Anthony Bourdain Blasts Paula Deen's Cooking as Threat to Society
Paula Deen, the sweet, country chef who has authored 14 cookbooks, hosted television shows, and has a full line of cookware and other household products, has been labeled the “worst, most dangerous person to America” by fellow celebrity chef, Anthony Bourdain.
Bourdain has always been known for his choice of words, but his attack on Deen and other famous chefs has earned him a whole lot more attention than the typical sarcasm and swearing that usually leaves his lips.
During an interview, he told TV Guide magazine that Deen “revels in unholy connections with evil corporations and she's proud of the fact that her food is f---ing bad for you. If I were on at seven at night and loved by millions of people at every age, I would think twice before telling an already obese nation that it's OK to eat food that is killing us.”
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Not satisfied with that criticism alone, he added, “Plus, her food sucks."
He attacked other celebrity chefs too.
"I look at Guy Fieri and I just think, 'Jesus, I'm glad that's not me,'” he said.
Of Rachael Ray he posed the question, “Does she even cook anymore? I don't know why she bothers. To her credit, she never said she was good at it.”
Ray won this year's People's Choice Award for Favorite TV Chef.
He also spoke of a run-in he had with Sandra Lee, to which he said, “Don't mess with her ... I hate her works on this planet, but she is not someone to be dismissed, clearly."
Though he took shots, he also gave a glimpse at his more tender side.
“I'm on the road 220 days a year,” he told TV Guide. “I miss my family (wife Ottavia and daughter Ariane) desperately. Show me any 4-year-old saying 'Daddy' on TV when I'm away and I'm f---ing devastated.”
Despite this heavy criticism, Deen isn't letting Bourdain get off easy with his comments.
“Anthony Bourdain needs to get a life,” Deen told Page Sixin in an exclusive interview. “You don’t have to like my food, or Rachael’s, Sandra’s and Guy’s. But it’s another thing to attack our character. I wake up every morning happy for where I am in life. It’s not all about the cooking, but the fact that I can contribute by using my influence to help people all over the country.”
Deen said that in the past two years she and her partners have fed over 10 million people by providing food banks with meat products. She then went on to defend her fellow TV chefs as well.
“My good friends Rachael, Guy and Sandra are the most generous charitable folks I know,” she said. “They give so much of their time and money to help the food-deprived, sick children and abandoned animals. I have no idea what Anthony has done to contribute besides being irritable.”
“You know,” she added, “not everybody can afford to pay $58 for prime rib or $650 for a bottle of wine. My friends and I cook for regular families who worry about feeding their kids and paying the bills.”
Paula Deen, Rachael Ray, Guy Fieri, and Sandra Lee all host shows on the Food Network. Bourdain's show, “No Reservations,” appears on the Travel Channel.
