22. Alton Brown
After hearing that Anthony Bourdain had told a journalist that most of the Food Network stars don’t actually know how to cook, he took it upon himself to defend his own resume in an interview in 2015 with People Magazine. Citing his 14 years and 252 episodes of Good Eats as enough to quash any fears he was incompetent, he was quick to fire back that the comments were in poor taste.
Not one to stop there, he turned the tables somewhat and asked the question of when anybody had actually seen Anthony Bourdain cook anything. He recalled never seeing him cook a meal in his life. He did however say that Anthony was a great food writer. Bourdain took the high road on social media, where he said the pair had no beef, and that Brown was a “hero” to his younger daughter. Case closed.
Alton Brown
21. Jamie Oliver
Jamie makes the list more than once today, as the TV chef sensation has never shied away from off-camera controversies. In 2008, he was filmed talking about how terrible it was for chickens that were raised in poor conditions to be sold to consumers. He called for a boycott of certain stores, especially those dependent on factory farming. Did her forget that he was the face of one of these chains?
Jamie was part of a lucrative deal with Sainsbury’s, which at the time issued a statement saying that his comments were not going to change the way they did business. Further pressure from other animal welfare groups would later lead them to backpedal, and Oliver thought he was instrumental in making it happen after all. Figures!
Jamie Oliver
