Celebrities you have cooked for

[Old Timer]

Here is a whimsical little thread off the beaten path of restaurant life.

I currently work as a Day Chef (breakfast, brunch, lunch) for an upscale cafe in my area.

Several celebrities make this area their second home (or third if you are Oprah), and being real people, they have to eat like the rest of us.

So here is the question of the thread.

Have you ever served any celebrities?

If so, who?

I recall one very busy Sunday morning last summer when after serving at least 120 covers, one of the servers came to the pass-through and said "Denny Farina liked your breakfast".

"Dennis Farina, the TV guy"? I asked.

"When the heck was he here"?

"Oh, a little while ago", she calmly said.

I was a little upset that I did not get to meet him, but at least he liked my cooking.

I calmly but sternly told the server next time a celebrity comes in to let me know.

A little while later she comes to the pass-through and tells me Joan Cusack and her family were having brunch.

I was going to go out and introduce myself, but a few diners were already chatting wth her (she is actually quite gracious) and I did not want to bother her.

So I let it go.

I heard singer Tim McGraw and wife Faith Hill recently bought Oprah's digs and hopefully they will stop in one of these days.

You can be sure I'll be watchin'

[Reefpimp]

I really liked mr farina in that one Guy Ritchie movie.

I've cooked for Laird Hamilton and Gabby Reese; Keanu Reeves; Jenna Jameson; and Hilary Swank.

Also Ijie Oue, conductor of the Minneapolis Orchestra at the time, had a big crush on our floor manager so he was in probably 3 nights a week. He had a cereal box cover, so I guess he counts as a celebrity. I always tried to do something interesting for him.

Edited January 29, 2007 by Reefpimp (log)

[annecros]

My stepdaughter waited on Eric Clapton one evening, and was nonplussed.

I would have probably gone to pieces right there on the floor!

[insomniac]

My son is home for a few days and tells me he recently cooked scallops for Matt Damon and Daniel Craig and G/F, and the Michelin man (if he's considered famous )

[piperdown]

I cooked for Mo Rocca (of the Daily Show) once, but didn't know it until later.

I almost got the chance to cook for James Taylor. He was performing at Tanglewood, and his manager called to see if we were still open. Unfortunately we weren't, and since I was the only cook left, and at that point still only working the cold side, the bartender decided not to re open. I probably would have fucked it up, but the chance could have been fun.

[LB Howes]

Back in the 1970s I lived in Marin County, CA. Lots of famous, semi-famous and hope-to-be-famous folks were seemingly everywhere in those days.

At one restaurant I cooked at George Lucas, Robin Williams, & B Kliban were repeat customers. A few years later I baked at a bakery/cafe where Richard Chamberlain, Vivian Vance, & Michael Ritchie would buy pastries & cakes.

[KatieLoeb]

I played sommeliere for Bill Cosby once. Does that count?

[Gifted Gourmet]

I played sommeliere for Bill Cosby once.  Does that count?

←

What wine goes with (his) Jello pudding pops?

[kechefs]

I played sommeliere for Bill Cosby once.  Does that count?

←

What wine goes with (his) Jello pudding pops?

←

Los Lobos, Jimmy Fallon, Drew Barrymore, Sean and Robin Penn,

[K8memphis]

My kid got to help do a birthday party for Laura Bush this past year.

[K8memphis]

I asked him if her daughters were there.

He said, No Mom, nobody hot was there.

(He's on his way from the airport right now!)

[chappie]

This was not in a restaurant, but ...

When I was 17, a rather average film called "Silent Fall" was filmed in my hometown of Easton, Md. My parents had split a few years earlier, Mom moved into a different house and my sister was grown, leaving just Dad and me (on weekends) at the sizable waterfront home I was raised in. So when a realtor told him some of the actors were looking to rent something on the water, he offered.

They didn't even want us to move out. So off and on for the next month or so, the late J.T. Walsh and a native American actor named Zahn McClarnon stayed with us. J.T. kept us up with fantastic stories and he felt like a longtime friend by the end of his stay.

One afternoon we went fishing and caught a couple of rockfish. Dad was leaving for a business trip, so I was left behind to help cook them with J.T., Zahn and two guests: a 16-year-old Liv Tyler and her mom.

I'd never heard of Liv before, but she was tall, beautiful ... and about 10 years older than me in most matters of life, even though I was technically born first. As I fumbled around trying to come up with things to say, I think she was making eyes at Zahn, who I think was about 28 at the time.

But the rockfish was delicious, and Dad was jealous.

[Carolyn Tillie]

When I worked for the Patina Group in L.A., I saw TONS of celebrities grace the Music Center for opera and symphony performances. Of note that I recall as being especially graceful were David Hyde Pierce and John Cleese (who liked his steak). Needless to say, there was Essa Pekka Salonen and Placido Domingo as well as every guest performer for both groups. Mandy Patinkin did a Christmas Eve show and he was fabulous.

[KatieLoeb]

I played sommeliere for Bill Cosby once.  Does that count?

←

What wine goes with (his) Jello pudding pops?

←

I'd have suggested the Brachetto di Acqui with the chocolate ones, but alas, Mr. Cosby doesn't drink! I was taking care of his guests, two young ladies, one of whom was his daughter and the other one of her friends. I found some wines by the glass to suit them after the one young lady was sadly disappointed that we only had RED zinfandel. I got her to drink some riesling and her more wine adventurous friend (the daughter) a glass of a big chardonnay if I recall correctly.

[Joisey]

Carved Prime Rib for Adam Sandler (before he was famous, opening for a pre-TV phenomena Jerry Seinfeld).

Also cooked for Henry Rollins (nice guy), George Thorogood (Drunken Ass), Charles Barkley (nailed our hot event coordinator), The Scorpions and the head roadie for the Allman Brothers (who got us backstage where all kinds of hijinks involving stolen bestiality porn and groupies ensued).

Catered a private radio reception for a pre-famous (and pre-"out") Melissa Etheridge who was a really cool lady.

The best was when Van Halen was snuck through our kitchen and up the service elevator to avoid a throng of fans. Didn't meet them, all I could see was a bunch of guys running by and Sammy Hagar's huge poodle perm.

[Sentiamo]

I had the pleasure of helping to provide food for the late ( and then) Shah of Persia, Tolstoy's great-great-great grandson on many occasions when he holidayed in Italy, Princess Caroline and entourage, Ronnie Corbett ( the Brits will know him!) a wonderful humble man, Kenny Everett and Hot Gossip..(my staff LOST it that night, there should be a law against stage clothes and makeup out of the theatre) Dave Allen; a wonderful comedian once again know to the Brits and yes..his dad DID chop his finger off... , Alberto Tomba the great Italian skier who left his underwear on his hotel bedroom floor then had the temerity to ask my SIL if she would like to take them home .... Versace and Valentino when they visited, and heaps of NZ people that not ONE of you will know.

Give me Joe Blogs any day BTW.

[insomniac]

and heaps of NZ people that not ONE of you will know.

Try me

(spent 9 yrs in Wellington)

[Domestic Goddess]

My hubby cooked for the comic Foster Brooks, Della Reese, Phyllis Diller, former governor of Kentucky Happy Chandler, Jerry Lee Lewis and Red Skelton. He also got to watch Phyllis Diller perform and acknowledge him.

[Busboy]

Here in DC most of our famous types are politicians. I waited on Nacy Reagan once -- she didn't finish her medallion of beef so the dishwasher and I finished it in the kitchen. The omanager was so prissy that she actually moved a table that she didn't thing was beautiful enought to sit next to Nancy, which I thought was quite rude. Charlton Heston ate faicng into the corner so he wouldn't be hounded by autograph seekers, I thought we could at leas have gotten him a window. I waited on then-Representative Barbara Mikulski, the other politcally powerful woman from Baltimore. Later, when she was Senator, I was her speechwrtiter for a time.

Another Congressman, a bozo whom I will not name as he is long gone, got all liquored up and did the magic trick of pouring a half glass of hundred-dollar Burgundy on top of half a glass of hundred dollar Bordeaux (this was 1985, so double the cost of the Burgundy and quadruple the cost of the Bordeaux) thus creating an interesting but essentially worthless little pinot/cabernet blend.

[ChefJB]

In the last year my students have cooked for, Scarlett Johannsen, Mickey Hart, Mike Gordon, John Fishman, Laurah Bush, David burke, and Paul Simon. I may be missing a few.

When I was a private chef for a ridiculously rich guy: The hilton parents, George Bush senior, Colin Powell, The owners of Heineken, Swiss Army people, a Ford, and probably others I did not even know about.

Funny the only one I wanted to go meet was David Burke, hehe

[ninetofive]

I waitressed at an ice cream place on the CT shore during summer breaks in college (late 80s). We used to get a lot of celebrities, but the only two I can remember are Christopher Reeve and Frank Sinatra.

One night a U.S. congressman came in with his family for cones to go, and I waited on him. The bill came to something like $9.98. He handed me a ten and said (with a wink), "Keep the change" and walked out. My family had a field day with that story for years.

He ended leaving office after a surprising defeat. I like to think it was all the waitresses in Connecticut, rubbing their two pennies together.

[Mr. Delicious]

I cooked for the treasurer of the US, the best part about him is that he added wrong on the credit card slip, Bobby Knight frequents Space Aliens (my fathers restaurant he frequents every hunting season) Ron Artest (pre-brawl) sent to go food for Garth Brooks. Recently I was approached when David Copperfield was in town but because it was his birthday and he wanted strawberry cheesecake, I had 20 other flavors but he wouldn't have anything but strawberry. I thought to myself cant he just make one, or add strawberries to vanilla, he is a magician.

[K8memphis]

...One night a U.S. congressman came in with his family for cones to go, and I waited on him. The bill came to something like $9.98. He handed me a ten and said (with a wink), "Keep the change" and walked out. My family had a field day with that story for years.

He ended leaving office after a surprising defeat. I like to think it was all the waitresses in Connecticut, rubbing their two pennies together.

←

Oh I love this! Purely poetic!

"Janitors are people too." Who knew?

[ChefCarey]

Here is a whimsical little thread off the beaten path of restaurant life.

I currently work as a Day Chef (breakfast, brunch, lunch) for an upscale cafe in my area.

Several celebrities make this area their second home (or third if you are Oprah), and being real people, they have to eat like the rest of us.

So here is the question of the thread.

Have you ever served any celebrities?

If so, who?

I recall one very busy Sunday morning last summer when after serving at least 120 covers, one of the servers came to the pass-through and said "Denny Farina liked your breakfast".

"Dennis Farina, the TV guy"? I asked.

"When the heck was he here"?

"Oh, a little while ago", she calmly said.

I was a little upset that I did not get to meet him, but at least he liked my cooking.

I calmly but sternly told the server next time a celebrity comes in to let me know.

A little while later she comes to the pass-through and tells me Joan Cusack and her family were having brunch.

I was going to go out and introduce myself, but a few diners were already chatting wth her (she is actually quite gracious) and I did not want to bother her.

So I let it go.

I heard singer Tim McGraw and wife Faith Hill recently bought Oprah's digs and hopefully they will stop in one of these days.

You can be sure I'll be watchin'

←

In no particular order:

The ephemeral font formerly known as Prince, now again known as Prince -catered a birthday party

George Thorogood and The Destroyers

Barry Manilow

The Egyptian Ambassador to the United States

The Irish Ambasador to the United States

Various and sundry mayors and governors

Willie Brown

Harvey Milk

(Too many to name in San Francisco.)

[Megan Blocker]

Here in DC most of our famous types are politicians.  I waited on Nacy Reagan once -- she didn't finish her medallion of beef so the dishwasher and I finished it in the kitchen.  The omanager was so prissy that she actually moved a table that she didn't thing was beautiful enought to sit next to Nancy, which I thought was quite rude.

←

That is rude! Wowza. I want to know what line she used, though this may be a whole new hilarious topic...if it were me, I'd say something about the Secret Service. But, then, you couldn't really seat anyone there.