celebrity chef

Cars get stolen all the time, but a few elements about this story make it stand out. First of all, this was no ordinary car. Secondly, it didn't belong to just anyone. And thirdly, it wasn't stolen with a simple coat hanger and a pair of pliers.

The story coming in from San Francisco reports the theft of a yellow 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo belonging to celebrity chef Guy Fieri from a local exotic car dealership. According to the report, police figure the thief climbed up onto the roof of the dealership, rappelled down on a rope, busted open the garage door and drove off with the Lamborghini.

[Source: San Francisco Chronicle]

Last fall we heard that Momofuku chef David Chang was headed to Australia. Now Black Book says the popular chef who commands a New York City empire that includes Momofuku Noodle Bar and Ma Peche may be heading north as well.

Rumor broke on Friday that David Chang has plans to open a restaurant in the Shangri-La hotel as part of the hotel's 2012 scheduled opening. There wasn't been a formal announcement but Chang himself made oblique reference to it on Twitter saying "hello southern ontario" and mentioning the tail end of 2012 sending foodies into a tailspin.

The Globe and Mail got confirmation from Momofuku headquarters that Momofuku is actually going to open two restaurants, a Canadian outpost of Noodle Bar and a new one called Momofuku Daisho. The restaurants will be in a building next to the Shangri-La Hotel and set to open next year. Residences at the Shangri-La Toronto are currently under construction and on sale for $800,000.

More and more celebrity chefs have restaurants on cruise ships and chefs often sign up to be guest lecturers on cruises but now the Food Network is taking the idea a step further with a branded "Food Network at Sea" trip that starts on August 22. The first voyage, a seven-night Caribbean journey aboard the Celebrity Solstice, features "Iron Chef" Cat Cora and Aarón Sánchez who stars on "Chefs vs. City."

The cruise will include culinary demonstrations by both chefs, a Food Network VIP lounge and screening room, a dine-around featuring Food Network recipes and a battle of the Celebrity Solstice chefs competition event. Cruise guests can pre-register for cooking classes at sea, the two classes offered will be "Dumplings & Potstickers" and "Crostini & Truffles," which will be offered multiple times throughout the cruise to accommodate all Food Network Travel guests. Fares start at $1,519 per person. More details on Food Network Travel.

[via NY Times]

Another of Gordon Ramsay's proteges has flown the coop. Bloomberg News reports that Jason Atherton, the chef behind London's Maze restaurant, is leaving the Gordon Ramsay group after nine years. Atherton ran Ramsay's Verre in Dubai before founding Maze in 2005. Atherton was quick to dismiss speculation that he had run afoul of the famously volatile chef and said that he is just ready to start his own restaurant.

On his Twitter Ramsay said: "jason's ready to fly the nest.Time for him to have his name above the door.Who doesn't want that? I wish him every success, an amazing guy." But rumors of discord continue. Atherton won't be moving straight from his Maze to his own venture. He plans to go overseas, most likely Spain, to get a little more experience in friends' kitchens. Atherton was the first U.K. chef to complete a stage at Ferran Adria's famous restaurant El Bulli.

True foodies think nothing of spending exorbitant sums on their passion. Fine wines, and four star meals, often in foreign countries, are their version of luxury. The names they drop are not Prada or Manolo but Keller and Ripert. Twenty-five years ago Ariane Daguin from France and her partner George Faisan started D'Artagnan. It was really the first company to focus on providing consumers in the United States with food products from Ariane's native region of France, Gascony. It has become the premier supplier of specialty food products from the foie gras to truffles to high end American restaurants and gourmet shops.

This February the company celebrates its 25th anniversary with a week long celebration in New York starting on February 17, 2010. The highlight of the festivities is a "32 Star Progressive Dinner" on Saturday February 21rst. The special event features celebrated chefs from the Gascon region of France in various four star kitchens around Manhattan. The evening kicks off with cocktails at 5pm after which the participants will board the "Armagnac-fueled" bus to experience each course at a different 4 star restaurant.

Participating chefs include:

• Daniel Boulud with Jean-Marie Gautier, M.O.F. of Hotel du Palais, Biarritz
• Jean-Georges Vongeritchen with Michel Trama of Aubergade, Puymirol
• Daniel Humm with Jacques & Laurent Pourcel of Le Jardin des Sens, Montpellier
• Thomas Keller with Hélène Darroze of Restaurant Hélène Darroze, Paris
• Eric Ripert with Thierry Marx of Cordeillan-Bages, Pauillac and Philippe Urraca, M.O.F.

The above list is just for the main course! There are others chefs cooking their native cuisine for the other courses. Wines from top producers including Chateau Lynch Bages will be featured and Trou Gascon Armagnac will be served on the bus between courses.

The finale occurs at Le Bernadin where all the chefs will celebrate after dessert. Seating is limited and costs $600 per person for the evening.

It may be snowy and cool in some parts of the country but in November it's still prime golfing weather in Ojai, California making it a perfect time for the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa's Celebrity Chef Classic occurring on the weekend of November 13 - 14. The event which includes the chance to golf alongside several celebrity chefs will benefit Share Our Strength, a national organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America. This year, Ming Tsai of Blue Ginger (and the cooking show Simply Ming), Todd Gray of Equinox, Alan Wong of The Pineapple Room, Budi Kazali of Ballard Inn & Restaurant and Ojai's own Executive Chef Jamie West will play in the 18-hole golf tournament with guests on the naturally sculpted George C. Thomas-designed course.

The weekend begins with a welcome cocktail party on Friday that will highlight tasting menus presented by each chef. Saturday morning, guests will be invited to play Ojai's greens alongside the chefs followed by celebratory gala dinner. The Celebrity Chef Classic is $1,450 per person, excluding taxes (double occupancy) or $1,850 per person, excluding taxes (single occupancy) and includes two nights in deluxe accommodations, unlimited golf, Friday's welcome reception, gala dinner, breakfast, lunch and additional amenities.

Reality television shows can make a career, they can also be a huge distraction. Responding to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Gawker called celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, "the Donald Trump of Food," a phrase that could be taken as a compliment or a slur depending on how you look at it. One thing is certain is that Ramsay has had a rough time of it lately. Earlier this year when describing the news that his accountants wanted to put his business into administration and that he owed more than £7 million he called it "the worst bollocking ever" and told the London Times it was "the worst year of my life." Now in an interview with the Wall Street Journal he is similarly gloomy saying that he had "his own personal nightmare" a phrase no doubt co-opted from the many writers who've used phrases from his televisions shows "Hell's Kitchen" and "Kitchen Nightmares" to make puns about Ramsay's current financial state. In the fallout from the tumbling of his financial empire Ramsay has sold his restaurants in Los Angeles and Paris back to the hotels they are in and has left Prague behind. Rasmay says he has fired around 15 percent of the staff and is using cheaper cuts of meat. The Wall Street Journal article says that Ramsay earns around £10 million in annual revenue from television, publishing and endorsement contracts (he has published many cookbooks and has lines of kitchen and dining goods) and has put around £12 million of his media earnings into his restaurant empire.

Is Ramsay just a high-profile victim of the downturn in the restaurant world? The troubles of Ramsay seem particularly intriguing since many chefs with television careers seem to be doing okay (Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse spring immediately to mind). These days part of being a top chef includes a book or two, restaurants in multiple locations and, if not your own television show, at least a gig or two as a guest judge on a cooking competition or a slot on a morning show. So what makes Ramsay different? Is it the global expanse of his network which includes restaurants all around the world? Is it the sheer size of his empire with over one thousand employees spread out? Or is it something else. I think in many ways the expectations for Ramsay's cuisine are higher than those of the other telegenic chefs? After all, Ramsay isn't just a chef, he is a Michelin-starred chef, a designation that carries certain weight and expectations. It must also be noted that Ramsay hasn't exactly made a lot of friends in the restaurant world. He's had feuds with his old mentor Marco Pierre White, another celebrity chef Mario Batali, and his former protege Marcus Wareing. His crotchetiness isn't just a television stunt, a marathon runner and former soccer player, he's deeply competitive and it may be that desire to be the best that led him to overextend himself in the first place. He also may have lacked a firm restraining hand in the form of a business partner. Ramsay owns 69 percent of his company while his father-in-law is the chief executive of Gordon Ramsay Holdings and owns the other 31 percent.

Over at our sister blog, Daily Finance, Alex Salkever questions Ramsay's future and if he will file for bankruptcy? I think Ramsay's actually on the path to recovery. He's focusing on what he knows, opening a new version of Petrus restaurant in the Belgravia area of London that will serve the modern French fare that got him into the spotlight in the first place. And when he expands into other areas he's now doing so through agreements where he sells off his name, menu advice and expertise. By switching some of his restaurants to being licensed establishments rather than enterprises wholly owned by his company he may have lost some control but he's gained more cash and cut his total risk. In the Wall Street Journal interview Ramsay says that he's learned a lot about business in the past year. If he can surrender his ego a bit and learn his lessons then he may be in good shape for the future. If not? Well, Hell's Kitchen just got renewed for another season in the U.S. so he has that to fall back on.

Famed French chef Alain Ducasse will open his first restaurant in the Caribbean at the new W Retreat & Spa: Vieques Island this November, called "miX on the beach." At the eatery (above) Ducasse will offer a sophisticated menu, exploring "colorful Latino Caribbean flavors with an artful French twist and refreshing dishes that highlight only the finest ingredients from land and sea, expertly prepared and creatively presented." Both indoor and outdoor dining will be available with impressive ocean views on all sides. The first W Retreat & Spa in the Caribbean, the resort is located just off the Southeast coast of Puerto Rico on the peaceful 55-acre island of Vieques. In addition to miX on the beach, Ducasse's team will also manage the entire food and beverage program for the resort.

Chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Mario Batali took a turn away from the Italian fare he is famous for at an event recently to benefit his new charity, The Mario Batali Foundation at the Food and WIne Festival in Aspen. Batali prepared a gigantic batch of machaca for his friends, family and fellow chefs. The Mario Batali Foundation has a mission to educate and empower children with a goal of making sure that all children are well read, well fed and well cared for. Also on Batali's board is his longtime friend, musician Michael Stipe.

Batali's machaca is a little more labor-intensive than your standard taco meat but definitely worth the effort. For the event Batali used Strauss Meadow Reserve veal from Allen Brothers. The meat was marinated in a mixture of Worcestershire, lime juice, garlic, chipotle, cumin and black pepper overnight. After browning, onions, peppers and herbs are added. The meat is cooked for two hours until falling apart, shredded, and returned to the liquid. Then the mixture is slowly cooked down until the meat is close to dry. The result can be used in tacos, flauta and just about any other Mexican preparation. The complete recipe is after the jump.

Jamie Oliver becomes the latest British chef to succumb to economic pressure. The television host and cookbook author known as the Naked Chef, has postponed plans to open a fifth branch of the restaurant chain Fifteen at Holbeck Urban Village in Leeds in June. The Fifteen Foundation inspires disadvantaged young people to create careers in the restaurant industry and runs restaurants in Amsterdam, Cornwall, London and Melbourne, Australia.

The charity has said it may revisit its plans in the future when the economy is in better shape. Oliver joins other British television chefs Gordon Ramsay and Antony Worrall Thompson in having to adjust his restaurant empire desires to the whims of the economy.

Celebrities are putting their artistic skill to good use for charity. They are decorating jockey silks - the brightly colored shirts and caps worn by jockeys during horse races - that are being auctioned online to raise money for the Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, England. The silks will be displayed to the public at the World Museum Liverpool until April 30th, as the winners of the auction are not to be announced until May 12th.

Richard Branson and Yoko Ono, contributing one of John Lennon's designs, are among the participating celebs. The silk illustrated here was designed by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey. The rest of the silks can be viewed online, where bids will also be taken.