Celebrity Chefs

Dinner: Impossible Up For Another Season

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imagephpAre you a fan of making the impossible possible? Then you probably love Food Network’s show Dinner: Impossible. Hosted by Robert Irvine, the show is packed with excitement as he struggles to meet deadlines with ambitious goals.

The bad news is that the season will end in August of this year. The good news is that the channel has already given the go signal for a new season. From Monsters and Critics, we get the dish on the chef and his show:

Every Wednesday at 10pm ET/PT, he accepts a variety of missions like an extreme dinner for 200 Winter X Games athletes, preparing odd but tasty combinations of food for 450 Yahoo! employees or taking a gamble on a mission at the renowned casino at Mohegan Sun. Can he complete the task before time runs out or will it be Dinner: Impossible?

Born in England, Irvine began cooking at the age of 15, when he joined the Royal Navy. As part of his service, he worked on board the Royal Yacht Britannia where the Royal Family and their entourages regularly dined.

In addition, Robert participated in a guest chef program, allowing him to cook at the White House.

In his 25 year-long career, he had the opportunity to serve 6,000 servicemen and women on a US aircraft carrier and plan the menu at a spectacular celebrity-studded after-party at the Academy Awards.
Robert also wrote a cookbook entitled “Mission: Cook!” (Harper Collins, 2007). He currently owns his own multi-faceted company, The Irvine Group.

I guess we’re up for more exciting episodes once they finish taping.

Originally posted on May 19, 2009 @ 11:11 pm

How’d You Like Sheep Penis, Jamie?

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Jamie-Oliver_1494770cIf I were to meet celebrity chef Jamie Oliver face to face (or even simply talk to him on the phone), that would be the question to ask. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but he is currently working on a new TV show, titled Jamie’s American Road Trip. The filming of the actual footages is over and done with, and some tidbits of information have been released.

The Telegraph recently published a feature on the 34-year-old chef, and they revealed what is perhaps the most exotic dish that Jamie Oliver has sampled to date. You guessed it – sheep’s penis. The new TV show revolves around Jamie’s trip all over the United States to sample local dishes. Of course, one would normally think of hamburgers and hotdogs; but the Naked Chef went out of his way – literally – to get a taste of the “real” America.

In Arizona, he bypassed famous American fast food chains and went deep into the desert instead. He paid a visit to an almost extinct American Indian tribe in a Navajo reservation. There, he was treated to a plethora of traditional dishes, many of which the tribe has been enjoying for more than a thousand years.

The highlight of the visit? Sheep penis and intestines. YUM! Jamie, like most hosts of foodie shows, has a strong stomach and an even stronger spirit when it comes to trying out new food. A source from the production team says, though, that the sheep’s penis was quite a test for Jamie.

So, Jamie, what was it like?

Originally posted on October 6, 2009 @ 11:23 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

Julian Kreusser: Wonder Celebrity Chef

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32267_1_230Who is your favorite celebrity chef? I bet that I would get tons of different answers from each of you. More so, I bet that all of them would be at least 30 years old. I would even go as far as to say that no one would be less than 20 years old, much less someone who is 5 years old.

But yes, there is a celebrity chef who is aged 5! His name is Julian Kreusser and boy, is he cute! At this very young age, Julian says that he has always dreamt of having his own cooking show, well, at least since he was four years old. Now that he is five, his dreams have come true. Talk about getting your wish!

Julian is the host of The Big Kitchen With Food, a TV program that is shown over the Portland Community Media. True, it is not The Food Network or some other big cable channel, but hey, how many 5-year-olds can say that they have their own cooking show?

I have never seen his show, but Sylvia McDaniel, the executive director of Portland Community Media, says that viewers are loving Julian and his show. She says that in spite of his age (did I mention that Julian is only 5?), he actually understands what he is doing and is not simply following orders.

What can I say? I have to see this show. Heck, I can’t even trust my 8-year-old brother to make me a scrambled egg yet!

Originally posted on May 14, 2009 @ 11:10 pm

Iron Chef In Washington

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michelle_obama_kitchen2The much celebrated cooking show, Iron Chef America, is making history – it just filmed an episode at the White House, no less! The news is that First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed the cast and crew with open arms. She was even the one who introduced the secret ingredient at the beginning of the show, sidelining the Chairman. Another important aspect of the episode is that the food that the chefs prepared came from the vegetable garden of the White House. In addition to this, this is the first time ever that a First Lady is going to appear on a TV show. Talk about breaking new grounds!

CNN tells us more about the show, which is going to air in January:

The episode will feature White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford as well as celebrity chefs Bobby Flay, Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse.
Cook-off judges include British chef Nigella Lawson, actress Jane Seymour and U.S. Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin.

During her appearance, Obama spoke about the influence that cooking shows like “Iron Chef” have on the American perception of healthy foods. “It’s going a long way to help change the way this country thinks about food,” she told the chefs.

So is this just a stunt for the TV show? I think it’s also more of an attempt on the part of the First Lady to get the word out about her efforts to promote healthy eating in the country. I say it’s a great way to attract the attention of people!

Photo courtesy of Diet Food Pyramid

Originally posted on November 6, 2009 @ 10:09 am