CatchOn, a Hong Kong-based strategic consultancy specializing in hospitality, commissioned a study to see if the presence of a chef really does change the perceptions and experience of a meal. The study invited 48 unsuspecting diners to Hong Kong French restaurant Serge et le Phoque and asked them to rate two versions of a saffron risotto. The second version made with inferior ingredients but introduced personally by chef Charles Pelletier received overwhelmingly higher ratings. The findings underscore the fact that a chef’s personality in today’s food and celebrity-obsessed world is as important as what they serve on the plate.
