Today we take for granted that great chefs can influence social consciousness by leveraging the unique nature of their expertise; everyone eats, but not everyone cooks, and cooking well is a practice that takes care, attention, and training. Nonetheless, cooking does not usually take place on stage or in front of television cameras, and it was not always the case that the lowly cook in the back of the house received accolades from those enjoying their food out in the dining room.
When did it become possible to parlay good cooking into social and political capital? Looking back at some of the earliest chefs to achieve fame and fortune in Italy, we can find the roots of the celebrity chef culture we know so well today.
