Juliette Rossant

Juliette Rossant

Forbes





Returning to New York, Juliette become a reporter for Forbes magazine. Because of her overseas experience, she was put in charge of the Middle East section of the Forbes "Billionaires List"... With the launch of the "Celebrity 100 List" in 1999, Juliette landed the "Celebrity Chefs" column... Juliette also wrote many other articles for Forbes on topics ranging from baseball to Czech funds...

Celebrity Chefs column for Forbes

Side Bar, Celebrity Chefs, Celebrity 100

Juliette Rossant, Forbes, 1999.03.22

Corn Dog Cuisine

Who's television's hottest gastronome? New Orleans-based Emeril Lagasse, of course. Bam!

His Food Network hit, Emeril Live where Julia Child meets David Letterman features a live jazz combo and lots of hollering and food flinging to the audience. Oh yes, and lots of "bamming" Emeril-ese for "add more spice."

With his distinct Massachusetts accent, Lagasse is an unlikely champion of gourmet cuisine. But droves of aspiring chefs, intimidated by French accents and fancy recipes, are turning to Lagasse's down-home style where "pork fat rules" and cooking is entertainment.

"His is the kind of cooking show that pleases my garage attendant," says television's gourmet grande dame Julia Child. "Serious cooks don't enjoy it because it's too much of a performance."

Lagasse's response: "I ain't doing this show to reach 100,000 chefs a night."

Reaching his fans hasn't been a problem. His Essence spice line sold 1,500 units in two minutes on QVC. And his fourth cookbook, Emeril's TV Dinners, made the New York Times bestseller list last year. Trendy cookware maker All-Clad featured the book inside an "Emeril Everyday Pan," and sold 80,000 units in two months.

But the core of the Emeril empire remains his restaurants: three in New Orleans, one in Las Vegas, one in Orlando at Universal Studios Florida, where he blends Cajun and French cooking with a dash of his Portuguese background. TV fans call in from around the country months in advance for reservations.

Lagasse says the secret ingredient to his success has been his ability to create away from the oven. "Chefs have to step out of the kitchen and become restaurateurs and businessmen," Lagasse says in an interview between TV shoots. "They also have to wear other hats: television, public speaking, dealing with lawyers it goes on and on."

With his Food Network contract in negotiations, don't be surprised if Emeril puts on his lawyer's hat and lands a gig on prime time.

Bam!

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