As a boy growing up in the small town of Fall River, Massachusetts, Emeril Lagasse was introduced to the joys of cooking by his mother, Hilda. Upon graduation from high school, he could have attended the New England Conservatory of Music on full scholarship, but instead decided to pursue a career as a professional chef–a decision that has certainly paid off. At the unheard of age of twenty-three, Emeril became executive chef of the legendary New Orleans restaurant Commander’s Palace, and since that time there’s been no stopping him.

Emeril Lagasse is a phenomenon–a television chef and restaurateur who has parlayed his outsized personality and gastronomic acumen into a multimillion-dollar culinary empire. Along the way, he’s added new catchphrases to the American idiom–"bam," "kick it up a notch," and "pork fat rules"–and won the hearts (and stomachs) of millions of loyal fans.

Now, for the first time, Marcia Layton Turner takes you inside Emeril’s incredible world. Filled with candid stories and vivid details, EMERIL! Inside the Amazing Success of Today’s Most Popular Chef reveals how this culinary connoisseur made it to the top of his profession, while staying true to his main mission–showing ordinary people how to have fun with food. Page by intriguing page, you’ll learn how Emeril’s unique approach to both business and life has allowed him to:

• Change highbrow cuisine into mainstream eating
• Form lasting partnerships with the customers and communities he serves, as well as the people he employs
• Open nine restaurants in five cities (New Orleans, Las Vegas, Orlando, Atlanta, and Miami Beach)
• Produce two top-rated Food Network shows
• Publish nine cookbooks with combined sales of more than 3.5 million copies
• Create a host of Emeril-branded products, from wines and pasta sauces to cookware and knives
• Earn a guest spot on Good Morning America as culinary correspondent

Turner also shows how Emeril has managed to juggle all of his interests, maintain quality, and overcome missteps–most notably, his ill-fated 2001 sitcom–while continuously searching for new ways to bring culinary excitement into the lives of millions of people around the world.

Weaving together Emeril’s personal and professional journeys to international stardom, EMERIL! Inside the Amazing Success of Today’s Most Popular Chef offers a revealing look at the real "Emeril live."

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A revealing look at the real "Emeril live"

Emeril Lagasse is a phenomenon–a television chef and restaurateur who has parlayed his outsized personality and gastronomic acumen into a multi-million-dollar culinary empire. Along the way, he’s added new catchphrases to the American idiom–"bam," "kick it up a notch," and "pork fat rules"–and won the hearts (and stomachs) of millions of loyal fans.

Now, for the first time, you get to enter into Emeril’s incredible world. Filled with candid stories and vivid details, EMERIL! Inside the Amazing Success of Today’s Most Popular Chef reveals how this culinary connoisseur made it to the top of his profession, while staying true to his main mission–showing ordinary people how to have fun with food.

Weaving together Emeril’s personal and professional journeys to international stardom, EMERIL! Inside the Amazing Success of Today’s Most Popular Chef offers an entertaining look at how one of the world’s most talented chefs became a household name.

TIMELINE.

EMERIL’S AWARDS AND OTHER RECOGNITIONS.

INTRODUCTION.

1. SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES.

2. NEW FRONTIERS: STRIKING OUT ON HIS OWN.

3. BANKING ON HIS POPULARITY.

4. EMERIL’S TIPPING POINT.

5. HITCHING HIS CAREER TO NEW ORLEANS’S GROWTH.

6. EXPANDING THE BUSINESS AND BUILDING A BRAND.

7. MANAGING THE EMERIL EMPIRE.

8. THE ART OF PARTNERING.

9. MANAGING HIS IMAGE.

10. MAXIMIZING MERCHANDISE.

11. CHANGING THE IMAGE OF COOKING.

EPILOGUE.

ENDNOTES.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

INDEX.