The Untold Truth Of Wolfgang Puck

He's been called "the world's most recognizable chef" by Forbes and "one of the first true celebrity chefs" by Variety. If you haven't already guessed, we're talking about Wolfgang Puck. Today Puck's food empire is truly a thing to behold. As he told CNBC in 2018, he brings in roughly $600 million every year. He began his empire in 1982 with the now-famous restaurant Spago in Hollywood. Since then, he has become a chef for the Hollywood elite and a staple of award show dining. He has dozens of critically acclaimed restaurants, lounges, and bars all over the world and he offers a line of cookware, cookbooks, and frozen foods. Chances are, you know about Wolfgang Puck.

Puck's journey to food stardom was undeniably an unusual one. He grew up in Austria near the border of Italy. He began working in a nearby town when he was just 14 years-old. A few years later, he went to France then the States to learn more. Eventually becoming part-owner of Ma Malson. By the '80s, he had his own restaurant and a regular procession of celebrity clientele. But what's the real story of Puck's rise to the top? Here is the untold truth of Wolfgang Puck.

Most celebrity chefs have some help getting to the top — few well-known chefs come from nowhere. Wolfgang Puck is the exception. Puck's career began when he was 14. He left home to escape his stepfather and began as an apprentice at a nearby hotel. As he told Forbes, the role involved the "grunt work." By a stroke of bad luck, Puck was fired. However, the indomitable Puck returned to work the next day. When the manager finally realized Puck was still working in the kitchen, he flew into a rage. The hotel manager was impressed by Puck and sent him to a sister hotel.

At the end of his apprenticeship, he left for France where he worked at the famous Maxim's where continued to work his way up through the ranks of the kitchen. By the time he was 25, he had moved to California. After transforming Ma Maison from a little-known eatery into a hotspot, Puck started his own restaurant — Spago. Soon, Spago was welcoming Hollywood's biggest stars and the rest is history.

From the lowest of the low in an Austrian hotel kitchen to chef of the upper echelons of Hollywood, Puck has a real rags-to-riches story.

When Wolfgang Puck opened Spago, his first restaurant, it wasn't just the food that made it a hit — it was the innovation. One of his most daring moves was to use an open kitchen plan, something which had never been attempted in the United States. "I mean, maybe it existed in some obscure part of the world, I don't know," Puck told Food & Wine, "But not in a white tablecloth restaurant where the King of Sweden and the President of the United States eat."

The kitchen was designed by Barbara Lazaroff. As she explained in the book "Restaurants That Work, the design was intended to create a "very homey, friendly welcoming atmosphere." She went on, "Entering Spago, customers are drawn to the lush, exotic floral displays, the bustle of activity and divine aromas emanating from the open kitchen, and the sounds of laughter and lively conversation in the dining room — the animate rhythm of the restaurant" (via Barbara Lazaroff's official website). The open kitchen design was a hit, and soon, it became a trend. In fact, in 2012, Time noted that the trend was still growing.

Wolfgang Puck has enjoyed plenty of critical success throughout his career. However, not every food critic who visits his restaurants is a fan. In 2017, Puck spoke to Eater about bad reviews.

First of all, he said that a recent Eater review by Ryan Sutton was hypocritical. "I know good food better than Ryan will ever learn to cook or to taste or anything," Puck said bluntly. "He's an amateur so he doesn't really know. He also criticized a New York Times review by Pete Wells, saying that he had placed too much emphasis on the restaurant's interior design in his review. "[A critic] can say, 'It's not my preference. I don't like this art,' maybe, but to say the art is not good — if you're a food critic, write about the food," he said.

While Puck isn't afraid to call out food critics, he isn't too worried about the impact of bad reviews. "[A critic] is not going to make us busy or not busy," he said. "He, to us, is totally unimportant." Well, Puck certainly doesn't mind saying it like it is!

While Wolfgang Puck has dozens of his own restaurants dotted around the world, he also enjoys visiting other people's restaurants, too. As he told GQ, there are several international restaurants that make the top of his list.

In Hong Kong, Puck happened to eat at the InterContinental restaurant where he was staying when all the other restaurants were closed for Chinese New Year. "After I went there, I thought, 'I don't have to go out anymore. I could eat here every night and finish all the dishes on the menu,'" he gushed. Apparently, it was the best Chinese food he'd ever tried.

In Vienna, Puck always visits Urbanek. "The owner has this little bar, and different farmers bring him cheese and ham or someone's housewife makes a great roasted pork," he explained. In Japan, Puck loves Kitcho. "Every table has its own private room. It was total silence," he recalled, adding, "You don't want to be there with a person you have nothing to say to." Puck also has favorite restaurants in France, England, Spain, and Italy — it's clear that he's well-traveled, especially when it comes to food.

The more you learn about Wolfgang Puck, the more obvious it becomes that he was always destined to make food. But, of course, in another life, he may have done something different. As he told Vogue, "I would love to be an artist." It turns out, Puck is passionate about contemporary art. "You'll see pieces by John Baldessari, Damien Hirst, and Ed Rushca in our restaurants," he went on. Apparently, he was even friends with Andy Warhol, who once asked to paint his portrait. "When he died, I thought, 'S***! For $30,000, I could have had an original Warhol,'" Puck said.

In an article for Du Jour, Puck said, "I've had artists in my life since the early 1980s at Spago ...We always have good art in our places—it's a big part of the experience for me." Based on the artistry Puck puts into his dishes and his restaurant interiors, we can definitely see how he might have been an artist in another life.

Wolfgang Puck eats well, which comes as no surprise to anyone. However, it turns out that he's also pretty regimented when it comes to staying in physical shape. As he explained to Esquire in 2012, his fitness regime began a few years earlier when he realized skiing was making him exhausted. So, he started to exercise. "Now I ski better than I did twenty years ago," he said proudly.

Puck's exercise routine consists of weight lifting, boxing drills, push-ups, and squats, all led by a personal trainer who comes to Puck's house. "Doing cardio with the weights strengthens your whole body," Puck said. The chef's fitness journey inspired him to rethink his approach to healthy eating. In fact, he even released a cookbook about it. "With smaller portions, and more exercise, you live a better life," Puck said, explaining the ethos of his book and lifestyle.

Wolfgang Puck traveled from Austria to France to the States before settling down and building his own line of restaurants — but the chef still loves to see the world. In 2017, he told SilverKris about his favorite holidays — and he's had a lot of them.

Apparently, Sardinia is one of his favorite destinations. "The water is this emerald green-blue color. It's so beautiful," he reminisced. Capri is another spot that he remembers fondly. "My wife and I got married in Capri," he explained, "So we go back every two or three years. It's romantic," he said.

Like everyone, Puck has his particular travel habits. For instance, wherever he goes, he always tries to visit the local markets. Another habit is that he always procrastinates when it comes to packing. "I always forget something," he confessed. It sounds like Puck is an expert, seasoned traveler — even if his packing skills could use a little work.