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Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #100 on: November 20, 2008, 03:39:15 PM »
Next week on Top Chef

Episode 3 Detail:

Foo Fighters Thanksgiving

In a Thanksgiving-themed episode, the gastronomes try to rise to the top of the food charts by creating cuisine for the rock band Foo Fighters.

Restaurateur Grant Achatz is the guest judge.

Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #101 on: November 20, 2008, 04:13:30 PM »
An interview with Jill:

‘Top Chef’ Exit Interview: Episode Two

Top Chef’s war against the young waged on last night, as 28-year-old Jill Snyder got the boot while the more mature (but not necessarily more talented) Ariane lived to see another elimination challenge. After serving up a truly scary hot-dog spring roll in the Quickfire, Jill fell flat with her ostrich-egg quiche, which one diner described as “dog food.” After spending a night laughing at the episode with friends, the tired ex-cheftestant spoke with us this morning about the joys of cooking in Craft’s kitchen and why Ariane should have gone home instead.

Were you watching the show last night?
I just watched it with three or four people. I was on the phone a bit, with my mom and my sister.

Was it emotional to watch it? Do you feel like it’s in the past?
Well, it is in the past, but I’m going to have to read the blogs. I was told not to, but I’m going to anyway…

It was a New American challenge. Do you stand by your choice to use an ostrich egg?
Originally, I wanted to make a dessert for that challenge, but everybody got shuffled around. I can do an entrée — I wasn’t worried about that part — but we’d gone to the Whole Foods, and I saw these ostrich eggs, and they struck me as a really interesting ingredient. The challenge was for lunch, and a quiche is very popular, so I went with using a really original ingredient to do a somewhat common dish. There’s a fair amount of skill involved in that, setting the quiche up in the water bath, having it set up just right. And I didn’t get any points for that, so I was a little surprised.

Of course you tasted it — did you think the flavors came together?
Yes! I didn’t have a problem with the flavors. Grilled Maitake mushrooms, asparagus, and Gruyère cheese — those go great together.

Your dish was not alone in being criticized, but was it the worst one there?
I hate to go back to Ariane, but they spit hers out — nobody even ate hers. It was bad, and the presentation was … you know, it was in a martini glass … When it comes down to it, it was between me and her, and I’m really surprised that that was the way it went.

How was it cooking in Craft? Was that an awe-inspiring experience?
Yeah, Tom’s kitchen is amazing. I’ve worked in a lot of different kitchens, and that was probably the nicest kitchen. It was very organized, everything made sense.

Did it have any special features you haven’t seen anywhere else?
I haven’t worked with a range like his. He had really nice convenient walk-ins, a whole pastry area to themselves…

Do you think that Tom was especially hard on this challenge, just in terms of judging, because it was his restaurant?
I think I got better feedback from Tom than from anyone else. Because it was his own restaurant, he was probably a little tougher than usual.

What have you been up to since the show?
Back to work at Red Maple [in Baltimore]. I’m now interviewing at some other spots because I feel like I want to move on, work somewhere else, or work under another chef, just to keep learning.

Based on your time on Top Chef, who’s the most talented cook there?
I like the past couple of dishes I’ve seen Eugene make. And you have to watch the Europeans. You know, if I lived in Italy my whole life, I’d probably have a lot of skill, too.

Link:  http://nymag.com/daily/food/2008/11/top_chef_exit_interview_episode_two.html


Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #102 on: November 20, 2008, 06:53:40 PM »
An interview with Jill:

Q and A with Jill Snyder, ex-Red Maple chef

As you may know, Jill Snyder was eliminated from Bravo's Top Chef competition last night. Our own Richard Gorelick got the scoop from her about the episode. EL

"The good news for Baltimore chef Jill Snyder was that she had much more screen time on Episode 2 of this season’s Top Chef. The bad news is that she was eliminated. Snyder's next step is uncertain -- she has left Red Maple -- but she does intend to stay in the food business, just maybe not as a chef.

The judges found fault with not only her ostrich-egg quiche (looked like "dog food," tasted like "glue") but her half-hearted defense at the judges’ table, too.

An earlier Quickfire Challenge involving hot dogs didn’t go so well for her either, when she appeared to take an easy way out with the assignment by not "making" her own hot dog. ...

Q: Jill, you’ve had time to adjust to this, but how did your friends and family take it?

A: Well, they’re on my side!  So they were like, What’s going on! But what happened, happened.

Q: What were your expectations going in? Did you want to win the whole thing?

A: Maybe not, but I did think I would do a little better. I was trying to take it episode by episode. I was really surprised that they hated my dish so much. I was caught off guard because the feedback at the restaurant during the challenge was good. When the servers were bringing plates back from the dining room, every one of mine was empty. Which means that people enjoyed them.

Q: That wasn’t the case with everyone’s plates?

A: Definitely not.

Q: Watching the show was the first time you heard judge Gail Simmons call your judges’ table performance the "lamest defense of a dish" ever on the show. Do you think that had something to do with your early dismissal, even before a contestant whose food was spit out of a judge’s mouth?

A: Yes, definitely, I think that’s true. The pressure of the cameras really bothered me. Also, I tend to be quiet. For TV, you need someone more outgoing than I am. But I still was surprised. I thought using an ostrich egg was a creative choice, and there were good things about my dish that they never mentioned. It took a lot more skill [than competitor Ariane’s dish].

Q: In the Quickfire Challenge, you were criticized for not making your own hot dog, but I thought the way you interpreted it made sense to me. I don’t think hot dog vendors make their own hot dogs.

A: The challenge was just to make a "gourmet hot dog," which I interpreted as something else than making your own sausage.

Q: What’s next for you?

A: I’m going to buy an ostrich farm."

Link: http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/dining/reviews/blog/2008/11/as_you_may_know_jill.html

Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #103 on: November 20, 2008, 09:37:44 PM »
An interview with Jill:

See Ya Later, Top Chef: Jill Snyder

Former Top Chef wannabe Jill Snyder likes to joke that she's going to buy an ostrich farm.

"I'm going to sell ostrich eggs," she cracks.

The 28-year-old chef from Baltimore was eliminated on last night's Top Chef: New York after her ostrich-egg quiche was trashed by diners and the judges. The dish, one diner said, "resembles dog food." And judge Gail Simmons griped, "It just didn't taste good."

I caught up with Snyder earlier today as she surfed the web reading stories about her downfall. "I'm trying not to read them," she said, "but it's too tempting." 

Keep reading for all the scoop…

Was last night the first time you saw the episode?

Yes, and it was kind of brutal. I laughed a lot. I pretty much laughed the whole time.

You said that you thought the creativity of using an ostrich egg was something that would impress the judges. Clearly, it didn't.

I thought it would at least give me a few points. It's a cooking show, and I actually cooked a lot for my dish. A lot of [other contestants] didn't too much cooking for theirs. The rice for my crust set up beautifully. The texture came out great…I put shiitake mushrooms, grilled asparagus and aged Gruyère cheese in it. That flavor combination goes well together, so I don't know.

Did you taste it before it was sent out of the kitchen?

I thought it was fine. All the plates that came back from the diners came back empty, so I knew everyone was eating it. So I wasn't too worried at that point.

When Padma said she spit out Ariane's dessert dish, I thought she'd be the one to be eliminated. I mean, she spit out her food!

I know.  I was a little shocked when they called my name. They clearly didn't like either of them, but mine had more cooking involved and was more creative.

You said you regret not having the chance to prepare something you loved 100 percent for the judges. What would that be?

I would have made a dessert, a pomegranate cheesecake with a chocolate-covered pretzel crust. I've won an award for that one before.

Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20081121/en_top_eo/69924

Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #104 on: November 20, 2008, 10:09:29 PM »

TOP CHEF

Episode Description:

FOO FIGHTERS

11-26-2008 10:00PM

The holiday season has arrived, and the chef'testants have a lot to be thankful for. And this year it's not just family these cooks must impress; but also six-time Grammy Award-winning rock band, Foo Fighters, as they join the band for a tour stop in Syracuse, New York. Grant Achatz, American chef, restaurateur and recently named Best Chef in the United States for 2008 from the James Beard Foundation, serves as guest judge.



Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #105 on: November 21, 2008, 05:20:21 PM »
An interview with Jill:

Out of frying pan: Snyder off 'Top Chef'

The good news for Baltimore chef Jill Snyder was that she had much more screen time on Episode 2 of this season's Top Chef. The bad news was that she was eliminated. The judges found fault with not only her ostrich-egg quiche (looked like "dog food," tasted like "glue"), but her half-hearted defense at the judges' table, too. An earlier Quickfire Challenge involving hot dogs didn't go so well for her either, when she appeared to take an easy way out with the assignment by not "making" her own hot dog.

Snyder's next step is uncertain - she has left Red Maple, where she was executive chef. But she does intend to stay in the food business, just maybe not as a chef.

Jill, you've had time to adjust to this, but how did your friends and family take it?

Well, they're on my side! So they were like, "What's going on?" But what happened, happened.

What were your expectations going in? Did you want to win the whole thing?

Maybe not, but I did think I would do a little better. I was trying to take it episode by episode. I was really surprised that they hated my dish so much. I was caught off-guard because the feedback at the restaurant during the challenge was good. When the servers were bringing plates back from the dining room, every one of mine was empty. Which means that people enjoyed them.

That wasn't the case with everyone's plates?

Definitely not.

Watching the show was the first time you heard judge Gail Simmons call your judges' table performance the "lamest defense of a dish" ever on the show. Do you think that had something to do with your early dismissal, even before a contestant whose food was spit out by a judge?

Yes, definitely, I think that's true. The pressure of the cameras really bothered me. Also, I tend to be quiet. For TV, you need someone more outgoing than I am. But I still was surprised. I thought using an ostrich egg was a creative choice, and there were good things about my dish that they never mentioned. It took a lot more skill (than competitor Ariane's dish).

In the Quickfire Challenge, you were criticized for not making your own hot dog, but I thought the way you interpreted it made sense to me. I don't think hot dog vendors make their own hot dogs.

The challenge was just to make a "gourmet hot dog," which I interpreted as something else than making your own sausage.

What's next for you?

I'm going to buy an ostrich farm.

Link: http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/tv/bal-to.topchef21nov21,0,2358451.story?track=rss

Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #106 on: November 22, 2008, 12:50:24 PM »
An interview with Carla:

An interview with a 'Top Chef' contender

D.C. caterer Carla Hall appears tonight on the second episode of Bravo's "Top Chef New York" Season 5.

The former hotel chef and L'Academie de Cuisine grad told friends she was in the Bahamas this past summer, but in fact she was slicing and dicing against 16 fellow contestants.

Hall gave us an inside look at throwing down in the "Top Chef" kitchen.

Question. Who or what did you find intimidating?

Answer. My knowledge base is solid, so I didn't find anybody's experience particularly intimidating. Jamie (executive chef at Absinthe in San Francisco) and I got along well. But she was, um, how do I say this? A no-nonsense girl from New York.

Q. How did you prepare for the competition?

A. I did a lot of blind tasting, and I boned up on deboning fish and chicken at a wholesale operation that I'm used to working with. I didn't tell them why I was doing it. I got to practice on stuff I didn't have to buy. It did help.

Q. Being in the Big Apple must have been a good thing.

A. Nothing fazes New Yorkers. We'd be shopping at the market, and the customers would say, "What's this camera behind you? It's in my way."

Q. Cheftestants seem to have certain roles on the show. What was yours?

A. Cheerleader. I wanted people to have a good time, to be up about it, to take it all in stride and not get homesick.

As the oldest, at 44, I was the calm one. Usually I'm pretty hyper, so this was new for me.

Q. Speaking of cheerleading: At some point, you invoked your "spirit guides."

A. When I do something that's stressful, I have to find a moment of peace, so I tend to meditate and get in the flow. It's a regular practice of mine. When people around me are getting rattled, I may just close my eyes and do a breathing exercise.

Link: http://www.islandpacket.com/lowcountrylife/story/672935.html

Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #107 on: November 24, 2008, 01:55:14 PM »

BravoTV.com Webisodes Show Unprecedented Footage of "Top Chef" Sequester House

Published: November 24, 2008

Bravo Press Release

WATCH WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE CHEFS "PACK THEIR KNIVES AND GO" ON BRAVOTV.COM'S "AFTER THE KNIFE"

Webisodes Include Unprecedented Footage of The "Top Chef: New York" Sequester House

For the first time ever, viewers will get to see what happens after host Padma Lakshmi tells chef'testants on Bravo's "Top Chef: New York" to "pack up their knives and go." The Emmy Award-winning Magical Elves will produce "After the Knife," an original companion webisode series for the No.1 food show on cable, available exclusively on BravoTV.com starting Wednesday, November 26th at 11 p.m. EST. Each week, viewers will follow the eliminated chefs into the sequester house and capture the reactions of the previously eliminated chef'testants to see what life is like after getting the cut. Video available on http://video.bravotv.com/player/?id=845282.

"Our viewers always want more content from our series, on-air, online and on the go, and expressed great interest in knowing what happens to the chefs after they get eliminated – so we thought we'd take them on a little journey to show what happens after the knife," said Lisa Hsia, Senior Vice President, New Media and Digital Strategy, Bravo Media.

On next week's episode of "Top Chef: New York," the holiday season has arrived, and the chef'testants have a lot to be thankful for, on Wednesday, November 26 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. And this year it's not just family these cooks must impress; but also six-time Grammy Award-winning rock band, Foo Fighters, as they join the band for a tour stop in Rochester, New York. Grant Achatz, American chef, restaurateur and recently named Best Chef in the United States for 2008 from the James Beard Foundation, serves as guest judge.

Also available for fans this season on BravoTV.com, the "Top Chef Fantasy Game," where viewers can choose a dream team of three contestants each week, and compete for points based on the performance of their selected chefs. Visitors can also "Rate The Plate" and vote for the dish they think deserves top honors each week, play our popular "Memory Match" photo games, or test their Foodie IQ in a challenging quiz about all things delicious. And "Top Chef" season one star Lee Anne Wong returns with her weekly online exclusive cooking webisode series, "The Wong Way To Cook," teaching viewers how to make each week's winning recipe at home.

Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #108 on: November 26, 2008, 01:08:50 PM »

TOP CHEF: TIP DU JOUR – THANKSGIVING DAY RECIPES

Published: November 26, 2008

Bravo Press Release

Bravo's "Top Chef: New York" Chef'testants Share Favorite Thanksgiving Day Recipes

NEW YORK – November 26, 2008 – Tis' the season to be giving – and from our family to yours – some of Bravo's "Top Chef: New York" chef'testants share their favorite Thanksgiving Day recipes. Need a last minute side dish or a fabulous dessert? Test your cooking skills with some delicious, annual favorites from this season's crop of talented and experienced chefs. Here's to good times and great food from your friends at Bravo.

Recipes include Jeffrey's Artichoke, Pumpkin and Manchego Croquettes, Lauren's Corn Pudding, Fabio's Gamberoni in Camicia, Pancetta wrapped Jumbo Prawns filled with Italian Sharp Gorgonzola with Parmesan Polenta, Hosea's Sweet Potato Hash, Jill's Roasted Pumpkin Bisque with Cashew Sour Cream, Ariane's Pecan Pie, Melissa's Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tart Garnished with Chocolate Shavings, Alex's Pork Belly Turkey, Stefan's Butternut Squash Soup. Recipes are enclosed.

Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #109 on: November 27, 2008, 12:20:27 PM »

TOP CHEF

TODAY SHOW - ROCCO DISPIRITO

12-03-2008 10:00PM

The fourteen remaining chef'testants vie for a chance to display their skills on the nations highest-rated morning program, "Today."

The winner of a super fast food demonstration challenge will get the booking, with the chance to display their unique culinary expertise on live network television.

Celebrity Chef and author Rocco DiSpirito serves as guest judge.





Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #110 on: November 27, 2008, 12:33:24 PM »

Tom Colicchio's Blog:

Foodie Fighters

When I arrived in Rochester for this week's Elimination Challenge and saw the rows of microwaves and toaster ovens, I thought, "They've got to make Thanksgiving dinner in this? This is horrible." (No, contrary to popular belief, I do not have a hand in every Top Chef decision. The other producers are responsible for designing the challenges, the curveballs, and the insanity that ensues.) I couldn't believe it. To make matters worse, the electricity kept cutting out. And then it began to rain. Between the Quickfire and Elimination Challenges, this whole episode was rife with curveballs, and our chefs largely swung and connected. So I want to start right off by acknowledging how well our cheftestants did up in Rochester under really adverse circumstances. For the most part, the food was good; as a whole, they did a really good job. The Elimination Challenge, which was to cook Thanksgiving Dinner for the Foo Fighters and their entourage before their concert in Rochester, presented only two real variables for our chefs to consider: preparing Thanksgiving Dinner, and incorporating the band's likes and dislikes as set forth in their Rider. That rider goes out to anyone who ever prepares food for the Foo Fighters. Our chefs needed only overlap the rider with making Thanksgiving dishes. You might want to know that the Foo Fighters are really into food; bandleader Dave Grohl is an avid Top Chef watcher and was excited to be on the show. After their Grammy appearance last year, in fact, the band celebrated by dining at Craft LA. These guys were great to work with. By the time we showed up, they had been on the road for around three hundred days; their tour was coming to an end. After that long on the road, it's hard to face the holidays without family, and it makes sense that they would probably want something homey, comforting, and familiar. So, in contrast to last week's challenge, here we were looking for our chefs' takes on the most traditional of American meals.

It was entirely up to the band to pick the winning team. There was a lively discussion around that table that didn't make the final edit of the show, and it was a very close call. I myself tried to persuade the guys to pick the other team, since the proteins are the heart of the meal, and both Ariane's turkey and Eugene's pork were great (not to mention the fact that Eugene's decision to create a makeshift grill was brilliant). In my mind, great proteins should have beaten out great desserts, but I was content with the choice, since it enabled us to send home the person who created the overall worst dish of the evening, the S'mores. Folks didn't like Jeff's dessert either: The pumpkin foam didn't work in largest part because Jeff tried to marry pumpkin, which is quintessentially autumnal, with raspberries, which are too bright and summery. Dried fruits such as cranberries or raisins pair well with pumpkin, as do nuts. But that mistake doesn't come close to the S'mores, which were a poor choice both conceptually and for logistical reasons. Richard got hung up on the fact that the rider mentioned the Foo Fighters' love of bananas. Big mistake right there - the team didn't need to address every single element in the rider, and what role have bananas ever played in anyone's Thanksgiving meal? If the rider said they liked Caprese Salad, would you have made that for Thanksgiving? I'm thinking not. And then to make the bananas into S'mores...? Have you ever seen a banana in a S'more? Bananas aside, let's talk about S'mores. They're never made in the home as part of a homey, comforting fall meal; they're made outside, in the summertime, around a campfire. So...why banana S'mores? Not to mention the fact that their execution was destined to fail, since they needed to be fresh and warm to be enjoyed, an impossibility under the circumstances of this challenge. I was mystified by the choice on every level. Radhika's decision to make a vegan stuffing, on the other hand, was an example of a smart choice that incorporated Thanksgiving basics with the specifics of the rider. And everyone, vegan and otherwise, loved the dish. You'll note that there was no one winner this time around. Had there been, my vote would have gone to either Ariane or Eugene (though, of course, they were on the losing team, so never mind). This challenge highlights a point about restaurant cooking that I think is worth mentioning: Jeff kept saying that he thought he had undertaken too many dishes, but this was not his problem. Jeff's issues point to the difference between a chef and a cook. When you're a cook in a restaurant, you cook. When you're a sous-chef, you cook less. And a chef no longer cooks, with good reason. At Craft during dinner service there are four stations on the hotline, and a chef must be walking around, tasting, supervising, trouble-shooting. If s/he is working at one, s/he can't be on top of what's happening at the others. In this competition, Jeff stepped into the role of chef and organized his team so that the team's whole meal cohered. He did a great job as a chef, and, therefore, was most likely distracted and it took his focus and some of his time away from the individual dishes that he was cooking. What he did was certainly good for the group, but not for him personally. And aside from the fact that Richard's S'mores were far worse than Jeff's dessert, Jeff's efforts are probably why we gave him a pass - we recognized what he did for the team and liked the initiative he took. In fact, at the Judges' Table, he took responsibility for what he had done without using it as an excuse. Grant said it well when he said that were he to choose his team, he'd want someone on it like Jeff. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Whether your meal is made in a microwave, a toaster oven or an actual kitchen, for famous musicians or family members, I hope you enjoy it. P.S. Addressing fans' concerns regarding Ariane and Jill last week: Although Padma spit out Ariane's dessert, she is one of four judges, and the others all felt that Jill's dish was worse.

Link: http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?log=tom_colicchio&article=2008/11/foodie_fighters#breadcrumbs

Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #111 on: November 27, 2008, 12:41:40 PM »

 :lol:

Gail Simmons' Blog:

Gone Fishin'



Editor's Note: OK -- Gail hasn't really gone fishing (that we know of), but she is on her honeymoon!

Offline apskip

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #112 on: November 27, 2008, 04:55:31 PM »
Episode 3 Quickfire was essentially "Be prepared for curveballs". Grant Achatz of Alinea restaurant in Chicago was the Guest Judge.  The apparent task was to take the page number in the Top Chef cookbook (product placement effort #1) and reinvent that recipe. However, about 10 minutes in, Padma told all chefs that the real task was to create a soup out of whatever ingredients they already had. Since there was too little time for them to make their own broth, chefs were providing with an unlimited supply of Swanson's Broth(product placement effort #2). Teams were enthusiastic on the new task. The Quickfire dishes shown were:
 
Leah - chilled white asparagus soup with brioche, tuna, and tapenade
 
Carla - shrimp tomato and coriander soup w/ cucumber and avocado salad
 
Stefan - Thai green curry bisque w/shrimp and scallop dumplings
 
Ariane - diced lamb, eggplant, red pepper and couscous soup
 
Jamie - chick pea soup w/pickled chiles, yoghurt, crispy shallots
 
Daniel - ham and egg soup w/ sauteed mushrooms, corn and cheese
 
Richard - black bean and roasted pasilla pepper soup w/ rice (funky Mexican soup)
 
Fabio - mushroom and asparagus soup w/ seared trout and salmon belly
 
Melissa - Italian Wedding Soup w/ black truffle Parmesan, linguini and chicken
 
The winner is Leah over Jamie and Daniel. This gives her immunity.

Elimination Challenge

Leah has the opportunity to select 6 other chefs to be on her team, which is given the name Team Sexy Pants(they should lose just because of selecting that name). She chooses Stefan, Fabio, Hosea, Jamie, Melissa and Radhika. Presumably those are either the 7 best chefs or some excellent team players in there.
 
There was no loser's group from which to organize the other team. Jeff stepped us as that organizer. The others were Richard, Eugene, Ariane, Carla, Daniel and Alex. The name they adopted, presumably because they had the two oldest females in the competition, was Team Cougar.
 
Elimination Challenge
The focus of this was the Foo Fighters musical group, who were giving a rock concert in Rochester's Blue Shield Center. They needed to be fed along with 60 others in their entourage (18 of whom are vegetarians) and the 4 judges and they wanted a traditional American Thanksgiving meal. Foo Fighter favorites like chocolate covered bananas and bacon were to be included if possible. The catch was that on arrival the chefs learned that they had only microwave ovens and toaster ovens plus one burner each to cook. The teams developed their menus:
 
TEAM COUGAR MENU
Ariane - Butterball Turkey confit w/ mushroom gravy and cranberries
Alex - macaroni and cheese w/ bacon
Eugene - smoked ham
Daniel - potatoes
Jeff- corn spoonbread stuffing w/figs, cranberries, walnuts and onions
Carla - ? cobbler
Jeff - pumpkin mousse over fresh fruit
Richard - banana S'Mores w/vanilla cream
 
TEAM SEXY PANTS MENU
Leah -  Butterball Turkey w/ gravy
? - Sweet Potatoes
Hosea - Mashed Potatoes
Fabio - Side Salads
Jamie - vegan stuffing
Fabio - pumpkin tiramisu
Hosea - fruit cobbler
Melissa, Stefan, Radhika - they contributed but it was not clear which dishes
 
Although the turkey by Ariane and macaroni and cheese by Alex were clear winners, the vegan stuffing was judged about equal in quality, so the main meal appeared to me to be an edge to Team Cougar. The winning team was Team Sexy Pants, due to their good desserts while Team Cougar faltered there. The chefs on Team Sexy Pants got to see the concert while the losers cleaned up. Team Cougar was bitter about their loss, as they thought they had won. Tom had to ameliorate them by saying that the judging, which was by the foo fighters only, was close.

Ariane, Alex, Eugene and Carla were dismissed from further judging. That left Daniel, Jeff and Richard. Daniel was dismissed because his potatoes were passable. Jeff's two bad dishes plus his leadership were up against Richard's S'Mores. I believe that the leadership efforts, which did distract him from making better food, were the reason why he survived. Richard's lack of gooeyness and chocolateness in the S'Mores resulted in his elimination.

Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #113 on: December 01, 2008, 05:04:27 PM »
An interview with Richard:

Top Chef 5: Conference Call with Richard Sweeney

For Top Chef 5 contestant Richard Sweeney, the third time was the charm for getting on the show in the first place, but the third episode proved to be his downfall. Due to a banana-based s'mores dessert that failed to impress the Foo Fighters or the Top Chef judges, the second member of Team Rainbow was sent packing.

He spoke with us today about his time on the show, what he thinks about the judges and his competitors, and what he would do differently if he could do it all again.

Richard said that there were actually more dishes made and judged than we saw on the episode. Due to the number of diners expected, each team created a lot of different dishes, and the overall judging time was quite long – seven to eight hours – as the judges needed to learn about and give feedback on each dish.

The dishes Richard created but not shown were a mayo-based caprese salad (the rider for the Foos indicated they likes mayo-based salads) and a spiced sweet potato dish. The caprese salad didn't go over well, but the potato dish seemed solid.

He said he knew he was a candidate for the bottom three because of the failure of two of his dishes, but since at least one was successful, he didn't expect to go home. He pointed out that Jeff McInnis's three dishes all received criticism, as did Danny Gagnon's two. He also said that the potatoes weren't just undercooked, they were underseasoned as well. Therefore, Richard said, he still stood by his comment that he thought it should have been Danny sent home, not him. He noted that while his concept might not have worked, his s'mores were all at least executed properly, all being individually bruleed.

Although his banana s'mores got him sent home – and he admits he wouldn't attempt that dessert if he could do it over again – he's actually been playing around with the concept back at his restaurant. “Play” is a word that Richard uses often, appearing to be in person as light-hearted as he generally was in his interviews. His playful approach to food that we saw on Top Chef is similar to what he might do in his restaurant. His customer base is young and curious about food, but might be more apt to take a risk if the new is combined with the familiar, like using lamb in a slider.

But even fun can get boring after a while, and Richard gave us some insight into the occasionally-tedious world that is the extended boozy vacation in the sequester house, post-elimination. He was in the house for about three weeks, and said he and his fellow eliminated chefs created about 30 new recipes for sangria, just trying to come up with a new and interesting way to drink all the wine they had access to. While it was relaxing to have nothing to do but sit by a pool and drink, Richard says they could help but be antsy.

They were allowed cable television, but still no phone or internet without production supervision. Outside trips were also permitted, and while they managed to lie low out in Jersey City, Richard said, folks at the gyms and restaurants they visited eventually noticed how their group continually increased by one new person as more chefs were eliminated.

As to the chefs who are currently still in the competition, Richard says that Stefan Richter seems strong, especially due to his global experience. Fabio has been a little erratic, but Richard thinks he has talent. Fabio Viviani's spherical olives from the “Show Your Craft” episode actually inspired Richard to order some molecular gastronomy equipment, as this application showed Richard a practical and approachable way to include those techniques into his own style. Richard also expressed admiration for Ariane Duarte's performance, especially as her team was rather nervously second-guessing her throughout the cooking time.

Richard also thought that Tom Colicchio and Padma Lakshmi were “pretty cool.” The competition itself didn't give the judges and chefs a lot of opportunity to interact. He noted that he thinks Tom is more reserved during the competition, but was more open afterwards, and Richard thinks that distance is Tom's way of making sure he's voting only on food, not personality. Padma might deliver the rough news at Judges' Table, but Richard notes that after the harsh criticism of the lemon meringue martini, Padma took care to follow up with Ariane to make sure she was doing all right.

While Richard was clearly disappointed to leave so early, he seems to be carrying on with a jovial spirit. You can check out his cooking in person at Confidential in San Diego.

Link: http://www.buddytv.com/articles/top-chef/top-chef-5-conference-call-wit-24941.aspx

Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #114 on: December 03, 2008, 05:02:08 PM »

NBC UNIVERSAL TELEVISION, DVD, MUSIC AND CONSUMER PRODUCTS GROUP UNVEILS HOLIDAY GIFT LIST 2008

NBC PRESS RELEASE

Games, Calendars, Cookbooks, Action Figures, A Cylon Centurion Robot And Even a Cylon Toaster From Hit Shows On NBC, Bravo, SCI FI and USA Network Top the List For This Year's Holiday Fare

NBC Universal Television, DVD, Music and Consumer Products Group has unveiled its holiday gift list for 2008. This year's offerings include action figures, books, calendars, music and games, as well as DVDs and even a Cylon toaster – all from top shows on NBC, Bravo, SCI FI and USA Network.

The product offerings are part of NBC Universal's Television, Music, DVD and Consumer Products Group, which manages all global licensing and merchandising for NBC Universal's television properties, as well as the NBC Universal television catalog.

Kim Niemi, Senior Vice President of NBC Universal's Television, Music, DVD and Consumer Products Group said, "We are especially pleased to be able to suggest such a great variety of gifts in so many categories and from so many great shows. From Bravo's 'Top Chef,' to NBC Sports to USA Network's 'Monk' and NBC's 'The Office,' there is something for every fan in nearly every price range."

NBC Universal's suggestions for a festive holiday season are as follows:

Games

The "Top Chef" PC game – Fans can enjoy the action of Bravo's "Top Chef" on their own PC with this game from Brighter Minds. Players take on the role of a contestant and test their flair in a variety of challenges – shopping for ingredients and choosing a recipe wisely. Dishes are then judged by hosts Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio. The "Top Chef" game is available at www.bravotv.com.

Books

The "Top Chef" Cookbook – The "Top Chef" Cookbook invites fans of the hit Bravo show into the hottest kitchen on prime time and offers 100 recipes from the first three seasons of the series, as well as behind-the-scenes photos and in-depth discussions with contestants and judges. The "Top Chef" cookbook is available at www.bravotvstore.com

NFL Sunday Night Football Cookbook – Top chefs and NFL players join forces to share some of their favorite recipes for great get-togethers and family meals. John Madden, Emeril Lagasse, Tiki Barber and Bobby Flay are among those featured in the cookbook, which is available at retailers nationwide as well as online at www.nbcsportsstorecom. A portion of the proceeds from the NFL Sunday Night Football Cookbok will benefit NBC Sports' charitable organizations, Feeding America and Taste of the NFL

Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #115 on: December 04, 2008, 12:16:19 AM »

Tom Colicchio's Blog:

The Small Screening

It's amusing to me how so many of our cheftestants said, in response to this week's Elimination Challenge, that they did not want to "do TV" in their careers as chefs ... while they're doing TV to advance their careers as chefs. As I recall, they were saying those words directly into the lens of a television camera. Let's face it: The media has long been a critical factor in shaping high-level careers of all kinds, and today's Top Chefs must be able not only to cook, but to generate heat about their cooking. On TV.

If a chef can get on television, whether local or national, s/he should not hesitate. Chefs should be pleased to start with local television - its viewers, of course, are your future patrons, and this is your moment to hook them. You're establishing relationships. If you do a good job the first time, you will have made the segment producer look good to his/her boss and they'll be happy to have you back, which, of course helps as you progress in your career and want to promote newer ventures. Here in NYC, the chefs' entrée to television is usually CBS's "Chef on a Shoestring", which is great. The national morning shows are the biggies that you ultimately want to be on, but they usually won't let you on until you show them some tape and they like what they see. This is another reason it's important to do something in your local market and to do it well. I have always finished my segments and I've never had a major disaster.

This is not to say that I haven't had my share of anxiety. My first time on television was the worst experience of my life. In '91, right after winning Best New Chef from Food and Wine magazine, I was asked to appear on Regis and Kathy Lee. I was doing a braised red snapper in a lemon rosemary vinaigrette with roasted red peppers and an eggplant caviar napoleon. I was told to be there at 8 a.m. and showed up prepped and ready to go ... only to be yelled at by the producer, who said I should've been there at 6, had missed rehearsal, and "was going to screw it all up." Nowadays, there is someone on the set to help you set it all up; back then, it was just me, setting up off-camera. And this producer kept coming by every five minutes to shout at me that I was going to screw it all up. To make matters worse, Regis made a few references to missing rehearsal that I thought were directed at me, too, until I realized that he himself had missed rehearsal and was actually busting on himself. The segment went off without a hitch and the producer who had been yelling at me beforehand was thrilled with me afterwards, offering to have me back any time I wanted ... while I was thinking "Are you kidding? I was so nervous, I'm NEVER doing live TV again."

Clearly, I got over it. TV's actually very easy to do. You can make things as complicated or as simple as you want. The best way to assure you finish on time is to have swap-outs, where food is already prepared. You can have as many swap-outs as you like, to use along the way, and you should always have a beauty plate done. Jamie was looking to do her entire dish in the two minutes allotted, which is why she came up short. Leah should have had a duck already cooked, should have had the relish already made, and should've had the whole thing already plated. You'll notice that Stefan didn't try to make his whole soup in two minutes - he had the ingredients ready to show us how to make it, but then had the soup finished for a swap-out. Jeff handled his segment perfectly: He had a beauty plate ready, and the food was really good. In that segment on Regis and Kathy Lee, I had swap-outs for every step of the process: I had the fish raw, plus in the oven, plus the beauty-dish already made. The various elements of the eggplant caviar napoleon were ready, as was the fully assembled dish, and I swapped at each step. It's the only way I could be sure to finish the segment successfully in the time allotted.

A lot of our contestants didn't make it on time. We were trying to distract them, because this is exactly what happens on air: The hosts will be asking a barrage of questions throughout. Speaking of the host, always ask him or her to help you ("Can you stir this for me?"), which none of our cheftestants did. Engage the host. He or she is the one with whom the audience feels a connection, so you are being introduced to your viewers through the host and need to establish that you have a rapport with him or her. No matter what. Once, in Dallas, the on-air talent mispronounced my name and introduced me as the new chef of the W Hotel. I didn't correct him, which would have been a gaffe, but at the end I just put in a plug for "the new Craft Restaurant at the W Hotel". As for your rapport with the audience, mugging like Daniel did doesn't usually go over well. It's just unprofessional. And as for rapport with the crew, I always bring a ton of extra food for the stagehands. These folks have been at work since 4 a.m., so by the time you're on at 10, they're pretty hungry.

Finally, when doing a segment on TV, you're usually there for a reason such as a new restaurant. You want to take that moment and shine, plug your work, and, in the very short time allotted, find that one message to put out there and then stay on that message the whole time, using descriptive words that help convey the food to an audience that only has a visual of it. Ariane did all of that really well. She mentioned her restaurant in New Jersey right up front, she highlighted the fresh Jersey ingredients that she'd chosen to honor the state, and pointed out that the ingredients were readily available and the recipe easily accessible to the home viewer. The only caveat I'll make is that you want to pick a signature dish that will help set you up, and there wasn't anything unique enough about Ariane's selection to do that for her.

This challenge was a test of both flavor and presentation, and presentation of the chef as well as the food It was as "New York" as a challenge could be, and I encourage our cheftestants to hone the skills required to master it. By the way, I was asked to do Top Chef based on a segment the producer of Top Chef saw on the Today show. I'm glad that segment went off without a hitch.

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

Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #116 on: December 04, 2008, 12:20:16 AM »

Next week on Top Chef New York

December 10, 2008

GAIL'S BRIDAL SHOWER

In the fifth episode of "Top Chef: New York," host and judge, Padma Lakshmi solicits the help of the chefs in arranging a bridal shower for Top Chef judge Gail Simmons and her friends. Wedding traditions are timeless, so in a twist of formality, the chef'testants are teamed up to cook a course based on a fabled ritual. Gail Simmons' friend, Editor-in-Chief of Food & Wine Magazine Dana Cowin guest judges.


Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #117 on: December 04, 2008, 02:14:30 PM »
An interesting article:

Top Chef 5:Conference Call with Alex Eusebio

In last week's Foo Fighters Thanksgiving episode of Top Chef 5, Alex Eusebio emerged with a little more screen time than he'd had since this new season premiered. That could only mean two things: either he was on his way up…or on his way out.

Although his performance in that episode was solid, last night things took a turn for the worse and a failed crème brulee sent him packing. Alex spoke with us today about his time on the show, how he felt about Melissa Harrison “throwing him under the bus” and how his fiancée felt about him going on the show so soon before their wedding.

Alex admits that after watching the episode, he does feel a bit like Melissa's comments were designed to help build the case for keeping her over him on Top Chef 5. But, he says, there are no hard feelings. He calls Melissa a “sweetheart,” and says they can joke about things now, with Melissa signing messages “the busdriver.”

I asked him if what I thought I was seeing in the episode – Leah Cohen nudging Melissa to handle judging as she did – actually happened. Alex says it might have been partially that, but if Leah had a hand in it at all, it was as a friend, not crafty competitor. The chefs appear to have broken off into groups of friends: Alex said that he, Carla Hall, Ariane Duarte, Jamie Lauren and Richard Sweeney were one group; Melissa, Leah and Hosea Rosenberg were another; and the Euro duo of Fabio Viviani and Stefan Richter got along with Eugene Villiatora and Danny Gagnon. (I forgot to ask him where Jeff McInnis and Radhika Desai were in all this.) So it was natural, Alex seemed to be saying, that Leah would help her friend plan a strategy for the judging.

Alex says that his main flaw was that his crème brulee didn't set, but he felt the flavors of it were strong. He admits it's possible he could have had a better chance at staying if he had “wanted it more” and made more pointed comments about the other dishes at judging. But he did have a lot on his mind, having left for the competition without a tux ready or vows written for his wedding, which happened on August 24.

I asked him how he had convinced his fiancée to let him go on the show so close to their wedding, and he said actually it was the other way around. She's in entertainment, and so knew the chance to get exposure on the show would be good for his career. He said it was her insistence that pushed him to go on the show and she has been very supportive.

One of the reasons he was reluctant to go on the show is that – as he mentioned during the episode – he can be a little shy. But having had this “dry run” as he put it, he said he finds he feels less reluctant to take on the more public parts of being a more successful chef. He said it's even made small things, like visiting with customers in the restaurant, easier.

His nerves during the challenge might have been made worse by proximity to Padma Lakshmi, who is, as Alex noted, as stunning in person as one would expect. He feels that Tom Colicchio is an excellent chef and deserving of his reputation. He wasn't as thrilled with Rocco DiSpirito as a guest judge, saying he does have trouble imagining Rocco sweating on the line in a busy kitchen.

As to what he thought of his fellow chefs, he joked he was still mad at Richard for writing the farewell letter that made him cry. He said he admires Jamie's talent the most and feels that Carla is ego-free. Not so much for Stefan and Fabio, but he wonders if their egos will eventually “cancel each other out.”

We'll see if Alex's prediction comes true as Top Chef 5 continues.

Link: http://www.buddytv.com/articles/top-chef/top-chef-5conference-call-with-25024.aspx

Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #118 on: December 04, 2008, 03:10:39 PM »
An interview with Alex:

Top Chef’s Alex: I Hated the TV Challenge

This week, the chefs didn’t just have to cook under pressure. They had to present their food in a live TV segment — and complete a dish in less than two minutes. After serving up some undercooked crème brulee — and going over his time limit — Alex Eusebio was sent packing. But there was good news for the chef: After leaving the show, he got married on Martha’s Vineyard in August.

Calling to discuss his elimination, Eusebio opened up about the challenge — he hated it, as it turns out — and tackled our five burning questions.

Congratulations on your wedding. Can you talk about how that affected your time on the show — if it did at all?
Going into the show, I knew I was getting married, so I had bigger things on my plate. And it affected my performance because everyday I’d think about what’s going on with the wedding. While I was away, I got freaked out. I was like, “Oh my god I’m getting married. I’ve got to write my vows!”


Were you surprised that Melissa used that against you at the judges’ table?
I was like, “I can’t believe she said that.” At that point you could tell [from] my body language I didn’t really want to be there. It wasn’t fair to my wife, so maybe that’s what [Melissa] read into. I was a little surprised and a little disappointed that she would do that. One of my rules was don’t throw anybody under the bus. [But] my attitude factored in. If I would have said something, I think I would have stayed.

Do you regret not making a more vocal defense?
Not really [at the time]. Now, I wish I would have actually. It’s after the show when all your friends are like, “I can’t believe you were on the show. It’s such a big deal.” I really didn’t think it was that big of a deal.

What did you think about this challenge? It was rather unconventional for the show.
I hated the challenge from the beginning. I didn’t like it. It wasn’t cooking in my opinion. Some of us do not want to be on camera. Some of us do not want to be the Rocco DiSpirito’s of the world, and I’m one of those guys. [Also] a lot of my cooking [involves] braising and something that took a little bit longer than an hour worth of cooking.

Was fair that you were eliminated since this challenge called on you to do more than just cook?
Was it fair? We all had to do it, so we’re in the same boat. Do I like the challenge? No. But is it fair that I went home? Yeah, I’m fine with going home.

Our Top Chef 5 Burning Questions:

Describe your Top Chef experience in one word.
Entertaining.

What is in your refrigerator right now?
Beer, leftovers, rice, leftover Chinese food, milk, more beer — I have a drawer full of beer and fine cheese.

Name one food you cannot stand.
Indian food. I’ve had a bad deck of cards. Everybody knows that I don’t like Indian food, and my first challenge was [to cook] Indian food.

Pick your favorite fast food restaurant.
Carl’s Jr.

Best thing about cooking in New York?
Motivation and inspiration. You just get inspired to cook in New York.

Link: http://tvwatch.people.com/2008/12/04/top-chefs-alex-i-hated-the-tv-challenge/

Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #119 on: December 04, 2008, 03:35:58 PM »
Interview with Richard and Alex:

Top Chef’ Exit Interviews: Episodes Three and Four

It’s been a strange couple of weeks for Top Chef fans. Last week’s Thanksgiving Eve episode pitted the cheftestants’ skills against culinary tastes both highbrow (Grant Achatz) and lowbrow (the Foo Fighters) in Rochester, which is a city in New York, but not New York City. In the end, Team Rainbow was demolished when Richard Sweeney, the bearded 27-year-old who was an open admirer of Tom Colicchio, got the boot for serving s’mores. And things got strange in last night’s episode of the competitive cooking show when the cheftestants competed to see who could cook best on a non-cooking program. After a Quickfire in which almost no one followed the rules, most of the cheftestants continued to perform abysmally, but perhaps none more so than Alex Eusebio. With a crème brûlée that didn’t set and a not-made-for-TV personality, he was given the old heave-ho. We spoke to both about being dismissed for failed desserts and about life after the show.

RICHARD

The sole member left from Team Rainbow is Jamie. What are her chances?
She’s had a lot of really good dishes and she started to get recognized for them in the second episode with “show us your craft,” and they liked some of the stuff she made for the Foo Fighters. So I know she’s just starting to get into a rhythm and I think that’s really going to start to show in her performance.

Your non-rainbow team was called the Cougars, after Ariane. Is she really a cougar?
She’s not a cougar — she’s a mom, married with kids. It was kind of the nickname we started to give her because she’d be up first thing in the morning running around in her little workout outfit.

Before you left, were you getting sick of Fabio and Stephan’s sort of mutual lovefest?
It’s really edited to show them spending a ton of time together. I thought they were more entertaining than anything else, especially when you throw Danny into the mix and you’ve got three different accents and three people trying to say the same thing but nobody knows what any of them are talking about.

It seems like the younger chefs are consistently being eliminated — Lauren was 24, Patrick was 21, Jill was 28, and you’re 27.
I think it’s just the experience factor coming in and it’s everybody’s ages. I mean, I didn’t get started cooking until about two years ago. Had I started this when I was 18, I could have been in a totally different situation.

Grant Achatz didn’t respond to your soup well in the Quickfire. Besides lacking acidity, what was wrong with it?
Everybody cooks their food at the same time and when they get around to tasting your food is when they get around to it. Mine was a bean soup that had rice in it. By the time they got around to my side, it had cooled down a lot, and the rice had really absorbed a lot of the liquid. So they were saying it was really thick — way too thick for soup.

You seemed surprised to go.
I had two dishes that they really didn’t like, but I had one dish that they really enjoyed. I genuinely was surprised that Padma said my name. It was more of a look of shock. Like, ‘Wait, what?’ Everybody confused Danny and I for the first week that we were there. So I was like, ‘Wait a minute, did you just mean to say Danny and said my name?’

Do you miss seeing, as you called him, “Tom Hottie Gay Bear Icon Colicchio” on a regular basis?
I’m never ever going to escape that. I do think Tom’s really cute. And the other part of it is every time you’re around somebody who really knows their stuff and is super competent in what they do and is super successful because they know their stuff so well, it's just nice to be around that person. But if I manage to get back on for season six, I’ll keep the Tom talk to a minimum.


ALEX

Were you surprised by your elimination?
Not really. I think it had the snowball effect — Richard left before, and I was bummed out a little about that, and right from there we went to another Quickfire and Elimination Challenge. Not only Richard, but Thanksgiving, I was bummed about that too — my team losing.

Were you distracted or did you want to leave?
I’m getting married, and I didn’t prepare for the wedding — my poor wife had to do everything by herself — that was kind of freaking me out. My vows hadn’t been written, suit hadn’t been measured, none of that kind of stuff. I think a couple of people were trying to annoy me. So I thought, before I blow up at somebody, it’s time for me to go.

What were you annoyed by? The strong personalities?
I’m not really too used to all the camaraderie in the show. And the European people — that was kind of annoying. Okay, we get it, you’re from Europe.

If you weren’t distracted, would you have done better?
This particular challenge would have been tough for me anyway. It was a really specific challenge, and something that I was never good at, which was talking in public.

Does a top chef need TV skills?
No. No, no, no. The Thomas Kellers of the world don’t really go on TV. The TV world is another different group of people.

What did you learn from the show?
I learned where I was. Being in L.A., it’s kind of like an island. You don’t know where you stand compared to other people. Now I know where I stand.

What are your plans now?
My wife, a singer, wants to go back on Broadway, so we might go to New York! It’s a good time to go to New York for us right now. So either L.A. or New York, but you’ll hear about me somewhere. A musical restaurant!

Link: http://nymag.com/daily/food/2008/12/top_chef_exit_interview_episod_1.html


Offline apskip

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #120 on: December 05, 2008, 10:37:48 AM »
The Guest Judge was Rocco DiSpirito, most recently a Dancing with the Stars competitor but usually a celebrity chef. The Quickfire Challenge was deceptively simple: create an amuse-bouche (which I think Leah defined as a one bite starter). Chefs were told that Rocco loves bacon, so they were supposed to infer that the dish should be savory because that is what he thinks is correct for breakfast. One chef did not agree and many did not follow the "one bite" philosophy.
 
Fabio - he created a sweet breakfast dish, a brioche with brulee banana and expresso cream
Jamie - Bacon Lettuce tomato breakfast sandwich
Daniel - cornflake crusted zucchini flower stuffed with hash
Stefan - Huevos Rancheros w/ salsa and cheese
Ariane - French Toast w/chli maple syrup
Melissa - French toast, eggs, strawberries, bacon
Jeff - twice baked potatoes, yoghurt sorbet with fruit
Leah - bacon, quail eggs, cheese w/ grilled bread
Radhika - feta cake w/ omelet, bacon, Hollandaise sauce
 
Those chefs not having their dishes shown in this Quickfire were Hosea, Eugene, Alex and Carla.
The judging by Rocco was very direct. He hated Fabio's sweet breakfast and Fabio commented that he should have listened to the hint. Daniel's use of corn flakes did not resonate. 
The race for the best was between Stefan, Leah and Jamie. Stefan was lauded for his fancy container (hollowed egg shell cut precisely) but I say who cares since it does not impact the food and Tom Colicchio is adamant on the quality of the food being the only criteria for judging. Leah was lauded for great arrangement of flavors in one bite and Jamie  for beautifully assembled and perfectly prepared dish. The nod went to Leah, who won immunity for the Elimination Challenge plus Rocco's book "Rocco Gets Real".
 
The Elimination Challenge was to do a 2.5 minute live demonstration of a dish for television. Chefs had limited time to buy produce and only one hour to prepare for this. Fabio talked the fish retailer in Whole Foods to allow him to cut tuna himself. Hosea and Eugene then did the same. We will surely have 3 tuna-based dishes. Here is the menu:
 
Fabio - tuna w/ roasted carrots and asparagus salad
Jamie - bittersweet salad w/ duck egg, bacon and caviar
Alex - rose infused crème brulee
Daniel - ginger sweet soy skirt steak w/ cabbage salad
Stefan - minestrone soup w/ pancetta and herbs
Ariane - New Jersey beefsteak tomato salad w/watermelon and feta cheese
Jeff- Malfouf roll w/ shrimp and muhammara sauce
Leah - seared duck breast w/corn and blueberry hash
Eugene - tuna sashimi and pea shoot salad
Radhika - sweet shrimp and cucumber salad
Hosea - crispy ahi tuna roll wasabi peas
Carla - tortilla soup
Melissa - blackened habanero shrimp
 
Comments by the judges were:
Leah - she ran over, so "it's a good thing you have immunity"
Alex - he too ran over but worse his brulee never set properly in the one hour prep time
Daniel - he smoked up the studio plus his hamming it up was over the top
Stefan - showed insufficient personality
Ariane - perfect presentation
Winners were Jeff, Fabio and Ariane. The overall winner for the second time in a row was Ariane, whose comment on this was "move over you young kids, here comes the old lady".  She has redeemed her poor showings in the first 2 episodes.
The bottom were Melissa, Jamie, Leah, and Alex. Leah was immune and not subject to elimination.
 
Now an extraordinary (but clearly highly planned) surprise happened. Tom snuck into the sleeping quarters and awakened the 3 top competitors. He told them that their dishes would be judged by the 4 TODAY show hosts and taped at 6:37am for showing on "the day after the episode shows". That would make it this morning for the showing. So that occurred without incident except for Cathy Lee Gifford spitting out Jeff's shrimp on-camera. The judges  went with simple and flavorful and picked Ariane's dish as the winner. She will also get a 5 minute live spot on the TODAY" show sometime and she won a set of chef's tools from Rocoo..
 
The 3 remaining losers were now judged. Melissa had been defensive during her presentation when criticized. Jamie let the lack of doneness of her egg whites throw her off and was angry on camera. Alex picked a dish which had no chance at setting up in time and then his on-camera presentation failed, leaving him without crème brulee. The loser was Alex, who went home to his fiancee for their marriage in one month (actually August 28).
 

Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #121 on: December 05, 2008, 08:49:48 PM »

:)   nice recap apskip

Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #122 on: December 08, 2008, 05:18:58 PM »
An interesting article:

Padma Lakshmi’s Food Demo a Little Easier Than ‘Top Chef’

Though her cookbook Tangy Hot Tart and Sweet came out more than a year ago, Padma Lakshmi appeared at Whole Foods Bowery on Saturday for a signing and, echoing last week's Top Chef elimination challenge, did her own demo. Padma made a sweet-potato-and-lima-bean dish, which the author herself described as “really forgiving.” Good choice for a demo, though it certainly wasn’t as pressure-filled as the one on Top Chef: Padma’s presentation lasted about twenty minutes, and she had an assistant to manhandle the stove. (And to terrify — a few times, Padma leaned over and micromanaged the assistant’s stirring.) During the audience Q&A, Padma reiterated her love for La Esquina and coconut milk, which she “joneses for … like people jones for coffee.” The host also noted that, because she is around for the Quickfire challenges, she is the only judge on Top Chef who eats every dish — “the vessel from which Top Chef flows.” With that image in mind, we asked her about the season so far.

How would you have performed on the food-demo challenge on Top Chef?
I like demos, because it allows you to cook and talk. I mean, here we have a lot more time, so it’s okay. I actually prefer to do the demo instead of have the assistant. This is the first time I’ve done it this way, and it actually befuddled me a little bit.

What’s your favorite Top Chef dish so far this season?
The corn soup, that really beautiful soup that Jamie made. I like really beautiful, simple food. I don’t like it when people try to be clever just for clever’s sake.

Food aside, are there some contestants that you like based on their personalities?
By the time I got to really know the contestants, the season was almost over. And that was good, because I try to keep my distance from them whenever they are not in front of the judge’s table, because I really don’t want that to color my thinking. It usually happens in the beginning of the season, when the contestants don’t know yet, they’ll come up to you and they’ll say, "Hey, nice skirt" or something. A producer will come up, very discreetly, and say, "Step away from the judge."

Do you stay in touch with any former contestants from prior seasons?
I see Sam and Ilan sometimes, but I don’t really keep in touch with any of the contestants. I have gone to Le Cirque … where Andrew cooks. If they’re in the kitchen, they’ll come out and say hi to me.

Link: http://nymag.com/daily/food/2008/12/padma_lakshmis_food_demo_a_little_easier_than_top_chef.html

Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #123 on: December 09, 2008, 07:52:36 PM »

Tom Colicchio & Padma Lakshmi

From his Craft Restaurant in the Flatiron District,

Tom Colicchio and Padma Lakshmi share tips for finding the City's best burgers,

freshest mozzarella and the largest selection of Indian spices


Offline marigold

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Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
« Reply #124 on: December 10, 2008, 02:21:49 PM »
Next week on Top Chef:

TOP CHEF

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS - MARTHA STEWART

12-17-2008

On the eleventh day of Christmas, Bravo gave to me…eleven chefs a cookin'. Television host, author and magazine publisher Martha Stewart guest judges the quickfire challenge. In the spirit of the holidays, the chefs use their skills to give back to the community by catering a Christmas cocktail party hosted by special guest judge, actress and foodie Natasha Richardson, for AmFar, the foundation for AIDS research. Richardson has been actively involved in the fight against AIDS since her father, director Tony Richardson, died of AIDS-related causes.