"celebrity chefs" news and stories

Yesterday, nearing the approach of its fifth birthday, internet news giant The Huffington Post introduced its new Food vertical. Hot off the digital press, HuffPost Food is ready for web consumption, stocked with original articles, columns, polls and slideshows, and, as always with newspaper/blog hybrid, partner content and aggregates of the best of the rest of food news. Though currently national in scope, HuffPost Food will eventually be integrated into the New York, Los Angeles, Denver and Chicago channels, allowing the site to more narrowly and thoroughly tap into local food scenes, restaurants news and the like.

With the U.S. population booming in body weight as Food Network viewership soars and celebrity chefs become household names, the chefs inspiring foodies of the American public may be starting to experience some sort of weighted responsibility.

Food Network host and cookbook author Alton Brown one day had a revelation: After seeing his hefty figure on television, he started to worry about his weight of 213 pounds -- which got him surmising on the robust figures of his fans. He confessed to Time magazine writer Joel Stein, "Celebrity chefs are the high priests of the food craze that is partly responsible for the fattening of America. We helped people get into this mess. I don't see why we shouldn't help them out."

Argues Joel Stein, "Maybe this is how the obesity epidemic ends: by giving chefs TV shows. Because people on TV don't like looking fat." Once TV chefs start to consider their weight, the reasoning goes, maybe they'll start to consider the weights of their fans.

More on the celebrity-chef fit club, after the jump.

Photo: Stephane De Sakutin, AFP/Getty Images

A hot-headed celebrity chef is about to get even more animated.

Gordon Ramsay has struck a deal to star in a stop-motion series produced by Toronto-based Cuppa Coffee Studios, the group behind MTV's "Celebrity Deathmatch" and Nick at Nite's "Glenn Martin, DDS," Variety reports.

"Gordon Ramsay, at Your Service" will feature the host of FOX's "Hell's Kitchen" cooking competition traveling the world in a "'MacGyver' meets 'A-Team'" food-inspired comedy, Cuppa Coffee's Adam Shaheen told Slashfood.

Find out why Ramsay "makes a good-looking puppet" after the jump.

Mario Batali, sans Doritos. Photo: Bauer-Griffin.

What do chefs eat when they need a palate cleanser after so much fancy restaurant fare? When they take off their aprons, they reach for the same indulgences we do -- perhaps just with an upgrade. Slashfood asked celebrity chefs to share their favorite cravings.

Mario Batali
When orange-clogged chef and television personality Mario Batali isn't reinventing Italian cuisine, he's still got it in the bag -- of Doritos, that is. "I love two things: good gelato and, strangely enough, Doritos and salsa. It has to be Doritos, though. I especially like the lime-flavored ones with chili."

Nigella Lawson
Which foods make domestic goddess Nigella Lawson feel sinful? None! Nigella, who is famous for her intimate, relaxed cooking style says, "I don't have any guilty food pleasures. The only thing one should ever feel guilty about is not taking pleasure."

See what snacks Bobby Flay, Tom Colicchio and other celebrity chefs sneak after the jump.

Photo: Jordan Strauss/FilmMagic.

You may soon have a "Friend" in the restaurant biz.

We told you back in August that Jennifer Aniston was considering opening up her very own eatery. And on Tuesday night's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," the sitcom-turned-movie star confirmed our report, revealing she wants to open a Mexican restaurant in New York City.

The reason why might surprise you.