Emeril John Lagasse (born October 15, 1959 in Fall River, Massachusetts) is a celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, and writer. He is of French Canadian and Portuguese ancestry. He is a 1978 graduate of the Johnson & Wales University culinary program.

Emeril is most well-known for his TV show Emeril Live on the Food Network, one of its highest-rated programs. Lagasse was the first host chef of Food Network's beginners' cooking show, How to Boil Water, in 1993. After several appearances on several other FoodTV programs, he hosted his own show, The Essence of Emeril. "Essence" in the title refers to the name of a spice blend of his own concoction that he sometimes uses in his cooking. Emeril also often suggested that viewers of his show create their own spice blends that reflect their personal tastes and be unafraid to use them to customize the dishes he would teach.

Emeril is known for his light and jovial hosting style as well as several catch phrases, including "BAM!", "Kick it up a notch", "Feel the love", and "Oh yeah, babe", usually said before or after adding something spicy to a dish, or after the reaction to adding something (respectively). When frying or making dishes like sausage, Emeril advocates using genuine lard, boasting "Pork fat rules!"