PrintIn it for the money, or for the love of cooking?
I was watching a cooking show on TV the other day and it got to me thinking about the amount chefs out there. I wonder what the ratio is for a the chefs that really authentically love to cook and those that are in it for financial gain. There are so many celebrity chefs out in the world today, the industry is saturated with cookbooks, kitchenware,tv shows, even t-shirts...its ridiculous. It is obvious to me that some really do love to cook and love to be involved in our culinary culture. What chefs do you think are in it for the money, or the love of cooking???
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
Start Talking!
Need a question answered? Have advice to share? Start a Talk topic now!
Sign up to get your questions answered and share advice.
4 Comments:
Kitchen work is hard on your body, the hours are terribly long and the money is not great unless you are in the very top tier—you'd have to be nuts or at the very least very naive to start a kitchen career thinking you'll get rich. Having said that, I'm going to point my fingers at two Food Network stars who've never worked in kitchens: Sandra Lee and Rachael Ray. Celebrities, yes; chefs, no. Their shows make me sad for the tastebuds and health of the people that watch them.
Lia Bulaong at 10:10AM on 03/05/07
Amen lia! I many years ago did not go to culinary school for just that reason. If I have to cook for a living it will become a job. No matter how many times my husband says catering do catering, I say no. When people order food in a restaurant (and some of us are more guilty than others) they are sometimes not happy. Catering is a pain in the %$&#. People act like lunatics about food. My soup is not hot enough, my meat is overcooked. Just think about cooking for you own family but on a grander scale.
After watching NBC's the Restaurant and Top Chef and watching Emeril for 13 years (then going to his restaurant in Orlando and was so dissapointed at the menu and the food) I realize that I should have gone to restaurant management school because today that who is running the restaurants, corporate offices.
Little family owned places exist but the older ones are closing up more and the new ones fail 99% of the time.
If I was going to start a food business I would want a bakery. Ask anyone this is the biggest love and hate food business you can have. Remember "its time to make the donuts" guy. Bread and cake are work.
For now I will cook in my own kitchen. My love of food and all things food will never go away. My love of a job will never be food related.
JerzeeTomato at 1:48PM on 03/05/07
It's a good question. Ruhlman's last book (Reach of A Chef) took a nice look at it as well, and is worth reading. I hate to be too much of a Ruhlman fanboy, but there was quite the discussion about the mainstream acceptance of FoodTV after Bourdain's FTV-programming dust-up.
Any chef that's active in the "culinary culture;" that's who is in the industry for what it is, not necessarily what it pays. Achatz talking thoughtfully in his last piece in the Chicagoist. Bourdain freaking out about...well, whatever in the culinary landscape that has him freaked out. Don't tell me they're only in it for the cash. It's the ones we don't hear from candidly I'm suspect of (though not exclusively).
The folks that are involved, and more importantly - the one's we don't hear of in all of the mags, blogs, and whatnot. There's your heart and soul. They're the one's doing it because they want to. They're working at our favorite places, often near anonymously - and certainly without the book deals. Kicking out 65+ hour work weeks and five-digit salaries, and digging it no matter what sort of whuppin' a Friday night puts on 'em? There's your folks that aren't doing it for licensing rights.
Celeb chefs and three-star rooms are great - don't get me wrong, but let's not forget to give up a little lovin' to our regular restaurants, bistros, and the like. Those places you go for a meal when it's not a special occasion, but because you want a good meal. I'd wager you'll find more of the chef's you're looking for here, with or without a line of cookware.
Now, how do I get down off this soapbox?
corycm at 6:37PM on 03/05/07
This is a great topic and I have wondered the same thing since I think all these cookign shows are out of control. I beleive back in the day most of these people start of doing this for the love of cooking. As these shows became more popular I believe it is more about money and compettion and what products/books they can sell.
Before Rachel Ray became the TV cooking nazi that she is today I thought she was great and loved doing what she was doing. Now I beleive it is all about money......
Sarah P. at 4:12PM on 03/07/07