Will he stop saying, “Bam!” and start saying, “It’s a good thing”?
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO) has bought most of celebuchef Emeril Lagasse’s empire for $45 million dollars in cash plus $5 million in stock options. The deal could reach $70 million if future performance goals are met.
A news release at the MSLO site says Stewart’s empire will now control:
- Television Programming: The Essence of Emeril and syndication episodes of Emeril Live on The Food Network, and food correspondent segments on ABC’s Good Morning America;
- Cookbooks: library of twelve cookbooks, including Emeril’s Delmonico and Emeril’s There’s a Chef in My World;
- Internet: emerils.com Web site;
- Licensed Kitchen Products: Emeril-branded cookware by All-Clad, cutlery by Wusthof, and tableware by Wedgwood; and electrical appliances by T-fal;
- Food Products: includes Bam! B-Q sauce, spices, marinades, coffee and more.
Lagasse will retain ownership and control of his eleven restaurants; plans to expand are not affected.
Susan Lyne, President and CEO of MSLO, says, “Emeril brings talent, energy and legions of fans to the Martha Stewart family, along with a powerful brand and an attractive, profitable business franchise.” The news release (in frames) is here.
Lagasse’s long-time home, The Food Network, ceased production of Emeril Live in December.
Related: Bam! Emeril Live is Cancelled The Network That Emeril Built
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Hmmm…I don’t know what to say, except – Good for you, Emeril! That’s a nice chunk o’ change to be sure.
I’m not a Martha fan, but I imagine she would do well by the products she has purchased. After all, it’s business and the business is to make money.
I applaud them both. Now that Martha has more expensive kitchen stuff at Macy’s it’ll be interesting to see if MSLO moves some of Emeril’s stuff to Kmart, to keep her entry-level lines company.
And will MSLO launch a new program for him? Oh, the questions!
I think it would be wonderfully delicious to see Martha Stewart
get some passion into he personality and let down her hair and shout BAM! a few times..that just would clash with her dinnerware.
Although, I don’t see Emeril demurely saying..”it’s a good thing” I figure.. what floats your boat.. and fills it with cash.
I love the idea of the two of them joining forces! I think they will balance each other beautifully or Emeril will totally drive her crazy. Either way…it will be fun to watch!
@ mimz – Oh, yes, just once I’d love to see her loosen her self-control. Even Julia let down her hair from time to time.
@startcooking – I wonder if she’ll have him on more often now? I don’t watch so I guess I’ll have to hear about it second-hand if she does. I can imagine Emeril having fun with her though, and calling her ‘boss’ or something.
Talk about the American dream — both of them!