Next wave of food stars comes from Hollywood, not a kitchen

The flamboyant chefs who boost their careers with TV shows and cookbooks have tough new competition, but it isn't coming from the kitchen. A wave of sexy, friendly and instantly recognizable celebrities -- with no culinary experience -- is finding that a side of Hollywood, Nashville, or supermodel goes quite well with a second career in food.

"People watch these shows so much because of the way they identify with the person on camera," said Bob Tuschman, a senior vice president for Food Network.

And so Valerie Bertinelli, Trisha Yearwood and Haylie Duff have spun off first acts in music and television into successful food shows. Ditto for Patti LaBelle, Mila Kunis and Hayden Panettiere, who have appeared on cooking specials or as judges. Supermodel Chrissy Teigen and musician Questlove have cookbooks coming out next spring. Even rapper Coolio did a cookbook and series of YouTube cooking videos.

"I have a chef friend who was joking with me the other day, 'Oh, you actresses, you all get your own shows now," Bertinelli said in a recent interview.

Bertinelli said she had fantasized about having a Food Network show and now "can't believe it's actually happing." Friends and family make guest appearances on "Valerie's Home Cooking," and Bertinelli tries to capture the feeling she got from cooking with her mother or grandmother. "It was always about family, and food was about spending time with people you love. I'm hoping that comes across in my show."

Asked about the challenge of hooking viewers who can't taste or smell what she cooks on TV, Bertinelli responded with an example of the skills actresses bring to the food business. "You explain to people the smells that you're smelling and the tastes that you're tasting. You can make people excited about food even if they can't taste it," said Bertinelli, who already had fans from the sitcoms "One Day at a Time" and "Hot in Cleveland."

Tuschman credits Rachael Ray -- who had worked in food, but isn't a chef -- for making this possible. He said her success "changed the type of people we put on the air. It was a sea change for us."

There really has been a shift, said Josee Johnston, a professor of sociology at the University of Toronto, and co-author of "Foodies: Democracy and Distinction in the Gourmet Foodscape."

"Cookbooks, there used to be a significant part of the market that was just written by cookbook authors. And now it's harder to publish a cookbook without being a celebrity in some way," Johnston said, though that includes some trained chefs who market themselves as celebrities. She said it all fits with a broader trend. "We expect celebrities to give us lifestyle advice on multiple aspects of our lives."

This story was originally published January 16, 2016 at 9:47 PM with the headline "Next wave of food stars comes from Hollywood, not a kitchen ."