"star chefs" news and stories

Certain things are just too hard to watch -- whether it's a friend's super-serious expression as she winds up to bowl or your boyfriend in the throes of "Guitar Hero".

That's how we felt upon discovering this video, a greatest-hits compilation of cocktail-shaking by New York City's top mixologists. The 10 minute long odyssey features 30-second clips of 33 mostly-male NYC barkeeps. It starts with the Cars provocative "Shake it Up" and trails off eerily into bar noise, the cacophony of shakers and fierce, game-face expressions.

Boring? Nope. Oddly mesmerizing, in the same way that you can't look away from "The Bachelor" but might put your hands over your eyes.

These are true practitioners of the art, however, so let us know if this gets you inspired to go practice your shakin' style, whether it's the one-hander (some bartenders put the other hand behind their backs, sommelier-style) or the hard shake practiced by Tailor's Eben Freeman. And here's a pretty raspberry-and-gin laced Belmont Stakes elixir from Gourmet (the race is on Saturday) in case you wish to practice your skills before the weekend hits.

[Star Chefs] via [Grub Street]

Considering a career as a chef or elsewhere in the restaurant industry? StarChefs.com has released the results of its annual salary survey of restaurant industry professionals. Executive chefs, perhaps unsurprisingly, make more money than most in the industry, though they also work the longest hours. The results may be skewed by the fact that some chefs make dramatically more than others, pulling up the average. Salaries also vary by region, with pastry chefs in Las Vegas making over 30% more than their colleagues in California and Florida. Age, job satisfaction and both ethnicity and gender were also taken into account in parts of the survey, so the results are a good starting point to learn about potential careers and where to start them.

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