Missionary of the Delicious Ed Levine scolds the Times today for its profile on megaham Rocco DiSpirito and takes the jabs at DiSpirito he feels the writer failed to, saying "Rocco DiSpirito didn't lose his focus, as the reporter suggests. In fact, I would say that he discovered he had a laserlike focus on fame and fortune." Publicly, DiSpirito takes this constant media abuse in stride, like when he joined Anthony Bourdain at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival last year to hand out a Golden Clog Rocco award for the “worst career move by a talented chef.” Why so even-keeled? Rocco told the Times he would often get “punched in the face” growing up in Jamaica, Queens.

Rocco DiSpirito: Misunderstood Chef of the People or Megalomaniacal Celebrity? [Serious Eats]
Taking Heat for Not Cooking [NYT]