The Chef As A Brand

Whether he is a TV chef or a “real” restaurant chef, the image of the chef sells products, if not necessarily his restaurant! 

- Anoothi Vishal

At a posh Delhi school recently, almost 70 per cent of class IX students, when asked about their career preferences, said they wanted to be chefs! This is a true incident narrated by a parent. It is not as shocking as it sounds — at least not to those of us who’ve been tracking India’s food story.

To cook is the new cool. To be a chef, the new celeb. The profession is seen increasingly as a glamorous choice — regardless of the realities of manning a professional kitchen. But more importantly, the chef is also a brand: An increasingly marketable commodity.

The rise of a culture where food is entertainment has completely revolutionised the image of the chef. From being the taciturn, backroom boy, the chef is now the face of many businesses — not necessarily restaurants, though. He can sell everything from sugar-free supplements to kitchen equipment and luxury cars. So much so that sometimes he does not sell his food at all! Amidst this, TV chefs vs “real” restaurant chefs has to be the hottest debate these days. But before we jump in, let's take a look at the business of being a chef on reality TV.

The paradigm is simple: TV chefs have large followings, get mobbed by women and children, have huge followings on social media, cut book deals, and now garner fat endorsement fees too. If Sanjeev Kapoor was India’s first chef to build an empire based on his popularity as a marketable face, in the last five years, others have followed suit.