The rise of the celebrity chef tour
Chefs and food writers are hosting sell-out live events around the world
The Eventim Apollo in west London has hosted some of the planet's biggest music stars, from Kylie Minogue to Lana Del Rey. And, come March, a "new name will take to its stage", said Hannah Evans in The Times. "But if adoring fans throw anything at him it's more likely to be aprons than knickers – the headliner is the chef and TV personality James Martin."
He isn't the only talented cook to turn his hand to live events. Last year Mary Berry took to the stage at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in the West End for an interview with "reality TV darling" Rylan Clark. The evening was filled with "heart-warming anecdotes, practical baking tips, an abundance of charm and strictly no soggy bottoms", said WhatsOnStage.
Jamie Oliver will be jetting off to Australia for an evening at the Sydney Coliseum Theatre, where he "won't just talk about recipes", said Time Out. He's promising to "take a deep dive into his extensive career, from his early days on TV and his life as a restaurateur to his passion to transform school lunches and his life as a dad". The audience will also be able to ask him their "burning foodie questions".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Elsewhere, Yotam Ottolenghi is midway through a world tour, and Rick Stein's UK theatre tour will be kicking off in March.
While there isn't any cooking at the events, and they usually finish relatively early in the evening, shows like these mark the start of the "rock star chef era", where beloved chefs and food writers "pull in the same size crowds as world-famous musicians", said Evans in The Times.
The first rumblings of this new era began in 2012 when Blur bassist Alex James hosted the Big Feastival at his Cotswolds farm with celebrity chefs cooking on one stage, while famous musicians played on another. And in 2017, Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge launched a pop-up festival, Pub in the Park, which is still running today (this year's guest chefs include Michel Roux Jr, Mary Berry and Emily Scott).
But with no actual cooking or "grumpy customers" and a "generous pay cheque", a "sell-out tour is the golden ticket for chefs". Securing these gigs isn't easy; chefs must have a decades-spanning career to "make it into the hall of fame". However, the time has arrived when chefs are becoming as "culturally important" as politicians or comedians.
"So the next time you see a line outside your local concert hall, don't assume it's the latest indie band playing. It's just as likely to be a chef."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Irenie Forshaw is a features writer at The Week, covering arts, culture and travel. She began her career in journalism at Leeds University, where she wrote for the student newspaper, The Gryphon, before working at The Guardian and The New Statesman Group. Irenie then became a senior writer at Elite Traveler, where she oversaw The Experts column.
-
How secure are royal palaces?
The Explainer Royal family's safety is back in the spotlight after the latest security breach at Windsor
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magnificent Tudor castles and stately homes to visit this year
The Week Recommends The return of 'Wolf Hall' has sparked an uptick in visits to Britain's Tudor palaces
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
I'm a Celebrity 2024: 'utterly bereft of new ideas'?
Talking Point Coleen Rooney is the star attraction but latest iteration of reality show is a case of 'rinse and repeat'
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Magnificent Tudor castles and stately homes to visit this year
The Week Recommends The return of 'Wolf Hall' has sparked an uptick in visits to Britain's Tudor palaces
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Vegetable cocktails are having a moment
The Week Recommends Wild carrot margarita? Mung bean old-fashioned? 'Allotment-inspired' tipples are appearing on drinks menus
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Renegade comedian Youngmi Mayer's frank new memoir is a blitzkrieg to the genre
The Week Recommends 'I'm Laughing Because I'm Crying' details a biracial life on the margins, with humor as salving grace
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Drawing the Italian Renaissance: a 'relentlessly impressive' exhibition
The Week Recommends Show at the King's Gallery features an 'enormous cache' of works by the likes of Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael
By The Week UK Published
-
Niall Williams shares his favourite books
The Week Recommends The Irish novelist chooses works by Charles Dickens, Seamus Heaney and Wendell Berry
By The Week UK Published
-
Patriot: Alexei Navalny's memoir is as 'compelling as it is painful'
The Week Recommends The anti-corruption campaigner's harrowing book was published posthumously after his death in a remote Arctic prison
By The Week UK Published
-
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: a 'magical' show with 'an electrifying emotional charge'
The Week Recommends The 'vivacious' Fitzgerald adaptation has a 'shimmering, soaring' score
By The Week UK Published
-
Bird: Andrea Arnold's 'strange, beguiling and quietly moving' drama
The Week Recommends Barry Keoghan stars in 'fearless' film combining social and magical realism
By The Week UK Published