Wednesday, October 4, 2006

By JOYCE SÁENZ HARRIS / The Dallas Morning News

Emeril Lagasse is a busy man. He’s got nine restaurants to oversee. He’s got shows to do on the Food Network. He’s got cookware and other kitchen goodies to flack.

But he’s not too busy to give some thought to what his kids, and yours, should be eating.

“Whenever people say, ‘My kids don’t eat anything but chicken nuggets,’ I cringe,” Emeril says bluntly in a recent telephone interview. “I know we’re all busy, but we have to take the time to be a family at the table.”
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NEW ORLEANS, LA (August 20, 2006) – Emeril Lagasse Foundation, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation and Celebrate Jazz LLC announce an educational cooking concert entitled “Cookin’ with Music” featuring Chef Emeril Lagasse and jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, along with the Wynton Marsalis Jazz Septet, to be held Monday, August 28, 2006 from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The pair of nationally renowned personalities with roots in New Orleans will educate and entertain on the cultural similarities and creativity involved in both the culinary and musical artforms. The program is free of charge for 4,000 school children in the New Orleans area.
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Emeril Lagasse is hoping to bring the centuries-old cooking vessel into more American kitchens

Tagines have been used for centuries in Morocco, but Food Network chef Emeril Lagasse is hoping to bring them into more American kitchens.

Recognizing the growing popularity of ethnic cuisine in this country, Lagasse has designed a modern version of a tagine for his Emerilware collection made by All-Clad Metalcrafters.
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The “Bam!” and the “Kick it up a notch” and all the rest of the shtick may get a little stale (OK, more than a little stale), but that Emeril Lagasse sure has a way of surprising us. And all of the other stuff aside, we need look no further than that to see his genius.

The last time I reviewed Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House at the MGM Grand, back in 2002, he was at the height of his reign as Emeril the TV Personality. I was feeling pretty certain, pre-visit, that the diverted attention would manifest itself in mediocrity, in a restaurant where the staff was on autopilot because their navigator had other fish to fry. Boy, was I wrong.
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Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Emeril Lagasse will make Hill and McGraw’s time in New Orleans even more special on July fifth, when they host a special invitation-only luncheon at Emeril’s Restaurant.

Lagasse will cook up his signature New Orleans dishes for 120 guests, and the net proceeds from the event will go to the Neighbors Keeper Foundation and the Emeril Lagasse Foundation.

Both help charities with hurricane recovery and the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast region.

They’re calling the luncheon Feed The Soul, and attendees will also receive V-I-P passes to the acoustic pre-show party and V-I-P seats to that evening’s sold-out Soul2Soul Two Tour at the New Orleans Arena.
That performance also is benefiting the Gulf Coast region.

Emeril Lagasse was inducted May 20 into the MenuMasters Hall of Fame, a program run by the food service industry magazine Nation’s Restaurant News to honor leaders in restaurant and food development. In its nomination, the magazine credits Lagasse with ushering in the era of the celebrity chef.
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CHICAGO — Chef-restaurateur Emeril Lagasse, whose culinary skills, engaging smile and “BAM!” persona have made him one of the most recognizable culinary celebrities, has been selected as the 2006 inductee into the Nation’s Restaurant News MenuMasters Hall of Fame.

The television personality-author-restaurateur was honored on May 20 during the MenuMasters Awards ceremony at the Drake Hotel here. MenuMasters winners in a range of other special culinary categories also will be recognized at the ceremony.
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New Orleans, LA – Emeril Lagasse’s flagship restaurant, Emeril’s, and NOLA in the French Quarter reopened for business in December 2005 following Hurricane Katrina. Lagasse’s Garden District restaurant, Emeril’s Delmonico, is scheduled to reopen in mid to late fall 2006 due to significant damage from the storm. Emeril’s is currently open for dinner service Monday-Saturday from 6:00-10:00 pm. Beginning on April 30, Emeril’s will also open for Sunday dinner from 6:00-10:00 pm. Lunch is served on Fridays from 11:30 am until 2:00 pm. NOLA Restaurant is open for dinner service Wednesday-Sunday from 6:00-10:00 pm, and for lunch on Saturday from 11:30 am-2:00 pm.

Emeril’s is located in a renovated warehouse on Tchoupitoulas Street, true to the feel of the Warehouse District neighborhood. Designed by the David Rockwell Group, the interior features exposed brick, hardwood floors, an open kitchen and a unique chef’s food bar with a signature metal and glass proscenium filled with spices. The menu at Emeril’s is an exploration of what Lagasse calls ‘new’ New Orleans cooking, Creole cuisine with ethnic influences such as Southwestern, Asian, or Portuguese. Emeril’s New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp, Grilled Double Cut Niman Pork Chop and Banana Cream Pie continue to be signature dishes today.

NOLA, which stands for New Orleans, Louisiana – the way New Orleanians have long abbreviated their return address on letters – is the second restaurant owned and operated by Chef Emeril Lagasse. Since NOLA opened its doors in 1992, the menu has been an exploration of “new New Orleans” cooking, but with a casual almost rustic tone. Favorite menu items include Cedar Plank Fish from the wood-burning oven and “Shrimp & Grits”, Sautéed Gulf Shrimp with Smoked Cheddar Grits and Apple Smoked Bacon. The casual chef’s bar has a prominent view of the central wood-burning oven and open kitchen. The menu and wine list are designed to cater to the more casual diner — both visitors and native New Orleanians.

Valet parking is available at Emeril’s. Please call 504-528-9393 for reservations. At NOLA, validated parking is available at the nearby Omni Royal Orleans. For reservations, please call 504-522-6652.

Emeril’s Restaurant Open for Lunch on Fridays, NOLA Open for Lunch on Saturdays.New Orleans, LA (January 25, 2006) –Emeril’s Restaurant in the Warehouse District is now serving lunch on Fridays, and NOLA Restaurant in the French Quarter is open for lunch on Saturdays. Both restaurants reopened for dinner service in early December 2005 after Hurricane Katrina.

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‘Kidz Kitchen’ Hosted by Emeril Lagasse, Rachael Ray, Alton Brown and Giada De Laurentiis

MIAMI BEACH, Fla., Nov. 18 /PRNewswire/ — It’s never too early to learn the art and science of cooking. And leave it to Food Network’s Emeril Lagasse, Rachael Ray, Alton Brown and Giada De Laurentiis to make the experience a fun one for kids. The exuberant celebrity chefs and culinary personalities all credit Mom for piquing their culinary interests — and now they aim to do the same for your child. The South Beach Wine & Food Festival in 2006 debuts this new series of Kidz Cooking demonstrations. The idea is to give youngsters an opportunity to take part in the Festival in a fun and educational way. The chance to learn some basic recipes from some big-name cooks could even pay huge dividends later on.

“Kidz Kitchen might well be an early launching pad for youngsters who eventually wish to parlay their love of cooking into their own restaurant or catering businesses,” says Joseph J. West, dean of the Florida International University School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. “We’ll be waiting for these budding young chefs at FIU, where we’ll give them the management training and hone their business skills to enter any of a variety of hospitality and tourism jobs. No parent should ever underestimate the power of early cooking experiences to inspire greatness down the road.” The Kidz Kitchen series offers four individual demonstration sessions, all of which will take place at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival Grand Tasting Village.

“We are so excited about the launch of our Kidz Kitchen seminars,” says Lee Brian Schrager, founder and director of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. “After receiving countless requests from parents to bring their children to see their favorite Food Network hosts in action, we are delighted to now offer them the opportunity at Kidz Kitchen. This could very well be the breaking ground for the next Emeril Lagasse or Rachael Ray.” Another potential pay-off of encouraging children to cook: Parents just might wind up with some extra help in the kitchen.

Saturday February, 25, 2006
11:00 AM, Cooking with Emeril Lagasse (followed by book signing at 11:45 AM
1:30 PM, Cooking with Rachael Ray (followed by book signing at 2:15 PM)

Sunday February, 26, 2006
11:00 AM, Cooking with Alton Brown (followed by book signing at 11:45 AM)
1:30 PM, Cooking with Giada De Laurentiis (followed by book signing at 2:15 PM

“Kidz Kitchen” will take place at the Grand Tasting Village, Ocean Drive and 13th St., Miami Beach, and is targeted to children between the ages of 5- 16 (children must be accompanied by an adult and adults must be accompanied by a child).

The South Beach Wine & Food Festival is set to take place February 24-26, 2006. Hosted by Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida and Florida International University (FIU), the festival benefits the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management Teaching Restaurant and the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center both located at FIU.

For a complete listing of events, additional information, and to purchase tickets, please visit the festival website http://www.sobewineandfoodfest.com or call (877) 762-3933. Website: http://www.sobewineandfoodfest.com/

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