Star-Studded Meals - recipes from celebrity chefs

Vegetarian Times, March, 1999 by Lisa Turner

Hollywood's private chefs share celebrities' favorite recipes

If you found yourself in Steven Seagal's or Daryl Hannah's kitchen and were told to make dinner, could you rise to the occasion? After all, one does not think of the homes of stars as venues in which stir-fried tofu and steamed veggies receive overwhelming receptions. Even though celebrities often enjoy simple foods--collard greens, pasta--they're more accustomed to meals served with fanfare and flair.

Cooks who know how to make the rich and famous happy often find their way into Hollywood's kitchens via the largest placement firm for private cooks in Los Angeles, Private Chefs Inc. Here, four of their recruits talk about what it's like to cater to an illustrious clientele and share their secrets with you.

At first blush, being a private chef in Beverly Hills may sound like a glamorous job--planning posh parties, jet-setting around the globe, rubbing elbows with the elite. But often it's grueling work with long hours and unpredictable schedules. Steven Seagal's hectic shooting routine had chef Tiffany Brown darting all over the West Coast. "We' re talking about seven days a week, 14 hours a day," she says. It was not unusual for her, Seagal and his entourage to fly to Montana for the day, come back, catch a few hours of sleep and head for San Francisco the next morning.

In trendsetting L.A., chefs must keep up with what's hot. Healthy diets continue to reign, especially for stars who want to look and feel their best. Eating red meat is almost passe and vegan diets are beginning to rule, as large numbers shun hip-padding (and artery-glogging) cheeses and cream sauces. "More people are turning to a vegetarian diet," says Brown, who's been a vegetarian all her life. "No one thinks, `Vegetarian? Oh, bland. Oh, boring.' Everything's changed. Now, you can make these incredible, creative plant-based meals."

The dishes most celebrity chefs prepare range from ethnic vegan to low-fat Italian and Mexican. All things Asian, especially Thai, are also very popular. California-style Vietnamese is perhaps the hottest culinary trend along with juicing and raw foods, which are making a big comeback. For Hollywood cooks, having an unlimited food budget and access to the best markets and freshest ingredients fuels creativity. "Sometimes I go to different markets and wander around with nothing specific in mind. I just see what comes up," says chef Genee Wilner, who has cooked not only for Steven Seagal but for Jane Fonda, Helen Hunt, Al Pacino and Jim Carrey as well. "I can be thinking in one direction, then find something that looks really great at the market and change course completely."

The ability to make good food fast is another necessary culinary skill for these chefs. Precooked rice is a staple in Steven Seagal's house for quick lunches and sushi rolls. Magic Johnson is a "fruit fiend," so dessert usually means fruit salads. And because weight-loss diets rule in Hollywood, chefs must be able to adapt quickly to specific requests. When Daryl Hannah--a strict vegetarian--wanted to lose weight for an upcoming role, her chef, Andy Ennis, slashed her fat intake for two months and created an array of tasty, low-fat meals, including the spicy curry that's featured here.

Carol Quigless, who has cooked for Magic Johnson, Warren Beatty and David Bowie, had another client who ate only raw fruits and vegetables. Her task was to create three meals a day that were different. "I went out and bought a bunch of vegetables and herbs and asked myself `What can I make with these?' I had a ball." Her inventive meals: a carrot-beet slaw with fresh dill; a chopped salad with cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes and mint; and a sweet potato salad with cilantro, onion, sunflower sprouts and collards. "Here were three salads with nothing but raw vegetables, yet each one was completely different," Quigless says. "It's just about experimenting. There's really no limit to what you can do with a little creativity."

These talented chefs have provided us with some of their celebrity employers' favorite vegetarian recipes. Even if you're not destined for the big screen anytime soon, you can at least eat like a star.

Grilled Tofu with Wasabi-Honey Glaze

4 SERVINGS DAIRY-FREE

Steven Seagal's love of Asian foods inspired this savory dish by chef Tiffany Brown. The tofu can be marinated ahead of time, and the dish travels well--she originally made it for him to take on the set of "Fire Down Below."

1/4 cup tamari
1/4 cup minced fresh ginger
2 Tbs. shallots
2 Tbs. sesame oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar (see glossary, p. 99)
1 lb. extra-firm tofu, drained and sliced
into 1/2-inch-thick slabs
2 Tbs. wasabi (see glossary, p. 99)
1/4 cup honey
4 cups cooked rice (brown rice, wild rice
or japonica)
2 Tbs. toasted sesame seeds
(optional)

In small bowl, combine tamari, ginger, shallots; sesame oil and rice vinegar. Place tofu cutlets on platter and coat both sides with marinade. Cover and refrigerate for several hours.