Who Was Actually The First Celebrity Chef?

Today, we watch our favorite celebrity chefs on Food Network competition shows, read their books, and follow them on social media. But we arguably wouldn't have precedent for writing about Ina Garten's amazing mashed potatoes or Alex Guarnaschelli's secret ingredient for blueberry pie if it weren't for Marie-Antoine Carême, who became the world's first celebrity chef around the turn of the 19th century. Carême's contributions to the culinary world are irreplaceable: he's the reason that modern chefs wear white jackets and toques (he liked the clean look), and he was one of the first to describe the four French "mother sauces" (though there's a case that Georges Auguste Escoffier fully classified them).

More than just being a whiz in the kitchen, however, Carême had swagger and style. Never before had a chef been so focused on food that looked great as well as tasted good. He made spun sugar decorations for Napoleon's wedding cake and built scale models of famous landmarks out of pastry to display in his bakery window. He cooked for several kings, who sometimes requested dinners with as many as 40 entrees. 

In short, the man had an eye for spectacle, leading us to believe that he would have approved of showy, entertaining programs like "Top Chef" and "The Great British Baking Show." We think he would have admired Gordon Ramsay's loud-mouthed way of running a kitchen and Anthony Bourdain's brash put-downs of other chefs. Carême, after all, included a hand-drawn portrait of himself in his cookbooks so that people on the street would recognize and admire him.

While today's celebrity chefs undoubtedly owe a debt of gratitude to Marie-Antoine Carême, it would be imprudent to overlook Julia Child, who is widely considered to be the first modern American celebrity chef. In 1963, Child debuted her T.V. show, "The French Chef," and became the first chef to reach many U.S. home cooks in their living rooms, making French cuisine (like her favorite soup) seem attainable. More than just being a good cook, Child was also beloved by Americans because of her often silly, down-to-earth personality. In many ways, she was the spiritual mother of today's approachable celeb chef, being both personable and knowledgeable in one package.

Before Julia Child, many home cooks saw food prep as just another chore to be drudged through. Child brought fun and inspiration into America's kitchens and inspired generations of cooks to try new things and take an interest in gourmet food. It's not totally clear whether Child knew of Marie-Antoine Carême (though it would be surprising if she didn't), but it's logical that her career followed in his footsteps and brought celebrity chefdom to television, where it is still expanding and developing today. Today, we have celebrity chefs who have dedicated their careers to all sorts of cuisine, from BBQ to pan-Asian fusion to down-home soul food. The culinary world is richer for the contributions of all these chefs, but none of them would have found their way into our lives without the influence of the groundbreaking phenoms who came before.