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Top Chef New York Season 5

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scuzneck:
I think apskip hit it right on the head. The competitors stayed in New York because of the "sequester rule". If you go home two days after leaving for the program, people are going to know immediatley and the RFF detectives will have it posted within minutes of your arrival back home.  ;D  :wohoo:  :hearts:

Plus, as apskip pointed out, I am sure they are in the audience at the restaurants being served as well as helping to prep and clean the Top Chef kitchen afterwards.

TexasLady:

--- Quote from: scuzneck on February 06, 2009, 01:54:42 PM ---I think apskip hit it right on the head. The competitors stayed in New York because of the "sequester rule". If you go home two days after leaving for the program, people are going to know immediatley and the RFF detectives will have it posted within minutes of your arrival back home.  ;D  :wohoo:  :hearts:

Plus, as apskip pointed out, I am sure they are in the audience at the restaurants being served as well as helping to prep and clean the Top Chef kitchen afterwards.

--- End quote ---

You guys are right... I'm a dunce.  :lol:   (Not sure if I got eliminated I'd want to be cleaning the kitchen though.)  :snicker:

marigold:
An interview with Jamie:

Top Chef's Jamie: Toby Young Is Like Simon Cowell

After a Quickfire challenge that entailed hammering a nail through the head of a still-moving eel and a tricky dish recreation, a side of salty celery is the only thing that stood between cheftestant Jamie Lauren and the next round of Top Chef. We caught up with the San Francisco-based executive chef to find out what she thinks of Toby Young, what inspired her many tattoos and why buying tampons is a hassle these days.

TVGuide.com: What was it like getting kicked off for a dish that wasn't your own?
Jamie Lauren: The challenge was difficult. I thrive on the creativity of being a chef, so I had a hard time recreating someone's creative innovation. But the way I look at it is if I had to go home, I was happy that it was cooking someone else's dish badly and not my own food!

TVGuide.com: It sounded as though you weren't a fan of Chef Eric Ripert's food at Le Bernardin?
Jamie: No, that wasn't true. I liked the meal we had, but I didn't like the dish I got stuck with. I got the one that was sort of lame — and I wasn't the only one who felt that way. I would have rather done the one Hosea got because the flavors in that one are really cool and I work with them a lot, or the dish Fabio got.

TVGuide.com: How did you feel about the Quickfire fish-gutting extravaganza?
Jamie: I thought it was a cool concept. I wish I could have gone further in it, but I just could not fillet the goddamn sardines. [Laughs] It was hard to do in five minutes because your hands are shaking while you're trying to get these little bones out. I looked at Eric's fillets and they were gorgeous. And I looked at mine and was like: eh. Whatever. If you look at my track record from the show, I've cooked a lot of seafood. It's actually one of my favorite things to cook, but I've never filleted a sardine before. I serve them whole.

TVGuide.com: Toby, who wasn't a fan of your dish, seemed to be a bit vocal throughout this season. What did you think of him?
Jamie: I think Toby is the Simon Cowell of Top Chef; he's there for shock value. I think they wanted someone to get annoyed about and just say things to say things. He was always really cool to me, so I don't have anything bad to say about him. I just don't think I'd take what he says as much to heart as I would Gail.

TVGuide.com: From what we saw this season, it seemed as though Stefan had a little crush on you, no?
Jamie: Stefan and I were there to just support each other as chefs, and I think we have a lot of mutual respect for each other and the talents we have. In terms of it being a crush, maybe it is a little bit true. Though in all honesty, I think he just admires me as a chef and a person. And I feel the same way about him. But putting up with Stefan for the past couple episodes has made me a more patient person. He's great, but he's a pain in the a--. [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: Tell us about your tattoos. They're hard to make out on television.
Jamie: I have two sleeves. The full one is a sleeve of jellyfish. I was toying with the idea of doing an octopus or fish of some sort, but I went down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and they had the most beautiful jellyfish exhibit. I knew right away that's what I wanted. The other is orchids and a lotus flower, which I really like. I just wanted them to be really bright and colorful.

TVGuide.com: Now that you're a reality star, how are you handling all this extra attention from strangers?
Jamie: It's interesting to not be anonymous anymore. It's definitely changed my life, for sure — not just with people coming in to meet me at the restaurant but everywhere. I live in the The Castro in San Francisco, which is the gay area, and I can't even go down the street without someone screaming out a car window at me. It's definitely great, but there are times I just want to go the drugstore. [Laughs] I feel awkward going into Walgreens and, like, buying a box of tampons, and people being like, "What is Jamie buying?!" [Laughs] But at the same time, I signed up for it by signing up to be on a reality show.

Link: http://www.tvguide.com/News/Top-Chef-Jamie-1002531.aspx

marigold:
An interview with Jamie:

Top Chef Exit Interview: Episode Eleven

Last night's episode of Top Chef brought a welcome dose of New York to the current season, with fancy cooking at Le Bernardin and the eel-skinning that inevitably happens whenever Eric Ripert is around. After a Quickfire full of fish-filleting, the cheftestants moved on to a six-course lunch with the Ripper, only to learn that their challenge would be to re-create his dishes from memory. Stefan got lucky with a lobster dish, Carla successfully poached escolar in oil, and Leah pouted and got things wrong. But in the end it was Jamie Lauren, the last remaining member of Team Rainbow, who was given the boot for making her celery too salty. We spoke with her earlier today about whether she really finds Ripert's food "uninspiring" and why she has nothing in common with Lisa from last season.

Were you shocked by the outcome of this challenge?
Not at all. I knew that I screwed up and I might be going home.

The decision came down to: Is it better to acknowledge your mistakes and know how to fix them, or to not even know your mistakes and not know how to fix them?
I haven’t even watched the show. I don’t know how it was edited. I was at work last night and I came home and didn’t really feel like watching it. I always own up to my mistakes and know what I did wrong. I don’t even really remember what Leah did or didn’t do, so I can’t really say.

So losing wasn’t a huge blow to you, it seems like.
I never went on the show with the intention of winning. I went on the show to prove to myself that I could actually do it.

You certainly did right by the Team Rainbow name. You were the last to survive, I guess. It’s interesting, every season, there’s a few gay contestants. Last season it was Lisa who made it the furthest.
Yeah. I have heard comparisons, but I don’t think we’re similar at all.

What have people said?
People have said that I’m just the grumpy, bitter lesbian who stands there with her arms folded. I don’t know if they just group all of us lesbians together. It was never about being the lesbian contestant. I’m very proud of who I am as a member of the queer community. But first and foremost I’m a chef. I’m a chef first and a lesbian second.

Of the bottom three, was yours was the worst dish?
I think mine had the worst offense. I think it being oversalted was the biggest problem. You couldn’t eat it; it was oversalted.

You realized the mistake, but it was at the point of no return.
It’s not like I had a chance to go back and braise more celery. I had to plate it, I didn’t have a choice. It was either not plate it or plate it. And either way I was kind of screwed.

One of the things you said in the show was that you found Eric Ripert’s food somewhat uninspiring. Would you say that in general or was it just in regard to the dish that you made?
Out of the dishes that we tasted, that was the most old-school and classic. It’s just not the food that I’m into. That’s what I meant when I said that I was uninspired by it. I am one of those chefs that thrives off of the creative process, so that’s why I had such a hard time with it.

Throughout the season you were sometimes criticized, jokingly or otherwise, for making a lot of scallops. Is that your favorite thing to cook?
No, not at all. The scallops just were there! They were in the kitchen, so somebody needed to use them.

Did Stefan really have a crush on you?
I know Stefan has a crush on me. He still has a crush on me.

What was the highlight of this experience for you — if you had to pick one thing, one dish, one moment?
I think overall the highlight for me was being able to showcase who I am and my talents on a regular basis to 3 million people a week. That’s a huge thing.

How would you compare San Francisco and New York as food towns?
They’re very different. People in San Francisco are into knowing where a product comes from; the whole farm-to-table thing is a really big deal here in the Bay Area. They consider themselves massive, massive foodies. They’ll be the first to remark on something if it’s not right or not local enough. In New York people are a little bit more laid-back.

Link: http://nymag.com/daily/food/2009/02/top_chef_exit_interview_episod_6.html

marigold:
An interview with Jamie:

Top Chef Exit Interview: Jamie Is Cut, And She’s Over All The Scallop Talk

Last night’s Top Chef had a few shockers - wriggling dead eels, anyone? - but the biggest doozy of the evening came when Jamie Lauren, the soup and scallop loving cheftestant was given the boot after a salty recreation of an Eric Ripert signature dish. To many, Jamie was expected to go all the way. She had what seemed to be the winning pairing of hot, judge-pleasing dishes, combined with a cool, and (mostly) calm attitude. In an interview today, the 30-year-old chef talked about leaving the show, her “relationship” with Stefan, why the “scallop thing” got out of control, and on a more personal note: what she plans to do with her girlfriend on Valentine’s Day.

You seemed like you had resigned yourself to the idea of getting kicked off last night. Were you ready to go?

I knew that I’d screwed up. I had a pretty good idea that I was going to be the one going home, and I was okay with it. I couldn’t go back and change anything, so I kind of had to accept my fate at that point. It’s not the end of the world, for me, at least. It was so long ago. It was six months ago, and I’m kind of over it at this point. I’ve had enough time to let it marinate. I’ve dealt with it. Being on the show itself was an amazing experience and I’m lucky that I have that. I can’t beat myself up over that. It was over celery. It’s just not a big deal.


You mentioned on After The Knife that it was also easier to deal with because you were cooking someone else’s food. Do you think if it had been your dish you would have had a different reaction during judging?

Absolutely. Had it been my own food, or my own intellectual property, my own creative intelligence, I would have been really pissed if I went home. It’s easier for me to stomach going home because I cooked someone else’s food that night.

Were there any moments that you were shocked by when you watched the show on TV? Maybe Fabio’s comment “this isn’t Top Scallop, this is Top Chef?”

[Laughing] Well, I haven’t seen last night’s episode yet, so I don’t really know what happened on that. I mean, I know what happened, obviously, but I haven’t watched it yet. It is interesting to see what other people say in their interviews, because we don’t see that. I think you learn that you have to take it with a grain of salt, because it is a TV show. I wasn’t surprised by much of anything, though.

How come you haven’t watched last night’s episode yet?

I got off of work really late, and I got off and came home to watch American Idol first, then I fell asleep. Now I have to go to work again, so I probably won’t watch it for a while. I never really ran home to watch it. I wasn’t the girl who was like oh my God! I have to go home and watch myself on TV! It was never like that.

How do you feel about all the “scallop” talk?

I’m kind of over the scallop talk, to be honest. I don’t know, the scallop thing - I didn’t realize it would turn into such a big deal - I think a lot of it is because of Fabio’s one-liner. It is what it is. I do like cooking scallops, but it’s not the one thing I can cook, that’s for sure. But, I mean they are on my menu! I think the whole thing is kind of silly.

You said that you achieved what you wanted to achieve. What were those things?

For me, going on a show like that, being able to showcase who I am as a chef was definitely what I was trying to achieve. That’s what I did. I think people out there realized that I can cook, and I’m a strong competitor. I feel good about that.

While you were eating at Le Bernadin on last night’s episode, did you have any idea what the challenge was going to be?

Oh yeah. There’s no way they’re going to bring us, 6 people, to Le Bernadin, and feed us 6 dishes without us having to recreate them. There was just no way!

Have you stayed in touch with the other Team Rainbow members?

I keep in touch with a lot of people from the show. I don’t talk to Patrick as much as I’d like to, or Rich.

How annoyed were you actually by Stefan’s love for you?

The whole romance with Stefan was totally ridiculous. I think it was fabricated a lot for television. He definitely did have a crush on me, that part is true. But I think it’s more of a crush out of admiration. We had a lot of mutual respect for each other as chefs. He’s definitely one of the people who I talk to the most, which is kind of interesting. In terms of his personality, though, he can be a little bit overbearing. There were definitely times when he was a little bit annoying, especially when we were stuck in a room together for hours and hours.

Next week is Valentine’s Day, are you pro-Valentine’s Day, or anti?

[Laughing] I guess it depends on whether or not I’m in a relationship. Valentine’s Day for me is one of the busiest days of the year. We’re fully booked and I’m not really looking forward to it because it’s going to be a lot of work for us. I am looking forward to getting on a red eye after Valentine’s Day and going to New York to see my girlfriend. So I guess I’m a little bit romantic.

Are you going to cook her a special one-day-late Valentine’s Day meal?

Absolutely not. She definitely wants me to, but I doubt that I will. I’m only going to be in New York for three days.

Do you have a favorite restaurant in New York?

I have lots of favorite restaurants in New York. I grew up in New York. I think one of my all time favorites, that I’ve been going to for at least 20 years, is a restaurant called Boca Chica. It’s on the corner of 1st Avenue and 1st Street in the East Village, and it’s awesome. It’s Caribbean food and it’s always been delicious, every time I go back.

Who are you rooting for now?

I think at this point it’s anyone’s game. I think Stefan is the most talented out of everybody. I think he has a really good shot, but anybody can snag it. A lot of people thought I was going to win and I’m not there anymore, so you never know.

What was your impression of the judges?

I thought for the most part they were pretty fair. I thought Gail was probably the most fair. When Gail would speak, I would listen. I really respected what Gail had to say. I think Toby, on the other hand, is there for showmanship. And I’m just going to keep mum about Tom and Padma.

Is there anyone who you thought was sent home too early?

Yeah, well if there was someone who I thought deserved a chance to showcase her abilities more, it’d probably be Ariane. She’s a badass cook. I’ve eaten at her restaurant twice, and girl can throw down. She can cook!

What’s the best memory or moment?

The most fun that I had was on the Super Bowl challenge. Once I got past the point where I thought that I wasn’t going to be able to come up with a dish, and I came up with a dish that I actually liked, I decided to have fun with it. It was fun going up against the “all-stars,” the old contestants.

What would be your ultimate career path?

I think if I could do anything in the world, I’d do travel. I would love to travel and cook in other countries. It’s very important as a chef to experience other cultures and other people’s food. So that would be ideal. Anything after that, I mean, I don’t necessarily know if I want to open my own restaurant; part of me does, and part of me doesn’t. In this economy, it’s such a hard time to be in the restaurant industry. There’s been some talk about me opening up a soup restaurant, since I did a lot of soups on the show. Then a part of me really wants to go back to New York, so it’s all up in the air right now. I’m totally happy at Absinthe and I’m not going anywhere unless something totally amazing comes along.

Would you ever want to write a cook book?

Yeah, it’s definitely something I’ve thought about. I’ve also thought about doing more television, although not reality television. Some sort of television.

Link: http://www.fancast.com/blogs/uncategorized/top-chef-exit-interview-jamie-is-cut-and-shes-over-all-the-scallop-talk/

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