Some celebrity chefs stick to their cookbooks and TV shows, some simply lend their name, and others go the full route of producing a line of products. But like many sports figures who actually make a lot more money from their endorsements than from their sport, many cooks seem to have hit the nail on the head with their own personal line of gadgets, kitchen gadgets, and seasoning lines. The list seems endless, but here’s who tops the charts:
Miguel Chiarello – This Italian chef seems happy with his family’s vineyard, award-winning Napa restaurant, and cookbooks, all of which keep him busy.
fiery boy — a wild and bouncy restaurant owner and Food Network star, he sells a simple line of cookware, cutlery, and T-shirts on his website.
Rachel Ray – known more for her upbeat, giggly personality than her cooking, she showcases a line of cookware, cookware, and bakeware, which is ironic since she’s the first to tell you she doesn’t bake.
george foreman – likable ex-boxer who followed Ron Popeil’s lead and sells his own incredibly successful countertop grills.
Martha Stewart – a mega industry in its own right, with videos, cookbooks, table linens and even its own magazine.
Giada DeLaurentis – following the example of Martha Stewart, it is a true corporation with its own cookware, gadgets, cookbooks and has recently ventured into the restaurant business.
paula deen – The Southern cook sells an extensive line of gadgets, cookware and utensils, plus baked goods and, of course, her famous Savannah restaurant (strangely missing from her line is a large butter dish).
Bobby Flay — he prefers the cookbook and restaurant route, but sells a simple line of grilling equipment at discount that includes (no surprise here) stainless steel BBQ sauce pots with a built-in silicone brush.
In a garden – focuses on cookbooks (and her husband Jeffrey), but could definitely use a giant salt shaker.
Gordon Ramsey – so incredibly busy with his TV shows, cookbooks and restaurants, he endorses a simple and elegant line of tableware for British porcelain giant Royal Doulton, along with cutlery.
Jamie Oliver – Quiet, unassuming Brit who sells an extensive line of cookware.
Nigella Lawson – The popular British food writer and cookery hostess has her own line of tableware, cookware and utensils.
emeril lagasse – Beloved New Orleans-style chef, popular cooking show host, and restaurant owner, offers an extensive line of sauces and seasonings, as well as high-quality silverware.
Paul Prudhomme – New Orleans’ top chef who practically invented Creole and Cajun cooking, understandably made his mark not only as a successful chef and restaurateur, but also created an extensive line of spices and marinades.
Wolfgang Puck – does it all, with restaurants, food products, and kitchenware (their frozen food line got bombed a few years, can’t win them all).
Thomas Keller – world-class chef and restaurateur, sells an expensive cookware set through Williams Sonoma called the TK (clearly not for those on a budget).
Paul Bocus – The French chef considered the “Father of Culinary Art” runs the gamut with cookware, restaurant, food products, and even a double-oven range only for serious, professional chefs (or those who can afford to pretend to). are).
jack lalanne – America’s most recognized early television exercise guru, he revolutionized the juice industry and still has his name on a superior line of juicers.
And no one can count the enthusiastic President Thomas Jefferson, who missed the boat by nearly two centuries with the first French ice cream parlor, which he discovered in France and brought to the United States in the early 19th century.
Sadly, several of the professionals mentioned above are no longer with us, but their legacy lives on in their product lines.
So the big question remains: do these chefs really design and test their products, are they just lending their name, or are they micro-managers of production and marketing? Nobody is talking. Are the expensive ones better than the cheap ones, or are consumers only paying for a high priced name? It is unknown. But in this author’s humble opinion, she would surely want to “try before you buy” and then maybe stick with a good kitchen knife, a little work, and the pots and pans her mother used.
