The Rise of the Celebrity Chef

Written by
Nick Clover

Published
20 Mar 2019

20 Mar 2019 • by Nick Clover

There is no hiding the fact that chefs are becoming self-made celebrities and that we, the public, can’t get enough of them. Whether you love Jamie Oliver and his rustic yet simple cooking style, or salivate over Lorraine Pascale’s delectable desserts, there is no hiding we have grown attached to celebrity chefs.

With more chefs finding fame, we have rediscovered our love for the hospitality industry thanks to them. This has led to a greater impact in the way we view cooking and dining out. In this article, we’re going to look at the rise of the celebrity chef and how their new found fame has become a major influence on us.

From kitchen to screen

Once upon a time, it was very rare that chefs would become major celebrities. Top chefs were just known for creating exquisite dishes and that was it. If they were lucky, they would get a “compliments to the chef” from diners on a night out and potentially a quick mention in the media from a suitably-impressed critic.

Let’s fast forward to the modern day. There are now dozens of chefs who have found their way to fame and sucked us in with their cooking creativity. They have created a media storm globally taking the whole world in to a new cooking generation.

Some of the biggest shows on TV are now hospitality based and they feature many well-known chefs.  A survey in The Guardian states that, out of 2000 participants, over a third were influenced by cooking shows with 21% of them being influenced by Jamie Oliver’s 15-Minute Meals. It also showed that The Great British Bake Off encouraged 19% of us to get baking – and that was an influence just from amateur cooks on the brink of fame.

It’s not just on our screens celebrity chefs are taking over. Over the years, bookstores have seen a surge in them releasing cookbooks with sales of these going through the roof. Look at Jamie Oliver, for instance - he has 23 cookbooks and 19 of them have become best sellers (source: MSN).

Why do we love a celebrity chef?

We do love our celebrity chefs.  It seems that, unlike with the stereotypical celebrity, famous chefs can behave in the most awful ways that we would not forgive in others but we forgive in them because they create something so far removed from what we serve up to our kids after they get home from school.

We love their visually beautiful dishes and the way that they get our bellies rumbling. We love watching their outbursts in the pursuit of perfection when things go wrong (Mr Ramsay we are looking at you).  It stirs emotions and fills a lot of us with inspiration when it comes to cooking.

We also love amateur chefs bursting on to the radar. With the likes of Master Chef and The

Great British Bake-off, we are creating celebrities from these amateur cooks. These shows get us talking and comparing our cookery skills with theirs with the belief that we can be just like them, if not better in some cases.

What has become very clear is we love to share food stories. And that is just it – cooking and eating creates a story like no other. They are stories we can retell time and time again in the form of sharing celebrity recipes and stories, to being inspired to create our own recipes.  The rise of the celebrity chef can be thanked for that.

The Influence they have on us

Celebrities have a massive influence on us and famous chefs are no different. There is no hiding that they have inspired us to have more fun and enjoyment when it comes to food and eating.

They have not just inspired us to get creative in the kitchen either. We are enjoying eating out more and trying new restaurants as well as new dishes. Many of these celebrities have world class restaurants with a lot of them right on our doorsteps, and we, the public, are keen to get a taste of what they have to offer.

The phenomenon of the celebrity chef is continuing to exert a massive influence on the food industry. They have revolutionised how we cook and eat and have given the restaurant industry a massive boost in the right direction.  Globally, we are all more inspired to get involved in the hospitality industry.

Take the first step in to your hospitality journey

If you aspire to become like one of your favourites chefs and dream to follow in their footsteps, get in touch with us today and we can discuss how we can help. You can contact us 0844 800 6011 or at info@hospitalityjobsuk.com.