Cooking up an artistic identity: the case of high-end chefs

This paper explores the role of affiliations in the form of former apprenticeships in influencing the construction of creative professionals' artistic identity. In particular, it explores those factors that determine an apprentice's decision to offer creative products similar to those of his or her former master in the creative industry. An analysis of international haute cuisine chefs shows that the apprentice's choice to present an offering similar to the one of the former masterchef depends on three elements: the position of the master in the field (degree of rebellion), the master's status, and the apprentice's career stage during the apprenticeship. The paper concludes by discussing how creative actors' artistic identity is shaped by affiliations both at different stages of their professional lives and with masters with different status and with different degrees of rebellion towards the field's artistic canons