The smell of gourmet cooking filled the Boston University School of Management auditorium as world-renowned chef and restauranteur Wolfgang Puck cooked for a sold-out crowd of students and community members Friday night.
Puck demonstrated the signature pizzas from his famous Los Angeles restaurant, Spago, and signed copies of his new cookbook Wolfgang Puck Makes it Easy after the cooking demonstration.
Barnes ‘ Noble at BU co-hosted the event with the Museum of Science, where Puck’s catering company began service this spring.
An innovator in the kitchen, Puck said he has celebrity experience, cooking for film stars including Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, Madonna and Jennifer Lopez’s weddings and for Hollywood events including the Emmy and Academy awards.
Yet, despite the public acclaim, with 14 restaurants, a catering company, a national chain of cafés and a line of cookware, Puck said he remains first and foremost a chef.
“What I really love best is the cooking,” he said. “I would rather do that then meet with my lawyers and accountants all day.”
While he prepared his pizza for the crowd, Puck joked with the audience and answered questions.
Puck said he is known for his untraditional pizzas, which include pesto, prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese.
“I thought I would do it differently,” he said.
Puck’s use of healthy and unique ingredients is something he hopes will carry over to college students.
“It is an important thing instead of fast foods to learn cooking because it is a life lesson and then you eat healthy for life,” he said.
His new book incorporates this philosophy, featuring simple recipes that make high-quality dishes accessible to a wider public.
Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences sophomore Alex Grime, a nutrition major, said she enjoyed the demonstration.
“I’m a fan of cooking,” she said. “He should definitely open a restaurant here.”
Sargent sophomore Corinne Ng said being able to watch Puck prepare the food in person was a rare chance.
“I liked the way he did things differently,” she said. “He was good at explaining what he was doing as he cooked, which is difficult to do.” While Puck has cooked for decades, he said he still has fun.
“The most important thing is to have a good time in the kitchen,” he said. “Otherwise it just becomes work.”
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