Chefs Say Mean Things About Other Chefs

White is a something of a patron saint for apprentice cooks, and will likely become better known to U.S. audiences later this year when he hosts (what else?) a reality television show called “The Chopping Block.” It will likely air in a competing time slot with whatever Gordon Ramsay show is playing on Fox, as the two chefs have a legendary feud which plays out in British tabloids. During Sunday’s panel, White seemed to be calling Ramsay out for spreading himself too thin throughout his restaurant empire.

That tenor of tabloid-style chef matches seems to be catching on here. In one account of Sunday’s panel, it was reported that White called fellow Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse “soulless.” In fact, White called the food at Alain Ducasse’s restaurants “soulless,” not Ducasse the man. Other inaccuracies abound in reports: such as the name of the U.K. television show White took over took over from Gordon Ramsay. It was Hell’s Kitchen, not Kitchen Nightmares.

Toward the end of the panel, the chefs were asked to weigh in on the trend of untraditional restaurants and guerrilla gourmet-style meals, presumably held in musty, George Michael video-esque warehouse spaces. Bourdain ended up professing his admiration for underground dining. “Particularly when you’re talking about bootleg foods,” the chef said, “like illegal cheeses.” He mentioned something about “ortolan parties,” and concluded “then it’s the best thing ever.”