My Favorite Celebrity Chefs

I thought I would share with you some of my favorite celebrity chefs. Below is the list (in no particularly order) and why I like them.

·    Michael Smith - The biggest reason why I like him is the fact that he is always encouraging to cook without a recipe, or you don’t like ingredients in a recipe to change them for what works for you. I think too many people get stuck on recipe. The only time I don’t change recipe’s is when it comes to baking. I also like the fact that Michael has visited and taught classes at SAIT on numerous occasions.

·    Michael Noble - The only “celebrity” on this list that knows me by name! I was the manager of his son’s hockey team. Michael was the first Canadian chef to appear on Iron Chef (the original) in battle potato. Michael was the chef at Catch as well as the menu designer for Earls Canada. He also competed for Canada in the famous Bocuse d’Or competition. He now owns a very delicious restaurant in the Bowness area called Notables. I always appreciated chatting with him. He always took time at the rink to chat with me about food and what was in season. It is nice to know somebody who has been successful in the restaurant business.

·    Guy Fieri - Guy is probably the chef on this list who I would most like to sit down and have a beer with. I love his energy and his pallet is very good. His ability to identify spices and ingredients is impressive. He has lots of charisma and is fun to watch. Plus DDD is one of my favorite cooking shows.

·    Bobby Flay - I love the fact that Bobby is always trying to heat things up. He is always looking to put his tex mexroots into classic recipes.

·    Mario Batali - I am always leaning something new from Mario. Whenever I watch him cook he makes me feel like I am being transported to the Mediterranean. He also is always calm and never panics.

·    Cat Cora - Cat just has that fun aura around her. Plus she always drinks after every round of Iron Chef America!

·    Masaharu Morimoto - Morimoto has the best knife skills in my opinion. I love watching him as he is so technical. Plus how can you not like a guy who has made a beer with the Rouge brewery.

·    Michael Symon - He is always smiling and having fun. Plus he has the same haircut as me! I also like the fact that he is into sports and loves his Browns, Indians and Cavaliers.

·    Alton Brown - I think of all the chefs on this list I have learned the most from Elton. I love his sense of humor and the fact that he is such a nerd just like me!

·    Ted Allen - Ted is another nerd just like me, I like how sophisticated his presentation is, also I feel like he transports me into the world of fine dining.

·    Chris Cosentino - What’s not to like about a guy that cooks with offal. He is always thinking of new ways to use every ingredient. Plus his salami store and restaurant are delicious.

·    Aaron Sanchez - My Latin brother, he represents the South American side of me. Cooking very traditional Mexican meals. And not afraid to be proud that he is latin.

·     Chuck Hughes - Chuck has so much energy; I like the food that he cooks and the concept of his restaurant. Plus I like the fact that he promotes indie music in his show.

·    Alex Guarnaschelli - Nobody describes food better than Alex; she has the ability to make me instantly hungry.

·    Gordon Ramsay - Gordon gets a bad rap IMO. I always learn some lessons from him and I love the fact that he shares his recipes on twitter!