The Vote Is Tallied For Rick Bayless

Rick Bayless, after studying Spanish and Latin American studies as an undergrad and doing doctoral work in Anthropological Linguistics at the University of Michigan, lived in Mexico and wrote a now classic cookbook on authentic Regional Mexican cooking. Soon after he moved to Chicago and opened the Frontera Grill. Two years later, he opened Topolobampo, one of Americas only fine dinning Mexican restaurants. He has been the recipient of several James Beard Awards and is regarded as a top consultant,teacher,restaurateur, and as far as we are concerned here at Chef or Clown, CHEF!

Cod w/ spicey lamb sauce, tomatoes and romano beans

For one.

The Vote is in on Bourdain

We had our largest voter turnout so far and the result for Anthony Bourdain is...TV Personality!.I would have to agree although my vote was for chef, I do have to give credit to the guy for putting in the work.The way my feet,back,hands,and head hurt right now, I wouldn't mind a little TV personality myself! Thanks for voting!!

Anne Burrell

Ok, I don't know what this chick has ever done besides go to culinary school,realize she wasn't cut out for restaurant work, meet Mario Batali, copy Guy Fieri's hair-do and dance a jig on the food network,if she has legit chops let me know.But for now------CLOWN!!!!!

PIGEON

Roast Pigeon with Porcini, Morel, and Chanterelle.

Because Sometimes You Just Have To Cook a Pork Belly in its Own Fat,Over a Wood Fire.

Pork Fat,Gods Gift to Mankind.

A RECAP

For the newbees (which is just about everyone who isn't related to me)Here is the mission statement of this blog.
There's a fine line between chef and clown

As a wise chef once told me, while we both observed a co-worker wearing chef pants with a chilli pepper print on them, "remember Mark, there's a fine line between chef and clown".I'm reminded of how true this statemant is today as I watch "chefs" Guy Fieri and Anne Burell shuck and jive and dance around in their spiked hair and their pinky rings while teaching us how to make pulled pork sushi rolls with wasabi gravy! (seriously, WTF?!?)This recipe sounds familiar to me for some reason,what is it,oh yea,august 12th 1988 3:00 am, home from a San Diego State frat party featuring a keg of Meister Brau, my 3 friends and I made this very dish. It was epic. Anyways,while I was sitting there lamenting that this great and proud profession is often given the face of the court jester,I decided to set up this blog and and polling site to weigh in with my opinion on contempory chefs and food personallities,and to collect your opinions as well.So enjoy,read,comment,vote,and remember,Escoffier wouldn't be caught dead in a pair of chili pepper pants!

OK Nancy Silverton--CHEF!! I realized I hadn't featured any female chefs so I figured the first one had to be legit.No Anne Burrells, no Sandra Lees, no Giada de Laurentis', and definately no Rachel Rays.
Chef Silverton was the head pastry chef at Wolfgang Pucks Spago from 1982-1989 when she left to open the celebrated Campanille resturant and La Brea Bakery in Los Angeles with her then husband Mark Peel.
She has written three cookbooks, Desserts and Nancy Silverton's Breads from the La Brea Bakery, Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton At Home: Two Chefs Cook for Family and Friends, and The Food of Campanile.
A solid career from a pre Food Network Era Chef.

Food Poisoning

"they found him face down in a plate of bacon & eggs benedict, clearly a case of extreme arterial plaque"

Raising Pork Ribs

Cooking ribs, actually cooking anything, is alot like raising children.
I've been cooking food alot longer than I've been raising kids, but I have three
kids under the age of 7 so I think I have the experience to talk about....
cooking ribs.
The ribs are going to end up being what they are, a somewhat fatty cut close
to the bone to which you can add spice, brine, rub, smoke, heat, fire,
sauce, love, energy, discipline, attention,and praise.The more you try to affect the ribs,the more you are probably going to fuck
them up.There is nothing better in this world then the taste of pure pork fat.
Nothing.Period.Foie Gras is nice, Caviar is great,Truffles are cool(if I don't have to pay for them), but give me a simply braised pork belly and I will gladly suffer the clogged arteries every time.I have an atavistic right to ribs as Adam gave up one of his to create Eve.
I believe it was created perfectly the way it was.It needs to be cooked,guided,gently pushed towards the flame until it's done,and then,let go to be enjoyed by others,..for the true enjoyment,for anyone who cooks,is to have our work devoured by goodwill.

Last weeks poll results

Despite a catastrophic system failure with the polling software,we were able to hand tally the vote and Marco Pierre White is unanimously declared a CHEF!! It's really a no brainer as Chef White is near or at the top of the list of great chefs of the 2ND half of the 20Th century.Born in the English town of Leeds in 1961 to an English chef and an Italian mother, one of four boys.His Mother died of a brain hemorrhage when Marco was six years old, I'll let the armchair psychologists determine if this has anything to do with his infamous temper.He began training as a commis under the Roux Brothers at Le Gavroche, in London.By 1987 he had received his first Michelin Star and a year later, his second at Harveys in London.Next stop was Chef/Proprietor of Marco Pierre White at the Hyde Park Hotel in London where he became, at the time, the youngest Chef ever to receive 3 Michelin Stars.Eight years later he "retired" and returned his stars stating "I was being judged by people who had less knowledge than me, so what was it truly worth? I gave Michelin inspectors too much respect, and I belittled myself. I had three options: I could be a prisoner of my world and continue to work six days a week, I could live a lie and charge high prices and not be behind the stove, spend time with my children and re-invent myself."
The style that landed him his Stars is rooted in classic French Cuisine with a modern and post Nouvelle twist.

The Evolution of Cooking for Television

Cooking shows can be traced back to 1920's radio,an era when the topic was likely to be managing a houshold during a time when mechanical refrigeration was at the vanguard and refrigerated transport of fresh food was still 20 years away.Growing, harvesting,canning,pickling and preserving your food was done out on necessity rather than a desire to archive "artisan" status and "slow food" accolades.Fast food would be sought after, not villanized.
The first televised cooking show of note was James Beard's 1946 "I Love To Eat" on NBC.In 1946 most households were without a television set and American cuisine was being transformed from rationing,protein stretching, substituting and making do with less, into the post WW II version of Asian and European influenced,exotic and gourmet home cookery.Beard's fondness for the Asian and french aesthetic and the new availability of fresh food products due to new technology developments in refrigerated transport combined to place James Beard at the forefront of new American cuisine and cement his place as an absolute icon of the 20Th century food landscape.
1963 brings us the next icon on the American food TV scene. Julia Child was initially famous for introducing french technique and cuisine to the American home cook through her cookbook "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in 1961 and, two years later with her pioneering and Emmy award winning television show "The French Chef". Julia Childs combination of intense passion for french cuisine and accessible "made for TV" personalty provided the nexus at which cooking and entertainment would meet for the next 50 years and beyond.
The next 20 years saw a few TV chefs appear on the landscape, as many could be expected considering there were 3 networks and a handful of public and local broadcasting stations.These included Joyce Chen,Graham Kerr,Chef Tell,and Jacques Pepin.
Jacques Pepin's seminal work, La Technique,an essential read for any aspiring chef,prompted him to launch the hugely successful PBS show "The Complete Pepin" which led to many other shows including the highly regarded collaboration with Julia Child "Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home".
At this point cooking shows were relegated to PBS and local stations but with the onslaught of cable the inevitability of widespread proliferation of food shows ,as well as every other type of show, would become realized.
I cant neglect to mention some notables in this period such as, Jeff Smith "The Frugal Gourmet", The "Great Chefs of" series,Holiday Entertaining with Martha Stewart,and "Cooking with Master Chefs with Julia Child".
1993,(the year I started culinary school)The Food Network made it's debut,early slows included : Food News and Views" hosted by then Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's wife Donna Hannover and an up and comer on the TV scene,but a veteran restaurant chef,"how to boil water" with Emerile Lagasse.
In my opinion, Chef Lagasse represents the true genesis of the new American food movement.We can talk about Alice Waters,Jeremiah Tower, Mark Miller and Paul Bertolli,Charlie Palmer,Paul Prudhomme,Wolfgang Puck,Mark Schaefer, etc....Widespread spectator sport American cooking really took off with Emerile.His Band,His BAM!! and his working class attitude,as opposed to the stuffy,uptight de rigueur of the existing cooking shows launched the food network into the mainstream of American consciousness.(part 2 to follow)

latest poll results

The polls have closed and we have our first ever Chef or Clown TIE!!While I personally believe that Wolfgang Puck is a fine Chef, having worked his way up thru the ranks in some notable restaurants in Europe and California, it's not hard to see why the uninitiated might percieve this guy as somewhat clownish.The constant hobnobing with celebrities,the mini Schwarzenegger accent,the above picture, among other things, suggest payaso like qualities, however, his legacy will be great food and succesful restaurants.
Editorial tiebreaker: CHEF!!

Last weeks poll results

All the votes have been tallied and it's probably no suprise that Guy Fieri has been named "Inaugural Clown" Thanks to all who participated!

Words of wisdom from the mailman

"“Well ya see, Norm, it’s like this… A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That’s why you always feel smarter after a few beers.”"- Cliff Claven