Mario Batali Adds Life

By JULIETTE ROSSANT The cover of Life Magazine for the week of May 5, 2006, features Mario Batali, who seems determined to push his exposure to the very limits. What does the cover of Life get you these days? An article entitled: "Mario in the Fast Lane" A blurb: "The superchef is cooking up a storm for NASCAR NATION and has some hot new recipes for you, too. Cool pics in Life : The cover: The interior: The recipes: (Have recipes become merely obligatory? And are these particular samples Mario's "recipes for Life," as it were?) NASCAR is proving very, very good for Mario so far. He's got the cookbook, the appearances, articles in magazine like TIME, Newsweek, and Forbes, not to mention the new products and partners. For a chef famed for an insatiable Media appetite, NASCAR may be as good as it gets. Did you know that Life still existed? This is the magazine that brought to the world some of the greatest photographers ever. Take just one: Walker Evans, subject of university study, gallery showings, and numerous exhibitions -- MOMA, the Getty, the Library of Congress, the Victoria & Albert, the Tate -- and even a recent subject for both NPR and PBS. Here is a sample of the caliber Life used to have: Perhaps some clarification is in order: our concern is not with the photographers per se but the subject matter -- a red-headed chef with orange Croc clogs? Of course, Life ain't what it used to be. Now, most people probably receive without subscription, whether they want it or not, as an insert in their local newspapers. That means Life is in the midst of a(nother) comeback attempt: will Mario help? Previous articles: TIME for Mario Mario Tailgates NASCAR Style Mario Batali: 2 Brothers Mario Batali: Tailgates NASCAR Style Newsweek Cites Juliette Rossant on Mario Batali Juliette Rossant: Forbes Tastemakers - Mario Batali Mario Batali: Molto Italiano Newsweek Bets on Mario Batali's Basting Brush Anita Lo Defeats Mario Batali on Iron Chef America Iron Chef Pizza Wars: Batali vs. Puck Nancy Silverton & Mario Batali's Mozza Molto Mario Massacres Mahi Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, Mario Batali --> back to superchefblog