Rich people want celebrity chefs and they want them now, whether it's at their wedding or on their private jets. Two stories from this weekend tell of the heaps of money available for chefs willing to cater to the whims of the wealthy. First up: the New York Times knows "every bride and groom wants wow and dazzle, and just putting food on the table won't cut it anymore." Thus, it's chefs (or the catering arms operating in the name of chefs) like Andrew Carmellini, Daniel Boulud, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, David Bouley and Laurent Tourondel to the rescue.
Mario Batali even has a "collaborative event-catering program" in which he collaborates with a caterer who "execute[s] the meal alongside Mario's chefs." Other chefs like Michael White say they'll do weddings "only for our very good customers." Of course, many highly rated fine-dining restaurants (especially those attached to hotels) will do complete buy-outs, for the right price.
But what if you're not getting married? What if you just want to spend thousands of dollars to charter a private jet to schlep you around, and you want to eat a meal from a famous local restaurant? CNBC takes a look at Jet Chefs, a new service that caters chartered jets, and while they don't name which chefs are participating (apart from cakeman Duff Goldman), they do cite dollar amounts.
"A special seafood lunch from an exclusive restaurant in San Francisco"? That'll be $600. "A catered meal from a celebrity chef when you land in Miami"? $3,000. Beats grab-and-go premade sandwiches or overcooked airport burgers, that's for sure.
· The Food Outshines the Bride [NYT]
· Celebrity Jet Chefs Cook For the Style-High Club [CNBC]
· All Rich People Things on Eater [-E-]