The book is a collection of his best signature recipes from his first four cookbooks, the 150 episodes of his tv-shows combined with stories and articles on his food adventures and practical kitchen knowledge. Bob Blumer: "Many of the recipes have been imagined from scratch – the rest were from a variety of sources. From street food vendors to 3-star-chefs. But every recipe embodies the fundamentals of my food philosophy: They should be made from common ingredients brought to life with a liberal infusion of fresh herbs and spices."

And here´s to you the chef that rocks your kitchen: Bob Blumer. He is one of America´s most extraordinary celebrity chefs, perhaps a brother in mind of Anthony Bourdain. But while Bourdain is only discovering the cuisines of the world, Blumer combines the discovery of local food production with the practical work in a normal cuisine.

He made his first cookbook 25 years ago as a presents to his kid sister Sarah, who moved into her first own apartment. Bob cobbled together a small book containing a half-dozen of his own favourite recipes, some illustrations and some polaroid shots of the dishes. In fact this was just a one-piece-edition. And for a long while it staid his only cookbook.

He started a career as a music manager and roadie for famous bands like AC/DC, Def Leppard or the Canadian singer-songwriter Jane Siberry. "The financial reality of being an aspiring music industry mogul forced me to expand my cooking repertoire", he laughs, "And finally I found out that mastering a few dishes was the poor man´s All-Areas-Backstage-Pass to a girl´s heart."

Believe it or not: One day in San Francisco he entered the offices of Chronicle Books and came out with a publishing contract. The result was "The Surreal Gourmet" a cookbook for which he painted surreal pictures, because he couldn´t effort the food photography and a list of music-to-cook-by for every recipe. "I still believe that I was the first to do this in the cookbook genre", he says.

The book was the start of a tremendous career. He became host for two tv series called "The Surreal Gourmet" and "Glutton for Punishment" and wrote four more cookbooks. His new book "Glutton for Pleasure" is his opus magnum – up to now.

 

Bob has never worked as a chef in a restaurant. But perhaps this is exactly what makes his cuisine so unique: He really teaches normal people how to simplify their life in the kitchen and have tremendous fun.

In his book "Glutton for Pleasure" he shows how you organize your kitchen, gives you the advice to add right music and proves that you can prepare a fresh pasta dish faster than to heat up a ready-pasta-dish from the can. And not to forget: You can´t watch or read him without having fun.

"For me cooking is like painting, but instead of mixing colors and apply them on canvas, I mix ingredients and the plate is my canvas", he says. But in fact he is also a brilliant painter. Just take a look to the illustrations he made for his books or watch the pictures of how he prepares dishes: arranged as a flower, formed as a mountain, colorful as an oil-painting.

It is the variety of his talents that make him so unique. Or would you believe that this hard rock chef holds four world records in cooking? In 2008 he set the record in flipping 559 pancakes in one hour. And last year he broke three world-records: He prepared the largest bowl of salsa with a weight of 2,672 pounds at the 26th Tomato Festival, then he made 168 pizzas in just 60 minutes at the 14th Corso Italia in Toronto and ate 134 grains of rice with chopsticks in just three minutes.

On March 4 he will be at the Paris Cookbook Fair to present his extraordinary cooking style at the International Show Kitchen. Publishers watch out: The rights to his new book are still available outside North America! No doubt, that he will rock Paris. Or to say it with his motto according to a AC/DC-classic: "For those about to cook, I salute you."

　

 

Find out more on his website:

www.bobblumer.com

 

 

 

 

 

One year ago Gourmand Magazine wrote that the Argentine-Portu¬guese chef Chakall is on the way to become an international star. And he really achieved it.

At the Frankfurt Book Fair Chakall presented his first German language cookbook: “Chakall  is cooking“ was the main topic for the publisher Dorling Kindersley (DK). The larger-than-life portrait of the chef shone from the publisher’s billboards and banners and even outshone the previous figureheads of DK, Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.

Chakall was overwhelmed himself: “It’s unbelievable to work for the same publisher as these two world stars.“

However, his German book is just the beginning. Within the next months further of his cookbooks in Portuguese, Arabian and Chinese language will be published. Furthermore, he will open a restaurant in Berlin and will cook in several TV shows. It is an amazing career the likeable chef with the turban as his brand mark makes. “But there is no time for me to be astonished“, he says.

Chakall fascinates people, because he is his own brand mark. The turban is only the most noticeable symbol. Chakall made culinary expeditions into more than 100 countries. What he found there was integrated in his cuisine.

He cooks simply, uncomplicated, colourful and healthy. “Food should taste good and make fun“, he says. Therefore, Chakall exclusively cooks and eats with feel-good music of Bob Marley, Serge Gainsbourg, Amadou & Mariam and others. Also in the television studio and during cooking shows by the way. The fact that he dances with the music is probably not so unusual; but at the Frankfurt Book Fair Chakall animated hundreds of viewers to dance during his cooking show. That’s just the way only Chakall is like.

Chakall is relaxed, likeable, charming and funny. And due to the fact that he also looks really good particularly the women love this chef.

 

The multicultural chef has already conquered the hearts of the Portuguese and German women. The Arabian and Chinese women will also not be able to resist him.

Chakall knows the world. Soon also the world will know Chakall.