Friday, March 14, 2014

Who's really in the kitchen at your favorite chains?

Chain restaurants often get a bad rap in the foodie world for being too processed and too generic. But several big name chains have partnered with big name chefs to liven up menus across America. Read on to learn who's really in the kitchen at your favorite chain.

LORENA GARCIA + TACO BEL

Ever tried anything off the Cantina menu?  Yep, thank Top Chef alum Lorena Garcia for bringing fresh & authentic Mexican flavors to what used to be a menu geared only towards late-night, booze-filled diners.


TYLER FLORENCE + APPLEBEE'S

In what has come to be one of the more controversial partnerships in the foodie world, Tyler Florence was offered $3 million for "10 days & 10 recipes" worth of work back in 2006.  Not bad, right?  While he admits the partnership was headed in the right direction - think roasted chicken instead of fried & organic options - he ultimately ended his deal with Applebee's shortly after all the "sell out" press hit the fan.

EDWARD LEE + KFC

A few years ago someone in the KFC family "discovered" never-before-seen recipes from The Colonel himself, written in his own hand.  Planning to turn this manuscript into a biography about "the original celebrity chef", they hired Top Chef Texas Chef-testant Edward Lee to drum up buzz about the project.  He's been all over YouTube whipping up the recipes with his own "modern twist".  Will any of them appear on the menu?  Probably not, but you can always give the recipes a go in your own kitchen.


1 comment:

  1. Taco bell is shit, it's still shit. You know the packs they sell in the grocery store? Those are leaps and bounds ahead of Taco Hell. It's an awful restaurant. Taco Bell is still stuck in the 90's, c'mon even Mc'donalds has updated their stuff (and it tastes much better btw).

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