It’s impossible to ignore the one and only chef and homemaker extraordinaire Martha Stewart. It’s also impossible to ignore her opinions, especially when she calls out other well-known superstars. Stewart at the time was not pleased the A-lister Gwyneth Paltrow was making the transition into home décor. ” If she were confident in her acting, she wouldn’t be trying to be Martha Stewart,” Stewart said of the actress.
Taking aim at Paltrow where she hoped it would hurt, in the kitchen, Stewart engineers the “conscious coupling,” dessert, as a call out. Paltrow raised the bar with her response when she presented her recipe for the “jailbird cake,” an obvious reference to Stewart’s insider trading and stay behind bars. Those five years are something Martha Stewart will always have that Paltrow will never even attempt to take away.
A Very Complicated Divorce
When Bobby Flay left Stephanie March it was his third divorce. March claimed that Flay had been involved with numerous other women during their marriage (De Laurentiis not included.) Their separation was a bit dramatic, to say the least. While March never mentioned De Laurentiis she did claim that, among his multiple affairs, Flay had been involved with actress January Jones. When Jones was in a car accident in 2010 the first person she called was Bobby Flay.
No one seems clear on the reason, or at least no one is saying. Flay did show up on the scene, though, which didn't help his case with his wife. To this day Jones has not named who is the father of her son. Flay's name comes up quite a bit in the gossip.
A Bad Mouth
Host of both "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef," and, " Worst Cooks in America," Anne Burrell was a regular sight on culinary TV. However, employees who once worked under Burrell, not on TV, but under her at Centro Vinoteca in New York City, where Burrell worked as executive chef. Employees came forward in 2009 with stories of verbal abuse and discrimination against female employees.
Burrell was accused of using derogatory language and criticizing the appearance of female employees over their work performance. Burrell left Centro Vinoteca in 2008, a year before the allegations surfaced.
"Good Try, But You'll Never be Me"
After spending five years behind bars Martha Stewart returned to her celebrity status and didn't waste any time letting her feelings be known. First off, calling out celebrity chef Rachel Ray as a "hack." In Martha's mind, she just wanted to make clear that Ray was neither a real baker of a real chef. She called out Ray's most recent cookbook as a mere carbon copy of Ray's last cookbook with a few edited recipes.
Rachel Ray did not appreciate the newly released Stewart's fighting words. When she was asked what she thought of the newly vocal Stewart Ray had a few questions. “Why would it make me mad? Her skill set is far beyond mine. That’s simply the reality of it.”
Flay Finishes Early
"Iron Chef" suffered another awkward episode in 2017 when Bobby Flay threw off his chef's jacket in the middle of a show. Beneath his jacket, the famed chef wore a t-shirt that read, “THIS IS MY LAST IRON CHEF BATTLE EVER.” While Flay considered the stunt some good publicity, The Food Network did not agree with the star. He had not checked with any executives about his antics beforehand.
There was no way to blur the words and the network was forced to air the episode. It's not clear how the incident really ended. Flay later claimed he never intended to quit The Food Network. He even agreed to return to "Iron Chef" if he was asked. Why did he want to leave in the first place? Claims have surfaced that say the show's schedule was just too physically demanding.