by Shaheen Darr

Created on: January 18, 2009   Last Updated: September 14, 2010

Celebrity chefs have made the art of cooking food seem fun and exciting and with flair they toss together a variety of ingredients to create amazing dishes. Every television channel now boasts its very own celebrity chef who prepares a three course meal in front of our eyes and then gives his unique and artistic touch to the final presentation on the serving plate.

The meals prepared by the two "fat ladies" Clarissa Dickson Wright and the late great Jennifer Paterson while touring Britain on a Triumph Thunderbird kept viewers entertained as did the "naked chef" Jamie Oliver who introduced healthy meals to schools throughout Britain. His ambitious project of taking untrained youngsters with no cooking experience and training them to becoming professional chefs has proved to be a very successful project.

How can we forget Delia Smith series of "how to cook" in which she taught us novice cooks on how to boil an egg but her homely approach seemed quite tame compared to Nigella Lawson who teaches women how to become domestic goddesses while preparing the richest, creamiest desserts and there's definitely no sign of guilt on her face as she introduces us to the pleasures of eating all that rich food!

Gordon Ramsey is a cooking chef like no other, one who you either love or hate watching. Lacing every sentence with a swear word he keeps the audience hooked as we recognise a genius when we see one. He has helped restaurant managers improve their kitchens by giving them his own special brand of ticking off. No wonder all his programmes come with warning titles like "hells kitchen", "the f word" or "Ramsey's kitchen nightmares"!

One final chef who deserves a mention is Heston Blumenthal. His scientific approach to cooking is unique and he has taken food preparation to a totally different level.

All these chefs are self confident, outgoing individuals with an interest and passion for cooking that started very young in their lives. If you feel you have these skills and want to become a chef you can get further training through a culinary school or by becoming the apprentice of an experienced chef.

There are different levels of culinary skills you can learn depending on your level of expertise or interest. But a good start is to get involved in different aspects of working in a restaurant which could range from assisting in food preparation, supervising the cleanliness of the cooking area or just getting involved in ordering food supplies. This practical work experience is invaluable as it prepares you in all aspects of becoming a chef and maybe one day running your own restaurant or even having your own television show.

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