I’m not being rude; I’m genuinely interested.
I don’t rate myself above a reasonably competent home cook, yet if I counted what I’d actually learned from all the ‘celebrity chef’ demonstrations I’ve seen over the years, it’s not much for a hell of a lot of watching.
So, because I would never have a) time to emulate their creations b) the will c) the wallet d)the staff to clean up afterwards, and e) because of the above probably won’t buy their cook book and thus don’t want to line up to have it signed, I don’t see much point.
I’m obviously not the typical ticket buyer then, but who is? Do you go to celeb chef cooking demos? Do you learn anything and if so, what do you do with the knowledge? Who’s the best high profile chef you’ve seen do this kind of show? Responses much appreciated.
July 19, 2012 at 8:39 pm
For me it’s more about inspiration and learning about ingredients I wouldn’t usually cook with. Simon Bryant (from The Cook & The Chef) did a great class that also involved eating what he prepared.
July 19, 2012 at 9:03 pm
Did a fantastic class with Guillaume Brahimi, he was was warm, funny and cooked an amazing 3 course meal. 99% of the food from the class I haven’t done but I did get some great tips for mashed potato (something really practical) which I have used heaps of times since.
July 20, 2012 at 6:32 am
They all kill me.
July 20, 2012 at 7:48 am
I think you usually go away with one new bit of info from these types of things (chef or otherwise). It doesn’t mean I’ll buy the cookbook or copy their recipe, so I’m not sure what’s in it for them.
July 20, 2012 at 1:42 pm
I don’t do much of this & have learnt the odd thing, but probably not too much.
The best celeb chef I’ve seen is alike Nguyen of Red Lantern fame … He jumped into the audience and was shoving fresh herbs under our noses! He had so much enthusiasm & passion & that was inspirational! He was also a natural in front of an audience & that was before his TV stardom. Few have lived up to his performance since.
July 24, 2012 at 2:21 pm
I think most people go for the “Celebrity” side of things rather than the “Cooking” side of things. As you said, it’s really all been done for them, hasn’t it? And it’s more about entertainment.