Irvine cooked up some whoppers

One thing I can say for sure: Robert Irvine's cookware must not be Teflon. Because things are sure beginning to stick. In the aftermath of the Times' s story on Irvine, many sites are picking up the news and running with it.

Although the Food Network has not returned my call yet, glancing at their site today I couldn't help but notice that the Irvine bio page that existed last week has been removed, and the list of celebrity chefs on the network no longer includes him.

Wikipedia has already tagged its entry with: "The factual accuracy of this article is disputed." And then it gives a brief overview of the Times's story.

Gawker picked up the story, with a Youtube video that shows Irvine making some of his more, um, creative assertions. The comments section has some humdingers, such as this one: "Lessons learned: 1) Americans do not tolerate media personalities with bloated egos. 2) Do not f**** with St. Petersburg socialites. 3) Do not name your restaurant anything that causes immediate, forceful vomiting: Ooze, Splurt, Shart, Pus, Blumpkin, ..."

As did Television Without Pity. Best comment: "I'm not surprised: the last time I watched Dinner: Impossible, I really listened to the intro and started thinking, Boy, he's a relatively young man. If he's really done all those things, he must not have spent much time doing any one of them. And it made me wonder. People in this country sure will roll over for a British accent."

And Chowhound, as one would expect, has had a field day with this info. Here's one of the better bits:

"I had the unfortunate experience of working for "Chef" Irvine. His culinary skills are "ok" but nothing spectacular. He is, beyond a doubt, the most insecure man I've ever met. I am certainly not a professional psychologist but my only explanation for the ridiculous tales that he spins was a neurotically poor self-image.

In a meeting one afternoon he tried to pass off the story of having made Lady Di's Wedding Cake. Knowing his age and the year she was married I intoned; "Chef, you were like...12, that remarkable!!" Everyones laughter was uncontrollable, his embarrassment was uncomfortable, and retribution was forthcoming.

Other tales of being the only Chef that Tony Blair would allow to cook for him when he was in the States, redoing the plates of Tom Keller, Charlie Trotter, and Eric Rippert at a James Beard event in NYC before they left the kitchen are just too bizarre. Tom Keller would break his arm if he touched his plate!"

Photo: Irvine takes a break during Titaniumn Chef Challenge at Don Cesar Beach Resort. Click to enlarge. [Scott Keeler | Times]

Comments

[Holly]

There should be a tag line; "Buyer Beware." As I understood the article from Sunday's addition, the woman who got things stirred up should be put in the hot seat! She assumed, created, and invented a whole bunch of stuff and now she's ticked off because her business dream is not going to come true! She's got "egg on her face!" Shame on Wendy!

[JR]

After reading the article, it is apparent that Wendy LaTorre is bitter that what she thought was her Knight did not pan out.

[Stevo]

Looks like this Wendy gal in St Petersburg went to every extent to promote this guy, probably also came up with his history and all of those titles for him... now that she has been exposed as a mingering gold digger, it looks like she is out to assassinate his character...

[David]

It seems that i recall that Wendy has quite a past and i am sure that she would perfer to cook up her own stories.

[Vicky]

There is a rumor that i heard a couple months ago that Robert came up with the name of the restaurant Ooze after spending an evening with Ms. Latorry, has anyone else heard this?

Janet, looks as if Irvine's agent has been wild on your blog. Can't imagine anyone else blaming this woman for Irvine's own lies. A shame he doesn't have more dignity just to admit a few harmless lies, rather than run off with other people's investments....

[stephanie]

i heard the owners of the retail space at 400 beach drive turned down ruth cris steakhouse because they wouldn't open for lunch. bet they're regreting that. ruth even does lunch now...

[The Mouth]

I'm not sure why so many people think Wendy LaTorre is somehow at fault. Irvine seems to have told tall tales to all kinds of people, to have misrepresented himself, to have failed to pay numerous people for work done. He told me personally that he put $9 million of his own into the two restaurants--a claim that appears to be flagrantly untrue. All that has nothing to do with LaTorre.

[Jimbo]

I agree. It's part of our celebrity-driven culture now to protect the famous liars and blame the victims and/or messengers. And the Food Network is calling his lies "embellishments??"

[HRH Prince of all Princes (and Princesses)]

Of course he's full of it. He should be left alone in the kitchen so he can charm and pull the wool over the eyes of a head of cabbage.

The picture of all the ladies standing by the railing is funny. Little did they know, he's probably got 10 buck to his name and a whole library of fictitious stories.

[Steve]

I feel so stupid for being so skimpy on my resume. What the hell is wrong with me! I always leave out the part where I was Prince Charles' best friend and my secret affair with Angelina Jolie.

[Mike]

Thank God it isn't Anthony Bourdain falling from grace. Maybe we can get him here to >cough< turn St. Pete into the next Monaco.

[Ken]

If Irvine was that good of a "cook" then he would not need to have to use celebrities names to his credit. It certainly does not make the food taste any better that he cooked for a famous person. It looks like all hype. By the way, the arogant look on his face while the women looked on, was amusing.

I'm surprised he hasn't claimed to be a Navy Seal yet or a Medal of Honor recipient.

[Please....]

LaTorre.........the "Socialite"....

Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha!!!!!!

That woman is a con-artist and a schmoozer from the get-go.....

This is yet ANOTHER failed scheme she tried to hook someone into......

[Old Chef Dude]

Have you all really ever studied the program on food T.V. His tehnique and ingredients not very impressive With the exception of the sheer quantity. And it's not the fist time anyones been fooled by poor credentials in the Tampa bay area.Happened in Tampa in the late 90's kid shoed up in town claiming to be a member of a culinary olympic team that had been very succesful bestowing himself with high honors not realizing a chef from that team was employed in St.Pete who of course called his bluff. Big mess!!

[ted]

Who cares. He hood winked a bunch of greedy people.

[It Is What It Is]

Please, All Of The People In The Article Are Out To Make A Buck For Themselves.

They Are All Guilty Of Scheming Each Other.

The Deserve Each Other And The Results Of This Devils Match-Making.

[Mr. S]

I can't believe I just saw the words "shart" and "blumpkin" in the Times. The former I can almost conceive seeing, but the latter? Wow. Bravo.

[JM]

Dear "Mouth," I don't think this is so much about "blaming" Wendy LaTorre as it as a collective response to having personally dealt with her. As I've posted elsewhere, I was able to spend a day last year working with both. Chef was polite; LaTorre an impossible diva (and undeservedly so, let me add). That's NOT to defend Irvine, who clearly lied and shouldn't have, but I think her involvement in all this, and her own questionable character, is in fact part of the story. That's my opinion, obviously.

[Kim]

I met Robert Irvine through Wendy LaTorre when he first arrived "on the scene" a few years ago, and he absolutely bragged about being the chef for Princess Di for several years, and also, that he had cooked at the White House many times. He also pursued me romantically, which did not interest me, at all. He told me that he was separated and going through a divorce, which obviously is another fabrication in his life. I don't live in the Tampa Bay area any longer, however; I recently was introduced to the "real" chef of the White House,in Atlanta, and I asked him if he knew Robert Irvine? He said he knew Robert's name, alright, but that he was a fraud and that he had no connection with his staff. As for Wendy LaTorre, what goes around....comes around! HAHA

[Kim]

I met Robert Irvine through Wendy LaTorre when he first arrived "on the scene" a few years ago, and he absolutely bragged about being the chef for Princess Di for several years, and also, that he had cooked at the White House many times. He also pursued me romantically, which did not interest me, at all. He told me that he was separated and going through a divorce, which obviously is another fabrication in his life. I don't live in the Tampa Bay area any longer, however; I recently was introduced to the "real" chef of the White House,in Atlanta, and I asked him if he knew Robert Irvine? He said he knew Robert's name, alright, but that he was a fraud and that he had no connection with his staff. As for Wendy LaTorre, what goes around....comes around! HAHA

Kim,

Robert Irvine sounds like real scum.

[Suzy Q]

I'm a loyal Food Network fan. I've never liked the liar's show, so when his show comes on the remote grinds into full gear. My first impression of him was that he wreaks arrogance and even looks like an xxxhole!!! His show is just too hokey. I would not be disappointed if he got the big BOOT from the Food Network. One can only hope.

[Ben]

Hilarious! Latorre wants soooo bad to be a socialite. I didn't know that it was possible to be a "socialite" in St. Petersburg, FL. Too funny. I went to school with her daughter, she is just as egotistical as mamma..

[Linda]

Isn't this LaTorre person the one who said "Oh, I broke my fingernail" after her husband had just run over six teenagers in the intracoastal about 12 years ago? The restaurant should have been called Booze if she was affiliated with it.

[Brevard county]

Wendy Walton LaTorre is a junkie from Brevard county Fl...anyone ever look into her background...with all her "higher" education you think she never knew the guy was not a knight...please!!! One thing for sure what you put out there comes back...anyone can look up and see if someone has been knighted. When the deal fell apart she turned him in to the St Pete News paper.