Vongericterecten-who?

So lets face it, some of us from time to time butcher a chefs name for 6 months, then hear somebody pronounce it correctly and feel really dumb. Don’t worry, it has happend to all of us. So, I decided I wanted to compile a list of all the hard to pronounce (or easy to mis-pronounce) names out there.

I’ve got a thread going on ovet at eGullet about it, so I’ll try to keep it updated from time to time. Once I deem it finished, I’ll post a link on the side.

Here it is as of late:
Grant Achatz – ACK-ETZ
Ferran Adriá – feh rahn ah dree AH
Lidia Bastianich – lid ee ya bahs-TYAHN-itch
Mario Batali – bot tal ee
Richard Blais – Blaze
Paul Bocuse – pole boh-KOOZ
Daniel Boulud – dan-YELL boo-LOO
Tony Bourdain – boor dain
Michael Chiarello – kee ah rell oh
Tom Colicchio – Ko lick e o
Gary Danko – DANG-ko
Marcel Desaulniers – mar cell di sol ni yay
Georges Auguste Escoffier – jorgz oh goost ess coff ee ay
Yutake Ishinabe – Yew-tah-keh Ee-she-nah-beh
Steve Klc – Kelch
Chen Kenichi – Chen is self explanatory, Kenichi is Keh-nee-chee (note that Chen is his family name, and Kenichi is his given name)
Masahiko Kobe – Mah-sah-hee-koh Koh-bay
Emeril Lagasse – la gass ee
Rokusaburo Michiba – Rouk-sah-boo-roh Mee-chee-bah
Masaharu Morimoto – Mah-sah-hah-roo Moh-ree-moh-toe
Koumei Nakamura – Koh-may Nah-kah-moo-rah
Jacques Pepin – pep anne
Paul Prudhomme – proo-DOHM
Ruth Reichl – RYE-shul
Dale Reitzer – RITE-zer
Eric Ripert – eh-REEK ree-PAIR
Michael Ruhlman – ROOL-munn
Guy Savoy – Ghee Sav-wah
Hiroyuki Sakai – He-ROH-yew-KEY SAH-kai
Joachim Splichal – joe ah keem splee kahl
Charlie Trotter – trah tur
Jean Georges Vongerichten – VON-gehr-ICK-ten

Don't be shellfish...