Author: Emeril Lagasse

Emeril Lagasse built his career as a chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, and television personality associated with New Orleans cooking and the growth of food television. Prime Time Emeril, published by William Morrow in 2001, extends the approach of his television programs into a large illustrated cookbook. A Colorado Mesa University collection inventory identifies it as a first edition from William Morrow, while Lagasse's own archive associates the cookbook with recipes ranging from bisque and fried calamari to soups, roasted chicken, and bread pudding. Lagasse trained as a chef before leading prominent restaurant kitchens and developing restaurants of his own in New Orleans and other cities. His television work included Emeril Live, whose energetic demonstrations brought restaurant technique to a mass audience. The cookbook belongs to a sequence that includes New New Orleans Cooking, Louisiana Real and Rustic, Emeril’s Creole Christmas, and Emeril’s TV Dinners. Prime Time Emeril captures the point at which his roles as working chef, restaurateur, media host, and recipe writer had become closely connected.