Latest news with #celebrityChef
New York Times
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
When Nobu Masuhisa Changed Sushi in America Forever
Nobu sits along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, with ocean waves lapping under its outdoor deck. It is an interlude of tranquillity along a road that is a maze of construction crews, police cars, fire trucks and the charred frames of beachfront homes — evidence of the wildfires that raced through here earlier this year. But at 11:45 a.m. on a recent Saturday, the crowd stretched 200-feet deep waiting for Nobu to open for lunch. By 12:30, every table was filled. It was a testament to the endurance and appeal of a restaurant that encapsulates — in food, celebrity and style — a global phenomenon that began 38 years ago, and 20 miles away, when the chef Nobu Matsuhisa opened a modest sushi restaurant in Beverly Hills. At 76, Matsuhisa today sits atop a restaurant and hotel empire that stretches almost entirely around the globe. He is the chef who, as much as anyone, transformed the sushi scene in New York and, to a lesser extent, Los Angeles. He was one of the first chefs, along with Wolfgang Puck, to have soared beyond the boundaries of his first restaurant to become a celebrity in his own right. And he is now the subject of a new documentary, 'Nobu,' tracing the arc of his life, from growing up in a small town outside Tokyo to becoming a magnate with homes in Japan and Bel-Air. 'I am step by step,' Matsuhisa told me. 'When I opened my first restaurant in 1987, I never thought about growing. Always I had the passions — always my base was cooking. And now I have so many, we have so many restaurants around the world.' As Matt Tyrnauer, the filmmaker who spent two years making the documentary, said over plates of sushi at the Nobu in Malibu: 'He's gone from one modest restaurant on La Cienega to becoming a global luxury brand centered on food and hospitality. There are not a lot of people that have pulled that off.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Daily Mail
18-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
Manu Feildel names the 'underrated' ingredient you MUST use for flavour - and the five cheap staples that make meals instantly tastier
He's best known for his rich sauces, hearty French classics and firm but fair critiques on My Kitchen Rules - and now Manu Feildel has revealed his top 2025 culinary secrets. Speaking to FEMAIL, the celebrity chef spilled his 'musts' - from kitchen tips and pantry essentials to the one humble vegetable he believes every Aussie should be cooking with. When it comes to flavour, Manu believes there is an often-overlooked vegetable that deserves a second chance: leeks. 'They're sweet when cooked down and add so much depth to soups, pies, and sauces,' he said. 'They're a real French kitchen staple and totally underrated here.' The French-born chef, who recently launched a new cast iron cookware collection with Spotlight, said a well-stocked pantry doesn't need to be fancy - but it should be functional. 'Olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, tinned tomatoes and good-quality salt,' he said when asked what ingredients he always keeps on hand. 'With those, you're halfway to something tasty already.' And with many of those items setting you back just a couple of dollars, it's proof that flavour doesn't have to come with a big price tag. Though known for restaurant-level meals, Manu insists weeknight cooking can - and should - be simple. His go-to? A one-pan roast chicken with veggies. 'Quick to prep, full of flavour, and the oven does most of the work. Plus the leftovers are great the next day,' he said. 'The biggest mistake I see over and over again is something almost everyone makes,' Manu added. 'It's not seasoning properly. A lot of home cooks are afraid of salt, but seasoning is key to bringing a dish to life. Don't be scared - just taste as you go.' For those looking to elevate their backyard BBQ game, Manu has one golden rule: marinate. 'A great marinade can turn simple meat or veggies into something incredible,' he said. 'And don't forget to rest your meat after cooking - it keeps it juicy and flavourful.' While he's cooked for thousands and judged hundreds of hopefuls on television, he says it's not technique that makes a great home cook - it's passion. 'The best ones love what they do,' he said. 'It's not about perfection. It's about putting heart into every dish.' And if you've been too intimidated to try crème brûlée, Manu wants to change your mind. 'It's literally cream, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla,' he said. 'The trickiest part is not eating all the custard before it sets!' The chef's new Culinary & Co. cast iron collection, available exclusively at Spotlight, was designed to bring that same balance of beauty and practicality to Aussie kitchens. 'It's been a dream of mine to create cookware that reflects how I like to cook,' he said. 'Durable, beautiful, and practical - especially the wok and fry pans. I can't wait for people to get cooking with it at home.' For Manu, food is about memory as much as taste, and nothing takes him back like the slow-cooked beef bourguignon his mum used to make. 'It's rich, comforting, and reminds me of being a kid in France,' he said.
CTV News
05-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Canada's first Hell's Kitchen opening at River Cree next year
Gordon Ramsay arrives at the 2016 The Film is GREAT Reception at Fig & Olive on Friday, Feb. 26, 2016, in West Hollywood, Calif. (Photo by Omar Vega/Invision/AP) Good news if you're in the mood for an idiot sandwich. Canada's first Hell's Kitchen is coming to the Edmonton area early next year, announced the River Cree Resort and Casino on Thursday. The restaurant chain is the brainchild of the volatile British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. Hell's Kitchen is the name of one of Ramsay's television series, which challenges the skills and stamina of young chefs at his restaurant's Hollywood location. There are seven Hell's Kitchen locations in the U.S. More to come…
Times
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Leave One Day review — a bland Europop musical about a celebrity chef
It's been four years since the Cannes Film Festival opened with a French musical. That was Leos Carax's bonkers, puppet-filled fever dream Annette, a movie that boasted a surfeit of aggressive cinematic personality and wild signature style. This one is, by contrast, and in the nicest possible way, the anti-Annette. No signature style. No aggressive personality. Very little personality at all, in fact. Instead, it's called Leave One Day (after a generic 1990s hit by the French boy band 2BE3) and features the French singer-songwriter Juliette Armanet as Cécile, a celebrity chef with a high-flying Parisian career who must return to France's rural Grand Est when her father, Gérard (François Rollin), is diagnosed with heart troubles. There, from the unfussy kitchens of
