André Carthen is best known as a amateur chef, having studied under Jean Francois Meteigner, Suki, Gary Clausen, and Camine Corbo. He owes much of his success to the support of many famous friends, including Kathy Ireland, who has featured André on all of her platinum-selling fitness videos. He gained his interest in cooking as a small child, watching his mother Gwendolyn cook meals in her kitchen for him as well as the many foster children she took in over the years. As he grew and later toured the world, he became even more fascinated with cooking and decided to pursue it as a career. Of utmost importance to him is that his meals be not only tasty, but nutritious as well.