Chefographies-Interesting Fact...
Decorating By SophieBelle Updated 26 Mar 2007 , 2:41pm by MichelleM77
Has anyone else noticed one thing all the women profiled on these shows have in common?
Not one of the cooks they've profiled have kids.
Rachel, Ina, Sandra, Giada, Nigella...
They have focused their energies elsewhere and gotten very far in their careers, though. It's all about choices, huh?
Nigella DOES have children, she has a boy and a girl. Her husband died young of cancer. She's been through an awful lot yet she still does wonderful work. I don't know the other women.
I'm so surprised to hear she has children. Hers in the one profile on Chefography (Food Network) that I haven't seen yet, but I've seen her on television so often as a guest, on her own show, in interviews, etc. and she's never mentioned her children. I guess mentioning that she's a mommy might mar the image she is promoting.
I assume we're talking about Nigella Lawson here. She definitely has children. I've seen them on her Christmas tv show and she talks about them a lot in her books where she describes their reaction to her food. I feel a bit confused about your post SophieBelle - what do you mean - the image she is trying to promote? Do we have to bark on and on about our children to be 'honest' about ourselves or can you have a career where you don't mention them and still be a good mum? I think it's entirely a woman's choice whether to have children, whether to have a career and how to manage both - any suggestion that someone might hide her family to promote an image or, even worse, only have got places in their career because they don't have children rankles me.
You didn't mention Paula Dean, but she has kids and she started her business on her own as a single mother. Her story is quite amazing.
Mothers or not, all successful women have to work very hard to be where they are.
And then we could get into a discussion of what success really is. But let's not do that 
You didn't mention Paula Dean, but she has kids and she started her business on her own as a single mother. Her story is quite amazing.
Mothers or not, all successful women have to work very hard to be where they are.
And then we could get into a discussion of what success really is. But let's not do that
You know, I thought she started her business on her own as a single mother, too, until this weekend when they showed her biography and I saw that she had been married to the boys' father until they were completely grown! I think they said 27 years? I told my husband, that's not what they used to say when her show first started! Why are they changing the story now? In fact in this 'chefography' they say that her husband gave her the money to start that famous catering business out of her house, the one the boys used to help with by selling the food to businesses...
I just hate how we are led to believe things on television as they make 'characters' out of the hosts of these shows, only to find later on that it was a contrived story. They are certainly entitled to their privacy, but the made up stuff is annoying when you have been a fan.
And I never said Nigella should harp on and on about her kids. I just said in all the many times I've seen her talk about herself, on and on, she never mentioned her kids. And it's a well-discussed fact that she has cultivated a certain image that has made her famous. I was merely pointing out how the image making machine seems to work.
Emmascakes, did you ever get my pm weeks ago? I introduced myself and mentioned how much I admired your work? I never heard back. Your rankled reply to my simple post makes me think you might be upset with me or something? Don't know why?
Edited to add that regarding Paula Deen, my family has been a huge bunch of fans of hers since she came out on tv. We've driven the 3 hour drive to Savannah just to eat at her place 4 times, and my daughter met her and one of her sons there. We would have admired her just as much if we didn't think she started the business as a single mom.
And sometimes its not about choices....some woman have no choice whether they can and can't have kids. And some people are very private about their lives and choose not to share . And its interesting to me that none of the men were mentioned....
Gosh! I didn't mention the men because I'm not one and I haven't been watching their biographies. I'm only interested in the women, to be honest.
And personally I think that if a person is private about their lives, they don't pursue public careers and sit for interviews for biographies about themselves. They could choose not to be profiled.
You didn't mention Paula Dean, but she has kids and she started her business on her own as a single mother. Her story is quite amazing.
Mothers or not, all successful women have to work very hard to be where they are.
And then we could get into a discussion of what success really is. But let's not do that
Actually, I think we should discuss what success really is! The best cooks, chefs, bakers, and decorators I've tasted/heard of do not have books or television shows.
I totally get the intention of the original post- sometimes we do feel like we have to make a choice as women. We always "give up" a part of ourselves to have children- whether that be some of our interests & hobbies, slowing down our career, time for ourselves, travelling... it depends on on our priorities and situations. Not that it isn't possible to have it all, but there are only so many hours in a day, and I don't know anyone who has perfect balance in their life.
At 35, I'm struggling with this one- no baby yet, wondering if I'll regret waiting this long, wondering if the things I've experienced and achieved will be "worth it" in the end.
We all have our passions- children can be a wonderful thing to channel our passions into! Or some may choose to channel their time & passion into other things- good for them. It's just that it can be a very tough decision for women.
Mothers or not, all successful women have to work very hard to be where they are.
And then we could get into a discussion of what success really is. But let's not do that
Actually, I think we should discuss what success really is! The best cooks, chefs, bakers, and decorators I've tasted/heard of do not have books or television shows.
I think you're right that the best chefs/decorators etc aren't always the ones who become rich and famous. Same goes for artists, writers, singers, musicians etc. etc.
Not everyone wants to be famous, too.
I'd take the money, but I don't want to be recognized everywhere I go! lol
The reason I said we shouldn't get into a discussion of what success is, is because I was thinking of the motherhood angle and that is almost always a really, really tricky topic. It's so easy to offend without meaning to.
For instance, I could say that I am not pursuing a cake career because my family has to come first, and someone would most likely think I'm condemning women with families who have cake businesses. In fact, all I'm saying is that I personally lack the emotional and mental resources to do both.
To me, success equals being the best person you can be, whether you are a mom, a career woman, both, or whatever.
Earlier chefography post:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-186491-.html
And sometimes its not about choices....some woman have no choice whether they can and can't have kids. And some people are very private about their lives and choose not to share . And its interesting to me that none of the men were mentioned....
I didn't take your statement to mean that they didn't mention the men chefs but that they didn't mention on the shows, the men in these women's lives.
I watched the "chefographies" of Paula Deen and Emeril yesterday. Found them to be quite interesting. Both of Paula's husbands were mentioned along with her handsome sons. Amazing that Emeril was interested in cooking from the time he was a little boy.
I love to cook and at one time owned a cafe but there is no way I could visualize cooking on the scale that these people do. I love watching them! 
Diane
SophieBelle - I did get your PM, I didn't reply as you said in it not to look at your gallery until you;d updated it, so I thought I'd wait a bit and look when you had so that I could comment on your work - I certainly hadn't ignored it deliberatly and look forward to seeing your work.
I only got rankled about the working mother thing - it wasn't at all personal. It's a sensitive issue at the moment as I'm probably not able to have children and dearly wish I could. Also it's still the case that people comment on women's careers in terms of their family life - but no-one ever mentions about men and their careers.
It's good that we are discussing this as we're mostly women, most of us have children and most of us are trying to balance that with a career or working life and it's valuable to have a space where we can talk about that.
You didn't mention Paula Dean, but she has kids and she started her business on her own as a single mother. Her story is quite amazing.
Mothers or not, all successful women have to work very hard to be where they are.
And then we could get into a discussion of what success really is. But let's not do that
You know, I thought she started her business on her own as a single mother, too, until this weekend when they showed her biography and I saw that she had been married to the boys' father until they were completely grown! I think they said 27 years? I told my husband, that's not what they used to say when her show first started! Why are they changing the story now? In fact in this 'chefography' they say that her husband gave her the money to start that famous catering business out of her house, the one the boys used to help with by selling the food to businesses...
I just hate how we are led to believe things on television as they make 'characters' out of the hosts of these shows, only to find later on that it was a contrived story. They are certainly entitled to their privacy, but the made up stuff is annoying when you have been a fan.
And I never said Nigella should harp on and on about her kids. I just said in all the many times I've seen her talk about herself, on and on, she never mentioned her kids. And it's a well-discussed fact that she has cultivated a certain image that has made her famous. I was merely pointing out how the image making machine seems to work.
Emmascakes, did you ever get my pm weeks ago? I introduced myself and mentioned how much I admired your work? I never heard back. Your rankled reply to my simple post makes me think you might be upset with me or something? Don't know why?
Edited to add that regarding Paula Deen, my family has been a huge bunch of fans of hers since she came out on tv. We've driven the 3 hour drive to Savannah just to eat at her place 4 times, and my daughter met her and one of her sons there. We would have admired her just as much if we didn't think she started the business as a single mom.
I don't know where you get your info, but her boys were not 27. She started in 89 and her boys are 36 and 39. That would have made them twenty one and eighteen. If they both lived with her she WAS a single mother still. She also started her business with $200. Regardless if she got the money from her husband or not I would still say it was amazing.
She didn't say the boys were 27, she said that Paula and her husband had been married for 27 years.
Diane
Unfortunately there is still a double standard when it comes to women, family, home and children. In most cases (not all) the women are still expected to be the main caretaker of the home and children. I work in education and its been my experience that most (not all) female school administrators (principals etc.) either have no children or grown children. Its an extremely demanding job and its very difficult to do as a woman with young children. Men can usually do it because they have wives. As a woman who works full time, with DH and 2 young sons, I always say I don't need a cook/maid/chauffer/nanny etc. I need a wife, because a wife does it all!! (my best friend and I are both married full time working mothers, and we jokingly ask each other "will you marry me?" all the time!)
Just my 2 cents.
I thought I heard on her chefography that the boys' father left the family and she was a single mother.
I love watching the chefographies. So interesting to see them behind the scenes and in their private lives.
When you watch Nigella's programmes in the UK you get a very strong sense of the importance of family and friends; they certainly pop up in most programmes. believe I am correct is saying her first husband. an extremely clever and gifted journalist and broadcaster, had throat cancer, from which he was not able to recover.
I have so much respect for Nigella because she's been through a lot. I found her Chefography very interesting. Actually, of the ones I watched, I liked them all . . .
However, Rachel Ray annoys the living snot out me. I like her, but I hope she doesnt act like that when she isnt on camera. No one is that friggin perky. From the looks of it, she's even happy when she has a migrane.
I started watching some of the chefographies this weekend....caught several of them...Nigella Lawson, Paula, Giada, Bobby, and Tyler (YUM), but I haven't seen if there is one for Alton Brown. He is so funny and I love watching his Good Eats, Feasting on Asphalt, and him on Iron Chef. Does anyone know if he has a Chefography?
I'd like to see one on Morimoto and Cat Cora off Iron Chef, and the healthy foods lady......I can't think of her name. Elle something.
Sorry, it is too early here. Need to go back to bed.
whoops, should have posted that I was talking about Paula Dean.
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