Emeril Lagasse
Encyclopedia
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Emeril John Lagasse (ˈɛmərəl ləˈɡɑːsi ; born October 15, 1959) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 celebrity chef
Celebrity chef
A celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become famous and well known. Today celebrity chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations via mass media, especially television. Historically, celebrity chefs have included Antoine Carême and Martino da Como.-External...

, restaurateur
Restaurateur
A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of the restaurant business.-Etymology:The word...

, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 personality, and cookbook author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

. A regional James Beard Award
James Beard Foundation Award
The James Beard Foundation Awards were established in 1990 and are often called "The Oscars of Food." Held on the first weekend in May, the Awards honor the finest chefs, restaurants, wine professionals, journalists, cookbook authors, restaurant designers, and other food professionals in the...

 winner, he is perhaps most notable for his Food Network
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....

 shows Emeril Live
Emeril Live
Emeril Live is a program on The Cooking Channel hosted by Emeril Lagasse. It formerly aired on Food Network and Fine Living.Emeril Live features many of the same elements as Emeril's other program, Essence of Emeril, and often has a Creole theme...

and Essence of Emeril
Essence of Emeril
Essence of Emeril is a Food Network show hosted by chef Emeril Lagasse.In each episode, Emeril shares with his viewers some of his 'kicked-up' recipes, similar to those on Emeril Live, but with a far calmer demeanor and quieter tone, and usually without the trademark apron that has become his...

as well as catchphrases such as “Kick it up a notch!” and “BAM!” The "Emeril Empire" of media, products and restaurants generates an estimated US$150 million annually in revenue.

Personal life

Lagasse was born on October 15, 1959, in Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...

 to a Canadian Québécois
Québécois
The French word Québécois and anglicised as ' , is used in both French and English to refer to different persons or concepts, depending on the language and/or the context in which the word is being used...

 father, John, and Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....

 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. His talents as a percussionist earned him a scholarship to the New England Conservatory of Music
New England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest independent school of music in the United States.The conservatory is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with 1400 more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of...

 but he chose instead to attend Johnson & Wales University
Johnson & Wales University
Johnson & Wales University is a private, nonprofit, co-educational, career-oriented university with four campuses located throughout the United States. Providence, Rhode Island, USA, is home to JWU's first and largest of four currently operating campuses. Founded as a business school in 1914, by...

 in hopes of becoming a chef. He met his first wife, Elizabeth Kief, while working at a restaurant called "Venus De Milo" to pay his way through school. He graduated from Johnson and Wales in 1978 and the school later awarded him a honorary doctorate
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...

.

In 1982 Lagasse succeeded Paul Prudhomme
Paul Prudhomme
Paul Prudhomme is an American celebrity chef whose specialty is Cajun cuisine. He is also the owner of one of the top restaurants in New Orleans, K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen.-Early life:...

 as Commander's Palace
Commander's Palace
-History:It was built in 1880. It is located in the Garden District of Uptown New Orleans , and is owned by the Brennan family. It has long been one of the best regarded upscale restaurants in the city. Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse are two of its most famous alumni who have worked in its...

's executive chef.

After the birth of daughters Jessica and Jillian, Elizabeth Kief and Lagasse divorced. Lagasse married a second time to a fashion designer, Tari Hohn, but that too, ended in divorce. Lagasse married a third time on May 13, 2000 to a real estate broker, Alden Lovelace. He and Lovelace had a son, Emeril John Lagasse IV, on March 2003, and a daughter, Meril Lovelace Lagasse, on December 10, 2004.

In 2010 as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...

, Lagasse appeared in a commercial to raise awareness for the spill. Also starring in the commercial were Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Annette Bullock is an Academy Award winning American actress and producer who rose to fame in the 1990s after roles in successful films such as Demolition Man, Speed, The Net, A Time to Kill, and While You Were Sleeping. She continued with films such as Miss Congeniality, The Lake House,...

, Peyton
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...

 and Eli Manning
Eli Manning
Eli Nelson Manning is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He is the younger brother of NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning...

, Jack Del Rio
Jack Del Rio
Jack Del Rio is an American football coach and former player. Del Rio played both football and baseball for the University of Southern California Trojans, and then spent eleven years playing linebacker in the National Football League . He retired from playing in 1996 and went into coaching,...

, Drew Brees
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....

, James Carville
James Carville
Chester James Carville, Jr. is an American political consultant, commentator, educator, actor, attorney, media personality, and prominent liberal pundit. Carville gained national attention for his work as the lead strategist of the successful presidential campaign of then-Arkansas governor Bill...

, Blake Lively
Blake Lively
Blake Christina Lively is an American actress and model who stars as Serena van der Woodsen in the television teen drama series Gossip Girl...

, and John Goodman
John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...

.

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
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

, in 1990. It was designated “Restaurant of the Year” in Esquire magazine of that year. Lagasse is mainly known for his emphasis on Creole
Louisiana Creole cuisine
Louisiana Creole cuisine is a style of cooking originating in Louisiana which blends French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Greek, Asian Indian, Native American, and African influences, as well as general Southern cuisine...

 and Cajun
Cajun cuisine
Cajun cuisine is the style of cooking named for the French-speaking Acadian or "Cajun" immigrants deported by the British from Acadia in Canada to the Acadiana region of Louisiana, USA. It is what could be called a rustic cuisine — locally available ingredients predominate, and preparation...

 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 thirteen restaurants.

In April 2008 Emeril closed the doors on Emeril’s Atlanta, which had been open since 2003.

In May 2009 during preparations for the opening of Emeril's Chop House at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, Emeril announced that he has plans to open two more restaurants in the resort—the first of which will open in November 2009 and will focus on gourmet burgers.

In August 2011, Emeril's Miami closed its doors.

Television and film

Emeril first appeared on television on the show Great Chefs
Great Chefs
Great Chefs is a franchise of cooking shows and cookbooks that began with thirteen half hour programs produced for the American Public Broadcasting Service entitled Great Chefs of New Orleans...

 where he was featured on no fewer than ten episodes including Great Chefs, the Louisiana New Garde, New Orleans Jazz Brunch and Great Chefs - Great Cities. After several appearances on several other FoodTV programs, Lagasse hosted his own show, The Essence of Emeril. “Essence” in the title refers to Emeril’s Essence, the name of a spice
Spice
A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth. It may be used to flavour a dish or to hide other flavours...

 blend of his own concoction that he frequently uses in his cooking, and which is commercially available in several flavors. 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
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...

 for his Food Network shows without winning. 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
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

 during the 2001 fall season with Robert Urich
Robert Urich
Robert Urich was an American actor. He played the starring roles in the television series Vega$ and Spenser: For Hire...

, but it was canceled after several episodes and widely panned by critics. Lagasse also appeared on Shop at Home Network
Shop at Home Network
The Shop at Home Network was a television network in the United States Before its acquisition by Jewelry Television in 2006, The E. W. Scripps Company owned and operated the network from 2002 until 2006, when the network temporarily ceased operations on June 21...

 (which, like Food Network
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....

, was owned by Scripps Networks
E. W. Scripps Company
The E. W. Scripps Company is an American media conglomerate founded by Edward W. Scripps on November 2, 1878. The company is headquartered inside the Scripps Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its corporate motto is "Give light and the people will find their own way."On October 16, 2007, the company...

), 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
Jewelry Television
Jewelry Television is an American television network, similar to the Home Shopping Network. It was formerly called "America's Collectibles Network" . The privately-held company was founded in 1993 and broadcasts high definition programming 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to over 80 million unique...

 in June 2006. Lagasse has appeared on the Home Shopping Network
Home Shopping Network
Home Shopping Network or HSN began in 1977 as a 24-hour/7 day a week home shopping television network televised via cable, satellite, and some terrestrial channels in the Philippines. HSN can also be shopped online at hsn.com...

 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 also acted as Grand Marshall of the 2008 Tournament of Roses Parade
Tournament of Roses Parade
The Tournament of Roses Parade, better known as the Rose Parade, is "America's New Year Celebration", a festival of flower-covered floats, marching bands, equestrians and a college football game on New Year's Day , produced by the non-profit Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association.The annual...

 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.

Lagasse is currently hosting his new daily series Emeril Green
Emeril Green
Emeril Green is a program on Planet Green hosted by Emeril Lagasse.The series is set in Whole Foods Market, where Chef Lagasse and the store’s team help average people shop for the freshest ingredients while explaining the benefits of organic, locally grown and seasonal produce...

that airs on Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...

's new eco-lifestyle network Planet Green. Emeril Green is filmed on location at Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market is a foods supermarket chain based in Austin, Texas which emphasizes "natural and organic products." The company has been ranked among the most socially responsible businesses and placed third on the U.S...

s across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

Emeril made a guest appearance on Jon & Kate Plus 8
Jon & Kate Plus 8
Jon & Kate Plus 8, named Kate Plus 8 from the sixth season on, is an American reality television series airing on TLC. It is produced by Figure 8 Films about the Gosselin family, consisting of parents Jon and Kate and their eight children: fraternal twins and sextuplets...

during the show's 5th season to help celebrate their 100th episode in May 2009. He also provided the voice of Marlon the Gator in the 2009 Disney film, The Princess and the Frog.

In November 2009 Lagasse announced that he is planning a new cooking show featuring him that he hopes will be featured on network prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...

 television.

Lagasse also teamed with fellow Food Network personality Mario Batali
Mario Batali
Mario Batali is an American chef, writer, restaurateur and media personality. In addition to his classical culinary training, he is an expert on the history and culture of Italian cuisine, including regional and local variations. Batali co-owns restaurants in New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles,...

 in a tag battle against Bobby Flay
Bobby Flay
Robert William "Bobby" Flay is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur and reality television personality. He is the owner and executive chef of 12 restaurants: Mesa Grill in Las Vegas, New York City, and the Bahamas ; Bar Americain in New York City and Uncasville, Connecticut; Bobby Flay Steak...

 and White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...

 executive chef Cristeta Comerford
Cristeta Comerford
Cristeta Pasia Comerford is a Filipino American has been the White House Executive Chef since 2005. She is the first woman to be selected for the post, and also the first of Filipino descent.-Early life:...

 on an episode of Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America: The Series is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed Iron Chef USA. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the...

which aired on January 2, 2010.

In April 2010 Lagasse began hosting a new weekly variety program, The Emeril Lagasse Show
The Emeril Lagasse Show
The Emeril Lagasse Show is a weekly talk show starring Emeril Lagasse. It aired on Sundays at 5:00PM Eastern on Ion Television. The program originally premiered on April 18, 2010, airing at 8:00PM....

, which airs on Ion Television each Sunday.
On the Animated television show Futurama, Lagasse is parodied by the Alien Chef Elzar, who often uses Lagasse's signature "BAM!" and "Kick it up a notch!"

In September 2011, he will host a show from Hallmark
Hallmark
A hallmark is an official mark or series of marks struck on items made of precious metals — platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium...

 called Emeril's Table.

Contribution to space exploration

In August 2006 Lagasse contributed several recipes to the meal selection aboard the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...

, 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.

Cuisine

Lagasse describes what he calls his new and different use of local, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

 ingredients in his own interpretation of Creole, strongly influenced by Asian, Portuguese, and Southwestern, as “New New Orleans” cooking. The styles of cuisine from Lagasse’s many restaurants vary a great deal from one another. Tchoup-Chop in Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...

 is “Pan-Asian” while Delmonico at The Venetian in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

 is a steakhouse with a Southern flair.

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. 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. He now also has canned pasta like Chef Boyardee.

Lagasse also has two lines of kitchen knives produced by Wüsthof
Wüsthof
Wüsthof is a knife-maker based in Solingen, Germany, noted for its very high quality products...

 and cookware made by All-Clad
All-Clad
All-Clad Metalcrafters is a manufacturer of high-performance bonded cookware with headquarters in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. The company markets its cookware to department and specialty stores in the United States, Canada, Germany, UK and Australia along with premium All-Clad bonded ovenware,...

 as well as a line of kitchen electrical appliances made by T-Fal
Tefal
Tefal is a French cookware and small appliance manufacturer owned by Groupe SEB. Its name is a portmanteau of the words TEFlon and ALuminium.Tefal is known for creating the non-stick cookware category....

.

He has appeared in Crest toothpaste
Toothpaste
Toothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice used with a toothbrush as an accessory to clean and maintain the aesthetics and health of teeth. Toothpaste is used to promote oral hygiene: it serves as an abrasive that aids in removing the dental plaque and food from the teeth, assists in suppressing...

 commercials yelling his signature catchphrase, "BAM!".

On February 19, 2008 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. is a diversified media and merchandising company founded by Martha Stewart. It is organized into four business segments: Publishing, Internet, Broadcasting media platforms and Merchandising product lines....

 announced it had acquired the rights to all Emeril products including cookware, cookbooks, television shows and food products in a $50 million agreement. Lagasse retains rights to his restaurants and corporate offices.

Lagasse also hosted a YouTube contest for Crest Whitening Expressions toothpaste called What's Your Catch Phrase?

Writing

Lagasse has written several best-selling cookbook
Cookbook
A cookbook is a kitchen reference that typically contains a collection of recipes. Modern versions may also include colorful illustrations and advice on purchasing quality ingredients or making substitutions...

s, 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) ISBN 978-0688112844
  • Louisiana Real and Rustic (1996) ISBN 978-0688127213
  • Emeril’s Creole Christmas (1997) ISBN 978-0688146917
  • Emeril’s TV Dinners (1998) ISBN 978-0688163785
  • Every Day’s a Party (1999) ISBN 978-0688164300
  • Emeril's There's a Chef in My Soup!: Recipes for the Kid in Everyone (2002) ISBN 978-0688177065
  • From Emeril's Kitchens: Favorite Recipes from Emeril's Restaurants (2003) ISBN 978-0060185350
  • Emeril's Potluck: Comfort Food with a Kicked-Up Attitude (2004) ISBN 978-0688164317
  • Emeril's Delmonico: A Restaurant with a Past (2005) ISBN 978-0060740469
  • Emeril at the Grill: A Grilling Book for all Seasons (2009) ISBN 978-0061742743
  • Emeril 20-40-60: Fresh Food Fast (2009) ISBN 978-0061742941
  • Farm to Fork Cooking Local, Cooking Fresh (2010) ISBN 978-0061742958

Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

  • Emeril's at MGM Grand
    MGM Grand Las Vegas
    The MGM Grand Las Vegas is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The MGM Grand is the third largest hotel in the world and largest hotel resort complex in the United States in front of The Venetian. The MGM Grand was the largest hotel in the world when it opened in...

  • Delmonico at The Venetian
  • Table 10 at The Palazzo
    The Palazzo
    The Palazzo is a luxury hotel and casino resort situated between Wynn and The Venetian on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, a suburb of Las Vegas. It is the tallest completed building in Nevada...

  • Lagasse's Stadium at The Palazzo
    The Palazzo
    The Palazzo is a luxury hotel and casino resort situated between Wynn and The Venetian on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, a suburb of Las Vegas. It is the tallest completed building in Nevada...


Bethlehem
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...

  • Emeril's Chop House at the Sands Casino Resort
  • BAM (Burgers and More) at the Sands Casino Resort

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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