 Chef Emeril Lagasse received his first culinary experience
from his mother, Hilda, when he was a boy growing up in the small town of Fall
River, Massachusetts. As a teenager, he worked at a Portuguese bakery where he
mastered the art of bread and pastry baking. Upon high school graduation,
Lagasse was offered a full scholarship to the New England Conservatory of Music,
but decided to pursue a career as a professional chef. He earned a degree from
the respected culinary fortress, Johnson and Wales University, and later
received an honorary Doctorate degree from the university. Lagasse then traveled
to Paris and Lyon where he polished his skills and learned the art of classic
French cuisine. Returning to the United States, Lagasse practiced his art in
fine restaurants in New York, Boston and Philadelphia before heading south to
the Big Easy. Lured to New Orleans by Dick and Ella Brennan, Lagasse established
his star at their legendary restaurant, Commander's Palace, where he was
executive chef for seven and a half years.
Lagasse is now the chef-proprietor of nine restaurants including three in New
Orleans, two in Las Vegas, two in Orlando, one in Atlanta and one in Miami. In
1990, Chef Emeril opened Emeril’s Restaurant in the chic Warehouse District in
downtown New Orleans. Two years later, he opened Nola Restaurant in the French
Quarter. In 1995, Emeril brought his “New New Orleans” cooking to Las Vegas and
opened Emeril's New Orleans Fish House, located in the monumental MGM Grand
Hotel. In 1998, Lagasse opened Emeril’s Delmonico in New Orleans’ historic
Garden District. He opened two restaurants in 1999 – in February, he headed down
to Florida to open Emeril’s Orlando at Universal Studios City Walk and in May,
he opened Delmonico Steakhouse is in the Venetian Resort/Hotel/Casino. In
January 2003, he opened Emeril’s Tchoup Chop (pronounced chop-chop) at Universal
Orlando’s Royal Pacific Resort. Emeril’s Atlanta opened in August 2003 at One
Alliance Center in the Buckhead neighborhood in Atlanta, GA. Emeril’s Miami
Beach opened its doors in November 2003 at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel.
The recognition and awards he has garnered have made him known to food-loving
Americans everywhere. His restaurants consistently win critical praise and top
ratings. Emeril's Restaurant was dubbed "Restaurant of the Year" by John Mariani
in Esquire magazine in 1990 and received the coveted Wine Spectator "Grand
Award" in 1991. Also in 1991, Lagasse was named "Best Southeast Regional Chef"
by the James Beard Foundation. Most recently, Emeril's Restaurant earned the
prestigious Ivy Award. Nola has achieved the status of "Best New Restaurant" by
Esquire magazine in 1993 and has been recognized nationally by Travel & Leisure,
Traveler and Southern Living magazines. His third restaurant, Emeril's New
Orleans Fish House was named "Best Restaurant in Las Vegas" by Zagat. In 2002,
Delmonico Steakhouse was named "Best Steakhouse" by Las Vegas Life magazine. In
2004, Delmonico Steakhouse received the Grand Award from Wine Spectator
magazine. Lagasse himself has also received accolades and awards for his
culinary expertise. In 1991, Lagasse was named "Best Southeast Regional Chef" by
the James Beard Foundation. In 1998 he was chosen as "Chef of the Year" by GQ
magazine. In 1999, he was named one of People magazine's "25 Most Intriguing
People of the Year." In 2004, he was chosen as “Executive of the Year” by
Restaurants & Institutions magazine.
Chef Emeril Lagasse is a national TV personality. Lagasse joined the Food
Network in 1993 and celebrated his 1000th show with the network in 2001. He is
the host of both "The Essence of Emeril" and "Emeril Live", which reaches over
78 million homes daily. The former has been nominated for Emmy Awards in 2001,
2002 and 2003, and was voted by Time magazine as one of the "Top 10 TV Shows"
during 1996. The latter has won a Cable Ace Award for "Best Informational
Series." Chef Emeril is also the food correspondent for "Good Morning America"
and appears on Friday mornings.
Lagasse is also a best-selling author. In 1993 he published the best-selling
cookbook Emeril’s New New Orleans Cooking which introduced his creative approach
to Creole cuisine. Eleven other books have followed including Louisiana Real and
Rustic, Emeril’s Creole Christmas, Emeril’s TV Dinners and Every Day’s A Party,
Prime Time Emeril, the kids cookbook, Emeril’s There’s A Chef in My Soup, From
Emeril’s Kitchens, Emeril’s There’s A Chef in My Family, Emeril’s Potluck,
Emeril’s Delmonico, and Emeril’s There’s A Chef in My World. As of 2005, 4.2
million copies of Lagasse’s books have been sold.
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