What cook or chef has greatly influenced and inspired you and why?
May 23, 2009 by Culinary Tips and Reviews
Filed under Chefs and Cooking
Can you answer Anne99’s question about Culinary?:
Who do you love, in the cooking world and why or why not?
Who do you love, in the cooking world and why or why not?
Have you ever worked for a tempermental chef and what happened?
Culinary Feedback: You should be doing your own homework, not trying to get someone to write an essay for you
Culinary Feedback: Emeril because he is the best, his use of spices and seasoning and the way he presents his dishes.
Culinary Feedback: Emeril. I like his style and concoctions he comes up wit. He can put a twist into tried and true recipes. Kicks it up a notch!
A few years ago I had a restauranteur feature my Tex-Mex…and he took all the credit! He asked me to do it again the following year, and I said I thought he did just fine “without me”.
Culinary Feedback: alton brown.
He’s not a chef but i love how he explain the process of cooking a certain dish.
rachael ray
need i say more?
Culinary Feedback: 1. my grandmother
2.Jeff Smith- The Frugal Gourmet
3.Aunt Dorothy
4.Emeril
I have never had any kind of culinary training. However, I love to cook. According to my family and friends…I’m GIFTED, when it comes to preparing food. Gotta give credit, where it’s due : )
Culinary Feedback: Celebrity chefs are indeed amazing, they’ve worked really hard their entire lives to get where they are.
I find that I am for more inspired by the chefs that teach at my school. Every single chef there has given up a fantastic, well-paying job to come teach us how to become GREAT.
We have pretty small classes and so their teaching is a whole lot more hands-on. I still like to watch the Food Network, but I would have to say the person who has inspired me the most is Chef Grady Blair.
If I have to say someone famous, then it would be Lawrence McFadden… he took his ACF Master Chef’s test in 2001 and scored off the charts in EVERYTHING. He’s now the corporate chef for the Ritz-Carlton and I would absolutely love to study under him.
Edit:
Sorry, meant to answer the tempermental part:
My last job, wasn’t even back of the house. I was just a hostess. I moved pretty far to come to school so I took the first thing I could find.
The exec was an absolute MORON. He happened to be in the right place at the right time 7 years ago and by some miracle, made it to exec. He hated the sous, because he went to culinary school. And by default, hated me for it as well. He was a miserable cook and spent his time coming up to the front, spying on me, making sure I wasn’t doing anything bad like *gasp* not answering the phone on the first ring. I asked to pick up extra pantry shifts on the weekends, just to get my foot in the door and his response was: “No… too many people in the kitchen speak Spanish… she won’t fit in.” Excuse me? This is America. I speak enough Spanish to get by but that is entirely beside the point!!! He was an perfectionist in the wrong areas as well… he would yell about how the ceiling vents were dirty but was sending out undercooked chicken!
Ok, I’m off the soapbox.
Culinary Feedback: My great-grand-mother is one of the 2 chefs I admire and who influenced me. The second one is ma Dad. Why ? Because they’re family and I see them cook, and help them, since I’m a child.
And I like Jamie Oliver too, because he gives some fresh notes in the cokking world. He’s young and funny.
Culinary Feedback: I have never worked for a chef, unfortunately, and that is my dream job too. However, in the world of celebrity chefs, it would have to be Jamie Oliver. Jamie has done a lot for the cooking world, and he forced the government in the UK to look at how they were feeding kids in schools. He exposed the high fat, high salt dinners the schools were serving to our kids. Because of his program Jamie’s School Dinners, the government has had to change the menus and provide lots of healthier alternatives for kids.
Culinary Feedback: Julia Child inspirational for her strides in cooking and her zest for life. Her book “Mastering The Art of French Cooking” is still the definitive bible of cuisine in most parts of the world. She pioneered the concept of television cooking. Her kitchen is now on display at the Smithsonian. In her personal life, she was generous and kind. She gave younger chefs a chance to shine-including Sara Moulton (Sara’s Secrets).
Culinary Feedback: My Mom…hands down. She made everything from scratch. She raised and grew whatever we had and when we were really low on $ she could make something out of nothing and we never knew the difference. She added a dash of love to everything she cooked for her family and I’m honored to have learned from her.
Culinary Feedback: Julia Child was an early inspiration to me. She pioneered cooking on television with her show “The French Chef”. She was truly a delight to watch and had a wonderful sense of humor. The dishes she prepared demystified french cooking for many and inspired me to launch into an avocation which has been a lifetime delight to me. She was a very open and warm person and was even listed in the phone directory, I understand that a call to her would often lead to an invitation to come over for lunch. We older foodies miss her.
Culinary Feedback: Rachel Ray has been a great cook, and I love to watch her put the meals together in such a short time. She is absolutely fabulous, and she can come cook for me anytime she wants to.
Culinary Feedback: My mom, she had the best recipe for meatloaf (everyone that has tasted it loved it……… EVERYONE!).
My late husband’s mother, she was the best, and I learned by watching her.
My future mother-in-law…. she’s terrific!!
The only tempermental chef I’ve had to deal with is myself when I want the food to come out just right.
Cooking to me is a gesture of love that I make for my family.
Culinary Feedback: James Beard.
When I was a much younger man I collected his books. I enjoyed the meals that took a long time to prepare and Beard certainly has those. Once in a blue moon I found something from him that took less time but I usually went with Joy of Cooking for those
Culinary Feedback: Hands down, my grandmother. She was a wonderful cook. Everything was made from scratch. She is the person that taught me how to cook, and my family is very grateful for it. She died 2 years ago, but was unable to cook for 3 or 4 years before she passed away. Since she taught me so much, when we have a family get together, I always try to make one of her “signature” dishes to bring her memory to life once again.
Culinary Feedback: I say paula deen I love to cook and she is great to watch and funny plus she had a rought start that dosent even show in here personalty. all I do is watch the food network allday.
Culinary Feedback: Julia Childs we only had 3 stations where I grew up and she was a hoot when she would drop a leg of lamb or when something just did not turn out like she wanted. I miss her show I wish the cooking network would pay tribute to her since she was the first to have a show which has inspired so many to copy her. Paula Deen has her same whit but Paula’s cooking is more down home. I made my first puff pastry by watching Julia Childs. I was surprised it turned out.
Culinary Feedback: The cook who taught me was my mother. Her grandmother taught her, and she was from the South.
One has to be one’s own cook. I know the recipes, but I have to do a changer-oo.
Like adding cornmeal to pancake batter, and minced fresh ginger. Or Meyer Lemons in a dressing for salmon.
Keep experimenting, and expect to toss some of those experiments.
I don’t suffer fools and I don’t cook for a living. I live to cook.
Culinary Feedback: Julia Child. Period
I have worked for many tempermental people, including myself.
I think tantrums are a waste of time. Get over yourself. It is a team effort sometimes and no person can always be the leader in a creative enviornment.
Culinary Feedback: My mother. As a waitress I worked with a lot of ornery cooks. Emeril from the Food Network has inspired me to try a few new dishes with his recipes.
Culinary Feedback: Emeril is great! I also reallllly enjoy Rachel Ray, too, on the Food Network, although she’s not a true chef, she’s just someone who enjoys cooking who got on tv!
Culinary Feedback: i work in a cafe/bar and generally if the chef presents the food nicely, doesn’t make any mistakes and keeps the waiting times down. then i love him. no matter how pissed/stoned he is.
Culinary Feedback: I should say many famous chefs have influenced me with their various skills and ways of cooking. I learn something from everyone when I watch. For example;Jamie Oliver has lots of good ideas, and Rick Stein presents good info regarding fish food etc..
Culinary Feedback: Paula Deen. She makes simple and wonderful dishes from her heart. She is a true southern lady that just knows good food! That makes her a lady after my own heart. Outside of that.. my grandmother passed down recipes from her family and my mother didn’t really teach me. I paid attention and learned what i could but i really taught myself. I watch alot of Food Network and i get some ideas from them. But really and truly i just love food. And there fore i mix and create my own dishes for my husband and his platoon to try out. I’m the cook amongst all of the wives. They come to our house and stay the weekend half of the time. Just for the food.
Culinary Feedback: well the most tempermental chef i’ve worked for was my husband! he also influenced me to be able to get in the kitchen and just have fun!
Rachel Ray most definitely has inspired me to be more of myself in my cooking. i can watch her show and be able to tell you what was in it, how to cook it and then just do it!