Antony Worrall Thompson

Born in 1951 in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Antony Worrall Thompson’s passage to culinary stardom has not exactly been smooth. Antony’s story very nearly came to an abrupt halt at the age of sixteen when his face was crushed in an horrific rugby accident, which left him badly disfigured. But pioneering surgery saved the day, enabling Antony to pursue what was to become the enduring love of his life – cooking.

Laura Calder

Laura Calder is an author and host of the Food Network Canada program, French Food at Home; it is filmed in Halifax, Nova Scotia, airing on Food Network Canada, the Asian Food Channel, and Cooking Channel. She was born in Long Reach, New Brunswick.

She gave up a desk job in an office in Toronto, Ontario to pursue her dream of becoming a chef. She moved across the country to Vancouver, British Columbia to attend culinary school. Her interest in French cuisine began after she got a job in California working with wine. Once that ended, she met Anne Willan at a food writers' conference who told her to come to Paris to work on a book about wine and food—a stay that was supposed to last nine months, but ended up lasting seven years.

Paula Deen

Growing up in Albany, Georgia, Paula Deen learned early in life that it takes a woman of substance to make it in this world. As a young girl, she spent countless hours in her Grandmother Paul's kitchen, learning and memorizing the same recipes that still line her dinner table today. They are the kind of recipes that only grandmothers can teach- a pinch of this, a dash of that, and a whole lot of love.

With multiple television shows, countless cookbooks, a bi-monthly magazine, an ever-expanding product line and several Southern-style restaurants, her kitchen just keeps getting hotter, and hotter. Despite her success, however, Paula knows the meaning of good friends, good family, and of course- good food.

Wolfgang Puck

Wolfgang Puck began cooking at his mother's side as a child. She was a chef in the Austrian town where he was born, and with her encouragement, Wolfgang began his formal training at fourteen years of age. As a young chef he worked in some of France's greatest restaurants, including Maxim's in Paris, the Hotel de Paris in Monaco, and the Michelin 3-starred L'Oustau de Baumanière in Provence. At the age of 24, Wolfgang took the advice of a friend and left Europe for the United States. His first job was at the restaurant La Tour in Indianapolis, where he worked from 1973 to 1975.

Rachael Ray

Growing up in a family steeped in culinary tradition, Rachael Ray was exposed to a wide range of cooking techniques, from her maternal grandfather who grew and cooked everything his family of 12 ate, to her dad's family, which embraced the food-rich traditions of Louisiana.

The Ray family owned several restaurants on Cape Cod, Mass., before relocating to upstate New York, where her mother worked as the food supervisor for a restaurant chain. "I was surrounded by all different styles of cooking and worked in the food service industry in just about every capacity you can imagine," Rachael says.

Bob Blumer

Culinary adventurer Bob Blumer is the host and co-creator of the award-winning television series Glutton for Punishment. The series, now taping it’s fifth season, is produced by Paperny Films for Food Network Canada. It airs on the Food Network in the U.S. as well as in over thirty countries world-wide.
Blumer is an instantly recognizable personality, best-known as the creator and host of the Food Network series Surreal Gourmet, one of the most innovative and entertaining cooking shows on television. The award-winning show, two-time winner of the Gemini Award as Best Information Program, ran for five seasons and is still seen in over twenty-five countries.

Mario Batali

Critically acclaimed chef, restaurateur, award-winning author, and television personality, Mario Batali is arguably one of the most recognized and respected chefs working in America today. Together with his business partner Joe Bastianich, the duo have created an uber- successful restaurant and culinary empire in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Singapore.

Wan (Redzuawan Ismail)

Chef Wan or Redzuawan Ismail is the 'Food Ambassador of Malaysia'. Creative, enthusiastic and passionate about his country and it's food, he has successfully traveled the world introducing the culinary art of Malaysian Cuisine. An Actor, Entertainer, enthusiastic and vibrant entrepreneur who’s talents are not limited to just his exceptional culinary skills. A demanding professional at all times with an over whelming passion to introduce and excite the world with the unique flavours of Malaysian Cuisine.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

 

A talented writer, broadcaster and campaigner, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is widely known for his uncompromising commitment to seasonal, ethically produced food and has earned a huge following through his River Cottage TV series and books. 
His early smallholding experiences were shown in the Channel 4 River Cottage series and led to the publication of The River Cottage Cookbook (2001), which won the Glenfiddich Trophy and the André Simon Food Book of the Year awards. The success of the show and the books allowed Hugh to establish River Cottage HQ near Bridport in 2004.

Gordon Ramsay

Scottish by birth, Gordon Ramsay was brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, from the age of five. With an injury prematurely putting an end to any hopes of a promising career in football, he went back to college to complete a course in hotel management.
Gordon’s first years in the kitchen were spent training under culinary luminaries such as Marco Pierre White and Albert Roux in London, after which he moved to France to work in the kitchens of Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon for three years, where he was able to enhance his expertise in classic French cooking. In 1993 Gordon became chef of the newly opened Aubergine and within three years the restaurant was awarded two Michelin stars.

Nigella Lawson

Nigella Lucy Lawson (born 6 January 1960) is a British food writer, journalist and broadcaster. Lawson is the daughter of Nigel Lawson, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Vanessa Salmon, whose family owned the J. Lyons and Co. empire. After graduating from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University, Lawson started work as a book reviewer and restaurant critic, later becoming the deputy literary editor of The Sunday Times in 1986.
She then embarked upon a career as a freelance journalist, writing for a number of newspapers and magazines. In 1998, Lawson brought out her first cookery book, How to Eat, which sold 300,000 copies and became a bestseller. She went on to write her second book in 2000, How to be a Domestic Goddess, winning her the British Book Award for Author of the Year.

Daniel Boulud

Daniel Boulud (born March 25, 1955 in Saint-Pierre de Chandieu, France) is a French chef and restaurateur with restaurants in New York City, Palm Beach, Miami, Vancouver and Beijing. He is best known for Daniel, his eponymous, Michelin 3-star restaurant in New York City.
While raised on a farm outside of Lyon and trained by renowned French chefs, Boulud made his reputation in New York, first as a chef and most recently a restaurateur. His management company, The Dinex Group, currently includes six restaurants and Feast & Fêtes Catering. His restaurants include Daniel, Café Boulud, DB Bistro Moderne, Bar Boulud, and DBGB Kitchen & Bar in New York City. He has also created Café Boulud in Palm Beach and the Michelin-star Daniel Boulud Brasserie in Las Vegas (since closed).

Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain is a celebrity chef, world traveler, bestselling author, and host of The Travel Channel's Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. Born in 1956, Anthony Bourdain attended Vassar College and graduated from the world-renowned Culinary Institute of America. He began running New York kitchens at restaurants such as Supper Club, One Fifth Avenue, and Sullivan’s. His extensive body of work has graced the pages of The Times, New York Times, Observer, the Face, and Scotland on Sunday. He is an ongoing contributor and authority for Food Arts magazine. Tony currently lives in Manhattan and works as executive chef of Brasserie Les Halles.

Curtis Stone

Curtis Stone is a 'young gun' Australian Chef, classically trained in London under the legendary Marco Pierre White. He is the face of a new generation of Chefs. Curtis is an author and presenter of the globally successful cooking/lifestyle program, 'Surfing the Menu', and has one of America's most popular reality/cooking shows titled, 'Take Home Chef'. His success in the US has been phenomenal, with People Magazine voting him as one of the sexiest men alive.

Jamie Oliver

Jamie Oliver is a phenomenon in the world of food. He is one of the world's best-loved television personalities and one of Britain's most famous exports. Jamie has had huge success with television series The Naked Chef (BBC), Jamie's Kitchen, Jamie's School Dinners, Jamie's Great Italian Escape, Return to School Dinners, Jamie's Chef, Jamie at Home , Jamie's Ministry of Food , Jamie Does.... and more recently Jamie's 30 Minute Meals and the Emmy Award-winning Jamie's Food Revolution (ABC), as well as the one-off specials Jamie's Fowl Dinners, Eat To Save Your Life, Jamie Saves Our Bacon and Jamie's Fish Suppers (all for Channel 4).