Anthony Bourdain – chef and current host of CNN’s Parts Unknown – has always been something of a professional troll. He used to host No Reservations on the Travel Channel, and he often took it upon himself to complain about the cooking talents of his competitors on The Food Network and The Cooking Channel. He was one of the most high-profile critics of Paula Deen before her history of racism was exposed, and Bourdain has had nasty things to say about everyone from Guy Fieri to Emeril Lagasse (Bourdain and Legasse eventually buried the hatchet). So who is Bourdain dissing this week? He still hates Guy Fieri and his new hate-on is Adam Richman, ousted former host of Man vs. Food. But as it turns out, Bourdain LOVES The Barefoot Contessa. Some highlights from Bourdain’s new Atlanta Magazine interview:
On Man vs. Food, Adam Richman: “Why did we watch that show? Admit it. You wanted him to die…The show confirms their worst suspicions—that Americans are fat, lazy, slothful, [and] wasteful.”
On Guy Fieri: “The minute that you become a father, certain truths become immediately obvious to you. The first second you see your daughter’s head corkscrew out of the womb and open her eyes, they are pretty much saying “Lose the Ramones shirt.” . . . So I’ve made some adjustments in my life. So I sort of feel in a heartfelt way for Guy [Fieri]. I wonder about him. He’s 52 years-old and still rolling around in the flame outfit . . . What does he do? How does Guy Fieri de-douche?”
On Ina Garten: “I love Ina Garten. She’s one of the few people on Food Network who can actually cook. When Ina Garden roasts a chicken, she roasts it correct. When Ina Garten makes mashed potatoes, those are some solid mashed potatoes. In many ways I want Ina’s life. I don’t want to live in her house. I don’t want to spend a weekend there. It gets weird in Ina Land . . . Oh, when Jeffrey gets home, he’ll be so happy I made meatloaf. And then he comes home and you’re pretty sure he’s not into meatloaf.
He also said that if some guy in Afghanistan saw Man vs. Food, it would convince the guy to join ISIS. I’m not sure if I would go that far, but I will say this – Man vs. Food is a terrible show and Richman has zero on-screen charisma (he comes across like a sweaty pervert). I feel a little bit sorry for Guy Fieri though – Fieri is the favorite whipping boy of so many “foodies” and intellectuals, but I watch Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and I enjoy it. Then again, I watch food shows to relax and I enjoy seeing local chefs make their specialties.
And of course everyone loves Ina Garten. She’s amazing! I agree that her roast chicken looks amazing, as do her potatoes.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
No! I love Adam Richman. I will never deny that Ina can cook, but she’s so boring to me. I can’t watch her show at all.
I do think Anthony, despite his many flaws and ahole nature, is easily the most charismatic on the Food Channel. No Reservations is a great show.
Am I the only one who finds him to be both intelligent and SEXY?
Oh no. I would hit that so hard!
NOPE!
All day.
Crazy sexy…
Should I have added cool?
Dirty dream sexy!!
Intelligent, sexy, a curmudgeon and CAN COOK? It’s like God found my Ideal Man checklist.
You’re not alone. Just watched him on Parts Unknown last night and am still awestruck. I agree with you, j.eyre. He’s got it all including tons of charisma, the ability to laugh at himself and snarky to boot!
Nope!
No, I have the biggest crush on him. He’s quick witted, personable, and has a gorgeous head of hair!
Yup. He’s smart, articulate, and he can laugh at himself. He won me over with his drunken night out in Thailand discussing the quality of the appetizers at a drag show.
I’d do him. Hard
He’s smart, incredibly sexy, has a quick, biting wit, and has class. I adore him and watch anything he’s part of.
Oh, and he admires Ina because she has class, and it takes class to recognize class.
I don’t know… I thought Adam Richmond showed his true colors when he had that mini-Twitter breakdown. Not so nice. And it really grossed me out that as they got into season 2 he was visibly overweight and unhealthy; he had a gray pallor to him and always looked clammy.
And it really grossed me out that as they got into season 2 he was visibly overweight and unhealthy; he had a gray pallor to him and always looked clammy.
Yes! He looks so unwell that I kept asking myself why he continues to do the show. Also, watching him eat that much food makes me not want to eat.
Adam Richman looks great now. He has a new show “Man Finds Food.”
I don’t find him particularly charming to watch, but that was bad for a while. When he would eat those gross amounts of food it was like the Travel Channel was just trying to get him to have a heart attack on camera.
Would! Now lady wood.
Looooooooove Anthony Bourdain. Total rock star. He can stir my roux anytime. 😉
It’s weird I’m not sexually attracted to him, I just wish I knew people like him. If I could have one person dead or alive a drinking buddy it would be him.
I love him and he knows food. I can’t stand Fieri either.
Guy Fieri grosses me out so bad. He works his what he calls his protein while wearing a gold pinky ring. I just want to puke thinking about little pieces of ground beef in that ring.
I don’t like Man Vs. Food watching people pig out does nothing for me. My husband likes it though but in my opinion my husbands choice of viewing is suspect at best.
Yes! I adore Bourdain. He is hilarious and a smart man who has seen sh*t in his life. His book Kitchen Confidential was amazing and funny and made him one of my forever dongs.
I cant watch DDD and Fieri because he sticks his fingers in everything people cook and it makes me gag. seriously.
Ha, “Kitchen Confidential” is actually the book I’m currently reading! Love it.
Ever since I learned that Guy Fieri was so ardently homophobic, I can’t watch his shows anymore.
Guy Fieri may be a douche to Anthony Bourdain, but Guy Fieri isn’t constantly feuding with everyone under the sun.
And what his is saying about Guy is pretty superficial. I thought he was going to give some real dirt like he knows he is abusive to people. He complained about his wardrobe.
Part of me has to wonder if he is not a tad bit jealous that Guy has a wider audience with his shows. I personally love his shows. Guy’s Big Bites need some new episodes.
This stuff is typical Bourdain and what people like about him – he will say exactly what he thinks about someone, and he’s usually spot on. No jealousy (why on earth would Bourdain be jealous?).
But why offer up negative opinions on someone, totally unasked? To just insult someone or state “I don’t like him”? Who cares if he’s being brutally honest? There is such a thing as tact and decorum, or just plain ol’ not being a huge jackass to everyone. I have never understood why people like this smug, ridiculously condescending *sshole.
Okay, you just don’t like him. That’s fine. Different strokes for different folks, right?
Admittedly, I’m a Bourdain apologist. Truly, this is just who he is. It’s not a feuding thing, he just has a big mouth and tends to be a bit too honest for his own good.
That being said, I can’t help but feel bad for Guy Fieri, who seems to be an easy target. I don’t know..let the man do his thing you know? So what if he wants to wear bowling shirts and spike his hair?
Part of the issue is that it sounds like behind the scenes Fieri’s a douche. It’s something that keeps coming up, to the point where you have to believe that where there’s smoke there’s fire. And if you notice, Bourdain doesn’t feud with everyone – he’s got a lot of great relationships with a lot of other chefs – and at least in the case of Bobby Flay (who he famously dislikes) and Paula Deen, it turned out he was pretty spot on.
What’s the dirt of Fieri? I honestly hadn’t heard.
He’s also said that Flay’s restaurants are really good. I think Bourdain is just an honest, straight-up kind of a guy. I don’t think it’s bitterness or jealousy at all.
I can’t remember specifics right now, but lots of chatter that in real life Fieri is a jerk.
I know someone who used to work behind the scenes on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives…he’s worked with a few other food show people as well. He said hands down Guy was the biggest douche he has worked with on those type of shows.
@Kitten – I remember reading once that he said some homophobic things while shooting an episode of DDD, like he was insulting one of the chefs at the kitchen they were profiling, or saying how he hated having to be around them. Something ridiculous. Don’t know if it’s true, but yeah, the reports about his bad behavior/attitude don’t see to be sparse.
@AcidRock, I wish Anthony Bourdain had called Guy Fieri out for that, then, because it’s that’s true that is a legitimate criticism and he should proceed to call it out. However, just saying “ugh, he’s a father, FLAME SHIRTS, AAAUUGGHHH!” is ridiculous. And I like my Ramones t-shirt, okay? 😀
Mr. Delphi is a chef, and has mad love for Tony Bourdain. He’s said any number of times that he’s the only “tv chef” who really has lived the life, fought the battles, and he’s got tons of street cred with working kitchen lifers. If you haven’t read “No Reservations”, get thee to a bookstore or library now and pick it up. Bourdain’s completely honest about the fact he’s a d!ckhead, and about his battles with substance abuse and the wear and tear of “the life”. Plus, his bro-mance with Eric Ripert makes me deliriously happy.
@Bridget: Fieri has been flagged many times for treating his operational staff like crap at this restaurants, and treating his crew on DD&D with…moderate hostility. He’s a pompous windbag with subpar knife skills, poor hygiene (the rings…blergh), and really bad fashion sense. I mean, flip-flops in a kitchen? At least Mario Batali’s clogs are closed-toed and easy to sanitize!
FWIW, I know someone who works with Bourdain and he’s apparently a total sweetheart with his staff. Very well liked and kind of sweet behind the scenes.
@Delphi: YES. My husband was a cook for quite a while and my BIL still is, and they feel the same way.
Thanks for all the info, guys. I had no idea that Fieri was such an ahole.
I think Guy is an irritating man who a bad reputation for how he treats people. That being said…I do appreciate that he has maybe inspired Americans to look past chain restaurants and realize the amazing food that can be found at small mom-and-pop places.
When I used to wait tables, national chains were THE thing bringing in money in my home town. I worked at both a small bistro and a large “Italian” chain. The chain served premade, packaged food that was essentially microwaved and loaded with chemicals and artificial ingredients. They took out cheese from their alfredo and added “butter substitute” to make it more cost effective, and it tasted like paste.
The small bistro made EVERYTHING from scratch, and you could taste it in every bite. Even the dressing at the bistro was so much better because it was made in small batches by a chef. Meanwhile, the bistro had open tables every night and the chain had an hour wait.
I think people are starting to wise up, thanks in part to shows like DDD and Dining on Asphalt, etc.
@Tiffany:) You’re right, credit is definitely due there. I would happily pass on Guy himself, but I really appreciate that DDD showcases local independent businesses.
Guy Fieri is a douchelord. He’s a blue cocktail personified. He chooses to walk the earth with a bleached soul patch, backwards truckstop shades, and thumb rings on at all times. He’s the Limp Bisqit (sp) of all things microwaveable. Just ugh. Every time I see him I want to kick a wall.
LMAO at “blue cocktail personified”.
OMG. I need to file that away to use in the future. Sheer genius.
I don’t mind Guy but this made me guffaw, “He’s a blue cocktail, personified.” LOL forever.
I love Anthony Bourdain because he’s just unapologetically who he is. His first book was my first culinary biography and it lured me in.
I recently saw Ina in person and she just seems to be a genuinely lovely person.
Your post is a thing of beauty. Douche lord. Blue cocktail, personified. Haw!
I believe we’re in “agreeance” on that topic.
(Fred Durst/Limp Bizkit reference for those playing at home)
I love Bourdain. He says it like it is… “De-douche”… I die.
Was Anthony asking for advice because he hasn’t found away to de-douche himself.
Hahahahaha!
LOLz you got it!
I can’t stand Guy Fieri either, but at least he’s not pretentious and shallow like Bourdain.
I found myself getting sucked in MvF. It was not so much the challenges, it was that the featured restaurants did not show any other specialty besides the challenge. Alton Brown said the same thing, and Richman went balistic. This was before the weight loss and instagram fight from last year.
I cannot stand Ina Garten. Talk about someone who is snob and devoid of any personality. And if the rumors are to be believed, she should just stay in her Hamptons tower.
Ina is lovely. I’ve had the pleasure of working with her on several charity events and she is very nice.
I suspect Ina is mostly harmless, but she does strike me as a bit Goop-esque with her “good” ingredients
Ina’s recipes are pretty much the same as any good home cook would prepare for their family. She brings the recipes to people who have no idea how to cook. I made her lemon square recipe that makes a 9 X 13 pan. It was fabulous and exactly as it should have been. I have been making them for more than 40 years. Another plus is that she decorates her tables simply and she is non pretentious (or appears so). Love Ina, love Bourdain. you can have the blonde who decorates her kitchen differently each time – fiance of Cuomo. Bourdin fans,
read Kitchen Confidential, his first book. He is fabulous – good looking, caustic wit, tall, very macho. yum
I met Bourdain at a book signing and he was awesome. He posed for pictures with all of the line cooks even though they didn’t even buy his book.
I like Anthony. I enjoy his humor and I do think he’s honest. However,the whole foodie thing is so pretentious. Sometimes I just want a plain hamburger and without the eye rolls.
My mom has stage four cancer and she’s couch bound. When I hang out with her we flip on the food network. It’s calming and Ina in particular. She just has a really Zen attitude and it makes it fun to watch her. Also we both feel her husband is the luckiest guy on the planet. She adores him.
I’m a die-hard Bourdain fan and if you watch the various TV series he’s made (No Reservation, Parts Unknown, The Layover) then you’ll know that he eats a LOT of food truck food and street food. Yes he dines in fancy restaurants as well, but his taste in food is incredibly diverse.
I think people have this weird misconception about “foodies”. Being a foodie doesn’t mean that you’re some snob who only eats fancy food, it just means that you appreciate good f*cking food–whether it’s an awesome hamburger or a perfectly cooked Chilean sea bass.
I consider myself a foodie and as an example: I went to my brother’s house over the weekend and we made burgers–grass-fed beef with Velveeta and potato buns. No fancy cheese or whole wheat burger buns. Velveeta because it melts like nothing else, high-quality beef because it tastes better and good ol’ fashioned classic hamburger buns because that’s the perfect toasty beef delivery system. It was the ultimate combo and there was nothing fancy or pretentious about it, just good f*cking food, man.
That’s my point. It doesn’t need to be fancy to be good. Some of the best food I’ve ever had has been in food trucks. In Portland we have this amazing food truck revolution going on. The ones I’ve eaten at have been fresh, flavorful and cheap!! I also enjoy them because it’s small business, and they’re making food that they’re passionate about.
I wish I could like him, but I really don’t feel the appeal. I heard all the buzz and love, but I find him tiresome, and I inevitably switch channels. That’s not to say that I am team Fieri. I’m pretty meh about both
i support you! Foodie is not the same as food snob.
I agree, I love how he doesn’t mind mixing with the locals to eat the cuisine that is known in that particular area. Even if it means he may need security. And he doesn’t mind talking to them about the local politics as my favorite episode of this season was Jamaica and Hawaii
I totally agree, Kitten.
I especially love the Bordain shows where he goes to people’s homes and eats their food. He is always very appreciative and respectful. He understands how culture and food intersect.
I don’t dislike Adam Richmond, but Man VS Food makes me queasy. Something about watching bloated men glistening in sweat, stuffing their faces, with lard and ketchup dripping off their faces while they try their darnedest to hold in an earth-rumbling burp – it’s decidedly UNAPPEALING and gross. Not to mention the huge waste of food and generally behaving like Neanderthals.
Never saw him in a suit before. He actually cleans up pretty well.
I agree about GF. I cannot stand the guy. He takes the obnoxious factor to a whole new level. He was at a chicken restaurant outside of Chicago filming a few years back and I heard from a couple people about his antics.
However, I don’t agree about Ina. That woman lives to say her cooking is “perfect” all-the-time and it annoys the h*** out of me. She chops onions for heaven sake and brags “perfect”. She places brownies on a plate and says, “perfect”. Her smugness and nervous “school-girl” giggles make me all stabby.
I don’t like Ina either. She’s a little fake.
I used to like her until she refused to meet that dying kid who watched her everyday. My favorite foodie to watch is Laura Calder! I have all her cookbooks and everything tastes great. GF isn’t that bad, I think he knows how lucky he is. If not he should.
Ina’s smugness is so OTT that it actually amuses me. My mother in law is insanely jealous of Ina and her life and I always imagine Ina sneering at her smugly. “Perfect”
To be fair, Ina is right. Her cooking is “perfect”. Ever tried any recipe of hers? Everything is spot-on. I’ve tried almost all the recipes in her Back to Basics cookbook and they’re all delicious and not complicated to make.
She can babble on about good vanilla and good liqueur and good cocoa for all I care, but she knows what she’s talking about.
I will not give that woman one red cent of mine. I’ll stick to the recipes my mother taught me and Julia Child.
I love Anthony Bourdain for his realness and “no holds barred” attitude. I totally agree with him about Guy Fieri with his dumb flame shirts, highlighter yellow hair, and sunglasses on the back of his head–and I’ll even go a step further and say that I don’t understand how that man has a career in food. Every time he opens a restaurant there are terrible reviews by food critics and it seems his fans are the only people who really keep him in business. I also cannot stand how he insists on people pronouncing his name as if he was born and raised in Italy… especially considering his REAL last name is FERRY.
anyone that wears his sunglasses backwards all the time as his “look” is a douche.
You can google Barefoot Contessa Perfect Roast Chicken for the recipe. It is SO GOOD!
Should have called out Bobby Flay while he was at it.
He has. Bourdain on Flay:
“In service to this new, groin-level dynamic, even poor, loyal, Bobby Flay was banished from cooking anywhere near as well as he actually could—to face off with web-fingered yokels in head to head crab cake contests—to almost inevitably (and dubiously) lose…They’re sending this poor guy all over the country, to trailer parks and meth labs.“
He’s also said that Flay is a really talented chef.
Frankly quotes like that are part of the reason why I lost a lot of admiration for the dude. Read it close – it’s basically an exercise in classist indignation.
The whole premise of Throwdown (which is the show he’s referring to) is that people who are not trained as professional chefs could cook just as well – perhaps even better – than Bobby Flay. It’s an affront to the whole system of classical training that Bourdain is invested in – that a trained, professional chef is simply better than a cook who learned everything toiling away in the kitchen. They can’t be as good as Bobby Flay – to suggest otherwise is awful.
Weirdly enough, Bourdain doesn’t seem to feel this way about home cooks outside the US. He seems to hold them in very high regard and really gives them their fair due. But then why doesn’t we extend that to the home country? Why is it so hard to believe that somebody who doesn’t have Bobby Flay’s background could do a better job when it comes to a single dish than he could? That’s why I’ve lost a lot of regard for the guy – if you’re going to have strong opinions (and I’m not objecting to that), show some damn consistency. Throwdown is far from the worst thing on the Food Network – as long as Cutthroat Kitchen exists, at least.
You make a really sound argument, Sam, particularly your point about classism. I do think Bourdain is guilty of that sometimes. I also think he has a tendency to forgo politeness in favor of humor. He can be crude at times, but he goes for the laugh, you know? I don’t think he has malicious intent.
In his defense (sorry I can’t help it), his issue is really with The Food Network and the disingenuous way that they present talented American chefs. I don’t think he meant to denigrate the chefs on Throwdown, just to point out that the Food Network creates this artifice in which to display a chef’s talents, pitting them against one of the world’s most highly-trained and talented chefs. It just feels very….affected and fake, to the point where you really have to wonder how scripted it is. If you follow Bourdain, then you know that his perception is that The Food Network has turned an art form that he’s devoted his life to, into cheap entertainment, devoid of the reverence and respect that it deserves. The Food Network turns culinary art into a three ring circus and Bourdain’s shows aim to be the opposite of that. He shows chefs in their own kitchens doing what they do best, highlighting their natural talent. The Food Network is loud and showy, Bourdain’s programs are deferent and genuine.
I see how you would see the douchiness in his statement here as evidence of someone who has little-to-no respect for American chefs, but anyone who has seen him travel to parts of the States has seen that he is very respectful and appreciative of American food. That being said, he is so clearly in his happy place when he’s in Paris. You know, at the end of the day, he’s still a classically-trained chef that made a career for himself making French food so maybe he DOES show his bias at times.
EDIT: Bleh. Not “deferent”, show deference. Sigh
Kitten: I can see your points. FN has certainly deteriorated. I get the impression that all their actual “let’s cook” shows are on when most people are not home to see them, and the evenings are filled with the “food as entertainment” shows. The only one I genuinely respect is Chopped because it does seem to be an exercise in creativity and ingenuity and making things work, which I like.
I think Bourdain’s issue is that he shots from the hip and says stuff that he probably would take back later. I remember him admitting that he basically gets really angry, sits down and writes, and that’s it. And people like that. I think he’s made really good arguments in the past (like his critiques of Alice Waters), but that he probably benefits from editing – and when he gets it wrong, he says so (he has, to my knowledge, come around to the idea that people eat too much meat these days and that maybe vegetarians have a point about animal welfare). I don’t hate him, but I do find myself going back and forth with him.
Sam–I am obsessed with Chopped. OBSESSED.
Before I had cable, I would end up doing 2 hour treadmill work-outs just to watch Chopped because I couldn’t watch it at home. It’s the most addictive show. I LOVE Jun Tanaka. His food looks amazing and he’s such a good-looking dude.
And I agree with your assessment of Bourdain shooting from the hip. I think if I hadn’t read Kitchen Confidential and watched all his series, I would think he was just a jerk. But I feel like I’ve grown to understand him and get a sense of the kind of person he is just from following him over the years. I’ve said this before, but he reminds me of Howard Stern a lot in both personality and stature. Outspoken to his own detriment at times and a polarizing personality, much like Stern.
It helps a lot when you know the context of his relationship with the Food Network. And really, is he wrong? Bobby Flay is incredibly talented, and he’s kind of turning into that shmuck on that TV show. Instead of creating his own things, he’s entering a biscuit contest in Indiana, or judging The Next Food Network Star. Though having watched Throwdown, I can say that the hometown folks they highlight are never methheads, and Bourdain could stand to not put them down in order to make his point.
And Bourdain’s mouth definitely gets him in trouble. That’s why didn’t guest judge for Top Chef for a very long time – he pissed off the producers with some sort of comment he made.
I love Tony. I wish we were friends in real life and not just in my head. Mom and I love watching him.
I love triple d but it’s mostly about the food and the stories behind the them than guy fieri. My mom hates him. My 6 year niece loves him so if that’s his demographic, success!
If I weren’t vegan I feel like I would have won half the challenges in man vs food. Granted, I don’t think that’s a good thing.
I love Anthony, No Reservations is one of the rare “cooking” shows I don’t find utterly boring. He’s very funny and charismatic.
Also, sometimes with people who do travel documentaries I get the feeling that they feel they are better than the people in the countries they visit, and I never get that vibe from him.
He also said really nice things about Croatia when he was here so points for that.
I love Anthony Bourdain, he cracks me up! Sometimes the snarkiness feels a bit put upon as he’s started to mellow out with fatherhood and middle age and like he’s deliberately trying not to go soft, but he’s sharp as a tack and typically on point in his criticism.
LOL and what right does he have to offer up this criticism, though? From reading others’ comments here, he doesn’t seem to be this holier-than-thou, better-than-everyone chef who legitimately is in a position to throw insults and critique at others. And in Fieri’s case, all he’s really criticizing is his sense of style…nothing about his work or food endeavors. Again, who the hell is Bourdain to esteem himself so highly that he gets a kick out of tearing people down, and further, who are these fans who think it’s funny, or act like he’s been knighted as the ultimate judge in all things food-related? Just seems to be another guy so far up his own *ss, and slackjawed fans are lapping it all up.
Well TBH he’s criticized Fieri’s food on more than one occasion and he’s not the only one that feels that way. Remember the scathing review of American Kitchen & Bar a few years ago?
Guy Fieri has gotten a LOT of sh*t about his cooking skills by chefs and food critics.
I get that you hate Bourdain (which is totally fair, we all have our hated celebs. hell I have a LIST of them) but he is inarguably a more talented chef that Fieri.
I’m not sure that gives him the right to criticize but it does give him higher ground in a way.
Ok, fair enough. I just don’t get that, at least as he’s portrayed on this board, he seems to be nothing but a bully. If a journalist asks him specifically what he thinks about another chef, he chooses not to take the route of “if you don’t have something nice to say…” Which, I mean, cool if people want to praise him for not biting his tongue or censoring himself. It just feels so much worse that he seems to be doing this unprovoked, and as we see at least in this instance about Fieri, it’s not even about anything relevant to the industry. I do remember the review of Fieri’s restaurant and I guess maybe it is true that he is universally panned, but it seems like Bourdain has appointed himself arbiter of what’s what, food-wise, and likes to attack those he doesn’t agree with.
AcidRock: he’s a chef and bestselling author, and has had travel/food shows on for way more than a decade. If anyone is qualified to critique celebrity television chef’s, it’s him. But even so, who says he has to provide credentials to offer up an opinion? We may not agree with it, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t.
@AcidRock…it’s not that Bourdain holds himself up as any arbiter of good taste. He’s first in line to make fun of himself and any pretensions he might put on, and is very forthright with it. However, talk to anybody who has dedicated their lives to the world of being a working chef/line cook/expo, and they’ll tell you how much they HATE (H.A.T.E.) 99.99% of the “celebrity” chefs out there. The majority (Fieri, Flay, Giada de Laurentiis, hell, even Emeril to an extent) might have culinary training, sometimes fantastic training, but instead of focusing on being a working chef, have decided to sell themselves not their food as product. Yeah, you might see them cook on their shows, but what you don’t see are the actual cooks behind the camera who make everything look good.
And like I said above, because these celebrity chefs aren’t working 12 hour shifts 6 days a week behind the line, they’ve lost touch with the basic skills that they might have learned. Knife technique with most of these guys is borderline suicidal…I’m surprised somebody hasn’t lost a finger yet.
Bourdain retired from the kitchen because he physically couldn’t do it anymore. 20 years behind a line will destroy anybody. Mr. Delphi is only 40, but has been a chef for 21 years. He kicked a cocaine habit, his knees both have been reconstructed, his vertebrae are slowly collapsing on themselves, and his hands and arms are so scarred up they look like a topographical map of the lunar surface…all for 2 Michelin stars. But he can’t give it up, It’s a hard life, but it’s like a drug…so many chefs are addicted to the adrenaline.
I said this downthread, but am saying it again: if you watch his travel shows, he is one of the MOST respectful people I have ever seen to the locals. He’s frequently invited into people’s homes and given food, and he is almost across the board kind and appreciative. He’s a total snark… to those that can take it. But he’s got a genuine appreciation for food and different cultures, and for the fact that he’s incredibly lucky to be able to do what he does for a living. He gets it.
The Food Network is my nightmare. Half the shows are just people poorly combining various cans and jars and packages. That’s not cooking, and the end result is only technically food.
The rest of the shows, it’s like high school home ec cooking. So basic, so many cut corners, really average results. I mean, it’s fine for home cooks, but why its TV worthy is beyond me. It’s like making a show about couponers who only use a few a week, or making a procedural about a lawyer who mostly does straightforward estate law. Not something worth putting on television.
I’m not a fan, but Ina does stand out as the only person on that network who can really cook. Maybe some of the others can in real life (though restaurant reviews would suggest otherwise), but they sure aren’t lettinv the world see their talent on their shows.
He’s one of my favorite people in the world. Part of my sarcasm today is because i watched his shows a lot. He’s spectacular.
I go back and forth with this guy. He lambasted Paula Deen for her high-fat, high-calorie meals but he’s an unrepentant supporter and friend of Nigella Lawson, who has been called out in the UK by public health campaigners for creating recipes that are just as bad – if not worse – than Deen.
Please don’t take this as any kind of defense of Deen in the other areas of her life – I have no love for her – but Bourdain needs to show some consistency. He didn’t dislike Paula for her cooking. He disliked her because she’s loud, abrasive, etc. Lawson makes gluttony look good, so he’s cool with her. If that’s how he feels, then dude, just be out with it.
I also don’t mind Guy. He’s tough to take in large doses and he’s certainly overexposed, but Diners Drive-Ins and Dives is pretty awesome in that it gives serious attention to places that would never get it otherwise and it was, in truth, one of the first shows I ever saw where the host gave really serious consideration and praise to really obscure ethnic and religious cuisines (he did an episode that focused on a Druze community and the particular foods they eat – I have never seen anything like it since).
Nigella didn’t endorse a diabetes product. His point was that she’s helping create the problem with super high sugar, high fat foods, and then profiting from the medication. Paula Deen didn’t even admit to her own Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis until after she inked her deal with Novo Norodisk. As in, she wouldn’t admit it until she got paid to do so. You don’t find that icky?
That wasn’t the whole of it. Bourdain was a critic of Deen long before the diabetes drug entered into it (and yes, I have serious issues with Deen, but her cooking was least among them). The point stands – if he was wiling to take Deen to task for her style of cooking, why not criticize Lawson over the same? She’s a high calorie, high fat cook, so why hold back on her? There is no good reason.
(and you can google to see that Bourdain was attacking Deen’s cooking long before the Victoza debacle).
It goes beyond health reasons – after all, it’s not like he’s a particularly big proponent of healthy foods. Far, far from that, in fact. But Paula Deen isn’t about craft or creating delicious food – she’s about pandering to her audience; again, we’re going back to the Food Network and their biggest products being personalities and not food. And if you’ve ever watched Nigella’s show, everything she makes is well done food. If you will, it’s the difference between mindlessly eating a Krispy Kreme in front of the TV, and going out and getting a great gelato and really enjoying it. Both are terrible for you, but they’re not at all the same.
Bridget, you’re dodging the question. It doesn’t matter if Deen’s stuff is poorly done and Lawson’s are 5-star worthy. If they have the same amount of fat and calories (and they often do) they’ll both kill you just as quick. So why is Deen worthy of derision but Lawson isn’t? That’s the question. Bourdain went after Deen for her alleged contributions to making America fatter and sicker, but Lawson is basically her British equivalent and Bourdain sings her praises. Why the difference?
Oh sorry, thought I answered. Because Paula IS most definitely an elite, but panders to the every day family. She says that she’s cooking for the every day family, but presents foods that are genuinely awful for you (this is a woman who is best known for a dish that switches in donuts instead of a hamburger bun). Also, you realize that even Bourdain admitted (pre-Norodisk debacle) his comments toward Deen were harsh? Dude says a lot, but will admit it when his mouth gets him in trouble.
I’m not really a fan of him, but my reasons are muddier. He just doesn’t appeal to me, for whatever reason.
And I will also say, one of the things that I have always liked about Bourdain is on his travel shows, he is one of the MOST respectful people I have ever seen to the locals. He’s frequently invited into people’s homes and given food, and he is almost across the board kind and appreciative. He’s a total snark… to those that can take it. But he’s got a genuine appreciation for food and different cultures, and for the fact that he’s incredibly lucky to be able to do what he does for a living.
Uhmmmmmn… does Bourdain so easily forget his hardcore past struggling with his Heroin addiction at one time?
I don’t get the hate for Fieri– ues, his hair and he dresses like a embarrassing High School
Dork– But, I, too enjoy me some Triple D.
Johhny Garlic’s Restaraunts sucks, too but Bourdain has a big ego himself and is also known to be not so nice to people in NY. In fact, possesses Douche-Tastic cells so think he needs to zip it and stop ripping on everyone else in the industry that has made them millions and only expose the true frauds if he had the need to keep shitting on people. Which obviously he feeds on.
Very sarcastic and sometimes caustic Man.
My thoughts exactly! I cannot stand this man! And I wonder what it says about people who think his schtick and demeanor are not only acceptable, but funny!
I think he comes across as an articulate bad boy and that appeals to some. I find him enamoured of his own image and specialness. I also find it unprofessional to criticise other chefs openly. On the other hand, criticising the shows on Food Network/FN is fair game.
Ina Garten, on the other hand, reminds me of a Hampton’s matron, living and cooking in her rarified bubble, so unlike the rest of us plebs. I can’t relate to her life at all and that bleeds into her cooking.
So all of his success is negated by the fact that he used to be addicted to heroin? He’s not allowed to call out Fieri for being douchelord supreme because of his past?
Yeah I didn’t get that part either. Bourdain has never been one to minimize or gloss over his past. He’s very forthright about it. I just don’t get what his addition battles have to do with his abilities as a chef.
I was going to say the same thing. I don’t understand what his battle with heroin addiction has to do with his success. I assume you’re saying that he can never judge anyone else’s skills in the kitchen because he struggled with drugs?
I know he can be rather douchey, but I can’t help myself; I love Anthony Bourdain and I find him incredibly sexy.
TMI and nothing to do with the article, but Bourdain has been on my forever list even before reading Kitchen Confidential…..
I want to get right between him and his love-snark bromance with Eric Ripert.
Count me in on that wish too!!
Guy Fieri is good friends with Kid Rock. For that reason alone he’s on my douche list.
Yes, yes, 1,000 times yes.
Guy is so annoying. I love Man vs. Food. Didn’t Ina refuse to meet a kid with cancer?
He’s a sexy asshole.
I met Ina at a trade show a few years ago. She resembles my mom, who lived far away and, at the time, my 3 y/o would see her on television and get the warm fuzzies. When I told her how much we love her and one of the reasons why, she got up, gave a bitch smile, and walked away. Truly, truly pretentious & bitchy.
If anyone here likes Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, go turn on an episode and tell me if you enjoy it after you notice this: contant interruption of the cooks and talking over them by Guy while they are explaining their dishes. They will start showing how a dish is made and Guy will be like “so you’ve got some cumin in there? Cook at 400 degree? For 6 hours?” and inevitably the cook looks weary and agrees even though they just started chopping an onion. It *could* be that he is just adding details the cooks are forgetting to explain but how he does it, interrupting, not letting the person even talk for themselves is enough to make me want to punch his eye rolling, grease dripping, bleached on purpose facial hair, bling wearing face. Watch an episode and TELL me you aren’t now annoyed! And it’s sad because the food often looks tasty and the owners/chefs look like they’re gritting their teeth while repeating the mantra “exposure is good for business”.
As for Tony… My love knows no bounds. He’s a bit… abrasive, but he knows what he is talking about!!
Ha ha ha…I’ve watched DD&D too many times than I’d care to admit and yeah, your description is spot-on.
Yes, that is what makes it unwatchable for me. It gives me contact anxiety on behalf of the chefs!
Sometimes Guy does it because the cooks have no personality and he’s moving them along. Usually the funny personable ones he doesn’t interrupt as much.
To be fair it’s not an instructional cooking show and they tend to cram in two or three dishes for each restaurant in like five minute so his job is keeping it snappy. I don’t expect to learn to cook from DDD, I expect to drool over heart attack inducing food I will likely never eat!
My husband and I sometimes play a game where we come up with our ultimate dinner party guest list. Bourdain would have to be there – well-traveled, speaks his mind and can appreciate straightforward food without being snotty.
This wasn’t an interview – it’s from Bourdain’s current standup tour. Really, none of this is new – I saw Bourdain several years again and it was pretty much the same material.
@KITTEN and GEORGIA- I posted about Bourdain’s past struggles with drugs for one reason only— to point out as humans, we all have imperfections.
I do, however, appreciate AB’s writing and culinary skills and the fact he ripped also both Flay and Deen. At least some of those he choses to attack truly do deserve it.
Fieiri’s restaraunts are not good at all and I am certain I would also appteciate Bourdain’s talents as a Chef more than many others.
I have no hate for Anthony— just was wondering why he so frequently attacks so many for making the same amount of millions in the exact fashion he does??? Are you picking up what I am putting down yet??
Thanks
Ina always seems on some mood enhancing drug. Her laugh is forced and she’s always so calm. I do love her recipes though. Saying hardly anybody can cook on Food Network?? Who’s really the douche now? Bitter much?
Hardly anyone does cook on the Food Network anymore – that is his point. Their programming is largely game shows, reality shows and Guy Fieri stuffing things into his maw. Ina really is the only legit person with a cooking show. Rachael Ray, the Pioneer Woman, the country singer… that’s not really very impressive. That’s what Bourdain means.
I HATE how they have turned all of the shows into cooking competitions! It’s like how MTV stopped being about music, despite their name. The Food Network is no longer about how to make good food…it is about how to be a competitive cupcake baker, or challenging Bobby Flay, etc. Yawn.
@Tiffany,
Oh it’s awful. I can’t stand “Chopped” (sorry but it’s the same thing over and over), “Cutthroat Kitchen” or “Next Food Network Star.”
Ina really is the only worthwhile thing they air now.
Anthony Bourdain is like the Vanity Fair of celebrity chef shows. Deeper and more serious – but obscure topics. Ina is kinda the same.
Guy Fieiri and Adam Richman are like the Star Magazine of cooking shows. More flash and less depth. I like Guy’s Grocery Games and Triple D. Then again I’m not a food snob.
And are people not aware that Adam Richman lost 70 pounds after Man Vs. Food stopped filming? His new show Food Fighters isn’t bad, but it’s no Chopped either. They go too quick to really get a feel for the cooking and they aren’t “real” chefs I don’t think.
Anyone watch the Next Food Network Stars show? I’m convinced Bobbly Flay and Giada have something going. They sure do get along well (wink wink) on the show….
I have been loving life that much more since Ina Garten got an instagram. I love her shows. I love her Paris tv specials. Her life seems awesome.
I love the food network so much. And yeah, I learned a ton watching Ina Garten because she cooks the sort of food people actually want to eat. Then again, I also learned a ton watching Amazing Wedding Cakes, back when Christopher Garren hadn’t closed down, because though I could never, ever make anything to that standard there’s always something to be learned from the best in any field. And even if I never baked a cake in my life I would love to watch skill like that in Garren’s workshop.
If you want to impress ANYONE, make Ina’s Engagement Chicken. It’s the best roast chicken … seriously. I make it weekly and have for years now. I’ve never made the sauce b/c my family doesn’t allow me the time too – they want at it that quickly!
Her chicken with 40 cloves of garlic is also great. And her chocolate white chocolate chip cookies are heaven. Sooooo good.
I love watching his No Reservations show. He actually has an appreciation for food. Like Gordon Ramsay. He swears like a motherf*cker but his food is beautiful. One of my dreams is to eat at Ramsay’s restaurant in London, UK.
As for Ina, I love her. Her recipes are easy and I see people complaining about them being expensive or always have to be “good vanilla”, etc…but I mean, if you really know how to cook, you’d know what to use as substitutes, or research what you can do for replacements.
I don’t find her pretentious or OTT at all. I think she enjoys her life and why not? It’s not like she didn’t do anything to earn it. The woman worked as a budget analyst for two Presidents of the United States. She didn’t just sit and let her husband provide for her. The woman had a serious career.
I also don’t get why she was vilified for refusing to see that child. Yes, he was ill but his mother was the one who wanted to meet Ina and made a big noise when she didn’t get what she wanted. And since when was “charity” mandatory?
If someone doesn’t want to donate, are you gonna shame them and curse them and tell them they’re disgraceful? Charity should be done out of the goodness of your heart, not because someone else shamed you into doing it. And that was what that mother and the internet did to Ina: shamed her for something that she shouldn’t even be forced into doing. She couldn’t see the child, and that should have been her choice. How many celebs do you think actually grant the wishes of their fans? It was that child’s mother who contacted a radio station and aired her dirty laundry because she felt entitled enough to expect she would actually get what she wanted. She didn’t, and she got mad. That wasn’t Ina’s fault.
If charity is done out of goodness of the heart then Ina’s refusal shows that she does not have a good heart.
It’s not uncharitable to refuse to meet someone else’s charitable priorities, though. And I really dislike it when parents of a child with a disability or illness use that difficulty faced by the child to extract things from other individuals. (I speak as the parent of a disabled child, btw). It’s exploitative – and not solely of the target in question.
Am I the only one who thinks there is major Jeffrey shade going on with the “He’s not into meatloaf” comment?! As in Jeffrey is maybe not into Ina’s…meatloaf…ahem. The Ina – Jeffrey awkwardness is so palpable sometimes, it’s kind of why I watch!
Food Network U.K. is probably showing old stuff, but I do like it as it keeps me somewhat connected to the motherland. Guy Fieri is just that douchey loud guy, I don’t rate him as a chef but occasionally watch the Diners and Dives show for U.S. food/travel porn. I don’t know what Bourdain’s point is. Fieri is brash, obnoxious, sure, but I don’t see him being rude about other people to get press, or pretending he’s something he’s not
Slightly OT, but: It’s been a long-known FACT in the Culinary world that Giada D. is not the sweet little princess she comes across as when it comes to Men and her personal life, anyway. FACT: She and Flay fooled around but he is a serial cheater and now his soon to Be Ex is cleaning him out. Good for her!
She also is rumoured to have had a one or two night stand hook up type of thing with a popular Rap Star. No joke. Ms. Giada also divorcing her attorney Husband and likes things saucy and spicy not just in her kitchen. Yep. My thing is, anyone stupid or careless enough to knock boots with the likes of Bobby Flay has pretty low self esteem and shit taste in Men. Ugh.
Giada has long been rumored to be a serial cheater as well. Apparently, she’s very good at putting other things than food into her mouth.
Ohhhh, one last comment on Ina G. I do enjoy her show also and it does have quite a calming effect. Her recipes are fairly simple, but her Husband does kind of irk me. Anyone ever notice how beautiful and shiny her hair always is?? One show she put up photos of her and Hubby camping on their honeymoon and she was gorgeous then, too. Something about Ina always radiates warmth to me and she just seems to be what she is. A nice Jewish Lady who loves to cook and please others.
But,,,, Jeoffrey, tapping away at his laptop (Oh, yes—He’s a snobby Upstate “Writer” bwah hahah—wtf does the man write???) and happily waiting to gorge himself on Ina’s hard work….lol. Come on buddy, lift a damn finger.
He has… quite a good career, if what I googled just now is accurate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Garten – I had no idea either, and always wondered!
Curious about the “dying child’s last wish” thing people are saying, though. If it was the mother’s, then wanting that when your kid is that ill is just crass. If it was the child’s… I don’t know. That’s not great, no.
Off to google some more!
This is interesting to me because Guy Fieri is a horrible, sexist pervert whose shows have to be edited in a way to not show him staring at every pair of breasts, and Ina Garten won’t even give a dying child their last wish, if memory serves me as to why I don’t like her.
They both are awful. I will concede that Ina does know how to cook, but Guy has no redeeming qualities that I can see.
I don’t like Bourdain either, so they’re in good company.
I don’t think any food celebrity is as conceited as Anthony Bourdain.
EFFNG HATE GUY Fi-whatever his name is!!! He sucks at his job and should NEVER recommend any diner dive or definite night of pooping! He has never been talented just really loud and full of shit.