Are you obsessed with celebrity chefs? (2024)

Justin Warner created a unique deconstructed beef stroganoff. It resembled a checkerboard, with squares of beef alternated with squares of gelatinized sauce and mushrooms, layered over pasta.

Marcus Samuelsson creates dishes with a unique perspective, because he was born in Ethiopia, then adopted and raised in Sweden. As an adult, he lives in the U.S. and runs the Red Rooster restaurant in Harlem.

Ron Ben-Israel was a professional modern dancer before becoming a famous baker. He has won many awards and he hosted the Food Network show, "Sweet Genius."

The first five winners of "The Next Food Network Star" were The Hearty Boys, Guy Fieri, Amy Finley, Aaron McCargo, Jr., and Melissa d'Arabian. The Hearty Boys - Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh - were the first winners, and their show was called "Party Line." Guy Fieri, the second winner, has hosted a number of successful shows, most notably "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." Amy Finley, the third winner, briefly hosted "The Gourmet Next Door," but then left for France. Aaron McCargo hosted "Big Daddy's House" and Melissa d'Arabian hosted "Ten Dollar Dinners."

Cat Cora was the first woman to be named an Iron Chef on "Iron Chef America." Her first competition was "Battle Potato" in 2005. She won that battle.

Bobby Flay opened Mesa Grill in 1991, and it was named Best Restaurant 1992 by Gael Greene, food critic for "New York Magazine." He went on to open more restaurants, including a second Mesa Grill, Bolo Bar, and a chain called Bobby's Burger Palace. Flay first appeared on the Food Network in 1994.

NOLA is an acronym for New Orleans, Louisiana. Lagasse moved to New Orleans in 1982, when he replaced the already famous chef, Paul Prudhomme, as executive chef of the Commander's Palace. NOLA has been open since 1992 and features a wood-fired brick oven.

Guy Fieri has television shows known by triple-letter acronyms. "Triple D" stands for "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," and "Triple G" stands for "Guy's Grocery Games."

Ree Drummond wrote "Black Heels and Tractor Wheels," about her transition from city life to ranching and blogging in Oklahoma. Her television kitchen is located in a lodge on her family's ranch property, but not in the family's home.

Bobby Flay appeared as an Iron Chef on 61 episodes of "Iron Chef America." He won 43 battles and lost 16. Two battles ended in a draw.

Yum-o! is Rachael Ray's philanthropic organization. It's three core work areas are Cook, Feed, and Fund. The primary goals are to improve the eating habits of children and encourage them to pursue careers in the food service industry.

On the various versions of his show franchise, "Bizarre Foods," Andrew Zimmern has eaten everything from coral worms to jellyfish. He trusts the locals, even when they are serving foul fermented foods or potentially poisonous plates.

Sandra Lee is known for creating shortcut recipes that include 70% prepared food and 30% fresh food, to save time. She's also well-known for her crafty tablescapes and elaborate costumes. She is romantically involved with politician Andrew Cuomo.

Tom Colicchio won an Emmy Award for his work on Bravo's "Top Chef." He is the show's head judge, appearing with original host Katie Lee Joel and then with subsequent host Padma Lakshmi.

Robert Irvine married wrestler Gail Kim on a 2012 television special, "Wedding: Impossible," which aired on the Food Network. The title was a riff on his regular series, "Dinner: Impossible" and "Restaurant: Impossible."

Ming Tsai's "East Meets West" was a fusion of Asian and European cuisine. Ming Tsai, Chinese by ethnicity, was raised in Dayton, Ohio.

Julia Child, then Julia McWilliams, was one of 4.500 women who served in the OSS during World War II. She wanted to serve her country, but, at 6'2", she was too tall for the military.

Richard Blais won "Top Chef: All-Stars." He has judged on "Guy's Grocery Games," "Cutthroat Kitchen," "MasterChef," and even his alma mater, "Top Chef."

Masaharu Morimoto, Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, and Cat Cora were the original Iron Chefs on "Iron Chef America" in Season 1. Wolfgang Puck competed in the year prior, on "Iron Chef America: Battle of the Masters," in 2004, then he retired from the show. Michael Symon joined the Iron Chefs in Season 5.

Mario Batali, famous for wearing shorts and orange Crocs, has an official Bistro Mario Batali Edition Croc. It is orange, of course, or coral in Croc terminology.

Aarti Sequeira hosted "Aarti Party." Before winning Season 6 of "Food Network Star," she worked as a news producer on CNN.

Jamie Oliver was awarded an MBE in 2003, during the Queen's Birthday Honors. He continues to encourage healthier eating, especially for disadvantaged children.

Rachael Ray's garbage bowl fits with her habit of having a bowl nearby to hold scraps while she is cooking. Her dog food brand is Nutrish. Her furniture collection, introduced in 2016, includes pieces for the dining room, living room, and bedroom.

Alton Brown had a motorcycle accident, breaking his clavicle, while filming Season 1 of "Feasting on Asphalt" in 2006. The accident happened in Nevada. The show featured Brown and friends, traveling cross-country in search of regional cuisine.

Wolfgang Puck is the only Iron Chef from "Iron Chef America" to remain undefeated. However, he only participated in one competition, against Masaharu Morimoto, with eggs as the secret ingredient, during the "Battle of the Masters" introductory season in 2004. He chose to retire from the show. He was smart enough to quit while he was ahead!

Emeril Lagasse is known for saying "Bam!" He says he started saying it to wake up the crew on "Essence of Emeril," because they always got sleepy after their lunch break, when they had eaten the chef's morning culinary creations.

Christopher Kimball, famous for analyzing recipes and techniques on PBS' "America's Test Kitchen," is launching a new venture called Milk Street Kitchen. This new venture will include a cooking school, website, magazine, and a PBS show.

Mario Batali wrote "The Babbo Cookbook," which features recipes from his Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca, and "Molto Italiano," which explores Italian home cooking.

Jacques Pepin left Henri Soule's Le Pavillon restaurant in New York to plan the menu for the Howard Johnson's chain. Pepin says his favorite HoJo ice cream flavor is rum raisin.

Bobby Flay offended chef Masaharu Morimoto during a 2000 episode of the Japanese "Iron Chef." Flay jumped on the counter and stood on his cutting board, thinking he was winning the competition. Flay lost the competition that day, however, then defeated Morimoto a year later in a rematch. The two later resolved their differences.

Rev Run, also known as DJRun, was a founding member of the hip hop group, Run-D.M.C. He is an ordained Pentecostal minister. Favorite dishes from the "Sunday Suppers" show include mac and cheese, chicken wings, and prime rib.

Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry judged "The Great British Bake Off" during its run on BBC. The presenters were Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc. Each season, the competition began with twelve home bakers.

His first cookbook was "Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen." He was one of the first to travel and do cooking demos, and he founded Magic Seasoning Blends, inspired by the dishes served in his K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen restaurant.

Robert Irvine joined the British Royal Navy at the age of 15. He learned to cook while serving on various ships, including Her Majesty’s Royal Yacht Britannia.

Alton Brown's "Good Eats" program was inspired by Julia Child, Monty Python, and Mr. Wizard. The show featured puppets, props, humor, odd camera angles, food science, and a real passion for food. Brown used his artistry as a cinematographer to make the show unique.