The Emeril Lagasse Show, Emeril Live, Essence of Emeril, Emeril Green, Emeril's Florida, On the Table, Eat the World with Emeril Lagasse, Emeril Forever Pans, Emeril's Must Have Non Stick Pans, 'Emeril's Homemade Pasta Secret, Emeril's Chicken Frying Secret, BAM!
Emeril John Lagasse III (/ˈɛmərəlləˈɡɑːsi/EM-ə-rəl lə-GAH-see; born October 15, 1959)[1] is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, cookbook author, and National Best Recipe award winner for his "Turkey and Hot Sausage Chili" recipe in 2003. He is a regional James Beard Award winner, known for his mastery of Creole and Cajun cuisine and his self-developed "New New Orleans" style. He is of Portuguese descent on his mother's side, while being of French heritage through his father.
He has appeared on a wide variety of cooking TV shows, including the long running Food Network shows Emeril Live and Essence of Emeril, and is associated with several catchphrases, including "Kick it up a notch!" and "Bam!"[2][3] In 2005, Lagasse's portfolio of media, products, and restaurants was estimated to generate US$150 million annually in revenue.[4]
Early life
Emeril John Lagasse III was born on October 15, 1959, in Fall River, Massachusetts. His father, Emeril John Lagassé Jr., was from Quebec, and his mother, Hilda Medeiros, was from Portugal. Lagasse stated that he "grew up very Catholic".[5] Lagasse 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.[1]
Lagasse graduated from the culinary school at Johnson & Wales University in 1978 and became executive chef at the Dunfey's Hyannis Resort in 1979.[8] He was nominated as Chef of the Year in 1983.[8]
In 1990, he opened Emeril's in New Orleans. It was designated "Restaurant of the Year" in Esquire magazine that year and has been a recipient of the Wine Spectator Grand Award since 1999.[11] Many of his restaurants, as well as his corporate office, Emeril's Homebase, are located in New Orleans.[12]
In August 2006, Lagasse contributed several recipes to the meal selection aboard the International Space Station, 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.[13]
Lagasse's restaurant company, The Emeril Group, is located in New Orleans and houses restaurant operations, a culinary test kitchen for cookbook and recipe development, and a boutique store for his signature products. As of 2023, his company owns five restaurants.[14]
In December 2022, Lagasse was named as the Chief Culinary Officer for Carnival Cruise Lines, which announced he would collaborate extensively on Carnival's fleetwide menu.[15][16]
Television and film appearances
Cooking shows
Lagasse first appeared on television on the show Great Chefs where he was featured on ten episodes, including Great Chefs, the Louisiana New Garde, New Orleans Jazz Brunch and Great Chefs — Great Cities.[17] From 1993 to 1995 he was the original host of Food Network's How to Boil Water. After several appearances on several other Food Network programs, Lagasse hosted his own show, Essence of Emeril. "Essence" in the title refers to Emeril's Essence, the name of a spice 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.[citation needed]
In early 1997, Emeril Live began production. Later that year, the show won a Cable Ace Award for "Best Informational Show" of 1997.[18]
Lagasse was one of sixteen chefs featured in the 1993 Julia Child series Cooking with Master Chefs.[19]
On television, Lagasse is known for his light and jovial hosting style as well as several catchphrases, including "Bam!". Emeril's signature catchphrase began simply as a means of keeping his studio crew awake, alert and focused. When Emeril first began at Food Network, he would tape seven shows a day, from seven in the morning until two in the afternoon. The interjection soon proved a hit with viewers.[20] "Kick it up a notch", "Aw, yeah, babe" and "Feel the love", are usually said before or after adding something spicy to a dish, or after the reaction to adding something. When frying or making dishes like sausage, Lagasse advocated 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.[citation needed]
Lagasse hosted a daily series, Emeril Green, which aired on Discovery Channel's eco-lifestyle network Planet Green. The show focused on cooking with organic, locally grown and seasonal produce, and was filmed on location at Whole Foods Markets across the United States.[21]
In September 2011, he hosted the Hallmark Channel show, Emeril's Table. It was cancelled after one season. In 2013, Lagasse began hosting the Cooking Channel show Emeril's Florida. The show aired for five seasons, from 2013 to 2017.[23]
Starting in 2022, Lagasse hosted the series Emeril Cooks on The Roku Channel.[24] He also hosted the series Emeril Tailgates for The Roku Channel.[25]
In 2009, Lagasse joined Bravo's Top Chef as a judge. He also was a guest judge during season 9 of Top Chef: Texas in 2011 and joined the judges' table for seasons 10 and 11 in Seattle and New Orleans, respectively. During season 11 of Top Chef: New Orleans, Emeril's Restaurant was the featured location and the episode's winning dish was featured on the menu at the restaurant.[citation needed]
Lagasse served as the "Menu Master" of the TNT cooking competition show On the Menu, which ran for one season in 2014. The show was hosted by Ty Pennington.[29]
Lagasse briefly starred on Emeril, a TV sitcom on NBC during the 2001 fall season with Robert Urich, in which he played a fictionalized version of himself. It was canceled after eleven episodes.[30]
In 2006, Lagasse appears as himself in the film Last Holiday, starring Queen Latifah. He is featured as the cooking inspiration to her character and appears in the final scene.
In 2012, Lagasse appeared as himself on an episode of the HBO drama series Treme. Lagasse's scene was written by fellow chef (and Treme writer) Anthony Bourdain, who stated afterward that writing the scene was "a dream" for him because it showed a sadder, more burdened side of Lagasse, which existed in real life but was rarely shown in his television appearances.[31]
Other
In 1998, he became a food correspondent for ABC's Good Morning America, which he continues today.[32]
Lagasse acted as Grand Marshal of the 2008 Tournament of Roses Parade 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.[citation needed]
He made a guest appearance on Jon & Kate Plus 8 during the show's 5th season to help celebrate its 100th episode in May 2009.[citation needed]
The Emeril Lagasse Foundation, founded in 2002, supports non-profit organizations and educational initiatives that create opportunities for children, especially for those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential.[33]
Emeril Lagasse Foundation has distributed more than $6 million in grants for children's charities. Projects funded by the Foundation include an outdoor classroom, gardens, fresh foods cafeteria and teaching kitchen at Edible Schoolyard New Orleans and the Orlando Junior Academy's Edible Schoolyard as well as a new culinary kitchen house, an accessible learning kitchen for special needs students at St. Michael Special School, a four-year culinary arts program for high school students at New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, the Emeril Lagasse Foundation Hospitality Center at Café Reconcile, and hospitality training at Liberty's Kitchen for at-risk youth preparing healthy school meals. Each fall, the foundation hosts its signature annual fundraiser, Carnivale du Vin, which ranks among the Top Ten U.S. Charity Wine Auctions in Wine Spectator magazine. The Foundation introduced the charity indoor/outdoor food and music fest Boudin, Bourbon & Beer in 2011. In 2013, Lagasse was honored as James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year.[34]
Lagasse's[36] style of cooking is called "New New Orleans", which uses local Louisiana ingredients in his own interpretation of Creole cuisine, strongly influenced by Asian, Portuguese, Southwestern, and other cultures which themselves influence New Orleans cuisine.[37] However, the styles of cuisine at Lagasse's restaurants are not all the same. Delmonico Steakhouse at The Venetian in Las Vegas is a classic steakhouse with a Creole flair, and Emeril's Coastal Italian serves seafood-heavy, Italian-inspired fare.[citation needed]
Merchandising and endorsements
Lagasse has a wide range of 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."[38] The product line includes pasta sauces, marinades, salsas, and Lagasse's signature "Essence" spice blend. In 2004 he lent his name to a line of fresh produce made by Pride of San Juan, branded "Emeril's Gourmet Produce".[39]
Lagasse also has two lines of kitchen knives produced by Wüsthof and cookware made by All-Clad, as well as a line of kitchen electrical appliances made by T-Fal.
On February 19, 2008, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia 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.[40]
Personal life
Lagasse met his first wife, Elizabeth Kief, while working at the Venus De Milo Restaurant in Swansea, Massachusetts, to pay his way through school. They had two children from their marriage.[1] After Kief and Lagasse divorced, Lagasse married a second time to a fashion designer, Tari Hohn, but that too ended in divorce, and had no children.[9] Lagasse was married a third time on May 13, 2000, to a real estate broker, Alden Lovelace.[9] He and Lovelace had two children, with one of his children, E. J., also involved in culinary industry. In 2011, Lagasse and his family moved to Destin, Florida.[41]
Lagasse's mother, Hilda Medeiros Lagasse, died on August 24, 2016.[42] His father, Emeril Jr., died in March 2024.[43]
Cookbooks
Lagasse has written cookbooks including:
New New Orleans Cooking (1993)
Louisiana Real and Rustic (1996)
Emeril's Creole Christmas (1997)
Emeril's TV Dinners (1998)
Every Day's a Party (1999)
Prime Time Emeril (2001)
Emeril's There's a Chef in My Soup!: Recipes for the Kid in Everyone (2002)
From Emeril's Kitchens: Favorite Recipes from Emeril's Restaurants (2003)
Emeril's There's a Chef in My Family!: Recipes to Get Everybody Cooking (2004)
Emeril's Potluck: Comfort Food with a Kicked-Up Attitude (2004)
Emeril's Delmonico: A Restaurant with a Past (2005)
Emeril's There's a Chef in My World!: Recipes That Take You Places (2006)
Emeril 20-40-60: Fresh Food Fast (2009)
Emeril at the Grill: A Cookbook for All Seasons (2009)
Farm to Fork: Cooking Local, Cooking Fresh (2010)
Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders (2011)
Emeril's Kicked-Up Sandwiches: Stacked with Flavor (2012)
Emeril's Cooking with Power: 100 Delicious Recipes Starring Your Slow Cooker, Multi Cooker, Pressure Cooker, and Deep Fryer (2013)
Essential Emeril: Favorite Recipes and Hard-Won Wisdom from My Life in the Kitchen (2015)
Restaurants
Lagasse is the chef or proprietor of the following restaurants:
New Orleans: Emeril's New Orleans, NOLA Restaurant, Emeril's Delmonico, Meril, Emeril's Table
Futurama parodies Emeril Lagasse with the recurring character Elzar, a four-armed alien celebrity chef with the catchphrase, "Knock it up a notch".
In a pilot episode for Codename: Kids Next Door, called, "Kenny and the Chimp", Kenny catches Swine Flu until he and Chimpy find a box on the wall that reads, "In case of Swine Flu". They open it, and a chef resembling Emeril Lagasse comes out and says, "Bam! Look at that bacon sizzle!" scaring the disease away.
Family Guy parodies Emeril in the season 4 episode "The Cleveland-Loretta Quagmire", when Peter tells Cleveland he was cheated on, the celebrity chef uses his catchphrase "Bam!"
^ ab"Our History". Cape Cod Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis. April 29, 2014. Archived from the original on June 27, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
