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Top Chef New York Season 5
marigold:
Top Chef New York
January 7, 2009
Episode Title: FOCUS GROUP
Cooking excellent food takes focus…and none is greater than the chef'testants on the seventh episode of Bravo's "Top Chef: New York." their quickfire challenge demands they create a sweet treat without using any sugar and in the elimination round, the chef's must serve to an interesting crowd. Toby Young, food critic and best-selling author joins the judges table as Michelin and 5AA Rosette award-winning chef, restaurateur, and star of Bravo's upcoming "Chef Academy", Jean-Christophe Novelli, serves as guest judge.
marigold:
BRAVO'S "TOP CHEF: NEW YORK" ON PACE TO MARK HIGHEST RATED SEASON EVER, UP DOUBLE DIGITS FROM FOURTH CYCLE
Released by Bravo
"Top Chef: The Cookbook" Hits The New York Times Best Sellers List
Food Critic and Acclaimed Author Toby Young Joins The Judges Panel
Bravo's Emmy and James-Beard Award-winning series and the No. 1 rated food show on cable, "Top Chef," is on pace to record its highest-rated season ever, with its most recent supersized original episode garnering a season high 3.125 million total viewers on (12/17/08), according to Nielsen Media Research. Bravo was the No. 1 cable network in the time period (10 – 11:15 p.m.) among adults 18-49 and total viewers, and the episode with special guest judge Martha Stewart was the No. 1 cable telecast of the day among adults 18-49. Through six episodes, "Top Chef: New York" has seen double-digit growth, up 21 percent among adults 18-49 (1.914 vs. 1.584 million) and up 19 percent among total viewers (2.741 vs. 2.30 million), compared to the series fourth cycle.
Bravo Media's "Top Chef: The Cookbook" hit the New York Times best sellers list on December 29, 2008, and is currently in its third reprint, since launching in March 2008. The cookbook, featuring 100 recipes from former "Top Chef" chef'testants and an introduction by lead judge Tom Colicchio, is No. 9 on the New York Times' "Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous" category.
On this week's "Top Chef: New York," airing Wednesday, January 7 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, cooking excellent food takes focus – and no one is more focused than the chef'testants. Their quickfire challenge demands they create a sweet treat without using any sugar and in the elimination round, the chefs must serve to an interesting crowd. Toby Young, food critic and best-selling author joins the series as a judge, stepping in through the end of the season. Michelin and 5AA Rosette award-winning chef, restaurateur, and star of Bravo's upcoming "Chef Academy," Jean-Christophe Novelli, serves as guest judge.
marigold:
An interesting article:
Meet Toby Young ‘Top Chef’'s new judge is no British bully. Opinionated, yes.
Toby Young is the Ted Allen of British reality television, having appeared as a judge on a wide range of food-focused programs with punchy names like “Eating with the Enemy” and “Kitchen Criminals.” He has also competed in a televised battle royale of his own, winning a season of “Come Dine with Me,” a home-dining competition that had celebs throw dinner parties for each other. Young secured victory with a tomato tart, beef fillet 1-2 punch.
So it’s fair to say that when the author and London Evening Standard critic joins the “Top Chef” judges' table on Jan. 7, he’ll be well equipped to send the toques packing. Previews have hinted that Young will be harsh, unapologetic and, well, British. Previews can lie— remember how cool we thought Alex Eusebio was after the season premiere? Remember Alex Eusebio? We reached out to Young for the straight story.
How did you connect with Bravo?
One of the producers of “Top Chef” e-mailed me out of the blue to see if I’d be interested in being a judge in the second half of the season. They wanted someone who would bring a food critic’s perspective to the judging panel. I’m not a chef, so I don’t know much about the technical aspects of cooking, but I do know how stuff is supposed to taste.
Describe the experience of taping an episode—without stringing you up with Andy Cohen’s $1 million non-disclosure noose.
As you know, “Top Chef” is rigidly formatted, so there are half-a-dozen segments we have to film for each episode. During the downtime, the judges have the option of eating the food that’s laid out for the crew—which, predictably enough, is pretty basic: mac-and-cheese, potato chips, candy bars. So you have the rather bizarre sight of some of America’s biggest food snobs chowing down on stuff that even Homer Simpson might think twice about.
How lovely is Padma? How lovely is her palate?
When I first set eyes on Padma, I had to look away—her beauty is so dazzling. It’s as though she’s accompanied by her own lighting system. Her palate is much more delicate than mine. I like strong, bold, simple flavors, but she prefers more subtle, sophisticated dishes.
Did you butt heads with any of the cast/hosts? You are being pegged in promos as sorta a hardass.
I think I was probably a little harder on the contestants than they’re used to, primarily because I’m British. Contrary to the cultural stereotype, British food critics tend to be much more direct and plainspoken than their American counterparts. If Tom or Padma didn’t like something, they’d try and spare the feelings of the contestants, whereas I would just give it to them straight.
At the end of one episode, I went back to meet the remaining contestants, both to congratulate them for getting as far as they had and to apologize for saying anything that might have upset them. I was expecting a couple of them to take a swing at me, but we ended up in a group hug. Unfortunately, I don't think that moment was captured on camera.
You lived in New York from 1995–2000. List your favorite spots…
Peter Luger’s. I’m a big fan of steak houses and Peter Luger’s is still the best. You can get meat as good as this in a handful of other steak houses—Old Homestead, for instance—but the atmosphere is unbeatable.
Raoul's. When I lived in New York I was a bachelor and this was my favorite date restaurant. There’s something about the louche, slightly decadent atmosphere that’s guaranteed to get a girl in the mood.
Les Deux Gamins. A great place to have lunch on a Sunday. Well-cooked steak frites served by surly French waitresses in miniskirts. What more could a boy ask for?
Piadina. A hole in the wall just off Fifth Avenue. The food is nothing special, but the staff is great at accommodating large parties of drunken partygoers. I once saw David Blaine dining in the back. He made a lot of food disappear that night, lemme tell ya.
And the most overrated NYC restaurant is...
Indochine. When the girl at the front desk keeps you waiting for 15 minutes because she’s on the phone to her stylist, you know a restaurant is too fashionable for its own good.
Link to the article: http://newyork.metromix.com/restaurants/article/meet-toby-young/861033/content
marigold:
Ted Allen .... tisk tisk
Ted Allen on Top Chef: Brainwashing, Catfights, and Product Placement
Tony Bourdain managed to once again knock the Food Network and his former show, A Chef’s Tour, during Monday’s premiere of No Reservations. And now, in explaining “why America needs another cook-off show” (namely his new one, Chopped), Ted Allen manages a jab at his former vehicle, Top Chef. Allen writes:
There also is a culinary straightforwardness about [Chopped] that I find really satisfying, and particularly appropriate for a company called Food Network. There is no sleep deprivation, no ‘Big Brother’ house full of bunk beds and cameras, no booze-fueled personal drama (as much as we all love the brainwashing and catfights on that certain show I used to judge). There are no team or catering challenges. Best of all, there is no product placement, so you never see passionate lovers of good food being forced to use packaged convenience junk thanks to Kraft/Altria/Exxon’s sponsorship.
Okay, so the show isn’t a cookie-cutter ripoff of Top Chef. Though the way Allen describes it, it sure sounds a lot like Iron Chef…
Link: http://nymag.com/daily/food/2009/01/ted_allen_on_top_chef_brainwas.html
marigold:
.... more from Ted Allen
Ted Allen Claims Chopped Isn't a Ripoff of Top Chef
Responding to criticism right here that Chopped is a ripoff of Top Chef, Ted Allen gets all defensive on his blog, claiming that the show "has actually been percolating at Food Network for a few years." He starts out his post funny and sarcastic: "just because there are already 37 cooking-competition shows on TV doesn’t mean there are enough of them on Tuesday," but later on drops some criticism on Bravo and Top Chef:
There also is a culinary straightforwardness about [Chopped] that I find really satisfying, and particularly appropriate for a company called Food Network. There is no sleep deprivation, no “Big Brother” house full of bunk beds and cameras, no booze-fueled personal drama (as much as we all love the brainwashing and catfights on that certain show I used to judge). There are no team or catering challenges. Best of all, there is no product placement, so you never see passionate lovers of good food being forced to use packaged convenience junk thanks to Kraft/Altria/Exxon’s sponsorship.
Talk about biting the hand that fed him! Look, the claim that the production company City Lights Media has been working on Chopped for "a few years" as any sort of defense is just silly — Top Chef has been at it a long time, currently on season five. Just because there are a few changes to the format, it's ridiculous to defend the show as anything but a ripoff of what Bravo keeps reminding us is one of cable's most-watched shows. Confidential to Ted: Own up to it, host the show, cash your paycheck, and move on.
Link to the article: http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/01/ted-allen-claims-chopped-isnt-a-ripoff-of-top-chef/
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