Cameron Cuisinier’s dreams of a catering career led him to culinary school. Now he’s unemployed and $43,000 in debt, and he’s not alone.

From TV chefs to reality shows where the winners get their own restaurants, it’s a hot time to be in the kitchen. Record numbers of would-be chefs are enrolling in culinary schools, some of which charge $20,000 a year or more. But the restaurant business has always been a tough way to make a living, and many graduates find themselves saddled with debt and working long hours at low-paying, entry-level jobs.

“When they’re trying to get you enrolled in these programs, they tell you you’re going to come out making top dollar,” said Cuisinier, a recent graduate of the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. “I’ve just been way disappointed.”

Industry observers say celebrity chefs like Rachael Ray and Emeril Lagasse — with his trademark exclamation, “Bam!” — helped launch the craze. The rising popularity of cable TV’s The Food Network and reality shows like “Top Chef” and “Hell’s Kitchen” are fueling it.

“It looks really fun on TV,” said Tim Ryan, president of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., one of the country’s premier training grounds for chefs. “You’ve got an audience adoring you. You say, ‘Bam!’ and throw some stuff on a plate and everyone goes nuts.

“That’s not what happens,” he said. “The work is long and hard. There’s a lot of pressure.”

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Cameron Cuisiner poses for a photo at home in Monterey, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006. Cuisinier is $43,000 in debt. And it wasn’t a fancy car or credit cards that got the 24-year-old there, it was dreams of a catering career. Cuisiner spent the money on culinary school. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Hooters, known for its brand image of waitresses with tight shorts and low-cut T-shirts, is scheduled to open its first restaurant in Seoul on Jan. 18, Hooters of Korea Inc. said in a statement. full story…

The high-calorie, sugar-packed treats are standard fare for Cleveland High School freshman Tikisha Spires, who travels off campus for lunch each day.

It’s certainly not what the Seattle School Board had in mind two years ago when it adopted a rigorous nutrition policy and canceled a lucrative vending contract with Coca-Cola. Chips and cookies were replaced in vending machines with granola bars and trail mix; sugary drinks are no longer sold in schools. Cleveland fell into line with other schools, offering healthier foods in its cafeteria and vending machines.

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“We talked with some of the nation’s foremost chefs about creating a restaurant truly attuned to the quality and character of the Elysian. In Charlie, we found the ideal partner, whose standards of excellence equal our own,” said David Pisor, founding partner and chief executive officer of the property’s developer, Elysian Worldwide. “Widely regarded as one of America’s finest chefs, Charlie is an icon and true innovator in the worlds of food and service. We couldn’t be more thrilled about our association with him.” more…

Molina said the bees were there for at least two and a half years. The couple finally had enough and called in the professionals.

“So we’re trying to, like, get rid of most of them, but without professional help we can’t. So now we almost … They’re biting me!’” Molina screamed, running from the home during an interview with reporters.Beekeepers removed more than 3 million bees from the apartment. They also extracted nearly 60 pounds of honey. more…

To Lansing resident Misty Lane, it’s too much, and through a Web site she has created she has found out she is not alone.
Originally conceived as a joke, Lane started the “Rachael Ray Sucks Community” (http://community.livejournal.com/rachael_ray_sux/) in 2003 half expecting others to share her disdain for Ray.
“I got really fed up watching her show,” Lane said. “I really didn’t think anybody would join.”
The online group dedicated to Ray-bashing existed under the radar for about two years, until web magazine Slate.com ran a piece in defense of Ray in July of 2005 with a link to the site. Now 1,332 members strong, Lane, who has never met Ray, said the community receives about 300,000 hits every month. more…

How would they pay thousands of dollars of bills not covered by insurance?

Sitting on a hotel bed in St. Louis after visiting doctors in January — laughing and crying at the prospect of raising money — Christina and her mother, Linda, saw a television news report.

Twelve men from a New York Moose Lodge had posed partially nude for a calendar to raise money for a children’s charity.

“Naked chefs,” Linda blurted out.

Thus was born the “Louisville Chefs’ Best Kept Secrets” calendar — featuring male and female chefs from the city’s top tables, showing off their ingredients — which is now on sale at various local restaurants. more…

Gabriel Aubry, who has a bedroom smile but is also adept in the kitchen and known best, of course, as the beau of one Halle Berry, just opened a restaurant in New York City. The theme is Cuban, and the locale is the East Village. Cafe Fuego is what they’re calling it.

Two years have passed since the French-Canadian Versace model and the Oscar-anointed Catwoman became an item, and things seem to be in that calm, settle-down place for both. Last week, at a party sponsored by Hennessy Cognac at Gabriel’s new spot, Halle even made an appearance and gave the restaurant the best, highest-wattage shot of publicity it could ever ask for.

“I was a cook before I was a model,” the tousled-haired hunk told InStyle magazine’s Party Hopper column. “I have a metabolism, so I can eat anything,” he boasted when the question of models-who-eat naturally came up. more…

Gabriel Aubry and erstwhile Catwoman Halle Berry

Quite a comedown, he admitted in a recent interview, from his days in the previous administration, when Hillary Clinton had charged this fiercely competitive, meticulously organized chef with bringing “what’s best about American food, wine and entertaining to the White House.” His sophisticated contemporary food was generally considered some of the best ever served there.

But he was quick to say he would only talk about his difficulties as long as it was clear that he has no complaints about Laura Bush. more…