Chefs as Media Stars

When someone talks about a “star,” he or she may most likely be referring to a popular singer, actor, or actress. Some of the top-class sports athletes are also considered superstars and get a lot of media attention. These people earn a lot of money and can enjoy much fame, making them role models for many children and teenagers who want to become celebrities.

Nowadays, with a boom of cooking shows and food programs in Korea, famous chefs are under the spotlight as they become rising celebrities. These star chefs appear in several programs aired in public as well as cable TV channels. Some are even featured in commercials, advertising various products.

These new stars that make tasty dishes have greatly changed perceptions about those who cook food for a living. They are now well acknowledged as professionals with high-level skills and expertise.

Eating is one of the basic things that human beings should do in order to live and almost everybody likes eating delicious food. These things also make cooking as a job something good and worthwhile, contributing to the positive image of cooks.

The popularity of cooks and the rising trend of cooking have significant influences on youngsters. It is known that there are increasing number of teenagers who consider cooking as their future job and dream of becoming chefs like those who appear on television.

Meanwhile, culinary experts and chefs also raise their voices of concern about this trend since working as a cook is not all about being fancy as shown in the media. It takes a lot of hard work for many years, starting from cleaning the kitchen and preparing ingredients, to become chefs who can be in charge of big kitchens. Dealing with sharp knives and hot fire also makes the job dangerous and difficult. The process is challenging both physically and mentally. Unless the person is determined to have cooking as a career, it is very difficult to succeed. Even after becoming chefs, they are always under pressure to improve the taste of dishes and develop new recipes to maintain their reputation.

Cooking delicious food is something good, and cooks are the people who do this to bring happiness to other people. The trend of chefs becoming stars and the number of chef hopefuls increasing may be positive but like any other profession, pursuing a career in cooking should involve serious thoughts and sincerity.