On 2004-09-28, Sufaud > wrote:

> Well, if you never heard of Marco Pierre White, then you have (1)
> never been to England and (2) are, with all due respect, provincial.

Be that as it may, I'd venture to guess most Americans have never heard of
all three, Ladenis, White, AND Batt. I know I never have and I've followed
the cooking scene for 30 years. I think the biggest single factor in making
chefs celebrities in the US was the late great Great Chefs series on PBS.
Unlike celebrity cooking shows like Julia and Graham Kerr, it was the first
nationwide program to view working chefs in their native environment and
speak of them in a hushed, almost reverent, manner. This is not to take
anything away from Batt, but I doubt he was even a dust spec on most
people's radar.

nb