met a famous chef last week who was introduced to me as famous and i was like "yeah sorry man I have no idea who you are" and then the other person elaborated which restaurants and I was like "yeah idk" and I've been thinking about this for days now. I definitely should have lied and been like "wow"
Naw. That’s your natural response. It was perfect.
It's like you hear a new word and then it keeps popping up. Be ready for the unexpected. The chef's name will now come up here and there. Such is life - but when you don't make people feel good about themselves, they don't want to be around you. And maybe they asked who you were as well. Be curious.
^me fumbling my way through every interaction with famous artists, directors, investors, and all others hyper competitive folk who exuded a “you should know me” aura
“Wow do you know Gordon Ramsey?”
Keep them humble.
You definitely don't need to be feeding some famous chefs ego
Chefs who got one good review have enough ego already. Famous chefs have to be intolerable.
Tim Applebee?
@sarahjeong.bsky.social nah I think it’s good for famous people to remember they’re still just some guy/girl/psyduck to plenty of people
That's honestly the reaction one should have to most chefs. Polite recognition is one thing but no need to gas up someone who probably has at least a few instances worker abuse under their belt
jeremy allen white was never the same again
sarah ethered him.
cooked.bear
There's a thing called situational fame where you're recognized in narrow circles but otherwise a nobody. It's a bizarre mix of in-group people wanting selfies with you that bleeds into out-group folks getting FOMO and trying hard not to reveal that they don't know why they want a pic w/you.
Unrelated flashback to the time a conference organizer in Paraguay told my hotel (unbeknownst to me) I was Bruce Willis traveling under a fake name. They upgraded me to a suite. The late night kitchen staff wanted pics. Perplexed a group of US real estate investors the next day.
"Who is that guy everyone's fawning over?" Can't say, but, shhh, he's a famous American actor! LoL sure, staying at the Holiday Inn Express, no better way of laying low mis amigos.
oh my god
“That thing you make? With that other thing? Delicious! And the plating? Never seen anything like it!” (The odds of me meeting even a semi-sorta-famous chef are virtually nil, so feel free to use this in the future.)
Did he know who you were?
🤭
Subcultures seem to have their own VIPs and they are often unrecognized in other circles. I don't like watching sports but had a temp job once in So. Cal where I ended up talking to a lot of famous athletes; had zero idea who I was talking to until somebody near me would freak out and explain it.
I never meant to talk down to any of them; I'm sure most of them were really talented, it just never occured to talk to them differently than any other random person on the street. I've been in a lot of situations like that for various jobs and events. In a way I'm glad for the ignorance.
Lol in Savannah I was chef at the golf course/spa at a hotel and they'd try to tell me some so and so golfer was coming in, like?? I definitely do not care, have not heard of them, and EVERYONE here thinks they're a VIP, that's why they pay so much for a membership dipshit. I'm nice but unimpressed.
You did the right thing
Honestly, your reaction was appropriate. Some famous chefs need to get knocked down a peg.
Don’t have to describe famous.
Was it… BOYARDEE????
I still occasionally eat his Ravioli, so be nice.
Oh, you're a famous chef? Name five pastas.
That was the right way to play it. Deflate the ego a little.
It’s best
if he'd said "red lobster" i'd have been like wow-i-know-that-place
Lmao, I know the guy that does the recipes for red lobster. It's just a 9-5 job for him. He used to do the same job at Bob Evan's.
can u get me his autograph
Maybe? I haven't seen him since last summer.
counterpoint: there could've been terrifying followup questions interrogating your knowledge
You might have replied "I know of Burger King and McDonalds and shit."
I met a Very Famous Chef who was hanging out for what I assume was attention in the lobby lounge of a fancy BC hotel once I didn’t know who he was and after some chit chat, he tried tipping his hand by saying he was a chef I asked honestly if he worked at this hotel and he turned red and left
Power move: OMG wow, but unfortunately I've never been able to afford to eat at any of your restaurants, but I'm sure they're really something incredible that I would DEFINITELY want to write about if I ever have the opportunity Then wait (Nudging is considered regrettable but sometimes necessary)
Nah. In a less celebrity obsessed world, they wouldn’t and shouldn’t be known except for those who follow chefs with interest
hmm I like how you did it👍
No, you did the right thing
Eh depending on the chef probably for the best, a lot of them could stand to be taken down a peg or three.
he seemed quite nice! it was just very awkward!
no you need to stand your ground chefs get too much clout
If even early man could cook, what makes these modern fellows so special?
there’s definitely arguments for people like Bourdain, Garten, or Ramsay who have real social capitol and have made other impacts but imo Joe Shmoe who’s a restauranteur isn’t “famous” to any normal person unless they have a vacation house
Yeah well Grug smashed berries on a mammoth shank and ate it while it cooked on the fire
I have a friend who is a "regionally famous" chef and I don't think he gives that much of shit regarding the "fame" of his job. I wouldn't sweat it.
no way keep em humble
It's OK foodies aren't really people
how did they react?
We are all the same. If you’re sweating or nervous meeting someone then you think you’re below them; not true.
That said, if you didn’t bow before Graham Kerr you need to be slapped.
Who is this person just introducing everybody as being famous??? Seems like a lot of pressure! Have you met my famous wife? Oh, this is our famous tax attorney.
the number of famous chefs who are famous enough that they should expect any random person to know who they are has to be in single digits surely, right?
Random people don’t know any chefs other than Gordon and barely know journalists either than a couple TV talking heads maybe
Living ones? Low single digits. And in a just world, Gregory Gourdet would be one of them.
I would have clocked him. Hometown celebrity for us in Portland (he once brought a plate to my table and I'll never forget it)
He cooked a curated meal at Pickathon last year and I wanted to go so bad
More than famous authors, far less than famous reality show people
I pat myself in the back every time there’s some famous reality show person in the news and I have never heard of them before.
I think there are maybe more famous authors that people would know by name but more famous chefs that people would recognize by site, just because of all the food and cooking shows
Or chefs recognized from TMZ for one allegation or another
Gordon Ramsey and Guy Fierri are the only ones who I'd be legitimately surprised if someone hadn't heard of
I think Emeril Lagasse is up there. Like, he was lampooned on Futurama. After that we're getting into "probably but not definitely" like Bobby Flay, Rachael Ray, and Ina Garten.
Never heard of Lagasse or Garten. I was tempted to add Rachel Ray, but I think that may only be the case for people above a certain age. Flay is another good candidate.
You might not know Emeril by name, but you probably know him. "Kick it up a notch" and "BAM!" were basically impossible to miss. He was huge in the late 90s and early 00s, like having segments on Good Morning America.
Emeril is maybe the only celebrity chef to star in a sitcom based on his life
* Eddie Huang only doing narration for the sitcom based on his life
I was born in 1998, so I suppose he might be a bit before my time.
Oh yeah for sure. I assumed you were closer to my age because of the George Costanza avatar.
My neighbor pulled into his driveway while I was talking to another neighbor. Dude I was talking to asked, "Is that a Lotus?" to which I said, "Dunno. I don't have my glasses." So, dude yells down the street, "Is that a Lotus?" And, the neighbor says, "Thanks!" and dude says "for what?"
Nope. Honesty always wins
I sometimes lie in that situation, but I'm always worried that if I do they'll start talking about the restaurant and I'll have to try to pretend I even know what kind of cuisine they serve... you never know, maybe you averted even MORE awkwardness, lol
Celebrity chefs are overrated.
Maybe, but you helped check his ego
Always better to lie. And then say something like, I love your french fries.
I met a famous photographer once. I was like "cool, puff puff pass, dude"
Oh, well, lessons learned.
This happened to me with David Chang years ago and when the other ppl I was with explained who he was, I looked up his restaurants and was like yeah no guys, I'm poor, haven't been there. Now I have, though, and I still feel dumb.
YOU MET DAVID CHANG??????
I guess it's good because I acted normal... like he was just a regular guy to talk to about the perfect shot of espresso. He was nice and didn't seem to let on that I should know who he is, lol.
"Oh my gosh! I love your work on... food..."
“it’s nice to meet you” would also have worked fine prolly
You should have asked him what he was famous for.😉
Humility is important so maybe it was for the best you said what you did.
if it wasnt Pepin, MPW, Ramsey, Fieri, Rachael Ray, Paula Deen, Emeril, Flay or Bayless, they have no right to assume you would know them lol. (rip Bourdain) If anything it was a caesar "You are mortal" moment, necessary reality check. Sounds like he was normal though.
They should do a formal dinner of micro-famous people within their circles where none of them know who anyone else is. "Today's dinner is being prepared by [middling famous chef], and the live music is by [middling famous band]. Put your hands together for your MC, [middling famous comedian]..."
isnt that a show on netflix
this describes 90% of British and Australian television
Nope.
Nah. He needed a reality check. Most chefs who go the celebrity route are just ego maniacs. And their cooking is meh. The real top chefs run small restaurants where they innovate constantly. They tend to remove themselves from the limelight because all they care about is the food.
E.g, Pascal Barbot at Astrance in Paris. Never heard of him? Good. May it stay that way!
No, you shouldn’t have. You played it perfectly! 👌
Why though? Why say “wow?” It’s a more entertaining story that you didn’t know this person and still don’t.
You have the ability to research at your finger tip, and learn so much. Either way... It's prob refreshing on some level to not be known/idolised, and be treated like any other person. Something they rarely get to experience.
Nah, you did the right thing. Doesn’t hurt to be humbled, ESPECIALLY by someone doing it unintentionally.
It’s 2025, even entering the restaurant industry is crazy at this point
“are you top chef is that a thing”
Literally me every time my ex asked what I thought about any restaurant that wasn't a chain place, my eyes glazed over. There's only so many ways for food to be good. I can appreciate that others feel so strongly. but I like uncrustables and shit, not a sophisticated palate
If somebody introduced me to Jesus I'd be tempted to be like "Who did you say you were, again?"
I'm curious, who was it?
wow isn't lying They are famous they don't care
You had it right 👍
This is who I’m imagining
Eh fuck em. A dose of humility can be helpful.
Never let this famous chef cook for you. I know famous chef lore.
My similar story: I worked in the Uk at a restaurant as Bar manager, one Saturday evening, theres a big table party booked for 18th Bday. The Bday girl was currently on TV (one of the Simon Cowell Singing shows) and was a hometown girl, like we all knew her family. She came in like she was Beyonce/1
She was horrid, talking down to staff, and general customers alike. Taking her drink order, she said "talk to my manager" which was her Mum, who's like "hello Love, aint seen you in a while!" etc. absolute nightmare of a table on a Sat night,so i head back to the bar where i have one of my regulars
He goes "ugh, f@$%ing celebrities... can't deal with them." This man, by the way, is one of the guitarists of Iron Maiden. When i said "Yanick, you fly on tour in a private jet that Bruce can pilot." he replied with "yes, but i wasn't being a dick about it." Touché.
That’s awesome! Love Maiden. Janick always comes off as super humble
I mean Bruce being the pilot surely makes it less celeb, because at least Bruce has useful skills other than "hit the high note in Run To The Hills"
I did that to Kate Jackson at a party during the height of Charlie's Angels mania. It's fun.
I've insured several celebrities that people spent countless hours ensuring me that they were indeed celebrities and I was like "Hmm, great but I know them as Guy Who Keeps Trying To Commit Insurance Fraud."
you should have been like "got anything for me to try?"
guys it was so awkward. I was introduced to him as a "famous journalist" (ok sure if microfamous counts) and he had no idea who I was either (yeah that makes sense to me). so we just stood there going "welp. no idea who you are."
Nobody knows anybody really.
You've never eaten his food and he's never read your writing...just like any other strangers meeting!
was it Carl Jr.
maybe 1/5 of the Guys
There are only four, or is that a joke?
Carl Sr.
Woah, not Sr!
It took me a long time to learn how to make small talk with people that I didn't know.
Nah, fuck idolatry.
in a way that's much better than if he _had_ known who you were and been all impressed, though. if you're both equally nonplussed then all the embarrassment should redound to the person doing the introductions, instead.
Just dropping in to say good use of “redound” here. 😸
i also liked this comment purely because of redound
I would think people with a certain amount of fame would find it refreshing to meet someone who didn't automatically fawn over them.
Yeah, just get to be a normal-ass human for a minute.
youtu.be/hc4MZu2bSlw?... He is a little famous
Seems related to the growth of niche celebrity and cultural segmentation but also kind of hilarious and cool
In a rom com you’d somehow be forced to work together before the end of the first act.
Just basking in each other’s famousness. Lol
this is a great rom-com pitch
I've been there with "famous" people before. I'd just be like, "oh, you are? Well that's.. neat. Anyway.. You know anything about things?"
oh no now david brooks is going to use this as a column theme
Excellent romcom idea tbh
I think you just summed up why I don't like parties lol
2 "famous" people thrust upon each other & the same level of interaction as the 2 gay kids in HS who go to the school dance as each others beards.
It’s the ‘not gonna read all that meme but with fame. 😂 “I am glad for your renown in your area of expertise. Or sorry for your notoriety.”
then when I told this story to my friend the next day she screamed "YOU MET THE [name of restaurant] GUY????" and yelled at me
I think he didn’t recognize you so … whatever. maybe you could have expressed interest in his field but you don’t have to fake knowing him.
I mean as long as it wasn't Gordon Ramsay, lol
His friends are probably like “you met the Korean coup drunk tweeter?!” He’ll never live it down.
lots of people "know" me for that but don't know my name and that's fine!
what is that? serious I've never heard of it and I'm curious now
Sarah was our eyes and ears in Seoul during the coup, and it happened to have happened when she was enjoying a night out. She finished her soju, put her reports cap on and got to work. It was pretty epic.
Once gave a demo to Janet Jackson at an audio trade show All my colleagues were like “you were SO CHILL!” then 30 seconds later: “you don’t know who that was, right?” Nope. Grew up listening to the wrong radio stations, I guess. Not the same awkward as Sarah, but I was the butt of a few jokes.
I hope the same thing happened to him with a friend!
My guess is Rene Redzepi.
I don’t know much about chefs, but I’d be totally geeked if someone told me they’d met Sarah Jeong!
Tyler Florence?
Chef's are kinda like DJ's in that way, you might know the music but not the person who plays it.
Nah he met you
In my mind it’s Guy Fieri
I love this version
Awesome sauce-em.
I went bobby flay for comedy but feel like gordon ramsay might be the actual answer
Guy Fieri is a racist fuck, and probably a Trump supporter. So probably not. www.mashed.com/369336/contr...
One can only hope
Temu Sammy Hagar?
Winner winner chicken dinner!
ok, what city?
Flavortown, USA
san francisco
Thomas Keller?
no. I'm a rube but not that BIG of a rube
mr. ricearoni then. that's cool as hell
Uncle Ben?
Also the story didn’t involve him banning you from his restaurants.
Patterson
chris cosentino?
I'm sorry to say I would have recognized that guy
If you would've recognized Cosentino I'm assuming you would've recognized Tyler Florence. But if he didn't know you either, whoever he is, then pfft.
lol
ah damn, im never gonna guess this one then
A few years ago I was flying and I sat next to a man who worked on some tv show about water parks. Just trying to make conversation, I asked him about it and he was super disappointed I'd not heard of it before. So awkward.
Or at least admit you've never been and lie that you'll check out those restaurants as soon as you can.
Don't be afraid of the truth.
LMAO I am sort of face-blind and have had full-on interactions with "famous people" a couple times and had NO CLUE. One of them I should have known but the other I wouldn't have (a musician so like 🤷🏻♀️). When I worked for Jody Adams in Boston she hosted Sara Moulton who told us she strains her rice so
It was that moment I decided it didn't matter if I don't ever recognize famous people because they might not know wtf they're talking about anyways 😆(seriously she tried telling a bunch of us in a professional kitchen her "trick" is to not measure the rice she just makes it like pasta & strains it)🤨
I mean it /can/ be done (especially if you're willing to dry it out afterwards). Like if you're interested in reducing the arsenic in the finished rice beyond what a good rinse would get you, but honestly it's just not worth it IMHO.
Exactly. And certainly not some "hack" that was going to become the next trend lol
Food Network and Top Chef have exited the zeitgeist.
Counterpoint: chefs shouldn’t be famous.
@sarahjeong.bsky.social I had lunch with the cinematographer of Apocalypto, he asked me if I'd seen it, I said "no", and he was clearly considering if he should stab me with his steak knife. To be fair, I was working in the movie industry, I knew I'd be having lunch with him, I likely deserved […]
@sarahjeong.bsky.social I did watch it later. Absolutely remarkable cinematography. Shame about the director.
This needed a reply with “and I’m verified on Bluesky, nice to meet a fellow famous person”
You totally handled it right It’s just food
I don’t know. Radical honesty might be to say, “wow, I honestly don’t know what a privilege this is and I’m glad cool things still happen for me! What restaurant are you most proud of?”
I met OJ Simpson in 1976 & asked for his autograph for my brother. He winked & said sure, sweetheart. When I told him my brother's name he realized it wasn't for me. Then he asked if I wanted one for me, winking again. No thanks, I replied. He was floored.
