King Marco this, the Godfather that, the Devil in the Kitchen…. But Knorr Chicken stock was his secret ingredient the whole time? Are you serious?
I really don’t know what’s worse, the idea that he was using that shit at Harvey’s or that he’s lying now but either way he’s a sellout.Yes, this is old news but kids still idolize the guy for some reason.
Before I go on, let me explain how I define a sellout. A sellout is a person, an artist, a public figure that makes a career by taking a stance on certain points. Then, someone offers them a lot of money and they change their stance or, even worse, you come to find out that they never believed or practiced what they were preaching to begin with.
Make sense?
Here’s the thing. You grow up idolizing, let’s say a Baseball player or an Actor or whatever kids are into. This person portrays themselves as wholesome, drug-free, church-going, faithful to his wife who was his high school sweetheart (who he waited until marriage to bang) and that whole apple pie bullshit. You have his poster on your wall and he’s the reason you study and get good grades and volunteer at the senior center on the weekends when you don’t have choir practice. One day you’re going to meet this guy and shake his hand and say “Thank you, I hope I made you proud Sir.”
Then one day you do. But he’s coked out of his skull with a couple of hookers and tells you to get fucked while he starts pissing on the flag.
Make sense?
“But who are you to judge him? He could hand you your ass in the Kitchen! He’s way more successful than you’ll ever be!!” will be the top three comments on this. Trust me, I’ve already heard it and here’s my response.
First off, I was a die-hard fan of his. I bought his books and studied them like the gospel. I had the photo, yeah, the same one you see on t-shirts, on the wall of my Kitchen to remind not only my crew, but myself what a real Chef was all about. He made me want to read more, cook more, push myself and my Kitchen and never cut corners or, use powdered fucking chicken stock.
Second point: Who knows? For one thing, I’ve never been into the idea of competition when it comes to cooking or anything else. I know that I’ve got enough talent to not embarrass myself if I had to go toe to toe with the guy but really, it doesn’t interest or appeal to me at all.
And lastly, yes, he is. Big surprise there. Do you really think it matters? Seriously, I’ve had a fucking awesome life and have done a lot more than most people. While I might not be as “Famous” as he is, I do pride myself on the fact that I’ve made an impact on the industry and inspired others with my work both here and in the Kitchen. I don’t know what kind of waves I’ve caused but I can die smiling knowing I did a lot more than nothing with my life.
What’s fact, what’s fiction?
With this whole Knorr bullshit, it’s hard to tell what’s fact from what’s fiction. If what the ad says is true and he really was using that shit while earning his stars, what else is he lying about? Are the Michelin reviewers really that stupid? Was any of it ever really true or was it all an act, the work of a publicist who knew how to sell an image to the masses?
I’ll say this, he helped make me a better Chef because I bought into the bullshit. He inspired me to push myself and not cut corners. He made me to look at food and cooking in a whole new way and to never settle for anything other than excellence in the Kitchen. It just sucks to know it was all a lie.
Listen, the dudes got bills, I get why he did it. At this point, why the fuck should he care what someone like me thinks, I’m nothing to him. Chances are they offered him more cash than I’ve made in the past 20 years to come smile for the camera. At the end of the day, it’s his life and his choice and if he’s cool with it, more power to him.
Oh, and for those of you who say I’d do the same thing if Sysco offered me enough money, you’re sadly mistaken. For one thing, I’m used to being broke so it’s not like I’ve had money and am now poor again, I’ve always been poor. The other thing is that I have this thing, I think it’s called integrity. Anyways, it makes it real difficult for me to do things like that. I like being able to respect what I see in the mirror and there have already been enough times in my life I wasn’t able to. But hey, that’s just me.
So I hear you, but why do you hate knorr so much?! Take a whole chicken, get some room temp butter and mush a chicken KNORR stock cube into it and rub that all over your chicken, cook that chicken to perfection and sit back and accept that knorr made your chicken taste better! It’s how you use these things that matter. I herd he used ketchup a lot too in sauces?! Why not! If it make stout sauce better, doesn’t mean you are relying on these things it means to ate using another ingredient at your disposal to make what you have even better.
It’s a matter of having standards. Companies like Knorr and Sysco have made Chefs lazy and made it too easy to cut corners. The food doesn’t have any love, it doesn’t have a heart. I won’t serve that shit to my customers.
That may be the case and he might be what you call a sellout. But I do admire him for the same reason as you do. He inspired me to be a better cook and will aspire to be the guy that Marco Pierre White says (or used to say) he is.
I don’t need to know or follow his knorr powder secret. Take the best, leave the rest.
But if he was using that shit when he won his stars, what else is a lie?
How many of you who are bashing, have a 1,2,or 3 star Michelin restaurant? Easier yet even worked in one?
NONE, that’s what I figured.
Now shut up, and respect the guru’s.
Escoffier, Bocuse, Roux brothers z Gagnaire, Ducasse, etc. Etc.
Didn’t I tell you to get fucked several times last night? Michelin is a fucking joke and so are pretentious assholes like you who think that food is this elitist thing that the general public is too stupid to understand.
my name is Ryan, I’ve worked in Michelin Star restaurants. I also believe using Knorr is fucked. that is cutting corners. I agree with the admin.
You talk about being pretentious but then in your previous comment you think you’re above using the stock, not because it tastes worse, but simply because it’s quicker – a shortcut. It sounds like your ego can’t handle it, and there’s the height of pretentious right there. Wrap it up by calling it ‘standards’ when standards can mean whatever the hell you want it to.
You have like 4 comments and somehow in the span of that you’re flip flopping. Michelin stars don’t matter – then they do matter enough to bring them up as a piece of support that he’s a liar. Whatever suits your ends, right buddy?
Get off your high horse, you have no more integrity than the rest of us. I don’t like Marco but I respect what he’s done for cooking. You though…
No, it’s the fact that I could use a cake mix today but I’m not a fucking hack job poser trying to cash in on my former glory. I still actually cook with I’m not wasting my time dealing with dumb shit like this.
As one who has actually worked at both 1,2 and 3 star restaurants and that, in the Nordic region through it’s prime, I absolutely agree with Seth here, Marco turned out to be a bit of a hoax.. and I also believe mivhelin has lost most of it’s respect and following in the past many years..
But given that you mainly named old french “gurus and legends” I’m starting to believe you don’t actually know fuck ‘ol about cooking… or that you just believe the french invented cooking in the 1800’s and up until then we all just ate Stone age food..
Thank you and I assure you, I’m fully aware that the French are just a small part of the worlds culinary heritage and one of the the things I strive for is to be able to work with Grandmothers and people who’ve been doing it for decades. I learned how to make Spam Musubi with a few Aunties while I was camping in Hawaii on the beach who found out I was a Chef and were happy to share their ways. I’m also dealing with a massive cold so I can’t think straight enough to write.
Yes, years of hard work mean nothing when you use knorr…
J/k, you seem really desperate though.
He’s a talented and intelligent man, there’s no doubt about that. So who gives a fuck? lol
When the guy claims the it was his “secret ingredient” all along, either he was lying to us then or he’s full of shit now. Either way, I have no respect for him.
Admin is obvs a butthurt twat, grow the fuck up, akin to pissign on the flag, if only, twat.
I stand by the article as written. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Xoxox
You’re right. He sold out. Regardless of how good knorr can be if used properly (I’ve been using it my entire life at home), I expect a higher standard from a real chef. If I ordered some chicken soup in a restaurant and I recognise the taste of Knorr bouillon powder… Let’s just say my money would remain very much inside the wallet. We go to a restaurant to enjoy the art and delights of what a true master of the culinary arts can achieve, if I get something I wouldn’t even make myself with knorr… I’d be horrified. What would be the point? I’m not getting a taste of the chef’s design, I’m getting generic factory crap. I hope these degenerates have woken up in the 2 years that have gone by. GOOD ON YOU ADMIN! At least someone respects their clientele and tastebuds.
I don’t know..maybe now that he is old he uses it at home because it’s easy?
I think you are missing the point on this Knorr shit. MPW is not selling knorr to the professional chef. He is selling it to me. To those who like to cook a good meal at home for their family. We don’t, I don’t, have the time to make fancy stocks and shit like thaT.
I tried these products and sometimes it works well and other times I should have just used Morton Salt.
MPW is not shilling to would-be future chefs he is selling to the home cook.
I couldnt agree more with the author. My big issue is that the Knorr products are not fresh at all. They are full of preservatives and unknown chemicals. Its cool he endorses them but for him to say that they are his “secret for years” seems like a stretch.