Emeril John Lagasse (born October 15, 1959) is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, and cookbook author. A regional James Beard Award winner, he is perhaps most notable for his Food Network shows Emeril Live and Essence of Emeril as well as catchphrases such as "kick it up a notch" and "BAM!"[1][2] He is a 1978 graduate of Johnson & Wales University's College of Culinary Arts. The "Emeril Empire" of media, products and restaurants generates an estimated USD$150 million annually in revenue.[3]
Biography
Early life
Lagasse was born in Fall River, Massachusetts to a Canadian Québécois father, Emeril, and Portuguese mother, Hilda. He worked in a Portuguese bakery as a teenager where he discovered his talent for cooking and subsequently enrolled in a culinary arts program at Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School.[4] His talents as a drummer earned him a scholarship to the New England Conservatory of Music but he chose instead to attend Johnson & Wales University [yeh] in hopes of becoming a chef. He met his first wife, Elizabeth Kief, while working at "Venus De Milo" a restaurant to pay his way through school.[4] He graduated from Johnson and Wales in 1978 and the school later awarded him an honorary doctorate. [5]
Career
Lagasse initially gained fame in the culinary world as Executive Chef of Commander's Palace. After leaving Commander's he opened his first restaurant, Emeril's, in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1990. It was designated "Restaurant of the Year" in Esquire magazine of that year. Lagasse is mainly known for his emphasis on Creole and Cajun cooking styles. Indeed, many of his restaurants as well as his corporate office, Emeril's Homebase, are located in New Orleans. Lagasse is the executive chef and proprietor of ten restaurants.
Lagasse also acted as Grand Marshall of the 2008 Tournament of Roses Parade and presided over the nationally-telecast coin-toss before the game wearing a business suit--a rarity for Lagasse who is normally attired in chef's garb.
Television
After several appearances on several other FoodTV programs, Lagasse hosted his own show, The Essence of Emeril. "Essence" in the title refers to the name of a spice blend of his own concoction that he frequently uses in his cooking. He also often suggested that viewers of his show create their own spice blends that reflect their personal tastes and be unafraid to use them to customize the dishes he would teach. Lagasse has been nominated eight times for a Daytime Emmy Award for his Food Network shows, but has never won. On November 27, 2007 The Food Network announced that it would be canceling the Emeril Live show on December 11, 2007. The Food Network, however, stated that Essence of Emeril will continue production.
Lagasse briefly starred in a self-titled TV sitcom on NBC during the fall 2001 season with Robert Urich, but it was canceled after several episodes and widely panned by critics. Lagasse also appeared on Shop at Home Network (which, like Food Network, was owned by Scripps Networks), on the show From Emeril's Kitchen from 2005-06. The program was discontinued after Scripps liquidated Shop at Home's assets to Jewelry Television in June 2006. Lagasse has appeared on the Home Shopping Network for the channel's 30th anniversary.
On television, Lagasse is known for his light and jovial hosting style as well as several catchphrases, including "BAM!", "kick it up a notch", "aw, yeah, babe" and "feel the love", usually said before or after adding something spicy to a dish, or after the reaction to adding something, respectively. When frying or making dishes like sausage, Lagasse advocates using genuine lard, boasting "Pork fat rules!" This style developed fully and Lagasse became more comfortable when a live studio audience was added in the change from Essence of Emeril to Emeril Live.
Lagasse is slated to star in a new daily series Emeril Green that will premiere Discovery Channel's new eco-lifestyle network Planet Green. Emeril Green will be filmed on location at Whole Foods Markets across the United States.[6]
Cuisine
Lagasse calls his cuisine "New New Orleans". He describes it as using local (Louisiana) ingredients in new and different ways.citation needed It should be noted, however, that the styles of cuisine from Lagasse's many restaurants vary a great deal. Tchoup-Chop in Orlando is "Pan-Asian" while Delmonico Steakhouse at The Venetian in Las Vegas is a traditional steakhouse.
Contribution to Space Exploration
In August 2006, Lagasse contributed several recipes to the meal selection aboard the International Space Station, as part of a general NASA effort to improve the quality of the food supply for astronauts. Lagasse's cuisine in particular was selected in the hopes that the spicier fare would offset the reported tendency of microgravity to deaden flavors.[7]
Merchandising and endorsements
Lagasse has a wide range of Emeril-branded products. On June 8, 2000, he signed a deal with B&G Foods to create a line of dry grocery products marketed under the label Emeril's.[8] The product line includes pasta sauces, marinades, salsas and Lagasses' signature "Essence" spice blend. He followed this up in 2004 by lending his name to a line of fresh produce made by Pride of San Juan. The products, branded "Emeril's Gourmet Produce" include spring mix salad blends, fresh herbs and heirloom tomatoes.[9]
Lagasse also has a line of kitchen knives made by Wüsthof and cookware made by All-Clad as well as a line of kitchen electrical appliances made by T-Fal.
Recently he has appeared in Crest toothpaste commercials yelling his trademark catchphrase, "BAM!".
On February 19, 2008, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia announced it had acquired the rights to all Emeril products including cookware, cookbooks, television shows and food products in a $50 million agreement. Legasse retains rights to his restaurants and corporate offices.[10]
Bibliography
Lagasse has written several best-selling cookbooks, from Emeril's New New Orleans Cooking, his first book which was published in 1993, to Emeril's Delmonico, published in 2005.
- Emeril's New New Orleans Cooking (1993)
- Louisiana Real and Rustic (1996)
- Emeril’s Creole Christmas (1997)
- Emeril’s TV Dinners (1998)
- Every Day’s a Party (1999)
- Emeril's There's a Chef in My Soup!: Recipes for the Kid in Everyone (2002)
- From Emeril's Kitchens: Favorite Recipes from Emeril's Restaurants (2003)
- Emeril's Potluck: Comfort Food with a Kicked-Up Attitude (2004)
References
External links
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