Fiercely guarded recipes are certainly the norm for cartoon restaurants under the sea, fantastical chocolate factories and real-life crispy poultry empires. Mr. Krabs went to extraordinary lengths to hide his Krabby Patty secret formula from Plankton. Willy Wonka convinced everyone that Slugworth was trying to get his sticky fingers on an Everlasting Gobstopper to then duplicate the groundbreaking sugary treat himself and run poor Wonka out of business. And Colonel Sanders had his 11 Herbs and Spices topping safely tucked away in a vault. (Thanks to crunchbase.com for the KFC logo.)
I used to watch Food Network’s Throwdown! With Bobby Flay. On the show, Bobby would surprise a chef and present a competitive cook-off challenge to beat that person at his or her most well-known dish. A blind taste test determined the winner. The fun part of the episode was watching Bobby prep for each throwdown by trying to master that particular chef’s concoction in the test kitchen. Try as he might to duplicate the famous food, he was only guessing about the sacred ingredients and preparation technique.
One terrific thing to emerge from the pandemic is that popular restaurants started sharing their confidential recipes so that hacks, cooks, chefs and bakers could try to successfully replicate their signature dishes at home. (How easy is that, Ina? Sometimes it’s more complicated than you think, actually!)
I was thrilled that Levain Bakery released their top-secret cookie recipe, And, although my BFF Robyn made those cookie bombs in her home for her brood, she said that nothing beats the original. So true. Then Scarpetta shared their Uber popular spaghetti with tomato and basil ingredients. That was a wow too. Doubletree Hotels even let their guests in on the 411 of their acclaimed warm chocolate chip cookies, but I wouldn’t suggest serving them on top of your duvet cover at bedtime.
If you’re not into DIY, which not everybody is, the purposeful leaking of these coveted culinary secrets does nothing for you– and like me, you’re craving the original more than ever. Truth be told, I do think it’s bordering on the criminal to charge $30 for a plate of $3 pasta. But my memory of the waiter removing that glass dome to reveal my piping hot, tangy and delicious Scarpetta special truly makes me swoon.
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