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The man behind the restaurant empire The man behind the restaurant empire A new documentary showcases the life and times of the first true celebrity chef, .

By PAT SAPERSTEIN MOST people know Womang Puck as the ebullient proprietor of cetebriry-saturated , purveyor of frozen pizzas to the masses and ubiquitous presence on TV mag­ azine shows. But before he blazed the trail as one of the first true celebrity chefe, there was an uncertain boy who grew up in a poor Austrian family with a difBcult stepfather, who left to work in France at just 14 years old before coming to Hollywood. That's the stoiy David Gelb, director otjiro Dreams Of Sushi and Chefs Table creator, tells in Wolfgang, the new documentary about the man who not only invented the smoked salmon and goat cheese pizza but mentored a generation of chefs while build­ ing a restaurant empire. Wolfgang beaau streaming on Disneyt on June 25. Puck has been driven by his early need tor his stepfather's approval his whole life, says Gelb, who finds the massively successful res­ taurateur ready to reflect on his long career and the costs it extracted along the way. Long-time residents might remember Puck cooking for the likes of Orson Welles at Ma Maison, who introduced the then-radical concept of farra-fresh pro­ duce to the French menu before quitting to open his own restaurant, Spago, in 1982 Gelb talks about Puck's influence with food world figures like Ma Maison proprie­ tor Patrick Terrail, super-agent Mike Ovitz, chefs Nancy Silverton and Evan Funke, for­ mer Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl and early 5pago maitre'd Jannis Swerman, now a res­ taurant publicist. Also featured is Puck's ex-wife Barbara Lazaroff, who gets her due for her substan­ tial contributions to his early success. Puck was hardly the first to popularise Celebrity chef Puck in a scene from his documentary - Photos： Handout sourcing from farmers - Alice Waters was doing that at Chez Panisse in Berkeley Then Wolfgang would make sure (hat emotional support for Wolfgang because he () - while Julia Child became a pop­ Ovitz and his people had the tables they had these voices of doubt in his mind. ular figure for her TV cooking show. But needed. We have a great section in the Barbara pushed him and said, *'you can Puck is unique in his ability to expand into movie where we talk about the jockeying for do this, we can do this”, and help make his dozens of restaurants while still keeping fine tables and the power dynamics that the dreams reality. dining establishments like Spago and Cut at tables represent. For both Wolf and Barbara, you know, we, the top of the restaurant game. there are a lot of happy times to recount and Gelb talked to Variety about the scope of Ma Maison owner Patrick Terrail and then there are difficult times as well. And Puck's more than five decades in restaurants. Wolfgang famously didn't speak for they were both quite candid and forthcom­ years. How did he agree to be inter­ ing about it. What's the theme of the documentary? viewed? It's a story about a vulnerable young man Wolfgang it was important to include that part of What was Puck's role in celebrity chef who was running away from his home. And the story, because that's the turning of the culture? then he found something to run toward, dynamic between restaurateur and chef, Wolfgang being on TV, and being photo- something that he really loved. where before the restaurateur was the star. jraphed, and around all these movie stars, Now the chef is the story, the chef very often doing the Oscars, that brought the level of Did you know Puck already? is the restaurant. chef celebrity to a whole other level. Today, The first time I met Wolfgang was when I He was quite gracious, said many nice chefs are our superstars. was 13.1 was eating in Spaga I was brought things about Wolfgang. He has great admira­ there by my dad. And he came out and he tion for his friend, and they had reconciled. Did you get the sense that he felt that he shook every single person in the restaurant's had kind of overextended himself with so hand. And I just felt really special. Of course Wolfgang premiered on Disney's streaming What happened between them? many restaurants and product lines? he didn't remember that, but later, after /iro platform yesterday. Wolfgang didn't leave on great terms. Ruth Reichl gives kind of an interesting came out, we built up a bit of a rapport. When Wolfgang left to start his pizzeria, way of looking at it - he started out peeling kitchen, the food became more personal, and Patrick had said some things to the press potatoes in the kitchen, and he always kind He had turned down documentary pro­ of course, more delicious. about how he thought it would fail. And of worries, is this dream going to run out? jects before - why was he finally ready these are things that kind of fed Wolfgang's So he wants to keep going. now? And this happened to coincide with the own insecurities. He always talks about how he only likes to rise of celebrity culture? Wolfgang came from a household where What do you think he wants his legacy to think about the future. This was a moment All these celebrities were coming to the he was told that he was fail on a daily basis, be at this point? Is he ready to retire? where he was willing to kind of go back. And same restaurant - first Ma Maison and later he was told would never amount to any­ I don't think he'll ever retire. I think that he also said he wanted his kids to see it. He Spago - Orson Welles, Burt Reynolds, Tom thing. And he was ridiculed for wanting to he wants his legacy to be that, you know, if wanted people to see his life story and show Cruise, Tom Hanks, Sidney Poitier, Sean be a cook by his stepfather. And so (hose you work hard, and dream it, with a little bit that it is a struggle, and it requires real per­ Connery. The entire CAA (Creative Artists voices of doubt weigh really heavily on him. of luck, you can do it. He's a little poor kid severance and that there are successes and Agency) client list was there every single day. from Austria who had dreams of being failures along the way. Him being photographed among these stars How did you pull together so many dec­ something more than that. And he did it. made people look at the chef in a totally dif­ ades of archival footage and material? A lot of cooking talent has come out of his What did he bring when he came to Los ferent way. You know, we were very fortunate that kitchens. Angeles? It's kind of a watershed moment for chefs our subject is probably the best documented He is someone who has fostered the The food culture was not up to par with and celebrity culture. chef in history there is so much archival careers of many young chefs who started as Europe. It seemed like a 価 breakthrough material in the vaults of various TV studios. line cooks. As they mature, he'll open a res that Wolf brought to Ma Maison was using What part did CAA chairman Mike Ovitz Barbara Lazaroff was fantastic, and she was taurant to give these chefs opportunities. fresh ingredients, making the produce kind play in Puck's career? able to give us a lot of archival photos, espe­ And so it's almost like a kind of like a school of the centre of the dish, rather than just the Mike Ovitz plays an instrumental part in cially of Spago, like the building of the res­ system. He has people who have been work­ technique and the sauce. the sense of turning Wo明ang into a celebri­ taurants. ing with him for decades. They all grow And in doing so, he started to infuse the ty. Mike told the story in the film about how together. story behind the food that he was serving, by he managed to get Wo应ang his first appear­ How does Barbara Lazaroff feel after all telling “this is where these vegetables come ance on Good Morning America, and how he this time? What's your favourite of his specialties? from, they come from the Chino farm". kind of instrumented this little plot to get We wanted to give Barbara her due. We The smoked salmon pizza, of course. I By putting that kind of context with the family members and CAA agents all calling thought that was important, because it was also love the tuna tartare cones, I think they food, and then also the customers getting into the switchboard to show ABC what a a real team effort. Barbara's contribution are just like some of the most delicious little familiar with the personality that was in the success this was. had a lot to do with the open kitchen, and bites you can have. - Reuters