Lights, Camera, Kitchen Action

by Clare Kaufman

Always dreamed of a career in show biz? Don??t bother moving to Hollywood--these days, you're more likely to get discovered in cooking school. Many top chefs have become top entertainers. Emeril, Giada, Batali??they may be stellar chefs, but it's their captivating personalities that keep us tuned in.

In 1993, The Food Network debuted with a mere three hours of programming. Today, the network broadcasts cooking shows 24/7. Where did The Food Network producers find all those culinary celebrities? They didn't--they created them.

A Who's Who of the brightest stars in the celebrity chef constellation includes:

• Emeril Lagasse. Emeril got a culinary arts degree, then went on to apprentice in France before returning to the United States to build the 'Emeril Empire.' He was already an established chef and restaurateur when The Food Network made Emeril a household name.
• Giada de Laurentiis. The gorgeous, blue-eyed host of Everyday Italian had a successful catering business and no experience in the entertainment industry when The Food Network offered her the show. Fortunately, she did have solid chef skills honed at culinary school and at a number of restaurants including Wolfgang Puck's Spago.
• Jamie Oliver. Oliver's culinary training led him to a position at the famed River Caf?? in London, where he learned "about the time and effort that goes into creating the freshest, most honest, totally delicious food." He appeared in a documentary about the restaurant, and his culinary star quickly rose. Today, he's not only The Naked Chef on TV, but also the founder of a cooking school for underprivileged youth.
• Mario Batali. After years of culinary training that took him from London to a small Northern Italian village, Borgo Capanne, Batali opened a succession of New York restaurants. But his true calling has proved to be entertainment--he stars in four cooking shows, Molto Mario, Mario Eats Italy, Ciao America, and Iron Chef America.
• Rachael Ray. A champion of corner-cutting recipes and boxed ingredients, Ray has nonetheless won over her culinary critics with her straightforward, practical meals. Another Food Network invention, Ray was a chef at a gourmet food company before landing her own show, 30-Minute Meals.

Stardom--of the showbiz, not Michelin variety--has lured chefs out of the kitchen and into our living rooms. The food television revolution is evident in The Food Network's success: its viewership has ballooned to 90 million, and the network posted a 23% increase in profit in its 2006 second quarter.

Celebrity chefs are made, not born. "Being a great TV chef is an acquired skill, one that requires good instruction and lots of practice," comments food writer Jolene Thyme. A number of culinary schools have added a 'Cooking on Camera' elective to teach aspiring celebrities the basics of great TV--stay in camera range, keep up the repartee, look at your audience, and, most importantly, let your natural charm shine through.

Sources: GourmetFood—About.com,RetailNet.com,Scripps.com,The Food Network,TVWeek.com

About the Author: Clare Kaufman is a freelance writer and editor. She has also taught college writing and completed a Ph.D. in English.