First published 2013
Friedemann Paul Erhardt transforms himself into Chef Tell, the first celebrity chef to captivate American television audiences. Before food networks existed, this German American cook commands forty million viewers with his roguish charm and perfectionist standards. Philadelphia magazine calls him the bad boy of the restaurant world, but his television persona masks a turbulent personal story of ambition and excess. Tell demands the freshest ingredients not just for his cooking but for his entire life of fame, fortune, and women. His quick wit and teaching ability make him a television natural, yet his mercurial personality creates complicated relationships with colleagues and loved ones. The book follows Tell through his rise from hardscrabble beginnings to become America's biggest television chef, comparable to Julia Child in reach and influence. His managed yet chaotic existence changes two industries while teaching millions of home cooks. When Tell dies, shock floods the internet and media. One tribute reads, "Stick a fork in him, he's done." Tell would have appreciated the culinary humor. This biography reveals why audiences either loved or hated him, and why so many miss him now.
Genres: biography, 20th-century, american, cooking, 21st-century, culinary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: rise-to-fame
Setting: America, Philadelphia
Period: Before Food Networks Existed
452 pages · Hardcover · Skyhorse Publishing