I find Emeril Lagasse EXTREMELY irritating. I have no idea how this idea got to be so freakin' popular. He's not funny and he makes irritating humming noises when he cooks....
Well I find him funny and credible. Lagasse is known for his light and jovial hosting style as well as several catchphrases, including “BAM!”, “kick it up a notch,” “aw, yeah, babe” and “feel the love,” usually said before or after adding something spicy to a dish, or after the reaction to adding something, respectively. When frying or making dishes like sausage, Lagasse advocates using genuine lard, boasting, “Pork fat rules!” Its all a matter of style. If you still remember WOK with YAN then Yan's "Herrrrrroooo!!!" (which is Hello with Chinese intonation) greeting at the start of every show is the equivalent of Lagasse's funny noises, “Kick it up a notch!” and “BAM!”. It has become his trademark.
FYI, Emeril Laggase is by no means a push over cook. Upon his high school graduation, Lagasse was offered a scholarship to the New England Conservatory of Music, but decided to pursue a career as a professional chef. Lagasse polished his skills in Paris and Lyon, France, before returning to the United States, where he spent the next few years working in fine restaurants throughout the Northeast and at Telemark Lodge in Cable, Wisconsin for Tony Wise. He graduated from Johnson and Wales in 1978 and the school later awarded him an honorary doctorate.
Lagasse initially gained fame in the culinary world as executive chef of Commander’s Palace. After leaving Commander’s he opened his first restaurant, Emeril’s, in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1990. It was designated “Restaurant of the Year” in Esquire magazine of that year. Lagasse is mainly known for his emphasis on Creole and Cajun cooking styles. Indeed, many of his restaurants, as well as his corporate office, Emeril’s Homebase, are located in New Orleans. Lagasse is the executive chef and proprietor of ten restaurants.
After several appearances on several other FoodTV programs, Lagasse hosted his own show, The Essence of Emeril. “Essence” in the title refers to Emeril’s Essence, the name of a spice blend of his own concoction that he frequently uses in his cooking, and which is commercially available in several flavors. He also often suggested that viewers of his show create their own spice blends that reflect their personal tastes and be unafraid to use them to customize the dishes he would teach. Lagasse has been nominated eight times for a Daytime Emmy Award for his Food Network shows.
We have been watching this guy's show for the past two years and have never found him to be irritating. Well, to each his own...
