Food fight! The celebrity chef cult

[Food Network Fan]

Food fight! The celebrity chef cult

By JAMES CROOT - The Press Last updated 08:46 20/10/2009
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PERFORMANCE ART: Julia Child.


Today's food programmes seem more focused on the chefs than the food. Has entertainment displaced education?
All those Kiwis bemoaning the antics and airtime afforded to Gordon Ramsay and his competitors should remember that we only have ourselves to blame. After all, we helped create the cult of the celebrity chef.
If we hadn't allowed Graham Kerr on to our screens in 1959, The Galloping Gourmet and its template of cooking as entertainment might never have happened.

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[Food Network Fan]

Are we cult members?

[ibcheft]

Cult probably would signify that we worship the chefs, no the chef is no different than you or I other than they are cooking for a living. Now if they are saying just following a chef's show creates a cult of watchers, than yes we are probably members of many cults because we do not limit ourselves to one particular program or chef. Now Alton followers would likely more apt to become cult members, Gordon Ramsay followers well ? what do they call them people who follow rock stars around groupies, People who follow Emeril and keep trying to imitate his food, want to be Chefs. But one thing we all have in common is we like to eat good food ! we are just plain FOODIES ! no I did not say old fuddy duddys I said FOODIES and if it is a cult of eaters well so be it.

[BerryBaby]

I so remember Julia and that fish. She flipped onto the cutting board and flour flew all over!