Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

1. Anthony Bourdain
2. Wiley Dufresne

Jacques Pepin...hands down. I've been watching his PBS shows ever since I can remember (and that's a loooong time). He has such an easy style and charm. It would be a dream!

Ina Garten

Mr. Pepin - he's such a charmer and I love the sophisticated simplicity of his recipes

Ina Garten.

If he's still alive, Justin Wilson. Anyone remember him?

Forget all those namby-pamby, hoidy toidy, snob chefs that we get on TV these days. Justin Wilson would blow all those Yanks right out of the water. I would love to sit down, drink wine, and sample his cajun cooking. Ohhh-We!

Since I am sure he's no longer with us, I'll take Onepercent99. This person is bold enough to pick themself, so that says enough for me. All I ask, is no fru-fru crap or off the wall ingredients. I want real food for real people. Oh, and nothing with mayo!

Cheers!

Tyler Florence. His ultimate show recipes always leave me drooling.

Molto Mario - he just has that hedonistic style that appeals to me. But since I've never eaten anyone's cooking, can they audition first? :)

I've been thinking about this since I first saw the topic several days ago. Limiting myself to only one famous chef,l I cannot come to a conclusion. There are too many who are so different that I can't choose.

And not to be lame but if I could have a meal cooked by any one particular human dead or alive it would be my mom. So much good food died with her that it's tragic. (Her recipe box disappeared after she died. No one knows what happened to it. If word gets to her in the afterlife that we lost it, she'll haunt us forever. And not in a good way.)

Anyway, I'll pick a few: Mario, Ming Tsai, and whoever was in charge of the remoulade sauce and cheeseburger po' boys at College Inn in New Orleans.

@ gingercookiewithlime: he is so charming, isn't he? i like your other picks too-we have similar tastes! i grew up on yan can cook & alton's my favorite 'new' tv instructor. i think it'd be fun to be a student in a class he taught.
@mizbee: thanks! you by far gave the best answer with the Phantom Tollbooth! i guess this kinda was the food version of ye olde college essay topic. dead-i'd have to say julia child...fictional tho? since you already nailed it with the phantom tollbooth, i suppose i'll have to go with the swedish chef--mm bork bork!
@dbcurrie:your challenge to sandra lee had me on the floor!
@pooch: did you know that lydia used to work for christopher walken's parents at their bakery? (this bread needs more cowbell!) lol
@reelgoodrecipes & mrstkach: i didn't consider morimoto-he's such a genius. gonna have to make him a secondary choice. he's always my favorite to watch on iron chef.

I was thinking Morimoto myself!