Which Celebrity Chefs Are Winning 2013 (So Far?) Slideshow
Martha Stewart
Sure, Stewart's company may have had some trouble last year, but this year she's revamping her image via Match.com. That's right; the 71-year-old domestic diva got a Match.com profile, and she looks good. She's already met two eligible bachelors, showed up on the TODAY show, and seems actually active on Match. We would consider this winning, because to be 71 years old and publicly on Match.com takes chutzpah, and she's owning it.
Paula Deen
Last year Paula Deen had it rough; first she came out with type 2 diabetes, and then she got hit with a crazy sexual harassment and racial discrimination lawsuit. This year? Slightly better. She finally admitted her Donut Burger is a crazy thing to eat, and she further distanced herself from the donut monstrosity as her sons claimed it wasn't even her invention. And while not sticking to your guns is a bit questionable, she's also apparently getting a museum dedicated to her and her cooking.
Update: So given Deen's recent media crisis, we're going to have to say she's sunken back down to "lose."
René Redzepi
While he may have lost the number one spot on San Pellegrino's World's 50 Best list, Redzepi is still on plenty of people's radars, most notably the folks over at Documentree Films, who are working on a documentary about Noma. Shooting will continue until November, director Pierre Deschamps tells us, and once a restaurant has a documentary, it can easily follow in the footsteps of elBulli (i.e. having a rom-com movie based on its closing, sparking a dramatic fictional film, having someone handsome, chiseled, and famous portraying Redzepi in Hollywood). He may have lost the number one spot, but he's still on the rise.
Anthony Bourdain
OK, so not everyone loved The Taste, but so far Bourdain's new show has gotten positive reviews (or at least, "it's just like No Reservations but on CNN!"). Then there's the Ecco book print, which is slated to print Danny Bowien's upcoming Mission Chinese book, plus the second season of the Mind of the Chef, featuring April Bloomfield and Sean Brock. And despite all the negative reviews, The Taste got renewed. Not bad.
Gordon Ramsay
So while shouty chef Gordon Ramsay can't really ever lose per se (he is one of the highest-paid chefs according to Forbes), this year his reputation is doing a little bit better. Not only is he opening a restaurant with David Beckham (swoon), he also surprised the world with the insane episode of Kitchen Nightmares with Amy's Baking Company. Despite how insane that episode was, Ramsay was never in the wrong, making him the sanest person in the room compared to Amy and Sal. In other news, he's also working with Bradley Cooper on the film Chef, which we're super excited about. So, Ramsay might just be turning things around in 2013, although he's still getting sued.