The Beloved Celebrity Chef You Don’t Hear From Much Anymore

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Since Julia Child pioneered the presence of chefs on television and became the first celebrity chef in the United States in the 1960s, many other chefs have been in the spotlight and earned star status. One of them grew into fame in the 1990s but has become one of the Food Network stars who faded from the spotlight: Emeril Lagasse.

With a passion for food since he was a youngster, Lagasse completed a culinary program and honed his skills abroad and in domestic fine restaurants in the late 1970s and ’80s. His talents were noticed while working as the head chef at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, and his first television appearances occurred in segments on “Great Chefs,” which aired on the Great Chefs Television. Lagasse decided to open his first and flagship restaurant — Emeril’s Restaurant — in the Warehouse District of New Orleans in 1990 after studying and working in fine restaurants.

Not long after, the first of his 19 cookbooks was published, and he joined the Food Network, where he hosted over 2,000 shows. Lagasse started saying his “BAM!” catchphrase on “The Essence of Emeril” to keep the film crew awake after eating so much, and quickly became known for his energetic personality. In 1997, “Emeril Live” was launched and became the highest-rated show on the Food Network. Lagasse even appeared on “Good Morning America,” “Top Chef,” the “Rachael Ray” show, and many others, as well as opened more restaurants under The Emeril Group and created several product lines. After the Food Network canceled “Emeril Live” in 2007, though, viewers started hearing less and less from this lively chef.

Read more: 10 Food Network Stars Who Faded From The Spotlight

Although the Food Network took “Emeril Live” off the air after a decade and then “The Essence of Emeril” in 2008, Lagasse was still under contract and continued to appear in specials. The celebrity chef then decided to sell his TV shows and products to Martha Stewart in 2008 to benefit from her brand expertise and continue to share the best cooking tips from Emeril Lagasse. While staying busy with his restaurant empire, he has hosted other shows — “Emeril Green,” “Emeril’s Florida,” “Fresh Food Fast with Emeril,” and “Eat the World with Emeril Lagasse” through 2016.

In recent years, Lagasse has slowly become one of the ’90s celebrity chefs you don’t hear about anymore, though. Part of the reason is that he’s focused on his restaurants more and started passing down his flagship Emeril’s Restaurant to his son, E.J. Lagasse, around 2023. The senior chef told CBS News, “In life, passing the torch is not as easy as it sounds. But when you’re confident of passing the torch, then it becomes much easier.” Despite that, there are still nine other restaurants under The Emeril Group. “What really makes my clock go is still the restaurants. I love people, I love being with my staff, I love learning together, I love making people happy with food, with wine, with service,” he said in an interview with GQ.

You may not hear much from Lagasse senior, but he hasn’t completely disappeared from the public eye. He hosted four seasons of “Emeril Tailgates” and five seasons of “Emeril Cooks” from 2022 to 2024 — both on The Roku Channel.

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