Chef Raymond Blanc: Kitchen Bullies 'Should Be in Jail'

Raymond Blanc, the chef of England's two Michelin star restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, has had it with angry chefs in the kitchen. The French-born UK chef tells the Daily Mail: "People who bully in the kitchen should be in jail." Blanc goes on to suggest that tempers in the kitchen are preventing interested young people from becoming cooks: "Tell me, why are there are many high-profile chefs on TV and yet we have a shortage of young chefs? Do you blame this culture of bullying for putting young people off entering the profession?" He also adds that he has had young cooks in his restuarant who have been so "traumatized" by their treatment in other kitchens that they are too scared to even "touch ingredients."

Blanc has harsh words for chefs on television too. "Shouting at some guy in front of five million people on TV is cheap entertainment," he says. Blanc isn't the only chef to speak out against this kind of behavior, particularly as it relates to chefs on television. While Blanc doesn't name Gordon Ramsay specifically, chefs like José Andrés, Eric Ripert, and Jacques Pepin have all expressed their disapproval of how Ramsay treats chefs and cooks on his television shows.

· Kitchen Bullies Should Be Jailed, Says Raymond Blanc [Daily Mail]
· All Raymond Blanc Coverage on Eater [-E-]