Celebrity Chef Cameos

As food entertainment continues to explode it makes sense that its major players have garnered enough fame to attract brief starring roles in general interest shows and films. While the notion of chefs testing their acting chops is not entirely new (remember Paula Deen's role in Elizabethtown? Or how about Emeril Lagasse's gig as the voice of Marlon the Gator in The Princess and the Frog) these more recent appearances feature these chefs as themselves (well, mostly).

• Anthony Bourdain on The Simpsons: In anticipation of Bourdain's upcoming cameo on The Simpsons, the show's executive producer, Matt Selman, tweeted a photo of him in cartoon form. Bourdain is portrayed with his signature style, but with a jet-black dye job of his salt-and-pepper hair.

• Bobby Flay on Entourage: An ongoing story line throughout the current (and final) season of Entourage is the unfolding saga of Ari Gold's separation from his wife. In the second episode, Mrs. Ari tells Ari that she is dating Bobby Flay, which sends him into a rampage. Flay did not appear in that episode, but is scheduled to appear later in the season. 

• Wolfgang Puck and Tom Colicchio in The Smurfs: Both of these superstar chefs snagged brief roles in The Smurfs movie. Wolfgang Puck lends his vocal talents to the character Chef Smurf and Tom Colicchio delivers a couple of lines as himself in a star-studded party scene. 

The Daily Byte is a regular column dedicated to covering interesting food news and trends across the country. Click here for previous columns.