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Top Chef New York Season 5

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marigold:
An interview with Danny:

Ousted Chef Danny: Eugene Should Have ‘Gone Home’

Outspoken chef Danny Gagnon may have refused to recognize that his team’s food had any problems at Judges’ Table – but given some time away from the competition, the fiery New Yorker now understands their downfall. Calling from home, Gagnon opened up about how his team leader Eugene failed to steer them to victory, why he was happy with his performance on the show and tackles our five burning questions. – Brian Orloff

But your elimination challenge was cooking for Gail’s bridal shower. So, did that create more pressure for you?
I thought it was awesome. Like I said on the show, I wanted all of them to take their clothes off after they tasted my food. Unfortunately the “sushi master” himself messed everything up.

Do you mean Eugene?
He selected himself as the group leader. And he says he wanted to do deconstructed, new wave-y sushi. Eugene overcooked the rice and overcooked the shrimp tempura. Basically, the execution of the dish by the other two people I was working with was really poor. Eugene said he was the sushi master, and the sushi master messed up the rice and the shrimp tempura, and I got booted.

Do you think he should have taken more responsibility for the concept?
I think he should have taken all the responsibility and went home, but unfortunately this is life. You can’t always get what you want, and that’s it.

He didn’t really explain how to eat the dish – which he admitted on the show.
He should have explained it like he said on TV. How do you fail to explain the dish? It’s your idea. It’s your sushi. You’re the sushi master and you’re not going to tell the people how to eat the damn sushi. Once again, he failed to do something. He failed three times on that challenge.

Were you happy with how you came across on the show?
I stayed confident throughout the whole show. I don’t care what everybody says. If the pope is standing in front of me, I’m going to be confident about what I did and I’m going to stand behind myself, and that’s what I did. I think I had a lot of funny comments. I was quiet but my food spoke for itself. That’s the one thing I’m very proud of.

Our Top Chef 5 Burning Questions:

Describe your Top Chef experience in one word.
Retarded.

What is in your refrigerator right now?
Pig’s feet and raviolis.

Name one food you cannot stand.
Green peppers.

Pick your favorite fast-food restaurant.
White Castle.

Best thing about cooking in New York?
That I was on Top Chef.

Link: http://tvwatch.people.com/2008/12/11/ousted-chef-danny-eugene-should-have-gone-home/

marigold:

BRAVO TIES FOR MOST PRODUCERS GUILD AWARD NOMINATIONS

Published: December 12, 2008

BRAVO Press Release

BRAVO TIES FOR MOST PRODUCERS GUILD AWARD NOMINATIONS

"Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, " "Top Chef" and "Project Runway" Nominated

NEW YORK – December 12, 2008 – Bravo received three nominations for the 20th Annual Producers Guild Awards – tying with HBO and Showtime for the most nominations – with "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List," "Top Chef," and "Project Runway each receiving a nod. "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List," produced by Picture This Television, was nominated for Best Non-Fiction Television Series, and "Top Chef" and "Project Runway, " both produced by the Emmy-winning Magical Elves, were nominated in the Live Entertainment/Competition category.

"We want to thank the Producers Guild for nominating three of our series with this prestigious honor," said Frances Berwick, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Bravo. "Our talented production teams and on-air personalities continue to create the highest quality non-fiction series and we congratulate them on their success."

The two-time Emmy Award-winning "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List" is produced by Picture This Television for Bravo. The series is executive produced by Marcia Mule, Bryan Scott, Lisa M. Tucker and Griffin.

The No.1 food show on cable and Emmy Award winner "Top Chef" is produced by the Magical Elves. Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz and Shauna Minoprio serve as executive producers.

The 12-time Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning "Project Runway" is co-produced by The Weinstein Company and Miramax Films. Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz and Rich Bye of Magical Elves are executive producers of "Project Runway." Heidi Klum is host and executive producer. Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein, and Desiree Gruber and Jane Cha of Full Picture are also executive producers. Barbara Schneeweiss oversees the production on behalf of The Weinstein Company.

marigold:
An interesting article:

WHAT WOULD PADMA COOK?

'TOP CHEF' HOST LOVES LEFTOVER COMFORT FOOD

IF you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Maybe not a good idea.

You'd miss Padma Lakshmi, the fiery stunner who's the face of Bravo's crowd-pleasing "Top Chef." As one of the show's judges, she's best known for her no-nonsense directive: "Please pack your knives and go." As host, she "moves verbal traffic along" and extracts maximum commentary from the contestants.

Surprised to hear that, off the set, she wields a mean spatula?

"Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet" is not what the fans cheer under her apartment window - it's the name of her most recent cookbook.

"The action was always in the kitchen," she said of her love for all things culinary.

Born in New Delhi, Padma flirted with food early, inspired by the tasty creations of aunts and cousins. Transplanted to New York as a young child - she now lives downtown - she and her mother regularly sampled different ethnic cuisines all over the city.

So what does Padma, with a slew of restaurants and chefs at her beck and call, love to eat most of all?

"Comfort food - warm, stew-y, and served in bowls." Anything that's reminiscent of her native Indian fare, like rice and lentils "with soupy things on top."

It's the sort of meal that Padma says she can "curl myself around," especially in cold weather.

And - get this! - "I love leftovers," she says. "I do a healthy version of a sloppy Joe made with ground veal and turkey that's better the next day."

Not surprisingly, sampling contestants' rich and indulgent dishes takes its toll at season's end. "Then I go to the gym an awful lot and use smaller bowls," she admits.

The rest of the time, she keeps in shape by boxing, jumping rope, running up and down stairs and lifting weights - a regimen that would give her a strong physical advantage if she were a "Top Chef" competitor. But strategy is another matter.

"There's no way to anticipate each challenge," she said. Her advice to contestants is to have a solid repertoire of memorized recipes that can be tweaked and used in different scenarios.

"It's important to be able to think on your feet and not panic," she said.

"I have great empathy with them" she said of the competitors. "It's their careers, and they've taken time off from work with no pay."

Link: http://www.nypost.com/seven/12112008/tv/what_would_padma_cook__143592.htm

marigold:

SPEND THE HOLIDAYS WITH BRAVO FAVORITES

Released By Bravo

Published: December 16, 2008

Classic Bravo Marathons Guaranteed to Make The Season Brighter

Bravo brings out all the trimmings for a festive holiday with the "Best of Bravo." To celebrate the season, Bravo will air marathons of some of the network's most popular series – "The Real Housewives of New York City," "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," "Flipping Out" "Top Chef," "The Rachel Zoe Project," "Project Runway," "The Real Housewives of Orange County," "Million Dollar Listing" and "The Millionaire Matchmaker."

The marathon schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, December 24:

"Top Chef: Chicago," from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Thursday, December 25:

"Top Chef: New York," from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

marigold:
Gail Simmons Blog:

The Holiday Spirit

This Quickfire was an absolute pleasure to watch. First off, who doesn't love Martha's formidable and spot-on critiques? Second, my favorite way to cook is all in one pot. Not only does it make for easy cleanup, but it also provides a canvas for creating lots of variations on a basic recipe, especially in the form of hearty soups and cozy stews that are perfect for this time of year. My personal favorite is a take on simple chicken soup, fortified with barley, lots of veggies, grated parmesan, and a handful of coarsely chopped fresh tarragon or dill. My (now official) mother-in-law taught me to make it many years ago and in winter months I love cooking big pots to freeze and reheat on days when I am too busy to cook. Martha seemed to enjoy the majority of dishes she tasted and I was quite proud of our cheftestants for showing her how creative they can be.

The food served at this week's Elimination Challenge appeared to be a different story entirely. What a serious disappointment to watch chef after chef fail in each of their attempts to impress the judges at amfAR's annual Christmas fundraising gala. I loved the idea of using the Twelve Days of Christmas as inspiration for each different dish but, as in the past, I was dumbfounded by what some of the chefs chose to cook. Eugene's Five Golden Rings of poisson cru with pineapple, coconut milk, and Yukon gold potatoes is one such example. Without having the chance to taste it, I could have guessed the layers of sweet ingredients would completely overpower most fish, if not made with an extremely delicate hand. This is why the traditional Tahitian dish is made with a fish like tuna, which has enough richness to stand up to the flavors. And of course I love deviled eggs as much as anyone (perhaps even more than most), but I would never have made them for this type of occasion on a professional cooking show as it showed a lack of innovation. Lucky for Ariane and her Six Geese a-Laying she had immunity and could not be put on the chopping block. In fact, luck was on the side of all our chefs in that the judges spared all of them this week, after getting a very serious talking to from Tom. I am not completely surprised by his warning to the chefs. Although some of what we have eaten up to this point has been wonderful, many of the contestants seem to be skating by, doing the least possible to keep them in the game, instead of aiming to produce the best results each time. If I had been a diner in their restaurant when much of this was served, I would certainly not have returned. It must have been pretty bad for everyone at the Judges' Table to have such universally negative reactions and literally come to an impasse about who should go home. I cannot help but be thankful I was not there to taste what was served.

On another note, were you as touched as I was at how swiftly the chefs banded together to help both Hosea and Radhika after discovering their ingredients had gone bad from a night sitting in an open fridge? I found it fascinating that both Hosea's Eleven Pipers Piping (Smoked Pork Loin with Chipotle Mashed Potatoes, Braised Cabbage and Apple Jus), as well as Radhika's Partridge in a Pear Tree (Braised Duck Leg on Toasted Brioche with Pear Chutney) were two of the four most successful dishes of the evening. Their descriptions certainly appealed to me the most. At least in name alone, all their ingredients sounded balanced and extremely appetizing. They also appeared to be perfectly seasonal and appropriate to where they were served. Perhaps there is something to be said for teamwork after all. It cannot be a coincidence that the two dishes which benefited from the most collaboration were also two of the best. Just do not get too warm and fuzzy at the thought of everyone getting along. We must all remember that the whole purpose of this show is of course a competition. I assure you, the holiday spirit of helping and giving will not last long. There is food to be cooked, dishes to be tasted and, most of all, titles to be won!

Link: http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?blog=gail_simmons&article=2008/12/this_quickfire_was_an_absolute

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