WOLFGANG PUCK, WIFE TO SPLIT, CARVE FOOD EMPIRE.Byline: Barbara Correa Staff Writer Celebrity chef In its strictest sense, a celebrity chef is a someone who has become well-known for his/her cooking. The first historical personality that fits this description is Martino da Como but in practical terms the term grew in popularity during the 1990s. Wolfgang Puck Wolfgang Johann Puck (born Wolfgang Johann Topfschnig on July 8, 1949) is an Austrian-American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and businessman based in Los Angeles. could lose a key ingredient in his recipe for business success - his wife and business partner of 20 years, Barbara Lazaroff, has filed for divorce. Lazaroff, who has played a key role in Puck's success from the opening of Spago in West Hollywood West Hollywood A community of southern California northeast of Beverly Hills. It is mainly residential. Population: 36,600. in 1982 to the building of a $300 million food empire, filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court. According to court papers, the Beverly Hills couple separated Nov. 16. No grounds for divorce The Grounds for divorce are set regulations in each state that specify under what circumstances can one party be granted a divorce. In almost a dozen states, the couples must live apart for several months before being granted a divorce. were stated but the question of splitting up assets could be complex and contentious. Court papers seek a 10-day hearing for the divorce and division of assets Ask a Lawyer Question Country: United States of America State: California My father is dying of cancer and refuses to draft a will. All his assets will go into intestate territory when he dies. . ``The exact nature and extent of separate property assets and obligations is not yet fully known,'' according to the papers filed Wednesday by Encino attorneys Harold and Marian Stanton. ``(Lazaroff) will set forth such information in her property declaration and will offer evidence thereof at the trial of the matter.'' Puck was on a nationwide book tour Monday and could not be reached for comment. He is promoting his recently released ``Live, Love, Eat! The Best of Wolfgang Puck.'' He was in Sunrise, Fla., on Monday and is scheduled to appear today on ``Good Morning America'' and then travel to Las Vegas on Thursday and Friday. Jannis Swerman, a spokeswoman for the Austrian restaurateur res·tau·ra·teur also res·tau·ran·teur n. The manager or owner of a restaurant. [French, from restaurer, to restore; see restaurant. , said Puck and Lazaroff remain business partners and that their separation was amicable. Puck's businesses are organized in three divisions: Wolfgang Puck Catering and Events; Fine Dining, which includes the Spago and Chinois restaurant chains; and Wolfgang Puck Worldwide Inc., a privately held unit formed in 2001 to oversee commerce, licensing and brand management for Puck, its largest stockholder. WPW WPW Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome WPW Wafers Per Week WPW Web Page Wizard WPW Web Publishing Wizard also announced a global partnership last year with ConAgra, the second-largest food company in the United States, to produce products including a line of wood-fired pizzas. The unit also manages the Wolfgang Puck Cafe chain of 15 casual-dining restaurants, the Wolfgang Puck Express franchise chain (currently with 19 units open), and the recently acquired Cucina! Cucina! brand with 22 units in the Pacific Northwest. In addition, the corporation oversees partnership deals and licensing agreements that incorporate the Puck brand, such as the Puck cookware items sold on the Home Shopping Network “HSN” redirects here. For other uses, see HSN (disambiguation). The Home Shopping Network (HSN) is a mostly 24-hour shopping network that is seen on cable, satellite, and some terrestrial channels in the United States. . Lazaroff stepped down from the board of the Food Co., the unit that previously managed the frozen-food line and cafe chain, several years ago. She owns Imaginings imaginings Noun, pl speculative thoughts about what might be the case or what might happen; fantasies: lurid imaginings Interior Design in Beverly Hills. ``He has strong management people behind him,'' said Janet Lowder, a consultant at Restaurant Management Services in Rancho Palos Verdes Rancho Pal·os Ver·des A city of southern California on a channel of the Pacific Ocean west of Long Beach. Population: 42,100. . ``She raised the two boys and did all the interior design. They had a strong management team so she could do that and he could sell his pots and pans and do his cooking shows.'' Puck was born in St. Veit an der Glan, Austria, in 1949. After cooking in France, New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of and Indianapolis, he moved to Los Angeles and worked as a chef at Ma Maison from 1975 to 1981. His first marriage ended in divorce in 1979. Lazaroff, a native of the Bronx, N.Y., met Puck through a friend at a club - and the next day she went to his cooking class at Ma Maison, where he won acclaim as a chef. She became Puck's business partner before becoming his wife in 1983, overseeing the design and construction of the original Spago in West Hollywood, as well as other Puck restaurants. With about 20 other investors, Lazaroff and Puck opened casual-yet-sophisticated Spago on the Sunset Strip in 1982. Puck introduced his trademark gourmet pizzas, including those with smoked salmon and caviar, along with other dishes that put him on the food map. Puck and his wife are involved in many charitable organizations and activities including their own Puck-Lazaroff Charitable Foundation established in 1982. The foundation supports the American Food and Wine Festival, which has raised more than $10 million in the past 20 years to benefit Meals On Wheels n. 1. A program that delivers hot meals to persons, such as the elderly or disabled, who are confined to their homes and unable to cook for themselves; also, the meals thus delivered. Such programs are usually conducted by governmental or charitable organizations. programs. They have two sons, Cameron, 13, and Byron, 8. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Chef Wolfgang Puck and his wife of 20 years, Barbara Lazaroff, are shown during happier times at one of their restaurants early last year. Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer |
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