An amusing account of the rise in importance of the chef in NYC, due in no small part to that country USA (though I can see the trend here too), the power of television, and everybody’s new-found biggest hobby: food.
It is interesting to reflect that it wasn’t too long ago when the chef was a mere artisan, pretty much illiterate, who had to get a famous nobleman to pen his ideas and recipes. Now food is theatre, and we, apparently ever more knowledgeable about it, need the chef to be bigger – so that he remains the leader and higher in the chain.
Apropos penalties (interesting suggestion from Bruni that chefs act like gods because we don’t penalise them for their arrogance), this from the Guardian on hefty fines for not cancelling reservations at Fat Duck and co.: http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/food/story/0,,1987522,00.html