Famous People Eat Too!

My Wife and I at a Cheese and Wine Event
at Portobello Yacht Club

I can honestly proclaim with a level of expertise that celebrities like to eat. In my career I have had the opportunity to meet and cook for many famous people. I thought it would be interesting to compile a list and recall some of the experiences I have had dealing with celebrities from all walks of life.

Fresh out of culinary school  I worked at the Gran Cru in Orlando, Florida. It was  French fine dining restaurant located in the Sheraton Plaza Hotel.  One busy night Barbara Eden, the star of "I Dream of Jennie," the popular TV series from the late 60's came in for dinner.  King Albert II of Belgium also dined while I worked at the Gran Cru. He had Belgium Busch beer and Belgium chocolates shipped in so we would have them on hand for him. During my time there we also prepared food for the World Cup Soccer Champions of 1994. 

 I recall she ordered a "blue moon" burger.
This is a burger with blue cheese inside. 

Later, while working at Portobello Yacht Club, I cooked for numerous celebrities since it was located at Walt Disney World, Florida. I prepared meals for Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley while they were still a couple. Football players such as Dan Marino and Lynn Swann.  Baseball players like  Barry Bonds, Roger Clemmens, pitcher for the Yankees and Hall of Famer Don Sutton, who autographed a baseball for me. Roger Clemmens would call me personally to reserve a table. Rock stars like Steven Tyler from Aerosmith, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons from Kiss, and Simon LeBon and Nick Rhodes from Duran Duran.

 After telling Simon what a huge fan of Duran Duran my wife was,
he autographed a menu and gave her tickets and back stage passes to their show.   

Also, rappers, Cypress Hill, pop star, Paula Abdul and comedian, Chevy Chase. I met  the original cat woman, Eartha Kitt, Reverend Jessie Jackson, and former Florida Senator Mel Martinez and actor Tony Danza. I catered Roy Disney's private jet and also cooked for Michael Eisner. I prepared meals for the largest wine producer in Tuscany Frescobaldi Nipozzano, who then asked me to travel to Italy to teach him. I also met Jed Steele from California, as well as many other wine producers. I cooked for the famous Chef Roy Yamaguchi and also met Wolfgang Puck. I prepared food for Pearl Jams front man Eddie Vedder, who was dining with Rob Zombie, rock star and horror movie producer. Chuck Mangione, world famous trumpet player came in to eat and then serenaded the restaurant with his amazing musical talent.

Chuck Mangione, world famous trumpet player came in to eat and
then serenaded the restaurant with his amazing musical talent. 

Then I met John Travolta and Kelly Preston and worked for them as Private Chef for nearly two years. In that time I cooked for many of his friends, Kirstie Alley, the late great, James Gandalfini, country Stars Tim Mcgraw and Faith Hill, Danny and Jenna Elfman, The Forest Wittaker family, his niece, Nicole Travolta and many of John Travolta's long time friends from Grease and Saturday Night Fever.    
 

While working as John Travolta's personal Chef,
his favorite foods were a filet mignon burger,  chateaux briand and live Maine lobster

While at a Golf Community in Ocala, I met and fed Latin super star Charo,  John Davison , and the original Price is Right host, Bob Barker.  

Charo gifted me a CD of her famous classical guitar compositions

Now in beautiful Southern California I am Executive Chef of Peohe's restaurant on San Diego Bay. We cater the food for the Chargers while they are training and playing home games. I've gotten to know many of the players personally. I also cooked for the infamous Tanya Harding, former Olympian Ice skater gone mad.

I get an all access pass for the home games! 

Live to Cook!
Regards, Chef Dave

The Life of a Chef

" The term Chef literally means 'the chief' in French. Every kitchen has a chef or executive chef who is responsible for the operations of the entire kitchen. A commonly misused term in English. Not every cook is a chef"  -What's Cooking America


My world of food is much different than your world. I come from a world of restaurants while most people cook from their home. The stress of a restaurant is literally psychotic! The people I have worked with throw things, sharp things, things that break and crash. People that are crazy and sometimes even on controlled substances.

At my first job I cut my thumb off with a meat cleaver. I was only 16 at the time working at a well known restaurant in St. Augustine, Florida.What a crazy ass experience that was! There are different ways to make food,  food blogger from home, who bakes pies in your home kitchen. I know for me creating at home is a zen experience  but cooking in a high pressure operation is a whole different game!

I remember standing atop of one of our restaurants with my chef mentor. He was looking down at a boat as it passed by and said, "I could do that, drive a boat. I could put a case of beer in it." I think he was serious. He was so burned out from the life of a Chef and he was an award winning Chef who can cook better than anyone. It just isn't that easy in my business. He left cooking a few years ago. I have no idea if he is happier but I know that he was recovering from alcoholism. This is common in my trade.

So, I was a private chef for John Travolta, he said to me that I was the only Chef he had that wasn't crazy. It's an interesting statement because in order to do what I do you have to be a bit crazy. I have had to come into work at 9:00 pm and leave the next day at about 5:00 pm. I had no choice; there was no alternative. No one thanked me or hugged me, not even a beer, it just happened. When people say a Chef works crazy hours, that is an understatement. Chefs get divorced because they cannot work normal hours. They can't have normal lives and it's about getting the job done. It is the true life of a vampire. It is dark and can be very lonely.

I remember going into work at 12 am to prepare 40 quiches for the next day. It is not really sane but you know what you have to do. Working on the line is an experience that nothing else can compare to. It is the most fun and hardest thing I have ever done.

I remember working on a Charcoal grill at Disney, you have to basically be one with your fire and understand the way the heat works; where the hot spots are and how to control the ash. Working with live fire is a totally different thing it is the best and takes not only cooking properly but building the fire. There were nights working with live fire that I literally had soot and blood in my nose like a coal miner.

Working high volume saute' is my favorite job I have ever had. Kicking out over a thousand covers and being called tickets, while having to remember the calls in your head, it is a whole different level. I remember the Sous Chef giving us wings and pitchers of beer at the end of the night, probably the best reward ever. The feeling of working from 5 pm to midnight on a saute' line is pure adrenaline. With young guys yelling at you and the heat and pressure there is nothing like it.

So,why do I do it? What keeps me going? I know the answer, it is an instinctive thing. I love it so deeply within my soul and no words can describe it. The manager that works in the restaurant cannot relate. The server cannot relate, the dishwasher,  the bus boy, the cook, as much as he tries, cannot relate.
Only the lonely Chef can relate.

 The difference between a cook and a chef is like the guy who builds a building and the architect who designed it, except he the architect is also telling you what to do and helping you build it. He tells you good morning and goodnight when it's all over.