The role of chef has both stayed the same and changed dramatically over the last 30 years. Especially since the beginnings of The Food Network, the influx of food competition reality shows, and the ensuing bevy of food media and entertainment that helped stoke the culinary interests of the masses, chefs are no longer just the stars of their kitchens. They are celebrities and public figures, netting contracts, scads of money and millions of fans along the way.
Some use that platform to do the expected things, like sell condiments or a splashy line of cookware. But according to Katherine Miller, author of the new book "At the Table: The Chef's Guide to Advocacy" and the founding executive director of the Chef Action Network, chefs can and should leverage this cultural moment to operate as leaders — both inside and outside the kitchen.
