By Mark Seavy  

Whether it’s on social media, at retail, or in restaurants, chef brands are showing a renewed appetite for licensing. 

And while the pairing of chef brands with consumer products has ebbed and flowed over the years, this latest reincarnation is focusing more on storytelling and less on label slapping. 

The Otto Group’s 116-store Crate & Barrel chain, for example, recently launched a 30-piece direct-to-retail (DTR) deal with New York’s Eleven Madison Park chef Daniel Humm. The collection features furniture, linens, cooking accessories (green marble salt and Pepper shakers), cooking tools (utensil holders, knives), and glassware—the latter developed with nine glassmakers to create Montreux Wine Glasses. The agreement with Humm was a follow up of sorts to a 60-piece collab Crate & Barrel introduced last year with New York chef Eric Adjepong.  

Cutting and carving board manufacturer JK Adams signed a licensing agreement for an 11-piece line ($29-$298) with the 45-restaurant Black Angus Steakhouse. Egg and butter supplier Vital Farms, meanwhile, is a sponsor and has a custom ad spot for season four of the FX Series The Bear, which launched on June 25. The custom spot for The Bear stars actress Liza Colón-Zayas, who plays Tina Marrero on the hit series, and nods to the viral omelet dish featured in the show’s second season.   

“When the chance came to advertise during the upcoming season of The Bear, we knew we wanted to do more than just show up—we wanted to honor the spirit of the show,” said Kathryn McKeon, Vital Farms’ Chief Marketing Officer. 

The inspiration for that kind of storytelling can also be found outside of the kitchen. Chef Nadiya Hussain, for example, won The Great British Bake Off in 2015 and has since expanded her licensing program to include Penguin Random House cookbooks and BBC-2 TV shows. The program also includes a licensing partnership with McCormick & Co.’s Schwartz spice and herb brand in a deal brokered by Start Licensing that includes recipe mixes and kits, curry shots, sauces and side seasonings. The line was launched last fall as an exclusive in the U.K. at Tesco. 

Tristar Partners, meanwhile, renewed its push behind chef Emeril Lagasse for air fryers. And Cat Cora, star of the Fuji Television Iron Chef series, returned to licensing with Harold Import Coi. (cutlery) 13 years after signing her first deal with cookware supplier Starfrit. 

“Companies are focusing even more strongly than before on core portfolios, expanding the strength of business units and setting a foundation for strong growth,” said Otto Group CEO Petra Scharner-Wolff, who joined the chain in January. “They all want to inspire customers with high-quality products, a unique choice of goods, and an array of services.”