When I was younger the "joy of cooking" wasn't the hot trend it is now. You were either a Suzy Homemaker, a professional chef or a lousy cook - the word foodie hadn't been invented. We did have a few cooking shows located on public access television but if you told us there would one day be a whole network devoted to cooking and food I doubt we would have believed you!
I do remember occasionally watching Julia Child and The Galloping Gourmet - remember Graham Kerr? I used to love him - he was always swigging from his cooking sherry, lol. I also remember Yan Can Cook with Martin Yan (though he used a wok way too often for my young mid western sensibilities - I don't even think I'd eaten anything more Asian than an egg roll in those days.) Another favorite was The Frugal Gourmet, Jeff "I bid you peace" Smith. He was not as funny as Graham Kerr but he had his moments!
Today you can't turn on a morning show, talk show or turn the channel without encountering some celebrity chef or seeing a five minute food or drink segment! Heaven has landed on the boob tube for amateur foodies like me. I have fallen so in love with feeding my face I have two websites for food and drink - The Martini Diva and The Diva of Tiny Foods.
I watch more cooking shows than sitcoms. I'm a fan of Top Chef, Next Food Network Star, Hell's Kitchen and I'm currently watching Top Chef Masters. I adore the Food Network Channel - it's my default channel! I watch Chopped, saw the entire Chopping Block season and keep an eye out for any new reality cooking show. I'm addicted and I'm getting educated too!
Though I miss the great chefs of old - the pioneers of today's food fanaticism - I am quite fond of several of today's celebrity chefs too. I do miss Julia and wish Graham would do a remake of The Galloping Gourmet but I doubt it would be as much fun with him on the wagon no, lol.
Here's my list of my favorite 13 celebrity chefs in order:
- The Galloping Gourmet, Graham Kerr
- Julia Child
- The Frugal Gourmet, Jeff Smith
- Martin Yan, Yan Can Cook
- Guy Fieri, Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives & Guys' Big Bite
- Curtis Stone, Take Home Chef
- Alton Brown, Good Eats, Iron Chef America
- Michael Symon, Iron Chef America
- Mario Batali
- Ted Allen, Chopped (and not to forget Queer Eye!)
- Duff Goldman, Charm City Cakes
- Gordon Ramsey, Hell's Kitchen, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.
- Jamie Oliver, Jamie at Home, The Naked Chef
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