# famous chefs' restaurants **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 27, 2004, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-chefs-restaurants/242237 "2004-04-27T04:47:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-chefs-restaurants/242237/1 "2004-04-27T04:47:27Z")
So let’s say I go to Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant, or (heaven forfend) Emeril’s. Or Mario Batali’s, or, well, any famous chef’s. Would the famous chef who owns it have anything to do with the preparation of my actual meal? How much? I imagine much, if not all, of the work is done by sous-chefs… is the actual “name” chef even there during most of the operating hours of the restaurant? How does the whole thing work? ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-chefs-restaurants/242237/2 "2004-04-27T04:53:27Z")
I would imagine that, if he only owns the one restaurant, he’s probably there. If he owns a chain, then probably not, except perhaps at the original. I once worked under a Japanese-Hawaiian chef who had once owned his own restaurant, which bore his name, and he was indeed the head chef there. Of course, he wasn’t a “famous” chef. ---
**Author:** ![Earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/90db22/32.png) [@Earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthling)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-chefs-restaurants/242237/3 "2004-04-27T05:31:15Z")
When a chef reaches celebrity status, he becomes more of a businessman than a cook. But he also [has the vision, conceives the dishes, [and] imbues the whole restaurant with his/her personality](http://www.cuisinenet.com/digest/custom/restaurant/chef_ladder.shtml). More concretely, superstar chef Daniel Boulud [explains](http://www.cuisinenet.com/cafe/cuisinenet_live/1998/00002-2.html): > [@](#): > > From an apprentice, I became a cook; from a cook, I took the challenge to become a chef de partie, to sous chef, to chef, to executive chef, to restaurateur, to entrepreneur … and as long as I believe in quality and bring something positive to the industry, there is nothing wrong with expanding. The life span of a chef today (behind the stove) is fifteen years, and the most important things in our business are organization, communication, and trust. Enzo Ferrari doesn’t tighten every bolt on his cars himself, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t make the greatest cars in the world, eh? ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-chefs-restaurants/242237/4 "2004-04-27T12:57:13Z")
Emeril Lagasse has a companion restaurant (to his original New Orleans location) in Orlando (at Universal Citywalk). According to a guidebook I read, Emeril does actually visit the restaurant from time to time. Most of what he does is give direction here and there, but he may actually prepare a guest’s meal if he has a mojo to do so. Rocco D’ispirito (of _The Restaurant_) now has little to do with the actual preparation of the meals at his restaurant (this according to a _TV Guide_ article about the subject) and spends most of his time in meetings and such (and apparently quite a bit of time in court). He does visit the restaurant itself from time to time and, like Emeril, generally give direction and criticism and whatnot. ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-chefs-restaurants/242237/5 "2004-04-27T13:29:39Z")
I ate at _NOLA_ (an Emeril restaurant) in New Orleans last time I was there. Dinner was about $70, and worth every penny. The server explained that my main course had been conceived of by Emeril; my appetizer had been conceived by one of his protéges, but tested and tweaked by Emeril and the staff. The dessert was created by his dessert chef, whom my server named (because apparently I was supposed to recognize the name). At that level of culinary skill, I imagine adding new dishes to the menu is something akin to graduate seminar, where each week one of the “students” prepares a dish and gets critiqued first by the class, then by the Man Himself, but that’s just a WAG. I got the feeling that having your dish approved for the menu was a **Big Deal** ™. My appetizer, for the record, was a mirliton (sort of a squash cousin) stuffed with crawfish etoufée, with melted butter and sweet potato straws on top like a bird’s nest. It was about $10, and absolutely delicious. I think my entrée was duck – but I remember every detail of that appetizer. ---
**Author:** ![JohnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/848f3c/32.png) [@JohnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnM)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-chefs-restaurants/242237/6 "2004-04-27T14:35:58Z")
A coworker was treated by his wife to a birthday dinner at Morimoto’s in Philadelphia. They both had the omakase (tasting) menu, and Morimoto himself prepared some of the dishes and came out to the table to talk to them. If he opens the planned restaurant in NYC, then I’m sure he won’t be in Phillie as often, but for now, if you want to meet a famous chef, then Morimoto’s is a good bet. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-chefs-restaurants/242237/7 "2004-04-27T15:45:59Z")
It doesn’t even seem like a great chef is necessarily a great cook. I have no problem if the guy who can chop perfectly and grill elegantly is the one making my $50 a plate food, as long as he’s following a recipe from the guy with the great imagination. ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-chefs-restaurants/242237/8 "2004-04-27T16:33:18Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Emeril Lagasse has a companion restaurant (to his original New Orleans location) in Orlando (at Universal Citywalk)… Another one at the Royal Pacific Hotel - Tschoup Chop (Chinese/Cajun cuisine). Very good (from what I’m told), and just like Emeril’s, very difficult to get a reservation there. Emeril’s has been voted locally as the “Best Place to Eat at the Bar”: very good food, but that’s about the only place available if you just walk in for a meal without a reservation. Forget even trying to get in on a holiday. > [@](#): > > …According to a guidebook I read, Emeril does actually visit the restaurant from time to time. Most of what he does is give direction here and there, but he may actually prepare a guest’s meal if he has a mojo to do so… And again, if he is in town, forget even getting near the restaurant. From the times I’ve been by there, I’ve found you needed to get a ticket to stand in line to get a cookbook signed. Billions and billions of people screaming “BAM!”. Scary but true.