Do you have dreams of becoming a world famous chef? Then you should read this article and learn more about famous people in the professional culinary arts and how you too can join the ranks of well known culinary professionals.
Despite the recent rush of television cooking shows, famous chefs are nothing new. Royalty and the wealthy have always celebrated and praised great chefs throughout history. Take for example, the first “world acclaimed” chef, 18th century’s Antoine Careme, known as the "King of Chefs and the Chef of Kings".
Careme became not only famous for his cooking skills (he cooked for King George IV of England, Czar Alexander I or Russia and numerous other high profile people like bankers, diplomats). But he was also known for his five-volume masterpiece, “L'Art de la Cuisine Francaise” (The Art of French Cooking).
These books were a combination of French cooking history, hundreds of French recipes, instructions for table settings and menu planning. Careme is credited with being the father of “haute cuisine” or the high art of French cooking.
Professional Culinary Arts Celebrities – What Does It Take?The first professional culinary celebrity to appear on TV was probably American Julia Child. She attended the celebrated Cordon Bleu cooking school while her husband was assigned to the US Information Agency in Paris.
There she made friends with two other female professional culinary experts and with them; she later co-wrote “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”. After her book was published she was asked to “demonstrate” some of her recipes on television. She appeared in her debut television show, “The French Chef” in 1963.
By definition a chef is someone who has been a master or head cook in a private kitchen, restaurant, resort or club. No one has done any research to discover how many active culinary professionals there are in the world today, let alone how many are considered “famous”. But professional culinary arts celebrities all have certain traits or histories in common.
They all have successfully mastered at least three of these five accomplishments:
- Had lots of hands-on experience or education with other culinary professionals.
- Completed a culinary arts education at a well known cooking school or culinary institute.
- Served as an apprentice with a celebrated chef or in a famous restaurant or club.
- Have successfully owned and operated restaurant(s).
- Taught other aspiring chefs or students
- Authored several books on cooking, home entertainment, catering or food science.
Another sign of a professional culinary arts celebrity is a never ending love of food, a passion for cooking and a desire to share those passions. Chef Julia Child was an excellent example of this, since she was still hosting cooking shows and writing books well into her eighties.
Sometimes, people feel that professional culinary celebrities are not real cooks unlike other culinary professionals, who work day to day in kitchens in restaurants and resorts. But in actually it the professional culinary celebrities who inspire us, infuse us with their passion and enthusiasm for food and the culinary arts that makes us all want to be better cooks.
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