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Michael Ruhlman Frumps Wikipedia
By JULIETTE ROSSANT  You might think that an author with 11 books under the belt would not have much to gripe about.Recently, however, Michael Ruhlman has been griping aloud about Celebrity Chefs and Wikipedia-- and managed to work Superchefblog into the mix. In an article entitled "The Meaning of Celebrity," he frumps: What exactly are the criteria for being a celebrity chef? Here’s the wikipedia definition (it’s heavily reliant on the work of Juliette Rossant, citing her -- she even has her own wikipedia page; sadly I do not — as well as her book called Superchef [sic] and her blog of that name… interesting… I wonder why it doesn’t cite, say, the work of Page and Dornenberg who wrote Becoming a Chef, the first book that meaningfully addressed chefs as they moved into the realm of celebrity… hmmm, a bit of a marketing effort from the camp of Ms. Rossant?).He gripes about the inclusion of "super chefs" in Wikipedia, about the author listing, and about mention of this online magazine. Don't get so worked up, Michael. Here's some constructive advice:
Meantime, why not go back and take another look at the Introduction to Super Chef (available online in Fast Magazine)? No disrespect to Page and Dornenberg, but people have become chefs for a long time now. Even Escoffier (if not Careme) was something of a celebrity chef. What is new in the field are "super chefs."  Take Mario Batali as an example. He isn't hot these days because of Media and ensuant Celebrity: he's been on the Food Network for years. It's his recent business deals with partners like NASCAR that are getting him into mass media print -- Forbes, TIME, Newsweek, and Life (see previous articles) -- as well as the expansion of his restaurant empire outside of New York. That's where the action is. Mario became a chef a long time ago: what is exciting is that Mario is about to become a super chef. (Disclaimer: Michael used to consult on occasion with Superchefblog for some of his articles, particularly on the topic of "chef branding." He wrote, "[I] have been reading your book Super Chef [sic], which is fascinating, am just through the English section." He even cited Super Chef and quoted the book's author for at least one article in Gulf Connoisseur [never seen the article]. Then, Superchefblog reviewed Cooking Under Fire (see previous article). He emailed to contend with the review in a pleasant exchange which ended abruptly in a final email that opened like this: "OK, Shithead..." What to do? Well, as any writer knows, you can please them all, nor even some all of the time.) Related news: New Yorker Previous articles: Mario Batali on Superchefblog Cooking Under Fire: Already Over Done? [Citations] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging --> back to superchefblog |
posted by Juliette Rossant at 7/31/2006 09:10:00 AM
2 Comments:
sounds like Ruhlman is just not emotionally ready to write in the Blogosphere. he's still back at Email and Blogging basics like flaming people rather than saying something constructive. then again, as a print-based writer, maybe he just needs an editor and should not self-publish.
Juliette,
What bothers me about the Wikipedia business is how the line between information and self-promotion is increasingly blurred on the internet. It's not a gripe as you say. I made light of it in my post, but I think it's a serious issue.
I like your blog and have nothing against it, or you, or self-promotion for that matter. It's hard to make a living as a writer.
And I'm sorry if you took offence at the shithead remark. I assure you it was uttered more out of playfulness than anger. If I'd been mad I'd have called you asshole, or not have responded at all. And sorry I got the name of your book wrong in my post. will try to be more careful in the future.
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