The Truth About Wolfgang Puck's $624 Million Career With HSN
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There’s a notion in the restaurant business that to be a successful chef (or to become disillusioned, some might argue), you should start early. The theory is based on the fact that it takes years to become not only a great chef, but a great chef-entrepreneur.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Wolfgang Puck, who is undoubtedly both. He started cooking in some of Europe’s best kitchens when he was just 14 years old; he was instrumental in bringing California cuisine into the limelight; and he’s an entrepreneur with casual and fine-dining restaurants around the world and a long and fruitful collaboration with Home Shopping Network ($624 million in revenue and counting). Here's our edited interview, in which we discussed working with HSN for 25 years and his new line of HSN cookware.
Robert Seixas: Tell me about your relationship with HSN and the significance of this partnership.
Wolfgang Puck: It started a long time ago. First time I approached them I was so nervous. I slept in the office parking lot. I didn’t know how to sell. But I did know how to cook. My first time on camera, I just cooked and didn’t look up. But I got better. You have to learn like Michael Jordan—like, after being on court, you have to stay hours at the gym. Know what I mean?
I think your target audience is the home cook, but are your HSN products good for professionals, too?
You know, we are not set up for pros. It’s more for retail and the home cook. Appliances in commercial kitchens have to be commercially rated, which is not where we wanted to go with our HSN products.
Why do you think your collaboration with HSN has been so durable? Twenty-five years is an amazing run.
The number one thing I learned in restaurants is it’s all about the customers. To make guests feel good about a purchase and to enable them to cook at home. So, not only do we sell, I want to empower the home cook to have fun in the kitchen.
What are some of the best sellers?
The knife set. The cookbooks. We are the biggest pressure cooker seller everywhere. We also sell millions of knife sets..
If you can give me one HSN/Wolfgang product that every cook should have, which is it?
The griddle. We use them all the time in my restaurants. It’s really powerful.
Your huge influence on food and cooking—and specifically California cuisine—has long been documented. What do you think, in today’s food world, are some areas you are influenced by?
When you look at LA, there are so many cultures, especially all these young chefs doing Korean, Thai, and Mexican cooking. At my restaurants, we need to—and do—keep up and ahead of what’s going on. Think of Chanel. Of course, they have their dresses, but they always know they have to modernize.
I get stopped sometimes on the street and at airports. A lot of people I never think would watch me, but actually do watch me. I want them to have fun. It’s food. It’s not that serious.
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