Celebrity chefs take branding to the next level

January 7, 2023 by
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Celebrity chefs and lifestyle gurus like Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray have created vast empires of branded products that include cookware and food products sold at various retailers ranging from K-Mart to Williams-Sonoma. More recently, this concept has expanded to include entire stores dedicated to a single chef’s curated product selection. This allows these celebrities to become a presence not only on your television screens and bookshelves, but also in your pantry.

Eater recently launched a new series that investigates the rise of celebrity chef branded stores, starting with Giada De Laurentiis’ online-only shop Giadzy. As Amy McCarthy explains, “with beautifully decorated, picture-perfect containers of bluefin tuna and organically grown tomatoes, Giadzy is selling cosmopolitan chic more than it is selling mere groceries.” It’s an aspirational store, offering $57 USD jars of tuna and $108 bottles of balsamic vinegar.

This seems to be a theme among celebrity chefs that offer their own signature brands: encouraging fans to indulge in a taste of luxury without having to venture any farther than their living room sofa as long as they have an internet connection and a credit card. Does a $57 jar of tuna taste ten times better than a $6 can of the “good stuff” from the supermarket? Maybe not, but there might be enough difference for someone who adores Giada to make it a worthwhile splurge. And it’s cheaper than a trip to Italy.

Category: Food Biz People

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8 Comments

  • Soulkitchenjen  on  January 7, 2023

    Give me a chef that actually eats their food and I’ll think about it. She’s as bad as Tiegan Gerard.

  • Indio32  on  January 8, 2023

    Run!!!

  • EmilyR  on  January 8, 2023

    I know that people have to make a living, but I am over this monetizing culture where every little thing is about bilking money out of people. I guess if there are some gullible enough, but I’m not convinced these chefs have that kind of base – or people have that kind of money. Maybe she can team up and shill things to Goop readers.

  • breakthroughc  on  January 8, 2023

    I agree with Soulkitchenjen. I’d be more interested in buying food from someone that actually eats. I guess some people are just fools with their money.

  • KLeverett  on  January 9, 2023

    Love her and I make an enormous amount of her recipes. Just on her wavelength. But, no, I would never consider buying from her. Don’t have that kind of money.

  • matag  on  January 9, 2023

    I’m all for quality ingredients but….Seems silly! Went to her restaurant here in Vegas. It was pretentious, overpriced and just plain not good. Asked for salt because the food was tasteless. The waiter acted like I asked for his first born child. Never again! Too many really good restaurants here!

  • Rinshin  on  January 10, 2023

    So many of these home cooks and restaurant chefs trying to sell their stuff. Delete!

  • Kag2020  on  January 12, 2023

    Visit your local Italian grocer if you’re lucky enough to have one (Amazon if you’re not … sometimes even your local supermarket) and buy some quality imported items at a tenth of the cost.

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