Topic: Top Chef New York Season 5

[apskip]

I have developed a theory from observation of past topChef episodes. It is that when the number of cheftestants left is evenly divisible by a any whole integer, then you have the potential for a grouping of cheftestants. This means that the potential when starting with 17 cheftestants was for these factors(which are reversible; since flip is the same I am not going to show it):

15 (5 x 3)
14 (7 x 2) note that this episode 3 was actually exactly such a contest with Leah picking her group
12 (6 x 2 or 4 x 3) tonight could be a group experience
10 (5 x 2)
9 (3 x 3)
8 (4 x 2)
6 (3 x 2)
4 (2 x 2) this has happened in the semi-final episode of TC4

I am not saying it is mandated, just that it is somewhere between possible and probable.

[marigold]

Tom Colicchio's Blog:

Speak Up, Listen Up

This challenge involved cooking for Gail Simmons' bridal shower. While that was a noble reason to cook and a beautiful affair, many of our chefs were overly concerned with the fact that they were cooking for a bridal shower, when, in fact, that was a red herring: The important thing was to use the theme they had drawn (old, new, borrowed or blue) and simply make good food. (I was also surprised to hear how often people mentioned the fact that they were cooking for 45 guests. This number should not rattle a chef.)

OK, the "Blue" team had it the toughest conceptually. There is no such thing as blue food (even Hubbard Squash, which is as blue as food gets on the outside, has orange flesh on the inside). The team came up with a good idea - the deep blue sea - but then didn't follow it through particularly well. Chilean Sea Bass was a terrible choice. Aside from not being associated with blue water, the Patagonia Toothfish (it's real name) is one that nobody should ever use, as it's been fished out and is endangered (for more about that, you can check out Hooked: Pirates, Poaching and the Perfect Fish, by G. Bruce Knecht). Even if it weren't an ethical gaffe, this fish is never fresh, but always arrives at the store frozen and is defrosted there. Choice of fish aside, the dish itself just wasn't very good. The whole thing was very pedestrian. Between the very soft fish, the crust that wasn't crisp, and the corn sauce, there was no texture in the dish at all. The team could have done something dynamic and interesting with the deep blue sea concept, but they just didn't. It was a boring dish.

Far from playing it safe, the "New" Team went overboard in the other direction and, ultimately, imploded. Where to even start...? An interactive dish could have been OK, but to pull it off would have required a team of very good technical chefs. Nothing was cooked right. This was not a dish where everything could be cooked in advance and reheated. The shrimp was ridiculously overcooked. Beef has some tolerance to it and might have withstood reheating, but Daniel overcrowded the pan, so instead of being sautéed, the beef was just steamed. There is a way to cook mushrooms, but Daniel doesn't know it, and they were horrible. The rice was made incorrectly, and Eugene actually thought he could fix it. You cannot fix bad rice. I always tell my cooks that invariably something will go wrong and they should not try to sneak it past the chef - they'd just be passing bad food along to the diner. I just opened a new Craft in Atlanta this week and on opening night the fingerling potatoes were undercooked. One of the cooks put a lid on them, cranked up the heat and started boiling them to death, but I stopped him. There was no fixing the potatoes in time to plate them; they need to be cooked slowly. I turned to the waiter and told him to please go out and apologize to the diner, explain that the fingerlings weren't ready, and we'd be sending out gratin instead. Then I turned and reminded my chef that he needed to have tasted every single thing in the kitchen to make sure everything was seasoned and cooked correctly. Luckily, the chef from Craft Dallas, who was visiting to help with the opening, caught it in time. Checks and balances. Team "New" should have had checks and balances (note: Carla didn't even taste the mushrooms that Daniel added to her salad), but I don't think they had the judgment. They would have relabeled the fingerlings, "crunchy potatoes," and sent them out. Half the table at Gail's bridal shower work for Food & Wine magazine. There's no way bad rice could have been passed off as something else no matter what Eugene added to it or how hard he beat it with that pan. The team had plenty of time to redo the rice the following day. Why didn't they?

This is a good argument for why Eugene should have been thrown off, so why Daniel? When you point out what's bad about a dish, most chefs say, "OK, I see that." Here, not only did every person at the table share the same opinion about the dish, but as we're explaining it, it becomes clear that Daniel doesn't even have the baseline knowledge to understand what we're telling him. He made every bad mistake you can make with every element he brought to the dish, and yet he stood there and defended himself instead of listening and learning. Quite honestly, all three of the chefs had a hand in this mess and all three of them should have gone home, but here's the inherent problem of a team challenge: Once you've figured out that a certain dish is the worst one, we're left with figuring out who caused the least and the most detriment to the dish. While Carla should have spoken up and fought to fix the problems with the dish, we let her off the hook, because her contributions were the least problematic. But Daniel was oblivious to the problems and not only didn't try to fix them, he kept compounding them. He was clearly lost. He had the least amount of skill and know-how, and when certain things were pointed out to him, he just point-blank said, "You're wrong." Part of my role, aside from judging, is to help the cheftestants become better chefs. I'm not allowed to advise them outright while they're cooking, but time and again chefs from past seasons have told me afterwards that they've really learned from my comments and our conversations about the food. But you can't even begin to have a conversation with Daniel, because he's not listening. There's no common ground. It's like having a relationship and wanting to talk about the problems in order to improve the relationship and having the other person say, "There are no problems." There's nowhere to go with that. You get a sense that Carla and Eugene were willing to listen and grow, but Daniel wasn't. He really believed that they'd created a great dish and wasn't open to learning anything.

A note about the winning dish: Viewers typically think that we judges are privy to all the info the viewers have by the time everyone's at the Judges' Table, but we're not. The cameras were rolling when the cheftestants conceived of their dishes, the viewers heard the chefs at the supermarket, in their loft, during prep in the Top Chef kitchen, but the judges don't see any of that footage in advance. While I pay a visit to the kitchen and ask some questions while the chefs are cooking, we basically just sample the food at the challenge and judge it from there. We give the chefs a chance to explain, clarify, and illuminate us when we're questioning them at the Judges' Table, and I, for one, wish they would use that opportunity more than they do. Jamie's carrot puree was terrific; Ariane's lamb was perfect. That's what the judges knew, and what they based their decision on. Jamie could have spoken up and taken deserved credit for having conceptualized the dish and been the team leader on it, but she didn't. That information would have been salient to the judges, who loved the whole dish, and it might have tipped the scales in her favor and earned her the win.

Link: http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?blog=tom_colicchio

[marigold]

I have developed a theory from observation of past topChef episodes. It is that when the number of cheftestants left is evenly divisible by a any whole integer, then you have the potential for a grouping of cheftestants. This means that the potential when starting with 17 cheftestants was for these factors(which are reversible; since flip is the same I am not going to show it):

15 (5 x 3)
14 (7 x 2) note that this episode 3 was actually exactly such a contest with Leah picking her group
12 (6 x 2) tonight could be a group experience
10 (5 x 2)
9 (3 x 3)
8 (4 x 2)
6 (3 x 2)
4 (2 x 2) this has happened in the semi-final episode of TC4

I am not saying it is mandated, just that it is somewhere between possible and probable.

Now your talking mathematically your predictions make perfect sense 

I have to say Hosea was in my top 3 when we first learned about the contestants based on their bios, he continues look promising

As for Ariane you know I’m now eating my words lol surprising but I still don’t think she will win top chef

[apskip]

Marigold, that blog by Tom Colicchio is pure gold. Thanks.

I have some opinions developed from the first 5 episodes and even before the beginning of Top Chef 5. On paper I picked Jamie as having the best background. She has not quite reached her potential, but she has been in the Winner's Group of Elimination Challenges most of the time. I expect her to be in the final 3. Ariane is going great now, but I do not expect her to make it to the final group as one bad episode and she will be good without any regard to all her wins. For the final 3 I expect Fabio to be there and Stefan (if other chestestants don't lynch him first). There are several other good chefs in this competition (Leah, Radhika, Hosea come to mind), but I don't think thye can beat the ones I have identified.

[apskip]

Episode 5

Padma told the cheftestants that this would be a tasting challenge where they would be the judge. Knives were drawn for the initial pairings. The dish was shrimp lobster bouillabaisse. The challenge was to win each pair of competition by being able to name the most ingredients, with each member of the pairing bidding for the highest number they could handle. Jamie said during it that they were told there were 30 ingredients in the first dish. Results were:
 
Hosea vs. Daniel - Hosea said onions, shrimp, lemon, carrots(he won)
Jeff vs. Ariane - Jeff said fennel, salt, crab (which was wrong and meant he lost)
Stefan vs. Jaime  - Stefan says salt, lemon, pepper, lobster, olive oil and Jamie is out
Leah vs. Eugene -  Eugene misses on his first nomination (I could not discern precisely what he said)
Fabio vs. Radhika - it was disappointing that neither could request  for more than 3. Radhika said salt, celery, lobster for an easy victory
Carla vs. Melissa - Carla says cream, sale, lobster, fennel to move forward
 
The second round was based on Thai green curry. Results were:
 
Hosea vs. Ariane - He claimed 7 and named coconut milk, sugar, Thai basil, ginger, salt, pepper, Thai chili
Stefan vs. Leah - He claimed 8 and named onions, turmeric, lemongrass, coconut milk, salt, ginger, vegetable oil, sugar,
Carla vs. Radhika - Radhika claimed 7 and named coconut milk, lemongrass, salt, chili powder. She lost because the last one was wrong.
 
The final round was Mexican mole sauce, renowned for having many ingredients, and was round robin. Carla went out immediately with the nomination of peanut butter. Stefan nominated chocolate, Hosea nominated sesame, Stefan pepper, Hosea raisins, Stefan coriander, Hosea garlic, Stefan tomato paste(which was wrong). Hosea went for vegetable oil and won.
 
Elimination Challenge
Padma stated that the cheftestants would do a bridal shower for about 40 guests. The bride is Gail Simmons! Gail came in to tell them that these were her best friends, all female,  many colleagues at Food and Wine magazine. Knives were drawn to determine which people were on teams of 3. They are summarized below.
 
The dishes were:
OLD
Jeff- Heirloom Tomato Carpaccio w Tomato Sorbet
Hosea - Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho w/ mint, cucumbers and watermelon
Stefan - Heirloom Tomato, Eggplant and Basil Terrine
NEW (Daniel, Eugene, Carla) - tempura shrimp and beef, frisee salad on wonton(plus mushrooms Daniel added without the other two aware), Peach Miso BBQ sauce, yuzu sorbet
BORROWED
Radhika - wilted leek  cucumber raita and sauce for lamb
Ariane - Indian spiced lamb marinated in yoghurt
Jamie - carrot puree, sorbet
BLUE
Melissa - sorbet
Leah - Swiss chard and corn puree
Fabio - blue corn encrusted Chilean sea bass
 
There were a number of interesting comments that arose during the cooking process. Eugene decided to modify his sushi concept into "roll your own"; there is a lot of risk there, [articualrly because he forgot to tell the diners. Fabio stated that the target audience is 43 people who are well educated and have good palates. Multiple people comment that being on a team with Stefan is a liability for you personally since there is no "I" in team and Stefan is only about "I". There were very positive comments from Gail and Dana about Ariane's lamb. In the kitchen with 14 minutes left it was undercooked, but the decision to leave it in the oven for 7 more minutes and take the plating risk was correct. All teams provided help on plating to get it done on time.
 
So for Judges Table I was not surprised to see Team Borrowed there for the determination of the winner. In my mind, there wasn't much doubt about who would win, as she has proven equally adept at roasting turkey and lamb. Ariane won her 3rd straight Elimination Challenge. Team Old earned an OK and was not involved in any judging.
 
Losers group was Team New and Team Blue. I could tell that Team Blue was really there for contrast and for filling time to make this a 75 minute show. Leah was told by Dana that her flavors were very good, but her texture was lacking. Fabio was told it was easy to cook forgiving Chilean sea bass. What he was not told was that it was a poor choice for multiple other reasons(see Colicchio blog in an above post). Melissa was not addressed at all. However, this was a brief interlude and Team Blue was dismissed after Tom warned them that a repeat performance of lackluster dishes like that would see them gone very fast.

This left Team New as the real culprits in bad performance. Tom made the strong statement that if he could he would fire all of them. Carla got off the best because her frisee salad was OK except for the mushrooms on the bottom. Tom stated that the mushrooms were terrible and asked Daniel (who had volunteered that he had put them under the salad) whether he tasted them. Daniel did and stood by them. Carla was asked the same question and had to say that he had not. Tom said that the major problems were both concept (Eugene's) and execution (all 3 of them). Eugene's use of bad rice was commented on; the judge said he should have ditched it and started over(but obviously very quickly). There was no doubt in my mind who was leaving. Although Eugene made huge mistakes, Daniel's were equal plus he demonstrated that his palate is way off in tasting his own food and rating it way too positively. Daniel was eliminated.
 
Next week is Martha Stewart as Guest Judge for a holiday party.

[marigold]

Marigold, that blog by Tom Colicchio is pure gold. Thanks.

I have some opinions developed from the first 5 episodes and even before the beginning of Top Chef 5. On paper I picked Jamie as having the best background. She has not quite reached her potential, but she has been in the Winner's Group of Elimination Challenges most of the time. I expect her to be in the final 3. Ariane is going great now, but I do not expect her to make it to the final group as one bad episode and she will be good without any regard to all her wins. For the final 3 I expect Fabio to be there and Stefan (if other chestestants don't lynch him first). There are several other good chefs in this competition (Leah, Radhika, Hosea come to mind), but I don't think thye can beat the ones I have identified.

Lol I love reading Tom’s blogs it gives great insight and reasoning behind his judgment

Thank god he likes to write a lot because he does go in great detail about the episode.

I completely agree with your top 3 they are some good competition.

Fabio remains iffy for me as I wonder if he is more all talk and plenty of ego than he can perform.

[marigold]

Gail Simmons' Blog:

One Very Lucky Girl

I just returned from my belated and much anticipated honeymoon and am so happy to be back in time for the airing of this very special episode. Thanks so much to those who sent good wishes to my blog while I was gone. I really enjoyed reading all your kind messages and am so appreciative of your enthusiastic encouragement!

At first I was a little reluctant at the thought of having my shower, a truly personal celebration, on national television. But after giving it some thought, and knowing my wedding would be completely private and focused on just my soon-to-be husband and me, I realized this would be a great way of documenting such an important event in my life. Besides, I knew my girlfriends would love it. They have all been incredibly supportive of the show and this was the perfect way to give some of them a taste of just how fun and exciting working on Top Chef can be! Once the party began, I was so glad I had agreed to do it. We shot the episode in early August, just weeks before my actual wedding, and despite the few culinary disappointments you witnessed, it was in fact a really poignant evening and one I will remember for years to come. As you can imagine, getting so many of my girlfriends together in one room is not something that happens very often. We ate, drank, and laughed for hours and had the most wonderful time. Although marriage is of course about two people sharing the rest of their lives together, this shower enforced for me the importance of having the rock-solid foundation of close friends and family in starting such an extraordinary new adventure. OK, enough of the sappy stuff...let's get to the food.

I have a feeling many viewers will complain that this episode's Judges' Table was extremely harsh and critical. In watching the final cuts, I have to agree. But as Tom mentioned, this was not just anyone's party. We were not serving strangers at an event we would otherwise not attend. The diners here were not only my closest friends, but many were colleagues, personal mentors, and bosses, several of whom not only have expert palates, but are people Tom, Padma, and I admire.

Selecting a winning and a losing dish from the evening's four courses was actually quite straightforward. Everyone at the table agreed that the "Something New" Team had made a number of serious errors, as if the dish had been created not by chefs, but by a group of high schoolers as a practical joke. Their new take on sushi was all over the map and we were given no direction on how to navigate it. There were so many disjointed components on that plate, it was obvious that questionable decisions had been made by each of the chefs who conceived it: Eugene's overcooked rice and cold tempura, Carla's ill-fated salad, Danny's renegade mushrooms, tasteless beef, oddly-paired peach barbecue sauce, and of course the yuzu sorbet, which we were specifically told to eat at the end of our meal, but which had completely melted by the time we attempted to do so. Choosing who would go home from this team was our initial concern. As soon as we started speaking with the team, we realized how little communication had occurred among them. We also discovered that Danny had no insight into the mistakes he had made. As much as I am all for people defending their food, Danny's inability to see how poorly executed their dish was made it clear that he would be leaving.

The "Something Old" Team's Heirloom Tomato Trio was simple, smart, and refreshing. I remember thinking that parts of it could have used more salt, specifically Stefan's terrine, but on the whole the trio rose to the challenge and succeeded as one cohesive vision. I definitely appreciated the thought behind the "Something Blue" Team's concept and am actually quite thankful they did not try to create a dish made up of blue-colored foods. There was nothing unpleasant about their Blue Corn Encrusted Chilean Sea Bass. It was cooked well enough and in fact many of my guests enjoyed it. The reason it was ranked at the bottom was only that, comparatively, two of the dishes were stronger and it was our task to rank them. The sea bass is not as interesting a dish and, although it tasted just fine, was void of much texture or color. Part of creating good food is giving your diners a complete sensory experience -all aspects, from taste to sight to mouth-feel (touch), must be taken into consideration.

On the other hand, the "Something Borrowed" Team served a dish that was absolutely delicious. The flavors were creative and well-balanced, the textures were beautifully varied and each element was flawlessly cooked. The dish surprised us all - a bold ray of light in an otherwise lackluster meal. It was unanimous among both judges and guests that this was the winning dish of the night. As to whom we chose as the specific winner, although Jamie may have spearheaded the effort, as judges we only see the end result, and the star of that plate was without doubt Arian's Indian Spiced Lamb.

I will not appear on the next several episodes, as I took a break from taping after that fabulous evening to finish planning my wedding and finally get married (which by the way was pretty special too!). I promise that you will be in good hands and I will be back for the finale. In the meantime, I will try to answer some of your questions on this blog and promise that lots more good food and good drama lie ahead. Oh, one more update: so far married life is fantastic. I am one very lucky girl indeed!

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

[marigold]

An interesting article:

Top Chef 5: Conference Call with Danny Gagnon

Danny Gagnon left Top Chef 5 last night making a football analogy: the refs made the wrong call on the play.

Danny spoke with us today and the football references continued; Top Chef is the Superbowl for chefs, he said, and while he clearly has strong feelings that it wasn't his time to go, he's still glad he had the chance to play at all.

Danny still stands behind his contributions to the dish, saying that a complete dish contains a veg, starch, protein and sauce. His contributions of sauce and veg were solid, he thinks, and worthy of defense. Danny seemed to feel pretty strongly that it was Eugene Villiatora's turn to go home, comparing him to a football coach that calls the wrong play. Danny felt that Eugene drove the sushi concept, overcooked the shrimp and rice and failed to tell the guests how to eat the dish, so was more deserving of heading home.

Danny also said the addition of mushrooms to Carla Hall's salad was actually discussed prior to the plating, contrary to what Carla said, and he maintains they were seasoned properly, despite what Tom Colicchio said.

He was disappointed overall, he said, that Tom didn't seem to have much positive to say about his performance on the show, saying he thought that Tom took his positives and turned them into negatives.

Otherwise, he felt the judges were “nice” and “knew what they were talking about.” He found Padma Lakshmi kind and beautiful.

As to the other chefs, he said he did continue to find the “Euro Duo” of Stefan Richter and Fabio Viviani kind of annoying due to their cockiness and attitude of superiority towards the American chefs.

He admires Hosea Rosenberg's skills the most, and said he didn't mind Hosea's comments in the episode about Danny being smarter than many folks would assume. Danny acknowledges that his Long Island accent can give people the wrong impression, contrasted against, say, Fabio, whose Italian accent will immediately charm people.

We also got the story behind his sculpted facial hair. He said when he played football, he shaved spikes into his beard so that was all that showed when he had on his helmet. So the look was very much his “game face” and helped him get in the mindset of the competition.

I asked him if he was disappointed to be competing so close to home, missing out on the chance to visit a new town, but he said he was happy to be only 40 minutes away from home, playing on his home turf.

He did, of course, get in a few additional “Baba Booey” shout-outs and seems to be maintaining his sense of humor despite the elimination from Top Chef.

Danny said knows it's tough to have a family in the restaurant biz, and wants to find a way to make more time for his personal life at some point. He'd like to open his own restaurant in the future, but for now, if you'd like to try Danny's food for yourself, he's currently working at the Babylon Carriage House in Long Island, NY.

Link: http://www.buddytv.com/articles/top-chef/top-chef-5-conference-call-wit-25194.aspx

[marigold]

An interview with Danny:

Top Chef Exit Interview: Danny Cut Loose, Loves Football Analogies, Wanted To Create A New Take On Pickles

Three things Danny Gagnon loves: cooking, talking, and football analogies. Last night the affable 26-year-old Long Island native hit the chopping block on Top Chef after spearheading the "veg and sauce" components of a dish that was doomed as soon as the words "peach," "barbeque" and "sushi" were mixed in the same sentence. This morning, Danny talked to reporters about his experience on the show ("it's like the Superbowl"), his distaste for Eurpeans, and what on Earth was going on with his "jowl-cut" beard.

What made you think pickles are "new?" And how did you know Gail likes pickles?
Basically I knew Gail liked pickles because of the past seasons. In order to do something new you have to start with something old. In that sense, starting with something like pickling - which goes back to the old ages, you know, The Vikings. What I really wanted to do was a new style of pickling.

When you were watching last night's episode and Hosea made a comment about you actually possessing brains, implying that you
weren't just a meathead, were you offended?
Not at all. I took it as a huge compliment. I'm from 'Looongggggeyelaand,' I have a Long Island accent. Say if someone told me to say 'I want mustad on my hotdawg,' and then they told Fabio to say the same thing. They're going to like the way Fabio says it better than me, because of the fact that I sound like a meathead with my Long Island accent. Fabio would say it with his Italian accent, and it sounds much better. I was totally fine with it. I am who I am. It's a compliment because I know people see me and think Look at this guy, but I'm more than that.

It seemed like you couldn't stand Fabio and Stefan from the get-go. Did they grow on you?
First of all, I don't know if you've ever met a European before, but Europeans think that us American's aren't educated, or aren't up to speed with them. I didn't like that. But they were very talented, I must say, and let the best man win.

You seemed really adamant about defending your dish. Do you still stand by what you guys created?
I stood by it. In order to make a plate you need a sauce, a veg, a starch and a protein. I picked the sauce and the veg. I was in charge of the barbeque sauce, the ginger poached asparagus, and the mushrooms, which I thought were well seasoned. I still stand behind what I did - the components on that plate.

Why did you add mushrooms to Carla's salad?
It was a last component to the dish that we had talked about. I thought it would have been a nice compliment to the dish. It was a little light salad and I thought it needed a little more body. So I made an executive decision and I put it on the plate.

You made an analogy to a ref making a penalty call on something they didn't see. Was there something the judges missed?
Yeah. Well, with Gene. They saw he overcooked the sushi rice and the tempura shrimp. He was basically the leader of the team. I really had no knowledge of sushi. He took it upon himself to lead the team. Sometimes when a call is made in The Superbowl you get an extra 5 yards, and in my case, I didn't get the extra 5 yards. They kicked me off.

Is there anything you could have said at Judges Table to change their minds?
No, not at all. I was very confident. I stand behind the leader and what I did. If I wasn't confident about myself than what's the point of me being on the show?

Was it a good experience?
It was one of the best experiences of my life. It was unbelievable. Just to be there and to make it as far as I did is a real accomplishment. I'll refer back to football - I was in The Superbowl, but I didn't win.

What did you think about Carla's reservations and the way she stood by the team in judging?
During the planning stages everyone was confident. Gene was confident. It was his idea to put this dish together. He failed to tell the ladies how to eat this dish. I'm not bashing him but this is a competition. He should have gone home and not me. Unfortunately I went home.

What did you think of the judges?
I thought they were very nice. They knew what they were talking about. One little thing I was really disappointed in was Tom Colicchio. I really respected that guy. I still do respect him, but of all the positive things I've done on the show, there were no positive compliments towards me from him. That was really upsetting to me. I thought he would at least give me one positive compliment throughout the show, but no.

Why do you think that was?
Well he has a strong personality and I have a strong personality, but I don't know. I was upset that he found negatives in all my positives.

What did you think of Padma?
What did I think of Padma? [Laughing] Oh man! I thought she was beautiful. She was kind and caring. She said what she wanted to say. That was the beauty of being on a reality show.

Whose skills on the show are you most impressed with?
Hosea. I think Hosea is a very talented chef. He's very charismatic and knowledgeable around the kitchen.

Is there anything you would have done differently?
I wouldn't have done that sushi. It's like saying, how can I make an analogy of this? I'll go back to football again. It's like the head coach saying 'take the ball here, run this play, and I know it's going to work,' and then it doesn't work and you go to the coach and say 'what'd you make me do this play for? You said it was going to work,' and the coach says 'oh, sorry.' So it's like 'what's the matter with you, are you retarded?'

And that's how you feel?
That's exactly how I feel. It is what it is. It just made me stronger.

You had some changing facial hair throughout the show. Can you talk about the cut-outs in your beard?
Here comes football again! When I used to play ball I used to shave spikes into my beard. So it was comforting to do that to my face for this. It was game time, game day, ready to go!

Now that you're done with the show, what are you doing?
I'm the same way on camera as I am off camera. I'm cooking at the Babylon Carriage House in Long Island. I'm looking to still progress and move forward. Maybe open my own place, or be a private chef. Things I can do while having a family. In this business you can't really have a family. In general you can't have kids, you're cooking all the time, I don't want that. I want to be a private chef, make my own hours, get some laughs, and cook awesome food. Ba-Ba Boom! I'm the boss of this kitchen!!

Link: http://thebiz.fancast.com/2008/12/top_chef_exit_interview_danny.html

[marigold]

An interview with Danny:

Top Chef Exit Interview: Episode Five

In last night’s extra-long episode, the cheftestants banded together to make some bad food and the staff of Food & Wine balked at having to eat it at Gail’s bridal shower. The phrase “deconstructed sushi” was the first sign that the “something new” team was doomed, but its culinary architect, Eugene, was spared from elimination. Rather, it was young Danny Gagnon of Long Island who was sent to pack his knives. Tom didn't appreciate the chef's undercooked, unseasoned mushrooms, and Danny's emphatic defense of his cooking didn't help matters. We caught up with him by phone this morning to talk about the judges’ bad decision and what’s so new about pickles.

You said in the episode that the word “new” made you think of pickles. Why?
Pickling is an old technique, and basically to make something new you have to start with old first. That’s why I came up with the idea of pickling — do different types of pickling on the plate, and maybe have a protein, a Chilean sea bass or sirloin or filet mignon or something like that, but obviously Gene thought otherwise.

You compared your elimination to a ref making the wrong call in football. What would have been the right call, in your opinion?
The right call would have been getting rid of Eugene and keeping me. Sometimes a football player catches the ball in the end zone, and drops it because of the other guy, but the ref didn’t see it and he made a bad call.

Why should Eugene have gone?
The “sushi master” messed up rice and messed up shrimp tempura. What kind of sushi master does that? It’s kind of ridiculous. Gene should have told them how to eat it, and he didn’t do that.

How’s that?
It was his idea about deconstructed sushi, and he failed to tell everybody how to eat the damn thing. Everybody’s sitting there with their thumbs up their butt, [wondering] "How do I eat this thing?" And that’s where the concept failed.

What other factors contributed to your elimination?
They thought I didn’t do that much. But I made a barbecue sauce from scratch. I’m not taking Peter Luger’s sauce and pouring it out of a bottle. There’s a lot of steps involved and a lot of technique involved in making a barbecue sauce. I was kind of shocked.

While you were there, did you ever feel outmaneuvered by the experience of the older contestants?
I saw the other contestants as actually a little less talented than I was. Ariane — I always resort back to Ariane, when she was like “Move over, little kids, here comes the older woman” — Get outta here. The judges spit your food out into a napkin. You should have been eliminated. It’s ridiculous that she’s still on the show.

She’s been winning challenges. What do you think about that?
I think it’s a bunch of malarkey. I can’t take away what people did, and I can’t go on from the past and change things, but the proof’s in the pudding — and her pudding sucked. Her pudding got spit out into a napkin, and people will always remember that.

Are Stefan and Fabio as annoying as they appear to be on the show?
Yeah. These guys are really, really annoying. There’s been multiple cases when I wanted to just throw them off the balcony. But unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to touch the contestants. They’re very cocky. They think Americans suck, which pissed me off because I’m an American, and you’re in my backyard here. So watch where you go.

Who’s your personal choice for Top Chef?
My personal pick has to be Hosea. I think he’s the most talented on the show so far, he’s a gentleman, and he can cook his ass off.

What’s your dream job? At the pinnacle of your career, where would you be, what would you be doing?
My pinnacle of my career would be opening up my own restaurant, or being a personal chef. Being a chef is hard. There’s no benefits, no dental, no vision. My dream job is to be happy, to be making good food, making a good salary for my family eventually, and just having medical, dental, and vision, and being comfortable in life. I hope there’s a job out there like that for me.

Link: http://nymag.com/daily/food/2008/12/top_chef_exit_interview_episod_2.html

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An interview with Danny:

Ousted Chef Danny: Eugene Should Have ‘Gone Home’

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

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

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

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

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

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

Our Top Chef 5 Burning Questions:

Describe your Top Chef experience in one word.
Retarded.

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

Name one food you cannot stand.
Green peppers.

Pick your favorite fast-food restaurant.
White Castle.

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

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

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BRAVO TIES FOR MOST PRODUCERS GUILD AWARD NOMINATIONS

Published: December 12, 2008

BRAVO Press Release

BRAVO TIES FOR MOST PRODUCERS GUILD AWARD NOMINATIONS

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

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

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

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

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

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

[marigold]

An interesting article:

WHAT WOULD PADMA COOK?

'TOP CHEF' HOST LOVES LEFTOVER COMFORT FOOD

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

Maybe not a good idea.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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SPEND THE HOLIDAYS WITH BRAVO FAVORITES

Released By Bravo

Published: December 16, 2008

Classic Bravo Marathons Guaranteed to Make The Season Brighter

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

The marathon schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, December 24:

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

Thursday, December 25:

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

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Gail Simmons Blog:

The Holiday Spirit

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

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

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

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

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.... since no one was eliminated this week, some questions for the Quickfire Challenge Winner Ariane:

Ariane: The Golden Goose

Bravotv.com: Were you excited to see Martha Stewart in the kitchen?

Yes very. I love Martha Stewart!

Bravotv.com: What was the inspiration for your Quickfire challenge?

My dish was something that is quick, one pot, and a great addition for your holiday meal.

Bravotv.com: Were your problems in the first few episodes forgotten after the last few wins?

Oh never!

How were the other chefs seeing you after?

I am unsure, still have to watch out for No. 1.

Bravotv.com: Did you think deviled eggs were a safe choice?

No. It went with my phrase in the song and for a holiday cocktail party you always have deviled eggs.

Bravotv.com: Were you worried at all that it was too safe? It was a lot of eggs. I wasnt thinking safe, I was thinking about my phrase in the  song, six geese a-laying.

Bravotv.com: What did you think of the other chefs' dishes?

I thought everyone  was being  as creative as they could with their phrase in the song.

Bravotv.com: What were you thinking when Tom came into the kitchen to talk to you guys? 

What now??

Bravotv.com: Were you surprised no one went home?

Yes, and suspicious. Something was up.

Bravotv.com: Did you think anyone really deserved to?

You always think someone should go home.

Bravotv.com: Was there any doubt at all that everyone would help Hosea and Radhika after their food got spoiled?

No doubt at all. We are all professional!

Bravotv.com: You and Jamie seem to be getting close, cooking next to each other. Why do you think you relate to each other more than the other cooks?

We are both down to earth. She says it like it is. I love that about her. Honesty. I am the same.

Bravotv.com: What was going through your mind when the choir came in to sing?!

I loved it. I was singing right along with them. They were amazing!!!!

Bravotv.com: Looking back on last week's episode, what is the most important thing to remember when cooking for a bridal shower? ... Cooking for a foodie bridal shower?

It better be good. She only gets one shower.

Bravotv.com: Were you happy with Jamie's idea of borrowing Radhika's culture?

Yes, very.

Bravotv.com: It seemed like Jamie really took charge in the kitchen -- what did you feel like each of your roles was?

We all had an important role. Each of us had a specific part of the dish to prepare.

Bravotv.com: Jamie was obviously bummed she didn't win, do you think it strained your relationship at all? Not at all.

Bravotv.com: Do you think she deserved the win instead?

I was surprised I won, but I guess the judges thought I deserved it.

Bravotv.com: What did you think of the other team's dishes and concepts?

I knew we had the best dish!

Link: http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?blog=burning_questions_2

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Tom Colicchio's Blog:

On Pitched Food and Pitching In

This week's episode was self-explanatory; I have little to add. But I will start by saying how pleased I was to learn that for the Elimination Challenge Top Chef was going to participate in an event to benefit amfAR, a worthy and admirable organization that has been at the forefront of AIDS research, as well as prevention, education and policy advocacy since the disease first surfaced in the 1980s.

What I was not pleased about, as you know from watching the episode, was the level of cooking. In defense of the chefs, the time constraint was a legitimate issue. Having only three hours to pull off the entire prep for this particular challenge was rough. But just because you're cooking to serve from behind a table doesn't mean you should dumb down what you elect to do. There are selections you can make that are just a little better than a deviled egg. I like deviled eggs, but please - you can't expect to win Top Chef with a deviled egg, no matter what you top it with. The chefs didn't seem to be cooking to win; rather, they seem to be cooking to not lose, to play it safe, and not get voted off. There is a huge difference between the two. I know that by Episode Six, they're getting tired, but this is actually the point in the competition at which they should be stepping it up. From what I have seen from these chefs, they really can do better, so I expected more from them. If I didn't think they had it in them, I wouldn't have been so hard on them; I wouldn't have even bothered to go into the kitchen to urge them to step it up.

What I was glad to learn was how everyone pulled together to help out the chefs whose food had spoiled. That is exactly how a kitchen actually functions, and I was so glad to learn that everyone had done the right thing. I think that this could have been a factor in the lackluster food - the energy the chefs put into helping those who had lost their food distracted them all from doing their best. But I still think they were hedging their bets.

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

[apskip]

Top Chef 5, episode 6
 
Quickfire Challenge was with Martha Stewart as guest judge (Quickfire only). Martha challenged the chefs to cook simple but not too simple. The theme was one-pot cooking in 45 minutes. Chefs prepared the following dishes:
 
Jeff - potato risotto w/ crispy pork, sauteed brussels sprouts, verjus
Ariane - cauliflower puree w/ herb-rubbed filet mignon
Stefan - veal celtic goulash w/ potatoes and chanterelle mushrooms w/ garlic, saffron, fresh herbs
Jaime - potato/kale stew w/scallops and fried sage
Eugene - spicy Korean stew w/ pork, mushrooms, cilantro sour cream and wonton chips,  thickened with cornstarch because time not enough for reduction
Fabio - roasted mushroom polenta w/ seared duck breast
Carla - brined turkey breast w/ apple and dried cherry stuffing
Melissa - pork tenderloin w/ braised cabbage, apple bacon, orange, fennel
Hosea - fish, shrimp, chicken, chorizo paella
Leah and Radhika were not shown.
 
The losers group was Jeff due to risotto starchy and too heavy, Fabio  due to polenta color grayish and mushrooms not showing, and Eugene too much cornstarch in his Korean stew.
The winners group was Ariane for perect  balance, Hosea because his paella was the most classic one-pot dish presented, and Jaime due to perfect cooking and use of kale winter vegetable available despite filming in August. The winner was Ariane who got the "Martha Stewart's Cooking School" as a prize. She also got immunity for the elimination challenge.
 
The Elimination Challenge is to cater a holiday party for 250 guests at the Prince George Ballroom for the American Foundation for Aids Research (AMFAR). The judges would be Michelle Bernstein and actress/foodie Natasha Richardson. Padma called in the Harlem Gospel Choir to sing about the food theme for the event. It is the song 12 Days of Christmas and each of the 11 chefs drew a knife (except for #4 which didn't make it to the event because there was one chef less than the number of days). Chefs were given a budget of $400 each at Whole Foods, which works out to maybe $4000 total food spending ($16 per guest). Days drawn were:
 
1 Radhika Partridge in a Pear Tree grilled duck leg, toasted brioche, pear chutney, toasted pistachios
2 Carla Turtle Doves braised chicken w/ duxelles, mushroom cap
3 Leah French Hens braised guinea hen with butternut squash puree over puffed pastry
4 nobody Calling Birds
5 Eugene Golden Rings Poisson Cru w/ pineapple ring, Yukon Gold potato chip
6 Ariane Geese a Laying Devilled Eggs 6 ways
7 Jamie Swans Aswimming crudo of sea scallop in vichyssoise, lemon agrumato, leeks, microgreens
8 Melissa Maids Amilking gorgonzola and NY strip steak on sourdough crostini w/ cranberry vinaigrette
9 Fabio Ladies Dancing sweet corn and roasted pepper crabcake, chipotle, lime aioli, coleslaw
10 Jeff Lords Aleaping seared Halloumi and Kasseri cheese, roasted beets, pears, mint and spices
11 Hosea Piper Piping sauteed pork w/ chipotle mashed potatoes, apple brandy jus
12 Stefan Drummers Drumming Chicken pot pie w/ English peas, white asparagus, thyme and parsley
 
The constraints are that they have 3 hours to prep, then 1 hour to prep and pack in the Top Chef kitchen, followed by one more hour onsite. They will have to plate 300 dishes of their dishes. What happens overnight is that the refrigerators were overloaded(some say the result was that they came open) and running much higher than normal temperatures. Hosea's pork and Radhika's duck were pretty much wiped out, with Melissa having some minor damage. The entire group of chefs came to their rescue the next morning and helped them redo their dishes.
 
The event guests voted for their favorite dish by pinning AIDS ribbons onto a board for each chef. Some pinned them directly onto a favorite chef, particularly Hosea(for his food) and Fabio(you know why with a huge crowd predominantly female, at least what was shown on camera). The judges ate sequentially and caucused after each dish.
 
The final results were that Hosea, Jeff, Stefan and Radhika were in the Winners Group. The win went to Hosea, who got a copy of Michelle Bernstein's book. Michelle then undercut the value of that gift by announcing that all chefs  would also receive one, presumably because of the group contribution to Hoseas and Radhika's dishes but maybe also because it was her first book and there might be some surplus. One comment Padma made and Tom seconded was "does she (Ariane) expect to win with a devilled egg?"  Note that two of the four "winners" were the ones burned by the refrigerator incident. Also that Ariane had immunity and could freely experiment(which she chose not to do).
 
The losers group was Jaime, Eugene and Melissa. Jaime was called out for not cooking the scallops, which would have improved the dish. Eugene had a hard-headed attitude that his dish was fabulous in spite of feedback to the contrary and for the second week in a row. Melissa was criticized for having too much cheese on her dish, overwhelming the other flavors.

Tom Colicchio announced the jdges consensus: in the spirit of the holidays (ho, ho, ha, ha, ha because this was filmed in August) nobody would be eliminated. He also chewed out all the chefs for their lack of creative and culinary skills, saying that several were playing it safe. He challenged all to step it up (the equivalent of Emil Lagasse's kick it up a notch) and produce better food. I should say that the judging process, which gives no value whatever to past episodes, encourages chefs to lie in the weeds and not take serious risks until the last episodes.
 

[marigold]

Oh cool great recap apskip

Ariane's devilled egg? What in the world was she thinking it was not a family gathering.

Anyways looking forward to the next episode with Toby Young mmmm cat food 

[apskip]

I had a chance to do some calculations about the Top Chef schedule and remaining number of competitors, which is 11. To reach a Finale with the traditional 3 competitors takes 8. Culinary fans, there are 9 sessions left after next weeks's reruns on Christmas Day 9am to 3pm. New episodes will be shown from 1/7 to 3/4. There is one episode extra, which could be used to do a rerun, used to duplicate the generosity of eliminating nobody or more likely to have the Finale 3 compete over 2 episodes.

[marigold]

I had a chance to do some calculations about the Top Chef schedule and remaining number of competitors, which is 11. To reach a Finale with the traditional 3 competitors takes 8. Culinary fans, there are 9 sessions left after next weeks's reruns on Christmas Day 9am to 3pm. New episodes will be shown from 1/7 to 3/4. There is one episode extra, which could be used to do a rerun, used to duplicate the generosity of eliminating nobody or more likely to have the Finale 3 compete over 2 episodes.

Hmmm interesting it sure gets me out of a brain freeze lol

Thanks for sharing apskip I love it!!

[marigold]

Update via myspace: Top Chef Season 2 winner Ilan Hall .... my fav chef that season hehehe

Hello everyone!

As some of you may have already heard, I am in the process of opening my first restaurant, The Gorbals in Downtown Los Angeles, Spring 2009.

In the meantime, I would like to offer a series of private dinners to preview the menu, which will include my own special interpretation of Jewish, Scottish, and Spanish cuisines. We can customize your menu from three to six courses and up to fifteen people. If you would like to book one of these dinners, please contact Joana via e-mail at joanaspiess@gmail.com. Please feel free to forward this e-mail.

I am excited to share more news with you in the coming months.

[marigold]

An interview with Jamie:

15 Minutes With… Jamie Lauren

When we heard that Absinthe Brasserie Jamie Lauren was going to be Honorary Chair for the Bay Area Allergy Advisory Board’s pre-launch party on January 16, we immediately jumped at the chance to do an item on her.

She is not only the sole Bay Area contestant of Bravo’s “Top Chef” this season, but would truly be the new star chef of San Francisco with or without a major national TV show behind her.

In the middle of her hectic schedule of work and travel, she was able to squeeze in a quick chat with SFLuxe’s Damion Matthews, and we’re delighted that she did.

Damion: So, Jamie, how have the last few months been for you since “Top Chef” started airing? Was it what you were expecting?

Jamie: I think I was expecting more. It hasn’t been as bad as I thought it was going to be, which is good.

D: That’s good!

Jamie: But it’s changed a little bit. Being recognized is kind of strange. But I work at the restaurant, so it just kind of stays the same.

D: I think in New York or LA it might be different, but in San Francisco we like to pretend we don’t care about who’s on TV.

Jamie: Totally. I think that’s totally true. I’m actually going to New York soon, and I’m interested to see what’s going to happen when I get there. I think it might be a little different.

D: Do you find that even more people are going to Absinthe because of your involvement on the TV show?

Jamie: I don’t think so. People are just coming in as they always have. I mean, we’re getting some people that are noticing. It’s starting to happen more now that we’re a few weeks into it.

D: It might take time for local viewers of the show to realize you’re right here, and then they’ll all want to sample your cooking. But it will take time for that to build.

Jamie: Yeah, I’m sure it will. And it’s going to be weird, probably.

D: How long have you been at Absinthe?

Jamie: I’ve been here a year and a half.

D: What is the most popular dish?

Jamie: There are a few. I would say probably the pork confit or the beef cheeks are our two most popular dishes.

D: Are those your favorites as well?

Jamie: Not necessarily. Those are just the two dishes that really sell.

D: In the food world is it generally a chef’s goal to open her own restaurant? Is that something you’d like to do?

Jamie: I think it depends on the chef. I don’t know if that’s something I necessarily want to do, just because it involves a lot of money and it’s very high risk. It also involves a lot of your time. Sometimes it’s kind of nice to do it on somebody else’s dime.

D: Yes!

Jamie: And in my future I’d really like to travel, and if I owned my own restaurant I think that would make it really difficult to do that.

D: Speaking of travel — you’ve worked in New York, France, and also Santa Fe?

Jamie: Yes, I worked in Santa Fe.

D: How do all of the cities compare to San Francisco?

Jamie: They’re all really different. Santa Fe is a great food city, but it’s very southwestern. It’s all New Mexican food. They’re all different in their own way. But they’re all really food oriented. Santa Fe is really small, and everybody knows everybody, which is kind of annoying. But it’s very progressive, which was cool. I mean, it’s in the middle of the desert, but it’s this very progressive little town. And I learned a lot about southwestern cooking, which was really neat. But being here in the Bay Area, I think, is really one of the best places you can cook in the world.

D: Is this your favorite place, so far?

Jamie: For cooking, yeah. It’s not my favorite place to live. I miss New York.

D: You love New York?

Jamie: A lot. I grew up there, so it’s a hard adjustment.

D: In San Francisco, I’ve noticed there are just a few high-profile women who are executive chefs, but I wonder if you feel it’s still a male world?

Jamie: There are quite a few really well known female chefs, but they’re sort of a generation ahead of me. Because I’m 31, and most of those women, like Elizabeth Falkner, Traci Des Jardins, Pamela Mazzola and Nancy Oakes, they’re all in their late 40s. So I think in terms of my age bracket I don’t think there’s a lot of chefs out there that are women. I think I’m one of the only ones, actually.

D: I bet that the prominence on “Top Chef” of a lot of women — it seems 50/50 — will have an impact on that in the future.

Jamie: I have no idea. I definitely think that a lot of people watch shows like “Top Chef”, and even things on the Food Network, and they’re wanting to get into the food industry. But I think a lot of people who want to get into the industry who are young look at getting into it for celebrity, and fail to realize how difficult it really is, or how much you have to work to get to that point.

D: I’ve heard you work really long hours at the restaurant. It sounds grueling.

Jamie: It is. That’s a chef’s life.

D: Something that’s been fun to watch since the show aired is that you’ve become very prominent because you’re lesbian.

Jamie: Yes.

D: You’re like a big hit on various gay and lesbian websites!

Jamie: I am? Which ones are you talking about exactly!? (Laughing)

D: Was it something you…

Jamie: It was never my intention. I mean obviously, being a queer woman, I wasn’t going to hide that from television. But that wasn’t the reason I went on the show, or anything like that. I think it’s great, but at the same time — and I’ve said this a lot — I’m a chef, first. And being lesbian is just part of who I am. It doesn’t define me as a chef. But I think it’s cool. Whoever can get inspiration from it, I’m okay with it.

D: Becoming a role model is not something I think people ever necessarily aspire to, but when it happens to good people who are not in it for just getting more fame or power, that’s very exciting. So we’ll see how that goes!

Jamie: Yeah, I have no idea how that’s going to go. I’m definitely seeing little things here and there. At least getting flirted with by a lot more girls than I was before, which is kind of interesting. But whatever I can do to support the community, I will.

D: Have you been involved in gay and lesbian causes in the past?

Jamie: Every year I used to do the Academy of Friends event, which is a big AIDS event here. And I always do the AIDS walk and that kind of stuff. But aside from that, no.

D: Now that you’re more prominent, you’ll probably be getting a lot of requests to lend your name and help out with important causes.

Jamie: Yes.

D: I know you’re the Honorary Chair for “The Epi Party,” an upcoming event by the Bay Area Allergy Advisory Board, to bring awareness to the problem of food allergies and the importance of knowing how to use an Epi Pen. Do you encounter the problem of food allergies a lot in your work?

Jamie: Oh, absolutely! At least twice a day.

D: Twice a day? Wow. What do you find is the most common allergy problem?

Jamie: Usually it’s some sort of a nut allergy. But a lot of people seem to be allergic to garlic and onions around here. And I don’t know how much of that is it’s an allergy or it’s just a distaste for those things and they pretend it’s an allergy. But I take all of it seriously.

D: You’re not allergic to onions, I take it?

Jamie: Oh god, are you kidding? No. I think I would kill myself if I was.

D: I’ve heard you like a lot of Indian food, and spicy…

Jamie: I do, yes. So if I didn’t have onions in my life I’d be very sad.

D: Is it tough for a chef to come up with dishes that are really safe for people of all kinds of allergies?

Jamie: I don’t cook a lot with nuts. When I started here they were frying with peanut oil, which was the oil they actually had in the fryer. And I was like, I don’t know why we’re using peanut oil, because so many people are allergic to nuts. So I immediately switched that. But aside from that, I don’t cook with nut oils, because I know so many people can have a reaction.

D: Also dairy is a big one that people have problems with.

Jamie: Yeah. Dairy is a little bit harder because I do cook a lot with butter. But I can leave it out if somebody asks me to.

D: You’re a fan of butter?

Jamie: Yeah. Well, I work in a French restaurant.

D: Before I go, there was one more thing I had to ask you about since I read you’re a big fan of Madonna.

Jamie: I am. Since I was five.

D: That’s an interesting influence on a five-year-old girl.

Jamie: Mm, hmmm.

D: Well one of the things that’s interesting about her is her diet.

Jamie: Yeah, she has a very strange… from what I understand, she’s macrobiotic. She doesn’t eat anything else. All I’ve ever wanted to do is cook for her.

D: That should be a Top Chef challenge. What would you cook for Madonna?

Jamie: I have no idea! I would probably make her a cheeseburger.

D: A cheeseburger!

Jamie: A really good one.

D: Hopefully that won’t be a Top Chef challenge, because you might lose that one!

Jamie: Yeah, I probably would.

D: Well, you’ve been doing so well on the show, I will definitely look forward to watching more. I know we’re all rooting for you in San Francisco!

Link: http://sfluxe.com/2008/12/23/15-minutes-with-jamie-lauren/

[apskip]

Tonight I heard on a Top Chef ad accompanying the 2007 Top Chef Holiday $20,000 Special that Toby Young will be introduced on Jan. 7 (next regular TopChef 5 episode) when "he's serving up a double elimination."

[marigold]

Tonight I heard on a Top Chef ad accompanying the 2007 Top Chef Holiday $20,000 Special that Toby Young will be introduced on Jan. 7 (next regular TopChef 5 episode) when "he's serving up a double elimination."

Oh interesting hmmm I can see one of those being Gene I think it's his time to go