Chef Crush: The Interview!
This is the full transcript of an interview CrushGirl1 did with Desperate Chefs’ Wives. We’ve gotten similar questions a number of times, so we thought we’d share the answers with you. Excerpts originally appeared at Desperate Chefs’ Wives on July 31, 2008.
When did you start ChefCrush?
In April of this year, although the idea had been kicking around for a while.
How did you meet CG2?
We met at a monthly event for PortlandFood.org, a great local foodie forum board, and just kind of hit it off. We made plans to meet for happy hour and ended up at Wildwood for dinner, which produced our inaugural chef crush, Josh. We both just really like eating out, and it can be hard to find other women who aren’t afraid of food.
Your blog is so unique. Where did you get the idea for a blog like yours?
It was all because of Brandon @ Caffe Mingo. I developed my first real chef crush on him and was joking with my boyfriend (thankfully he’s very understanding) that I should start a website called ChefCrush.com devoted to cute boys in the kitchen. But I don’t think I ever would have really done it if I hadn’t met CG2. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if it was a stupid idea or not. Foodies tend to take themselves a little too seriously, and I was afraid people would think I was making fun of them. Which I honestly am not- I truly have the utmost respect for people who cook good food. But CG2 thought the idea was funny and encouraged me to take pictures at that first Wildwood meal. Coincidentally, I needed to learn how to make a WordPress blog for work, so the next day I bought the domain name and started pfutzing around with it just to teach myself how.
I can’t believe how many pictures of chefs you’ve got. Have any ever declined? I guess I picture NYC chefs being nasty forbidding you back into their dungeon. Maybe Portland chefs are nice?
The only chef who has ever declined to be photographed was Janis @ Tanuki. It bummed me out, because I really love her food, but I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable. I have no problem asking though. At least one of the guys at Lovely Hula Hands was camera shy but wound up letting me take his picture as part of a group. Most chefs I’ve met around here have been very accommodating.
How does it work when you meet a chef? Do you ask your waiter to let you into the kitchen? Do you tell the chefs they’ll be featured on your blog? Do they get excited? It seems chefs can’t get enough press for themselves.
Well Portland happens to be convenient for chefcrushing due to an abundance of open kitchens and “chef’s counter” seating. Those are the best scenarios for getting a good photo, since I can just request a shot directly. I’ve also been known to go right up to the pass and ask for a photo. If it’s a fancier place with a closed kitchen, I will ask my server or the host if they can take a picture for me, but they tend to not turn out well. I usually use my camera phone instead of a real camera, and it has a long delay between pressing the button and taking the picture. Unless you know how to use it, it’s impossible to get a good picture. A couple of times I’ve been escorted into closed kitchens so I can shoot- that’s always a fun peek behind the curtain, so to speak.
I usually don’t know whether the chefs get excited. It’s actually sort of cute how nonchalant most of them act about it. You’d be surprised how many chefs don’t even ask why I want their pictures. I guess they assume I’m a reviewer of some sort and don’t really care. Or at least they want to seem too cool to care. Lol. If they do ask, I tell them I have a food blog and leave it at that unless pressed to provide the URL. I’m not sure why. I guess I don’t want to act like I think I’m some kind of big deal. I love the blogosphere, but I get annoyed by people who think that the mere act of spewing their opinion online makes them some kind of expert. Also, I never ask for a photo until after the last entrée or dessert has been served, because I don’t want it to affect the service or the food I receive.
You write very well about food. Ever considered being a food writer?
Thanks! If you mean being a professional food writer, I think Chef Crush is probably as close as I’ll ever get. I sometimes write lengthier reviews on PortlandFood.org or my personal website, but I’ve never gone about trying to earn a living from it. In a perfect world, I’d figure out how to make money off of Chef Crush, but I don’t want to take a bunch of crappy ads. If the right company or network or whatever offered me money to travel around the world searching for chef crushes, I’d definitely consider it. But funny as it may sound given the tone of the website, I wouldn’t do it just for the money if they wanted to turn it into something that would suck. We may be tongue-in-cheek about it, but the point of ChefCrush.com is to recognize hard-working, everyday cooks and the delicious dishes they make. That’s not a joke to me. I love food.
Do you have a day job? But what’s your dream job??
I have a couple of day jobs. I’ve been a concert and event producer off-and-on for 15 years, although I only do a few shows a year nowadays. Also, my boyfriend and I own a phone sex company and adult website. Yes, really. I started doing phone sex a few years ago to pay for acting school and liked it so much I’ve kept at it. It pays the bills while allowing me a lot of freedom. In addition, I’m a professional theatre actress, although it isn’t exactly lucrative at the local, non-union level. I’d say my dream job would probably be taking ChefCrush to the next level and being able to make a comfortable living traveling the world, eating good food, and crushing on cute chefs. That, or starring in a successful, long-running, Tony-winning Broadway show. Hey, a girl can dream.
You mentioned being in a couple relationships with chefs. What was that like? I guess it hasn’t tainted you too bad since you’ve got a site called Chef Crush and not Crush Chef.
Oh surely you know the answer to this one better than me. But I’m guessing my experiences probably mirror yours…Long lonely late nights…Too much take-out and fast food because they don’t want to cook on their days off and I don’t want to have my culinary attempts laughed at…A general overworked, underpaid demeanor…Way too little sex, despite the cocksure attitude and constant posturing…But I mean, there are downsides to every profession. I was married to a musician, but you don’t see me running BassPlayerCrush.com.
What is it about the chef that intrigues you? There are a lot of things I love about chefs, but also a lot I loathe about chefs. Do you have any chef pet peeves?
I think there is something very sexy about what a chef does. He (or she) has his hands on something that goes into my mouth and gives me satisfaction and sustenance. It’s inherently sensual. And I’m in awe of a person who can take a few ingredients and devise something I would never think of. As for pet peeves, the only one I can think of is chefs who specifically direct the FOH not to put salt on the table.
The word chef groupie is being thrown around a lot with cheffing being seen in Maxim and GQ. Would you consider yourself a chef groupie?
Huh. I don’t know. I appreciate chefs personally for the job they do professionally, so in that sense I suppose I’m like a musician’s groupie. But I’m not trying to climb into all my crushes’ checkered pants, so if that’s the current definition, then no.
Who is your favorite celebrity chef?
It’s a toss-up between Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay. Not very original, I know, but I have a weakness for bad boys. I also think Emeril gets a bad rap. I ate at his namesake restaurant in New Orleans years ago at the beginning of my foodie self-discovery, and it was a truly amazing meal.
Watch any chef shows?
I like Hell’s Kitchen, Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, No Reservations, Iron Chef, Top Chef, and Food Network Challenge. I work from home so I watch a lot of Food Network. I wish they’d get better shows again. Hmmm…Chef Crush TV!!! Heh.
Read any chef books?
I’ve read all of Bourdain’s books- love the way he writes. I haven’t made a point of reading chef books, but of course I’m open to suggestions.
I noticed you allow chef submissions to your website. Do you get a lot of photos emailed in? Maybe you can have chef crush cells around the US who volunteer their chef loving skills to get you photos from all over.
So far, no one has emailed any pictures in, but we’ve gotten quite a few emails suggesting crush-worthy chefs around town. I’d love to get submissions with photos from elsewhere, so if any of your readers have them, feel free to email crushgirl1@chefcrush.com. (Editor’s note: Since this interview appeared, we have received a number of photos from all over. Please keep them coming!)