Wolfgang Puck Has a Change of Heart and Menu

The celebrity chef, Wolfgang Puck recently announced that he would begin to use "cruelty-free" animal products in his restaurants and catering businesses. He stated in a recent Newsweek article that the Humane society of the United States had approached him to be a role model for other chefs and consumers.

For many years Wolfgang Puck has been one of the top celebrity chefs, with television shows, top restaurants, and catering services. He has sold a variety of food, cookware, and appliances in retail stores, the Home Shopping Networks, and on his website. He owns a variety of restaurants, such as Spago, Postrio, Cut, Chinois, and the Wolfgang Puck Café and Wolfgang Puck Express chains.

However, he had been the bane of numerous animal rights groups for his refusal to stop using animals products such as veal and foie gras, which can cause a great deal of suffering to the animals before they are slaughtered. To make foie gras a duck or goose must be force-fed large amounts of corn mash through a tube forced down their esophagus. There is currently no "cruelty-free" way to produce this delicacy.

He assured his viewers that he is not going "soft" and becoming a vegan, but that he did not want the calves that become veal to suffer and that he and his customers could do without foie gras.

"It's about getting every one of us to eat the right foods. That means buying produce from responsible farmers who grow fruits and vegetables that aren't covered with pesticides or genetically modified. It means getting meat from ranchers who not only shun the use of antibiotics and growth hormones but also raise their animals humanely in a free-roaming environment. "

Puck has also pledged to use organic ingredients, humanely raised meats, and seafood that is harvested in a way that does not deplete endangered species or harm the environment. He is also switching the plastics bags he uses in his catering business to recycled paper bags, and is looking for more environmental friendly food containers. His hope is that other chefs will follow his example and the future will hold "more chefs and fewer doctors."

Puck has a regular show on the Food Network called Chef Wolfgang Puck's Cooking Class, has been on Iron Chef American, and has published numerous cook books. He has also made guest appearance on several shows such as Frasier, Los Vegas, and American Idol. His website www.wolfgangpuck.com links customers to his various restaurants, services, and products. Viewer can also access a variety of Puck's recipes on his website and on www.foodnetwork.com.