some time this year, he is set to launch six new restaurants for Eataly. Nice name, huh? But not as nice as what Batali is supposed to be cooking up. Time reports:

There will be a meat restaurant, a fish one, a pasta and pizza operation, a vegetable restaurant, a panino bar and a brewery-gastropub on the roof deck. It’s a giant undertaking, but Batali is a force of nature. He is creating all of the restaurants himself, after having spent years away from cooking. Whether he can pull it off remains to be seen. But he’s psyched to be even trying.

Well I am psyched for him, my favorite American Iron Chef!

Originally posted on February 28, 2010 @ 11:36 pm

Celebrity Chef Conman Sentenced To Jail

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GoldsmithNext time someone approaches you and says they have connections to Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsey, or any other celebrity chef, think twice. Especially if the person is named Kenneth Goldsmith.

Actually, you do not have to worry much about Goldsmith anytime soon. He has been convicted of his crimes and has been jailed, where he will stay for the next 3 ½ years. Goldsmith hails from Norton Disney, Lincolnshire in the United Kingdom. He has conned a lot of people into thinking that he was a trained chef and that he is good friends with renowned celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsey. His modus operandi was to convince entrepreneurs to invest in his “business.” Using his supposed connections with the other REAL celebrity chefs, he was able to persuade a lot of people. The result? He was able to live an extravagant lifestyle, which he enjoyed with his girlfriend Kirsty Emmans.

Naturally, the scam came to light, as most other scams normally do. The couple were caught, tried, and sentenced. In the meantime, the celebrity chefs in question walk away smelling like roses.

I find it quite funny how Goldsmith made up stories about his relationship with the chefs, though. There is this one story about how, when they were much younger, Goldsmith flushed Jamie’s head down the toilet. Now why would anyone want to do that?

And what do Oliver and Ramsay have to say about this? Nothing, I guess. They have not released statements, and perhaps they should just keep it that way.

Originally posted on August 10, 2009 @ 6:15 pm

Jamie Oliver Takes On Childhood Obesity

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JamieOliverPA_450x300Jamie Oliver has always been known for taking up causes close to his heart. As we start a new year, he is making the headlines yet again. The cause? Childhood obesity.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but children these days are leaning towards the big size. It could be because of the amount of food they’re consuming. It could also be due to the quality of the food. Then again, there could be other factors such as the level of physical activity that children engage in nowadays. I am quite sure, however, that all these play a role in the tendency to be unhealthy.

Some non-profit groups in the United Kingdom have banded together, and Jamie Oliver is taking part in their activities as well. He actually recently won $100,000 from TED due to his efforts. The money is intended to fund the celebrity chef’s campaign to improve school lunches in the United Kingdom in terms of their nutritional value. Dubbed “Feed Me Better,” this campaign has been going on for quite some time and has gained a lot of interest.

I wonder if other celebrity chefs will be interested in undertaking similar projects? Take a look around you, in the United States – children are even in more need of help in terms of eating healthily and avoiding all the complications that childhood obesity can bring about. Maybe the change does not need to stem from someone like Jamie Oliver. Maybe you and I can do something about it, even in our own little ways.

Originally posted on January 10, 2010 @ 4:49 pm