Friday, July 29, 2011
Celebrity Chef Crushes
I remember back in the day when being a chef was not cool and it definitely was not going to get you celebrity status. I also remember a time when a lot of the cookbook authors and well known chefs were women...modeled after Julia Childs. Well times have changed and so has the perception of being a chef. Today the Food Network, cookbooks and food industry are ripe with male chefs who are young, handsome and talented. And I have officially jumped on the celebrity chef bandwagon...complete with searching out their restaurants, reading their cookbooks and having some celebrity crushes.
Crush #1 Fabio Viviani
Ok so sure it helps that he is a local celebrity and he has a restaurant in Moorpark. However, it also helps that he has an adorable Italian accent and that he is very charming in that Eurpoean way. I have attended a cooking class of his and also been a guest at his restaurant and he is charismatic and funny. I also love the fact that his restaurant has a great atmosphere, consistently good food and an amazing staff. I also purchased his cookbook...I know big surprise...actually it was a gift...and the recipes are easy to follow and realistic to make. Sure they aren not cooking light but sometimes the taste of butter makes the calories well worth the extra time on the treadmill.
Crush #2 Curtis Stone
Here is my confession for the day...this celebrity chef reminds me of my ex-husband. He just looks like a happy guy. His recipes are easy to follow and they just aren't SO gourmet that they are overwhelming.
Crush #3 Rick Bayless
Crush #1 Fabio Viviani
Ok so sure it helps that he is a local celebrity and he has a restaurant in Moorpark. However, it also helps that he has an adorable Italian accent and that he is very charming in that Eurpoean way. I have attended a cooking class of his and also been a guest at his restaurant and he is charismatic and funny. I also love the fact that his restaurant has a great atmosphere, consistently good food and an amazing staff. I also purchased his cookbook...I know big surprise...actually it was a gift...and the recipes are easy to follow and realistic to make. Sure they aren not cooking light but sometimes the taste of butter makes the calories well worth the extra time on the treadmill.
Crush #2 Curtis Stone
Here is my confession for the day...this celebrity chef reminds me of my ex-husband. He just looks like a happy guy. His recipes are easy to follow and they just aren't SO gourmet that they are overwhelming.
Crush #3 Rick Bayless
My crush is different when it comes to Rick Bayless. I saw him awhile back on Top Chef Masters and I loved his attitude-his attitude towards life, cooking and giving back . He just seemed like such a down to earth guy and he reminded me of a close family friend, Henry. He truly cooks with love and he is so conscientious of ingredients, textures and flavors. I love the fact that he emersed himself in the Mexican cuisine and culture and then brought it back to the U.S. and incorporated his own flair to his cooking style. So my birthday is approximately 3 weeks away and my request is to go to dinner at Red O...which is the restaurant that Rick opened last year. I will definitely let you know how it is and I have already perused the menu with dreams of what I want to try.
Crush #4 Tyler Florence
Um do I need to say anything other than sigh....
So this week I tried a new recipe and to be honest it is one of my favorite recent recipes. I was actually impressed by the intensity of flavors and by how easy this recipe was to make. I made Rolled Turkey Loaf http://www.bhg.com/recipe/turkey/rolled-turkey-loaf/ Its a ground turkey and Italian sausage loaf, however it is stuffed with fresh mozzarella, crispy pancetta, sauteed mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes. You roll the meat into a rectangle and lay the filling on top.
Then you roll the meat loaf from the short end kind of like a giant burrito using the aluminum foil under it to keep it together. You cook the loaf for an hour and when you cut it, its beautiful, and it shows the layers of the loaf and the filling. It is served on a bed of sauteed green beans and red onions...really good and really easy to make. I highly recommend this layer even for those people who are not meat loaf fans because other than looking like a meatloaf the flyers are totally different.
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OMG, those are some gorgeous men, but where's Bobby Flay???
ReplyDeleteDanah,
ReplyDeleteTo cut down the cost of eating out, you should try www.restaurant.com. Their discount gift certificates are great and they don't expire and if you know the promo code it is at least 50% off the posted price. The promo code now is FORK. The list of restaurants participating is impressive. Check it out
Sorry I love Bobby Flay's food but I am not a fan of red headed men...except Jamie you are a doll.
ReplyDeleteAnd anonymous thanks for the restaurant.com tip I have heard of the site before but haven't used it.