Celebrities

Secret Vices of Food World Celebs

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 18th 2011 @ 1:00PM

Photos: Rob Kim / Getty Images; Rachel Been, AOL

Ever wondered what chefs and food critics eat when they're behind closed doors? Guess what? It ain't foie gras. Our friends over at The Daily Meal asked a slew of tastemakers -- such as Alton Brown and Ruth Reichl, April Bloomfield and Mario Batali -- about their secret food indulgences, and got some surprising answers. GQ's food guru Alan Richman has a soft spot for garlicky sausage, and gets his fix with Katz's Deli's knoblewurst. We won't ask which party he's going to after he loads up on garlic.

And what does the doyenne of Italian food, Lidia Bastianich, snack on when she has a sweet tooth? Nope, not a tiramisù. Lidia joneses for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Frankly, so do we.

Who's the chef who loves to nosh on Popeye's fried chicken?
Discover all the food vices at The Daily Meal.

Filed under: On the Blogs, Celebrities, Chefs

Food TV Amps Up with New Shows from ABC and Scripps

COMMENTS 0

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 15th 2011 @ 4:00PM

ABC announces new series Photos: Andrew Kent/Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/WireImage; ABC

You can almost hear the "Hootie Hoo!" call-and-response now. Former "Top Chef All-Stars" cheftestant Carla Hall is going to be a host on ABC's new food show, "The Chew," debuting in September 2011. Hall will be among a rotating team of hosts such as Mario Batali, Michael Symon ("Iron Chef"), and nutrition expert Daphne Oz (The Dorm Room Diet) to create a show that covers "food from EVERY angle -- as a source of joy, health, family ritual, friendship, breaking news, dating, fitness, weight loss, travel adventures and life's moments," notes an ABC press release. In other words, "The View" comes to the kitchen.

Also on deck at ABC, "The Revolution," premiering in January 2012, a lifestyle show focusing on taking the weight off and changing your life. Hosted by fashion guru Tim Gunn ("Project Runway"), and produced by "Biggest Loser" alum J.D. Roth, "The Revolution," says ABC, features "a unique concept: each week one woman's five-month weight-loss journey will unfold in just five days, with daily results and a final transformational reveal on Friday."

Meanwhile, over at The Cooking Channel and Food Network, there's a slew of new shows coming up.

Filed under: Television/Film, Celebrities

President Obama's Passover Seder

COMMENTS 13

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 15th 2011 @ 2:00PM

President Obama's White House Seder Photo: Pete Souza, The White House / AP Photo

President Obama is hosting his third annual White House Seder on the first night of Passover, April 18, 2011, complete with a full Seder menu including brisket, noodle kugel and macaroons.

The tradition started in a windowless basement of the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Sheraton , during the April 2008 campaign, when Eric Lesser, then Ground Logistic Coordinator (he's now the Director of Strategic Planning for Austan Goolsbee, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers), got his hands on an "emergency Seder kit" from the University of Pennsylvania's Hillel Center. As Lesser and his fellow campaign staffers Arun Chaudhary and Herbie Ziskend were about to begin the Seder, Obama asked if he could join.

Instead of ending the meal with the customary "Next year in Jerusalem," Obama said "Next year in the White House." True to his word, the Seder continues at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Filed under: Holidays, Celebrities

Kate Middleton Jelly Bean To Be Auctioned on eBay

COMMENTS 3

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 15th 2011 @ 1:00PM

Kate Middleton's face on a jelly bean Photos: Indigo/Getty Images; SWNS.com

Seems Kate Middleton is having a Willy Wonka moment. Her image has turned into a Golden Ticket for a Somerset, England, man who claims he's not only spotted the soon-to-be Princess of Wales on a jelly bean, but he's selling the Kate-like Kandy on eBay!

When Wesley Hosie opened his jar of Jelly Bean Factory sweets, one mango-flavored bean stood out, he told The Telegraph. The speckles on the candy's surface had formed a pattern that created an image of Kate Middleton, flowing hair, Mona Lisa smile, and all. "She was literally lying there staring back at me," he told the paper. (Question: Wesley, what were you drinking with those jelly beans?)

Another man would have just popped the Kate-like candy in his mouth and gone back to watching the cricket match. But not Mr. Hosie, who has decided to take the jelly bean to the world, through eBay, where the starting bid will be 500 pounds sterling (about $800 and change). Next up, a Prince William chocolate bar?

Filed under: Celebrities

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Recap

COMMENTS 15

by Clare Leschin-Hoar, Posted Apr 13th 2011 @ 11:00AM

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Photo: ABC

Aw shucks. Jamie Oliver's much awaited Food Revolution LA-style sure got off to a rough start. Especially for a guy armed with a simple question: Why can't we do better when it comes to school lunches for our kids?

Before the show even gets underway, Jamie lets us in on a big problem -- the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has refused to give him access to schools. He's been denied.

"They will not let me into any school," says Oliver. "That means war."

So starts the famous chef's familiar drumbeat. He takes to the airways on co-producer Ryan Seacrest's radio program and eventually welcomes a crowd of parents and kids to Jamie's LA Kitchen where they unload gobs of unappetizing, highly processed, plastic wrapped meals culled from their own schools.

"It's worse than anything I had seen before. This is not reality TV. It's a campaign. Will you help me?" he says.

Filed under: Television/Film, Celebrities

Stephen Colbert Rants About Bacon Cologne and Bacon Sundae

COMMENTS 1

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 12th 2011 @ 4:00PM

Stephen Colbert talks about Denny's bacon sundae Photo: Comedy Central

Stephen Colbert remains dedicated to exposing the absurdity of the food world in his "Thought for Food" segments on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report." This week he's taking on bacon: namely, the new bacon cologne we told you about last week, and Denny's infamous maple bacon sundae (our lukewarm review is here). Colbert's assessment of the sundae is typically wry: "Finally, an answer to the question 'What if we scraped the breakfast dishes into the freezer instead of the garbage?'"

He also says he's now one step closer to the American dream: Being bacon.

Watch the whole video at Comedy Central.

Filed under: Television/Film, Celebrities

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Season 2 Preview

COMMENTS 11

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 12th 2011 @ 3:00PM

Jamie's Food Revolution hits Los Angeles, CA Photo: ABC / YouTube

Season 2 of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution premieres Tuesday night at 8pm on ABC and from the looks of it, Oliver hasn't had an easy time convincing the 11 million residents of Los Angeles to improve their eating habits. In addition to being barred from entering L.A. public schools, Oliver has to deal with issues unique to such a large urban area -- such as the fact that it's easier to obtain "a gun, crack, or a prostitute" than a tomato in certain L.A. neighborhoods. Based on the preview clip below, the crusade in Los Angeles might make Oliver's struggles in Huntington, West Virginia (the location of season 1) look like child's play.

Filed under: Television/Film, Celebrities

Poll: Which Celeb Cookbook Would You Buy?

COMMENTS 3

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 12th 2011 @ 2:00PM

Photos: John P Iblis/jpistudios.com; Jason Merritt/Getty Images; Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

Three very different celebs have released cookbooks in recent weeks, each one with a unique spin. Rocker Sheryl Crow's If It Makes You Healthy: More than 100 Recipes Inspired by the Seasons has a personal narrative and get-fit message, while Eva Longoria's Eva's Kitchen: Cooking with Love for Family and Friends is built around homey recipes the actress has collected over the years. And although Gwyneth Paltrow has taken a bit of teasing for the highbrow tone of her book, My Father's Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family and Togetherness, it's clear she loves food and wants to pass on her enthusiasm. Which book suits your style?

Vote for your pick after the jump.

Filed under: Celebrities, Cookbook Spotlight

Eva Longoria Releases a Cookbook

COMMENTS 0

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 11th 2011 @ 4:00PM

Eva Longoria's cookbook Photo: John P. Iblis / jpistudios.com

If you ever get the chance to cook with Eva Longoria, you should probably bring a lemon.

The television actress recently released a cookbook, titled Eva's Kitchen: Cooking with Love for Family and Friends, and, as she told the AP, "I put lemon in everything, on everything." And she means everything: "It's really great for sauces, for dressings, for fish, for meat. I love lemon."

The cookbook is a homey collection of family recipes and dishes she's made over the years. The 36-year-old actress plays a former model on the ABC series "Desperate Housewives," but says her home life is a far cry from the stylized life of her character. Longoria says she cooks daily, although she tends to play fast and loose with ingredients. She told the AP that it was tough to translate her "a little of this and that" dishes into hard-and-fast recipes.

"I'm a natural cooker, and I cook by instinct, so if I want salt I'll put salt and if I don't I don't, so I felt really bad telling people to put, you know, a quarter-cup of cheese if they didn't want it," she told the AP. "You know, I'm like, `Or not! You don't have to!'"

Read the whole story at The Huffington Post.

Filed under: Cookbook Spotlight, Celebrities

Ina Garten Agrees to Meet with "Make-A-Wish" Leukemia Patient

COMMENTS 7

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Mar 30th 2011 @ 4:00PM

Ina Garten Photo: Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images

Oh, Ina, we knew you'd do the right thing. After a week of getting hammered online for her apparent refusal to meet with a six-year-old leukemia patient, Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten has agreed to grant the boy's Make-A-Wish request.

Last week, TMZ reported that Garten denied Enzo Pereda's requests due to scheduling conflicts, but Garten said she only learned of his requests this past weeekend. (Her spokesman says she gets "100 requests a month to support charitable causes" and can't answer them all.)

If she really wants Enzo to forgive her, she should pull out all the stops and bake up her gooey brownie pudding cake.

Get the whole story at The Huffington Post.

Filed under: Celebrities, Chefs