Chef Charles Knight – Culinary Innovator, Educator & Television Personality
👨🍳 Chef Charles Knight – Culinary Innovator, Educator & TV Personality
Born and raised in Rahway, New Jersey, Chef Charles Knight began building his culinary foundation in local restaurant kitchens while still in high school. He later pursued formal training at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York City and earned additional credentials in Nutritional Cuisine from the Culinary Institute of America.
In the early 1980s, encouraged by his friend and mentor Chef Tell—of PM Magazine fame—Knight launched Health Craft Cookware, pioneering waterless and greaseless cooking systems made from high-grade surgical stainless steel (initially T304, later T316Ti). His mission wasn’t fine dining flair, but practical, nutritious home cooking—empowering families to embrace wellness in the kitchen.
Chef Knight became a nationally recognized cookbook author, television chef, and an early master of the infomercial format. His syndicated cooking segments, home shopping network appearances, and live fair and home show demonstrations emphasized:
- Waterless, greaseless cooking techniques
- Nutritional education and healthy lifestyle principles
- Innovative cookware design and performance comparison
Through dynamic presentations and mass media, Knight built Health Craft into a thriving international brand, known for its direct-sales success and television marketing appeal. He also authored and co-authored numerous cookbooks and health-forward guides, cementing his status as a leading voice in modern, health-conscious home cooking.
As part of the first generation of television chefs, Charles Knight helped bridge the gap between the professional kitchen and the home cook—ushering in a new era where culinary education met mass media.
In the late 1990s, Chef Tell and Chef Charles Knight teamed up for a nationally syndicated Health Craft infomercial, bringing their combined charisma and culinary expertise to television audiences across the country. Airing on the Pax Television Network, the infomercial showcased their signature waterless, greaseless cooking system, with Chef Tell's flair for showmanship complementing Chef Knight’s practical, health-focused approach. Their dynamic partnership helped introduce millions of viewers to the benefits of cooking with surgical stainless steel cookware—pioneering a format that blended education, entertainment, and direct-response television marketing