Genius Brands Pacts with Wolfgang Puck for New Children’s IP

Genius Brands International has partnered with world-renowned chef, restaurateur and entrepreneur Wolfgang Puck for the new children’s brand Wolfgang Puck’s Secret Chef Academy.

Wolfgang Puck’s Secret Chef Academy will feature an animated adventure series with Puck voicing his own character, who is on a mission to create the greatest recipe book of all time. Genius Brands is also developing an L&M program that will include themed subscription boxes containing recipes for kids to create, a line of branded merchandise, a new private food label and more.

In the animated series, in order to compile his recipe book, Puck’s character enlists the help of five talented kid chefs, who attend his Secret Spago School of Scrumptious, and sends them on missions around the world to learn iconic recipes that represent the culture and soul of the places they visit. Their trips become complicated when Puck’s rival, Foxgang Muck, tries to sabotage them at every turn.

The brand’s L&M program will include a dedicated YouTube channel featuring short-form content, as well as a website and social media channels. Its line of branded merchandise will include publishing, cooking tools, apparel, home goods and more.

“Wolfgang Puck’s Secret Chef Academy is at its core a celebration of food and culture around the world and an exploration of how we are all connected through our shared love of eating a delicious meal,” Puck said. “I am extremely passionate and committed to teaching kids and parents about nutrition and the value of cooking meals with healthy ingredients. Equally important is helping reinforce their understanding of how food goes from farm to table and touching on issues near and dear to my heart such as the elimination of global hunger. Our goal is to deliver these increasingly important messages in an easy to understand and entertaining manner. I look forward to working with my friend Andy Heyward and the Genius Brands team to fulfill a lifelong dream of reaching kids through my life’s work.”

“I have had the privilege of knowing Wolfgang for many years and have been fortunate enough to experience his culinary magic from the beginning,” said Andy Heyward, chairman and CEO of Genius Brands. “I have always wanted to collaborate with him on a children’s project. His level of skill, passion, creativity and commitment is truly unparalleled. Our goal for Wolfgang Puck’s Secret Chef Academy is to create an atmosphere of ‘James Bond meets Julia Child’ with a state-of-the-art kitchen and supersonic gadgets, all while highlighting the importance of health, nutrition and sustainability through our storylines and characters’ journeys. We are creating a one-of-a-kind immersive experience through entertainment and merchandise for worldwide distribution.”

Genius Brands Chief Brand Officer Kerry Phelan added, “Wolfgang Puck’s Secret Chef Academy is inspired by Wolfgang’s global brand recognition, and it is incredibly important to us that we create a brand that honors his vision of delivering an experience that celebrates cuisine around the globe and teaches kids to respect and be inspired by different cultures. We truly believe the next generation will fall in love with food, friendship and family and will learn that there is nothing better than a shared meal to bring people together!”