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Monday, April 16, 2012 By Catherine Lemel, staff writer/reporter
Gwyneth Paltrow -
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Gwyneth Paltrow has been under fire lately after allegations were made that she did not actually write her own cookbook, according to Time.com. Turns out, she is not the only celebrity chef facing a dent in his or her reputation. Rachel Ray, a well known Food Network star, was also accused of using a ghostwriter, or a person who writes for a celebrity without getting any of the credit.
On March 13 a New York Times dining section reporter Julia Moskin published an essay about her experience ghostwriting cookbooks. The essay also suggests that stars such as Paltrow and Ray do not, in fact, write their own cookbooks. The two women denied such allegations using Twitter and daytime talk show appearances, however the issue is still swimming with controversy. Paltrow and Ray continue to defend their authorship and demand that the Times change its article while the paper is still standing by the story.
Under the cover of all the controversy, however, is the fact that some restaurant chefs do ontt want to write their own books. After enduring a 16 hour day the chefs want to write their own books as much as they want to create the pots and pans. Time management is not the only problem however, some chefs realize that their skill in the kitchen does not extend to the paper and their words can come out confusing to the public. Like any profession, the culinary world has its own language. There are many codes and nicknames for techniques and tools that average people would not understand, which is where the ghostwriters come in. They help translate the confusing, intimidating recipe into something that makes home cooksbelieve that they can cook complex dishes.
Many co-writers, even writers who do get recognized, take pride in the ability to transform chef’s recipes from confusing messes to something a busy mother can whip up in 30 minutes while still maintaining the complexity of his or her original dish. Many gormet chefs create dishes that are so extravagant that in order for casual cookers or other chefs to be able to recreate the dish, they need a translator.
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