Emeril Lagasse
FameRank: 6

"Emeril John Lagasse" is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, and cookbook author. A regional James Beard Foundation Award/James Beard Award winner, he is perhaps most notable for his Food Network shows Emeril Live and Essence of Emeril, as well as catchphrases such as, "Kick it up a notch!" and "Bam!" Lagasse's portfolio of media, products, and restaurants generates an estimated US$150 million annually in revenue.

More Emeril Lagasse on Wikipedia.

I grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts. My background was modest, and I worked at a Portuguese bakery in town.

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I had these recipes that say do this, do that. Who MAKES these rules?

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I guess I feel that I was following my instincts, and at the same time being guided by the best. I became totally intrigued with Louisiana-the people, the food. It is a part of my life. Everything that has happened for me since moving here has just been icing on the cake.

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After talking to people all day long in the restaurant, which I love to do, I look forward to being quiet at home.

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I'm just fortunate that now I have an audience of people on the show who don't have to pretend they have smell-o-vision. We're actually feeding these people. I'm putting my reputation on the line as an artist, as a chef.

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Growing up in New England, being schooled and classically trained, it needed to shake, it needed to evolve.

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I ended up turning down a full scholarship of music at the conservatory to pay to go to cooking school.

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I love it all, because it's all real.

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Now that years have gone by and I look back at it and I can put one and two together, it was my childhood memories and cultural feelings and beliefs in the whole tie-in of the French Canadian/Portuguese thing.

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