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CHEF EXPOSED: 

Chef David Burke Endures and Enjoys His Critics – Then and Now
 

“There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.” Oscar Wilde

When Chef David Burke was chosen to represent the USA at The International Culinary Competition (at the age of 26) and won France’s coveted Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Diplome d’Honneur - the only American to ever achieve this honor, it wasn’t front page news, not even a Facebook post. So, how did he rise to the top of his field at a time when there wasn’t ‘face-tweet-insta-blog’?

“I didn’t have a publicist. I had a stage, “ He says of his culinary playground as an up and coming chef at New York City’s famed River Café. “The buzz started from within the industry and would find its way to the customers, and ultimately the journalists. It’s not so simple anymore,” Burke says of the exposure and notoriety today’s chefs and restaurateurs either enjoy or endure.

Throughout the 80s and 90s, when the internet had yet to cross social barriers, a chef’s story was told through beat reporters and food writers, most of whom had actual writing skills and experience, and were held accountable for delivering the facts. With the art of food entering into pop culture territory, a writer’s opinion was thrown into the mix, and thus, the “food critic” was born. Critics weren’t anything new, per se, but their star status had been limited to the European Michelin Guide sleuths and stereotypical food snobs who only wrote about French restaurants.

“The French restaurants reigned supreme, “recalls Burke of the 80s New York restaurant landscape, “Le Bernadin, La Grenouille, Lutèce, Le Pèrigord, etc. These were the guys getting all of the ink. People weren’t writing about the Italian joint, the Spanish place, or the sushi bar.”

Burke’s star power initially manifested itself while at such Manhattan institutions as Park Avenue Café and Smith & Wollensky. His innate ability to play with his food and his daringness to create unconventional dishes within the walls of these staunch men’s clubby corporate dining rooms caught the attention of conservative diners and mainstream reporters. Pictures had yet to become a major part of the media fabric, but upon earning 3 stars from the New York Times, this prestigious news outlet was compelled to include a photo of one of Burke’s intriguing dishes.

“‘New Wave in the East River. Mr. Burke has been variously judged talented but untamed, creative but sometimes overwrought.” Florence Fabricant, New York Times, November 9, 1988, River Café

The stage was set for this larger than life chef and without realizing it then, the media attention would soon catapult Burke into the next stages of his remarkable career. A caged animal that needed to hunt and forage, the David Burke brand was created and a string of restaurants (davidburke & Donatella, david burke townhouse, Fishtail, Primehouse in Chicago and David Burke Las Vegas to name a few) driven by the artistic and culinary interpretations of a chef without borders became media fodder. Writers were fascinated by Burke’s artistry, and while they didn’t always subscribe to his pushing the envelope with classic dishes (smoked salmon consommé served in a snifter glass), Burke says “The good writers would take the time to find out more about the dish and how I arrived at that preparation and presentation. It didn’t matter their personal opinion. It was the story behind it.”

“It was in fact fish for steak lovers, and its success hinged on the technique.” Dana Bowen, New York Times, November 23, 2005, Burke’s infamous swordfish steak invention 

Burke always appreciated the supportive journalists as well as the purists who threw harsh criticisms his way. The sheer opposite ends of the spectrum that the media had portrayed only made the David Burke brand stronger. Food Network had yet to arrive commercially and food events were mostly industry driven back then, so consumers relied on mainstream media, primarily newspapers and magazines, to feed their gastronomic interest. This served Burke quite well – and for quite some time.

“The magazines loved what I was doing. It [the food] was innovative, rebellious, and most of all, photogenic! “, he says of such magazines as Art Culinaire and Gourmet, “And they wrote about the food, the chef, the inspiration, and even threw in some recipes. There weren’t any ‘best of’ issues or ‘top ten’ categories. No gimmicks. Just the facts.”

“A class act in every way, his novel American fare is of Faulknerian complexity." Zagat Review, 1996, Park Avenue Café

This simpler time would soon take a turn. Consumers were ravenous for more. More restaurants, more diversity, and more information. The internet, circa the 2000 dot.com boom, was supplying another outlet for restaurants and chefs to communicate with the consumer. Review sites, online listings, and eventually Facebook seemed to house the bulk of information about a restaurant, a food trend, and even insider information about the biz. Nothing was sacred anymore. It was there for all to read and judge.

This information wasn’t just limited to the credible and established media outlets. These online portals were now housing food-centric web sites and blogs created by consumers. Food enthusiasts, cynics, supporters, know-it-alls, and egomaniacs all got in on the action, writing about their food experiences and documenting them through cell phone pictures. “Followers” were the new normal and both the media and the hobbyist thrived on growing these numbers.

For Burke the online and social media exposure was never a driving force within his business model. While other restaurants were obsessing over their online presence, Burke looked to these outlets to keep him in the loop on what was going on around him. Not one to follow a trend, as he was always the one creating them, he could appreciate the public’s growing infatuation with food and the talent behind it. His online identity and activity, a crisscrossing map of the good, the bad, and the outrageous, was one of the few that showed no signs of slowing down.

“Of course, a David Burke wedge looks like a Carmen Miranda hat. “ Gale Greene, Insatiable Critic, March 28th, 2011, David Burke Kitchen

“I began to have fun with it, “he says of such food sites as Eater, GrubStreet, UrbanSpoon (Zomato), and Serious Eats, “It was a far cry from what I was accustom to - The Observer, The Times, Zagat, and New York Magazine. Anyone can be a food critic now. Some of these novice writers are quite good – while others just give food bloggers a bad name. Heck, even Yelp has positioned itself as a ‘credible’ source – and you can’t even prove the reviewer ever visited the restaurant!”

Dillon Burke, a social media expert and the co-founder of Front of House (and yes, Chef’s son) looks at today’s social media trend as a natural progression. His take is that of an innovative and forward thinking industry now having an equally progressive and expressive platform (s) to market their restaurant with.

“Restaurants are brand and reputation driven – it’s a 2-way conversation that the restaurants and the consumers can actively participate in, “explains Dillon, “The photo aspect of what’s taken over the space is just mind boggling, but it makes sense. Food is a just as much a visual art as it is a culinary art. For someone like my dad, who sees food as an artistic expression, Instagram tells his story. His talent and personality cannot be airbrushed.”

“Celebrity Chef David Burke's résumé includes ventures both serious and head-scratching.” Time out New York, January 26, 2011

Does this age of online praise and persecution cripple a restaurant’s ability to have control over their brand or their reputation?  It’s a hot topic among chefs and restaurants owners. Nowadays a business benefits from having a publicist, a marketing director, and even a social media manager to navigate these waters. From Burke’s perspective, he says it’s a shame that it’s no longer enough to just have great food, service and atmosphere. Today a restaurant has to immerse itself into the community, the chef must perform cooking demos on TV and sling hash at a charity event. In a saturated market, staying relevant takes up as much energy, time and money as keeping up with food and service standards does.

David Sederholt, COO of New York’s Strategic Funding Source and a former chef himself, says even a restaurant’s business plan must include a marketing component. “Banks, lenders and investors want to know how their money is going to be paid back – and that includes a restaurant’s strategy for growing their customer base and staying in the game. Smart restaurant owners will include marketing professionals in the day-to-day operations of a restaurant.”

“I believe in good PR as it pertains to promoting my business. But I do not subscribe to garnering votes or rankings, “says Burke, “I’m all for getting the right information out there and having a space where the public can learn about who I am. But the popularity contest that overshadows the talent is an abomination and is disrespectful to the craft. You don’t have to like me, but at least get the facts straight, “he says about writers who don’t take the time to do their research or fact check.

Having grown up watching his dad morph into a legitimate brand, Dillon sees the next chapter in Chef David Burke’s career coexisting well within today’s social media climate. “He’s a big personality, somewhat controversial, uniquely qualified to tell it like it is, active with projects, and his food makes a statement.”

Looking back over Burke’s 40’ish years in the media, one can see a pattern taking shape.  It’s that of wonderful consistency within inconsistency. His reviews are all over the place. And though no one has ever denied his talent, personal taste and perception has long been a choppy road among writers when it comes to Burke’s inventions.

“The style in Burkeville could be described as over-the-top.”  Lizzie Widdicombe, The New Yorker, January 30, 2012, David Burke Kitchen

“Listen, I know I take chances, and with that come consequences. But, the stupidest thing a writer can do is give a restaurant zero stars or a negative and destructive review. It’s a disservice to the reader. Where not to eat should never take up valuable editorial space as that writer is only one opinion and most likely it was from one experience,” says Burke, “There’s no reason to be nasty when you’re writing about food.”

Burke sees the adoration and the humor in the reviews he’s received over the years. He finds joy in the fact that his food has created discussions among his colleagues and stirred up debates within the media. He once relished in the irony of receiving praise from reputable food critic Gael Greene for her “favorite dish of the year” (1989), a curried-oyster-and-noodle cake with red-wine butter; while that same week [then] Esquire food critic John Mariani blasted that same dish for being the “biggest misstep by a chef of the year.”

“You can’t make this shit up,” laughs Burke.

“You go here for David Burke's cuisine, which is wholly his and reflective of the big guy's generosity of spirit.”John Mariani, Virtual Gourmet, May 2, 2010, David Burke Townhouse

“While I am grateful for what the media has done for my career (for the most part), it’ll be interesting to see the direction both traditional media and social media take and how it will affect the restaurants in years to come. We think about how restaurants stay relevant. The same can be said for writers and all of these review sites. Do people listen or does it become white noise after a while? In the meantime, I’m going to keep on doing what I do, take chances, and have a little fun along the way.”