In business, the cliché phrase "think outside the box" is an important element of success - and no truer than in the case of Cheflive.
www.cheflive.com
Just one year after entering the Las Vegas market, Cheflive is not only enjoying early rave reviews, it is preparing for an even brighter future.
The innovative digital media company uses state-of-the-art technology to produce creative cooking shows that feature some of the country's top chefs. The content is then broadcast onto the Internet and archived for on-demand video download by audiences worldwide. In addition, Cheflive is developing its own IPTv channel which will debut this summer. Current programming includes such diverse topics as dietary trends, ethnic cuisines, holiday specials and wine pairing. Special programming now being produced includes Celebrity Chefs of Las Vegas, Kitchen Vixen, Chow Time, and a children's show, "Just Cooking It With Chef Bob."
Cheflive is an idea that CEO and founder, John Guinivere, developed to literally take cooking shows out of the television 'box' and into additional communication media accessible to anyone at any time of the day or night.
"We're offering customers an opportunity to learn how to cook the very best meals from some of the world's top chefs," said Guinivere, who has over 20 years of professional culinary experience himself. "A viewer can download a step-by-step, detailed cooking show to their computer, view it anytime and cook a meal exactly as the professional chefs do, but without commercial breaks. This means a viewer's meal comes out precisely as the chef intended."
So why would any world-class chef make his or her best culinary skills available to the public? In a word, exposure.
Since Cheflive's unofficial launch in March 2006, more than 40 professional chefs have come on-board to produce shows and participate in Cheflive events. World renowned chefs include Carlos Guia of the nationally acclaimed Commander's Palace, Luciano Pellegrini of Valentino's at the Venetian, John Howie from Seastar in Seattle, Peter Sherlock from Le Cordon Bleu, and Jacques van Staden of Alizé.
"In the last few years, Las Vegas has evolved into one of the nation's world class cooking destinations," Guinivere said. "Well-known and aspiring chefs are moving to the area because of the professional opportunities it provides. And considering that Las Vegas is host to over 38 million worldwide visitors a year, it's a chef's dream come true."
Guinivere is taking advantage of the chefs and their interest in Cheflive to further brand their name in the culinary industry.
"In the last three years, the Food Network television channel has expanded its reach from 54 million to 84 million households. The public is hugely interested in cooking," Guinivere said. "And with over one billion Internet users in the world, with web surfing time surpassing television viewing time, there are certainly opportunities to promote these chefs by providing a quality product that the consumer is seeking."
A win-win situation Guinivere has banked on and is already building upon.
Although Cheflive will host its official invitation-only grand opening and celebrity party Tuesday, June 20 at its 1,800 square-foot state-of-the-art kitchen studio in Las Vegas, it has already received over four million visitors to its Web site.
Cheflive shows can be downloaded by consumers for a one-time per show cost of $4.99, and Chef's Quick Tips for $1.99 per show tip.
Currently, Cheflive has over 900 scheduled daily shows, more than 100 special event shows, and 20 "behind the party" shows scheduled for 2006.
www.cheflive.com
Chef2Chef News Desk