Chef Emeril Lagasse was born in 1959 in Fall River, Massachusetts to a Canadian father and a Portuguese mother. While earning a scholarship as a percussionist in 1978, his passion for cooking led him to attend the Johnson & Wales College of Culinary Arts, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate in 1990. His catchphrases of “Bam”, “kick it up a notch” and “feel the love” are known to millions of food-loving Americans.
Lagasse describes his cuisine as a different interpretation of Creole influenced by the Asian, Portuguese and Southwestern cuisines. With this formula, Chef Lagasse cooked up an estimated 50 million dollar net worth.
As a tireless philanthropist, Lagasse contributes time and resources to the Emeril Lagasse Foundation and the Emeril Lagasse Golf Tournament where he has raised more than 2.5 million for Johnson & Wales students.
Lagasse's home base is New Orleans, La.
For more information: http://www.emerils.com/
