Is the promotion of famous “Star Chefs” in the mass media driven by financial gain?
People talk all the time about new “inventions” by chefs and cooks, which in fact have been around since Escoffier’s time in the late 1800s. In addition, they try to invent new dishes based on old classic cooking, from the 17th-18th centuries and then want to take all the credit for copying.
Take for example when La Nouvell Cusine was introduced in the late 80s. This was a mixture of the old classic Japanese gastronomy and a later variant of French cuisine. Namely, there were two young restaurant students who, through a scholarship, were able to go to Japan to try their food tradition that has existed for centuries. These students were so surprised by the quality of the fresh ingredients that they started preparing French dishes with a touch of Japanese cooking.
When they came back to France and started their own restaurant with this “new cuisine” they soon became famous. This later spread like wildfire across Europe, unfortunately with far too many modifications, it instead became a moneymaker, with tiny portions at a sky-high price.
Unfortunately, to public ignorance and knowledge, this “new cuisine” became a blockbuster across Europe, resulting in new Star-Chefs making millions, thanks to mass media promotion.
All this while the classic neighborhood restaurants continued to serve dishes according to the classic cookbooks, usually with better quality than restaurants awarded Michelin stars, for the presentation of “La Nouvell Cusine”.
These sought-after stars from Michelin or others, can be the ruin of a small unknown restaurant, because receiving a star is not free. It is pure economic marketing that governs the distribution of these stars. A number of these restaurants have, after being awarded 1-5 stars, been driven to financial bankruptcy, but due to the celebrity industry, these person can open new restaurants through investors who in that way promote their business with a new trade mark!
Is this really fair to the hard working unknown restaurateurs who invested in a family business?
I myself, went to a 2-year restaurant school in the 60s in Stockholm and then worked in 5-star hotels internationally. I was therefore surprised when I recently, 2024, read an article that a celebrity chef had invented how to fry a pork tenderloin so that it retains its juiciness. This is a pure FAKE.
My mother, who cooked at home on our farm in the 50s, used this method. Also the chef at the Surfers Paradise Hotel, in Australia, where I worked (1968). Used the method that is now called as novelty! Please, pick up the old authentic cookbooks and learn the basics of cooking, before giving all the credit to a TV chef.
I am prepared to receive criticism for this article, but do so with pride.
Thank you for reading my post.
#Windmush #Curt
