Super chefs like Wolfgang Puck have rocketed far beyond even television and book deals. Puck’s California restaurant, Spago, caused a sensation twenty-five years ago. Chef Puck leveraged its reputation by aggressively opening more restaurants and starting a world-class catering organization. The Puck global brand now includes fast-casual Wolfgang Puck Gourmet Express restaurants in the United States, Canada, and Japan, branded cookware, utensils and appliances, and a line of frozen and packaged foods that includes pizza, soups, and coffee.

How did the branding, packaging, and merchandising of chefs happen? From the very start, the celebrity chef exuded a sort of magic and a memorable soul. The ambitious culinary entrepreneur would create magnificent dishes and share the recipes and secret techniques, at first via cookbooks and, later, through television. The founding super chef—at least from an American perspective—was James Beard, who hosted television’s first food program as early as 1946. Beard’s cookbooks, television and radio appearances, and the James Beard Cooking School legitimized the notion of the celebrity chef.

Some stories are charmingly poignant—and they can create a chef brand with real personality. Take the case of Paula Deen, a divorced mother who, with two children to support, started a sandwich delivery service called “The Bag Lady” in Savannah, Georgia with $200 in 1989. Now Paula has her own Food Network show, operates the very successful Savannah restaurant Lady & Sons with sons Bobby and Jamie, has authored numerous cookbooks, publishes a magazine, and sells her own line of branded food products from the Paula Deen Store in Savannah. The phenomenon is repeated around the globe. India’s Sanjeev Kapoor has built just as impressive a branded empire. Kapoor hosts the Cookery Show on Zee TV. The show has been telecast non-stop for 14 years, the longest running TV show in any category on any channel in India. His numerous cookbooks have become instant bestsellers. Under the brand name of “Sanjeev Kapoor’s Khazana,” Kapoor offers pickles, blended masalas, ready-to-cook mixes, gourmet chutneys, and other products that are marketed in India and internationally. His multimedia CD-ROMs “Zee Khana Khazana Interactive CD-ROM on Indian Cooking” and “Ode to Indian Food” have brought Chef Kapoor into Indian kitchens.

Examples abound of the personal branding power of celebrity chefs. Paul Prudhomme (“Chef Paul”) has a line of “Magic Seasonings.” Mario Batali has his own signature Crocs shoe. Marcel Biro came out with Biro Cookware in 2007, and Marcus Samuelsson just launched a line of made-in-the-USA “Marcus Cookware.” Gary Rhodes (UK) produces recipes, ingredients, and utensils for younger cooks under the brand name “Kids in the Kitchen.” Maggie Beer (Australia) has a food distribution business. Alfons Schuhbeck (Germany) owns restaurants and a catering service, has published over twenty books, and is a national television personality.

Others have taken different paths but built brand franchises all the same. Instead of opening a restaurant, Rachael Ray became known for visiting restaurants and made a television series out of it. She has written numerous cookbooks, has several endorsement deals, and publishes a lifestyle magazine, “Every Day with Rachael Ray.” The UK’s Gordon Ramsay, an award-winning chef, has crafted a different brand image through his TV reality show, “Hell’s Kitchen,” in which Gordon trains (and demeans) budding chefs.

Celebrity chefs and wannabes continue to crowd television airwaves and the cookbook aisle at bookstores. While there may appear to be a glut of celebrity chefs, the trend is steadily simmering. That’s because there are plenty of chefs with charisma, and they all follow a tried-and-true recipe. They know how to cook up their own unique brand of success and rise to the top.     

[5-May-2008]