The James Beard Foundation had its say last night as to who it regards as the nation’s best chefs. And last week Restaurant Magazine released its World’s 50 Best Restaurants. But a new study says Rachael Ray has tons more sway than Ferran Adrià, René Redzepi or Grant Achatz. The coverage those modern masters receive pales in comparison to the ubiquity of Ray-Ray. What’s more, along with Ray, the study says Paula Deen, Wolfgang Puck, Mario Batali, and Bobby Flay are the five most media-savvy chefs. Not even heavy hitters like Eric Ripert or Thomas Keller can touch that.
In fact Rachael Ray receives more media love than Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, Grant Achatz, Eric Ripert, Daniel Humm combined. We wish we could say that news surprised us.
Sure the likes of Boulud, Ripert, Achatz and Keller represent the veritable upper crust of this American dining, but when was the last time you saw any of their faces on the cover of a magazine while waiting in the checkout line at a Kroger somewhere in the middle of Indiana?
Rachael Ray Is Most Media-Covered Chef In The U.S. This Year, Says Research Firm [HuffPo]