17 Sizzling New Chefs Take To Gotham Along With Guest Judges And Stars Including Martha Stewart, Foo Fighters, Jean-Georges, Eric Ripert, Natasha Richardson And New Judge Toby Young
NEW YORK October 1, 2008 Bright knives, Big city. The fifth season of the No. 1 food show on cable, Bravo's Emmy and James Beard Award-winning series returns with "Top Chef: New York," premiering a super-sized episode Wednesday, November 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The 17 new chef'testants take on The Big Apple this season to see if they have what it takes to become Top Chef. Once again returning to the kitchen, cookbook author, actress and host Padma Lakshmi presides over the judge's table alongside head judge Tom Colicchio, renowned culinary figure and chef/owner Craft Restaurants, and judge Gail Simmons, of Food & Wine Magazine. This season introduces new judge Toby Young, food critic and best-selling author of the book "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People," which was the basis for an upcoming film. In what will prove to be the most challenging season yet, some of the biggest names in food, music and entertainment including Martha Stewart, Foo Fighters, Jean-Georges, Eric Ripert, Rocco DiSpirito, Wylie Dufresne, Jean-Christophe Novelli and Natasha Richardson will be featured this season on "Top Chef: New York."
"Being in New York this season, we've upped the ante because this is our home turf so the pressure's on for the chefs to impress us," said Colicchio.
The 17 "Top Chef: New York" chef'testants will be skewered down week by week as they compete to out-flavor, out-cook and out-do their competition. The winning chef will receive $100,000 in seed money to help open a restaurant, furnished by the makers of the Glad family of products, a feature in Food & Wine magazine, a showcase at the Annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen and will earn the title of "Top Chef." The Emmy-nominated Magical Elves return to produce "Top Chef: New York." Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz ("Project Runway," "Top Design") and Shauna Minoprio return as executive producers.
Following are the 17 new "Top Chef: New York" chef'testants:
- Alex, 33 - Hometown: New York, N.Y.; Resides in Los Angeles, Calif.
age 33 hometown New York City resides in Los Angeles Elimination Challenge Wins: 0/0 Quickfire Wins: 0/0 status: Still Cooking Position: Executive chef, Restaurant 15 Culinary Education: The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) – New York, NY Favorite Simple Recipes: For fall: Duck confit – duck breast, onions, carrots, celery, cloves, cinnamon, duck fat, fresh herbs. For spring: Red snapper with guava beurre blanc, guavaberry and sweet plantain hash.
Bio: Alex currently serves as Executive Chef /Partner at a small boutique restaurant in Los Angeles, Calif., Restaurant 15. His culinary career is based primarily in small individually owned restaurants, which is fitting since he has a personal relationship with food and finds his creativity is best expressed in those intimate circumstances. Born in Madrid, raised in the Dominican Republic and then New York City, he has a very distinct cultural background that fuels his passion for cooking. Classically trained in French and Spanish cuisine, he often plays with Caribbean flair to add depth to his food. When not training for marathons, he enjoys making one of his favorite dishes, Paella.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 01, 2008, 05:06:00 PM
age 41 hometown Verona, NJ resides in Verona, NJ Elimination Challenge Wins: 0/0 Quickfire Wins: 0/0 status: Still Cooking Position: Chef/owner of CulinAriane in Montclair, NJ Culinary Education: AOS, Culinary Institute of America Favorite Simple Recipes: Roasted asparagus, artichokes, fava beans and morels on herb goat cheese grilled focaccia
Bio: Ariane is the chef/owner of CulinAriane, a four-star restaurant located in Montclair, N.J. She was inspired to cook at a young age by her grandmothers. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, she worked at some of the best restaurants in the country before she and her husband, Michael, opened CulinAriane. While much of her time is spent at her restaurant, she loves spending time with her daughters, especially at the beach. She also enjoys entertaining for family and friends. Her strong belief is that anything can be fixed and to keep smiling.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 01, 2008, 05:25:30 PM
age 44 hometown Nashville, TN resides in Washington, DC Elimination Challenge Wins: 0/0 Quickfire Wins: 0/0 status: Still Cooking Position: Owner/Chef, Alchemy Caterers Culinary Education: C.C.T. L’Academie de Cuisine Favorite Simple Recipes: For summer: Small shaped pasta with hand-mashed salted heirloom tomatoes, garlic, red wine vinegar, chilies and a great extra virgin olive oil. For spring: Pea salad with radishes and feta cheese.
Bio: Carla is the chef and owner of Alchemy Caterers in Washington, D.C. Her food balances the heart and soul of the South and the refinement of her classic French training. She enjoys creating memorable comfort dishes with fresh, seasonal and local ingredients. Carla approaches each event as an opportunity to make a connection with the client and to change the way they experience food. She always has good European butter, Couverture chocolate, bacon, heavy cream, olive oil - pomace and extra virgin - on hand and pies are one of her favorite things to make.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 01, 2008, 05:29:04 PM
age 26 hometown New Hyde Park, NY resides in Elimination Challenge Wins: 0/0 Quickfire Wins: 0/0 status: Still Cooking Position: Executive Chef, Babylon Carriage House Culinary Education: C.I.A. Hyde Park Favorite Simple Recipes: For summer: Fresh calamari salad with pepper, red onions, fresh garlic, lemon, lime, pepper, salt to my liking
Bio:
Danny currently serves as the Chef de Cuisine at the Babylon Carriage House, one of the most popular restaurants in Long Island, NY. He is best known for his Italian/Asian Fusion style of cooking. Danny was influenced by his grandmothers at a young age to cook from the heart and keep family in mind. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, he worked for several restaurants including East By Northeast, Harvest on Fort Pond, and Pacific East where he gained invaluable knowledge that made him an asset in any kitchen. His motto is: "No Guts, No Glory, No Gold!"
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 01, 2008, 05:31:59 PM
age 30 hometown Florence, Italy resides in Moorpark, CA Elimination Challenge Wins: 0/0 Quickfire Wins: 0/0 status: Still Cooking Position: Owner, Cafe Firenze Italian Restaurant Martini Bar Culinary Education: I.P.S.S.A.R. Aurelio Saffi, Hotel and Restaurant Management School in Florence, Italy Favorite Simple Recipes: For summer: Seared black sea bass, heirloom tomato and purple basil with extra virgin olive oil.
Bio: Fabio is the Owner and Executive Chef of Café Firenze Italian Restaurant and Martini Bar, one of the most recognized restaurants in Ventura County. Born and raised in Florence, Italy, he has traveled across Europe and is trained in classic Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. He incorporates Italian, French and Spanish influences in his dishes and believes that cooking is a craft. He is currently working on opening the Firenze4Kids Foundation, which will emphasize the promotion of health and wellness for kids through good nutrition and will also launch kidshealthcafe.com, the largest informative resource library available online, designed to enhance a healthy and safe lifestyle for children. Additionally, Fabio also works as William Shatner's private chef.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 01, 2008, 06:18:20 PM
age 33 hometown Whitmore Village, Hawaii resides in Las Vegas Elimination Challenge Wins: 0/0 Quickfire Wins: 0/0 status: Still Cooking Position: Executive Chef, Executive Sushi Chef & Chef Consultant Culinary Education: Self-taught Favorite Simple Recipes: For summer: Ahi tuna, green onions, ginger, garlic, cilantro, bonito and hot peanut oil. For spring: Mesclun lettuce, chopped romaine, roasted macadamia nuts, boursin cheese, strawberries and mango yuzu vinaigrette.
Bio: Gene is currently developing menus for major corporations and is the soon to be Executive Chef of a new concept for a major hotel and casino in Las Vegas. Born and raised in Hawaii, he relocated to Las Vegas and began his career as a dishwasher. Through hard work and dedication over the years, he has experienced all facets of life in the professional kitchen. He has gained wisdom and experience in management positions at various restaurants and has been blessed to work for and with some of the most extraordinary chefs in the world. His cooking philosophy has always been "think outside the box" and his love for pacific fusion compliments his cooking style. He is trained in basic French and Italian with an emphasis on Pacific Rim, Hawaiian fusion, and the art of sushi.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 01, 2008, 06:21:26 PM
age 34 hometown Taos, NM resides in Boulder, CO Elimination Challenge Wins: 0/0 Quickfire Wins: 0/0 status: Still Cooking Position: Executive Chef, Jax Fish House, and owner, HZR Culinary Consulting, LLC Culinary Education: Self-taught Favorite Simple Recipes: For spring: Sea scallops with morels, asparagus, potato puree and Madeira cream sauce.
Bio: Hosea has been the Executive Chef at Jax Fish House in Boulder for the past four and a half years. During his tenure at Jax, he has won numerous awards including Best Chef at the Denver International Wine Festival (2006, 2007) and is the seven-time, undefeated winner of the Flatiron Chef Competition. While pursuing his BS in Engineering Physics from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Hosea worked at a variety of restaurants from diners to fine dining establishments. It was only after he graduated in 1997 that he realized he wanted to change course and become a professional chef. In 1998 he began working for Wolfgang Puck and got his first job as head chef just three years later. When it comes to food, quality ingredients, integrity and focus are paramount to Hosea.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 01, 2008, 06:23:56 PM
age 30 hometown New York City resides in San Francisco Elimination Challenge Wins: 0/0 Quickfire Wins: 0/0 status: Still Cooking Position: Executive Chef, Absinthe Brasserie and Bar Culinary Education: A.O.S. Culinary Arts, C.I.A. Favorite Simple Recipes: For spring: Asparagus salad with charred onion vinaigrette, Burrata cheese, wild arugula and speck.
Bio: Jamie works as the Executive Chef at Absinthe, one of the busiest restaurants in San Francisco. Born in New York City and trained in classic French technique, she believes in cooking from within. Jamie loves to work with local and seasonal ingredients and focuses most of her menu around organic foods. She enjoys participating in local charitable events and using her talent to support important causes. Her favorite thing to eat is Indian food and she is obsessed with onions.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 01, 2008, 06:26:09 PM
age 30 hometown Niceville, FL resides in Miami Elimination Challenge Wins: 0/0 Quickfire Wins: 0/0 status: Still Cooking Position: Chef de Cuisine, the DiLido Beach Club Culinary Education: Johnson & Wales University Favorite Simple Recipes: For summer: Melon sorbet salad
Bio: Jeff got his culinary start at age 15 by cleaning local fish while working on Florida fishing boats and a year later began peeling shrimp, cleaning squid and cutting fish for The Marina Café. Jeff embarked on his professional career as a Sous Chef at Atlanticville Restaurant and Café outside of Charleston, South Carolina while attending school at Johnson & Wales University. He went on to hone his culinary skills as a Sous Chef in San Francisco at Azie, an upscale Asian fusion restaurant, and later served as a Sous Chef at the Five Star Orient Express resort in Virginia where he expanded on his knowledge of French and American cuisines. Returning to his native Florida, Jeff worked directly under Chef Norman Van Aken and then joined The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach culinary team. He currently serves as Chef de Cuisine of The DiLido Beach Club. His recent sabbaticals include traveling to North Africa, Turkey, Italy, and the Greek Isles to discover new techniques which he uses daily at home with Florida ingredients.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 01, 2008, 06:28:43 PM
age 28 hometown Latrobe, PA resides in Baltimore Elimination Challenge Wins: 0/0 Quickfire Wins: 0/0 status: Still Cooking Position: Executive Chef, Red Maple Culinary Education: Baltimore International College Favorite Simple Recipes: For spring: Grilled shrimp with pea tendrils and roasted baby beets
Bio: Born in Latrobe, Pa., Jill's culinary interests were sparked at an early age when she began helping on her uncle's farm, picking berries and baking cookies to sell at the local farmer's market. She didn't plan on becoming a chef, but counts her decision to attend culinary school as one of her best moves. After moving to Baltimore, Jill studied under the celebrated chef and restaurateur Spike Gjerde. She loves to create imaginative sushi rolls and unique desserts and the five ingredients she always keeps on hand are semi-sweet chocolate, sushi rice, micro-herbs, Banyuls vinegar and champagne. Her goal is to one day own a small resort that serves amazing food and features rides in her hot air balloon.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 01, 2008, 06:35:24 PM
age 24 hometown Cincinnati resides in Stationed at Fort Stewart, in Georgia Elimination Challenge Wins: 0/0 Quickfire Wins: 0/0 status: Still Cooking Position: Chef Tournant, Jag’s Steak and Seafood Culinary Education: B.P.S. Culinary Arts Management, C.I.A. Favorite Simple Recipes: Spring pea mousse in phyllo cups with creme fraiche and caviar
Bio: Lauren works as the Tournant at Jag's Steak and Seafood, the most luxurious and contemporary steakhouse in Cincinnati, Ohio. Sparked by an Easy Bake Oven as a little girl, Lauren's passion for pastry and the culinary arts bloomed throughout her childhood and into her current career. While attending the prestigious CIA in Hyde Park, New York, Lauren met her husband, a USMA cadet. Together they have traveled the country, influencing Lauren's eclectic and free-form culinary style. If she were a food, she says she would be a sweet and sassy box of chocolates because "you never know what you're going to get, but its always going to be good!"
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 01, 2008, 06:37:33 PM
age 27 hometown Scarsdale, NY resides in New York City Elimination Challenge Wins: 0/0 Quickfire Wins: 0/0 status: Still Cooking Position: Sous Chef, Centro Vinoteca Culinary Education: A.O.S./ B.A., C.I.A. Favorite Simple Recipes: For summer: Ricotta-stuffed zucchini blossoms and panzanella salad
Bio: Leah currently works as a Sous Chef at Centro Vinoteca in New York City. Apart from the year and a half that she worked at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Italy, she has spent her entire life in New York and comes from a Filipino, Russian-Romanian Jewish background. Her favorite chef is Marco Pierre White and she counts salt, olive oil, butter, garlic and any pork product as her must-have ingredients. She loves Italian, Filipino and Thai cuisine, but homemade pasta is what she enjoys making the most.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 01, 2008, 06:40:29 PM
age 28 hometown Maryland resides in Boulder, CO Elimination Challenge Wins: 0/0 Quickfire Wins: 0/0 status: Still Cooking Position: Sous Chef, Centro Latin Kitchen and Refreshment Palace Culinary Education: Baltimore International College Favorite Simple Recipes: For spring: Spicy snap pea salad
Bio: Born in Maryland and raised on a horse farm, Melissa spent her youth surrounded by farm fresh produce and livestock. Her upbringing influenced her love of food and cooking from an early age. After receiving her culinary degree from Baltimore International College, Melissa relocated to Boulder, Colorado where she currently serves as a Sous Chef at Centro Latin Kitchen and Refreshment Palace. Dedicated to creating soulful Latin America cuisine, her favorite part of cooking is making people happy. Melissa's goals and plans for the future include endless travel, culinary endeavors and continually expanding her food knowledge.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 01, 2008, 06:42:59 PM
age 21 hometown Quincy, MA resides in Hyde Park, NY Elimination Challenge Wins: 0/0 Quickfire Wins: 0/0 status: Still Cooking Position: Culinary student Culinary Education: A.O.S. Culinary Arts, C.I.A. working on BPS Culinary Arts Management Favorite Simple Recipes: For summer: Berries with balsamic, honey, mint, basil and tart yogurt. For spring: Fresh pasta with fresh morels sautéed in butter and white wine.
Bio: Patrick is currently a student at the Culinary Institute of America. With an inherent love for cooking, he was inspired as a child by his mother and grandmother and today by food writer Michael Pollan. Patrick has always had a love for the arts, both performing and visual and tries to incorporate them into every dish he creates. With ingredients as his medium of art, he is inspired by quality and freshness and enjoys making fresh vegetable dishes like succotash, pisto and ratatouille. He has a passion for sustainable agriculture and hopes to educate and promote support for local farmers and growers.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 01, 2008, 06:45:42 PM
age 28 hometown Chicago resides in Chicago Elimination Challenge Wins: 0/0 Quickfire Wins: 0/0 status: Still Cooking Position: Executive Chef, Between Boutique Café & Lounge Culinary Education: A.O.S. Culinary Arts, the Cooking & Hospitality Institute of Chicago Favorite Simple Recipes: For summer: Roasted red and yellow beet salad with mixed greens, herb crusted beef tenderloin and crispy goat cheese balls
Bio: Radhika currently works as the Executive Chef at Between Boutique Café & Lounge in Chicago. A first generation Indian American, Radhika was born in Ohio and raised in an eclectic Indian-tradition home. Trained in classic French and Indian cuisine, she has worked alongside notable chef Vikas Khanna and has staged at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai. She has traveled the world over learning new techniques and flavor profiles and brings spice and bold flavors to the table combined with grace and restraint. Her favorite dish to prepare is spicy chicken and potato curry with cumin scented rice with clarified butter and mint. She describes her cooking style as globally eclectic with a huge spoonful of love.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 01, 2008, 06:47:37 PM
age 27 hometown Sayville, Long Island, NY resides in San Diego, CA Elimination Challenge Wins: 0/0 Quickfire Wins: 0/0 status: Still Cooking Position: Executive Sous Chef, Confidential Restaurant & Loft, San Diego Culinary Education: Diplome Professionale du Commis de Cuisine, San Diego Culinary Institute Favorite Simple Recipes: For spring: Lightly grilled chicken breast, crumbled gorgonzola, dried cranberries, baby spinach salad, all tossed with a light balsamic vinaigrette
Bio: Richard is the Executive Sous Chef at Confidential Restaurant & Loft in the Gaslamp District of downtown San Diego. Richard grew up in food service. His father has served as a restaurant manager for years and his mother and stepfather have owned several bagel businesses in Long Island where Richard spent many summers during his youth. He's been trained by world traveled chefs in classic French techniques and their modern applications. His motto in the kitchen is, "Keep it simple (stupid)" - and he likes to do just that by keeping his plates simple and infused with natural harmony versus chaotic noise. At Confidential, Richard likes to "play" with his food through the small plates style of dining, which allows him to create many new dishes for his guests to combine. On the side, he also works at the San Diego bar, Pecs.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 01, 2008, 06:49:34 PM
age 35 hometown Tampere, Finland resides in Santa Monica, CA Elimination Challenge Wins: 0/0 Quickfire Wins: 0/0 status: Still Cooking Position: Chef, StefansCatering.com Culinary Education: CMC, Wurzburg Schweinfurt Favorite Simple Recipes: For spring: Wedge of iceberg lettuce with bacon and blue cheese dressing
Bio: Stefan was born in Finland but spent the majority of his childhood in Germany, where he began culinary training in his early teens. He worked his way through various European kitchens, learning new techniques and collecting awards along the way. In 1998, he joined master chefs Grant McPherson, Sotta Kuhn, Jacques Torres, Jean Philip Maury and Marc Poidevin as part of the creative team for the opening of the Bellagio Hotel, Resort & Spa in Las Vegas. As Executive Sous-Chef, he created, developed and executed menus for the $25 million-dollar banquet kitchen. Since then, he has held a number of Executive Chef positions and most recently worked with Celestino Drago at Enoteca Drago before opening his own business, Stefan's Catering in Santa Monica. Although he currently resides in Los Angeles, he spends his summer months hunting and fishing in his native Finland.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on October 01, 2008, 07:42:45 PM
:hearts: :jumpy: :wohoo: :jumpy: :hearts:
Yay!! Not that long to wait either!!! :yess:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 01, 2008, 11:14:53 PM
An interesting article:
Toby Young replaces Ted Allen as judge for Top Chef New York, which will have 17 contestants
When Top Chef 5 debuts in November, it will have a new fourth judge: Toby Young, who replaces Ted Allen on the panel, which still includes Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons, and host Padma Lakshmi. British journalist and food critic Young is the author of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, which Bravo’s press release mentions, but it doesn’t say anything about Ted Allen. It does, however, promise appearances by “Martha Stewart, Foo Fighters, Jean-Georges, Eric Ripert, Rocco DiSpirito, Wylie Dufresne, Jean-Christophe Novelli and Natasha Richardson,” who all “will be featured this season.” The fifth season, which debuts Nov. 12 and was filmed in New York, has the series’ biggest cast yet: 17 chefs. They range in age from 21 to 44, and in the press release, Colicchio says “we’ve upped the ante because this is our home turf so the pressure’s on for the chefs to impress us.”
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 03, 2008, 06:16:09 PM
An interesting article:
Boulder chefs on new season of 'Top Chef' Hosea Rosenberg, Melissa Harrison on new season of Bravo cooking show
The Boulder dining scene, so hot in recent years, is about to get another boost of national visibility: Local chefs Hosea Rosenberg, of Jax Fish House, and Melissa Harrison, of Centro Latin Kitchen & Refreshment Palace, are among the 17 hopefuls competing on season five of Bravo's "Top Chef," which premieres Nov. 12.
Both restaurants are owned by local restaurateur Dave Query.
Contestants have known one another on the show before -- last season even featured a cooking couple -- but Season 5 may mark the first time "Top Chef" features two contestants from the same town, working in restaurants on the same block, both owned by the same person.
"For two people from the same company to be on, I think that's really unique and I think speaks to how talented they are as well as what great personalities they have," said Iva Townsend, a restaurant manager for Query's Big Red F company who has worked with Rosenberg and Harrison.
"I've watched every season, and it's crazy to think that I can turn it on in two weeks and see people I know," said Townsend, also a "Top Chef" fan. "It will be interesting to see how they fare and how they'll be portrayed -- what their persona will be on the show."
Viewers can get a sneak peek at those personas on the Bravo Web site, www.bravotv.com, which has posted short bios and videos on each contestant.
Rosenberg and Harrison were among a group of local chefs who tried out for a casting director in April. In July, they got the call from Bravo, packed their knives, and bid Query and their kitchens adieu for six weeks.
"I know the caliber of chef that Dave is and that we hire and how talented they are," Townsend said. "I think they'll fare well."
Chefly competition is nothing new to Rosenberg: He was a seven-time winner of the "Iron Chef"-inspired Flatiron Chef competition at the Omni Interlocken Hotel in 2006. He is also a two-time winner of the Denver International Wine Festival's Food-and-Wine-Pairing Competition; and last year he was invited to cook at the prestigious James Beard House in New York.
Harrison, who grew up in Maryland, received her culinary degree from Baltimore International College.
On the show, chefs go through various cooking challenges each week, resulting in the elimination of one player. After a live finale, one cook walks away with the Top Chef title and a $100,000 prize.
"Boulder per capita, we have a really good dining scene, with the advent of Frasca, along with the Kitchen and with what Dave's been doing the past 14 years -- it's brought a lot of attention to the town," said Townsend, who said she hopes her friends are prepared to be reality-show stars. "I hope a lot of people in Boulder watch the show."
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 03, 2008, 06:20:49 PM
An interesting article:
Firenze co-owner makes 'Top Chef' cut Moorpark restaurateur is one of 17 contestants
Fabio Viviani knows how to pack his knives and go. The trick, as any fan of the reality TV show "Top Chef" will tell you, is in not leaving too soon.
A native of Florence, Italy, Viviani came to America in 2005 and last year teamed with his best friend and father-in-law to open Cafe Firenze, an Italian restaurant and martini lounge in Moorpark.
Now, the executive chef with the made-for-TV name has been identified as one of 17 contestants selected to slice and dice their respective ways through "Top Chef" when the show returns for its fifth season at 10 p.m. Nov. 12 on Bravo.
To participate as a "cheftestant," Viviani, 30, had to pack his knives again, this time to go to New York. There, he was still participating in the show as recently as Aug. 6, when he was photographed wearing a "Top Chef" jacket at a benefit for the Foundation for AIDS Research.
Was he amazed when those photos immediately appeared on Web sites devoted to identifying "Top Chef" contestants before their names were officially announced this week?
Viviani would love to answer that question, and any others you wish to put to him, he said Thursday. But in keeping with the cone of silence that descends over reality-show participants before broadcast, he is contractually prohibited from discussing specifics without a publicist in the room.
Locals already know Viviani for his old-school approach to dry-aging meat — his 34-ounce, bone-in Tomahawk ribeye is a specialty of the house. Still, his official bio at http://www.bravotv.com contains several tidbits of new information.
It describes Viviani as the private chef of actor William Shatner, for one thing. For another, it says Viviani is working on the creation of the Firenze4Kids Foundation, which will promote the effects of "good nutrition" on children's health.
The fifth season of "Top Chef" marks the first time that producers have tapped culinary talent from Ventura County. But they have been nibbling around the region's edges since the show debuted with 12 contestants, four of them from in and around Los Angeles.
The city itself served as the setting for season two, which included a road trip to Epiphany, the Santa Barbara restaurant co-owned by actor Kevin Costner.
In season three, competitors included Clay Bowen, a sous chef at the University Club in Santa Barbara.
Bowen lasted about as long as a souffle: After guest judge Anthony Bourdain compared his wild boar dish to "prison chow," he was asked to "pack his knives and go" — the show's signature send-off — at the end of the first episode.
Viviani is keeping mum on his own "Top Chef" experiences, but he hasn't gone into hiding.
He puts in 17-hour days at Cafe Firenze, and on Oct. 11 will teach a "Taste of Italy" cooking class presented by Ventura College Community Education (call 654-6459 for more information). On the class menu are possible tastes of things to come: arancini with pancetta, butternut squash ravioli and a "surprise" worthy of a quick-fire challenge.
New York's kitchens will become battlegrounds Nov. 12, when Bravo's "Top Chef" returns to the Big Apple from Chicago for its fifth season.
Seventeen contestants will simmer, pare, bake and season their chef hats off for the top prize: $100,000 in seed money to help open a restaurant.
Joining host Padma Lakshmi, head judge Tom Colicchio -- of Craft restaurants -- and judge Gail Simmons -- of Food & Wine Magazine -- this season is judge Toby Young, a food critic and author of the book "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People."
Here's a look at the New York chef-testants:
Leah, 27 A Scarsdale native who has spent all but a year of her life living in New York, Leah works as a sous chef at West Village Italian restaurant Centro Vinoteca. Leah loves making homemade pasta, and considers olive oil, butter, garlic and pork products her must-have ingredients.
Patrick, 21 Patrick, a student at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, is passionate about promoting sustainable agriculture. He considers his dishes, many of which contain fresh vegetables, works of art and creates them with that idea in mind.
Alex, 33 Living around the world -- Madrid, the Dominican Republic and New York -- inspires Alex's cooking style and love of food. Now executive chef at Restaurant 15 in Los Angeles, Alex studied at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York.
Danny, 26 Executive chef of Babylon Carriage House, an American restaurant on Long Island, Danny was raised in New Hyde Park and attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. One of his favorite simple recipes is fresh calamari salad with pepper, red onions, fresh garlic, lemon, lime, pepper and salt.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 04, 2008, 12:34:57 AM
Top Chef New York Schedule
Wednesdays from 10:00 PM-11:00 PM EST :
11/12/08 (We.) 10:00 PM BRAVO (#501) *PREMIERE
11/19/08 (We.) 10:00 PM BRAVO (#502)
11/26/08 (We.) 10:00 PM BRAVO (#503)
12/3/08 (We.) 10:00 PM BRAVO (#504)
12/10/08 (We.) 10:00 PM BRAVO (#505)
12/17/08 (We.) 10:00 PM BRAVO (#506)
1/7/09 (We.) 10:00 PM BRAVO (#507)
1/14/09 (We.) 10:00 PM BRAVO (#508)
1/21/09 (We.) 10:00 PM BRAVO (#509)
1/28/09 (We.) 10:00 PM BRAVO (#510)
2/4/09 (We.) 10:00 PM BRAVO (#511)
2/11/09 (We.) 10:00 PM BRAVO (#512)
2/18/09 (We.) 10:00 PM BRAVO (#513)
2/25/09 (We.) 10:00 PM BRAVO (#514)
3/4/09 (We.) 10:00 PM BRAVO (#515) *FINALE
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 06, 2008, 01:29:09 PM
An interesting article:
Sizzling on 'Top Chef'
A few months back, Jill Snyder, executive chef at the Red Maple tapas lounge in Mount Vernon, wasn't a big fan of Bravo's Top Chef.
"I hadn't really watched many episodes," she admits, a little sheepishly.
That's probably about to change: Snyder, 28, will be on the show when it kicks off its fifth season Nov. 12.
A native of Latrobe, Pa., who moved to Charm City eight years ago, Snyder is one of 17 chefs competing for the grand prize of $100,000 toward opening their own restaurant. The reality show tests not only culinary skills, but also contestants' resourcefulness, quick-thinking and business savvy.
Although the show's finale has yet to be shot, Snyder and 16 other contestants spent about a month this summer in New York City, preparing dishes, shopping for the best ingredients and watching their budgets, all with an eye toward impressing the four-judge panel.
"It was really competitive, and the fact that you're in New York City made it just that much more intense," says Snyder, who is prohibited from discussing any particulars of what happened during the competition. "There are so many awesome restaurants and celebrity chefs up there. One of the judges, Tom Colicchio, actually owns a couple restaurants in New York City, too. It was pretty wild."
There's a tremendous amount of hush-hush surrounding the competition, as the show's producers don't want anything revealed that might affect viewer interest. Secrecy has been so tight that the names of the 17 contestants weren't announced until last week. Several blogs, however, had revealed many of the contestants, including Snyder, by staking out the shoot and working hard to identify the people they saw coming and going.
"Everything was a surprise," says Snyder. And she's determined to keep it that way.
But some of the people she's worked with in Baltimore like her chances. If nothing else, they say, her appearance on Top Chef will help put Baltimore on the culinary map. Like fellow contestant Melissa Harrison, a Maryland native now living in Boulder, Colo., Snyder honed her cooking skills at the Baltimore International College.
"She's a great person, she's just got a bright outlook and she's a lot of fun to be around," says Spike Gjerde, owner of Woodberry Kitchen and one of Snyder's mentors. "She brings a great attitude and a great kind of energy to the kitchen. I've always thought of her as extremely talented, someone who deserves a wider audience. And Top Chef has quite a wide audience."
Lars Rusins, founder of Baltimore Foodies, a group that meets monthly to celebrate the best of the city's restaurants, agrees: "I think Jill's great. She's very cool, she's young, she has this really artistic touch. She's personable, she's gregarious. The TV's going to love her."
Snyder says she never thought about being a chef while growing up in Pennsylvania. "It wasn't my initial plan, coming out of high school," she says.
During two years of undergraduate study at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania, "I wanted to be an artist for a while, so I did a bunch of art classes, but I wasn't sure if that was going to work out financially.
"I think it was my aunt who suggested trying to go to culinary school, and I knew that I could pick up a degree there doing something that I'd probably enjoy."
That aunt, Kathy Baker-Brosh, said her niece showed an early affinity for cooking. "She has always been very creative, and she's always been very handy in the kitchen. She always enjoyed cooking and preparing foods for people; that's one of her greatest loves."
But Snyder insists that she never envisioned cooking as a career. "I saw it as kind of a temporary thing, just until I figured out what I really wanted to do. But then I got some great jobs, and I've really enjoyed it."
Soon after arriving in Baltimore, Snyder began working with Gjerde, first at Spike and Charlie's Restaurant, then at Joy America Cafe in Federal Hill. She also spent seven months making pastries at Red Maple - pastries that were good enough to help persuade the owners to hire her as executive chef in 2005. Making desserts, she says, is still among her favorite pastimes.
"I would say I love making sushi, and then I love making desserts, too," she says. "And everything in between. It's hard for me to pinpoint one thing. I like to use lots of different spices. I like to get influences from India, different Indian curries and things like that."
The best part of her job? Experimenting with different ingredients, Snyder says, and the looks on her customers' faces when those experiments work.
"I love just researching new ingredients and trying to figure out how to make them work together," she says. "Designing a menu that's really cool, and that people really enjoy - it's really fun to get feedback, when you have someone who's come in and had a great dining experience."
Of course, there will be no shortage of feedback on Top Chef, from the notoriously hard-to-please judges. Only this time, the reward could be far greater than a roomful of satisfied customers.
"I'm waiting to see what happens," says Snyder, still cautious about revealing anything of substance. "It's a great thing to add to my resume now. Who knows, possibly I could get a real awesome job somewhere. I'm going to go with the flow, see what happens."
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 07, 2008, 08:25:55 PM
Top Chef finally added Danny's Bio:
Danny currently serves as the Chef de Cuisine at the Babylon Carriage House, one of the most popular restaurants in Long Island, NY. He is best known for his Italian/Asian Fusion style of cooking. Danny was influenced by his grandmothers at a young age to cook from the heart and keep family in mind. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, he worked for several restaurants including East By Northeast, Harvest on Fort Pond, and Pacific East where he gained invaluable knowledge that made him an asset in any kitchen. His motto is: "No Guts, No Glory, No Gold!"
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 07, 2008, 10:34:14 PM
An interesting article:
Top Chef: Meet Toby Young
Next month, Top Chef will return for its 5th season and this time, the show will take place in New York City, where they have found many contestants over the years. The 16 contestants will compete for $100,000 in seed money to help open a restaurant, furnished by the makers of the Glad family of products, a feature in Food & Wine magazine, a showcase at the Annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen and the title of Top Chef. The premiere will take place on November 12, with a two hour episode. The judges, and host Padma Lakshmi, will all return but fans will notice a new face in the crowd. Meet Top Chef’s newest judge: Toby Young.
Toby Young is a British journalist, who wrote the popular book, "How To Lose Friends and Alienate People". The book is Young’s memoir, about his unsuccessful attempts to become a contributing editor in the U.S. for Vanity Fair magazine. How To Lose Friends and Alienate People was turned into a movie, which hit theaters this month, and stars Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst, and Megan Fox. Young also wrote a second book, "The Sound of No Hands Clapping", about his unsuccessful attempt at becoming a Hollywood screenwriter.
What is interesting about the addition of Young is that he does not appear to be a food expert, unlike everyone else who has ever sat at judges table. Previous judges have included: Anthony Bourdain, Ted Allen, Rocco DiSpirito, and Eric Ripert. Any would seem a more logical choice to join the show full time, however, each have a full plate. Boudain has his own show on The Travel Channel called Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and Allen has his own on The Food Network, Food Detectives. DiSpirito is currently competing on Dancing With The Stars while Ripert has his hands full with a new book, due out in November.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 08, 2008, 08:03:26 AM
An interesting article:
Jag's cook goes on 'Top Chef'
Could TVs next "Top Chef" be working at Jag's Steak & Seafood in West Chester Township?
Lauren Starling Hope, 24, a chef at the Union Centre restaurant, is one of 17 contestants on "Top Chef: New York" premiering Nov. 12 (10 p.m., Bravo).
The 2002 Lakota West High School graduate has wanted to work in restaurants most of her life.
"I received an Easy Bake Oven when I was 5, and that's how I knew I was absolutely destined to work in the culinary world," says Hope on her video biography posted at www.Bravotv.com.
After training with mentor Paul Sturkey, she earned a bachelor degree at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. While in school, she met her future husband, United States Military Academy cadet Greg Hope, a 2001 Lakota West graduate.
Her husband, now an U.S. Army lieutenant serving, is serving in Iraq, says Victoria Brody, Bravo publicist.
The Greater Cincinnati native will be the first local contestant in five seasons of "Top Chef," cable TV's No. 1 food show. All but the final episode were taped earlier this year, Brody says.
On each show, one contestant will be eliminated by judges chef Tom Colicchio, writer Gail Simmons and author Toby Young ("How to Lose Friends and Alienate People"). The winner will be revealed early next year, Brody says.
Celebrity guests this season include Martha Stewart, the Foo Fighters, Rocco DiSpirito and Natasha Richardson.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 10, 2008, 02:59:53 PM
BRAVO'S 'TOP CHEF' AND NYC & COMPANY PRESENT 'TASTE OF THE FIVE BOROUGHS' AT GRAND CENTRAL'S HISTORIC VANDERBILT HALL IN NEW YORK
Press Release
Time Warner Cable And New York Media Serve As Event Sponsors
Tickets Go On Sale October 13 With All Proceeds Benefitting New York's City Harvest
NEW YORK – October 7, 2008 – Leading up to the fifth season premiere of the Emmy and James Beard Award-winning series "Top Chef," Bravo has partnered with NYC & Company, New York City's marketing, tourism and partnership organization, to present "Taste of the Five Boroughs" at New York's historic Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal on Monday, October 27 from 12 – 3 p.m.. For the first time, a $30 tasting fee will allow New Yorkers and visitors an opportunity to experience a virtual culinary map of New York, transporting consumers to some of the city's most celebrated culinary neighborhoods with 22 restaurants represented from Manhattan's Chinatown to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx including restaurants such as Buddakan, Le Cirque, Perilla, Paloma, Water's Edge, Mike's Deli, Angelina's Ristorante and 24 Prince. New York Media, parent company of New York magazine and NYmag.com and Time Warner Cable are the media sponsors for the event. Tickets go on sale Monday, October 13 at www.cityharvest.org. All proceeds will benefit City Harvest.
In addition to tasting booths, past "Top Chef" winners and fan favorites will be manning live demo stations. Visitors will have the chance to interact and mingle with chef'testants from the series' four seasons, including contestants from the upcoming season, "Top Chef: New York," which premieres with a super-sized episode on Bravo on Wednesday, November 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. To meet the cast of season five, visit www.BravoTV.com. Photography and bios are available at www.nbcumv.com.
Time Warner Cable customers will be able to participate in an exclusive pre-event promotion from October 6-13 when the cable system offers 250 tickets on their website at www.twcnyc.com.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 10, 2008, 03:32:22 PM
An interesting article:
Princeton grad's on 'Top Chef'
Now "Top Chef" fans here have two reasons to watch the fifth season that premieres next month.
Radhika Desai, 28, a 1998 Princeton High School graduate, will compete on "Top Chef: New York" against Lauren Starling Hope, 24, of West Chester Township, and 15 other contestants.
Desai's friends contacted The Enquirer Wednesday, when a story announced that Hope, a 2002 Lakota West High School graduate, would be the first local contestant in five seasons of the top-rated cable food series.
Bravo lists Desai's hometown as Chicago, at her request, says Victoria Brody, Bravo publicist.
However, Desai says on her video at BravoTV.com: "I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1980 ... and went to high school in Cincinnati at Princeton High School, and then I went to the Ohio State University."
She is executive chef at Between Boutique Café & Lounge in Chicago. Her family lives in Springdale.
"Top Chef: New York" premieres Nov. 12 (10 p.m., Bravo).
Includes: a private cooking lesson for two people with Padma Lakshmi in the winner's NYC home.
Padma Lakshmi, already known internationally as an actress and award-winning writer, is also the host of the top-rated TV series "Top Chef" on Bravo. "Top Chef", in which she is a judge as well as host, pits 15 talented contestants against one another over three tense months. Each week, Padma will tell one of them to "pack your knives and go."
Originally known as the first internationally successful Indian supermodel, Padma Lakshmi is also an accomplished writer and the author of Easy Exotic for Miramax Books for which she won the International Versailles Event for best cookbook by a first time writer. She has contributed to such magazines as American Vogue, Gourmet and Harper's Bazaar.
Here is an amazing opportunity to learn basic cooking techniques, as well as how to plan and prepare a meal with supermodel and TV star Padma Lakshmi!
Donated by: Padma Lakshmi
Terms: Includes: a private cooking lesson for two people with Padma Lakshmi in the Fall of 2008 in the winner's NYC home. Availability based on Ms. Lakshmi's schedule and must be redeemed by the end of 2008.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 15, 2008, 09:19:36 AM
An interesting article:
No Name Change for TOM, Colicchio Rocks Out With Dave Grohl
Nearly 60 representatives from New York's top kitchens were on hand last night at Cipriani Wall Street for an Autism Speaks benefit auction spearheaded by Brasserie's executive chef, Franklin Becker. In a room full of chefs, we found Craft's Tom Colicchio hosting the event all by his lonesome (his scheduled co-host, Brian Williams, had to cancel to cover the Senate vote on the bailout plan). The chef, contrary to reports, has no plans to change the name of his new venture, TOM: Tuesday Night. “I was joking. And the New York Times took it and ran with it, he said. "People are making such a big deal about it." Colicchio also protested criticism of TOM’s $150 baseline. “For an eight-course menu, it's comparable to everyone else around town. I don't think it's outrageous."
Since Bravo released Top Chef details yesterday, Colicchio no longer had to keep mum about special guest judges the Foo Fighters. “The challenge itself is hilarious,” Colicchio said, but was demure about the details. He was happy to dish about Dave Grohl, though. "The funny thing with Dave was that right before we go out to do our entrance, he's like, 'I'm so excited. This is my favorite TV show. I can't wait!' The Foo Fighters, after the Grammys, actually spent the night at Craft in Los Angeles. So, I knew that. They're really into food. Some of the things he said … it was hysterical. I would just look at him and be like, 'What did you just say?' He would be like, 'the sear on the meat could have been a little better, you know, I think you needed a little more seasoning.'"
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 15, 2008, 09:22:47 AM
:jumpy: An interesting article and a great video preview:
‘Top Chef: New York’ Preview: ‘We’re in for a Good Ride’
We’ve just finished a screener of the season premiere of Top Chef: New York, and we’re still tingling from Tom Colicchio’s icy blue stare and the whiff of an overly contrived cooking challenge. As we noted before, faux-hawks are out and facial hair is in, but we’re also pleased to report that none of this season’s seventeen cheftestants appear to be aspiring molecular gastronomists. They seem like a pretty amiable set (no Lisa-and-Dale-like enemies yet), but the premiere lays the groundwork for future conflict between Daniel (a hairier version of season three’s Joey) and European snob-chef Stefan, as well as the sometimes-subtitled Fabio. On the friendlier end of the things, the group’s three gay members (Richard, Patrick, and Jamie) band together to form “Team Rainbow.”
Padma Lakshmi and Gail Simmons are, of course, back at Judge's Table, but instead of Ted Allen, we get “outspoken food critic” Toby Young, author of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People. Though he doesn’t make an appearance in the premiere, he looks to channel Simon Cowell with lines like “It tasted a bit like cat food” and “Did you sweat into it? Why is it so salty?”
We don’t want to give too much away, but the first episode includes a Quickfire Challenge on Governors Island and an Elimination Challenge dealing with (surprise!) the various cuisines of New York’s neighborhoods. There are too many lamb chops, some bloody apples, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten! But the important thing is that we sense a renewed emphasis on the cooking, and if the cheftestants continue with the level of cooking on display in the first challenge, as Tom says, “We’re in for a good ride.”
Link to the article and video preview: http://nymag.com/daily/food/2008/10/top_chef_new_york_preview_were.html (http://nymag.com/daily/food/2008/10/top_chef_new_york_preview_were.html)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on October 15, 2008, 10:15:20 AM
The above preview was excellent. We were introduced to about half of the cast. It is clear that teams get to their Governor's Island part of the first episode on a private ferry. Padma Lakshmi is looking fabulous. Based on what I know about culinary backgrounds, the only chef of the ones presented who is likely to go far is Jamie, an Executive chef for a San Francisco retaurant.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 15, 2008, 10:40:36 PM
Tom Colicchio's new, intimate restaurant, Tom: Tuesday Dinner, opened quietly last night. His first offering to each of the 28 guests lucky enough to score a reservation was a duck heart wrapped in pancetta and wearing a fig.
The choice could not have been more apt for this earnest, heartfelt dining "experiment."
"I've been wanting to do a tiny place where you have your hand in everything ever since I was a young line cook," Colicchio said when he unveiled the unusual restaurant concept two weeks ago. The restaurant will be open only two Tuesdays a month because Colicchio himself insists on doing all the cooking, and that's all the wildly successful chef has time for.
And so, there he was last night, hard at work, stirring, plating, tasting, saucing. From 7 p.m. until about 10:30 p.m., he barely looked up, but when he did, he looked relaxed--and happy.
Not once did a bead of sweat surface on his signature bald head. Of course, the conditions were pretty ideal for a chef--there were only a smattering of tables, and everyone was eating the exact same nine-course menu. His wife was there for moral support, and he'd selected four of his favorite and longtime kitchen cohorts to assist. He'd picked out the plateware for each course personally, and The Band's Basement Tapes (his favorite) was playing all night long.
There were none of the rigors that contestants routinely face on Bravo's Top Chef, where Colicchio is the--often exacting--top judge.
Colicchio may despise the term "celebrity chef," but the fact is, he can't escape it. The maestro behind the "craft" of farm-to-table cuisine (and the ensuing restaurant empire) now turned TV star, Colicchio is so well-known that he can no longer "work" the dining rooms of his restaurants for fear of detracting from the hard work going on in the kitchen, he says.
But last night, no one was looking at the chef. For starters, the vibe in the dining room (located in the private dining room of his landmark Craft restaurant) felt so intimate (and so far away from New York) that ogling seemed out of place.
Prime Plates But more important, the food was that good. In the last few years, fans have grown familiar with Colicchio's pared-down dishes where pristine ingredients, rather than elaborate technique, drive the bus. At Tom: Tuesday Dinner, Colicchio is clearly making room for artistry in his cooking again.
Consider his black risotto course with its grilled squid stuffed with a fragrant thatch of herbs and Italian kale sitting in a squid-ink risotto made with cocoa nibs. Or the flight of fancy "cheese course": bubble-light and delicate fried ricotta gnocchi served with Meyer lemon and grapefruit puree.
That was one of Jay Pascuale's favorite dishes. The doctor from Queens is a huge fan of Colicchio's cooking, and he said last night that he'd wasted no time making a reservation as soon as the number was made public.
"I knew I just had to get a table as soon as possible," said Pascuale, who dined alone. "I was surprised to get in on opening night."
Pascuale said he really appreciated the subtlety of Colicchio's cooking and that "the dishes seemed to really come from the heart."
Last night's hyper-seasonal prix-fixe menu was $150, but future menus may go as high as $250 depending on ingredients used.
When it was over, Colicchio, who confessed to some serious jitters beforehand--especially since none of the dishes had been given a dry run--went to the bar and collapsed against the wall.
"My back is killing me, " he said. "I'd forgotten how tiring it can be to stand on your feet for so long."
It didn't help that he'd taken a boxing class that morning. "That was a bad idea."
As for his brainchild?
"It was just what I wanted it to be," he said. "It was really fun."
Pascale Le Draoulec is the former restaurant critic for the New York Daily News.
They may look like normal people (oh wait, they are normal people) but they're actually the next cast of Top Chef. Blogger Kurt Strahm waited outside the 20 Bayard building in Williamsburg, Brooklyn—the luxe home of this season's cast members—long enough to see the four females and six males leave. According to Eater LA, the bald one in the green tee could be Los Angeles chef-turned-caterer Stefan Richter. Recognize any others from former meals?
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on October 16, 2008, 08:59:01 AM
Marigold, I am not sure I understand the point of the above photos. We already have a complete cast list , pictures of each one, and video segments of several of them. Who cares about seeing the Top Chef 5 chefs "in public" around New York City now that we know all that?
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 16, 2008, 11:48:59 AM
Marigold, I am not sure I understand the point of the above photos. We already have a complete cast list , pictures of each one, and video segments of several of them. Who cares about seeing the Top Chef 5 chefs "in public" around New York City now that we know all that?
LMAO :funny: hehehe
Who cares? Obviously I do seeing that I posted it
Those who don’t care could have easily bypassed the posted article if it were of no interest to them kinda like the personal comments and blather I see but have never thought to write “who cares”
Congrat’s to Kurt for finding the cast and sharing his pic’s with us. I would have done the same thing
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 18, 2008, 01:33:36 PM
An interesting article with Tom Colicchio:
Tom: Tuesday Dinner Scores ‘7.5 Out of 10’ During Repeat Performance
Earlier, we lamented that Pascale Le Draoulec didn't say much about the food when she described the opening night of Tom: Tuesday Dinner. One of our commenters, however, reports on an encore performance at the restaurant last night: "I thought the food was great, a solid 7.5 on a scale of 1–10. The duck heart amuse was incredible and smokey, and there are other similar home-style touches throughout. For me, the winner was a squab with licorice skin with honey-caramelized onions. That and the wine pairing were inspired. There was a heavy reliance on pork (pancetta, porchetta, everywhere). Lamb was the red meat, and there were two fish selections. Dessert was minimal, and they might benefit from more influence of a pastry chef here. Tom looked relaxed and in a good mood and it's simply a great room to dine in with an amazing kitchen to watch from. He must be really happy there. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed. Be prepared for around $250/person spend."
Remember the Top Chef truck? Well, it’s finally rolling into Union Square this Saturday, when Richard Blais and Andrew D’Ambrosi will give demos at 10:30 a.m., noon, and 1:30 p.m. Will this be like the time U2 played on a rooftop? Not quite. Okay, so will Blais at least show us how to chill beer with liquid nitrogen? Let's hope. This’ll be the last stop of the tour, meaning we’ll never hear from former cheftestants again. Well, until our own New York Taste event, anyway!
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on October 24, 2008, 10:33:11 AM
There is a culinary event on Monday Oct. 27:
TASTE OF THE 5 BOROUGHS - Big Apple. Big Appetite
A tasting event featuring food from restaurants in each of the 5 boroughs(including tom Colicchio's Craft, Le Cirque, and The River Cafe) and opportunity to meet BRAVO's Top Chefs (Note: the publicity for this clarifies that it is both the winners of Top Chef 1-4 and the Top Chef 5 Cheftestants) Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal, 12pm to 3pm(but only tickets for 2pm to 3pm currently available) All proceeds allow CityHarvest to feed hungry men, women and children in New York City Ticket Price $30 tickets on sale at cityharvest.org
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 27, 2008, 10:08:27 PM
An interesting article:
'Top Chef' judge has tips, tales
Shopping at Publix is an extra-double-bonus pleasure when you walk in and see, instead of the typical chicken breast display, chef Tom Colicchio sitting there signing books. In town for a cooking demo at Apron's cooking school, Colicchio looked slimmed down and dashing in his jeans, blue button-front shirt, a hint of stubble and giant cuff watch.
A long-time Top Chef watcher, I simply had to ask the Craft restaurateur and head judge of the Bravo show, "So, what is your overall theme or inspiration for tonight's demo?"
"You'll see once we get inside. Tomatoes."
"Oh, well that's what you ask all the Top Chef contestants, so . . ."
"I see! You're doing me on me."
Colicchio prepared three dishes during the two-hour demo, taking audience questions all along the way. The dishes: Clam Ragout with Bacon, Roasted Tomatoes and Greens; Seared Tuna with Fennel Salad; and Caramelized Tomato Tarts were all so simple I learned little about cooking from this culinary whiz.
However, he opened up about the Top Chef experience and shared some sweet personal stories, food theories and restaurant industry insight.
- During Top Chef's first season, he wanted to cook dinner for the final four or five chefs. After spending $400 in groceries, the producers told him he had to scrap the dinner, as getting to know the contestants could affect his judging. As it stands, once off the set, the judges are not allowed to go near the contestants.
- It takes two days to shoot an episode of Top Chef; the judging portion alone takes four hours. Shooting wraps in five weeks, save for the finale.
- If judging results in a tie, Colicchio tends to get his way.
- His favorite dish from the first four seasons of Top Chef was Tiffani Faison's artichoke risotto with pork belly from the Season 1 finale.
- Martha Stewart is a Quickfire judge in the upcoming season. Knowing there is lots of downtime in television, she showed up with a manicurist, a pedicurist and two assistants.
- One of the first dishes he remembers making as a kid was stuffed zucchini. His family gobbled it down, congratulated him and then asked what was next - he'd mistaken the appetizer for a meal.
- He clearly remembers the day he learned about salt. After grilling a steak at a picnic area, he wondered why it tasted off. So he salted it, and voila! that was the steak taste he knew and loved.
- Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix is the best pizza in the country.
- Dry your fish completely to keep it from sticking to the pan, and then just leave it alone. It will release itself when it is ready. And your fish spatula should be cold when you remove the fish, lest it stick to the utensil.
- A good way to judge a cook's skill level: If you cut into a seared piece of meat and see an even sear on each side, he knows what he's doing.
- The move from sous- chef to chef typically brings a 100 percent bump in salary.
- When one of his sous- chefs is ready to make that move, that's when it's a good time to open a new restaurant. It keeps that chef from leaving the Colicchio family after years of training.
- The goal in the restaurant business is to make people happy. And if that's not your motive, you're in the wrong business.
- Things that grow together, go together, such as as tomatoes and zucchini.
- Favorite ingredient? Mushrooms.
- Always in his pantry? Pasta, olive oil and pepper: "That's a dish, if it has to be."
- The best cooking advice he's gotten was from La Technique: "Don't treat this book like a book. Treat it like an apprenticeship" - as in, learn by doing. Cook by feel. A recipe is a guide, not the rule.
- A guitar enthusiast, he has been learning to play and even scored himself a private lesson with one of his guitar heros, Jorma Kaukonen, formerly of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna.
- His first concert was Led Zeppelin in 1977.
- A day in his life? He either plays guitar or fishes in the morning, then it's to the restaurant in downtown Manhattan till around 10 p.m., and then home.
- At his new line of 'wichcraft sandwich shops, the popular chicken mozzarella is his least favorite. He digs the white anchovy, soft-boiled egg and onion confit sandwich, the least popular seller.
- Sure he'll eat some junk food. Beef jerky, black licorice, and he loves ice cream but eats the fro-yo instead these days. But no thanks on the sweet tea.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 27, 2008, 10:12:00 PM
.... more about Tom:
Tom Colicchio
CLASS TYPE / FORMAT / COST - Celebrity Chef / Demonstration / $75 INSTRUCTOR(S) - Tom Colicchio DATE & TIME - Oct 23 / 6:30 p.m. / Book Signing 5-6 p.m.
DESCRIPTION - Tom Colicchio spent his childhood immersed in food, cooking with his mother and grandmother. It was his father, however, who suggested that he make a career of it. Tom taught himself to cook with the help of Jacques Pépin’s legendary illustrated manuals on French cooking, La Technique and La Méthode. At age 17, Tom made his kitchen debut in his native town of Elizabeth, New Jersey at Evelyn’s Seafood Restaurant.
Tom later cooked at prominent New York restaurants including The Quilted Giraffe, Gotham Bar & Grill, Rakel and Mondrian. During his tenure as executive chef of Mondrian, Food & Wine magazine selected him as one of the top 10 “Best New Chefs” in the U.S. and The New York Times awarded the restaurant three stars.
In July 1994, Tom and his partner Danny Meyer opened Gramercy Tavern in Manhattan’s Gramercy Park neighborhood. In 1996, Ruth Reichl of The New York Times awarded Gramercy Tavern three stars. Tom’s cooking at Gramercy Tavern earned consistent recognition: after three nominations for The James Beard Foundation’s “Best Chef-New York” Award, he won it in 2000.
One year later and one block south of Gramercy Tavern, Tom opened Craft in March 2001. Soon thereafter, in July 2001, William Grimes of The New York Times awarded Craft with three stars, naming Craft “a vision of food heaven.”
Tom’s first cookbook, Think Like a Chef won the James Beard KitchenAid Cookbook Award in May 2001. This same year, Gramercy Tavern was awarded for “Outstanding Service”. In 2002, Craft was awarded The James Beard Award for “Best New Restaurant” and Gramercy Tavern’s sommelier won for “Outstanding Wine Service”.
With Craft and Craftbar established in New York City, Tom opened Craftsteak at the MGM Grand Las Vegas in July 2002. A year later, in spring 2003, ‘wichcraft – a sandwich shop rooted in the same food and hospitality philosophies as Craft – opened in New York. Today ‘wichcraft has 10 New York City locations, as well as locations at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and the Westfi eld Center in San Francisco.
Tom’s second cookbook, Craft of Cooking, was released in 2003. In 2006, Tom applied his years of experience to cable television as the head judge in Bravo’s new reality series “Top Chef.” The Emmynominated hit show premiered its fourth season in spring 2008. 2006 also saw the opening of
Craftsteak in New York and Craft Dallas in the W Dallas Victory Hotel. The much anticipated Craft Los Angeles in Century City followed in July 2007. Craftsteak at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods opened in May 2008, and in fall 2008 Craft Atlanta will open in The Mansion on Peachtree Hotel & Residence. Tom’s third cookbook, a sandwich book inspired by ‘wichcraft, will release in spring 2009.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 28, 2008, 09:48:50 AM
An interesting article:
** WARNING! SPOILERS BELOW! **
Who Will Go Home First on 'Top Chef: New York'?
On Wednesday, November 12, the fifth season of Top Chef returns with a supersized episode beginning at 10pm ET. This season, the show will take place in one of the most diverse and cultural cities in the country, New York City. The contestants will be competing for the ultimate grand prize: $100,000 in seed money to help open a restaurant, furnished by the makers of the Glad family of products, a feature in Food & Wine magazine, a showcase at the Annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen and the title of Top Chef. The names of the contestants have been released but one heads home on the first episode. Though Bravo hasn’t revealed who it will be, there are clues that point to one chef in particular.
** WARNING! SPOILERS BELOW! **
The Baltimore Sun has reported that local Maryland chef Jill Snyder is part of the cast of Top Chef this season. Snyder is the executive chef for Red Maple, a Baltimore restaurant. In a previous interview with the newspaper, Snyder spoke about the food that she creates at Red Maple. "You don't want something that you have to cut with a fork and a knife," she said. "Generally, we serve everything with chopsticks so you can just kind of take a bite, maybe leave it for a second and take another bite, and it's done." Unfortunately for Snyder, it seems that her time on the show is very limited. A cast list of 16 was revealed but it was rumored that 17 appear on the first episode and one is eliminated in the quickfire challenge. Since Jill Synder's name does appear on any official list of the 16 chefs competing this season, it seems that she is the unlucky one to head home first.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 30, 2008, 12:06:27 PM
:jumpy: Further to apskip's post
"There is a culinary event on Monday Oct. 27: TASTE OF THE 5 BOROUGHS"
MADE IN NY: Top Chef NY ( a great video )
This week on CITY SCOOP our continuing entertainment segment MADE IN NEW YORK.
The big search is on--for the Top Chef in the restaurant capital of the world.
To spice up the fifth season premiere of its Emmy award-winning series,
TOP CHEF, BRAVO partners with NYC & Company, the citys tourism board, to present:
TASTE OF THE FIVE BOROUGHS
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 30, 2008, 12:13:29 PM
Anthony Bourdain Talks About Top Chef
Anthony Bourdain answers audience questions at a 2008 book signing in Santa Cruz.
He talks about Top Chef and Tom Colicchio in this segment.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 30, 2008, 04:11:44 PM
From tvguide:
Top Chef New York Season 5
Episode 1: Melting Pot
The culinary-arts competition series gets cooking with its Season 5 opener, featuring 17 new chefs descending on New York City.
Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio return as host and head judge, respectively.
Toby Young serves as a new series judge.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 31, 2008, 11:51:44 AM
An interesting article:
Top Chef Teases: It simply wouldn't be a new...
It simply wouldn't be a new season of Top Chef without some new twists, and we get a taste of one in a lengthy profile on NBC executive Lauren Zalaznick: "Andy Cohen, the head of original programming and development at Bravo, floated a proposal for Top Chef that would involve, early on in the new season, a surprise challenge and the swift elimination of a contestant. Zalaznick and company wouldn't allow me to give away what is known in the genre as "the reveal" — the unexpected dramatic twist — but suffice it to say, the challenge was an otherwise mundane cooking task that, when performed under pressure, would thoroughly unnerve the chefs."
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 31, 2008, 11:56:34 AM
An interesting article:
‘Top Chef’ Producers Consider Elimination … by Death!
The New York Times Magazine is profiling Bravo head Lauren Zalzanick this weekend, but the article is online already. What tantalizing details does it have for Top Chef fans? Too few. But what we did learn tells us that the producers are getting deliciously diabolical:
The conversation eventually turned to “Top Chef,” a cooking competition that is one of Bravo’s most popular shows. For its fifth season (which begins Nov. 12), the show would be set in New York City. One contestant being considered, it turned out, had a seafood allergy. “That’s funny,” Zalaznick said, giving a purely professional assessment. “Let him do a seafood challenge.”
We're also titillated by this bit:
Andy Cohen, the head of original programming and development at Bravo, floated a proposal for “Top Chef” that would involve, early on in the new season, a surprise challenge and the swift elimination of a contestant. Zalaznick and company wouldn’t allow me to give away what is known in the genre as “the reveal” — the unexpected dramatic twist — but suffice it to say, the challenge was an otherwise mundane cooking task that, when performed under pressure, would thoroughly unnerve the chefs. “I really like it,” Zalaznick said. For her, the idea neatly captured the ruthless way in which the big city can chew up and spit out even the best provincial talents: “It’s like, you’ve really arrived in New York — it’s where you fight for your terrible pot-washing job after you’ve been executive chef back in wherever, and then you get fired for washing your pot wrong."
Anyone have any idea what that "mundane cooking task" might be? We vote knife skills.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 31, 2008, 11:59:56 AM
An interesting article:
What ‘Top Chef’ Will Shill This Season
Expect to see Top Chef challenges incorporating Campbell's soup, Diet Dr Pepper, and the “Quaker family of products,” this season. Ad Age reports that the show’s producers have veto power on product placement and that no challenges will repeat from previous seasons. But if you have a soft spot for Gladware, don’t fret. Clorox (Glad’s parent), Toyota, and (a smaller-staffed) Food & Wine Magazine will still be crowding the Top Chef kitchen. In the first half of 2008, Top Chef was ranked third on cable for the most instances of product placement. Now there are even more opportunities to shill. We predict: Dr Pepper tacos or reinventing the casserole.
Back in mid-July, on one of those blithely sunny, long-gone summer days, Lauren Zalaznick, an executive at NBC Universal, met with two of her subordinates for a status report on Bravo Media, the network she took over in 2004 and turned into one of cable’s most remarkable success stories. Many of the development projects discussed that day in her office, at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, captured the glossy, upscale, insider sensibility that has come to characterize Bravo under Zalaznick’s watch. She heard updates on an untitled project about polo players, a reality show about high-end detox centers and another about “Filths” — an acronym for Fathers I’d Like to Have (or, as Zalaznick explained, “Very wealthy dads”).
The conversation eventually turned to “Top Chef,” a cooking competition that is one of Bravo’s most popular shows. For its fifth season (which begins Nov. 12), the show would be set in New York City. One contestant being considered, it turned out, had a seafood allergy. “That’s funny,” Zalaznick said, giving a purely professional assessment. “Let him do a seafood challenge.”
Andy Cohen, the head of original programming and development at Bravo, floated a proposal for “Top Chef” that would involve, early on in the new season, a surprise challenge and the swift elimination of a contestant. Zalaznick and company wouldn’t allow me to give away what is known in the genre as “the reveal” — the unexpected dramatic twist — but suffice it to say, the challenge was an otherwise mundane cooking task that, when performed under pressure, would thoroughly unnerve the chefs. “I really like it,” Zalaznick said. For her, the idea neatly captured the ruthless way in which the big city can chew up and spit out even the best provincial talents: “It’s like, you’ve really arrived in New York — it’s where you fight for your terrible pot-washing job after you’ve been executive chef back in wherever, and then you get fired for washing your pot wrong.”
“You don’t think it’s a little gratuitous?” asked Frances Berwick, the general manager for Bravo.
“Guess what?” Zalaznick said. “It’s the toughest city in the country.” She and Cohen tossed around a few ways they could ramp up the drama even more. Berwick laughed and shook her head. “That’s terrible.”
Terrible if you’re living it, great if you’re watching it — that is one of the basic formulas for reality TV, a genre that has been wildly popular for years, if never exactly hip. Zalaznick’s innovation has been to take this form of mass entertainment and make it boutique and chic, aiming for a small but young and affluent audience, the kind that advertisers covet.
Since she arrived at Bravo four years ago, Zalaznick has been polishing the genre of reality TV to a high sheen, taking its contestants off primitive islands and placing them squarely in sophisticated corners of cities like New York and Los Angeles. Instead of eating insects, navigating obstacle courses or flaunting their physical charms to woo lonely rich guys, the contestants on Bravo compete, with just as much zeal, to show their good taste and talent in high-status fields like food, fashion and design.
The formula may be lowbrow — attractive people pitted against one another, ruthless eliminations — but the content is, if not exactly highbrow, then certainly high-style. It’s voyeurism for the voyeur with a good eye.
It's a long article. To read the complete article click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/magazine/02zalaznick-t.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=Lauren%20Zalaznick&st=cse&oref=slogin (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/magazine/02zalaznick-t.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=Lauren%20Zalaznick&st=cse&oref=slogin)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 31, 2008, 03:37:07 PM
An interesting article:
How 'Top Chef' Cooks Up Fresh Integrations
Like al dente pasta, integrated marketing ideas for Bravo's "Top Chef" are constantly being flung at the wall to see what sticks.
Now entering its fifth season, "Top Chef" has emerged as the reality series for the NBC Universal cable network, now that the fate of former flagship series "Project Runway" remains in legal limbo between the Weinstein Co. and new cable parent Lifetime. But "Top Chef" has been coasting on a highly successful integrated-marketing strategy that has kept longtime sponsors coming back and recruiting new marketers for the upcoming "Top Chef New York," premiering Nov. 12 at 10 p.m. ET.
New sponsors make reservations Returning for this go-round for season-long integrated sponsorships are Toyota, Clorox and Food & Wine magazine, with Campbell's Soup Co., Diet Dr Pepper and Quaker new to the table.
So what's Bravo's secret ingredient? Kevin McAuliffe, VP-branded entertainment for NBC Universal cable entertainment sales, said the answer is a strong commitment to creativity and keeping ideas fresh, which can take some doing.
"At the very early stages, we have gut-check conversations where we say, 'Here's the kind of things we'd like to creatively follow or look to bring into the show that fit its sensibility,'" he said. "Once we go through that, then we determine the kinds of ideas we're going to pursue based on the specific direction we get from programming and producers."
Challenges ongoing The bulk of negotiations for "Top Chef New York" first began during the network's upfront conversations with advertisers in May and June, with deals often being inked five to eight weeks before any cameras start rolling. The show's producers, Magical Elves, and the Bravo programming executives have final say on each of the show's creative executions, which include a strict policy on not repeating any of the show's quick-fire or elimination challenges. So for returning sponsors such as Toyota and Clorox, Mr. McAuliffe's biggest task is to find new ways to incorporate different brands from each company's suite of products.
And because each sponsor is exclusive to its respective category, some precautions have to be taken to keep everyone pleased. In the case of season three, "Top Chef Miami," the show's producers wanted to use a stretch limousine to transport contestants to a challenge on a yacht. Mr. McAuliffe immediately got on the phone with the sponsors at Toyota to give them a heads-up that they would be using a non-Toyota vehicle on the show. "They were like, 'We get it, and by the way we're not competing with stretch limousines,'" a relieved Mr. McAuliffe recalled. "There is a lot of back and forth to make sure everybody feels protected."
Clorox, meanwhile, has used its sponsorship to provide contestants with Glad food storage and trash products, occasionally creating entire challenges around the brands. "We do a lot of collective brainstorming with the Bravo team, because you want to be unique, be relevant and still be interesting. It's not easy coming up with the challenge idea," said Ellen Liu, Clorox's media director.
And not all the branded integrations are appearing in the show itself. Prior to production, Mr. McAuliffe and his team ask the season-long sponsors their marketing objectives going into the upcoming season, and determine the best platforms in which to place the integrations. In the case of Glad, the company was looking to promote MealsTogether.com, an initiative to encourage home dining among families, and not necessarily within the context of a quick-fire challenge.
Nicole Sabatini, Bravo's VP-strategic marketing, said the network created a customized vignette for "Top Chef Chicago" asking different contestants their favorite meals to cook for family members, with a drive to a customized microsite featuring a downloadable recipe book featuring the chefs' favorite dishes. Glad also sponsored a sweepstakes awarding one family the chance to win a block party hosted by contestant Casey from season three. The partnership was able to air throughout the entire season, and was even extended into retail through Glad's existing in-store marketing relationships.
Marketers like what they see The seamless integrations from brands such as Glad and Toyota were a big part of the appeal for attracting the new season's sponsors, including Diet Dr Pepper, the exclusive carbonated beverage partner for "Top Chef New York." Lauren Radcliffe, director of branded entertainment for the Dr Pepper Snapple Group, said the marketer's recent forays into brand integrations on NBC's "30 Rock" for Snapple and MTV's "Band in a Bubble" for Dr Pepper have raised the bar for her team's own media-planning strategy, so the goal for "Top Chef" was to outdo themselves.
"It was so apparent we'd be able to really communicate our brand positioning through the show and achieve a great audience fit in terms of viewers," Ms. Radcliffe said of the "Top Chef" deal. "We likened the brand to food in our advertising -- our tagline is 'Nothing diet about it' -- so we wanted to relate the brand to food in such a natural, organic place."
Attracting new sponsors will also be key to the show's future as the top reality franchise for Bravo now that "Project Runway" has said its fifth -- and, lawsuit pending, presumably final -- "auf wiedersehen." The show grossed $37.75 million in ad dollars for the network in 2007, with an additional $16.1 million in 2008 year-to-date, according to TNS Media Intelligence.
Recent Nielsen IAG research found Bravo to be the highest-ranked network on all of broadcast and cable TV in top categories for the first half of 2008, thanks to shows such as "Top Chef," "Project Runway" and "Make Me a Supermodel." The network took top honors for in-program placement brand recall (63% vs. No. 2 Fox's 46%), brand opinion (26% vs. Fox's 12%) and perceived fit (21% vs. Fox's 16%).
In a separate Nielsen IAG study, "Top Chef Chicago," the series' fourth and highest-rated season, posted high brand recall for sponsors such as Toyota (67% vs. the cable average of 49%), Glad (77% vs. the 73% cable average) and Food & Wine (77% vs. the 70% cable average).
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on October 31, 2008, 11:27:38 PM
Top Chef New York Season 5
Episode 1: Melting Pot
The chefs team up to shop in various neighborhoods around the city in order to create dishes influenced by ethnic flavors.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 01, 2008, 07:57:04 PM
The article with Padma in Harper's Bazaar:
A Fashionable Life: Padma Lakshmi
The Top Chef host is living the single life in New York City and flying high — and not only because she has a swing in her living room
Not that anyone asked, but Padma Lakshmi, the model, cookbook author, actress, jewelry designer, and host of Bravo's Top Chef, believes that her greatest asset is not her beauty, her intellect, or her indomitable gumption. Rather, it is her taste. "Whether it's my taste in food, my taste in clothes, my taste in music, furnishings, or art," she says confidently, "that is the one skill I have, and it can be applied to anything."
Due to the success of Top Chef, "I can get a table at any restaurant I want," Lakshmi says. And though she hates to drop names — "It makes me feel cheesy" — she now counts Charlize Theron as one of her fans. "She even did an impression of me. My assistant said, 'Oh, my God, that is totally Padma.'"
Originally, Lakshmi imagined the show as good publicity for her 2007 cookbook, Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet, but turned down the first season to work on a BBC miniseries. Katie Lee Joel hosted instead and was replaced. "She's a nice girl," says Lakshmi, "but she was ill prepared for it. I think a lot of it wasn't Katie's fault. The producers really wanted me and didn't get me, and it's hard for anyone to come into those shoes. But I don't think she's suffering at all."
It is just a few days after Lakshmi's 38th birthday. "I'm probably one of the few models or actresses who will just tell you my age. I feel good. I really like the way I look," she says while snacking on the almonds, olives, and dried plums she's laid out in the living room of the modest East Village apartment she moved into after her marriage with literary giant Salman Rushdie ended in the summer of 2007.
The living room's focal point is undoubtedly the swing. A businessman friend had it made for her after she searched, without luck, for one on Craigslist and eBay.
Lakshmi jumps out of her chair to demonstrate. "You really swing!" she squeals, her slippers dropping to the floor as she glides from her kitchen counter to her green velvet couch. Though Pamela Anderson cavorted in the nude on a swing in her living room while hubby Tommy Lee played the piano, Lakshmi claims hers isn't so naughty.
"I thought it would be a really romantic thing to have," she muses. "If I can't sleep, I come out here and swing in the dark."
The swing contributes to Lakshmi's idea of a little bohemia. Her life downtown is very different from when she was attached, for just over three years, to Rushdie. When asked if she misses married life, she thinks for a moment and answers, resoundingly, "No." She explains, "I miss the good times I had with the man I was married to, but I'm much happier today than I was a year and a half ago. In order to get there, I had to walk through an ocean of crap. But I've built my life around the way I want to live now, and my little corner of the world feels nice."
Days she is not filming Top Chef are shared with an assistant and a designer who, from a small office in her apartment, are helping her develop a line of Indian-inspired jewelry. "My success is their success," Lakshmi says steadfastly of her two employees. "That's really how it works." Sometimes the girls work until 10:00 p.m., "sometimes they leave at 4:00 for pedicures." It's a far cry from the global success of, say, Heidi Klum or Tyra Banks, but it's a living. "I wasn't a Sports Illustrated model. I was much more a couture girl. I'm sure that those girls made a ****load more money than I did," she explains. "It's with great humility that I say that those girls have achieved a lot."
She describes her apartment as something of a street fair. There's always "fairy water," Lakshmi's spice-and-fruit-infused water, and "there's always food, always music and candles and incense. I'll have a girlfriend who's a DJ stop by for a drink. My girls walk around barefoot. It's like Andy Warhol's Factory, but in gypsy-girl mode." Adding to the Warhol spirit is the large portrait of Lakshmi wearing a diaphanous red dress that exposes her breasts, painted by her longtime friend Francesco Clemente.
At the moment, Lakshmi's apartment is a shrine to her fashion obsessions. A few old Stella McCartney pantsuits and Tom Ford archival pieces hang in her bedroom closet, while a bureau is devoted to traditional saris and costumes from acting gigs like the Ten Commandments miniseries. Her dressing room features new Chanel boots, a new bejeweled Roger Vivier clutch she picked up in Paris, and the outfit her friend Marc Jacobs sent her to wear at his show.
Lakshmi's hope is that one day soon she will be able to expand into the townhouse she's eyeing eagerly next door. What's more, it would give her space to start a family. "I would like to have some children very soon," she says. As for her personal life, "I date some. I think it's hard. As you grow older, you become a little less malleable."
According to Lakshmi, what you see is what you get. "There was no interior decorator who came into my apartment and said, This would look kitschy and great. There wasn't a ghostwriter who said, It would be cool if you had an essay about Morocco in your cookbook," she says. "The things I've accomplished have really been on my own steam. For good or bad, every word, every picture, every taste is mine."
“Top Chef” fans are a pretty serious bunch. The minute one season’s winner is announced, the next batch of contestants are ready for some roasting. On the spit: “Top Chef” Season 5’s hopefuls, who mark the series’ return to New York after a brief detour to Chicago last season. (It debuts on Nov. 12.)
When taping on “Top Chef” Season 5 began in Brooklyn this past summer, the blogosphere was abuzz with chef IDs and speculation about who’d be the last cook standing. Yeah, Bravo's own Web site give you some quick, sugary bios on the contestants. We did our own sleuthing—here’s what we dug up...
Link to the article: http://newyork.metromix.com/restaurants/article/top-chef-season-5/734713/content (http://newyork.metromix.com/restaurants/article/top-chef-season-5/734713/content)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 04, 2008, 10:52:06 PM
BRAVO ANNOUNCES DIET DR. PEPPER, THE GLAD PRODUCTS COMPANY, QUAKER, SWANSON BROTH AND TOYOTA AS TOP SPONSORS FOR "TOP CHEF: NEW YORK"
Released by Bravo
Bravo Renews Series Partnership With Food & Wine Magazine For Fifth Season, Premiering Wednesday, Nov 12 At 10 PM ET/PT
Nielsen IAG Media Research Shows That Brands Do Better On Bravo
NEW YORK November 4, 2008 Bravo has inked partnerships with Diet Dr. Pepper, The Glad Products Company, Quaker, Swanson Broth and Toyota as official sponsors for the fifth season of Bravo's Emmy and James Beard Award-winning series and the No. 1 food show on cable, "Top Chef," premiering Wednesday, November 12 at 10 p.m., ET/PT. These multi-platform deals provide an unparalleled level of brand exposure through exclusive in-show product integration as well as a major on-air and online presence. The announcements were made by Susan Malfa, Senior Vice President, Ad Sales, Bravo Media and Oxygen Media.
Bravo's position with sponsors and brand recall once again sizzled with advertisers in 2008, as the network was ranked No. 1 in cable among adults 18-49 for program engagement and specifically, "Top Chef: Chicago" (3/12/08- 6/11/08) was ranked No. 1 in program engagement among all measured Wednesday primetime regularly scheduled cable programs, according to Nielsen IAG Media Research.
For the fifth consecutive cycle, Bravo continues its overall series partnership with Food & Wine magazine, including the expertise of the magazine's special projects director Gail Simmons as a series judge. The magazine will once again provide prizing for the series the winner of "Top Chef: New York" will be featured in an upcoming issue and will be showcased at the Annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen.
"'Top Chef's' alliance with our sponsors has produced real results in brand recall, brand opinion lift and program engagement the highest in all of television," said Malfa. "A diverse group of partners who committed to the 'Top Chef' brand have benefited from Bravo's relentless drive to innovate, lead and learn about impactful and new advertising approaches."
Elements of the sponsorships and integrations surrounding "Top Chef: New York" include:
Diet Dr. Pepper joins the "Top Chef" team as a fully integrated sponsor and official beverage of the series, sponsoring an on-air quickfire challenge and a custom vignette series featuring past Top Chef talent Betty Fraser, Howie Kleinberg and Brian Malarkey. These chefs were challenged to create treats with Top Chef Season 4 Winner, Stephanie Izard directing viewers online to a custom microsite to see her comments, the chefs' recipes and additional guilt-free recipes. Diet Dr. Pepper is also the exclusive sponsor of Top Chef's weekly "Live Voting" where users can vote on each week's drama and enter to win a trip to New York City.
The Glad Products Company will provide a $100,000 cash prize to the "Top Chef" winner to use to advance his or her culinary career. A fully integrated sponsor, Glad products will be featured on-air and throughout the series. A custom spot featuring the chef'testants' favorite dishes to make with leftovers will be airing in the show this season as well. On www.Bravotv.com, Glad will sponsor season one chef Lee Anne Wong's online exclusive cooking webisode series "The Wong Way To Cook," which teaches viewers how to make each week's winning recipe at home and another dish from the leftovers. Glad will also be sponsoring the "Top Chef" Foodie Flyaway Sweepstakes.
A fully integrated sponsor, Quaker will be involved in a quickfire challenge this season.
New this season, Swanson Broth is a fully integrated sponsor with elements that include involvement in a Quickfire Challenge, sponsorship of the "Top Chef" Foodie Flyaway Sweepstakes and a custom on-air vignette focusing on the Chef'testant's Kitchen Secrets. In addition, digitally the "Top Chef Recipe Finder," on www.BravoTV.com will incorporate Swanson Broth recipes and a custom microsite will focus on providing holiday cooking ideas and will be updated after the holiday season to focus on the Everyday Cook.
Toyota is a fully integrated sponsor and will provide Toyota Sequoia's to serve as the primary transportation vehicles for the competing chef'testants as they make their way around New York for "Top Chef" challenges. Toyota will also prize an all-new 2010 Toyota Venza. Toyota will also be a sponsor for the "Top Chef" Foodie Flyaway Sweepstakes.
Bravo's "Top Chef" offers a fascinating window into the competitive, pressure-filled environment of world-class cookery and the restaurant business at the highest level. The series features seventeen aspiring chefs who compete for their shot at culinary stardom and the chance to earn the prestigious title of "Top Chef." Each episode holds two challenges for the chefs. The first is a quickfire test of their basic abilities and the second is a more involved elimination challenge designed to test the versatility and inventiveness of the chefs as they take on unique culinary trials such as working with unusual and exotic foods or catering for a range of demanding clients. The challenges not only test their skills in the kitchen, but also uncover if they have the customer service, management and teamwork abilities required of a Top Chef. The competing chefs live and breathe the high-pressure lifestyle that comes with being a master chef, and each week someone is asked to "pack up their knives" and go home.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 05, 2008, 12:25:37 AM
Top Chef Blog:
Top Chef at Grand Central and Sweetbreads!
Hello again! Before I dive into this week's entry, I first want to respond to some of the comments from my last entry. First, a lot of you have been asking when the new season was starting. Wednesday, November 12th at 10/9c!!! I've seen the first episode, and I gotta say it's looking good. In my blog from last season, I compared Top Chef: Chicago to Season 1 (San Francisco for those who have forgotten) because it took awhile to get into the characters and have favorites. I think this season is more like Season 2 where the characters were really strong from the beginning. Let me know if you agree or disagree after you see the premiere. Anyway, Travis, I will find out where the Season 2 finale was set and get back to you. And to respond to my biggest detractor so far this season (It will be my mission to make you love me), "tdl1501," I did write my blog under a pseudonym last season, but fully disclosed that I worked on the editorial team here at Bravotv.com. So, integrity is in tact in OK -- so this past Monday our fabulous marketing department held Taste of the 5 Buroughs, a tasting event held at Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Station to benefit City Harvest. I get to cover most of our events and I have to say this was probably one of the most fun. Before the main event, a VIP lounge at Charlie Palmer's Metrazur was held for radio winners and others to mingle with the new chefs. It was so great to see favorite like Spike, Andrew, Harold, Lee Anne, and others again as well. I had finally met Richard Blais a few days before at the last stop of the Top Chef tour bus in Union Square so it was good to see him again. And, guess what? I finally met Lisa! And I gotta say, she was perfectly nice to me. Chatty even. You can watch Andy Cohen's interviews live from the VIP lounge After the VIP event, one of our Bravo interns and I went to the main event where the city's best restaurants were offering tastings on one side of the hall while demos were being given on the other side. I had some fabulous food, but i gotta say with all the fancy stuff being offered my favorite was the pulled pork sandwich from Dinosaur BBQ. It really hit the spot after a long day of shooting. Probably the most amusing part of the whole day was the knife skills demonstration put on by Season 4's Spike and Andrew. I had been joking all week that one of them would hurt themselves, and sure enough Andrew did! He actually cut himself pretty badly, but was a trooper through the whole thing, and everyone was laughing hysterically. It was certainly not a surprise that the majority of the audience was women (sorry ladies, they're both taken.) Anyway, i couldn't tell if Andrew was hamming it up or not,but when i went backstage after the performance, he was still bleeding!! I checked up on him via e-mail a couple days later and he's fine. Phew! Watch video of Andy Cohen's interviews live from the VIP. You can also check out the beautiful photos our photo editor Bo took from the tour bus and the tasting event Did any of you guys get tickets and go? I would love to hear what you thougth of the event. I really thought it a very tasteful (har har) start for what is sure to be a really fun season of Top Chef.
OK, now completely unrelated. I mentioned last season that I'd never had sweetbreads, and i was determined to do something about it. So two Friday nights ago, my friend and I didn't know where to go to dinner. I suggested Perilla and luckily they had a cancelled reservation. I decided to try some new things. So for an appetizer i got the
Tai Snapper Crudo (green papaya, cucumber, rice pearls & tom yum broth.) Delish! Very light and clean. Then i got the Pan Roasted Stone Bass :Vitello Tonnato"
(wax beans, crispy sweetbreads, cippolini onions & marinated tuna sauce.) Is it wrong that the wax beans sold me? Anyway, it was amazing! The sweetbreads tasted like fried chicken. Everyone I've ever asked about sweetbreads says the same thing, and I'm wondering if I'd like them prepared differently. Whenever I think of someone eating sweetbreads I think of the episode of 90210 (the original) when Brenda and Donna go to France and order what they think is veal at a restaurant. After tasting it and finding the food a bit more mushy than expected, Brenda looks up the french dish in her dictionary, utters "It's brains," and Donna just lets the morsel fall out of her mouth. Anyone else remember that? Just me? OK. Anyway, I think Perilla has become my favorite restaurant in the city, and yes, I'm biased because Harold Dieterle owns it, but honestly the food is consistently good and I love the atmostphere.
Next time, I'll give some helpful hints for our new Top Chef Fantasy Game!!!
The competition is just about to heat up as Top Chef season 5 premieres next Thursday, Nov. 12, on Bravo. This season, the cheftestants are competing in New York and the network promises intense challenges and some of the most accomplished chefs yet. The Big Apple location also means the competitors will be forced to take advantage of the city’s diverse food offerings and really investigate New York’s eclectic food scene.
As the season revs up PEOPLE.com sat down with head judge Tom Colicchio and Padma Lakshmi to find out what we can look forward to this season. The two also open up about the season’s other new surprise: guest judge Toby Young. Watch it here!
Link to view the video: http://www.people.com/people/videos/0,,20238735,00.html (http://www.people.com/people/videos/0,,20238735,00.html)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 07, 2008, 10:20:26 AM
An interesting article:
Mac Gaming News - Play the Reality Show on Your Mac With Top Chef: The Game
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 07, 2008, 04:00:12 PM
An interesting article:
Tom Colicchio and Padma Lakshmi Take On the Haters
During a conference call today, we asked Tom Colicchio and Padma Lakshmi what they thought about Bruni’s assertion that Top Chef “gets [young chefs] thinking more about mass-media glory — about big, quick fame — than about disciplined professionalism, dedication, sacrifice.” Padma told us, “I don’t think anyone who has come through the process would say that laziness got them through the challenge. Of course it’s very lucrative to one’s career to have a platform on TV, but they’re on national TV and they are followed by seven or eight cameras in that kitchen. So if they’re sloppy or lazy, the camera sees it. If the food isn’t good, they’re eliminated.” Tom Colicchio had more pointed words — in response to Bret Thorn’s comments, he told us that the show’s viewers are very passionate about food, and he’s offended that some would dismiss them just because they can’t go into a fancy restaurant and eat.
We asked Colicchio what he thought about David Chang and others who've complained about the show's effect on young chefs:
I don’t think there’s any shortcuts to getting there — there’s a vetting process and you’re not going to get through that process if you don’t have some sort of skill. Our industry has changed a lot because of TV and media, and you know, it strikes me as very silly when you get chefs who talk about "back in the day" and "old-school this," "old-school that." My feeling is, if you weren’t working in kitchens before 1986, stop talking about "back in the day." … This is getting ridiculous. It’s very easy to badmouth the show if you’re a professional chef because some people look at this as a shortcut to fame … I don’t think it’s a shortcut.”
Padma noted that American food fiends always get knocked for being backward and uninformed, and that the show does a good job of correcting that. And she told us that of all the former cheftestants, Harold Dieterle is the one she’d hold up as the biggest success story: “Harold is one of those guys who’s very even-keeled … I think slow and steady wins the race. He’s not someone who’s going to charge headlong into something without looking [at it carefully] and ruminating about it first.”
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 07, 2008, 04:05:20 PM
An interesting article:
More From Tom and Padma: Guest Judges, Food As Foreplay, and Colicchio As Sex Symbol
We weren’t the only ones who had questions for Tom and Padma during today’s conference call. They revealed, first, that most of the season was shot in Brooklyn (!!) and that (no surprise) ethnic cuisine will play a major role. Guest judges will include Eric Ripert, Dave Grohl, Martha Stewart, and (together at the table during the “last supper”) Lidia Bastianich, Wylie Dufresne, and Marcus Samuelsson. Expect Toby Young to be as harsh as we thought — Tom said, “He’s brash. He was opinionated — he was very funny and witty as well. I got many chances to roll my eyes at some of the things he said.” Ted Allen won’t be back, said Tom, because his Food Network contract didn’t allow him to work for Bravo. Below, more from the co-hosts.
Padma on guilty pleasures: “I like Tom's scrambled eggs — he made them for me in the dressing room once when we were in Chicago.”
Padma on gaining weight: “I gain about ten to fifteen pounds over the course of six weeks … I always go up one dress size, without fail … The woman who irons and gets our clothes for us has a lot to work to do, because she really has to think about that when she gets my dresses.”
Tom correcting a questioner: “‘Chain,’ I hate that word. I only have seven restaurants — it’s not a chain!”
Padma on Fabio: He’s very gregarious — he was fun to have on set … I had to really watch myself with Fabio because I would revert into Italian. I spent a lot of time in Italy so I love to speak in Italian … I didn’t want the other chefs to think I was saying anything that they couldn’t hear.”
Tom on why he’s a sex symbol: “It’s safe to assume more women watch the show than men, or at least straight men…”
Padma on Tom’s sexiness: “I think it’s because of Tom’s authority. I think there’s something very sexy about authority, and Tom dispenses his authority very lightly.”
Padma on the sexiness of food: “Food is very sensual — it’s very physical. It’s also something that includes all the senses — the touch, when it’s in your mouth (the mouth feel is what they call it, I guess), the smells, the sights, all of it. It’s very, very sexy and seductive."
Tom on same: “The act of cooking is what’s really sensual — it’s the ultimate foreplay if you’re cooking for somebody. There’s no better way to lube someone’s heart.”
Tom on low-key chefs: “Jonathan Benno, who runs Per Se … Grant Achatz is very reserved and quiet — you won’t see him on the show this season, but he’s such a wonderful cook.”
Padma on same: “April Bloomfield — she’s very shy and she’s not outlandish in her behavior but her food is solid and delicious and interesting…”
Tom on dealbreaking ingredients: There’s no dealbreaker … The ingredients I don’t like to see? Truffle oil, and mostly because there’s no truffle in there at all…”
Padma on same: “I really roll my eyes at truffle oil as well. I never used it, and when I tried it, I hated it, and now I know why [I never cooked with it].”
Tom on his favorite new food scene: “Portland … There seems to be such a tight-knit community of chefs who are doing the locavore thing — not because it's trendy, but because they’re passionate about it.”
For some NYC power players, living out guitar god dreams onstage is the new middle-age crisis.
Top Chef's Tom Colicchio grooves at the NYC Wine & Food Festival in October; security expert Alan Schissel lays a beat down for the Nerve. It's a Friday night at Chelsea's Highline Ballroom, and both the floor and balcony are packed with fans slinging back drinks. As the lights go down, the place erupts with hoot-and-holler applause. There's nothing unusual about the scene—after all, this is a place where Pink, the Jonas Brothers and the Killers have played in recent months. Only tonight's act is hardly Top 40. And those screaming throngs? Well, they're foodies as much as music fans. When one of the musicians onstage announces the special guest, the place goes wild. For a chef.
Tonight, Tom Colicchio—owner of Craft restaurants and head judge on Bravo's Top Chef—has traded in his chef's whites for jeans and a black-and-white vest, and topped his chrome dome with a bowler hat that makes him look like a character from A Clockwork Orange. Armed with a Fender Stratocaster guitar, he bounds up to join NYC-based folk-rock singer-songwriter Milton, to lay down licks on songs like Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Green River" and Elvis' "Mystery Train." Bobbing his head to the music and smiling easily at the cheering masses, he seems as comfortable onstage as he is in the Top Chef kitchen, but preshow he admitted to stage fright. "When I play at home, I just sit down—standing up and playing is very different. Singing and playing is hard—and I'm going to be singing tonight," he says. "Plus, because of [the success of the TV show], there is more pressure—before, this wouldn't have ended up on YouTube! I don't need that."
So why in the world is a James Beard award winner with 21 restaurants, a hit TV show, a wife and 15-year-old son noodling around with a grown-up version of a garage band? "Every kid dreams of being a rock star," says Tom, 46, who started taking guitar lessons six years ago. "I'm a music fanatic. I play for an hour or two in the morning and an hour at night. Kenny Callahan, the chef at Blue Smoke, and I used to rent a studio every Tuesday night [to jam]. I'm doing this for myself."
Some men buy Ferraris. Others leave their wives for younger women. But among a high-profile circle of New York City professionals, the middle-age indulgence of choice is spending money on top-notch music equipment and living out Mick Jagger dreams. Take cantankerous James Dolan, 52, CEO of Cablevision and chairman of Madison Square Garden, who is the lead singer for blues and classic-rock band JD & the Straight Shot. "I'm just like thousands of guys who picked up a guitar when they were 15, except that I never put it down," he explains on the band's MySpace page.
And then there's Upper East Side plastic surgeon Mark Erlich, who already has groupies—the ladies who gush about his tummy tucks, boob jobs and facelifts. But if Mark had his way, these fans would also be raving about his slammin' guitar licks. The 57-year-old has been playing for two years with his band MDZ. As in "MDs," but with a Z to "funk it up." But Mark jokes that his bandmates—three plastic surgeons, ranging in age from 35 to 57—don't exactly party like rock stars. "We Botox each other," he laughs.
The good doctor dispenses advice to fellow middle-age rockers: Hire a roadie, just like a real band. "If anybody thinks that's crazy, I say, 'Yeah, well, I'm operating tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. and don't want a herniated disc,' " he explains. Medicine and music are clearly an easy partnership. Off the Chart is a band that consists of eight administrators at New York Presbyterian Hospital. In August, they surprised a hospital executive who had a heart valve replaced with a boisterous rendition of "Piece of My Heart."
Some of these rock-star wannabes even indulge in Mötley Crüe–worthy stage attire. Like drummer Alan Schissel, who designed his own Converse sneakers, decorated with skulls. The retired NYPD detective sergeant, who owns a private security and investigation firm, works in a sprawling office in Midtown that's decorated with photos of Ringo Starr, Bo Diddley and Ronnie Wood, in addition to an acoustic drum set. Alan decided to pursue his music dream two-and-a-half years ago, at age 46. "I vowed that for my 50th birthday in 2009, I wasn't going to hire the music—I was going to be the music." And now he is, playing with the Nerve, a group that also includes an accountant, a steamfitter, a teacher and an advertising executive. Alan insists this is not a midlife crisis. "It's so beyond that," he scoffs. "A midlife crisis is something that you can go into a store and buy and get tired of and then return. This is something you invest in—it's a passion." And that passion isn't limited to guys. Nancy Gerson—a 50-year-old Queens-based civil litigation attorney and mother of two—played with the Nerve at their first performance, and takes four hours of music lessons a week with a red Fender Telecaster guitar that she's nicknamed Ruby. "It's so liberating," Nancy says of living out her rock 'n' roll fantasy. "I feel like I'm more like who I was in my twenties than I ever felt since then." (The liberation hasn't stopped there—she signs her e-mails with "Peace, Nancy.")
The Nerve and many similar bands owe their existence to the Studio, a recording and practice space on the third floor of an old building on West 30th Street. Not only can bands rehearse here, they can also sign up for five-week workshops ($225) that match mature music-makers together in bands—like, well, a harmonious version of Eharmony.com. "In New York, everybody wants to stay young," says owner Bob Elliott, 52. "You can rock on and have fun until whatever age. That's why people live in this city, so they can continue to pursue their dreams."
And New Yorkers have big dreams. Like Alan, who's decided that just playing at his 50th birthday bash isn't enough of a challenge. His new goal? "Playing [Madison Square] Garden—opening for Pearl Jam," he laughs.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 10, 2008, 05:42:31 PM
An interesting article:
Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio dish about 'Top Chef: New York'
Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi said she's glad the series filmed its upcoming fifth season in "The City That Never Sleeps."
"I was so excited for it to be in New York. I really was," Lakshmi told reporters during a Friday conference call. "I mean I'm very proud of this show for, you know, like not only going to fine restaurants... but also really looking at the city holistically."
While Lakshmi was enthused about the culinary competition series filming in New York City for its fifth season, lead judge and restaurateur Tom Colicchio said the setting didn't make it any easier.
"What's interesting about this season, it was somewhat of a difficult shoot. Usually if we're on location somewhere else we sort of create our own little universe," Colicchio told reporters. "I think because we were shooting in New York and we all live in New York, we're going back to our regular lives as soon as we were off the set, at least I was."
Colicchio added that despite the filming location making it "hard to sort of get back into the sort of mindset of the show," he also enjoyed shooting in the Big Apple.
"Obviously shooting in New York lent itself to a lot of just amazing things that New York has to offer - you know, a lot of different ethnic cuisines," he said. "That sort of worked itself into the challenges at a lot of different locations."
Top Chef: New York filmed in Brooklyn over the summer and it is currently slated to premiere November 12 at 10PM ET/PT.
"We shot everything through the finale," Colicchio told reporters. "We'll go back and [film the finale] in January sometime. I don't think we have a location nailed down yet for the finale."
Rounding out the judging panel with Colicchio and Lakshmi are Food & Wine magazine editor Gail Simmons and new judge Toby Young.
"Toby is somebody that I had never met before except for on the set on the first day of shooting that he came in," said Lakshmi. "I didn't know what to expect, but I found him very charming, very witty, and very sweet."
Lakshmi added she "didn't always agree" with Young, but said she was "always very interested to hear his take on things."
"He was brash. He was opinionated," said Colicchio. "He was very funny and witty as well. I really enjoyed working with him."
Young, a best-selling British author and food critic, will replace Ted Allen, the former Queer Eye expert who had served as a judge on Top Chef's last two seasons. Earlier this summer, Allen began serving as the host of Food Detectives -- a new Mythbusters-like Food Network series that attempts to debunk food myths.
While a Bravo spokesperson had told Reality TV World last month that Allen hadn't been able to participate due to the show's time commitments, Colicchio told reporters Food Network actually disallowed Allen's Top Chef participation.
"Ted got a show picked up on The Food Network and The Food Network, they have this little policy," said Colicchio. "That's why you don't see any of the chefs that are on a Food Network show."
Despite the absence of Allen and other Food Network chefs, Top Chef: New York will feature guest appearances by several culinary and mainstream stars including Martha Stewart, The Foo Fighters, Jean-Georges, Eric Ripert, Rocco DiSpirito, Wylie Dufresne, Jean-Christophe Novelli and Natasha Richardson.
"To have all of those palates on one table was, for me, a great, great honor," said Lakshmi. "And, you know, also obviously the Foo Fighters being on was pretty damn cool."
Top Chef: New York's 17 contestants range from 21- to 44-years-old, hail from across the country and have a wide variety of culinary credentials.
"They're an interesting bunch," said Lakshmi. "I thought they really held their own. I think the one thing I noted this season is that it was really interesting to watch the evolution of more than a few of them. I think they really are - were very quick learners. And so some of the contestants over the course of the challenges and weeks really surprised us."
Lakshmi said she feels the keys to succeeding at Top Chef's challenges are composure, using the provided resources and attempting to not only survive to the next round -- but hit the challenge out of the park.
"How can I, you know, do something that's really interesting or do something that's really simple but just execute, you know, execute it to the fullest," explained Lakshmi about the contestants' mindset.
Since the judges are "not privy to all the behind-the-scenes stuff that goes on," Lakshmi added the winner is solely based on their finished product.
"We're not there when they're shooting it. We don't really know much about it," she said. "We strictly judge on food."
Colicchio agreed that "the strategy of winning and getting to the finale is making great food."
"I think it's pretty well documented that we only -- we just [go] each episode to episode and challenge to challenge. We don't look at past performances," he said. "And it's for a lot of reasons. You know, there's a saying in our industry that you're only as good as your last dish."
In addition, Colicchio assured viewers that the Top Chef judges taste everything that is presented to them by the contestants in an effort to ensure that the best participant wins.
"We're getting everything when it's hot, when it's first made so it's not sitting around for five or ten minutes, sitting around wilting," he said. "So much of eating is obviously visual, and so food will start to change very quickly after it's plated. So we're very, very much on top of making sure we get everything, you know, as soon as it's finished."
Lakshmi added the amount of food and lack of time does make the judges' job more difficult.
"The amount of food consumed is staggering," she said. "And also, we -- especially in the first half of the show when we have so many contestants -- you know, I feel and I'm sure Tom would agree the (onus) is on us to make sure we sample every contestant's dish adequately, you know, in fairness. So it does become difficult."
Having been with Top Chef all five seasons, Colicchio said it's been a "mission of the show to try to always find better contestants" -- something he thinks has been achieved despite recent comments by The New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni.
According to The Times, Bruni recently stated Top Chef "gets [young chefs] thinking more about mass-media glory -- about big, quick fame -- than about disciplined professionalism, dedication, sacrifice."
"I find that to be a very strange comment," Colicchio told reporters. "I don't think there are any shortcuts to getting there. I mean there's a vetting process and, you know, you're not going to sort of get through that process if you haven't some sort of skill."
"It's very easy to badmouth the show for - you know, if you're a professional chef for whatever reason because some people look at this as a shortcut to fame. But you know what, most of these guys who have been on the show, if they don't back it up in their everyday life they're going to fade away, you know, a year from now. They're going to have their 15 minutes."
Lakshmi -- not surprisingly -- also defended Top Chef and said nothing the contestants do escapes the cameras.
"I think Top Chef is a great opportunity," she said. "If you're lucky enough to actually make the cut and be one of the contestants, it's just a chance to show if you're good or not. But if you're not good, you're not going to last on the show. And that comment about how TV and media has changed, you know, the food industry, guess what? The TV and media have changed all of our lives in every industry."
In addition, Lakshmi said Top Chef contestants aren't the only ones who benefit from the show.
"I think that Top Chef also does a great service in informing people about food and cooking technique, and eating right and using good local ingredients," she said. "You'll see that a lot, especially on this season. And so for that, too, I think it - yes it has - TV has changed the way people look at food for the good, you know, for the better I believe."
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 11, 2008, 02:53:22 PM
An interesting article:
Top Chef: New York
Reality’s culinary challenge takes to the Big Apple for season five. First, 17 talented competitors (such as cute and cocky Jeff and feisty lesbian Jamie) must impress host Padma Lakshmi and her cojudges by peeling apples (one player gets booted on the spot). Another task — create a dish inspired by an NYC neighborhood — soaks up the local flavor, and the results are nail-biting. Compliments to the exciting Chef for keeping things fresh.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 11, 2008, 03:52:19 PM
An interesting article:
Review: 'Top Chef: Season 5'
THE SHOW " Top Chef: Season 5"
WHEN|WHERE Wednesday night at 10 on Bravo.
REASON TO WATCH A well-balanced combination of ego and frenzy, drizzled with balsamic reduction.
WHAT'S ON THE MENU After gigs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago, "Top Chef" has finally hit the big time. Not that any of those four distinguished cities are dabblers in the restaurant world, but New York is the acknowledged gastronomic center of the country, if not the world. After all, Tom Colicchio, Padma Lakshmi and Gail Simmons all live here.
For the uninitiated, the three aforementioned personages make up three-quarters of "Top Chef's" "judges' table." The fourth judge, British new guy Toby Young, is AWOL on premiere night. Instead, New York restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten rounds out the table.
New York itself has a starring role. The "cheftestants" meet one another in New York Harbor, on the ferry to Governor's Island, for their first challenge. Thereafter, they fan out across the city to patronize various ethnic markets. When they go home for the night, it is to a palatial apartment in Williamsburg.
AND WHAT OF THE CHEFTESTANTS? The cast strikes me as a talented and entertaining bunch. New Hyde Park's 's own Danny Gagnon (currently chef de cuisine at the Babylon Carriage House) ably fills the role of the tough-talking, possibly hotheaded young Turk. He has a more effete side, though: It's Gagnon who creates the episode's only foam.
The strongest competitor may well be Stefan, born in Finland, trained in Germany and Switzerland and a veteran of kitchens in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Quietly aggressive, possibly cruel, he is the Daniel Craig of the competition or, with his shaven head, at least the Michael Chiklis.
He and Florence-born Fabio form a European alliance. Fabio claims he'd never been to New York, but he is clearly familiar with the cross-cultural fusion that characterizes American cooking in 2008. Bravo's Web site reveals that he is chef-owner of Café Firenze, "one of the most recognized restaurants in Ventura County," and that "Fabio also works as William Shatner's private chef."
BOTTOM LINE By dint of smart casting, imaginative challenges and A-list guests, "Top Chef" retains its three stars for culinary entertainment.
New York - the foodie capital of the word - is the setting for the next season of this ever-popular reality competition show. A new group of 17 hopefuls battle it out all over New York, tapping into the Big Apple's ample supply of famous chefs as judges. Right off the bat, you get a mini-tour of the city, when the contestants are assigned an ethnic neighborhood and must each cook a dish that reflects that neighborhood's cuisine. Here's the difference between this show and other competition series: When you watch it, you can actually learn something that you could do at home yourself.
As we learned during our visit with with the Foo Fighters last summer, Dave Grohl is no stranger to the kitchen. The Foos' frontman — and soon to be father of two — proudly displayed a secret recipe he called Dr. G's Strip Steak at a barbeque to celebrate the band's latest album, 2007's Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. And now, EW.com hears, he'll make an appearance on Top Chef this season. The episode, titled "Foo Fighters' Thanksgiving," will find the remaining culinary contestants trying to impress the Grammy Award-winning rock band at a tour stop in Rochester, New York (restaurateur Grant Achatz, who was recently named 2008's Best Chef by the James Beard Foundation, serves as guest judge). It's scheduled to air Nov. 26. In the meantime, those looking for a fresh Foos fix can give thanks to the makers of the video game Rock Band. All tracks from the band's seminal 1997 album, The Colour and the Shape, have been made available for download (and play) starting today.
It's not easy to keep a reality show fresh, and Top Chef is trying every trick in the cookbook. For its fifth season, Chef relocates to New York City, where tonight competitors concoct dishes inspired by different ethnic neighborhoods. A few contestants immediately stand out: Hawaiian dishwasher-turned-humble chef Eugene, and the much-lauded Stefan, who egotistically launches into an ''a vinaigrette is not an emulsion'' rant. And then there are the always-important nutjobs: ''I want to be led to do this dish, basically, by my spirit guides. That's how I do it, '' says Carla, a screechy caterer. The one questionable ingredient is the new judge, Toby Young (How to Lose Friends and Alienate People), who will begin in the seventh episode, when levelheaded Gail Simmons vacates to get married. Will he be as bland as occasional judge Ted Allen or give the show the jolt of flavor it needs to keep us hungry for more?
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 12, 2008, 09:05:03 AM
An interesting article:
What's Cooking with Season 5 of Top Chef?
This season of Top Chef (premieres Wednesday at 10 pm/ET on Bravo) is all about the apple — the Big Apple. With the world-famous food mecca as the background, the chefs of the Emmy-nominated competitive reality show are the most diverse, facing some of the toughest (and coolest) guest judges to date.
Host Padma Lakshmi said Season 5's chef-testants "were very quick learners and over the course of the challenges and weeks really surprised us."
And the personalities weren't the only thing that made for great TV. "Shooting in New York lent itself to amazing things that New York has to offer, a lot of different ethnic cuisines. And that worked itself into the challenges at a lot of different locations," said head judge Tom Colicchio. Even the first quick-fire challenge was inspired by the locale, which involved an apple and the chefs showing off their intense (or lack of) knife skills.
British journalist Toby Young will join Padma, Tom and Gail Simmons at judge's table this season. The newcomer is "brash and opinionated," Tom told TVGuide.com. "What was the title of his book? 'How to Lose Friends & Alienate People' — he lived up to that. But he's a lot of fun."
Although Padma said she found him "charming and witty," he was a bit tougher to the contestants.
Familiar faces Eric Ripert and Wiley Dufresne are among a list of returning guest judges, while home-style maven Martha Stewart, world-renowned chef Jean-Georges and even the Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl will lend a hand in deciding which chefs will pack up their knives and go.
Order up! The culinary-arts competition series gets cooking with its Season 5 opener, served up in a supersize ration no less. Tonight we meet our 17 new chef wannabes, who descend on New York City doubtlessly making the mean streets even meaner. In their inaugural challenge, the foodies create dishes based on ethnic flavors of the city's various districts. The new locale isn't the only change this season: Food critic and author Toby Young signs on as a new series judge. Not to worry, though. Host Padma Lakshmi and head judge Tom Colicchio are back, and that's easy to swallow.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on November 12, 2008, 12:18:56 PM
Here's a New York Times article on top Chef 5 (premiering tonight at 10pm on BRAVO) which is highly provocative:
Trying to Stand the Heat in a Pressure Cooker by Ginia Bellefante, 11/11/08
Last season on “Top Chef” we learned never to undercook beets. Undercooked beets will destroy you. As the show’s executioner in chief, Tom Colicchio, frigidly chided the cook who had inadvertently disrespected this root vegetable, “No one has ever heard of an al dente beet.” Though issued before the final verdict, the words felt ominous and settled.
So often on “Top Chef” (which begins its fifth season on Wednesday on Bravo), as in life, it is simple misjudgments that result in failure — the mistakes people make when they know better. Just when you think a contestant will be felled by a feat of crazed ambition — the deployment of liquid nitrogen, say, to make bacon ice cream — something more mundane humbles instead. People may lose it around Mile 12, even though you know they could really run the full marathon.
Overcooking a slab of pork belly might do you in, or letting a noodle get too gummy. Contestants, vying for $100,000 and coverage in Food & Wine, can be tossed off the kitchen island for undersalting, and it is painful to see this, as if you were watching someone bleed from a sports injury that could have been prevented with just a little padding.
I’m already feeling pangs for Ariane, a chef from Montclair, N.J., who is 41 and more experienced than many of the 16 other competitors this season, but who, during the first episode, gets into avoidable trouble with some faro.
Even more than “Project Runway,” “Top Chef,” in which success is so dependent on timing, reminds us that skill can become virtually meaningless in the face of an inability to manage performance anxiety. The series has been a hit among the people who go for high-priced cuts at the butcher, but not only because it is on Bravo, the network that so aggressively courts the rack-of-lamb demographic. The “Top Chef” kitchen also exquisitely mirrors a certain kind of creative workplace where the obsessively gifted flounder in the face of the coolly confident. The show is rife with inventive chokers, cooks who lack the stamina or emotional wherewithal to keep the flame under the magic burning. In them we see ourselves and a thousand promotions lost to the chumps who never permitted their heads to swivel.
This season “Top Chef” is set in New York, a city especially unkind to the inadequately secure. To symbolize the harsh realities of the environment, contestants must peel and dice apples in their first challenge, leaving no flesh on the skin. Ariane is a self-doubter — perhaps rightly; she isn’t a natural culinary improviser — so her prospects seem grim.
The Everyelitist, Mr. Colicchio tells Ariane, a suburban mother, that she should expand her epicurean repertory by traveling. He is at ease referring to a dish or culinary approach as “intellectual.” (Next time I encounter an interesting pork chop, I’ll ask it if it has read Bertrand Russell.)
In addition to the pretensions, there is xenophobic conflict brewing: two Americans with chips on their shoulders versus two Europeans, a Finland native named Stefan and an Italian-born chef named Fabio, who seems to be impersonating a Roberto Benigni impersonator.
Stefan imperiously goads his rivals into fights about emulsions, and obviously thinks Americans are too stupid to carry on a knowing conversation about vinaigrettes. Danny, a chef from Babylon on Long Island, who believes the world has failed to recognize his talents for far too long, is already taking offense.
And it is hard not to be right there with him. “Top Chef” promises more than a clash of personalities; it inspires patriotism.
TOP CHEF
Bravo, Wednesday nights at 10, Eastern and Pacific time; 9, Central time.
Produced for Bravo by Magical Elves. Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz and Shauna Minoprio, executive producers for Magical Elves; Liz Cook, Gayle Gawlowski, Rich Buhrman and Fred Pichel, co-executive producers; Nan Strait, supervising producer; Steve Hryniewicz, director of photography.
WITH: Padma Lakshmi (host), Tom Colicchio (head judge and host), Toby Young (judge) and Gail Simmons (judge).
Where is new judge Toby Young when you need him? I understand he will mirror the "zap" approach of this author in his ooutspoken judging.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 12, 2008, 03:44:51 PM
Hmmm interesting provocative indeed
This line here "carry on a knowing conversation about vinaigrettes" immediately reminded me of Season 1’s Stephen Asprinnio and his expertise in wine and his need to educate everyone lol I don’t know why but it brought back that bad memory :lol:
Thanks for sharing apskip and enjoy the show, sooo looking forward to your thoughts after the show
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 12, 2008, 04:19:09 PM
An interview with Tom and Padma:
Top Chef’s Tom & Padma (Heart) New York’s Restaurant Scene
The chefs are packing up their knives and heading into the kitchen as Top Chef’s season 5 premieres tonight (Bravo, 10 p.m. ET). For the first time, New York will be the backdrop to all the cooking action –a prospect that makes the contestants and the judges excited. Both head judge Tom Colicchio and host Padma Lakshmi call New York home – and are actively involved in the city’s food landscape as food industry professionals, diners and yes, even volunteers. With Thanksgiving approaching, Colicchio is involved in the Cascade Feeding America program, dedicated to providing needy children with meals for the holiday. “Just the act of feeding people is . . . why I got into the business,” he explains. But back to the business at hand–the food competition–Colicchio and Lakshmi spoke to PEOPLE about what to expect now that the show has arrived in the Big Apple – and why they love eating in New York. –Brian Orloff
Everybody says this season is much harder than past seasons. Are the chefs just more accomplished or are the challenges harder or both? Padma: We really try to make it interesting. We have really hardcore fans who are foodies themselves. We don’t want to repeat ourselves, but we want to keep some of the traditional elements of the challenges. Tom: I think the caliber of the chefs has definitely improved overall. But I think also what happened is a lot of the contestants have seen three or four seasons of Top Chef, so they all have their own opinion of how it works. This season, it seemed they were always a little savvy about how to go about possibly winning. It’s kind of funny because in the end we don’t care about all that stuff. All we care about is food. We’re not privy to all the stuff that goes on behind the scenes.
You never judge based on people’s behavior in the kitchen? Tom: Everyone assumes we see it and that’s how we judge. We don’t care. Last year, people were like, ‘I can’t believe you would take that from Lisa.’ Take what? I don’t care what she does. She can sit there with her arms folded all she wants.
How do you plan to take advantage of New York’s neighborhoods? Padma: New York is such an expansive culinary landscape that it’s really hard to hit everything. I am sure there are going to be some people who said, “I can’t believe they didn’t do this.” That being said, I think we tried to do our best and highlight New York chefs and restaurants – but also street food and people on budgets. Everything from high to low.
Talk about what you love about New York’s culinary scene. Tom: What makes New York such a great food town is its diversity. It’s such a demanding town that the chefs that are here . . . [are] on the top of their game. You can’t take a break here. You constantly have to reinvent yourself and what you do. Its friendly competition and its diversity are what makes New York such an exciting food town.
What are your favorite New York food spots? Padma: I like Mamoun’s Falafel [in the West Village]. A falafel is good because it’s quick and you can hold it. I never have enough time. I totally grew up on street food. I love street food. I used to eat pretzels with mustard by Gracie Mansion because I grew up on the Upper East Side. What else? There’s a Dosa guy down in Washington Square Park, and he has a line around the block. The Shake Shack. I used to go to the Water Club and have blinis and caviar.
'Top Chef' contestants Hosea, Carla, Jamie and Leah work on dishes inspired by New York neighborhoods.
"Top Chef," which has evolved into a well-paced, no-nonsense show over its first four seasons, kicks off Season 5 Thursday night with more fast action and lots of food.
Based on the cast and tasks, it should have little trouble staying near the top of the food chain in the "reality show" world.
As an added bonus for New Yorkers, the new season takes place here. Wisely, it filmed during the summer, so while we look out the window at bare trees and chill winds, we can watch all these hopeful chefs gathering under bright, warm sunshine in the park.
While the creators never turn "Top Chef" into a travelogue, they smartly make the host city a major part of the action, not just the studio where food preparation takes place.
For the premiere episode, the 16 chefs draw knives labeled with the names of eight New York neighborhoods. Each chef then has to create a dish that reflects that neighborhood.
So even though the contestant from Colorado has never heard of Brighton Beach, he has to create something Russian and hope the judges find it better than whatever was created by the other chef who drew a Brighton Beach knife.
Happily, the contestants are all professionals. Tell them "Little Italy" and they've got a fairly good idea what would constitute a memorable Italian dish. The show's creators also realize that the food itself can be a star when it sounds or looks interesting, so the dishes themselves are not just an incidental prop. We get a look at pretty much every one.
The judges like a few, don't like a few others. Their critiques can be acidic, but even though two contestants are eliminated in the opening episode, no one is pounded into submission on the way out the door. Those who remain get some encouragement.
Just in general, the bar for getting onto "Top Chef" has been set high enough that the contestants aren't going to be fumbling around the kitchen and stumbling into the kind of disasters that so often mark, say, Gordon Ramsey shows.
That said, the contestants also have a sense of how to keep it lively for TV. The three gay entrants quickly bond, while others talk about how close they come to a meltdown when, say, the noodles came out gummy or the risotto half-raw.
In contrast to some "reality" shows where the question is whether anyone simply survives to the finish, "Top Chef" is a show where you wouldn't mind having almost any of these people fix your dinner. That may sound like a formula for disaster among these types of shows, but in reality, it works out well.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 13, 2008, 01:18:45 AM
An interesting article an interview with Padma:
Top Chef Host Padma Lakshmi's Food for Thought
Top Chef starts cookin' tonight with the premiere of season five.
I caught up with the reality show's sultry host Padma Lakshmi yesterday to talk hot dogs, the economy and her dreams of bringing the show to London.
Read on for all the—yeah, I'm gonna say it—dish…
Top Chef is in New York City this time around. How does that feel?
I was so excited to do it here. You know, every season I kept saying, "When are we going to do it in New York? When are we going to do it in New York?" And they kept saying, "Next season, next season." Finally, next season is this season.
Why is the city so special?
I really think it's the culinary capital of the world. I'm biased because I'm a New Yorker, but I think the greatest chefs are here and the best restaurants. And I'm not just talking only about the fine-dining restaurants. I'm talking about everything.
So, does that mean you eat hot dogs from hot-dog stands?
I do.
What do you like on them?
I like sauerkraut and mustard or relish and mustard.
What about Europe? When will Top Chef go overseas?
I'm dying to go to Europe. I don't know if it'll happen though...The airfares, the hotels and the dollar is so low against the pound and the euro.
What city would you pick?
Oh, gosh. It could be Rome. It could be Paris. But London's a great city, too. It's not that dissimilar from New York in that it's got all these great chefs but it also has an interesting mix of different ethnicities and restaurants...Obviously, countries like France and Italy have their own food traditions, as do Morocco and Spain, but if you're going to do a whole season in a city, I think the European city that I would go to first would be London.
Has the bad economy affected the tone of the show in terms of what the contestants are asked to prepare or how to prepare it?
That's a great question. You know, I think we have addressed it without knowing how timely it would become because, if you notice, a lot of our challenges have a really tight budget. We do it by making parameters of, you have this much money, but you have to feed this many people. So that's always a struggle. Every challenge is about balancing your food budget. Every single one.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 13, 2008, 01:32:58 AM
Tom Colicchio's Blog:
Home Sweet City
Welcome back to Top Chef! Thank you for tuning in for Season Five. I'm excited about the chefs who have assembled to compete this season. And welcome, too, to my hometown, New York City. To say that I'm glad we're here this season is an understatement. Aside from the obvious - staying put, being in my own home with my wife and son, not living out of suitcases - I'm also pleased to have this season of Top Chef happen in the city that is arguably the restaurant capital not only of the country but of the world.
Growing up a half-hour outside of New York, the city always had a pull for me, because I knew that that's where the food world was. But I saw that the city had one of two effects on those who grew up in its shadow: either you'd never go because you were too intimidated, or you felt the pull that I did, in which case the question was simply (and not so simply, as it turns out) "when." I faced this important question twice. I had been working in restaurants for almost nine years before I came to New York to work for the first time. My first job in the big city was at the Quilted Giraffe, where, after a scant four months, they gave me a sous-chef position. What a great intro to New York! I was working in what was widely considered one of the three top restaurants in the New York and, perhaps, the country. Coming off of that experience, my next move, logically, would have been to take a chef's position. But I chose to do so not in New York City, but back in New Jersey - I knew a chef should have a decidedly unique style and I wanted to develop and hone mine out of the spotlight. I worked in New Jersey for a year, then worked with Alfred Portale, and then traveled and did a stage in France. It was only all of these that I came back to New York and worked as a chef at Mondrian. This city has been my home ever since, and after all these years it still inspires both awe and love.
I believe that all of our competing chefs this season were simultaneously excited and intimidated about coming to New York. If you're working in Miami or Boulder, you always wonder, "Can I compete in New York?" I find it interesting, for example, that Fabio had never come to New York; he went straight from Italy to California ... perhaps in anticipation of coming here eventually. The question we all face and must decide for ourselves is "Am I happy to be a big fish in a small pond somewhere else ... or do I want to take a shot at the top?" New York draws the best from everywhere, all coming here trying to make it. And even those who don't make it to the top and who are toiling somewhere in the middle here in NYC are still operating at a level of professionalism and creativity above that at the top of the heap in many other places. Using acting as a metaphor, New York is not like Hollywood, where you might luck into a break. Here, you must either do something so unique and different as to be noteworthy, like David Chang did with Momofuku, or you must rise to the top through sheer excellence, like Jean-Georges Vongerichten, for example. There are several routes by which one might make it in New York, but one way or another, this city brings out the absolute best - and the worst - in everybody who comes and tries. The best, for obvious reasons. The worst, because there's something about coming here and being so driven that you tend to put blinders on and forget everything else the city has to offer, and you don't go out and experience it all. I speak from personal experience: I am so hyper-focused on Manhattan, for example, that it was a long time before I discovered the joys and wonders of Brighton Beach, of Ozone Park. Some of the best Chinese food in the world, for example, is in Queens. Did you know that there is a neighborhood in Queens that is the single most diverse neighborhood in the entire world? In its grade school at one point in recent years there were students speaking fifty-seven different languages and dialects. Fifty-seven. I didn't make that up - it's true. And the neighborhood is a thriving and harmonious community. Full of great food, I might add.
That community highlights what's amazing about New York. You are allowed to be your fullest self here, to bring everything with you, your food, your culture. You are encouraged not to assimilate. Mayor John Lindsay once said of the city he governed that "not only is New York the nation's melting pot, it is also the casserole, the chafing dish and the charcoal grill". He would have liked our first Elimination Challenge, which proved him right.
I loved this challenge, which was to go to a randomly assigned neighborhood such as Little Italy, Chinatown, Astoria or Brighton Beach, shop there, and then return to the Top Chef kitchen to create a meal inspired by what that neighborhood had to offer. I thought it was the perfect challenge to kick off this season. It gave us a chance to see the real New York, not just the rarified high-end restaurants that get all of the press.
And it gave us an opportunity to meet our Season Five chefs and get to know their personalities and particular styles. As you saw on the show tonight, some of the chefs were jazzed and motivated by the challenge; others were intimidated.
A word about that, if I may: I think this issue of inspiration vs. intimidation spoke not only to the chefs' individual personalities, but to their levels of experience as chefs, as well. I would love nothing better than to find a culinary student with such outsized talent that it preempts the need for experience, but I believe that a chef needs both. Remember, I wrote above that I spent nine years working with food before I came to New York. Not only working, but traveling, eating, experiencing food. A chef with more experience of the world and its food would not be intimidated by the thought of cooking with foods from another region, whether she or he had ever done so before. Rather, she or he would say "I understand this - it's still just cooking."
The point of our challenge was for the chefs to be inspired by new ingredients and then decide how to make them their own. In fact, that's what American cooking is about.
Hosea's dish is a good example of what I'm talking about. Hosea was clearly working with his Russian theme, serving smoked fish, caviar and potato pancakes, or latkes. (Each latke, by the way, was flavored to correspond with the sauce with which it was paired.) And yet Hosea managed to give us a clear sense of his own plating style; though it contained traditional Russian elements, the plate looked very modern. He didn't make the top three, but the dish was beautifully executed.
Let's contrast this with Patrick, still a culinary student, who simply lacks experience. Some things can't be learned in school - one must travel. This is why, for example, it's so important to do a stage if you're studying French food. There, you learn why; here, you just learn how. Food in Alsace is different than in Brittany or the Loire Valley. Similarly, as Jean-Georges pointed out, you can't just put bok choy on a plate and call it "Chinese Food." And what, if anything, did Patrick do to make that piece of salmon reflect Chinatown? He could have marinated it in plum wine, sesame oil, ginger...anything. There was nothing about the salmon that "spoke Chinese." This is why I believe a student just isn't ready to contend in this competition. Experience traveling, gaining familiarity with food and coming to understand it would have enabled Patrick to look at the unique items in Chinatown, put them together and make them his own.
One way Patrick might have been more successful would have been to think of one Chinese dish he loved - orange-flavored beef, for example, think about what was in that dish - beef cut thin, dipped in corn starch and fried; sauce with sezhuan peppers and burnt orange peel, and then play with how to take those flavors and turn them into a dish he could call his own. Hmmm ... perhaps take a short rib, braise it in orange and the chilis and some of the spices. What else could be brought in? What else would work with this? Chinese long beans, great in garlic and soy. OK. Maybe take the short-rib, mince it, and turn it into a wonton? Etc. I encourage chefs to take the idea of a full dish and rework it, making it your own, as Hosea did so successfully.
Like Hosea, Eugene's experience as a chef yielded him success in this Elimination Challenge. He didn't know anything about Indian food. He didn't have to - he's a smart enough cook, who cooked his way past the problem. Knowing how to cook lamb and how to cook curry were enough to get him through this challenge. Although Padma said that he created an authentic Indian dish, it is not traditionally made with rack of lamb. Alex used the knowledge of his own culture's cuisine and was excited to adapt it. Jamie took the idea of Greek ingredients - olives, eggplant puree - and then did her own play on a Greek Salad. It wasn't a Greek dish per se. It didn't have to be. The challenge was not to make an authentic dish but, rather, to use the neighborhood and foods for inspiration. If I take a vacation in Spain and eat around, it's almost impossible for me not to bring the ideas back and play with them. I find ingredients in my travels and then work them into what I do back home. If you're in a creative field, everything you do out in the world will find its expression in your work. Paul Simon traveled to Africa, to Brazil, and created albums that were fusions. His inspirations found their way into both the music and the lyrics in ways that were seamless, not forced.
By the way, while Patrick had the technique but not the inspiration, Ariane had the inspiration but not the technique. Her undercooking of the fava beans was such a rudimentary mistake that we just could not give her a pass on it. She knew it, too. I could all but see her kicking herself. I must add that I was a bit taken aback by her defense of her lack of knowledge of Mediterranean cuisine despite living so close to New York. She commented, basically, that she didn't need to explore because at home she had books to refer to were she faced with a particular cooking challenge. I have always taken to heart the words of Jacques Pepin, who wrote in La Technique not to read the book as a book, but, rather, to treat it as an apprenticeship. Don't just read ... DO. Cook your way through. In other words, gain experience.
So here we are, with chefs from diverse backgrounds and even diverse countries, all converging in New York for these next several weeks. We started them off with little apples in their first Quickfire Challenge. Now we'll see what the Big Apple has in store for each of them...
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 13, 2008, 01:47:55 AM
Gail Simmons' Blog:
True to its Roots
Any epicurean-minded traveler who visits New York cannot help but be overwhelmed and excited at the chance to explore this vibrant, multicultural city. New York has always been considered the ultimate culinary mecca, and not just for its temples of haute cuisine. The blending and borrowing among cultures and communities over the last 200 years, and the history of immigration from every corner of the globe to all five boroughs, makes New York's edible landscape one of the most diverse in the world. Where else can you eat Polish, Indian, Italian, Chinese and Jamaican food in one day, all on a single subway line!
So it's of course fitting that Top Chef: New York begins with an Elimination Challenge requiring our contestants to investigate local markets in eight of New York's most famous ethnic neighborhoods, then asking them to create dishes inspired by what they've discovered. Pitting sets of two contestants against each other to determine whose dish ranks at the bottom of the challenge and whose comes out on top made our inaugural day in the Top Chef: New York kitchen all the more interesting. So too did the fact that our first Guest Judge of the season was none other than world-renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, himself a first-generation American, born and raised in Alsace. After spending time in some of the most respected kitchens in France, Chef Jean-Georges trained extensively in Asia before settling in New York. He now owns and operates more than a dozen exquisite restaurants stretching from Central Park South to Hong Kong and Shanghai. Suffice it to say that JG knows a thing or two about fusing exotic flavors.
Before we delve into the results of this challenge, I wanted to mention how shocked I was to learn that Padma and Tom had eliminated a contestant during the very first Quickfire! How heartless to tell someone to pack their knives and go before they have even unpacked in the first place. Poor Lauren, whom I never really met, suffered a sorry fate when she failed at her attempt to cook a dish for Tom using the perfect brunoise, from 15 apples she had been forced to peel by hand in the opening sequence. If nothing else, her swift exit made it clear from start that this will be no ordinary season, just as New York is no ordinary town.
I won't belabor the details of what I can only remember as one of the hottest days all summer (we had to break in between tasting every set of courses to cool down off- camera, for fear of practically passing out!). But I will tell you that in tasting the dishes prepared for us by the remaining 16 chefs, we discovered a few new and exciting flavor combinations ourselves. On the whole, the food we were served was really quite delicious. From Jamie's Deconstructed Greek Salad and Seared Black Bass to Jill's Jamaican Scallop Fritters, Hosea's Russian Trio of Smoked Fish, and Eugene's slam-dunk Indian Lamb, we were all pleasantly surprised at how creative they were, especially since a number of the chefs made it clear that the ethnic ingredients they used were unfamiliar to them until now.
The only true disappointments in terms one specific cuisine were the dishes from our Chinatown team. Both Patrick and Danny presented watered-down, uninspired dishes that did not do justice to the breadth of extraordinary Chinese food found in this city. When we tasted Patrick's Seared Salmon, Bok Choy and Black Rice Noodles, it was clear that his cooking did not measure up to that of his fellow contestants.
In contrast, Stefan's Middle Eastern Lamb Chops with Tabouli Salad and Beef Onion Skewer proved you don't have to be fluent in a given cuisine to understand the combinations of ingredients and techniques that make it work. His dish was modern in presentation but authentic in flavor, refined yet true to its roots ... just like New York itself.
As Tom Colicchio and company get ready to filet more would-be tastemakers on the new season of ''Top Chef,'' we're serving up the best small-screen cooks in the biz.
Chef Colicchio is one tough cookie. The owner of Craft restaurants (and a former owner and executive chef at Gramercy Tavern) was already a celebrated figure in New York City; now he's catapulted to national fame thanks to Top Chef, the Bravo gem that began in 2006. As a judge, Colicchio cuts out all the fat, but unlike Padma or Gail, his sage advice to the quivering contestants never feels cushioned or overly acerbic for dramatic effect. Perhaps his intuition is, as Goldilocks once said, ''Just right.'' So what if we never really see him cook.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on November 13, 2008, 07:59:39 PM
TOP CHEF 5, episode 1
Chefs arrive in New York City and take a private ferry to Governor's Island. The QuickFire challenge starts with cutting 15 apples with only a knife. Some are quick, with Stefan the quickest. He wins immunity for finishing first. The top 9 are exempt from further tasks on the QuickFire. The 8 slowest then have to compete to brunoise the apples to produce 2 cups of small apple cubes. That exempts the 4 fastest, leaving Leah, Patrick, Lauren and Radhika. They then enter the third round, which is 20 minutes to make these apple-based dishes:
Lauren is judged by Tom to have the least tasty dish and she is eliminated, the first time ever in Top Chef history that there will be two eliminations in one episode. The remaining 16 chefs draw knives and are assigned with two to each of 8 areas of New York City. Each pair will compete against each other for qualification for the judging of the Winner to the chosen one and qualification for the judging of the Eliminee for the loser. Those pairings and areas are:
Brighton Beach(Russian) - Hosea vs. Carla Long Island City (Middle Eastern) - Stefan vs. Ariane Ozone Park (Latin) - Jeff vs. Fabio Jamaican - Radhika vs. Jill Little Italy - Leah vs. Melissa Little India - Alec vs. Eugen Astoria(Greek) Richard vs. Jamie Chinatown - Patrick vs. Jamie
There also were major displays of two chefs with prominent tattoos all over the bodies, Eugene and Jamie. I am really glad that the Top Chef white chef jackets are worn almost always in competitions because the sight of those tatoos disgusts me.
The next morning teams go to designated markets appropriate for each cuisine. they buy their produce and meat, fish and whatever else their budget can afford. They then start cooking. The judges are Tom, Padma, and Gail (no surprises there) and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, one of the master chefs in the U.S. He has a lot to say and the other judges listen carefully. Here are the menus:
Patrick - Seared Salmon, Black Rice Noodles, Bok Choy; Patrick, a CIA student, was over his head. He had major problems with those unfamiliar noodles. Daniel - Ginger Chicken Salad, Bok Choy, Shiitake Mushrooms, Fried wontons Hosea - Seafood Trio (Salmon, Trout, Turbot) w/ caviar, crème fraiche, apple chutney Carla - smoked trout, Salmon Cakes w/ Sour Cream and Caviar over Potato Latkes Jamie - Eggplant Puree, Seared Bass, Wild Arugula Salad Richard - Lamb Slider w/ Orzo Feta pasta Salad Leah - Farro Risotto, Seared Red Snapper, Mushrooms Melissa - Rib-Eye w/ Arugula Salad, Fried Mushrooms and tomato Sauce Alex - Grilled Lamb Chops, Savory Ragout w/ Basmati Rice Eugene - Masala rubbed Lamb, Tzatziki w/Tandoori Glaze, Basmati Sweet Rice Fabio - Mango and Jalapeno Demi-Glace Pork, Roasted Mushroom Arugula Salad Jeff - Coffee Seared pork loin, smoked plantain w/black beans and rice Jill - Macadamia crusted Scallops, Plantain Fritters, 3 Sauces Radhika - Jerk rubbed halibut w/ ginger beer cocktail Stefan - Lamb Chops w/ tabouli salad, Beef Skewers w/ Onions Ariane - Curried Rack of Lamb, Farro Risotto, Dates w/Chick Peas
A number of comments are made as each pair is judged. Among them were one-note (to Patrick), minimum flavor (to Daniel) lamb undercooked and dry (to Richard), Stefan (excellent use of cinnamon, unusual in that type of savory dish), risotto a failure (to Ariane) and perfect example of rice and curds a traditional Indian dish (to Eugene). The judging resulted in the winner's group of Stefan, Eugene, Daniel, Hosea, Jamie, Leah, Jeff and Jill. The losers group was the other 8. Stefan beat Eugene for Best. Patrick and Ariane were the ones considered for the elimination. There were many negative comments about both. Patrick was eliminated and Ariane stays (but probably not for long).
Someone announced that Gail would be taking a leave of absence after the 7th episode to get married. Tobey Young will replace her at that time. Ted Allen is gone permanently beacuse of a conflict with his Food Channel contract.
This was a frenetic and interesting episode. It looks like it will be an exciting season.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 13, 2008, 10:50:46 PM
:hearts: Thanks apskip for the great recap oh the good old days hehehe
Loved the premiere episode your soooo right looks like an exciting season yippie :jumpy:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 13, 2008, 10:52:57 PM
BRAVO'S "TOP CHEF: NEW YORK" SIZZLES WITH HIGHEST RATED PREMIERE EVER
Published: November 13, 2008
Press Release
BRAVO'S "TOP CHEF: NEW YORK" SIZZLES WITH HIGHEST RATED PREMIERE EVER, UP DOUBLE DIGITS ACROSS ALL DEMOGRAPHICS
"The Real Housewives Of Atlanta" Continues Ratings Growth With Season Highs Across All Key Demos
NEW YORK – November 13, 2008 – The No. 1 rated food show on cable is back – Bravo's Emmy and James-Beard Award-winning series "Top Chef" served up the competition last night by scoring the show's highest rated premiere ever for the series, according to Nielsen Media Research. With supersized growth from its last cycle, the fifth season premiere attracted 1.870 million adults 18-49 and 2.695 million total viewers and ranked No. 1 in all key demos in its time period versus cable competition.
Last night's 10 p.m. "Top Chef: New York" debut increased double digits from the fourth season premiere, by 27 percent in adults 18-49 (1.870 vs. 1.475 million) and by 19 percent among total viewers (2.695 vs. 2.256 million). Online, BravoTV.com saw triple digit gains with the "Top Chef: New York" site generating a 105 percent increase in page views (1.1 million vs. 527,000) compared to the "Top Chef: Chicago" premiere (3/12/08).
Bravo's hit show "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" continues it ratings momentum, with this week's episode reaching a season high across all key demos, garnering an impressive 1.112 million adults 18-49 and 1.499 total viewers. Versus the prior week's episode, the series was up 41 percent among adults 18-49 (vs. 791,000) and up 49 percent among total viewers (vs. 1.009 million). Through six episodes, "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" is averaging 871,000 adults 18-49 and 1.158 million total viewers and online has streamed nearly 1.5 million video streams since its launch.
"Top Chef: New York" is produced by the Emmy-nominated Magical Elves. Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz ("Project Runway," "Top Design") and Shauna Minoprio serve as executive producers.
"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" is produced by True Entertainment for Bravo. Steven Weinstock, Glenda Hersh, Shari Solomon Cedar and Kenny Hull serve as executive producers.
Source: Nielsen Media Research, Live + Same Day through 11/12/08. #1 Food Show source: Nielsen Media Research, Top Chef on Bravo Premiere Program Average (3/12/08-11/12/08) vs. All Food Network Program Averages, Excluding Specials (12/31/07-11/12/08), Most Current, P2+ & A18-49 (000), Galaxy Explorer, subject to qualifications available on request; Digital Source: Omniture SiteCatalyst - Top Chef: 11/12/08; Real Housewives of Atlanta: 10/1/08 - 11/13/08.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 13, 2008, 11:19:21 PM
An interview with eliminated chefs Lauren and Patrick:
‘Top Chef’ Exit Interview: Episode One
It came as a shock last night when not one, but two, doe-eyed cheftestants were sent home on the season premiere of Top Chef. Lauren Hope left her knife skills at home — not even her sweet southern charm worked on Colicchio after she served him an uninspired apple-and-bacon salad in the Quickfire. Soft-spoken and unequivocally adorable Patrick Dunlea managed to make it to the elimination, but fell short of the judges’ expectations when he represented Chinatown with a slab of salmon and some gummy noodles. We spoke to both this morning about the pleasure and pain of being the first contestants to get cut this season.
LAUREN HOPE
You had to go so quickly! After getting to know my competitors and realizing how talented they were, it might have been fair that it was me.
Were you the least talented on there? I don’t want to say the least talented, but I would certainly say that Patrick and I rank as the most inexperienced.
Is it awful to be sent home for something as basic as knife skills? It was absolutely shocking! I have a special place in my heart for apples, as far as baking apple pies and going to apple orchards, so I was embarrassed.
What are you doing now? I’ve been working in Cincinnati, at a restaurant called Jag’s Steak and Seafood. It’s a very upscale, very nice place. I’ve just been working every station there.
What do you see yourself doing in the future? I would love to open my own wedding-cake shop. I’m definitely much more of a pastry chef than culinary.
PATRICK DUNLEA
Patrick, my condolences! It’s very unusual for a culinary student to be on Top Chef. Why did they cast you? I gave them my heart and I poured it out to them and I told them that cooking is my life, and I wanted to prove that to them. I’ve got the skill set everyone else has, it’s just I’ve been tested on them more recently.
The Quickfire knife-skills challenge was as basic as it gets. It always does come down to the basic skills. However, when those basic skills are put to a time test, or you’re competing against one another, the basic skills don’t become so basic, and things like peeling an apple become really difficult.
You lost the elimination challenge with bad noodles. Have you had any experience cooking Chinese cuisine? There is a “Cuisines of Asia” class that we take for three weeks a year, but in that you’re also focusing on all of Asia, every cuisine from Indian to Thai and Korean as well. Other than going out and eating Americanized Chinese food, I don’t have a lot of experience cooking it.
You're back at CIA right now. Are you a celebrity? I had the election for student government last night, and I got back to being the president.
Was it embarrassing to watch the episode last night? It happened a little while ago, so I’ve had time to cope. My e-mail and my Facebook profile kind of exploded last night. I had a lot of great support.
Do you miss Team Rainbow? I do! We’re all staying in touch. We’re very excited about the fact that there are T-shirts.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 13, 2008, 11:25:40 PM
An interview with Patrick:
Ousted Top Chef’s Patrick: Some People Had ‘Uncertainty’ About My Skills
This season, Top Chef’s producers are promising a fiercer competition than ever–and Wednesday’s show made good with a double elimination. While chef Lauren Hope was ousted immediately, the remaining 16 competitors got to experience New York–venturing out into the city’s diverse neighborhoods and cooking up ethnic food in a head-to-head challenge. Unfortunately another chef had to leave. After failing to inspire the judges with his Chinese cuisine, culinary student Patrick Dunlea, 21, was sent packing. Calling from New York, the chef talked about being big man on campus (for a day!), why being a student caused some people to doubt him–and answered our five burning Top Chef questions. –Brian Orloff
Can you describe the feeling of almost being cut right away. And what it was like to see your friend Lauren go? It’s such a surreal moment. You can barely hear anything, and then all of a sudden once [Tom Colicchio] said my name, I was just so happy to be staying. But I could just feel Lauren squeeze my hand and knew she was going home. It was a very emotional 10 seconds.
Looking back on the challenge, were you happy with what you presented? Part of me was thinking, “Okay, it’s Top Chef, I’ve got to try something creative.” They’re looking for inspiration from this borough, so I can’t just rely on what I know about Chinese cuisine. I’m going to go out there and use something that will inspire them. The last thing I wanted to do was take white rice and serve with it. I tried to take a chance, and unfortunately not every chance works out as you expect it to.
What did you think of your competitor Daniel’s food? I didn’t get to taste his food. I had seen his preparation. It looked good. He had a foam on the plate. I was like, “Oh gosh I’m going up against a foam and I’m totally not a foam type person.” It seemed like he had a pretty strong idea about what he was doing . . . but I too had seen a Chinese chicken salad like that before so I didn’t know what the judges reaction was going to be.
What was the reaction of your fellow culinary students when they found out you made it to Top Chef? I had to take a semester off for the show, so I wasn’t on campus actually until two days ago. I kind of showed up and everyone was all excited. It was the big news on campus. I only had to deal with it for two days. [And] people knew that I had auditioned, so I came up with this rumor that I didn’t get it and I was really upset so I was taking time off for personal reasons.
Was being a culinary student an advantage or disadvantage for you on Top Chef? [School is] such a positive learning environment based around food, so that was a strength for me. I knew going into it a lot of people are going to be having uncertainty about what to expect from me, and may feel that perhaps I need to go and get some more experience before I go back to taking on an endeavor like that.
Our Top Chef 5 Burning Questions:
Describe your Top Chef experience in one word. Quirky.
What is in your refrigerator right now? I just moved into my dorm room but right now my refrigerator is empty, but pretty soon it’s probably going to have a lot of white wine in it.
Name one food you cannot stand. Artificial non-dairy whipped topping because I have no idea what it is.
Pick your favorite fast food restaurant. I actually don’t eat fast food. The closest I get is I go out for Chinese buffet food sometimes.
Best thing about cooking in New York? It literally is a melting pot. You turn a corner and there’s an entirely different culture and it’s incredible to see how they all hold their own identities but can work with each other.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 14, 2008, 12:51:08 PM
An interview with Patrick:
Top Chef Exit Intervew: Patrick Chopped, Would Have Liked To Cook Indian Cuisine
On Wednesday night's fifth season premiere of Top Chef, 21 year-old Patrick Dunlea became the youngest chef to ever pack up his knives after losing a chef-to-chef challenge. In an interview this morning the culinary school student admit that he would have changed his Chinatown-inspired dish by “doing something different to heighten the level of flavors,” and claims he’ll never use those gummy noodles again. The rest of his interview below.
Tom Collichio said using bok choy in your dish was too expected. Well, the market I went to had a lot of bok choy and cabbage. That’s what I was inspired by.
Is there another neighborhood and it’s associated cuisine you would have rather worked with, instead of Chinatown? I really love Indian cuisine. It would have been fun to cook a little bit of that, and see all the different ingredients.
What was the process like getting on the show? Well my [Culinary Institute of America] classmates were joking with me, like ‘yeah right, you think you’ll get on that show?’ I can’t go into too much detail about the casting. My friends were watching as it was coming along. Then when I did get it, I couldn’t tell anyone. I had to come up with excuses and say I was going away for ‘personal reasons.’
Have you spoken to your former classmate and fellow eliminee, Lauren since being on the show? We sent little text messages back and forth saying ‘you looked great!’ We’re both back to our normal lives. She’s with her husband who was home for a little while on leave, so she was very occupied with him. Then I went back to school. We still keep in touch through email, though.
Did you build any relationships with the other chefs? Or was it too brief? There were instant kind of connections. Everyone was still jittery and anxious from the quickfire challenge. Everyone’s emotions were up. We all bonded and looked to each other for support. We were all in the same boat. There were obviously some connections as we were obviously sharing such an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience.
It seems like Fabio and Stefan are being set up to be the two polarizing forces of the group. Did you get that vibe when you were around them? Fabio and Stefan were hysterical together. They just feed off each other. They try to out-do each other every time they’re together. I really had no issues with them. They never tried to talk down or look down to me. They’re just guys being guys, trying to out-do one another.
Is there any ingredient or technique you’ve learned at school that people could do at home? I think it’s more ingredients. Even if you can make a grilled cheese, make sure to use the best bread, the best cheese and the best butter, and it’ll be the best grilled cheese you’ve ever had. It’s really about the quality of the ingredients. Cooking is a skill that people can learn. It’s a part of everyone’s life. Everyone knows it a little bit. Even if you can only use your microwave, there are still pretty incredible things you can do with it.
At what point when you were growing up did you realize this was something you wanted to take seriously and turn into a career? Probably when I was at the end of elementary school. I was around 10 or 11. I had always grown up cooking with my mom and grandmother in the kitchen. When I got to that age I started cooking on my own. I’d come home and try and put together for my family for dinner, which usually wound up being a potato, or a couple potato dishes and a vegetable. From there I moved on to bigger and better things.
What kind of things would you make with your mom and grandmother? I’m from Massachusetts so my grandmother is famous for her baked beans. Growing up you could always just smell them. That's definitely a dish that brings me back to my childhood. My grandmother was also into going to farms, or stopping at farm stands on the side of the road to pick up stuff on the way home. She really inspired me to get back in touch with the land.
Do you have any secrets for making great baked beans? She always cooked a whole onion in there to roast with it. It was so great, because by the end one half is roasted on top and the other half is soaking in beans the entire time. It's like heaven.
Is there any food that you absolutely can’t stand? That non-dairy processed whipped cream product. I’m terrified of it. Who knows what its made of.
What's your favorite New York restaurant? I really love Prune, Gabrielle Hamilton's restaurant, and Fatty Crab. Gabrielle Hamilton is a really awesome chef. She's so down to earth, and very forward. She likes to just cook food from her childhood.
Any dishes to recommend? At Fatty Crab they have coconut keffir lime braised short ribs that are just so incredible. Gabrielle Hamilton, I haven't tried them yet, but I'm dying to try her sweetbreads. She boasts that they're the best in the country.
After culinary school, what’s the next step for you? I want to travel. I’m trying to work on going to Europe. I’m working on getting a fellowship to go to Spain after I graduate. I’d like to get international experience and see the world.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 14, 2008, 01:47:17 PM
Go Behind The Scenes at PEOPLE's Top Chef Shoot
"Top Chef" Season 5 began Nov. 12.
Go behind the scenes at PEOPLE's shoot - catch up with Tom Colicchio and Padma Lakshmi.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 17, 2008, 07:43:02 AM
An interview with Lauren:
See Ya Later, Top Chef: Lauren Hope
Lauren Hope never thought she'd be sent home from Top Chef because of apples.
But that's what happened last night during the premiere of season five. She was the first contestant to go after failing to impress the judges with her apple-dicing skills and a spinach and apple salad.
Even so, Hope, who owns a cake-decorating business, holds no grudges.
Read on for what she has to say about her very brief stint on the show. It was so brief, she never even had the chance to see Top Chef's signature state-of-the-art kitchen.
Will you ever eat apples again?
I absolutely love apples. Actually, on my wedding day, I went home and baked an apple pie with my father between the ceremony and the reception because we had so much time.
Do you think it's fair to be eliminated for something like this?
I hate to say it, but absolutely. It was a test of skill and, quite frankly, everyone else outshined me.
Your husband is on a 15-month tour of Iraq with the Army. Did you get to talk to him last night?
He was able to call me after the episode aired. He's still very proud of me. We get to talk maybe once a month on the phone, so it was a real treat just to hear his voice during one of my darkest hours.
If you had the chance to try to convince the judges to let you back into the competition, what would you say to them?
I was born to do this. I am absolutely passionate about my food. I've known I was going to do this since I was 5 years old. I am destined to be Top Chef. It may not be on this show now, but in my own world and in my own right, I will be successful. If there's a will, there's a way.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 17, 2008, 07:45:11 AM
An interview with Patrick:
See Ya Later, Top Chef: Patrick Dunlea
Patrick Dunlea is just old enough to drink, but that didn't keep him from being picked to compete in the new season of Top Chef. In fact, the baby-faced Dunlea is still in school at the Culinary Institute of America.
Unfortunately, he was the second of the two cheftestants given the boot during last night's premiere episode of Bravo's hit reality show. His Chinese-inspired noodle dish left the judges limp. But at least he got to meet guest judge Jean-Georges Vongerichten, arguably one of the world's most celebrated fine-dining chefs.
I caught up with Dunlea this morning as he was rushing off to class.
You're only 21 and still in school. Your classmates must have been pretty jealous, yes?
They didn't know I was on it at first. We weren't allowed to tell anyone, so they didn't know it until I started popping up in commercials.
Where did you tell them you went when you were in New York City shooting the show?
I had already planned to take a semester off—I didn't know if I was going to be on Top Chef or not, and I didn't want to have to leave school at the last minute to do the show. I just told everyone I needed a break and that I went to Bermuda.
Was it a complete shock to see Jean-Georges as guest judge for the challenge where you had to prepare your now fatal Chinese dish? I mean, he's major.
Yeah! And he knows a lot about Asian food!
But now you can say you know Jean-Georges.
Not really, but I do tell everyone that I shook Jean-Georges' hand and he ate my salmon.
That's not all the Top Chef I have for ya today. Check back later for my chat with this season's very first eliminated contestant, Lauren Hope, who was sent home because she failed to impress the judges with the way she cut...apples?
Link to her blog: http://blog.nbc.com/alison/the_biggest_loser/ (http://blog.nbc.com/alison/the_biggest_loser/)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 20, 2008, 12:39:57 AM
Tom Colicchio's Blog:
Time Warp
At the close of Episode One, I mentioned how pleased I was by the level of cooking we experienced in the first Elimination Challenge. I wish I could say the same this week. Our diners - all applicants for Top Chef who weren't selected - were quite vocal in their displeasure (have I mentioned that they're all from New York?). The challenge: Come into Craft restaurant and prepare an appetizer, entrée, or dessert. The only requirement was that it be New American cuisine.
What exactly is New American cuisine? Originally, the cuisine was based more on regional American cooking than it is now. As you know, there can be no such thing as "American food" per se, because each region of this vast country has placed its own cultural stamp on its own food. If you look at America as a melting pot, there's too much in that pot to create one homogenous cuisine, so New American cuisine began as chefs doing their plays on regional cuisines using fresh, seasonal, regional ingredients. While it may have been influenced by fusion, please don't confuse the two - fusion is specifically the melding of foods from different traditions, while New American cuisine began as finely trained American chefs, steeped in traditional technique yet working with a lack of pretension, taking American regional idioms and striving to do something original and different.
Larry Forgione's work at the River Café in New York is a perfect example of one of the places from which New American cuisine sprung - rather than buying from one purveyor, he sussed out local farmers, procuring different ingredients from different sources and crafting them into his take on various American classic dishes. Chefs such as he, and Alice Waters on the West Coast, and Bradley Ogden in the Midwest, not to mention a spattering of teachers like James Beard and Julia Child, are all examples of the pioneers of New American Cuisine.
Looking at how the cuisine has morphed and where it is today: There are many chefs doing contemporary food, whether it's contemporary American, contemporary Spanish, contemporary French, etc. The traditions they are working within almost don't matter, since they are all basically using technique to apply great creativity and originality to terrific, generally seasonal, ingredients. Thirty years ago, you could spot the difference between an American muscle car and an Italian sports car a mile away. They were both cars, but they were created with widely divergent approaches to design and engineering, based on altogether different sensibilities. Now, those differences are far more nuanced. Ditto, contemporary cuisine. Take what Dan Barber is doing at Blue Hill: Is that considered "American Cuisine"? Well, he's an American chef using American food, so why not? Michael Ciramusti's seafood at Providence in LA utilizes cool techniques and intriguing juxtapositions of food. There's no question in my mind that it's contemporary cuisine, though people don't quite know how to label it. Is what Thomas Keller is doing considered French or American? Well, the French have a license on technique ... but so what? Is there more of a French sensibility or an American sensibility to what Thomas is doing? The better question is: Does it matter? The "wow" factor is there because it is contemporary cuisine. It's when New American cuisine started shifting from regional to contemporary that people started looking at it and saying "Wow."
For another example, look at Mario Batali's work: It is classified as Italian, though many die-hard Italian-cuisine lovers would quibble with that classification, arguing that it is merely based upon traditional Italian cuisine. And therein lies what makes it contemporary: As with our first Elimination Challenge last week, it comes down to "inspired by" vs. "authentic". And so it is with New American cuisine as well. "Inspired by" is part of the American vernacular in food as in all things - it's what takes all disciplines to new heights, and it is the story of America and Americans in general. The story of American food is illustrative of the larger story of America and American ingenuity.
Here's how that might play out in terms of food: Say the challenge is to take the iconic American "clambake" as inspiration for a dish. The elements include lobster, clams, corn, tomatoes. Do I want the chefs to do a whole clambake? No, just a dish evocative of a clambake. Give this task to 20 chefs and you'll get 20 different dishes. One will be very literal and do a mini-clambake. Another may make a tortellini, making sauce with butter and corn juice, and do something else with the tomato. Another may make a corn relish. It's how you rework the food while keeping it evocative of the clambake that makes it interesting.
And so I was discouraged in this Elimination Challenge that a bunch of young chefs all currently working in America were told to "do New American" and turned to quiche, to meatloaf, to homey, regional "comfort food," when I think that American food is so much more than that.
In general, the food looked clunky on the plate; almost nothing looked refined. The only dish I saw that I thought was very contemporary in its plating was Leah's. Padma thought it looked very '80s, but I thought it was very modern. But while it looked great, it lacked flavor. Jamie's dish was nice, corn-filled, which was appropriate, as we shot the season in the summertime. Carla's pastry was very good. I wish she'd done something with that cheddar to incorporate it, but it was a good dish. There was nothing new about it, but at least it was a good dish. Fabio won because his food was the best, but he actually took an Italian dish that has worked its way into American cuisine. Adding the olives was a nice touch, but one that was scarcely new - Fabio was using a technique that was actually seven years old. Nobody actually fulfilled the mandate.
Hosea got into trouble when he walked into the store and found himself facing bad canned crabmeat. He should have gone to Plan B right away and made a different dish. But that's a bad judgment call, not a bad dish.
Ariane tried to do a take on an American dish, a lemon meringue pie, and do something modern. At least she had the idea, but it was poorly executed. She knew in advance that the dessert was too sweet. She could have added more lemon juice, even reducing it down so it would not be too liquid. She could have used lemon zest. Dessert goes out last; Ariane had the time to do something to fix the problem ... why didn't she?
Jill's dish failed in so many ways. The goal is always to celebrate and elevate the ingredients, but she took a potentially special item - an ostrich egg - and made it unspectacular. No one can tell which bird egg has been mixed into a quiche by tasting it. And why quiche? The task called for New American and she did Old French. I don't understand how she thought she could win this competition with a quiche. Were this a one-shot deal - whoever wins this challenge wins the whole competition - would you make a quiche? Furthermore, it was a poorly made quiche, just a terrible dish. I remember looking at it and thinking "Oh my god, why would somebody do this?"
I understand that the term "New American cuisine" is a bit esoteric. Take Grant Achatz's work at his restaurant Alinea, in Chicago. The food is so contemporary as to even be considered bizarre by some. I was at a demo he gave a few weeks ago. He's really into playing with aromas and their effects upon taste. Let's say he's doing an autumn dish: He will burn apples and cinnamon, trap the vapors in a sealed plastic "pillow," and then cut the pillow and place it on the table beneath the food, so that the aromas escape and enhance the dining experience. The food certainly isn't French, though he employs plenty of French techniques. It isn't Italian, despite his using many Italian ingredients. It is not homespun, even though he his musings about fall lead to thoughts of burning leaves, and so a burning leaf garnishes an autumnal dish. Do I consider what he's doing "New American cuisine"? You bet. Do I think our chefs should be emulating Grant Achatz? No, that's not the point. I mention him because he is progressive and is ever challenging himself. It irked me that the chefs in this Elimination Challenge were turning out the American food of twenty-thirty years ago, not the American food of now ... or tomorrow. As a whole the food showed a lack of the American spirit, that ingenuity and forward thinking. Sometimes people cling too much to tradition. Our chefs weren't going "New American", just "American." Which is fine at Thanksgiving at Grandma's, but won't cut it at a top restaurant the rest of the year.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 20, 2008, 01:13:18 AM
That was an interesting blog a 101 in cooking lessons helpful indeed
Interesting that Tom is asking this below:
"Ariane tried to do a take on an American dish, a lemon meringue pie, and do something modern. At least she had the idea, but it was poorly executed. She knew in advance that the dessert was too sweet. She could have added more lemon juice, even reducing it down so it would not be too liquid. She could have used lemon zest. Dessert goes out last; Ariane had the time to do something to fix the problem ... why didn't she?"
I think we can answer that one Ariane has a less than enthusiastic and who cares that’s what I’m serving attitude.
I could call it lazy and unmotivated and a clear reflection of her she has already given up.
I thought it was deserving enough for her to be sent back home, hopefully next week
Top Chef is not for her
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on November 20, 2008, 02:19:38 PM
The Quickfire Challenge was to reinvent the American hot dog. The dishes were:
Stefan - Italian sausage on French bread w/ Wisconsin cheese and Irish tartar sauce Hosea - pork hot dog w/roasted poblano peppers, jalapeno, smoked bacon, red wine vinegar Fabio - Andouille sausage w/goat cheese, roasted bell peppers, dun-dried tomatoes Eugene - maki roll hot dog w/pita bread, boursin cheese, red onions Daniel - pork hot dog, fried onion, garlic powder, horseradish, mustard Ariane - chicken sausage w/ bacon, celery seed, garlic, white pepper sauce Jill - store-bought hot dog with chili, soy sauce, red wine vinegar Radhika - kabob-style sausage, cucumbers, caramelized onions and tomatoes jam Carla - lamb and pork sausage, sauerkraut, caramelized onions Jamie - pork and beef sausage w/bacon, onions, cayenne pepper
The losers group was Stefan and Jill. Winners group was Jamie, Radhika and Fabio. I thought Radhika would win, but Fabio won.
Elimination Challenge Teams were then told they had $2500 to create and then cook a new American cuisine lunch the following for 50 guests(who proved to be New York area wannabes who did not make the cut for Top Chef 5). The divided themselves up into teams of 5 as follows:
Dishes were: Jamie - chilled corn soup w/hot chili oil and mint Hosea - crab salad w/ citrus vanilla, grilled mango, avocadp Leah - Yukon potatoes and seared scallops, chives, green peppercorns Fabio - beef carpaccio w/arugula salad, parmesan, grilled lemons and spherical olives Melissa - grilled avocado w/white peaches, nectarines, balsamic vinaigrette Jill - ostrich egg quiche w/ rice-pecan crust, asparagus, aged cheese Eugene - open meatloaf sandwich w/ciabatta bread, gouda fondue, portabella ragout Stefan - pan-seared halibut w/ microgreens, ravioli, champagne oil and dill oil Jeff - southern chicken, honey mustard, chorizo corn spoonbread Alex - grilled pork over potatoes w/mushroom, tomato and red beet demi-glace Radhika - avocado mousse w/ chocolate wontons and chocolate milk/Kahlua shot Daniel - ricotta poundcake w/toasted pistachios, strawberry + lemon coulis Ariane - lemon meringue martini with lots of sugar, vanilla cookie crunch and cherry surprise Richard - sandwich of banana nut bread w/ peanut butter and banana brulee w/grape gelato Carla - rustic apple tart w/ginger peach tea, apple cider reduction, cheddar cheese
Winners' group was Carla, Jamie and Fabio. Fabio won again, primary for his use of lemon and olives. Losers' group was Hosea, Ariane and Jill (her second loser gorup in the same episode). Hosea had what was probably some bad crabmeat but did his best to overcome that. Ariane did a super-sweeet martini that everyone hated and this was her second Elimination Challenge out of 2 in the losers' group. Jill did about everything wrong that you can as judges hated the concept of quiche as a "new American cuisinse" and hated her execeution of a bad concept. Jill wass eliminated. I expect Ariane will not be far behind her.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 20, 2008, 03:02:22 PM
An interview with Jill:
Top Chef Exit Interview: Jill Wanted To Make Dessert, Will Use Ostrich Eggs Again!
Following a botched hot dog Quickfire and an ostrich egg quiche that left her with, for lack of a better expression – egg on her face, 28-year-old Jill Snyder was sent packing her knives on last night's episode of Top Chef. On a call this morning, the Baltimore local opened up about her culinary choices, her dessert-making skills, and how much time the judges really take to deliberate while the chefs sweat it out in the aptly named “stew room.” Read on.
Why did you use an ingredient that you’d never used before? Well I’ve used eggs before and I thought using an ostrich egg, which is a really cool ingrdeient and original, I thought it would separate me.
How did it feel getting kicked off so early? Oh, it felt wonderful. Kidding. It was disappointing because it was so early. I don’t think there was a good representation of my cooking from those few episodes. But you know, it’s just a show. I’ve cooked for many more people than the judges, and people enjoy my cooking, so it’s OK.
Did you get a sense that if you’d been able to defend your dish a little better, you would have been able to stay in the competition longer? Yes I do think that. As soon as I left the room I thought of good points about the dish. Like, ‘it’s a cooking show, I actually cooked something. I made rice which came out perfect. It was set up really nice.’ I thought the flavors went well together, it was asparagus, mushrooms and cheese, you find that a lot.
Have you tried working with an ostrich egg since then? I’m going to. I wanted to wait until this came out. It’s a creative dish. I think people will like to try it.
Do you wish you’d had a dish that you could have completely stood behind? Well I wanted to make a dessert. I do really well with dessert. I’ve won a lot of awards. Or I guess I could have - coming out of Baltimore – pulled together one of my lobster crab cakes. I guess it was just too risky trying to use that original of an ingredient.
You’ve made a lot of desserts. Why didn’t you go on the dessert team when you had that opportunity? Originally I did. A lot of people wanted to do desserts. I should have stood my ground and done the dessert, but since I botched the hot dog one, I figured an entrée would give me a better chance to show off a larger dish, you know? I was doing more cooking, and this is a cooking show. I thought an entrée would show off some cooking skills, at least.
Surprising that so many people wanted to do dessert when in previous seasons people lament the dessert challenges. Yeah I really wish I had done a dessert. I thought all of those desserts were really bad! I think I would have done really well if I’d been on that team. It’s all hindsight!
Ariane said she wasn’t comfortable doing desserts. Why did she wind up on that team and you on entrees? Well we kind of went back and forth. Just with the pressure and time, you’ve got to think quick and make a decision. She was really uncomfortable. Her dessert didn’t turn out very well. It’s hard to see that. Ugh.
When you were standing there on the chopping block did you think you were going to go? Or did you think Ariane was going to go? I thought Ariane was going to go. It’s a cooking show. She didn’t really cook anything. Padma spit it out. I know a lot of people ate [my] dish. The dishes came back from the dining room and I know that people did eat it. I thought it was well received. I was surprised. They were like ‘oh Jill,’ and I was like ‘oh no!’
Why do you think you were kicked off? Do you think you were trying to be too risky? I don’t know. I guess all the judge’s opinions were of who they thought could go further in the competition, and they thought Ariane would eventually do better than me? I don’t know. I guess I should have been more dramatic, you know, threw someone else under the bus. Maybe that would have helped my chances of staying a little more. It’s hard to think when they’re staring at you with the cameras. It just completely destroyed all my hope.
In your time there did get a sense of other contestants who will go far? Well we all came into it not really knowing what to expect. A lot of people are more confident than others. That will help them get further. Fabio and Stefan have these great personalities and they’re really confident. They’ve worked all over the world cooking. They’ve got a good advantage.
You faced a lot of harsh criticism last night - that your dish looked like dog food, and it tasted like glue. First of all, how did you react to actually seeing that for the first time? And second of all, did you have an opportunity to taste it before it went out? Yeah it didn’t taste bad. It is egg, asparagus, mushrooms and cheese with a rice crust. It would be really hard to make those flavors taste bad together. I didn’t think they did. It’s a TV show. What are you gonna do.
You also caught some flak for not making a hot dog in the Quickfire. Would you have done that differently? As far as that goes, they asked for a gourmet hot dog. In that amount of time I thought ‘how can I make a hot dog gourmet?’ So I thought I could make a little bite-sized version of hot dogs. Being original and creative with that, I thought they’d appreciate that. ‘Gourmet hot dog,’ I wasn’t picturing sausages in a bun. I didn’t see that as gourmet. How do you make a hot dog gourmet? By taking it out of its element. I put the Asian twist on it. I thought they’d at least give me some creativity points for that.
It also seems like what everyone else made more resembled sausage, not hot dogs. So for all the non-gourmands, what’s the difference? That’s kind of what I was struggling with. I’ve made plenty of sausage before. I really didn’t know what they were looking for. If I decided to make sausage instead of hot dogs, I guess it would have gone better.
How long did you have to wait to find out if you’d gotten kicked off? It takes a while. At least a couple of hours.
What are you doing during that time? We’re in the stew room. Everyone is just talking about what they did and what they think is going to happen. Or they just try to change the subject. We try to keep ourselves occupied. It’s brutal to wait that long though.
With Thanksgiving coming up, do you have any tips or recommendations for how to make dinner great, and easy? Thanksgiving dinner is so exciting. If you’re not going to have many people over, you should do a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey. You can marinate it, you can brine it. You can get a lot more flavor out of just using the breast. I’ve done stuffing before and put it in muffin tins and then just baked it, so you wind up with individual servings of stuffing. Last year I made a pumpkin soup which I served while everything else was cooking. The easiest is just to have everyone make a dish and come together. Thanksgiving is always fun.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 20, 2008, 03:08:34 PM
An interview with Jill:
Ousted Chef Jill Snyder Stands By Her Ostrich Eggs
The contestants on Top Chef got a taste of New York last night. But for one chef, Jill Snyder, she learned the Big Apple can bite back. During the Quickfire Challenge, Snyder’s sushi-inspired hot dog was an East-meets-West disappointment. Then for the next challenge–cooking an all-American lunch for fifty New York chefs who auditioned for season five–Snyder again landed in the bottom along with Ariane Duarte and Hosea Rosenberg. In the end, the judges sent Snyder packing for her ostrich egg quiche that they deemed tasted “like glue.” Snyder spoke to PEOPLE about her “bold” ostrich-egg quiche–and answered our burning questions. –Emmet Sullivan
Do you feel the judges too harsh on you on the Quickfire Challenge? Obviously I misunderstood exactly what they wanted from there. I knew we were going to get some sort of New York-y challenge. I didn’t get that they wanted us to make a sausage, so I kind of went outside of the box. I did a seasoned hot dog sushi roll. I thought it was interesting. They wanted a gourmet hot dog, and my twist on gourmet was to make some sort of dim sum, something easy to pick up. I was going the neat, gourmet route.
Are you still happy you went with the ostrich egg quiche? I still think it was a very creative, interesting dish–way more creative than anything else that anybody else put up. Obviously I can’t be that happy since I got voted off. I was going for originality. I’ve never seen ostrich egg on any menu ever. I’ve worked with it before, but at the same time, I’ve very rarely seen anybody else work with one. So using an original, bold, creative ingredient I thought I would score some points there.
What did you think of the other dishes from the chefs? I had originally wanted to be on the dessert side, so I was really shocked that they didn’t give the dessert people more criticism. I was not impressed by any of the desserts, and I do pastries very well. I was disappointed I didn’t end up in that category for that challenge.
Looking back, what would you have done differently? I would have tried harder to make a dessert that I know would have impressed everyone. By the same hand, at the time, I really thought that was going to be original and really creative, and there’s some skill to making a quiche. The crust was a rice crust, and you’ve seen in the past episodes that nobody can cook rice right. The rice was cooked perfectly. There’s skill involved in that.
What do you think of Ariane staying but you packing up your knives? It was really surprising. When we were standing at the judges’ table, they said hers was so bad they spit it out. I knew all of my dishes came back empty. We got to see if people ate your dish or not when the servers brought the plates back, and all of mine were scraped clean. So I knew nobody spit it out. I was feeling confident after seeing that. I guess they wanted me to argue more, but it’s really hard to argue your point after standing in front of them as they rip apart your entire dish and then say, “Oh, defend yourself.”
So who’s your favorite to win now? I like Eugene’s take on everything, so I’m pulling for Eugene.
Our Top Chef 5 Burning Questions
Describe your Top Chef experience in one word. Anxiety.
What is in your refrigerator right now? Leftover champagne and beer from a party last night.
Name one food you cannot stand. Bananas.
Pick your favorite fast food restaurant. Chick-fil-A. I don’t eat fast food very often but if I do, a regular Chick-fil-A sandwich is my first choice.
Best thing about cooking in New York? It’s so inspiring and the energy there is great.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on November 20, 2008, 03:26:19 PM
An interesting article:
Top Chef 5: Conference Call with Jill Snyder
On last night's episode of Top Chef 5, cheftestant Jill Snyder made an Asian-inspired hot dog and an ostrich egg quiche, but the judges found that her actual food didn't match up to her high concepts, and she was sent home.
We spoke with the chef today to get her take on the competition, the judges, and whether or not she'll ever attempt to cook with an ostrich egg again.
Like many of the viewers, Jill says she was a little surprised that it was her, not Ariane, who was sent home last night. Besides Padma Lakshmi spitting out Ariane's dessert, Jill pointed out that this is a cooking competition, and the dessert didn't really include cooking skill. Jill says that despite the “dog food” and “glue” comments made about her dish, her plates came back with the food eaten, so she feels it must have been a little more palatable than that. She also noted that her quiche contained cheese, asparagus and mushrooms, ingredients that commonly go together, so she doesn't buy the idea that the flavors were off.
Good points, and I asked Jill if she thought she would have had a better chance at staying had she been able to articulate this kind of defense in the judging room, since part of the judges' comments centered on her inability to outline her point of view. Jill's answering was a laughing and emphatic yes. It appears she had one of those classic and frustrating instances of thinking of all the right points only after the confrontation is over.
It turns out that making an entrée was actually not Jill's first choice. She would have preferred to be on the dessert team, but there were apparently too many chefs trying to get on that course. She moved to entrees, thinking the complexity of that might help undo some of the bad impression made by her hot dog dim sum in the Quickfire.
This was surprising to hear, considering the way that most Top Chef chefs have avoided desserts on previous seasons. It was also surprising to me, as I thought I'd heard Ariane commenting during the show that she wasn't very familiar with desserts. I asked Jill how Ariane wound up on the dessert team if – as it appeared – there was a battle to get there and she didn't seem too comfortable with that course. Jill seemed to think that was just part of the rushed flurry of competition.
If she could do it over again, she would either try a dessert or make a dish like lobster crab cakes that harkens to her current city, Baltimore. Despite the bad luck she had with them in the competition, she hasn't sworn off ostrich eggs and would like to try to cook with them again in the future.
She also explained some of her thinking with her Quickfire dish. She notes that she was a little unsure as to whether or not making a homemade sausage would fit the bill for a hot dog challenge. She knows how to make sausage, but thought the judges would be critical if she made something that didn't have the finely ground texture of an actual hot dog. She also thought that her dish was more in line with the concept of a “gourmet” hot dog, thinking that a hot dog or sausage on a bun slathered with toppings is not a gourmet presentation.
As to the behind the scenes in the competition, she thinks that Stefan and Fabio have the self-confidence to go far, and some other chefs' lack of confidence could be their undoing. She found the judges intimidating, but notes that's to be expected when you are in front of people who are famous for being critical.
Jill said she has been warned by former Top Chef contestants like Richard Blais to avoid reading the blogs about the show, but figures you can't take things too seriously, and so has been looking at the coverage a bit. She probably wouldn't do a reality show again, she said, but, possibly thinking of that meandering defense, she wouldn't mind being in front of the cameras again if it were a scripted show.
She hadn't seem to yet venture out to see how her loss is being received, but thinks overall, her time on Top Chef will be good for the food scene in Baltimore, and hopes it's help the town gain some additional exposure for its food scene.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold 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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold 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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold 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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold 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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold 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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold 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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold 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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold 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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold 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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold 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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold 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.
Editor's Note: OK -- Gail hasn't really gone fishing (that we know of), but she is on her honeymoon!
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip 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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold 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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold 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
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold 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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold 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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold 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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold 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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold 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!
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip 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).
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on December 05, 2008, 08:49:48 PM
:) nice recap apskip
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold 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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold 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
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold 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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on December 10, 2008, 08:12:56 PM
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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on December 10, 2008, 11:32:32 PM
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.
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
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on December 11, 2008, 01:24:19 PM
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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on December 11, 2008, 01:55:27 PM
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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on December 11, 2008, 04:17:31 PM
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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on December 11, 2008, 04:24:14 PM
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!
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on December 11, 2008, 04:41:52 PM
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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on December 11, 2008, 04:57:44 PM
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!!
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on December 11, 2008, 05:06:32 PM
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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on December 11, 2008, 05:11:48 PM
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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on December 12, 2008, 01:00:22 PM
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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on December 12, 2008, 01:03:17 PM
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."
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on December 16, 2008, 06:42:07 PM
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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on December 17, 2008, 11:59:25 PM
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!
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on December 18, 2008, 12:31:02 AM
.... 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?
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on December 18, 2008, 11:21:47 AM
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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on December 18, 2008, 02:45:12 PM
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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on December 18, 2008, 07:12:45 PM
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 :funny:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on December 18, 2008, 07:38:26 PM
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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on December 18, 2008, 08:41:47 PM
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!!
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on December 19, 2008, 05:14:41 PM
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.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on December 24, 2008, 05:53:56 PM
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!
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on December 24, 2008, 09:32:37 PM
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."
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on December 27, 2008, 12:47:51 PM
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
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on December 27, 2008, 12:52:53 PM
Top Chef New York
January 7, 2009
Episode Title: FOCUS GROUP
Cooking excellent food takes focus…and none is greater than the chef'testants on the seventh episode of Bravo's "Top Chef: New York." their quickfire challenge demands they create a sweet treat without using any sugar and in the elimination round, the chef's must serve to an interesting crowd. Toby Young, food critic and best-selling author joins the judges table as Michelin and 5AA Rosette award-winning chef, restaurateur, and star of Bravo's upcoming "Chef Academy", Jean-Christophe Novelli, serves as guest judge.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 05, 2009, 12:56:44 PM
BRAVO'S "TOP CHEF: NEW YORK" ON PACE TO MARK HIGHEST RATED SEASON EVER, UP DOUBLE DIGITS FROM FOURTH CYCLE
Released by Bravo
"Top Chef: The Cookbook" Hits The New York Times Best Sellers List
Food Critic and Acclaimed Author Toby Young Joins The Judges Panel
Bravo's Emmy and James-Beard Award-winning series and the No. 1 rated food show on cable, "Top Chef," is on pace to record its highest-rated season ever, with its most recent supersized original episode garnering a season high 3.125 million total viewers on (12/17/08), according to Nielsen Media Research. Bravo was the No. 1 cable network in the time period (10 – 11:15 p.m.) among adults 18-49 and total viewers, and the episode with special guest judge Martha Stewart was the No. 1 cable telecast of the day among adults 18-49. Through six episodes, "Top Chef: New York" has seen double-digit growth, up 21 percent among adults 18-49 (1.914 vs. 1.584 million) and up 19 percent among total viewers (2.741 vs. 2.30 million), compared to the series fourth cycle.
Bravo Media's "Top Chef: The Cookbook" hit the New York Times best sellers list on December 29, 2008, and is currently in its third reprint, since launching in March 2008. The cookbook, featuring 100 recipes from former "Top Chef" chef'testants and an introduction by lead judge Tom Colicchio, is No. 9 on the New York Times' "Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous" category.
On this week's "Top Chef: New York," airing Wednesday, January 7 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, cooking excellent food takes focus – and no one is more focused than the chef'testants. Their quickfire challenge demands they create a sweet treat without using any sugar and in the elimination round, the chefs must serve to an interesting crowd. Toby Young, food critic and best-selling author joins the series as a judge, stepping in through the end of the season. Michelin and 5AA Rosette award-winning chef, restaurateur, and star of Bravo's upcoming "Chef Academy," Jean-Christophe Novelli, serves as guest judge.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 05, 2009, 01:22:54 PM
An interesting article:
Meet Toby Young ‘Top Chef’'s new judge is no British bully. Opinionated, yes.
Toby Young is the Ted Allen of British reality television, having appeared as a judge on a wide range of food-focused programs with punchy names like “Eating with the Enemy” and “Kitchen Criminals.” He has also competed in a televised battle royale of his own, winning a season of “Come Dine with Me,” a home-dining competition that had celebs throw dinner parties for each other. Young secured victory with a tomato tart, beef fillet 1-2 punch.
So it’s fair to say that when the author and London Evening Standard critic joins the “Top Chef” judges' table on Jan. 7, he’ll be well equipped to send the toques packing. Previews have hinted that Young will be harsh, unapologetic and, well, British. Previews can lie— remember how cool we thought Alex Eusebio was after the season premiere? Remember Alex Eusebio? We reached out to Young for the straight story.
How did you connect with Bravo? One of the producers of “Top Chef” e-mailed me out of the blue to see if I’d be interested in being a judge in the second half of the season. They wanted someone who would bring a food critic’s perspective to the judging panel. I’m not a chef, so I don’t know much about the technical aspects of cooking, but I do know how stuff is supposed to taste.
Describe the experience of taping an episode—without stringing you up with Andy Cohen’s $1 million non-disclosure noose. As you know, “Top Chef” is rigidly formatted, so there are half-a-dozen segments we have to film for each episode. During the downtime, the judges have the option of eating the food that’s laid out for the crew—which, predictably enough, is pretty basic: mac-and-cheese, potato chips, candy bars. So you have the rather bizarre sight of some of America’s biggest food snobs chowing down on stuff that even Homer Simpson might think twice about.
How lovely is Padma? How lovely is her palate? When I first set eyes on Padma, I had to look away—her beauty is so dazzling. It’s as though she’s accompanied by her own lighting system. Her palate is much more delicate than mine. I like strong, bold, simple flavors, but she prefers more subtle, sophisticated dishes.
Did you butt heads with any of the cast/hosts? You are being pegged in promos as sorta a hardass. I think I was probably a little harder on the contestants than they’re used to, primarily because I’m British. Contrary to the cultural stereotype, British food critics tend to be much more direct and plainspoken than their American counterparts. If Tom or Padma didn’t like something, they’d try and spare the feelings of the contestants, whereas I would just give it to them straight.
At the end of one episode, I went back to meet the remaining contestants, both to congratulate them for getting as far as they had and to apologize for saying anything that might have upset them. I was expecting a couple of them to take a swing at me, but we ended up in a group hug. Unfortunately, I don't think that moment was captured on camera.
You lived in New York from 1995–2000. List your favorite spots… Peter Luger’s. I’m a big fan of steak houses and Peter Luger’s is still the best. You can get meat as good as this in a handful of other steak houses—Old Homestead, for instance—but the atmosphere is unbeatable.
Raoul's. When I lived in New York I was a bachelor and this was my favorite date restaurant. There’s something about the louche, slightly decadent atmosphere that’s guaranteed to get a girl in the mood.
Les Deux Gamins. A great place to have lunch on a Sunday. Well-cooked steak frites served by surly French waitresses in miniskirts. What more could a boy ask for?
Piadina. A hole in the wall just off Fifth Avenue. The food is nothing special, but the staff is great at accommodating large parties of drunken partygoers. I once saw David Blaine dining in the back. He made a lot of food disappear that night, lemme tell ya.
And the most overrated NYC restaurant is... Indochine. When the girl at the front desk keeps you waiting for 15 minutes because she’s on the phone to her stylist, you know a restaurant is too fashionable for its own good.
Link to the article: http://newyork.metromix.com/restaurants/article/meet-toby-young/861033/content (http://newyork.metromix.com/restaurants/article/meet-toby-young/861033/content)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 07, 2009, 12:17:29 PM
Ted Allen .... tisk tisk
Ted Allen on Top Chef: Brainwashing, Catfights, and Product Placement
Tony Bourdain managed to once again knock the Food Network and his former show, A Chef’s Tour, during Monday’s premiere of No Reservations. And now, in explaining “why America needs another cook-off show” (namely his new one, Chopped), Ted Allen manages a jab at his former vehicle, Top Chef. Allen writes:
There also is a culinary straightforwardness about [Chopped] that I find really satisfying, and particularly appropriate for a company called Food Network. There is no sleep deprivation, no ‘Big Brother’ house full of bunk beds and cameras, no booze-fueled personal drama (as much as we all love the brainwashing and catfights on that certain show I used to judge). There are no team or catering challenges. Best of all, there is no product placement, so you never see passionate lovers of good food being forced to use packaged convenience junk thanks to Kraft/Altria/Exxon’s sponsorship.
Okay, so the show isn’t a cookie-cutter ripoff of Top Chef. Though the way Allen describes it, it sure sounds a lot like Iron Chef…
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 07, 2009, 12:20:56 PM
.... more from Ted Allen
Ted Allen Claims Chopped Isn't a Ripoff of Top Chef
Responding to criticism right here that Chopped is a ripoff of Top Chef, Ted Allen gets all defensive on his blog, claiming that the show "has actually been percolating at Food Network for a few years." He starts out his post funny and sarcastic: "just because there are already 37 cooking-competition shows on TV doesn’t mean there are enough of them on Tuesday," but later on drops some criticism on Bravo and Top Chef:
There also is a culinary straightforwardness about [Chopped] that I find really satisfying, and particularly appropriate for a company called Food Network. There is no sleep deprivation, no “Big Brother” house full of bunk beds and cameras, no booze-fueled personal drama (as much as we all love the brainwashing and catfights on that certain show I used to judge). There are no team or catering challenges. Best of all, there is no product placement, so you never see passionate lovers of good food being forced to use packaged convenience junk thanks to Kraft/Altria/Exxon’s sponsorship.
Talk about biting the hand that fed him! Look, the claim that the production company City Lights Media has been working on Chopped for "a few years" as any sort of defense is just silly — Top Chef has been at it a long time, currently on season five. Just because there are a few changes to the format, it's ridiculous to defend the show as anything but a ripoff of what Bravo keeps reminding us is one of cable's most-watched shows. Confidential to Ted: Own up to it, host the show, cash your paycheck, and move on.
Link to the article: http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/01/ted-allen-claims-chopped-isnt-a-ripoff-of-top-chef/ (http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/01/ted-allen-claims-chopped-isnt-a-ripoff-of-top-chef/)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 07, 2009, 12:35:04 PM
An interesting article:
'Top Chef' top dog: Yes, he can cook
On a recent Tuesday in Manhattan, Tom Colicchio could be found doing something that the millions of Americans who know him chiefly as the snarling top dog on "Top Chef" might never expect.
He was cooking.
In a serious restaurant.
For an entire evening.
The setup, in an annex of Colicchio's Flatiron district flagship, Craft, was such that there was no missing him, a bald, hulking presence dead center in an open kitchen framed so much like a stage that I half expected him to pause while plating the scallops and belt out a number from "The King and I."
The few dozen of us who had finagled coveted seats could watch him fuss over herbs, fret over condiments and furrow his formidable brow. We could even read his thoughts, because the menu provided not only descriptions of the dishes but also musings from the man.
"All young chefs dream of cooking nightly at the small, signature place that defines them," read the missive from Colicchio, who also mentioned the joy of touching "every plate that leaves the kitchen."
"Through the years," he went on, "I've never let go of this ideal."
At Tom: Tuesday Dinner, the name that he has given this occasional restaurant-within-a-restaurant, he reconnects with his roots, reclaims his spatula and shows diners what he's really all about, or wants to believe he's all about.
For performer and audience alike, that's the promise and peculiar spectacle of the so-called chef's table, which Tom: Tuesday Dinner presents in an unusually large format.
I recently sampled three such experiences, counting Colicchio's. Each had a fixed multicourse menu, as chef's tables typically do. Each positioned me and my fellow diners close enough to the kitchen to see its monarch put the finishing touches on the food or, at a minimum, give it a theatrical once-over before blessing its delivery. And each showed a chef pushing back at — and maybe in some sense apologizing for — the financial ambitions, practical concerns and compromises prevalent in his other work.
At Bloomingdale Road, what we got at the chef's table was a far cry from the upscale snacks that Ed Witt serves the regular diners. For $55 a person my companions and I got six courses in all, but we didn't get much that we actually enjoyed eating. The squash bullied the lobster. The risotto managed to be too sweet, too murky, too musky and too salty all at once. The roasted squab included half of a little birdie head that had been cut vertically in two. "Grab the beak and suck out the brains," instructed Witt. We glanced longingly at yet another plate of sliders bound for diners less privileged than we. Witt is throwing off the shackles of conformity at this chef's table, but freedom may not be the thing for him.
At Beacon, Waldy Malouf declared, "This is an evening of experimentation. You're going to have to trust me."
In truth, it wasn't particularly experimental: oysters with shallots; duck with orange and arugula; short rib with Cheddar grits; a lamb chop with capers. But it was more ambitious than the usual meal at Beacon, a large-scale trough for businesspeople, theatergoers and shoppers often looking for nothing more elaborate than roasted chicken.
Although my companion and I had been told to arrive by 7 p.m., we weren't seated until 7:40. Then, midway through 12 courses for $109 — definitely a deal, because that included alcohol, tax and tip, and because some dishes were enjoyable — Malouf vanished and a different chef presented the remaining courses. This other chef never noted the departure of Malouf, who never said goodbye.
Tom: Tuesday Dinner is an infinitely more impressive operation. The service is coddling, the pacing smooth, the wine pairings spot on, the delicacies abundant and the pleasures intense.
That's as it should be, given the competition for admission — these dinners happen only every other Tuesday, and book up six weeks in advance — and how much the meal costs. For 10 courses the price is usually $150, not including tax, tip and drinks.
The initial courses made it immediately clear that Colicchio was doing something different — more particular and composed, less conceit-driven — from the food at Craft, Craftsteak and 'Wichcraft, an empire whose management often takes him far from the skillet.
Out came a circle of boneless crispy pig trotter, the richness and enticing funkiness of the meat offset by the sharpness of a pickled quail egg with it. Scattered around both were tiny hon shimeji mushrooms.
Right after that it was time for the scallops. They were Nantucket Bay scallops, to be precise, reflecting the menu's sustained effort to speak to — and take advantage of — the seasons.
And bringing the scallops' sweetness into bold relief were earthy accents: crushed sunchoke; separate sunchoke chips as light, crunchy and irresistible as anything ever shaved from a potato; and Périgord truffle with an honest, generous truffle flavor.
For this and every other dish, including fallow deer with farro and monkfish with bone marrow and chanterelles, Colicchio had chosen his ingredients with real discernment. And with the exception of wild Scottish partridge served too rare, everything was superbly cooked.
But the overall arc of the meal — the rhythm of it — wasn't exactly right.
The partridge was wrapped in cabbage; the veal breast that came next was paired with bitter greens. Bitter and peppery notes recurred too often. Across the first seven savory courses there was almost nothing — on the plate or the palate — with much brightness.
Yes, it was a meal for late autumn, but not for late autumn in Scandinavia. If food could brood, Colicchio's did.
The setting was a modestly lovely, utterly comfortable room with a long, anticipation-building walk from the entrance to the first tables and well-spaced artwork on exposed brick.
The kitchen spanned almost the length of the back wall, and it was laid out and equipped so that nothing obstructed the view of Colicchio in his unnatural habitat. He did some of his cooking on an electric stove rather than a gas one, which most chefs favor but which would have required a scene-scarring hood.
And he experienced the downside of performing in the open, where no one can doubt your involvement but anyone can register your distraction.
Riveted at one point by his BlackBerry — Padma calling? — he fiddled with the keys for a good 30 seconds and then, to fiddle some more, crouched down below counter level.
Although Tom: Tuesday Dinner lets him show that he's still cooking, it's not much for privacy.
Link to the article: http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11386502?source=rss (http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11386502?source=rss)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 07, 2009, 07:57:15 PM
Rich Top Chef Interview
Top Chef contestant Rich Sweeney was interviewed by 944
and gave out some inside information about his time on the show
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 07, 2009, 08:02:36 PM
:popcorn: sooooo looking forward to tonights episode with Toby Young
Ted is forgettable to me he certainly didn't stand out, Ted who ;) hehehe
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 07, 2009, 10:44:25 PM
Toby Young's Blog:
The Demon Belcher of Fleet Street
Well, I guess you've all met me by now: the Demon Belcher of Fleet Street. Watching the way I was billed in last night's episode, you were probably expecting the British equivalent of Anton Ego, the fearsome food critic in Ratatouille - particularly as I've written a book called How to Lose Friends & Alienate People. But the truth is, I'm not your typical food snob. When I review a restaurant, I try to be as straightforward and unpretentious as possible. I get hung up on the little things that most foodies could care less about. For instance, when I reviewed Royal Hospital Road, Gordon Ramsay's flagship restaurant in London, I couldn't get past the fact that the tasting menu was described as "Menu Prestige." Isn't the adjective supposed to come before the noun? It was typical of the garbled Franglais that passes for English in high-end restaurants. When the waiter appeared I was tempted to launch into a Yoda impression: "Menu Prestige have I will."
Luckily, the remaining contestants in Top Chef seem like a pretty down-to-earth bunch - with the exception of Carla, obviously, who's from outer space. I love it when she just bursts out laughing, apropos of nothing. She has real charm, which is a fairly rare commodity in a chef. In my experience, chefs are much more like Gene - scrappy little hard nuts, ready to take on all comers. I was sorry to see him go.
The blind tasting was a great way to be introduced to the contestants - by their dishes you shall know them -- and I felt honoured that this week's challenge was dreamt up for my benefit. I was a little harsh about some of the dishes, but in general I was very impressed by the standard of the cooking. What the contestants lack in confidence, they make up for in technique. I'm going to enjoy being a judge for the next six episodes.
My one big worry in last night's episode is that there's a bit of history between Jean-Christophe Novelli and me. A few years ago, I appeared as a judge on an episode of the British version of Hell's Kitchen and Jean-Christophe was one of two celebrity chefs leading a team of contestants. To cut a long story short, he took such violent exception to my remarks about his team's food that he banned me from all his restaurants. Until last night, our paths hadn't crossed and I was concerned that the tension between us might spill out on to the show.
In fact, after some perfunctory squaring off, we decided to bury the hatchet and - as is the way with these things - ended up getting horribly drunk together when the show had wrapped. We may have even pricked our fingers and become blood brothers - I'm afraid I don't remember.
It was the first of what I hope will be many wonderful experiences working on Top Chef.
Link to the blog: http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?blog=toby_young&article=2009/01/the_demon_belcher_of_fleet_str#breadcrumbs (http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?blog=toby_young&article=2009/01/the_demon_belcher_of_fleet_str#breadcrumbs)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 07, 2009, 10:49:59 PM
Tom Colicchio's Blog:
Rolling with Role Reversal
People think that I have a hand in the weekly Elimination Challenges. I generally don't, but this week was the exception to that rule. With Chef Jean-Christophe Novelli as guest judge, there would have been some sort of pastry challenge, but in light of my locker-room pep talk to the cheftestants last week, the other producers and I decided to scrap it and, instead, to implement a challenge that would accomplish two things:
The chefs had started this Season on good footing, cooking well in the first episode, but they seemed to be struggling after that. So the first thing we wanted was to give them a chance to cook whatever they wished with no restraints from us, to just lay it all out there. Second, whenever we criticized their food, this season's chefs tended to have looks on their faces that said that they thought we were just out of our minds. So we wanted them to taste each other's food and learn firsthand where the judge's comments were coming from.
And I'm pleased to be able to say that overall the dishes were better. As I've said before, the contestants tend to get bogged down in what the challenge is, to over-think it, and to forget that the point is to make great food. Here, the challenge was simply to make great food. Jeff's dish had nice components, all very good, but it seemed like amuses on a plate as opposed to a cohering dish. Radhika's soup was a bit overspiced, but I thought it was good. Fabio was getting a little overconfident. He should most certainly have checked his lamb; he would have had time to make it perfect. His pasta was great, the ravioli filling and mushroom sauce were all really good. Toby's analogy to British stars cast in a film in supporting roles and upstaging the lead actors was very apt for Hosea's dish. His vegetables were great, but the halibut was overcooked. And Jamie's dish was great. There's no rule that says she can't continue to make scallops, and her frequent decision to use them probably had a lot to do with the offerings available at Whole Foods Market while we were shooting the season. I thought the chefs' personalities came through; I thought their limitations did, too.
Which leads me to the notion of judging blind. Since Season One, I've frequently been exhorted to judge blind, as though we may be influenced in our decisions about the food by our knowledge of who created it. As I've said before, we don't know what's going on behind the scenes all season (until we watch it much later, when it airs!), nor do we make decisions based on personalities. We just judge the food. But as this challenge proves, it makes no difference whether we are judging blind or not - though we were not told in advance of eating the food, it was pretty obvious pretty quickly, at least to me, who had cooked what. Even without even tasting the food, you at home would have known right away that the Indian food was Radhika's and the Italian food was Fabio's. (As with Jamie's scallops, there was no reason Radhika couldn't continue to infuse her food with an Indian sensibility despite her protestations in Episode One that she would not be doing so, or that Fabio couldn't continue to draw his selections from Italian cuisine.) And beyond that, having actually eaten everyone's food through six prior challenges, it was readily apparent to me right away who had made what. So much for "blind."
Toby and Jean-Christophe were the only ones at the table truly judging blind. As an aside, I think this was a good introduction to Toby. He's exceptionally witty and thought at first that he was being called on as a judge to use that wit and take potshots at the chefs, but he quickly realized that they were all very serious-minded about their food and about this competition, and he switched gears and began assessing the food in earnest. He's fun to work with and I know you'll enjoy him as the season progresses.
Meanwhile, blind or otherwise, all of the judges were in accord about the two weakest dishes. Interestingly, they were the weakest for opposite reasons, both involving creativity in cooking. Unlike last week's challenge, this one was not the producers' attempt to be creative but, rather, an open invitation to the chefs to be so; the contestants could not have had a greater opportunity to show us who they were as chefs. And Melissa gave us fish tacos. I stand by what I said at the Judges' Table.
Eugene, on the other hand, went in the other direction and was being creative for creativity's own sake. It would take a far more skilled and experienced chef than Eugene to find a way to make daikon meld well with basil and tomato. OK, he wanted to use it in lieu of a noodle - great. But that doesn't mean it can just be substituted for pasta. It still tastes radishy. I'm not saying not to try unconventional pairings. A dish by Pierre Garnier with duck breast, clams, and truffle comes to mind, for example, that was delicious. But that's because Garnier is both talented and seasoned enough to pull it off. Eugene is getting too far ahead of himself. He's not yet far enough along to connect those dots effectively. If he wanted to use basil, perhaps the daikon could have stood in for a rice noodle in a Thai-inspired dish. But what was nice to see was his willingness to take risks and push the envelope.
In general, I was glad to see the chefs step up their game this week and put more of themselves into their work. This week marked the midpoint of the season. Roughly half of the chefs are left, and now that they've tasted and judged each others' foods, let's see if that affects how they move forward from here...
Link to the blog: http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?blog=tom_colicchio&article=2009/01/rolling_with_role_reversal#breadcrumbs (http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?blog=tom_colicchio&article=2009/01/rolling_with_role_reversal#breadcrumbs)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 07, 2009, 10:53:34 PM
Gail Simmons' Blog:
"Gail! Gail!"
If judges were allowed to keep in touch with cheftestants, I would have called Carla as soon as I watched this episode to thank her profusely for her hilarious and much appreciated shout-out! I laughed so hard I nearly fell off the couch when she called my name in her interview after having met Toby Young, the British writer who took my place while I got married. Although I was flattered that she missed me. I was also happy to hear that Toby's arrival prompted a challenge in which our chefs were free to cook without any limitations, serving family-style plates for the judges--and, as it turns out, a table of their fellow chefs--to critique. When I learned the parameters of the challenge, my hope was that the chefs would quit complaining about how they never get the opportunity to cook their own food, and instead turn out a table of great-tasting dishes.
No such luck.
I did feel some relief when a few of the dishes served that evening appeared to be worth eating: creative, appetizing, and appealing. I could almost taste the bright, harmonious flavors in Jamie's winning Seared Scallops with Fennel, Garlic, Oranges & Olives and Stefan's Duck Breast sounded as hearty and savory as the judges claimed it to be. I was thrilled at the description of Ariane's Skate Wing with Pineapple. It was an otherwise classic skate preparation, given an inventive spin with the addition of the caramelized pineapple, which I imagine lent a subtly sweet and tart flavor that melded exceptionally with the nuttiness of the brown butter. I was intrigued by the description of Leah's Seared Rouget Encrusted in Bread, but it seemed as though the judges were divided on its level of success.
What surprised me most was learning that several chefs chose to cook dishes they had made many times before, but which then proceeded to fail miserably. Radhika's Curried Crab Bisque and Melissa's Raw Tuna Tacos are two such examples. Carla's Scallops on top of Risotto with Gremolata appeared simple and relatively uninteresting, but the combination of flavors and ideas could have been excellent had she not made a mess of that overly garlicky Gremolata. She second-guessed herself in making the dish in the first place, even though her instincts told her to cook something vegetarian, and for some reason she was not be able to recover. Eugene, on the other hand, made a dish that truly did go out on a limb and I applaud him for the risk he took in attempting it. The idea of his Two Fish Swimming was dramatic and definitely caught everyone's attention. That said, it is at least the second time he has stretched himself far beyond his own capabilities and presented food which severely missed the mark (the new sushi he devised for my bridal shower comes to mind here). I agree with Tom wholeheartedly in that Eugene allows his enthusiasm for creative cooking to take him to a place where his skill cannot yet go. His dishes may have potential in theory, but they need to be articulated, honed, and fully thought through before they can be served as finished concepts. Perhaps his palate also should be called into question. Across the board, the judges and chefs who ate his dish felt his combination of tomato, basil, and daikon radish was a poor choice.
Eugene and Melissa may have been on the opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their poor reviews (one dish being dull and uninspired and the other overly complex), but both showed a lack of skill and thoughtfulness in execution. For this, they were both forced to leave. I do believe the challenge gave both of them, as well as the remaining contestants, a taste of what it is like to judge food from the other side of the table. For me, the most interesting part of this episode was witnessing how easy it was for them to criticize their peers' mistakes, how quick they all were to point out the minute details that made each dish sing or fall flat. Only time will tell if any of them are able to embrace the scrutiny and apply it to their own cooking.
Link to the blog: http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?blog=gail_simmons&article=2009/01/gail_gail#breadcrumbs (http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?blog=gail_simmons&article=2009/01/gail_gail#breadcrumbs)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on January 08, 2009, 11:08:37 AM
Recap Top Chef 5 Episode 7
The Quickfire started off innocently enough. It was nicknamed the "Diet Dr. Pepper" challenge, no doubt for product placement because this had little to do with Dr. Pepper (except for one chef who had a can visible in the cooking area). It is to create a sweet treat without sugar. Guest Judge is Jean-Christophe Novelli who besides other qualifications is also a walking product placement for BRAVO's new show Chef Academy which is his creation. So the 11 chefs still in this competition scramble to make something worthy. Their choices were:
Fabio - granola and oat tart with eggless pastry cream and fresh berries Jeff - frozen cherry and white fig yoghurt w/baklava spring roll Eugene - mini blini burger w/ banana lumpias fries Melissa - baked dessert burrito w/ Greek yoghurt sauce Radhika - bread pudding w/ sauteed white peach and roasted cashews Leah - crepe w/ whipped ricotta, strawberries and balsamic reduction Stefan - sugar-free mousse de chocolate w/ cherries Hosea - green figs and white peaches, brushed w/honey and balsamic Ariane - whole wheat crepes w/ caramelized pears and toasted almonds Jaime - ricotta, mascarpone, peach, nectarine and cherry Napoleon Carla - baklava w/ chocolate disc and fried bananas
The worst dishes as judged byNovelli were Carla, Ariane and Jaime, none of whom is happy to be in this category. Carla's bananas were very bland. Ariane was lacking a twist with her pancake. The best dishes according to Novelli were Radhika, Leah and Jeff. The prize of Elimination Challenge immunity for winning the Quickfire went to Radhika. It was more valuable than most weeks as Tom announced that there would be 2 eliminations to make up for none last time. Padma announced that English food critic Toby Young would be joining the judges for the remainder of the season to replace Gail on her honoeymoon. The few who knew much about him indicated that they could expect harsh criticism from Toby. Eugene is shown in another product placement, for the T-Mobile Sidekick LX advanced cell phone.
The Elimination Challenge was quite simple. With 30 minutes to shop with $100, buy the ingredients and then prep 2 hours for a family-style meal for 12. There would be a focus group of foodies who would join the judges, who would taste blind (not knowing whose dish each one was). The chefs drew knives for Team A (cooking first) or Team B (cooking last):
Team A - Fabio, Hosea, Jaime, Eugene, Melissa Team B - Stefan, Jeff, Leah, Ariane, Carla
Radhika then got the opportunity to choose which Team she wanted to cook with. She chose team A, as it did not have Stefan and she does not like working with Stefan. Food by both teams is prepared at the Astor Center and served at Top Chef headquarters. They find out that Team B is the foodie focus group judging their dishes along with Padma, Tom, Jean-Christophe and Toby. What the team B judges did not know at that time was that there was closed circuit TV fed off a hidden camera that allowed (I would even say forced) Team A to watch them at the table and hear their criticisms. Here are the dishes from Team A:
Radhika - curried crab bisque w/lemon-scented crab salad (note: Toby made a comment here about the UN weapons inspectors looking in the wrong place when when would have found weapons of mass destruction here; Radhika can hear and see this remark and is mortified) Hosea - bacon wrapped halibut w/roasted vegetables in a beurre blanc sauce Jaime - seared scallops w/ fennel, garlic, oranges and olives Fabio - rack of lamb w/ cheese ravioli and mushroom sauce (note: Fabio knew he had failed to check them and they were undercooked when plated) Eugene - crispy red snapper w/ tomato, basil and daikon fettucine Melissa - ahi tuna crudo tacos (Toby called this cat food)
So team B now transitions from foodie focus group to prepare their dishes. After being briefly present at the table for the beginning round B for no food-related reason I can understand, when they return to the kitchen they see the closed-circuit TV hookup set up again in the kitchen and realize that all their remarks about Team A were heard by them and they can expect the same level of criticism by Team A judging their food. The dishes are:
Stefan - roasted duck and braised cabbage w/bread dumplings Jeff - trio tapas (oysters, seared tuna, avocado sorbet and grilled peaches) Ariane - skate wing w/pineapple and cauliflower puree Leah -seared rouget encrusted bread w/fried beans in chorizo sauce Carla - seared scallop on top of risotto w/gremolata topping
Tom stated that Team B produced the better group of dishes. The Best 3 were called by dish:
Skate Duck Scallop
The chefs associated with those dishes were Ariane, Stefan, and Jaime. The braised cabbage of Stefan was appreciated by many; he said that southern Germans in Austria would particularly appreciate it. Tom called it perfectly cooked and spot-on. Toby called it quintessentially German. Tom loved Jaime's combination of fennel, orange and olive flavors. Jean-Christophe called it refined and "a lovely recipe." Jean-Christophe summarized Ariane's dish as great. Jaime wins for the first time in elimination challenges.
Next we have a very inappropriate violation of the confidentiality of the blind tasting. The losing chefs are called out by NAME and not by DISH. In order to do that the judges had to have access to tapes from hidden camera somewhere. One thing that normally happens but couldn't this time was Tom's visit to to kitchen as the dishes were under preparation. He had to remain at the table for both Team A and for Team B. How could this happen? Why bother to publicize a blind tasting when it really isn't?
If you recall from recent episodes the two worst chefs still in are Melissa and Eugene. They are my picks for elimination before anything is known about how they did in this episode. I was not surprised when the worst 3 included both of them plus Carla. Two of those 3 will be eliminated.
Melissa said that that her dish was difficult. Tom said that it was not wow, Jean-Christophe was bland and it was overdressed. Toby said the dish stunk (bad odor). For Eugene, Jean-Christophe said that the fish was overcooked. Toby said flavors too mild and lacked punch. Carla said that taking the scallops off her dish would make it perfect. Toby said the gremolata was bad because the garlic overpowered it.
The Judges conferred and Toby prefers Eugene to be the one who stays. Tom was upset that Eugene does not honor ingredients. Toby says Carla lacks confidence and without it she will never be a really top chef. Tom's final comments were: Eugene- wildly creative but can't control it Melissa-lack of imagination and creativity Carla - overthought and overworked it
The two eliminated chefs were Melissa and Eugene. No surprise there. I have to say that I like Toby Young. He is from the Howard Cosell "tell it like it is" school. You can count on him for honesty, with no sugar coating whatsoever.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 08, 2009, 01:13:44 PM
Next week on Top Chef New York
January 14, 2009
Episode Title: DOWN ON THE FARM
It's time for the big city chefs to head to the country.
The remaining chef'testants must shop for the freshest of ingredients at Blue Hill Farm and then work with what they have to create a feast for the farm workers themselves.
Dan Barber, chef and co-owner of Blue Hill restaurant in New York City, serves as guest judge.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 08, 2009, 01:16:04 PM
An interesting article:
Top Chef 5: Conference Call with Melissa Harrison and Eugene Villiatora
Last night on Top Chef 5, both Eugene Villiatora and Melissa Harrison were sent home in a double elimination. New judge Toby Young joined the panel, and sending home two cheftestants reflected the new take-no-prisoners tone he seems to be striking.
Today, we talked with both Melissa and Eugene to get their take on the episode, this new judge, and their feelings about the show possibly being “rigged.”
In general it appears that hearing the real-time negative feedback from the diners as well as Toby Young was a pretty tough pill to swallow. Eugene did comment that he had initially thought the other chefs would use the chance to criticize their competitors to a more strategic end, but it appears they did feel like the criticism came from the diners' actual reactions as opposed to any kind of game play.
Both Melissa and Eugene seem to think that Toby's main contribution to Top Chef 5 is drama, with Melissa saying he was “hired to be harsh.” She hadn't heard of him prior to the show, so couldn't really form an opinion about his qualifications.
Eugene had some faint praise for him, saying the movie about his book (How to Lose Friends and Alienate People) was “all right” and joking that Toby's efforts during judging to keep Eugene in the competition did endear him to the chef a little. Overall, they both still seemed somewhat stung by the very critical comments, and do not appear to be big fans of this new judge.
Melissa also still seemed to be dealing with the harsh criticism from Tom Colicchio that she was suffering from a lack of imagination. She says that her creativity is something that she's known for, so for the judges – especially Tom, whose opinion holds a lot of weight for her – to not see this in her seemed very disheartening. When asked for some examples of the creativity she has to offer, she didn't give specifics, but did say she likes to always focus on “doing something different.”
They were both somewhat happy with their portrayal on the show. Melissa did ruefully joke that she would have liked her portrayal better had she won, but otherwise had no issues. Eugene laughed that he was glad the editors didn't make him look like an “a**hole” saying that role seems to be filled by another cheftestant. He was also glad to be on the show to demonstrate how well a chef who got his education on the job – rather than in culinary school – can do. He thinks the highly corporate world of the food biz is too focused on degrees and so was glad to provide an example of how successful you can be if you “put your head down and bust you're a**.”
Despite those positive elements, the two did seem to have some lingering bitterness towards the show, with Eugene calling it “rigged.” Eugene said he didn't want to say any names, but then noted specifically that since Padma had spit out someone's food (one assumes he means Ariane Duarte's), it seemed like that would be a much worse dish than anything they had served up.
Melissa agreed, saying that spitting out food is the “biggest criticism” a chef can receive and it seems like a greater offense. She seemed to be agreeing with Eugene that Ariane should have been sent home for that. I had forgotten at the time that it had appeared that Tom spit out Melissa's spicy habenero shrimp in the “Today Show” episode, so unfortunately I wasn't able to ask her to clarify what had actually happened if that wasn't the case.
As to their final dishes, they both still feel like there was merit to them, despite the criticism. Eugene clarified that daikon is something that is served warm in Asian cooking, and that if rinsed well, it actually “has no flavor” and so can be more adaptable than maybe some were expecting.
Melissa said the challenge for her was that she was pleased with her dish before sending it out, so it would have been hard for her to make any adjustments to it before getting the feedback. Eugene chimed in that Melissa was in a tough position; since he had gotten flak from the judges for trying to salvage his rice, had she made more of an effort to “save” her dish, who knows, he wondered, what kind of criticism she would have received?
As to their future plans after Top Chef 5, Melissa is going to be sous chef at a new Asian place in Boulder called Happy Noodle House. She says the restaurant management is more “family-esque” than corporate and is happily anticipating the opening at the beginning of February.
Eugene recently developed a menu for a casino restaurant, and interviewed for a spot as head chef at a new establishment at a high-end resort. He couldn't give any details, but folks in Las Vegas should keep an eye out for where this chef lands next.
Link to the article: http://www.buddytv.com/articles/top-chef/top-chef-5-conference-call-wit-25541.aspx (http://www.buddytv.com/articles/top-chef/top-chef-5-conference-call-wit-25541.aspx)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 08, 2009, 02:27:20 PM
From tvguide:
Top Chef's Melissa on the "Harshest Critique of My Career"
Cheftestant Melissa Harrison thought her seafood dish on this week's Top Chef was screaming creativity, but the judges — especially new addition Toby Young — found it to be quite the contrary. Young even went so far as to compare the dish to "cat food." Find out what Melissa thought of her unforgiving critique, Toby Young's one liners and more!
TVGuide.com: Why did you choose fish tacos for this week's challenge? Melissa Harrison: I wanted to represent myself with a little Latin inspiration, and I thought it would be cute. I was trying to be creative, and apparently, Tom didn't think it was that creative. None of us were really impressed by anyone's dish that day. We tasted each others, and no one was carrying the torch home on that one. I do think Jamie's was the best and she deserved to win. Do I think I deserved to go home? No, but I'm home. But I have learned from my mistake and am really trying to think outside of the box.
TVGuide.com: What was it like watching Toby Young compare your dish to the taste of "cat food"? Harrison: You kind of just want to punch him in the face, and I'm a really nice person. [Laughs] When he said that, it was like, "Wow dude, I thought you're supposed to be critiquing my food, not coming up with harsh little one-liners. Are you acting, or are you a judge?" It was the harshest critique of my career. I don't think any of us were a fan of Toby Young, but I respect him as a judge. He's a very qualified food critic in England and he did his job — but we all wished Gail was there.
TVGuide.com: How about Colicchio? Harrison: I really respect Tom. He's a very talented person, and I think out of everyone, he's the most qualified to be judging our food because he's a chef and knows what it's like. But it was hard to hear when he told me he didn't think my dish was creative and original. It's still resonating with me. That's something I had always been proud of, but one day I will show him.
TVGuide.com: What was your experience like as a whole? Harrison: Extraordinary. I made new friends and got to meet all these amazing chefs who ate my food. Words really can't describe what it's like to be on Top Chef. One moment you think you're going to puke, and the next moment you're fine. It's a constant rollercoaster of emotions. We even got to be rock stars one night when we won the Foo Fighters' challenge. It was just a crazy experience.
TVGuide.com: What's next? Harrison: I'm opening a new restaurant the beginning of February called Happy Noodle House in Boulder, Colo., so I've been working hard on that and am really excited. It's my second restaurant opening. It's a little easier the second time around but it's not easy ever!
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 08, 2009, 02:36:01 PM
An interesting article:
Ousted Chef’s Gene & Melissa Dish on Toby Young & Cooking for Each Other
Fresh off a reprieve and a little holiday break, it was time for the remaining contestants to step up their game. This week, two chefs were eliminated after serving up a family-style meal that was subjected to a blind taste test assessed by new judge Toby Young and, in a twist, each other. Calling separately, this week’s ousted chefs – Melissa and Gene –opened up about where they went wrong, what they think about the outspoken Young and face up to our five burning questions. –-Brian Orloff
So what did you think of Toby Young? Melissa: I didn’t know anything about him. Most of us hadn’t even heard of him. I think he’s very strongly opinionated - and he’s a man of words. I don’t know if I appreciate how he describes things because … I don’t think he uses food descriptions. I think he’s just making fun, in a way, and that’s pretty brutal. I respect him as a critic and a judge, but I think he and I are completely opposite people. We all missed Gail once Toby opened his mouth.
Going into this challenge, nobody had been eliminated. What was the climate in the kitchen this week? Gene: It was stressful. I was on the bottom three in two previous episodes and I just wanted to get a win. I was dying for a win. Melissa: I think everyone was very focused on what we were doing. We were just trying to create the best food we could to represent ourselves.
Take us through your approach to this challenge and where you might have gone wrong. Gene: I like to think outside the box and I’m a risk taker. I’ve [cooked] it before. And daikon is a tricky ingredient. You either hate it or you love it - and the majority of the public just knows daikon served cold when you go eat at sushi bars. It’s an acquired taste. Melissa: I think this was probably the hardest challenge for me. I’ve been doing Latin American food for the past three years, and I wanted to do something that was upscale Latin street food that was family style. I just really wanted to make something light and refreshing but to have a lot of different textures to [the dish].
What did you think about the twist - that you cooked for your competitors? Gene: It felt weird, especially seeing the other chefs being the tasters because we thought this was probably everybody’s chance to talk down about everybody’s food. But it went well. It got kind of scary once I heard Toby Young talk about Rhadika’s dish. But all in all, people are going to say what they want to say about other people’s cooking. Melissa: It was hard to watch that [critique]. We all ripped each other’s food up — and rightfully so. I wasn’t impressed with anyone’s food that day. But at the same time, that’s what the point of that was - to show people [that] we need to do better than this.
What did you hope to prove by being on the show? Gene: In this day and age, people tend to forget about hard work and I wanted to show them that if you just put your head down and work hard, you can still get places. I think I opened doors for people who weren’t fortunate enough to go to culinary school - like I didn’t.
Our Top Chef 5 Burning Questions:
Describe your Top Chef experience in one word. Gene: Fabulous. Melissa: Exciting.
What is in your refrigerator right now? Gene: Kimchi and Spam, actually. Melissa: Sriracha
Name one food you cannot stand. Gene: Lima beans. Melissa: Natto - it’s fermented soy beans.
Pick your favorite fast-food restaurant. Gene: McDonald’s. Melissa: In-N-Out Burger.
Best thing about cooking in New York? Gene: The people. Melissa: The feeling you get when you’re there - the buzz.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 08, 2009, 06:16:54 PM
An interesting article:
Top Chef's Gene Stands by Daikon Dish After Elimination
When it comes to out-of-the-box ideas, Top Chef's Eugene "Gene" Villiatora is your man. But during this week's elimination challenge, the chef's warm spin on a cold dish left the judges disappointed. Villiatora gave us the scoop on why he still stands behind his daikon dish, how he climbed the culinary ladder and how he kept his eye on the prize even when he started to miss his kiddies back home.
TVGuide.com: After hearing the judges' critique of your dish, what would you have done differently? Gene Villiatora: You know what? I probably would have kept it the same. Like I said before, a lot of people aren't accustomed to eating daikon warm — they just know it as a cold garnish for sushi dishes. I grew up eating daikon warm in Korean and other Asian foods. Everyone saw me doing Asian, Asian, Asian, so I wanted to show them I have range. I was confident because I've done that dish before, but maybe I would have explained myself more. It was a chance to show them something I do.
TVGuide.com: How do you come up with all your innovative dishes and techniques? Gene: I don't know. It just comes out of me. [Laughs] My opinion on the culinary industry is: Why give them the same ole thing? If you stay inside the box, it gets boring. I admire Chef Morimoto a lot. He totally redid Japanese fusion and thinks outside the box — and that's the direction I want to take my cuisine. I've had my line cooks and my sous chefs do specials every week, and they really enjoyed that. It gives people a variety.
TVGuide.com: You've had a very interesting career path. How did you get started in cooking? Gene: It started from growing up watching my mom and grandmothers cook. But there was one moment I was living with my dad and cooking for him, and he asked if I ever would be cooking for my wife if I got married. And that question made me realize I should really pursue this thing. I had a friend that was a dishwasher who got me a job as a dishwasher, and from there I worked my way up in different restaurants to get exposed to different things.
TVGuide.com: What's your family's take on all this? Gene: They're very proud of me. My oldest daughter is eight, my second daughter is two and my son is seven months. My daughters get very hyper just seeing me on TV! My wife is very proud and was pushing me to do the show. During it, it was hard for me to push my family out of my mind and concentrate on the competition. At times I'd miss them and get down, but I'd give myself a little pep talk and get back on the horse.
TVGuide.com: If you could have a do-over, what would you do differently? Gene: We didn't have enough time to nose around and see what other chefs were making, but now, after watching it on television, I would definitely have done more comfort food and used my grandma's recipes. But I used this opportunity to showcase what I could do, and have no regrets.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 08, 2009, 06:44:32 PM
An interesting article:
Top Chef Exit Interviews: Episode Seven
After a holiday hiatus that almost made us forget it existed, Top Chef rang in the New Year by eliminating two of its lesser cheftestants last night. After an eyeroll-inducing Quickfire that forced the poor souls to make a sweet treat without sugar, it was time for a blind tasting in which the chefs were free to express themselves and cook whatever they wanted. Unfortunately, Eugene Villiatora and Melissa Harrison clashed with culinary imagination — he had too much; she had too little. We spoke to both of them this morning to dish on new judge Toby Young and the importance of salt and pepper.
EUGENE Having watched last night’s episode, do you agree with the judges’ criticism of your dish? Would I do things over again? Probably not. A lot of people were playing it a bit safe and I just wanted to go out there and take chances. And I did that, but unfortunately I got sent home.
You describe yourself several times throughout the season as the most imaginative contestant. Was that your downfall? Part of being a chef, you have to be creative. My colleagues said maybe my skill level needs to catch up, but as far as last night goes with the dish [red snapper with daikon fettucini], I’ve done it before. Mainstream daikon is mainly used for sushi and served cold. But in Korea and other Asian countries, they serve it hot. You have to get used to it and acquire the taste of eating daikon warm.
Did you like the new judge, Toby Young? Totally Simon Cowell. I was very touched by his reaction. First impression of body language alone, I didn’t think he liked me that much. But it was very surprising to hear what he said at the judges’ table. I was very thankful for that.
He seemed to disagree with the other judges a lot. He’s a good fit for the show. Unbalanced a little bit, maybe. You know how people like to see conflicts with the chefs on the show ... maybe people would like to see conflicts between the judges as well.
Is Top Chef more about good television than good cooking? I’m split on that, 50-50. Controversy makes good television, we all know that. But Top Chef is based on skills. We’re there to cook.
In this episode, you got to sit with the judges and see their thought process and reactions. What did you learn from that? I picked up a lot of tips of what they do, what they look for. When I was sitting at the table tasting the food, I was starstruck more than anything. I was sitting right across from Padma, and Jean-Christophe was there, and Tom and Toby Young.
What were some of the things you noticed? With Tom, when you go to his restaurants, you order a chicken and you get a chicken. He’s not a big fan of a lot of things happening on the plate. Being a chef, I guess you lose track of the basic things that got you to be a chef — just basic salt and pepper. And you stick to that. Everybody should stick to that, but some people forget it along the way.
What’s your takeaway from being on the show? Don’t forget the salt and pepper.
MELISSA
How was watching the episode last night? I actually watched it with Hosea. It brings back memories that happened a while ago. If you’re strong enough to do Top Chef, you’re strong enough to watch it.
Toby called your dish “cat food.” Was that the worst insult you’ve ever heard? He’s pretty harsh. It’s the worst insult I’ve ever heard. When he explained people’s food, he used a simple description instead of telling us what he didn’t like about something. He just ripped us all a new one. It kind of felt like a knife, watching him say that. Toby’s the harshest judge I’ve ever had to deal with, including culinary writers. I’ve never experienced anything like him.
He disagreed with other judges at times. Is he a good fit for the show? He’s a judge and a food critic. I respect his honesty because that’s what he was hired to do. He wasn’t hired to hold our hands and tell us our food was okay. He was hired to be dramatic and he definitely filled that role.
Do you think the fact that he’s British sets him apart as a judge? I think he has a totally different palate than I have. I don’t think I’m the kind of chef he likes. I think he looks for old-school. All the food he enjoyed that day had old-school techniques. I create food that is different from what he enjoys.
What did you learn from dining with the judges? I wish we'd had that experience at the beginning, because we really saw what they were looking for. They’re looking for simple flavors cooked well. Obviously the goal is to be creative and original, but they’re also looking for dishes to be cooked perfectly, seasoned perfectly.
Was it fair to be criticized for a lack of imagination in creating fish tacos? Not at all. I think I did something different. I used a soy vinaigrette and wonton taco shells. People are always telling me how creative I am, that I think outside the box. It was a big shock for me to be told that how I’m doing things is not creative or imaginative.
Do you think you should have been eliminated? Eating that food, I don’t think mine was worse than anything else. I don’t think we shined in that challenge, none of us.
What did you learn? I learned to deal with stress far better than I ever imagined. I think I’m a better chef now. I’ve always been a perfectionist, but my perfection level has gone up. Before the show, I think I was floating through my job. Now I have more of a focus and direction in my career.
And where will that direction take you? I really want to travel and work in different restaurants around the world and continue to educate myself on food and cuisine and different cultures.
Any advice for future contestants? Be yourself, heavily salt your food, and never apologize for what you do.
Link to the article: http://nymag.com/daily/food/2009/01/top_chef_exit_interviews_episo.html (http://nymag.com/daily/food/2009/01/top_chef_exit_interviews_episo.html)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 08, 2009, 09:01:15 PM
An interesting article:
Top Chef Exit Interview: Eugene and Melissa Weigh In
Last night's Top Chef delivered a one-two punch along with a double elimination. On the receiving end of the brutality were Melissa and Eugene, whose fish dishes left a bad taste in the judges' mouths. They didn't even get much of a chance to prove their skills to Toby Young, an English food critic filling in for Gail.
Talking about their experience, Melissa and Eugene admitted they aren't used to Young's harsh criticism but that it's all in a day's work for a chef. Two things for sure… both of them don't regret doing the show, but they both think they deserved to win.
What was it like being able to watch the judges and your fellow contestants critique your food?
Gene: For me, it was kind of nerve-wracking at first because I thought the other chefs were going to use it to talk bad about every dish. They're our peers-- and who better to criticize you than other chefs? But it is a competition and you don't know if they're being totally honest with everything.
Mel: I think it was definitely hard. We walked into the room and saw the TV and we were like "oh man, we're going to watch them critique our food." They didn't know we were watching them and I think that's hard because we were the first to go. When you hear the critique later, people choose their words wisely. But in the moment, they're harsher than anything. It was a hard thing to do.
What's your opinion of the new judge, Toby?
Mel: Well I think Toby was hired to be dramatic and harsh and say it how it is. He said it differently than all the other judges. The way he says things are a bit harsher than most people would say them, but we all feel differently.
Gene: I think it adds another dimension as far as the judges are concerned. People like to see controversy on the show between us chefs, and I think it would be good to see controversy among the judges. He was harsh with what he said, but it is what it is. As chefs you have to take criticism and roll with the punches.
Have you ever received such harsh criticism?
Mel: I don't think I've ever received criticism that harsh ever in my life. That's part of the show and going into it I was prepared, but you obviously don't think your food is going to be not liked. You created that dish and put it together for a reason. It's hard to take that kind of criticism, but we're used to criticism as chefs.
Gene: Yeah, it was different.
Melissa, you seemed really upset about Tom's comment about your imagination. Have you gotten over it?
Mel: I've gotten over it, but at the same time it still sits with me because it's something I've always been known for. I'm a naturally creative person and it's hard to hear someone doesn't think your dish was creative. I'd one day like to talk to him about that and find out what he meant by it. I care more about Tom's critique than I do Toby's.
Eugene, you said you think the whole show is rigged. Why do you think that?
Gene: For one, if someone spits on your food, they've got to go. I'm not going to mention names. We got voted off from the judges, but that's the way the ball rolls and you've got to go with it.
Since you saw their critiques before judging, did you feel a little bit more prepared going into the elimination or was it just as difficult?
Mel: I think as you go along, you get more used to hearing the judges, but it's always hard to hear criticism. You take it with a grain of salt, but no matter where you are with your life. As a chef, it's the only way to get better is to hear criticism.
Gene: For me it was easier. We were given no limitations. We could do what we wanted to do. There were no tricks to this challenge; we just did what personified our personality. It was easier for this judges table, and I was ready to accept whatever decision they came up with. I was ready to get sent home, and so be it. It sucks to go home, but as long as you give it your best it's all you can hope for.
Gene, did you feel the judges had a valid point with the execution of your fish?
Gene: I agree as far as the fish part. To their palate, it was overcooked. As far as the daikon, a lot of people haven't been exposed to eating daikon warm. The more mainstream way of eating it is as sushi or a garnish served cold. A lot of Asian cuisines use it in soups and stews warm. I've made that dish before and I don’t think that they're used to eating daikon warm. It's just an acquired taste to eat it warm.
Were you happy with the way you were portrayed on the show?
Mel: I'm happy with the way I was portrayed, but I would have liked to have won! [laughs] I went in there to win it and would have like to have gone farther.
Gene: I have no complaints. As long as they didn't make me look like an asshole, I'm fine. For the most part, all the chefs going into it knew it was a cooking competition as well as a television show. We had no control over how they make us look. But I'm fine with it. Like I said, they didn’t make me look like an asshole. I'm pretty sure someone else took that role.
What's the next step for you as chefs?
Gene: The world! I'm just grateful for having this opportunity. Just being on the show, for me, was an accomplishment for myself. I feel like I opened doors for people. The culinary industry right now is very corporate. A majority of employers look for culinary degrees. I think I opened doors for people that didn't go to culinary school and show them if you put your head down and bust your ass, you'll get there. If things go well, I should be running a restaurant in a high-end resort that's opening up here in Vegas.
Mel: My new restaurant is called Happy Noodle House and I'm opening it at the beginning of February. I'm really excited about it. It's a new area for me to venture into. I'll be the Sous Chef there. It'll be in Boulder [Colorado].
Link to the article: http://thebiz.fancast.com/2009/01/top_chef_exit_interview_eugene.html (http://thebiz.fancast.com/2009/01/top_chef_exit_interview_eugene.html)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 10, 2009, 12:35:16 AM
An interesting article:
Local 'Top Chef' fans regret Boulder chef's elimination
Boulder's "Top Chef" fans were sorry Wednesday night to see one of their own, Chef Melissa Harrison, eliminated from the competition.
Carly Otte, a bartender at Zolo Southwestern Grill, has been watching the show for a couple of years, but became a particularly avid viewer when Harrison and another local chef, Hosea Rosenberg, were chosen to participate in the cooking reality show that airs at 8 p.m. Wednesdays on Bravo TV.
"I guess it is just overall exciting because we know two of the chefs," Otte said.
Otte's workplace, Zolo, is one of local restaurateur Dave Query's properties, which include Jax Fish House, where Rosenberg is executive chef, and Centro Latin Kitchen & Refreshment Palace, where Harrison worked as a sous chef when the competition started. Harrison is now working at another Query project, Happy Noodle House, which is set to open in February.
Harrison, who usually watches each episode with Rosenberg and other friends, said she's been impressed with how well the show has been able to capture what was happening in the chaotic, multi-chef kitchen.
"It's exactly the way the experience was," she said.
"Top Chef" pits chefs from all over the country against each other in wide-ranging cooking challenges that include everything from catering a charity ball using one of the 12 days of Christmas as a theme to making desserts without sugar -- all with a time clock ticking.
Karen Barela, chief operating officer of Culinary School of the Rockies, said the show has been fun to watch, and also good for Boulder's national profile.
"It just continually makes me proud of Boulder and wanting the rest of the world to know we're doing great food here."
"Top Chef" is popular at the West End Tavern, also owned by Query, where fans can watch on a wide-screen TV upstairs and drink special margaritas made with Harrison's favorite ingredients -- lemon, basil and pomegranate -- or Rosenberg's -- bacon and apple.
"It's actually quite good," manager Alyssa Lundgren said of the bacon drink. "It's made with maple syrup."
Zolo's Otte is part of a group of about eight people who watch the show every week together at one another's homes. When "Top Chef" began Nov. 12, each member of Otte's group bet $5 on who would be the ultimate winner. Four bets were for Rosenberg, and four were for Harrison.
Nobody was happy with the outcome Wednesday night.
"It seemed like the judges were picking on her," Otte said. "Of course, we're biased."
The phrase "picking on" likely refers to the show's new judge, British food critic Toby Young, who compared Harrison's ahi tuna crudo tacos to cat food.
Ouch.
Harrison, however, is philosophical about the critic's quip.
"It was hard to hear that, but I've moved on," she said. "I don't want that to follow me for the rest of my life."
Chef James Van Dyk, who is a partner in Happy Noodle House with Query, called Harrison "wildly talented." He added that the challenges on "Top Chef" are a lot harder than they look.
"It's extraordinarily difficult to take a chef out of their world ... out of their kitchen," he said. "It's very difficult to translate your style and your message with food outside your element."
Harrison said her experience on the show was intense, but also rewarding.
"I didn't know how tough and how emotional (it would be)," she said. "They put you in the most raw circumstances."
But, she added: "I think I'm 10 times the chef I was before I did it. I did something that most people are scared to do or don't want to do, because they don't want to put themselves out there."
Link to the article: http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/jan/09/local-top-chef-fans-regret-boulder-chefs/?partner=yahoo_headlines (http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/jan/09/local-top-chef-fans-regret-boulder-chefs/?partner=yahoo_headlines)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 10, 2009, 12:39:38 AM
Melissa's new restaurant:
The Happy Noodle House
Happiness is a full bowl.
When Happy Noodle House opens its doors in early February it will be a unique restaurant whose inspiration is unmistakably Asian. Executive Chef / Partner James Van Dyk will be creating wholesome, innovative and delicious Asian inspired noodle dishes based on authenticity.
In the Bitter Bar mixologist and bar manager James Lee will be handcrafting ‘classic old school’ cocktails infused with fresh Asian ingredients. Each cocktail has been formulated with the goal of finding the perfect balance between your first sip to your last bite.
Fresh, unique and affordable cuisine paired with attentive and friendly service and unforgettable cocktails create the Happy experience.
Link to the site: http://happynoodlehouse.com/Home/tabid/366/Default.aspx (http://happynoodlehouse.com/Home/tabid/366/Default.aspx)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 11, 2009, 03:27:13 AM
An interesting article:
'Top Chef' judge: Make me ice cream
Tom Colicchio can't wait to get down here for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. And it's not because of all the grub.
''It's a great time of year to get out of the cold and do some fishing in Key West,'' says Colicchio from New York, where he owns New American restaurant Craft (a new location just opened in Atlanta).
The head judge of Bravo's Top Chef got a taste of the fishing scene when the show was filmed down here in 2007.
''Tarpon season had just started and it was great because I only worked every other day,'' he says. (Tough gig: Fellow judge, Padma Lakshmi worked every day.)
Colicchio says it will be good to bond with fellow foodies when he hosts the Perrier-Jouet BubbleQ at the Delano Feb. 20 ( Bobby Flay bowed out this year to do an Oscar party).
''It's neat to see chefs all together,'' he says, adding, ``We talk about anything but food.''
Don't bother asking him about his odds-on favorite on Top Chef: New York, 10 p.m. Wednesday nights.
''The only way to win is to make great food,'' says the 46-year-old New Jersey native. ``A lot of the contestants think they have to act a certain way. It has nothing to do with attitude. We don't care about that.''
Is there anything they could do to get an edge?
Someone has to figure out how to make a dessert.''
Hint: Colicchio's favorite dish is ice cream.
It could be a sorbet, any flavor. Just make sure it's cold.''
Link to the article: http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/people/story/847458.html (http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/people/story/847458.html)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 11, 2009, 03:31:42 AM
.... more on the South Beach Food & Wine Festival
Perrier-Jouët BubbleQ hosted by Tom Colicchio & Friends
Date: Friday , February 20, 2009 Time: 7:00 PM- 11:00 PM (VIP Reception) 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM (General Admission) Price: $450 VIP Reception (SOLD OUT) / $350 General Admission [not including tax and service fee] Loc: Delano Beachside, 1685 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach
Unlike any other culinary event of its kind on the planet, set beneath the stars alongside the Delano's private beach,the annual BubbleQ transcends the ordinary right down to the granules of soft white sand that lovingly caress your toes as you amble from one serving station to another. Chef Tom Colicchio of Top Chef fame promises guests a night of pure bliss as he presides over an atmosphere that’s one part friendly neighborhood barbecue and two parts South Beach glam. The party launches with a warm SoBe welcome from Jeffrey and Linda Chodorow of China Grill Management and publisher Christina Grdovic and editor-in-chief Dana Cowin, both of Food & Wine. Capitalizing on the talents of some of the country’s greatest grilling gurus and taking advantage of a breath-taking oceanside venue, the BubbleQ invites sophisticated diners to enjoy a bit of starlight with their perfectly seared meats and seafood, compliments of Allen Brothers. And that’s just the beginning. Wash it all down with the one beverage nearly everyone can agree goes best with it all: Champagne Perrier-Jouët, offering a vision of excellence and extravagance. In between courses, let your imagination run wild as you peruse the exquisite wine lots, dinners and weekend getaways offered up for bids in the Silent Auction Pavilion. Finally, cap your night in the Godiva Lounge where you’ll treat your sweet tooth to Godiva’s finest offerings.
If visions of glorious barbecue and heavenly Champagne are already dancing in your head, the Perrier-Jouët BubbleQ VIP Reception ($450 not including tax and service fee) should make you positively dizzy! A limited number of lucky BubbleQ patrons can enjoy early access to the festivities (7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30 p.m.) and totally indulge themselves on delicious barbecue and Perrier-Jouët Fleur before the night really begins. Mingle with host Tom Colicchio, take your first soothing sips, breathe in the ocean air and get into the mood before everyone else even gets in!
Link to the site: http://www.sobewineandfoodfest.com/2009/view_events.php?event=38 (http://www.sobewineandfoodfest.com/2009/view_events.php?event=38)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 11, 2009, 04:09:29 AM
Top Chef Burning Questions:
Gene: Something Fishy
Bravotv.com: What did you think of the Quickfire challenge? How much experience do you have making desserts?
I thought the Quickfire Challenge was a little difficult being that I don't have much experience working in pastries, but I did what I could do best with what we had to work with.
Bravotv.com: Did you know who the guest judge was? What did you think of his critiques?
Honestly no. Well at first I couldn't understand him (haha) because of his thick French accent, but I thought his critique was fair. He wasn't trying to be a TV personality, just giving an honest opinion about my food.
Bravotv.com: What was your inspiration for your fish dish?
When I think of family style dishes, being of Asian culture we always had some type of fish at our table. So that is what I went with.
Bravotv.com: Were you worried at all about the daikon? Have you ever used that flavor combination before?
No I wasn't worried about it because I have worked with that flavor combination before. I think the judges may have been turned off by it because most people use daikon cold. They don't really have experience working with daikon period. They're only used to eating it in a mainstream way like for sushi. One of my favorate chefs, Chef Morimoto uses it in one of his cookbooks. It was also meant to be eaten right away. I didn't know it'd sit out for awhile.
Bravotv.com: What were you thinking when you saw who the "culinary experts" were?
I knew right away that they were going to tear our food apart. But it is what it is.
Bravotv.com: Were you worried at all that they would purposely lie to knock your dishes down?
No -- I wasn't worried. If they lied, then that goes to show how much confidence they lack. But I think they're all pretty honest.
Bravotv.com: The new judge, Toby Young, had some fairly harsh comments for everyone, what did you think of his comments?
It was like watching American Idol.
Bravotv.com: Do you think you deserved to go home?
No, but I'm happy I made it as far as I did being that I beat out half the competition in the show. A lot of people thought I'd probably be out the first few episodes, but I'm happy overall.
Bravotv.com: What did you think of the other chefs' dishes?
Nothing -- they do what they do and I do what I do.
Bravotv.com: Where can your fans follow you and get more info on your food?
Well they can check me out at www.genevilliatora.com for any updates or events I have coming up. I really appreciate all the support my fans have given me. Thank you.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 14, 2009, 12:24:19 PM
An interesting article:
Villiatora makes most of time on TV's 'Top Chef'
Gene Villiatora's third child was born seven months ago. A few weeks later he took off for New York, to be part of the fast-cooking fury of "Top Chef."
Being bumped from the Bravo TV cooking competition meant Villiatora could go home to Las Vegas and his young family. Still, "nobody likes to lose," he says.
Villiatora is the first Hawaii-born chef to gain entry to the Bravo competition in its five seasons. He grew up in Whitmore Village, leaving for Vegas in 1993 after graduating from Leilehua High School.
He said he was first approached by a "Top Chef" producer while he was cooking at a culinary event two years ago. "When it came to this season, I pursued it."
His run came to an end in the episode that aired last week.
His final dish was a whole fried snapper on a bed of daikon "pasta" with tomato and basil sauce. The judges praised it for creativity and good looks, but gave it low marks for taste.
Villiatora says it was a risky choice -- cooked daikon may be familiar in Asian cuisine, but mainstream diners know it only as a relish in sushi bars. But he says the other chefs seemed to be relying on comfort foods, and his style is to reach beyond. "If you stick inside the box it tends to get boring."
Villiatora started as a dishwasher and has no formal culinary training, a fact that he wears as a badge of honor, along with the tattoos covering his arms and his heavy gold chain. "I think I may have opened the doors to others who weren't fortunate enough to go to culinary school."
Back in Vegas, he's just completed a development concept for a new casino restaurant, where he'll be executive chef.
So there is life after "Top Chef." He laughs: "Thank God."
"Top Chef" continues with nine chefs remaining. New episodes air on Wednesdays at 8 p.m.
Link to the article: http://www.starbulletin.com/features/20090114_Villiatora_makes_most_of_time_on_TVs_Top_Chef.html (http://www.starbulletin.com/features/20090114_Villiatora_makes_most_of_time_on_TVs_Top_Chef.html)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 14, 2009, 04:34:47 PM
An interesting article:
'Top Chef' preview: Toby Young says he's not trying to be Simon Cowell
Last week on "Top Chef," new judge Toby Young, who some might remember as the author of "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People," came off as one eager-to-offend Brit.
Not unlike "American Idol" meanie Simon Cowell, actually. But Young, a former food critic with a resume full of food TV show appearances, says one-upping his fellow East Ender was not his aim. British people are just "rude," he says with a laugh. He fills us in on joining the cast, eating earthworms and what he misses most about food writing.
Watched your first episode last week. First question: Are you trying to be Simon Cowell? I swear, I didn’t really go in thinking, “I’ll be the Simon Cowell” of “Top Chef.” I was just used to being a judge on British food shows where people are much more outspoken and rather rude. That’s the culture over here. I may come across as being this showboating bitch on “Top Chef,” but that was not my intention.
Oh, come now. You were pretty prepared. And it made for some memorable moments. I honestly haven’t even seen them! I swear!
You told the Guardian: “You don't need an encyclopedic knowledge of food to make a convincing judge, so much as the ability to describe just how awful something tastes in a wide variety of different ways.” True. But I will say that the producers went to great lengths to try and find some talented people. I will say the quality of the food wasn’t as good on Episode 7 [his first] as it was on Episode 12. But you’d expect it to get better as the series goes along. Generally, I was very impressed with just how good all the chefs on the show were.
How did you get involved with “Top Chef”? I got the Bat signal and I was on the next plane virtually. They show it here in the U.K., so I had seen it and I was a fan.
You’ve actually appeared on a lot of food TV in the U.K. How do the U.S. shows stack up? It’s very different doing a food show in America and doing one in Britain. I did a 20-part series for the BBC series called “Eating With the Enemy.” The budget for all 20 episodes was probably the budget for a single episode of “Top Chef.” It’s the difference between making a home movie in your backyard and going to Hollywood. “Top Chef” is a very smooth-running machine. All the people working there are incredibly professional and absolutely at the top of their game.
Which insect tasted the best? The earthworms were surprisingly tasty. He had infused them with this tomato flavor. They were nice! I can easily imagine them catching on as an aperitif. People will be serving them at cocktail parties before you know it.
Did you get along with the other judges? You know Padma kept hassling me for dates. It was like, “I’m married. Get off my case!” We hung out a bit at the wrap party after the 12th episode at a bar in Brooklyn, but apart from that I didn’t really see any of the other judges socially during production.
Who’s more discerning, Tom or Padma? I think Padma actually describes herself as the show’s host. She’s very self-deprecating about that. She described herself to me as the Vanna White of “Top Chef.” But she weighs in, and she knows an impressive amount about food. She actually knows a good deal more about food than I do. And I was impressed by how authoritative Tom was. He’s like a walking encyclopedia. He really delivers his verdict like he’s on the Supreme Court. He’s Thurgood Marshall. There’s no dissenting.
Padma and former judge Ted Allen have talked about how long judging sessions can get. What was your longest? There were several that we deliberated long and hard about. By the time I got there, there wasn’t any one contestant who was obviously weak. They were all pretty strong. So it was really hard to send anyone home. It’s not something anyone takes lightly.
Favorite guest judge? Eric Ripert was very impressive. . . .
Everyone says him! Well, it was great to meet him because he’s such a legend. He was really funny. I also met some other great chefs, too, but the episode we shot with him was particularly fun. You’ll see what I mean when it airs.
Do you miss being a critic? I miss being fawned over by restaurateurs and chefs. When I was writing my column, I would almost always be recognized when I was in a restaurant, even if I was reviewing it and had booked under a fake name, so free stuff would start coming out of the kitchen on a conveyer belt, fantastic wines would be opened at my table. Now I can’t even get a reservation on the pizza joint on the corner.
But now you’re on TV. Things should start to perk up, right? Maybe? You know, all writers are lazy. Just the idea of being paid to talk as opposed to write is very appealing for a writer. TV is a lot of fun. It’s fun interacting with the other judges and the contestants. After a while, you just relax into it and it’s a hoot.
Link to the article: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/01/top-chef-previe.html (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/01/top-chef-previe.html)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 14, 2009, 04:42:07 PM
An interesting article:
'Top Chef' Mixes It Up With New Judge
When I first heard that "Top Chef" judge Gail Simmons was leaving the cooking competition mid-season in order to plan and partake in her wedding, I got nervous. By no means am I her biggest fan. In fact, I think she adds very little spice to the judges' table, where she holds court alongside head judge Tom Colicchio and hostess with the mostess Padma Lakshmi. I just had this terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that she'd be replaced with someone even less appealing, or worse… British.
Don't get me wrong. I love Brits. Kate Winslet, David Beckham, Ricky Gervais, even Madonna when she assumes her faux accent. However, when it comes to British reality show judges, enough is enough. "American Idol's" Simon Cowell is undoubtedly the leader of the pack. Far behind in second place, you'll find Sharon Osbourne ("Rock of Love: Charm School"), and bringing up the rear is Sharon's former "America's Got Talent" cohort Piers Morgan. Each one of them is sarcastic, surly, and anything but sweet.
So, do we really need another one mucking up a credible program like "Top Chef" with their stale smackdowns? No! And especially not another Brit with a reputation as infamous as Gail's replacement, Toby Young, the failed Vanity Fair contributor turned food critic.
I, too, was suspicious. Then, I interviewed Young following his Bravo debut, and my opinion changed. Dramatically. Not only did I find his remarks thoughtful and on point, I also found myself quickly forgetting about Gail.
Perhaps you'll do the same. Or, perhaps you should learn to live with it because Toby Young is here to stay… at least for the remainder of the Season 5.
So, without further ado, meet "Top Chef's" tasty new treat:
Matt: How did you become interested in food?
Toby: I was asked if I wanted to write a restaurant column for Evening Standard Magazine in 2002, and I did that for five years. Over here, I didn't have any formal qualifications for the job -- I don't know what qualifications you need to have to be a food critic in America -- but in Britain it generally is a job just given to a journalist who's been working away for a few years.
So, would you not have considered food a passion of yours going into the job, or did it just land on your plate, no pun intended?
When I first took the job, I only received one note from my editor which was to never write more than a paragraph about the food on the grounds that… it's boring. And quite often, I would write more than a paragraph about what I'd eaten and it would always be cut by my editor, and she would say, "Tell me more about who else was in the restaurant and how hard is it to get a table and what was the décor like?"
Would you consider the writing and the critiquing more of the passion as opposed to the food, or did you grow into appreciating the food?
Well, I think I was fairly keen on food before I started writing the column, but I guess I developed a deeper love in the course of educating my palate.
You're married and have four kids. Who does the cooking in your home?
I used to cook before I got married, but my wife's a very good cook, so regretfully, I've given up.
And, you don't have to critique any of her dishes?
No, but I can tell you that Nigella Lawson, who is a chef, came to dinner at our house and my wife was so anxious -- not least [of all] because we had almost every other celebrity chef's cookbook on our bookshelf apart from Nigella's -- that I ran fast to the local book shop to buy one of Nigella's books so it could be prominently displayed in our kitchen.
How did you become involved with "Top Chef" and Bravo?
Well, I think I received a call out of the blue by one of the executive producers last year to ask if I’d be interested in appearing on the show, and I think the reason she thought of me is because I've been a judge on a few reality shows. I think any food critic, if they were asked if they wanted to appear as a judge on "Top Chef," would say yes. So the question isn't why I said yes. It is why did they ask me?
So you had no relationship with head judge Tom Colicchio or host Padma Lakshmi before the show began?
That is absolutely correct. I did once try to interview Padma for a British society magazine called Tattler, but she point-blank refused to be interviewed by me. But when we wrapped one of the episodes, Padma and I went out for a drink and she explained to me that it was because she was married to Salman [Rushdie] at the time, and he had forbidden her to be interviewed by me.
Do you think that your accent helped you land a spot at the judges' table?
America obviously has a penchant for British judges. I imagine so. None of the producers ever said to me, "We've been looking for a Brit." I've gotten a lot of [flack] from various American food critics since my debut last week including [from] Adam Platt -- the food critic of New York magazine -- and I dare say that they're all very cross that they weren't asked to appear as judges on "Top Chef." But, I think the reason why they asked a Brit is because we're much more outspoken and rude than our American counterparts. I imagine someone like Adam Platt would be very fair-minded, very judicious, and would spend several minutes advertising just how much he knew about each dish that was placed before him. And, as my old editor knows, that's very boring for people who just have a general interest in a subject.
After your debut last week, Tom wrote in his Bravo.com blog that you might have thought when you initially joined the show that you were there to be witty and sarcastic and take shots at everybody, but that things changed as you started filming more episodes and that you actually became involved with the program and that you were enjoying it and the food -- not just tossing out one-liners. Is that true?
Yeah, I think that is probably true. Tom is so serious about the show, and I think because he's the head judge, some of his seriousness may have rubbed off on me in the course of filming the episodes.
Since you joined "Top Chef" in the middle of the season, were you able to review the previous episodes to learn more about the chefs before you just jumped into the middle of things?
When I joined, they hadn't finished editing even the first episode of the current season, so it wasn't like I was able to sit down and watch the episodes that had been made already.
So, they weren't like, "FYI, Jamie cooks scallops every week"?
No, I went in completely unbriefed. Tom explained to me at the very beginning that you have to judge each dish entirely on its merit and you can't take the history of their contributions to the show up until that point into account in judging that dish or in deciding whether or not to throw them off the show. It has to be entirely [based] on their performance within the challenge.
Then does the Quickfire Challenge actually play a factor, or does it really just come down to the Elimination Challenge?
When it comes to eliminating the remaining contestants, the Quickfire is irrelevant. I've never tasted any of the Quickfire dishes.
How long are your actual deliberations?
Certainly a good deal longer than they appear on screen. There have been days when we've been in the studio 'til 4am. Sometimes there's a real disagreement about who to keep and who to eliminate.
Is it really up to you, Tom, and Padma, or do the producers have any influence?
It is entirely up to me, Tom, Padma, and the guest judge. The producers are incredibly circumspect.
Is it difficult for you to tell an aspiring master chef to pack his or her knives and go?
Or is that just part of the game? Fortunately, that's Padma's job. As the show progresses, you begin to have a bit of sympathy for the contestants, and it becomes harder to eliminate them each time, but one of the things the producers do discourage is for the judges to form any kind of personal relationships with the contestants.
So, is there zero contact with the contestants outside of the kitchen?
Zero.
How are ties broken? Does it come down to Tom because he's the head judge?
No. I can recall a couple of occasions in which there was a deadlock, and there isn't a formal procedure whereby in the event of deadlock Tom has the casting vote. If you're deadlocked at 4am and you have to take your kid to school at 8am the following day, you know, you just want to go home. You can appeal to different things like how closely the contestants have stuck to the brief. There are no hard and fast rules about how the judging should proceed. Obviously, you're judging them entirely on the dish they've produced, but even that doesn't mean that you necessarily get a clear answer. You're taking into account their technical expertise, their willingness to take risks, and not just how successfully-executed the dish in question is.
The message boards have lit up! Obviously, you're a polarizing figure. Why do you think that is?
I'm used to provoking a strong reaction, and this is nothing new. Generally speaking, I've always thought that if people initially take an immediate dislike to you, but are then gradually and grudgingly won 'round, they end up with a much deeper attachment than if they like you from the get-go. Now, whether people will be won 'round in the course of this show remains to be seen, but I hope they will.
I have a feeling that your name is going to appear at the top of a reality TV villains list come the end of the year.
That would be the fulfillment of my life's dream.
I'm noting some sarcasm there. You don't mind playing the villain?
I think it may have been Harry Truman who said, "Britain has lost an empire and has not yet found a role." But, in fact, we have found a role -- and it is to play villains on reality shows.
Obviously, some people are automatically against you because they miss Gail, but at the same time, there are a ton of people who are actually defending you and saying, "Hey, he's a critic, he's more qualified than an actual chef or a model/actress/cookbook author to critique these plates." Do you feel that you might be more qualified than any of the other judges?
[Sighs] I wouldn't say I'm more or less qualified. I think the only qualification you need to critique food is an educated palate and the ability to express yourself fairly concisely.
Are your remarks rehearsed, or are you just being who you are?
I lived in America for five years and at dinner parties, whenever I came out with a bon mot, I would always be accused of having written it beforehand, rehearsed it, and then recited it at the dinner party, which was never true. Similarly, it's not true that on "Top Chef" I rehearsed any of my lines beforehand. I think the reason people think that I do is only because I tend to speak in grammatically-correct sentences and that's partly just a hallmark of having had a decent British education. I think it's something so unusual in America -- particularly in informal context like making a remark at judges table or coming out with a witticism at a dinner party -- that people naturally assume you must have written down and memorized the line in question because it's just inconceivable you could have come up with something grammatically-correct and which sounds quite polished on the spot. But, actually, British people can do that. [Laughs]
On the last episode, you compared (eliminated contestant) Melissa's dish to cat food. Have you ever tasted cat food?
Uh, no I haven't.
You also noticed a chink in her armor when you said she lacked self-confidence. Is that something all top chefs should aspire to have?
I think so, yes. I think part of becoming a really successful professional chef is acquiring a kernel of self-confidence, and that's something that doesn't come easily.
Have you made any of the chefs cry?
Not that I'm aware of. So far, I've only seen two of the episodes I am in.
Do you think that any of this season's contestants have the potential to become a top chef?
They need to be bold enough to take risks and not just strive for formal perfection.
Are there any other traits you think top chefs should aspire to have?
I think they need to have some personality, too.
Link to the article: http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/top-chef-mixes-it-up-with-new-judge--79 (http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/top-chef-mixes-it-up-with-new-judge--79)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on January 14, 2009, 05:53:06 PM
I just love this last article Marigold, thanks for finding it. :tup: I was prepared not to like Toby Young, but I do. He brings a different perspective to the judging, I don't miss Gale.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 14, 2009, 07:12:15 PM
I agree TL I really like Toby Young for being brutally honest I now have a sense of what the dishes are actually like
I don’t believe the judges should be trying to spare the chefs feelings that’s being dishonest
If it smells foul tastes like cat food they need to know don’t ever prepare that again they really need to know because apparently they don’t have a clue
As for Gail I really like her and thinks she is a real gem she has a lot of expertise as apposed to the beauty of Padma who I think makes a great host but not a judge
She has the worst time trying to even describle in a few words what she thinks I don't know if it's poor grammar but I have found myself saying huh what did she just say it didn't make any sense
Anyways I have babbled on forever love Toby Young
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 14, 2009, 11:03:18 PM
Toby Young's Blog:
A Cardinal Sin
As Tom says, it's all about the ingredients. Five years ago, I was the winning contestant in a British food reality show and the reason I won isn't because I'm a particularly accomplished chef - I'm not - but because I knew where to get the best ingredients. In a sense, it wasn't a level playing field. As the only food critic among the cheftestants I had an unfair advantage: I know just how important the ingredients are. The centrepiece of my winning dish was a beef fillet that I bought from Ludgates, probably the best butcher in London. It cost $120, which is a lot given that it only had to feed five people, but it was worth every cent. It had come from a cow that had been reared on Prince Charles' farm in Scotland. Our future king is famous for once having confessed that he liked talking to plants, and I joked at the time that the reason my cow tasted so good was because the grass it had eaten had been spoken to by Prince Charles himself.
In last night's episode of Top Chef, the contestants were lucky enough to work with some of the best ingredients in America - and, to be frank, the results should have been more spectacular. The best chefs, by a country mile, were Stefan, Jamie, and Carla, but they had a slight advantage in that they only had to cook chicken. Of course, chicken can be cooked a hundred different ways, but the way you cook it isn't dictated by the quality of the animal - at least, not primarily. I like my chicken on the bone with the skin on, but it's always going to taste better that way, irrespective of how it's reared.
Not so lamb and pork. Both teams decided to cut the fat off their protein and de-bone it, which would have been the right decision if the beasts in question had been of a lower quality. The point of preparing lamb in this way, for instance, and then tenderising it, marinating it and rolling it, is to try and pep it up a bit, not trusting in its natural flavour. But for these particular animals - lovingly reared in some of the nicest farmland in the country - it was a cardinal sin. It was the equivalent of taking a fillet of beef from Ludgates and then grinding it up and making a chili out of it.
In retrospect, I feel bad about saying Ariane can't cook, but I was angry about the sacrilegious treatment of the Stone Barns livestock. All of the chefs in Team Lamb and Team Pork screwed up, but she was the most culpable. By butchering, tenderising, and marinating
that lamb she turned what had been a very special ingredient into just another piece of meat.
In Ariane's defence, Padma pointed out that she can cook - she proved that earlier in the season. However, Tom made it clear to me from the get-go that when it comes to eliminations the judges have to base their decision entirely on the food that's been cooked in that round. We have to disregard everything they've done before, including the Quickfires in that episode. On that basis, I think we made the right call.
Link to the blog: http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?blog=toby_young&article=2009/01/a_cardinal_sin#breadcrumbs (http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?blog=toby_young&article=2009/01/a_cardinal_sin#breadcrumbs)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 14, 2009, 11:07:27 PM
:( Tom Colicchio does not have a blog for us this week he is apparently traveling
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 15, 2009, 10:19:40 AM
Top Chef Burning Questions:
Ariane: "Leah Should Have Gone Home"
Bravotv.com: What did you think the Quickfire was going to be when you saw Hung? Were you a fan of his on Season 3?
You know I had no idea what to expect. I do remember seeing all the canned ingredients and thinking what is going on??!!!
Bravotv.com: What made you pick Turkey Spam?
I thought of Gene. That is what he cooked in the house all the time!!
Bravotv.com: What was the inspiration for your dish? (Did you even know they made turkey spam?)
I thought of open face hot turkey sandwiches from the lunch cafeteria in catholic school. Had no idea. Never touched the stuff.
Bravotv.com: What did you think of the guest judge Dan Barber and the farm challenge in general?
I was very excited. He is an inspiration!! The farm was just breathtaking! I hope to work on the farm with him in the spring!! Ill start with some butchering lessons!! Ha!
Bravotv.com: Be honest, did anyone think they'd actually have to kill the animals themselves?
I am sure that went through a few chefs' minds. And I am sure some would have enjoyed it!
Bravotv.com: Why did you decide to roll up the lamb?
I think Hosea and Leah were so afraid it wasn't going to cook in time. And that was what they had put in my head. Brainwashing I tell you!
Bravotv.com: Can you elaborate on the roast stringing incident?
I don't need to elaborate; Leah made a mess of it!!
Bravotv.com: Did you think Leah did a good job when she helped you?
No.
Bravotv.com: Who do you think deserved to go home?
Leah
Bravotv.com: What did you think of the other teams' dishes?
Chicken did a good job! Clean seasonal flavors of the meat and veggies.
Bravotv.com: What do you think of your whole experience on the show?
I am so grateful for the experience. I am so glad to have had this once in a lifetime opportunity. It has inspired me to be the best I can be. My business will thrive. And to my cheftestants, every one of you is a winner in my book, and I am proud to call you my friend!!
Bravotv.com: Where can your fans find info about you, your food? CulinAriane Restaurant, 33 Walnut Street Montclair. NJ 07042, We hope to see you all soon. And to my fans, thank you for all the love and support and really believing in me. DON'T FORGET TO VOTE FOR ME FOR FAN FAVORITE!!
Link to the site: http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?blog=burning_questions_2&article=2009/01/ariane_leah_should_have_gone_g#breadcrumbs (http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?blog=burning_questions_2&article=2009/01/ariane_leah_should_have_gone_g#breadcrumbs)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 15, 2009, 05:23:51 PM
Top Chef Judge Tom Colicchio Update:
"Today" show Tuesday, January 27 Tom Colicchio on "Today's Kitchen."
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on January 16, 2009, 09:36:02 AM
The Quickfire opens with season 3 winner Hung Huynh as the guest Quickfire-only judge. in his honor, Padma announces that the time limit is 15 minutes for prepare. Also there will be no fresh ingredients used for this challenge. Only canned and boxes ingredients from a huge pile on a large table can be used. The chefs work extra quickly and come up with these dishes:
Radhika - spicy red bean dip w/ grilled bread Jaime - bruschetta w/ garbanzo beans, artichokes and smoked mussels Carla - Asian salmon cake w/ fried green beans, and lemongraa-ginger mayo Ariane - open face turkey spam sandwich w/gravy and cranberry-pineapple chutney Leah - waffles w/ strawberries and sausage Jeff - deep fried baby conch, coconut sauce, pina colada Hosea - sweet pea soup w/spam, pork rinds and hearts of palm Fabio - artichoke and chili pepper mac and cheese Stefan - baked bean soup w spam and grilled cheese and spam sandwich
Gaining the Worst category were Radhika, Leah and Jaime. A commonality was that there dishes were more like snacks to Hung. He expected a main dish. In the Best category were Hosea, Stefan and Jeff. Hung judged Stefan's to be overall best, so Stefan wins immunity for the Elimination Challenge.
The Elimination Challenge is to create a fresh meal with seasonal ingredients for a family-style lunch with 16 diners. It is held at the Blue Hills at Stone Barn Food and Agricultural Center, a non-profit farm and educational center in Pocantico Hills NY. The guest judge for this is Dan Barber, the executive chef at the Blue Hills at Stone Barn restaurant which must be adjacent to the farm. It is one of the top restaurants in the U.S. and since I am slightly more than 60 minutes away I now want to eat there and check it out for myself. The diners will be the farmers and their families and it is going to be a hot day with service on picnic tables outside. Teams will have 3 hours to cook.
Since there are 9 chefs left in the competition, the 3 teams of 3 concept was used. They were chosen by knife blade: Team Pork - Radhika, Fabio, Jeff Team Chicken - Jaime, Carla, Stefan Team Lamb - Hosea, Leah, Ariane
Some time was spent showing the conflicts between Jaime and Stefan on the menu development. Stefan has earned the reputation as the chef that nobody else wants to work with. He is a take-it-or-leave-it guy (and must be difficult to work for in a real restaurant as a result) and seems to enjoy any conflict. The biggest issue is that he has no stake in the outcome since he is immune. Jaime argues that he should pipe down and accept the ideas of those who can get eliminated, Jaime and Carla. It is not clear starting the cooking that they worked it all out, but at the end there is a statement that a satisfactory compromise was reached.
Teams go to the parts of the Farm that correspond to their key protein. Team Pork went to visit the pigs. Team Chicken went to the chicken coop. In any event, when it is cooking time huge slabs of each of these proteins have been butchered earlier that day and are ready for the chefs to use. The biggest issue that happens is related to the choice of a roulade method of cooking for the baby lamb, Ariane's responsibility since she excelled at lamb in an earlier episode. That method requires careful tying of the rolls of lamb to make sure internal cooking is right. Ariane has never done this and does a poor job of it, so Leah volunteers and also does a poor job but at least gets it done. Hosea was standing on the sidelines for this and he had the most experience in tying but failed to step up and help get it right. Also, Radhika was criticized by Fabio for accomplishing little in the first cooking hour taking 1 hour to shuck, grill and scrape kernels off for 10 ears of corn. Team chicken had a battle over how light the soup should be for a hot day. They did not consider the "no soup" option which is what Tom Colicchio would have preferred; he also did not think heavy desserts were a good idea in the heat. Ariane felt like the odd person out with Leah and Hosea who were doing a lot of flirting and cuddling, but Hosea publicly states nothing more.
The menus were: Team Pork Radhika - grilled corn salad w/ bacon; vanilla and lavendar-scented creme brulee Fabio- sausage, zucchini and eggplant ravioli w/ pesto sauce Jeff-fried green tomatoes w/ tomato jelly; seared pork loin;
Team Chicken Jaime - chicken ravioli soup (actually consomme) Carla - nectarine and strawberry tartlet w/ thyme crème and lemon zest Stefan - chicken cutlet w/ mizuna corn, tomato and onion salad; lemon herb roasted chicken w/ tomato salad
Team Lamb Hosea - rosemary and garlic-roasted potatoes, Swiss chard Leah - heirloom tomato salad; summer trifle w/vanilla cream and Grand Marnier lemon pound cake Ariane - herb rubbed roasted duo of lamb, seared/roasted and leg of lamb
The judges go to Judges Table to confer. The consensus is that Team Chicken had the best results(and in counterbalance my opinion is that they also used the simplest menu). Carla's dessert was praised and the other two teams' desserts were criticized as too heavy. Many individuals were criticized for various sins. The lamb was judged to be a mess, so somebody had the most responsibility for that. Jeff cut away the fat and the bone on the pork and the judges found that pretty heretical; you just don't do that with that type of pork or lamb. Toby says, "the pesto is the big, bad wolf". Tom after viewing the size of pieces and the pounding being done by Ariane to the lamb stated that "Once you have a nice large piece of meat on the bone, you don't want to remove it". The winners were Team Chicken and all members of that team were judged winners with no one chef singled out. Carla was pleased to finally be an Elimination Challenge winner but she succeeds with desserts and I don't view her as a rounded chef.
The group called for Worst was all of Team Pork and all of Team Lamb. It was pretty clear early on that the lamb was so miserable that that team would be taking the brunt of criticism. Dan said "this lamb is a mess. "However, Toby referred to "pork blunders". Radhika was criticized for accomplishing little in 3 hours. It is interesting that the catchphrase for this episode was "Honor the Protein" yet no team came close to that standard. The audience was polled on which team did best on that. 63% said Team Lamb, so that shows how much you can be an armchair quarterback for a food show.
Team Pork was excused at the beginning of the callback, so Radhika's sins were thought less critical than focusing on the most guilty team. Jeff got praise for his fried green tomato dish, so you knew to wasn't going to be him. Leah's dishes were OK but her failure to help Ariane on tying was thought to be a big negative. Padma made an argument about Ariane's past accomplishments, but Toby countered that judging is only on what you eat at that meal and no credits should be given for past performance. That was the nail in Ariane's coffin although I am sure Toby did not target it at her. But when they came right down to it, Ariane was eliminated.
Next week is Restaurant Wars. They can't be doing 4 teams of 2 because there isn't room, so I expect to see 2 teams of 4 chefs each.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 16, 2009, 11:52:36 AM
Thank you for the recap apskip
I don't why the chef's specifically the team lamb and pork completely misinterpreted the entire idea of the challenge
I don't know if they over thought it but how sad was it to see what they did with the protein
Is it not cooking 101 when you have an outstanding quality of meat to not tear it apart
I suppose the only thing worse they could have done was to make a stew out of it!!
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 16, 2009, 12:00:05 PM
An interview with Ariane:
Top Chef’s Ariane: ‘I Was Somebody to Reckon With’
Top Chef’s resident mom Ariane Duarte had her highs and lows—starting her Top Chef journey at the bottom, then going on to win several challenges along the way. When the 41-year-old chef was sent home Wednesday after the judges criticized her butchering skills, many – including her competitors—didn’t see the elimination coming. Calling from Verona, N.J., Duarte opened up about her newfound fame, what she proved to herself and her competitors and tackled our five burning questions.
You had both highs and lows on the show. Do you think the other chefs saw you as a fierce competitor? Being on the bottom, nobody thought you could cook. Being able to come back and start [winning challenges] slowly with having the best turkey and winning the Today show [challenge], I think people realized I was somebody to reckon with. I think a lot of people were surprised that I left.
Were you? Did you know you were going home before the judges made their decision? I really thought Radhika was going to go. I really don’t know what she did, but when you get that chance to speak up, she just didn’t. . . . [But when they] kept talking about the lamb, I was like, it was going to be me. At that point I knew it. Definitely I wasn’t ready to go, but I was okay with it. I came so far, and I did so well. I was proud.
Do you think your teammates should have stepped in more? Did one of them deserve to go home over you? It wasn’t even a matter of stepping in. It was like they made the decisions and I had to follow them. I know how to break down lamb. I cook a lot of lamb and I eat whole lamb every Easter. Anything I said— like, “Let’s grill it! Let’s roast it!”—everything was “No, no, no!”
You talked about your family on the show. How are they reacting to your performance—and your newfound celebrity? I have teenagers—a 13-year-old and an 11-year-old. Mom being away was hard, but they were so excited. They’re very popular in school [now]. I don’t know if they’re getting any special treatment—but they’re getting a lot of questions. It’s fun for them. They’re enjoying it.
Talk about how you’ve grown professionally. Are you more confident now? For me to hold my head up [and] not start crying [after my elimination], that was when I knew it was good. Look at how far I’ve come. [Since Top Chef] I’ve used some ingredients I’ve never used before. After being in the business for 20 years and raising a family, it’s hard to travel or just get into that creative mode all the time for me. You just get stagnant. Being there really refreshed me—made me want to cook a lot more.
Our Top Chef 5 Burning Questions:
Describe your Top Chef experience in one word. Intense
What is in your refrigerator right now? A lot of berries. A lot of milk. Some Chinese fried rice.
Name one food you cannot stand. I don’t know if I have one.
Pick your favorite fast-food restaurant. White Castle.
Gail or Toby? Gail - one hundred percent! That Toby had it out for me.
Link to the article: http://tvwatch.people.com/2009/01/16/top-chefs-ariane-i-was-somebody-to-reckon-with/ (http://tvwatch.people.com/2009/01/16/top-chefs-ariane-i-was-somebody-to-reckon-with/)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 16, 2009, 12:06:10 PM
Colicchio has a blog up:
A Whetstone from Good Meat
"A clever cook, can make....good meat of a whetstone."
-Desiderius Erasmus, Dutch priest and scholar (1466?-1536)
And if they try to be too clever, they can make a whetstone from good meat.
This was an interesting episode, insofar as the Quickfire Challenge required cooking with the worst of ingredients while, in contrast, the Elimination Challenge provided the opportunity to work with the very best available anywhere. As Jamie said in dismay upon learning of the Quickfire Challenge, without great ingredients it's hard for chefs to do good work. This could not be more true.
It was my time in France over 20 years ago, working in the kitchen of Michel Bras, that taught me this lesson; what I began at Mondrian and continued at Gramercy Tavern really culminated in my conceiving of and opening Craft, which was created to focus on the ingredients and create meals that honor them. And, in doing so, it also honored the farmer. I work closely with farmers of small, local farms, and I make it a point to visit the farmer's market as often as possible, always striving to get the food from the ground to the table as quickly as possible. Being at the forefront of the Farm-to-Table movement, I have been so glad to see chefs like Dan Barber pick up the mantle, so I was excited that this week's Elimination Challenge would bring the cheftestants to his exceptional farm to cook. He and the farmers of Stone Farms, as well as we Top Chef judges, were really looking forward to seeing what the chefs would do with all of the amazing produce and lovingly raised animals. We were all let down.
The ethos at Craft is to take the finest ingredients available and prepare them as simply as possible, so that the flavors and textures of the ingredients themselves will shine. "Cooking simple" is like walking a tightrope without a net -- simplicity isn't as simple as it seems, because there's nothing to cover up mistakes; there are no heavy sauces to hide behind. It requires forethought about how best to help the ingredients sing. It requires skill and precision, and, of course, an abiding reverence for the elements themselves.
When animals are raised as they are at Stone Hill and are fed the right ingredients, you don't need to do a whole lot to them. You don't want to remove the flavor -- and moisture-rich fat from the pork -- that made no sense to anyone. And even worse, you don't want to take a beautiful leg of lamb, which was as tender as such meat could be, and do what Ariane did to that lamb. It was completely hacked up and then rolled. A chef would usually roll lesser ingredients, but here there were these muscles you'd want to keep intact. Ariane's treatment of the lamb showed no respect whatsoever for the animal that died to feed everyone. It was more than disappointing, it was upsetting, most of all to the farmers who had worked so hard to raise the produce and animals. It felt to them like their work just wasn't honored. The irony of Ariane's losing the Elimination Challenge with the very protein that had won her prior challenges is not lost on us. But the work of each chef is judged anew in each successive challenge, and while I certainly overstated in the first sentence of this blog, Ariane's performance this week made her the clear choice for elimination from the competition. I'm not thrilled that Leah and Hosea kicked back and did nothing while that meat was both literally and figuratively butchered right in front of them, but at the end of the day, she is the one who did the actual damage.
I will make one more point that did not come across in the episode, about Jeff's choice to make fried green tomatoes. I appreciate when a chef uses something that would otherwise go to waste and manages to create a fine dish. But this episode was shot at the height of tomato season. There is a narrow window of time in which to get a remarkable tomato. This was that time, and the vine-ripened tomatoes at Jeff's fingertips were among the finest to be found anywhere. Dishes with green tomatoes are usually made at the very start of tomato season before they've ripened or at the tail of the season with those that never did. So while I commend the impulse to create with ingredients that might otherwise be overlooked, I question the judgment of doing so under these circumstances.
Link to the blog: http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?blog=tom_colicchio&article=2009/01/gone_fishin_6#breadcrumbs (http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?blog=tom_colicchio&article=2009/01/gone_fishin_6#breadcrumbs)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 16, 2009, 02:49:46 PM
An interview with Ariane:
Top Chef Exit Interview: Ariane Gets Chopped, Maybe She'll Write A Cookbook
Wednesday’s Top Chef elimination was the ultimate shocker when Ariane and her knives were sent packing. The same chef who rose above a rocky start to win challenge after challenge was sent home for a butchering blunder proving you’re only as good as your last dish. Which, sadly for Ariane, wasn’t good enough. In a press phone call this morning, Ariane opened up about what went wrong in the kitchen, and clears the air on cooking lovebirds Hosea and Leah, and the Euro we all love to hate, Stefan.
You seemed pretty passionate that you shouldn’t have gone home. Do you still feel that way? Of course! You know, I worked hard, I rose to the challenge, and I relied on my teammates. I was a team player and I just felt that maybe Leah should have went.
Leah? Not Hosea? You know why I’m saying that now probably? Because I saw the show. I just felt like I went in there telling them what I knew and I think when it came to lamb I wanted to do it a certain way which would have been fine, just grilling it or roasting it. And I just kept getting “NOs” from them, instead wanting to braise it and take it off the bone, which I do know. It was the tying that I’m not good at and you only have so much time and when Leah said, ‘I can help you, I can help you,’ you believe it. You believe your teammate. So when she didn’t do a great job – I think the time just catches up with you in the moment and the pressure between the two of them, and me, the third wheel; it’s difficult.
Do you think that she didn’t help on purpose? Watching the show you definitely get that intention, absolutely. I think when it was happening didn’t think so. I don’t know why, I would think we would want to win as team, why wouldn’t she want to help me? And maybe she thought she was doing a good job; I don’t know.
Everyone seemed really shocked when you were kicked off. Do you think they all thought Leah was going too? I don’t think at that point anyone knew who was going to go. It was definitely up in the air. I think Hosea and Leah both thought that they didn’t do enough. I felt pretty confident; I worked hard and I always had that in my head. I did it, it tasted good, and everyone who tasted it really liked the lamb! So I just didn’t think I was going to be the one! So I think everybody was a little shocked. And plus I had such a good run and was on such a high; I had all those wins. I probably had some of the most wins.
How distracting was it working with such a tight couple? Was that a big factor in how it all turned out? Absolutely. That was tough. When there are three people and two people already have a relationship, being that third wheel is not easy. Unless you’ve all been friends for 20 years. But it was hard because one would say yes, the other would say yes, and I would say something and it was always no. So it definitely played into it.
Do you still think that Hosea is a wimp? No! I think I apologized to him already too or I need to! At the judges table, Toby Young made a comment that you can’t cook and Padma kind of jumped to your defense – how did that make you feel? Toby - I was a little surprised at that. He’s a little angry Englishman, I don’t know. But Padma - it was great; it was such a wonderful feeling hearing what Padma had said, which was great. What Toby said is forgotten in my mind already. Hearing Padma was really, really great.
Do you think the decision would have been different if Gail was still on the panel? You know, I don’t know. And you know what, I hadn’t even thought of it. I don’t know, because she’s tough too! She’s just not as verbal as Toby. It could have gone either way but I don’t know and I can’t even think about it.
What did you think of the judging process? Do you think it was fair they based their decision on that one challenge instead of your work as a whole? Yeah, I’m kind of disappointed that I pretty much got blamed for the lamb when every single one of us touched that lamb. But, you know, they’ve got to eliminate someone and they chose me, which looking back, maybe, I was doing the lamb the most. But it definitely was a team challenge and I think I took the biggest risk of doing that and I was definitely disappointed they called me out on it.
Now that you’ve watched it was it hard to experience all again? It was a tough watch absolutely. I think first two episodes I couldn’t sleep knowing those were coming. This, I knew it was coming, and it was definitely hard to watch. It was more sad than difficult. I wasn’t ready to leave; I wish I was still in it. But I had the love and the support of my family and friends surrounding me and they know who I am.
Was it very difficult watching it with friends and family, not being able to say what’s about to happen? When it happened I definitely surrounded myself with a lot of family and friends. I knew I had to watch it and I would just say “watch what happens!” But knowing that the episodes were going be great put me at ease. I knew I just had to get through those first two.
You mentioned the first two episodes were really tough to watch. But then you went from the bottom to the top and looking back, what happened in the end? I definitely know what happened. I panicked. You get caught up and it’s almost like your mind plays tricks on you. It’s like an out of body experience, the time flies, and for me, all your ideas are gone and I don’t know where they went! But I know what I would do now and what I wouldn’t do. When I volunteered to do the desert, I said ‘who is that?!’ I don’t do deserts! I was having an out of body experience – who is that girl holding up her hand? That wasn’t me! So yeah, I would definitely do things in those first two episodes a little bit different.
Are you happy with Bravo’s portrayal of you? Absolutely. That’s me. And the people who know me know that that was me. I really stayed true to myself and what you saw is who I am, so yes.
Have your perceptions of anyone changed, positively or negatively, after watching the show? No, you know, I’m so not like that. I’ve really met some wonderful people and for me we’ll always be friends I’ll always know that if I need one of them, I can call them and it’s a competition, what happened in the past for me is over. Like I said, Hosea’s not a wimp. So I have no ill feelings for anyone.
We never saw you feeling as annoyed by Stefan as others. Did you find him abrasive or did you find him kind of amusing? You know, he’s definitely amusing. And Stefan always had my back. He always stood by me and gave me words of confidence and for that, I never found him annoying. Was he annoying? Yeah. But stuff like that, I can roll off back, and I just knew he always had good words for me and positive words for me, and in the beginning, even when we were competing against each other, he’d still say “you’ll be fine, you’ll be fine.” And hearing that when you’re on the bottom is nice. I enjoy Stefan; he’s a good person.
So who are you rooting for to win? I’m rooting for Jamie and I’m rooting for Carla. Those are my girls!
What’s next for you? My husband and I own a restaurant (CulinAriane) and are extremely busy; we’re looking to expand, and get a little bit bigger, so that’s our project right now. And you know, maybe I’ll write a cookbook; I’m toying around with the idea. But I have two girls, one is 13 and one is 11 and they keep us pretty busy too. We have our hands full right now. But you can find me, I’m in Jersey, I’m in Montclair; we’ll be here for a while.
Link to the article: http://thebiz.fancast.com/2009/01/top_chef_exit_interview_ariane.html (http://thebiz.fancast.com/2009/01/top_chef_exit_interview_ariane.html)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 16, 2009, 05:05:54 PM
From tvguide:
Did Top Chef's Ariane Deserve to Go?
She started out at the bottom, but Top Chef's Ariane Duarte quickly rose to the top, impressing the judges week after week. Unfortunately for this cheftestant, string became the enemy and ultimately the reason for her elimination. The New Jersey restaurant owner explains how the cliquiness in her team was a huge roadblock and shares who she thought should have gone home after the farm challenge.
TVGuide.com: Why did you end up working on the lamb dish if you weren't familiar with tying roasts? Ariane Duarte: I've cooked lots of lamb, but I don't tie. I've done a whole leg of lamb, whole baby lamb — my grandmother's from Italy so that's what we eat every Easter! Hosea and Leah were supposed to help me. When we decided, I said, "Alright guys, that's what I'll do, but this is what I need from you." It was something they knew and we discussed. And there never was an issue. I think we all thought everything was great, tasted great and looked great. But you get to the table and different stories come out.
TVGuide.com: Who do you think should have went home? Duarte: The first thing I thought was Radhika should have left because when we were [at Judges' Table], having to stick up and fight for ourselves, she had nothing to say. Basically, she didn't do that much, and that's why she had nothing to say. And I think I said Leah [should go] because I was mad. I thought there would have been a little more team player talk [with the judges], but it got to the point where [Leah] just didn't care. It was like, "Yeah I tied it, but didn't do a really good job." Alright, so then you wonder — did you purposely do that? You say you can do it, then you don't.
TVGuide.com: Hosea and Leah seemed pretty cliquey. Did that affect your performance? Duarte: Definitely. She'd say something, he'd agree. He'd say something, she'd agree. It definitely played against me. I feel when you're in a team, you've got to listen to your teammates. You've got to have faith in them, trust in them. But when two of your teammates just keep saying 'no,' 'that won't work,' 'we don't want to do that,' you get to the point where you can only say and do so much. They already had a connection that I wasn't apart of.
TVGuide.com: What was your most memorable moment of your experience? Duarte: Getting through the Today show challenge and winning. That's something I've fought with all my career. I don't like to get in front of people and do demos. I get nervous and flustered. So to do that two-and-a-half minute presentation, I was just so proud of myself. It was like a stepping stone for me. One of the main reasons I did the show was to get over the fear of speaking in front of people and presenting cooking in front of people. For me it was definitely growth experience.
TVGuide.com: What's next for you? Duarte: My husband [who's also a chef] and I own a restaurant in Montclair, NJ called CulinAriane — and we've quickly outgrown it! Since the show, we're full from the minute we open to the minute we close. It's been awesome. We're looking to expand, and I'm toying with the idea of doing a cookbook. I'd love to do some consulting too. But right now, we're dedicated to the restaurant, and I have two girls, 13 and 11, so that takes up a lot of time. [Laughs]
Link to the article: http://www.tvguide.com/News/Chefs-Ariane-Interview-1001728.aspx (http://www.tvguide.com/News/Chefs-Ariane-Interview-1001728.aspx)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 16, 2009, 05:13:20 PM
An interview with Ariane:
Top Chef Exit Interview: Episode Eight
This week on Top Chef, the dwindling cheftestants took a field trip to Blue Hill at Stone Barns to worship at the sustainable altar of Dan Barber. Working in teams of three, the chefs prepared meals around proteins of chicken, lamb, or pork. Team Chicken kept it simple, stupid, and won with a chicken cutlet. The pork team foolishly stripped the meat of its delicious fat, but their fried green tomatoes allowed for a slight edge over Team Lamb's poorly tied roast. Montclair chef Ariane Duarte, who in a previous episode proved adept at lamb, packed her knives and went through the tunnel. She spoke to us today.
What did you think of the challenge? Were you on Top Chef or Top Butcher? Trying to collaborate as a team when you have two people who have already established a relationship and kind of being that third wheel, it was kind of difficult.
It seems like you didn’t get to do any of the cooking. I cooked the lamb. I made the sauce. [Hosea] did potatoes and something else, and [Leah] did the salad. There wasn’t really that much to do. Maybe we just didn’t do enough.
Did you expect to be eliminated? I took a chance. I did something that maybe I wasn’t so familiar with. I never gave up, I never stopped communicating with my teammates. When it came to judges’ table, it all just fell on me and everyone just stood there. I definitely thought it was going to be Radhika. And then when her team won for the green tomatoes, I knew we were in trouble. You learn how the judges speak — all they talked about was the lamb, and that was me.
But you certainly had a good run on the show. Many people thought you’d be eliminated in the first two weeks. Were you proud of your time there? One of the reasons I tried out for the show was to grow as a person in front of a camera and to prove to myself that I could cook under pressure and take on all these challenges. When you’ve been in the restaurant business for as long as I have, you get a little stagnant. I definitely grew as a person. I’m definitely proud of myself. I had some really great wins.
This week’s winning dish was a chicken cutlet, reinforcing the notion that Top Chef rewards simplicity. Is your cooking straightforward? Absolutely. Sometimes, less is more. If you get crazy, you can really make a mess of it.
Who was your favorite judge? I felt Tom had it out for me. I love Padma. When I left, she really stood up for me.
Are you looking to open a restaurant here in New York? I’ve been approached by several people, but I think I’m staying in Jersey right now. This is home. We love where we’re at and we have some wonderful customers. Montclair has been great to us.
What advice do you have for future contestants? Sometimes, to be simple isn’t bad.
Link to the article: http://nymag.com/daily/food/2009/01/top_chef_exit_interview_episod_3.html (http://nymag.com/daily/food/2009/01/top_chef_exit_interview_episod_3.html)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on January 16, 2009, 07:26:18 PM
Thanks Apskip for the recaps and Marigold for your treasure trove of articles. :-*
Interesting comment from Chef Colicchio, he didn't think using the green tomatoes was the best idea when there were beautiful ripened ones available. (I confess, I just LOVE fresh vine ripened tomatoes.)
We're getting down to the finals and I see a few that I believe are the outstanding chefs, the Restaurant Wars episode should be revealing. Can't wait!
I like Stefan, Fabio and Jeff, I see them as the top three chefs. I'm not impressed with Leah or Jamie. I thought it was lame that Leah offered to tie the lamb but did a crappy job of it, but took no responsibility for how uneven they were rolled. What do the rest of you think? Am I all mutton and not lamb? :angel:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 16, 2009, 09:21:31 PM
Thanks Apskip for the recaps and Marigold for your treasure trove of articles. :-*
Interesting comment from Chef Colicchio, he didn't think using the green tomatoes was the best idea when there were beautiful ripened ones available. (I confess, I just LOVE fresh vine ripened tomatoes.)
We're getting down to the finals and I see a few that I believe are the outstanding chefs, the Restaurant Wars episode should be revealing. Can't wait!
I like Stefan, Fabio and Jeff, I see them as the top three chefs. I'm not impressed with Leah or Jamie. I thought it was lame that Leah offered to tie the lamb but did a crappy job of it, but took no responsibility for how uneven they were rolled. What do the rest of you think? Am I all mutton and not lamb? :angel:
:lol: Like a little lamb hopping in the meadow of course
I was just looking at Fabio's restaurant it's very very nice inside and a really good menu
Why doesn't he cook like that on the show
Link to his site: http://www.cafefirenze.net/home.cfm (http://www.cafefirenze.net/home.cfm)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on January 18, 2009, 05:13:14 PM
His restaurant is beautiful and it seems he wanted only the best of ingredients even importing them for authenticity. I don't know why he isn't standing out but I do believe he will be one of the final three or four. Won't it be interesting to see how the restaurant war works out. Will Fabio step and lead? He hasn't won any quick fire contests either, but I'm not sure how much that enters into the finals, other than keeping the winner safe at the judging.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 19, 2009, 11:18:55 PM
An interesting article:
‘Top Chef’s’ Tom Colicchio Turns Hero At D.C. Dinner Party
“Top Chef’s” Tom Colicchio went from celebrity judge to hero over the weekend, after saving the life of a fellow foodie.
According to the Food Association, Colicchio performed the Heimlich maneuver on Joan Nathan, a cookbook author at the Art.Food.Hope fundraising dinner in Washington, D.C.
Nathan reportedly began choking on chicken when Colicchio was forced to spring into action and perform the move, which dislodged the food from her windpipe.
“I just happened to be nearby,” the judge told a Food Association blogger of his safety move.
Colicchio is currently starring in Season 5 of Bravo TV’s “Top Chef,” in New York City.
Link to the article: http://www.accesshollywood.com/top-chefs-tom-colicchio-turns-hero-at-dc-dinner-party_article_13138 (http://www.accesshollywood.com/top-chefs-tom-colicchio-turns-hero-at-dc-dinner-party_article_13138)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 20, 2009, 12:14:55 AM
.... more about Colicchio:
Tom Colicchio: Hero
There’s a phenomenon in journalism called “burying the lede”: It’s when a writer buries the factoid or argument that makes his story interesting deep in the body of the piece. I do not mean to bury my lede. So here it is: Earlier tonight, Tom Colicchio saved Joan Nathan’s life.
Joan Nathan is a James Beard-award winning cookbook author best known for her books Jewish Cooking in America and The New American Cooking. She lives in Washington, DC. Which is how, presumably, she came to host a sprawling party for the Art.Food.Hope inaugural events benefiting DC Central Kitchen and Martha’s Table. It was, well, very DC. Bob Woodward was there, and so was Carl Bernstein. Jeff Toobin was in the corner and Rachel Maddow wandered through.
But it wasn’t just politicos. Art.Food.Hope is a set of 12 fundraising dinner parties organized by Ayelet Waldman and Alice Waters and catered by an array of accomplished chefs, most of whom were in attendance at Nathan’s soiree. Jose Andres presided boisterously over the proceedings, and some of his kitchen staff spent the night in the front yard roasting a lamb. Daniel Boulud worked the room, Najmieh Batmanglij — whose son turns out to be in Vampire Weekend, oddly enough — spooned Persian wedding rice onto plates, Dan Barber ambled about, Lydia Bastianich floated through a couple of times, and Tom Colicchio was pinned against the banister deflecting fans (there is grassroots anger over last week’s elimination). Which is how he ended up standing next to Nathan when a chunk of chicken went down her wind pipe.
I was in the next room concentrating on a plate of lamb sausage. Alice Waters flung herself into the banister behind me. She was shouting. “Does anyone know the Heimlich maneuver?” She ran back. This is not what you want to hear at a dinner party. Moreover, this is not what you want to hear in the room full of chefs. Don’t they teach the Heimlich at the CIA? Moments later, Waters appeared again. “It’s okay,” she breathed.
What happened in the interim was this: Tom Colicchio knew the Heimlich maneuver. And the Top Chef judge performed it. On Joan Nathan. So not only can Colicchio run multiple restaurants and anchor a cooking show and win five James Beard awards and cook for the rescure workers after 9/11, but he can save your life. Versatile guy. Think he’d be willing to manage the stimulus package?
Incidentally, I managed to chat with Colicchio and Nathan a bit later in the evening. Colicchio was modest. “I just happened to be nearby,” he shrugged. Nathan was more effusive, “He’s so strong!”
Link to the article: http://internetfoodassociation.wordpress.com/2009/01/19/tom-colicchio-hero/ (http://internetfoodassociation.wordpress.com/2009/01/19/tom-colicchio-hero/)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 20, 2009, 01:45:13 PM
EMERIL LAGASSE GUEST JUDGES ON BRAVO'S 'TOP CHEF' AS THE SERIES MOVES TO NEW ORLEANS ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18 AT 10 PM ET/PT
Released by Bravo
The Finalists Heat Up The Competition As A Winner Is Named On Wednesday, February 25 At 10 PM ET/PT
The final chef'testants will need to "kick it up a notch" to impress famed chef and restaurateur Emeril Lagasse in the eclectic city of New Orleans on Bravo's "Top Chef," with a supersized episode and a shocking twist that changes the face of game as the field is narrowed from four to three on Wednesday, February 18 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The three finalists face an extra special challenge and the winner will be revealed on Wednesday, February 25 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, on the season finale of "Top Chef: New York."
Lagasse, chef/proprietor of Emeril's Restaurant, NOLA, and Emeril's Delmonico in New Orleans said about his experience on "Top Chef": "In Louisiana, we have an amazing selection of local ingredients: andouille sausage, frog legs, turtle, catfish and rabbit. I was interested in seeing if the chefs would venture out and really try to explore our local flavors and culture. The challenge for some was finding a balance between the bold spices we love and their own personal style. All I can say is that you'll definitely want to go back for seconds for some of their final dishes!"
Want more "Top Chef" during season five's final days? Go to www.BravoTV.com for our special countdown, "14 Days of Finale," an extra helping of exclusive videos available only online and sponsored by Toyota. Beginning February 4 and leading up to part one of the finale on February 18, fans can watch clips of Bravo's Andy Cohen conducting exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews with the series' judges and cast. Fans are also treated to a webisode series sponsored by Toyota called "Gail in the City: A Culinary Adventure," hosted by judge Gail Simmons. Join Simmons as she takes you to her favorite foodie hotspots in New York. Find out which Italian cheese she describes as "oozalicious," the cookbook her great grandmother contributed to, and which out-of-the-way restaurant has the best fries.
For the first time ever, fans will have a say in a future episode of "Top Chef." During part one of the finale, viewers will be asked to vote on what they'd like to see in a Quickfire challenge featured in season six of "Top Chef," with voting on www.BravoTV.com and via text message
Next week on "Top Chef: New York"…it's baaaaaaack! The always anticipated episode, Restaurant Wars – where the chef'testants must create every aspect of a restaurant in 24 hours – in a supersized episode, Wednesday, January 21 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Restaurateur Stephen Starr, owner of Starr Restaurants (including Buddakan and Morimoto in New York), serves as guest judge.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 20, 2009, 02:11:45 PM
An interesting article:
Top Chef Finale Secrets Revealed!
Yes, Top Chef fans, we heard you! We're happy to announce that Top Chef: New York's finale will take place in ... NEW ORLEANS! You've been leaving comments on our Top Chef blogs for seasons now, urging us to head down to the bayou, and now we are. New Orleans staple Emeril Lagasse will serve as guest judge. So, bam! (Sorry -- I couldn't resist.)
A supersized episode and a shocking twist will change the face of game as the field is narrowed from four to three on Wednesday, February 18 at 10/9c. The three finalists face an extra special challenge and the winner will be revealed on Wednesday, February 25 at 10/9c on the season finale.
Little lamb what did you think about tonights episode
I would have sent Radhika home for not ever stepping it up and taking responsiblity
Carla for her lack of respect towards Tom the judges and everyone who dined and had to eat her love cake
and finally Leah I probably got a hundred reasons why, that leaves us with a top 5 in my ideal world :lol:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 21, 2009, 11:08:31 PM
Tom Colicchio's Blog:
Restaurant Woes
Before discussing this week's challenge, I'd like to take a moment to address Ariane's dismissal last week. The reasoning behind it is pretty clear cut (pun intended): The lamb was the worst dish of the three. It was the worst dish because of how it was butchered. Ariane butchered the meat. Ergo, Ariane was sent home. It doesn't matter that the other two sat back and allowed it. We judges didn't know that. What we knew was that Ariane chose to assume the responsibility of butchering the meat, and she ruined it. Had one of the other dishes been worse, we'd have ascertained why and dismissed the person responsible for that.
The response to last week's elimination of Ariane was mammoth; I'm sure folks will respond in similar number and fashion to the judges' decision this week. Viewers will be outraged that Sunset beat out Sahana and that Radhika was sent home. But as one of the judges, I can assure you that were you there in a judge's capacity, you would have weighed the variables before you, deliberated them all, and been comfortable with the decision that was made, tough as the call was.
Remember two things: First, a lot happens, and it cannot all be put into a one-hour episode. We experienced the two restaurants more fully than could possibly be presented on TV, and editing choices largely determine how the material is perceived by the viewer. And conversely -- and I've said this before -- we judges were not privy to what was happening behind the scenes. The drama between Leah and Hosea? We had no idea. The lack of morale in the Sunset kitchen? Invisible to us. The laudable teamwork and positivity among the Sahana chefs? Equally out of our sight. We were patrons of the two restaurants, plain and simple. Those two dining experiences, coupled with the feedback of the other patrons, shaped our decision. And don't forget that while it may have been close, the other patrons favored Sunset over Sahana.
There are many factors that likely influenced the majority of the patrons. Remember that last impressions may color the overall experience: the desserts soared at Sunset and tanked at Sahana, and Fabio left each patron feeling cared for specially, while Radhika failed to even bid us farewell at the end of the evening. A restaurant is equal parts service and food. It has been shown that most people will return to a restaurant if the service is good, even if the food was merely OK. Fabio embraced his role at the front of the house; Radhika never did.
But it goes farther than that. A chef/owner of a restaurant must exhibit leadership and executive decision-making in all aspects of the restaurant from the kitchen stoves to the front door. Radhika completely turned the running of the kitchen over to Jamie, Jeff, and Carla. She did not assert her preferences while the other chefs shaped the dishes to be served in her restaurant, nor did she oversee their execution. She asked Carla if Carla wanted help when the desserts were failing, when she should have stepped in and asserted what she wanted Carla to do to remedy them. And while it might have been argued that a chef'testant in her position might have failed in the kitchen because she was so immersed in her responsibilities at the front of the house, this was not the case with Radhika, as she was not present and performing in that capacity either. Her nerves seem to have gotten the better of her, and she expended nervous energy in an unfocused way, letting down her kitchen staff and her patrons alike. As a result, while with the exception of dessert, the food may have been better at Sahana, the overall package was better at Sunset. We just felt better there. Factoring in all the variables, we all agreed that we had an overall more pleasant and pleasurable experience.
The ability to create great food is the first and most important ability a chef must have. But as I wrote in the on-air elimination challenge earlier this season, being a Top Chef requires more. That earlier challenge and Restaurant Wars this week gave our chefs an opportunity to learn about the other skill sets they need to hone to make it to and stay at the Top.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 21, 2009, 11:15:35 PM
:) Toby Young's Blog:
The Weakest Link
Who in their right mind would launch a new restaurant, particularly in today's economy? Restaurants are a bit like Broadway shows in that the failures vastly outnumber the successes and anyone investing in them is almost guaranteed to lose money. Indeed, it is such a tough business that the lifespan of a particular restaurant should be measured in dog years rather than real time: a restaurant that has stayed open for 10 years is the equivalent of any other business surviving for 70.
I have to confess, if I was reviewing either Sahana or Sunset Lounge - the two restaurants cooked up by the remaining contestants in last night's episode - I wouldn't rate their chances. These days, it's not enough to offer good food and great service in the right location; you've got to be original, too. And the problem with both Sahana and Sunset Lounge is that there are hundreds of almost identical restaurants in New York City.
They both offered pan-Asian cuisine, possibly in a misguided attempt to impress Stephen Starr, this week's guest judge who owns Buddakan, Morimoto, and a dozen other modern Asian restaurants. Done well, this food can be mouth-wateringly good, but it is all too easy for the region's distinct flavors to become muddled up and watered-down and you end up with a generic mish-mash. That was true of Sahana and Sunset Lounge.
Many people watching the show last night will have thought that Leah ought to have gone and concluded that the only reason she remains is because the producers want to keep alive the romantic subplot involving her and Hosea. In fact, the producers don't try and influence the judges' decisions one way or another and the reason Leah survived is because she was lucky enough to be a member of the winning team. That was largely due to the quality of Stefan's desserts. In effect, Leah was saved from elimination by the fact that Stefan was on her team - which is ironic, considering she picked him last.
Were we right to eliminate Radhika? I think so. She wasn't the weakest cook on her team - that prize would have to go to Carla, at least on this occasion - but she was the weakest link. As team leader, Radhika had to bare some responsibility for the failure of Carla's desserts -- and if you couple that with the fact that she was a very lackluster front-of-house presence, she deserved to go. With the benefit of hindsight, Radhika should have put Carla in charge of meeting and greeting - a job she would have done well - and volunteered to do the desserts herself.
After three episodes of judging Top Chef, it is clear that there is no such thing as a "safe" contestant. No matter how good a particular chef is, he or she can have an off night and that is enough to send them home. In the end, it is less about culinary skill than it is about character - about how you react under pressure. I have no doubt that Radhika is an excellent chef, but in last night's episode she dropped the ball.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 22, 2009, 10:20:55 AM
Top chef Burning Questions:
Radhika: Not Bitter
Bravotv.com: First, Padma announces that it's Restaurant Wars, what was going through your mind?
As with any challenge, I'm very anxious, but this is probably more exciting than any other challenge posed. I know that because I'm the executive chef at a restaurant, I have an advantage over the contestants that are caterers, hotel chefs, or sous chefs. I feel confident in my food and that's what the competition is about. I'm also immediately thinking "Who's going to be on my team?" Everyone left is super talented, but everyone also has their faults. My mind is literally spinning at this point, but in a good way.
Bravotv.com: Have you been waiting for this all season?
I actually had been waiting for the finale all season with Restaurant Wars coming in at a distant second. But, I've always dreamed of opening my own restaurant, as most chefs have, so it makes for a great challenge. It came later in the season than for last season's chefs, so I was a bit thrown off when Padma announced it. But I was definitely excited.
Bravotv.com: What was the inspiration for your dish? Were you surprised that Mr. Starr chose it?
Starr wanted a dish that would blow him away and convince him to open a restaurant with us. I immediately thought of my homemade roasted spice mix which was in my secret ingredients. I picked a very buttery fish (black cod) to season it with and four of my very favorite ingredients ... chorizo, cream, saffron, and spinach. He loved it as much as I do and chose me as the best of the two Quickfire Challenge winners (the other being Leah).
Bravotv.com: Why did you choose the team you did? Stefan seems to really rub you the wrong way, did you two get along at all?
I was given the first choice of the remaining six contestants. I chose Jamie first because I have a lot of respect for her talent. She's practical, she's just the right level of bitchy, she knows good food, and we work together well. Next I chose Carla because she's also very sensible and has a deep passion for food and being the best. Next I chose Jeff. He's a great chef, but I honestly chose him because the only other choice was Stefan, which brings me to the next subject.
Stefan is a very talented chef. He's also an @$$hole. Not in a bad way, that's just who he is. Now that we are done with the show, I consider him a friend and respect him as a chef, and I think he would say the same for me. But on the show, he had a few people who he rubbed the wrong way with his confidence and unrelenting vision (I guess that is nicest way I can say that he is cocky and stubborn). From early on, I knew his attitude was something that I couldn't deal with. One episode I called him the devil, another we fought in the stew room, and another he accused me of bashing his dish because I somehow knew it was his. Maybe it was my downfall, but I thought the best thing I could do, was to try to keep his attitude (and talent) on the other team.
Bravotv.com: Why did you choose front of house?
The others on my team seemed pretty reluctant to do that job, so I stepped up, even though I was very nervous about it and would have rather been in the kitchen. I also convinced myself that it would be better for me to be in front so I could explain my concept and attach a genuine face and passion with the product.
Bravotv.com: What did you think your responsibilities were? Do you think you upheld them?
I knew I had a lot on my plate, especially since people lie, cheat, and steal to get reservations for Top Chef Restaurant Wars. That means huge expectations and incredible pressure. I had to make sure the serving staff was well informed and represented myself and the chefs well. I think they did that. The big thing about being in the front of the house is that you have to constantly give the impression that everything is going just as you planned. In the kitchen, something goes wrong, you react, and you go with it. But in the front, no matter how bad things are going, you can't let the customers see it. I've been told you can read my emotions all over my face, so for that reason I probably would have been better in the kitchen. If I had it to do over again, I would have put Carla and her smiling face up front.
Overall, I was just proud to make it as far as I did. And best of all, the concept and name of my restaurant were inspired by my beautiful niece Sahana (which means strong, powerful, and resilient). For me, this episode is bittersweet. I was booted, but I was able to express my style of food and create a beautiful restaurant inspired by my family and do something for my niece that the judges can never take away.
I tried my best to accommodate everyone on the show. I know I don't have an aggressive personality, but in my mind humility and kindness go much farther than sarcasm and pompousness. My life will go on after Top Chef. I may have appeared too polite and timid to the guests, but I'd take that as a fault any day.
Bravotv.com: What did you think of the dishes you put out?
I was upset initially that I was eliminated from Top Chef, not having actually been judged on something that I'd cooked. But I did think that my teammates' dishes were very good, with the exception of Carla's desserts. he had performed well in the dessert area in previous challenges and I thought because of that her desserts would sing. I was mistaken.
Bravotv.com: What did you think of the judges' reaction?
I wasn't really surprised by their reactions, but I was surprised by their decision. Toby "the imperialist" Young totally insulted me by saying he felt like he was at a funeral. He's all about shock value, which works for him I guess. It got him the job I guess. Padma was lovely and cordial as always, and had some good insights. Tom sounded frustrated with me and disappointed. I never got the impression he liked me much, maybe that's just his way. I would have liked it if he would have pronounced my name correctly at least once. (Listen to how Padma says it, Tom). Starr was sad to see me go, I think. He loved my food and knows I have a talent. Call me Mr. Starr!!
Bravotv.com: Do you think your team should have won? Do you think someone else deserved to go home?
I think we should have won based on the fact that our food was better overall. Leah's fish was raw and had bones in it! I brought a spoon to the table 40 seconds late and I go home!? I'm not bitter, I promise. I think every episode, there are several options for who can go home. It comes down to what the judges want and what they feel is best for the show, and my personality doesn't offer as much drama as some other contestants. Yes, I think we should have won. We were the better team.
Bravotv.com: Where can your fans find you and your cooking?
I'm still cooking my @$$ off at Between Boutique Café & Lounge in Chicago at 1324 N Milwaukee where patrons can judge my food for themselves, including the weapons of mass destruction soup. I also have a Web site where fans can keep up with me and read my reactions to the show. It's RadhikaDesai.com.
Little lamb what did you think about tonights episode I would have sent Radhika home for not ever stepping it up and taking responsiblity Carla for her lack of respect towards Tom the judges and everyone who dined and had to eat her love cake and finally Leah I probably got a hundred reasons why, that leaves us with a top 5 in my ideal world :lol:
I agree, Radhika didn't step up, she stepped backwards. She allowed Jamie to be the leader but still had the responsibility for the restaurant. I think she was so nervous that it didn't register that she wasn't really doing her part in the front of the house, nor did it even dawn on her that Carla was asking for advice and direction when she was still preparing the dessert dishes. At that point, they could have gone a different way. Carla's reasoning was hilarious to me. She was sending love out. :funny: (Except it tasted awful.)
I really don't see Hosea as that strong a chef, certainly not a leader even though he's won 1 quickfire and a 2 challenges. I thought it was petty when he said that Stephan was probably sabotaging the other chefs.
I would have been more than happy to see Leah go home, if for no other reason than she (probably) lost her professional status with the other chefs, she didn't focus on the challenge that's for sure.
The dumbest move of all for Rhadika and Leah, not choosing Stephan first. He's the strongest one there and proved it by expediting and doing desserts, saving his yogurt when the cooler wasn't cold by improvising with ice. (Something that Carla could have done but didn't.)
Who are your favorite 5 Marigold?
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on January 22, 2009, 04:41:58 PM
Texas Lady,
As a knowledgeable viewer I am offering my thoughts on your top 5 question. I agree that it isn't Leah or Carla, both of whom should be eliminated soon. I think the top 5 are:
Stefan (who chose desserts so he could do his own thing and not get into the bind Hosea predicted) Fabio Jaime (I pikced her before Top Chef 5 based on her background) Hosea Jeff
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on January 22, 2009, 05:08:09 PM
As a knowledgeable viewer I am offering my thuoghts on your top 5 question. I agree that it isn't Leah or Carla, both of whom should be elimnated soon. I think the top 5 are:
Stefan (who chose desserts so he could do his own thiing and not get into the bind Hosea predicted) Fabio Jaime (I picked her before Top Chef 5 based on her background) Hosea Jeff
Apskip: I always value your opinion because you are so knowledgeable. (And modest I might add.) I agree with your top five.
For me, Stefan has stood out from the first quickfire, which I believe he won. (3 Challenges, 2 Quickfires.) Fabio also is a standout. (Won 2 Challenges, no Quickfires.)
I think Jamie is a very good leader as well, she does it easily and her team mates don't even realize it. (3 Challenges, no Quickfires.) I can't say she stood out for me until the past few weeks though.
Hosea, 2 Challenges, 1 Quickfire and Jeff, no wins but still deserves to be in the top five.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 22, 2009, 06:07:53 PM
Ok Padma I have read endless articles suggesting she is a gold digger. Up until now I really thought it was frivolous.
What on earth at a vivacious 38 do you have in common with a man nearly 70 years of age.
An interesting article about the gold digger: http://nymag.com/daily/food/2009/01/leggo_my_padma.html (http://nymag.com/daily/food/2009/01/leggo_my_padma.html)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 22, 2009, 06:10:58 PM
Your absolutely right TL I really enjoyed reading your post
Why did they choose Stefan last he works hard and is a great cook I think they feel threatened by him because they know he could win this. I don’t how much of it is a matter of Stefan being a jerk and difficult to work with Jamie did get him to work with her on the previous episode. I think Stefan’s assertiveness can be mistaken for being a jerk and hard to get along with but it can be a good quality to have or you end up walking around looking like Radhika where you can just see she lacks confidence.
At the same time honestly Stefan does need to tone it down a bit he can’t be as stubborn and unapproachable as he is. It’s ideal to enjoy the company of your team and co workers so I think he needs to work on that.
Fabio is soooo charming you can’t help but smile when you see him it’s a great quality to have and is something that Stefan really lacks that said both men are really good cooks.
As I previously stated I would like to see Leah and Carla go next and I would love to see the remainder as final 5 that would be a great group and I would love to see who comes out a winner.
I have no idea who will win it but I am really looking forward to see who does.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 22, 2009, 06:22:41 PM
An interesting article an interview with Radhika:
Top Chef Exit Interview: Episode Nine
Halfway through our hometown season of Top Chef, the producers turned up the heat and gave us Restaurant Wars. One team offered up great food, terrible desserts, and nonexistent service. The other offered bony, undercooked cod, nasty amuses-bouches, and coddling service from the likes of Fabio. This being Top Chef and ostensibly a cooking competition, the judges chose good service over good eats. Though Carla was to blame for not one, but two, awful desserts, the judges' ax fell on the head of team leader Radhika Desai, a devastating loss given that she had won the Quickfire. And even though she thinks food always trumps service, she didn't sound too sad on the phone today.
Watching the episode last night, what was your first thought? I was just looking forward to winning the Quickfire.
Was it an accurate representation of what happened, do you think? Yeah. I was definitely fragile and running around. I could have managed things better.
Were you overwhelmed? I was completely overwhelmed. It was a lot of things to do in a little bit of time and it was a lot of pressure.
It’s interesting that you and Leah won, because you’re two of the younger contestants. Do you think if someone else had been running the show you wouldn’t have been eliminated? In hindsight, I should have designated Jeff or Jamie, who are stronger personalities, in the front of the house. I would have rather been in the kitchen cooking. But it was my concept and they were a little hesitant to take that role, so I took it.
Do you have any front-of-house experience? Very, very little. I worked in restaurants for a long time, but I’ve never been directly responsible for doing that, no.
When you heard some of the judges’ criticisms about how you should have been more present or at least been around to say good-bye, had those things even crossed your mind? Not at that point. I did want to serve them good food and give them good service. I didn’t want to be all over them at the table. Maybe that came across as neglecting them, but that was not my intention at all.
It’s upsetting because your team had better food. They preferred the service over the food. If they would rather be served raw fish with scales in it, I can’t help that.
Do you care more about service than food? No, of course not. For me, food is number one.
Do you disagree with their decision? Of course I would have wanted to stay on the show longer. But I was the leader. It was my responsibility to carry the team to win, and I didn’t do that. So if you look at it that way, I did deserve to go home.
So what did you learn on the show? Do you feel like you changed as a chef? I’m trying to become a lion and not be a lamb.
What was your favorite challenge? This was it. Even though I got eliminated, this was the most challenging and the most fun to watch. I was excited that I won the Quickfire and that I was able to have [the restaurant] be my concept.
You work and live in Chicago, which is another great foodie city. How do you think it stacks up next to New York? The chef and food community is a little bit smaller [in Chicago], so it’s more friendly. In New York it’s so competitive and overwhelming, and I don’t feel like it’s that way here, even though there are so many great restaurants here too.
What about your opinions on the judges? Were there any that you really liked or disliked? Some criticisms were better-taken and more constructive than others. Gail was only there for a few episodes, but she seemed more genuine than the other judges. And Tom is always honest. No bull****.
What about Toby Young? He seems kind of ridiculous. I’m sure he has an awesome palate and he’s a great food critic, but for whatever reason he just made some really not — it didn’t seem constructive. It was a little bit insulting.
Do you have any advice, based on your experiences, for future contestants on the show? Just work hard, be really confident. Be confident in yourself and your food. And don’t take **** from anybody.
Link to the article: http://nymag.com/daily/food/2009/01/top_chef_exit_interview_episod_4.html (http://nymag.com/daily/food/2009/01/top_chef_exit_interview_episod_4.html)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 22, 2009, 06:31:12 PM
An interview with Radhika:
Top Chef Elimination: Was It Fair?
It wasn't her cooking skills that got sweet-faced, soft-spoken Radhika booted from Top Chef last night. It was her management skills that left the judges unimpressed. "Rad" was told to pack her knives after she failed to lead her team, Sahana, to victory over Leah's Sunset Lounge during the all-important restaurant war.
But isn't Top Chef about cooking good food? So why on earth did Leah get to stay despite serving undercooked fish to the judges? Maybe it's because Leah makes better television—she and fellow cheftestant Hosea have been getting quite cozy even though they have significant others back at home.
I caught up with Radhika this morning from her home in Chicago, where she's executive chef at Between Boutique Café & Lounge, to dish on her elimination...
What happened last night? You so didn't deserve to go home. I just didn't do a good job of managing my team, and they didn't like the fact that I didn't cook anything.
Yeah, but Leah served them undercooked fish! She could have poisoned the judges. Bad service, undercooked fish and scales…But it's not just about cooking. It's managing the front of the house and everything else.
Do you think the producers kept Leah and Hosea because of the possible romance drama they're bringing to the show? It's a TV show, right? I'm not gonna say one way or the other why, but it's a TV show.
Are they a couple now or are they still with their boyfriend and girlfriend back home? I know they're good friends, but that's all I know so far.
Totally off the subject, but Oscar nominations were announced this morning. What's your favorite movie of the year? Slumdog Millionaire! I'm going to try to get the cast here so I can cook for them [laughs]. It makes me feel like going back to India. My family lives in all those areas that they showed. It's inspired me to go back.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on January 22, 2009, 07:36:55 PM
The authors of the above 2 interviews with Radhika are off the mark in my opinion. While cooking great food is the primary objective of regular episodes of Top Chef, that is not true for Restaurant Wars. The cheftestants are told up front that food, design, decor, and service are all important. As I recall hearing it, the main course food was marginally better for Sahana, but it was not a huge margin. The authors neglected to mention Hosea's braised beef, which was the dish I heard talked about as the best. The desserts of Stefan obliterated the desserts of Carla. Design/decor was even in my judgement. The service/front of the house for Sunset Lounge was clearly superior. It looks to me like Sunset Lounge won 2 of the 4 categories and was only a slight bit behind on another. The conclusion of that authors that Sahana should have won ignores these facts(facts because those are the judges' expressed views and not just mine).
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 22, 2009, 09:05:13 PM
Another interview with Radhika:
Top Chef's Radhika Talks "Restaurant Wars" Loss
Radhika Naren Desai made the mistake of becoming her team's leader during Wednesday's "Restaurant Wars" challenge on Top Chef; trying to "make people happy" may have been what landed her on the chopping block. Naren Desai, an executive chef from Chicago, tells TVGuide.com why she decided to take on the front-of-house duty, what was behind her defeated appearance at the Judges' Table and why she was so good at "Quickfires."
TVGuide.com: Why did you let Jeff stay in the kitchen if you initially wanted him on front-of-the-house? Radhika: He was just a little reluctant and really wanted to be in the kitchen. I just wanted to make people happy and didn't want to force him to do anything he didn't want to do, which, in hindsight, I should have. I had very little experience with front-of-house work but thought that because it was my concept, I'd be able to explain it and pull it off. It definitely wasn't easy and really was exhausting. I did the best I could under the circumstances.
TVGuide.com: What was going through your head during Judges' Table? Radhika: I was just really exhausted. I just talked to my mom and she was like, "You looked really tired — almost relieved." I was really tired because it had been a long couple of days. At that point, I just couldn't fight anymore. I was the leader and was responsible. Even though I didn't cook anything, with "Restaurant Wars," you have to be able to do everything. The other teams' dessert and Fabio's personality saved them. If the judges would rather have a good jokester personality and eat raw fish, then I don't know.
TVGuide.com: You often did well with Quickfires, but not the Elimination Challenge dishes that followed. Why was that? Radhika: I don't know. I did what I thought was good. I guess I'm better under pressure with the quick, right-away dishes. I mean, when you have immunity, of course you want to do really good food, but a lot of the pressure is taken off when you're not going home. But that didn't mean I put any less effort than into it.
TVGuide.com: Initially, you said you didn't want to be pigeonholed as the Indian chef, but often used those flavors. What changed? Radhika: Nothing changed. I didn't want to be the chef who makes Indian food, and I didn't do that. I made food influenced by my culture in different ways, and that's what I wanted to express. I wanted to take what I learned in life and transform it into something modern, original and my own idea.
TVGuide.com: What was the hardest part of the experience? Radhika: The not knowing. The first few minutes before going into a challenge were the hardest part. All I'd think is "I hope I don't throw up" or "I hope I don't look like an a--hole on TV." [Laughs]
I had very little experience with front-of-house work
I don’t think Radhika has a valid excuse she keeps stating she has never tended or lacks experience in the front of a restaurant
Good grief surely she must have gone to restaurant sometime in her life and witnessed what happens it’s no excuse.
Let’s face it Radhika didn’t want to do anything during the challenge.
Had she of choose to cook she would have hid behind a cob of corn for hours and that’s all you get out of her.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on January 23, 2009, 08:32:13 AM
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Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on January 23, 2009, 08:52:29 AM
Top Chef 5 Episode 9 Recap
Padma introduces the chefs to Steven Starr, a restaurant entrepreneur, the Guest Judge for the episode. He says that Restaurant Wars is about Food, Design, Décor, Service, and Ambiance. It starts with a Quickfire challenge of creating a concept for a new restaurant and making food to match, all in 30 minutes. The winners will each head the Restaurant Wars teams. Here are the concepts and signature dishes:
Stefan - "old stuff from Europe"; fried white asparagus with trout, asparagus salad, white asparagus soup Fabio - complete Mediterranean meal of appetizer, salad, main course; tuna and swordfish carpaccio, roasted vegetable salad, filet mignon sandwich (Steven says needs salt) Hosea - Mediterranean seafood; shrimp with morel mushroom cream sauce, garlic potato puree, poached asparagus Jeff - simple and fresh; grilled salmon w/ sunchoke, artichoke puree, grilled corn and asparagus salad Jaime - seasonal cooking; Chilean sea bass w/ creamed corn, bacon, peas and garlic scape(flower stem for those like me who did not know what this is and thought it sounded strange) Radhika - no articulated concept that I could discern; pan-seared cod, butter braised corn, spinach, chorizo w/ cream sauce (Steven says good seasoning) Leah - Asian; tempura poussin w/ soy sauce and rice wine vinegar (Steven says tasty) Carla - homemade rustic foods; cod seared in tomato oil with Italian salsa and mache green salad (Steven says it need salt)
Before this started, Jaime stated that she did not want to win because the winners would be in charge for Restaurant Wars and the head of the losing team almost always is eliminated.
Fabio and Jeff did not have to worry about that, as they were rated Worst by Steven Starr. The winners were Radhika and Leah. Radhika picked Jaime, Carla and Jeff, Radhika picked Hosea and Fabio and was left with Stefan as the unwanted last pick. You would think Stefan is plotting some kind of revenge against both team heads for their reluctance to pick him. Watch what happens, as BRAVO says. Hosea tells you to expect sabotage by Stefan.
There is a brief interlude where the TV audience is shown Hosea and Leah canoodling the prior evening. it looks pretty intense although Hosea claimed that nothing ultimately happened. Leah's statements lead you to infer that something did. The significance of this is that both are now on the same team and there is going to be some reaction to whatever happened. It is going to create a more strained atmosphere on their team because both Hosea and Leah came into the competition with significant others back home.
The concept selected by Leah's team is Asian Influence. The concept for Radhika's team is Middle Eastern/Indian, the Old Spice Trade. Next are the key decisions on who will do what. Leah and Hosea want to work together, so the only possibility is one be exec chef and the other Sous chef. Leah should be and chooses to be Exec Chef. Fabio wants to showcase this skills outside the kitchen, so he elects Front of the House. Stefan chooses to do desserts, where he will be able to be independent and not piss anyone off. Radhika chooses the Front of the House role for herself because nobody else wanted to do it. Jeff and Jaime share the Exec Chef and Sous Chef roles but as best as I can tell they are co-equals. Carla is doing desserts, which is her specialty.
The menu chosen for Sahana (Radhika's team) is: Whole wheat naan bread with garlic oil Curried Carrot Soup w/ smoked paprika oil and raita Grilled Scallops w/ chickpea cake, masala tomato sauce and arugula salad Cinnamon and Saffron Braised Lamb Shank w/ Israeli couscous Seared Snapper, White Lentil Tabouli, tomato water and pea shoots Baklava Cigars Spiced Chocolate Cake, Crème Fromage and Cashew brittle Frozen Yoghurts (Fig and Mint)
The menu chosen for Sunset Lounge (Leah's team) is: Amuse bouche - vegetable rolls with mushrooms, carrots, cabbage, sweet chili sauce Sashimi Two Ways(tuna and salmon, radish salad, yuzu vinaigrette Grilled Beef Short ribs w/ ginger, vegetables and beef demi-glace Coconut Curry Bisque w/ shrimp dumplings Seared Black Cod, fresh vegetables and Chinese cabbage Chocolate Rice Parfait, Grape Jelly and Pineapple Lemongrass and ginger Pannacotta, peach puree, ginger honey Frozen mango, bitter chocolate and mint lollipop
The process for Restaurant Wars is brutal: 1. Plan Menu for 30 minutes 2. Shop for Décor at Pier One with $5000 per team (note - both teasm did well and there was no commentary shown on them as a negative factor for either team) 3. The next morning, spend $3000 each team split between Whole Foods and Restaurant Depot. 4. Prep for 6 hours at Bridgewater, which is possibly realted to Starr 5. Sahana cooks first, then Sunset Lounge
In the shopping, Jeff finds two boxes of lamb shanks in the freezer. Prep starts. There are small bones that give Leah fits in trying to get them out neatly. Hosea comments that she did it wrong, as you should debone before portioning. In the kitchen there are serious equipment problems. Isn't it amazing how this can happen for a major challenge? Do you think maybe some elves were sent in the night before to screw up burners and make a freezer non-functional? Anyway the freezer problem affects both Carla and Stefan as both have sorbets. Carla elects to pray that they will freeze to be enough right. Stefan takes action and creates what looks like a non-stove double-boiler of ice to freeze his sorbet. Leah knows at plating that her cod is a lousy dish. Carla, master of desserts, had problems not only with the sorbet which is understandable, but also with chocolate cake, which should have been a no-brainer for her. She asked for help from Radhika, who was not able to help her with a not-sweet-enough problem.
The Front of the House competition between Radhika and Fabio is instructive. Radhika is introverted and tentative and does not create the right aura for her team. Fabio does fabulous, which matches his prediction that "I'm in the front of the house; we can serve monkey ass in clamshells and they will like it." Strong statements for sure, but he proved to be justified in his self-confidence based on his thick extrovert personality leavened with grace and charm. Radhika spent too much time in the kitchen, leaving the host role vacant. Tom and Padma decided to teach her a lesson she would never forget by just having the Judges Table individuals leave without a goodbye from Radhika because they did not want to wait for her to appear.
The Judges Table discussion summarized by Tom to: Sahana wins the food by a slight margin. Sunset Lounge has a big win Front of the House. Sunset Lounge has a huge win in desserts, The Judges decided to let the tally of the diners' comment cards decide the outcome. It went by a small margin to Sunset Lounge. They picked Sunset Lounge as the close winner. Leah had to take a lot of flak for her cod dish, rated by all to be the worst dish. Stefan is judged the Winner of the evening and wins a set of General Electric appliances.
The losers team is called out. Jaime and Jeff had to explain who did what, but they are off the hook because their dishes were better than the other team's. It is between Carla and Radhika for elimination. Carla messed up the dessert that was impacted by the freezer chaos, but she also messed up a chocolate cake. She was asked why she didn't ask for more help. She responded that others were busy and all she could do was send out her desserts with "a lot of love" accompanying them. That comment really inflamed both Steven Starr and Toby Young. Radhika was told she she should not have been the Front of the House. She said that there was nobody else to do it, but was reminded that she had the option as head of directing Jeff to do it.
The decision was a difficult one that could have gone every way. Radhika was asked to "pack her knives and go." by Padma. What I think is most important is that both of the team leaders were short on experience and that definitely had a negative impact on how their teams functioned. Leah was lucky, as the vote for Sunset Lounge was close. Radhika had a difficult time doing something unfamiliar and her team's failure was strongly influenced by her lack of leadership and individual performance.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 23, 2009, 12:33:42 PM
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Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on January 23, 2009, 04:57:19 PM
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Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 23, 2009, 05:00:39 PM
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Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on January 23, 2009, 05:43:37 PM
Ok Padma I have read endless articles suggesting she is a gold digger. Up until now I really thought it was frivolous.
What on earth at a vivacious 38 do you have in common with a man nearly 70 years of age.
An interesting article about the gold digger: http://nymag.com/daily/food/2009/01/leggo_my_padma.html (http://nymag.com/daily/food/2009/01/leggo_my_padma.html)
UGH, what a snarky gossip piece. Who knows why someone is attracted to someone else. Love that purse though!
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on January 23, 2009, 05:49:53 PM
The authors of the above 2 interviews with Radhika are off the mark in my opinion. While cooking great food is the primary objective of regular episodes of Top Chef, that is not true for Restaurant Wars. The cheftestants are told up front that food, design, decor, and service are all important. As I recall hearing it, the main course food was marginally better for Sahana, but it was not a huge margin. The authors neglected to mention Hosea's braised beef, which was the dish I heard talked about as the best. The desserts of Stefan obliterated the desserts of Carla. Design/decor was even in my judgement. The service/front of the house for Sunset Lounge was clearly superior. It looks to me like Sunset Lounge won 2 of the 4 categories and was only a slight bit behind on another. The conclusion of that authors that Sahana should have won ignores these facts(facts because those are the judges' expressed views and not just mine).
I agree with your assessment Apskip, the guests also gave Sunset Lounge more votes if I remember correctly which also went into the consideration for which restaurant was better. Fabio was his charming self and no doubt his winning ways set the mood for success and Stephan finished it off with wonderful desserts.
Quote
The other teams' dessert and Fabio's personality saved them. If the judges would rather have a good jokester personality and eat raw fish, then I don't know.
(re: Top Chef's Radhika Talks "Restaurant Wars" Loss
Oh I don't agree with this at all! He didn't save them but he was a major part of the ambiance and care for his diners.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on January 23, 2009, 06:07:05 PM
I've been thinking about Radhika. I think she said it in one of her interviews. She was tired and the responsibilities got to her. I wish it had been someone else, Carla or Leah, but in the end, Radhika really isn't experienced enough to take on running a restaurant and it was only a matter of time before she was eliminated.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: tory on January 23, 2009, 08:25:38 PM
jmo but radich looked like she was over it last night.. i am glade carla stayed over her she was realy trying to get help..also what adout the cheating going on, no one has mentioned that.. i feel bad for every one the chifs and the ppl they cheated on . those 2 got caught up in a moment and did try to take it bk.. but i wonder what ends up happening...ooooohhhhh :jam: :jam: :jam:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on January 23, 2009, 09:54:31 PM
jmo but radich looked like she was over it last night.. i am glade carla stayed over her she was realy trying to get help..also what adout the cheating going on, no one has mentioned that.. i feel bad for every one the chifs and the ppl they cheated on . those 2 got caught up in a moment and did try to take it bk.. but i wonder what ends up happening...ooooohhhhh :jam: :jam: :jam:
I think she was relieved in a way. She'll probably have regrets when she gets a little more rested. I didn't like seeing what happened between Leah and Hosea, I'm sure they both regret it. It did have an impact on the challenge, you could see that it also affected the others. It is understandable on a human level but not professional.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 24, 2009, 11:47:13 AM
Hosea Blogs:
Hosea Responds Jan 23, 2009 2:28 PM
First things first: None of us signed any contracts forbidding contact with the other cheftestants. We did not break any rules.
Now that that's out of the way, I'd like to offer my apologies to anyone who was offended or upset by my actions. It is impossible to explain what life is like under these circumstances to anyone who has not experienced it. It may have been the pressure, the stress, or just the surreal-ness of living in a bubble for six weeks, but sometimes you don't act like yourself. I am an honest, caring, and good person. My dearest friends and family know me for who I am. The public knows me as someone who cheats on his girlfriend. I'll have to live with that. I just hope that anyone out there who is easy to point the finger looks deeply inside themselves and can honestly say they haven't ever wronged someone. Or done something that they're ashamed of. Cast the first stone. Do I regret it? You bet. Did it throw off my game? Of course. Have I thought about it every day since? Yes. What can I do? Nothing. When I returned home, I told my girlfriend - one of the sweetest women on earth - what happened. She was willing to forgive me. Our relationship was never the same. We are no longer together. So I have to live with my mistakes and try and grow as a person from it. I am still very happy that I participated in Top Chef. It was an amazing experience that taught me a lot. I hope that it is my food and not my actions that are remembered once the show is over. I came to New York to cook. I made some great dishes and made some wonderful friends. At the end of the day, it is still all about the food.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: tory on January 24, 2009, 08:58:51 PM
ty maragold it does sound like it was a caught up in the moment thing..i understand the gf trust is a big thing for sure i took bk a cheating huby only to have him cheat again. i got 3 awsome kids and a younger and hotter hubby after it was all over but i would not wish it on my worst enamy. can we say over share lol..
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 24, 2009, 10:48:22 PM
ty maragold it does sound like it was a caught up in the moment thing..i understand the gf trust is a big thing for sure i took bk a cheating huby only to have him cheat again. i got 3 awsome kids and a younger and hotter hubby after it was all over but i would not wish it on my worst enamy. can we say over share lol..
So sorry to hear that happened to you Tory. I am glad you had moved on and it sounds like you have a beautiful family, that’s great to hear. :tup:
Funny thing about Hosea and Leah I had read a while ago that they were seen holding hands during the Foo Fighters contest. It happened in Episode 3 Leah had won the Quick Fire challenge and choose Hosea I think it was her second pick to be on her team and they named the team Sexy Pants. They won that challenge and for a reward they were invited to the Foo Fighters concert. There they were seen holding hands.
So anyways we only witnessed their relationship now but it seems it started prior even by Episode 3.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 24, 2009, 10:55:24 PM
Next week on Top Chef New York
January 29, 2009
Episode Title: SUPERBOWL CHEF SHOWDOWN
It's time for the Super Bowl and nothing goes better with the all-American pastime than good food! The remaining chefs battle it out in a Super Bowl-themed cook-off against seven all-stars from previous seasons including season four's Andrew and Spike, season three's Camille and season two's Josie. Scott Conant, chef-restaurateur of the Meatpacking District's Scarpetta Restaurant.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on January 25, 2009, 09:58:21 AM
ty maragold it does sound like it was a caught up in the moment thing..i understand the gf trust is a big thing for sure i took bk a cheating huby only to have him cheat again. i got 3 awsome kids and a younger and hotter hubby after it was all over but i would not wish it on my worst enamy. can we say over share lol..
I'm sorry Tory that it happened to you. It's the violation of trust that hurts so bad. :( LOL on the younger and hotter hubby and congrats on the three awesome kids!
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on January 25, 2009, 10:02:11 AM
ty maragold it does sound like it was a caught up in the moment thing..i understand the gf trust is a big thing for sure i took bk a cheating huby only to have him cheat again. i got 3 awsome kids and a younger and hotter hubby after it was all over but i would not wish it on my worst enamy. can we say over share lol..
So sorry to hear that happened to you Tory. I am glad you had moved on and it sounds like you have a beautiful family, that’s great to hear. :tup:
Funny thing about Hosea and Leah I had read a while ago that they were seen holding hands during the Foo Fighters contest. It happened in Episode 3 Leah had won the Quick Fire challenge and choose Hosea I think it was her second pick to be on her team and they named the team Sexy Pants. They won that challenge and for a reward they were invited to the Foo Fighters concert. There they were seen holding hands.
So anyways we only witnessed their relationship now but it seems it started prior even by Episode 3.
HMMM! I hadn't even thought about the Sexy Pants name or noticed that they were holding hands. Good catch MG. :tup:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: tory on January 25, 2009, 01:11:52 PM
ty u guys for the love u guys r awsome.. :hearts:
yea i rember the foo fighters eppy, they were cooking out side on hot plates.. :jam:
maragold u r a good tar and top chef detictive.. if i ever go missing i want u guys looking for me lol u r goooooddd. :waves:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 25, 2009, 03:10:50 PM
HMMM! I hadn't even thought about the Sexy Pants name or noticed that they were holding hands.
IDK thats all I know about it. Those rumors started at the time the Foo Fighters had their concert in New York. The audience there said that Hosea and Leach were seen holding hands and that hit the internet with Top Chef fans.
Anyways Dave Grohl the lead singer told the audience about Top Chef and Padma at one point tells him to not talk about it in that length ( she motions to shush ) seeing the episode had not yet aired.
The second video was pretty cool it has Padma playing the tambourine on stage during the concert. Lol she had a blast and rocked :lol:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 26, 2009, 11:53:57 PM
Reminder:
Padma Lakshmi will be on The View tomorrow Tuesday January 27, 2009
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 27, 2009, 04:00:19 PM
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on January 27, 2009, 05:30:48 PM
I always liked Stephen even if he seemed a little annoying at times so I'm happy for him that he is successful, Lisa and Spike seem to have found their niche as well. :tup:
Thanks for finding this MG. :-*
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 28, 2009, 02:02:46 PM
An interesting article an interview with Spike:
Spike Dishes on Tonight’s All-Star Battle on Top Chef
Hours before his cameo and Superbowl throw-down on Top Chef, PEOPLE.com spoke to season four’s Spike Mendelsohn, owner of Good Stuff Eatery in Washington, D.C., about the current cheftestants and how they’re all “too bland” for his taste.
Can you give us any clues about tonight’s episode? You will see who’s a bigger man — me or Fabio. And you will see the electric energy some of the prior contestants have…compared to these new guys!
Speaking of new guys, what’s your prediction for this season’s Top Chef winner? My money is on Hosea! I think he’s playing the game, he’s flirting with Leah, making great TV and at the same time he’s trying to produce good food and get himself in the way of Stefan.
How would you rate this season in New York? Be nice! These guys don’t have enough…style, humor, bravado, I can’t put my finger on it. Where is the fun?! They’re too bland for my taste. Plus, N.Y.C. has so many great chefs and great things to do. Seeing Martha Stewart and being on GMA? That’s cool, but the city has so much more potential than that.
Do you think their challenges have been harder or easier than yours? Our eliminations were definitely harder since it was a lot of catering stuff. This season it seems like they focused a lot more on individual skills, where I remember having to set aside my personal philosophies a lot.
Have you talked to Tom or Padma about this season? Yes. Everyone is psyched that the show is so popular. But I gotta say, the judges and past contestants, we all agree it was kind of hard to top us….I mean vanilla love, culinary boner, lesbian scandals, that’s classic stuff. Fabio can’t even top that, even with his grandmamma.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on January 28, 2009, 02:17:36 PM
Quote
Can you give us any clues about tonight’s episode? You will see who’s a bigger man — me or Fabio. And you will see the electric energy some of the prior contestants have…compared to these new guys!
WHOAAAAAA!!!! Spike! Let me check... :spy: There IS no contest, it's Fabio all the way! :funny:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 28, 2009, 10:30:45 PM
Tom Colicchio's Blog:
The Front Seven Become Six
Did you know that after Thanksgiving, Super Bowl Sunday is the day of greatest food consumption in America each year? (Antacid consumption, too, by the way.) Granted, roughly 15-20 million pounds of that will be potato chips, tortilla chips, and popcorn, but chips alone do not get us through the game; we want food. The foods of choice vary region to region, which is why I particularly liked this week's challenge.
Each NFL team represented was chosen because its city has a distinguished and distinctive food culture. San Francisco is known for its Dungeness Crab, for sourdough bread. You think of Green Bay and you think of venison, cheese, bratwurst. New York is a food mecca and we were shooting there; Dallas, big over-the-top grilling; Miami, Latin food. And Seattle not only has great seafood but is actually a great food town. In fact, I even strongly considered moving there twenty years ago because of its great food culture. I looked forward to what the chefs would do to highlight each town and team's food legacy.
The only thing I didn't like about this challenge was the voting power invested in the young culinary students, who, I'm afraid, tended to vote personality over palate. On the other hand, there had to be a way to break the ties that occurred between the four judges more than once. Also -- Top Chef All-Stars? It might be a stretch to say so: Some didn't make it more than half-way through their season's competition. Andrea was eliminated not once but twice, and not one of the members of the "All-Star" team made it to their season's finale. Still, they're all solidly good chefs and having already weathered prior seasons, they had the advantage of having been through the stress of the competition before.
Overall, the chefs did a fine job. And I'd like to note that sometimes in this competition a great dish gets edged out by an even better dish. For example, I voted for Camille's dish over Jamie's, because I think that Camille's was ultimately even stronger, but I still felt that Jamie's was one of the strongest of the day. The way this challenge was structured, I voted against Jamie's while voting for certain other dishes that, while better than their challengers', were not as strong as Jamie's. Hey, some years there may be better teams than the one that ultimately wins the Super Bowl, which just had a great streak. It happens.
As for the bottom dishes, Jeff's was the overall weakest. First of all, it wasn't actually ceviche. As I'm sure you know, ceviche is seafood that is literally cooked by the acid in the citrus in which it is steeped (the citric acid causes a chemical reaction that cooks the fish without needing to add heat). Here, Jeff poached the shrimp first. osie may have done so as well -- I'm not sure. But regardless, her dish was far more flavorful; aside from Padma, it was the clear favorite of both the judges and the students. Similarly, while the venison was overcooked, Fabio's sauce was excellent and his dish, overall, showed more creativity and intensity of flavor. Jeff is very concerned about presentation. He's right that it is important, however it's not the beginning and end of the story, and his dish was just weak. The sorbet on top was a good idea in theory, not in practice. It was fine cold, but once it started to melt, it just became watery and didn't hold up. At the end of the day, the dish was bland and uninteresting, regardless of how it was presented. Unfortunately for Jeff, decision at the Judges' Table was clear to us all this week.
A post-script: This is the second time that Top Chef has worked with the NFL and it won't be the last ... keep your eyes peeled ... and enjoy the Super Bowl.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 28, 2009, 10:36:40 PM
:hearts: Gail Simmons Blog:
Missing the Points
I grew up in Canada, as I've mentioned in previous blogs, so the Stanley Cup was a much bigger deal in my house than the Super Bowl. I've tried to become a football fan, but I really only watch the big game for the over-the-top commercials and the opportunity to eat spicy chicken wings, spinach-artichoke dip, and potato skins for dinner. Viewing this episode of Top Chef, however, certainly put me in a spirited mood. I thoroughly enjoyed not only how enthusiastic the cheftestants returning from seasons past were to get back in the game, but also how fiercely competitive our seven remaining Season 5 chefs became when they discovered their Elimination Challenge would involve cooking against former contestants in a race against the clock.
This challenge had a few more rules and regulations than most. It was judged on a point system that dictated which chef won each set of a seven part cook-off. Each of our New York chefs was pitted against a chef from a previous season. They were asked to create -- in front of a live audience -- a dish inspired by food from one of seven great football cities: Dallas, Green Bay, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle. The judges allotted seven points to the dish they liked best. Four tasters from the audience also weighed in, bestowing three points on their favorite. If a New York chef lost in their individual heat, they were up for elimination. Thankfully, our hometown chefs won the day overall. Jamie (San Fran), Carla (New Orleans), Josea (Seattle), and Leah (New York) managed to create dishes the judges and fans really liked. To their dismay, Stefan (Dallas), Fabio (Green Bay), and Jeff (Miami) lost their respective challenges and faced the judges' wrath at the end of the evening.
The most surprising and satisfying portion of the episode for me was watching Stefan's overconfident attitude deflate completely after losing to Andrea Beaman, best known as the health food chef from Season 1 who was eliminated twice! Since shooting in San Francisco with her way back in 2005, I've gotten to know Andrea a little. She is not only incredibly knowledgeable about ingredients, but also exceptionally passionate and focused in her work. The sting of Stefan's defeat was compounded by the fact that Stefan was the winner of this episode's Quickfire and, instead of receiving immunity in the elimination, was allowed to choose both the city he wanted to represent and the chef he wanted to cook against. He clearly chose Andrea because he viewed her as the weakest of the lot, underestimating how well she can cook and how familiar she is with the food of the Southwest, a choice he may never live down. The judges were split on who should win but in the end declared his meat duo -- Roasted Pork on Coleslaw with Cilantro & Ancho Chilies and Pan Seared Steak with Roasted Corn & Pepper Salad -- lacking in the bold flavors for which Dallas is known. Stephan's dish may have been prettier, but there was no question the audience preferred Andrea's Tex-Mex Chili.
Fabio's problem was his overcooked Venison Tenderloin. There was no way he could defend that to the judges, no matter how hard he tried. Spike, Season 4's hat-wearing provocateur, easily beat him with an impressive Five-Spice Venison.
It was Jeff who made the final fumble. A resident of Miami, he chose what he was convinced he could cook best, but his inability to focus his presentation and concentrate on just a few key ingredients sent him packing his knives. His opponent, Josie from Season 2, may have created an unconventional variation on ceviche by serving it warm (ceviche is typically cold raw fish or lightly cooked seafood, marinated in citrus, which causes the protein to break down and appear "cooked"), but it certainly looked tasty. Jeff's Rock Shrimp Ceviche with Mango, Jicama, Cilantro Sauce & Sangria Ice was overworked and underwhelming. Kind of like watching that missed field goal sail wide in the final seconds.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 28, 2009, 10:52:13 PM
Toby Young's Blog:
Girl Power!
As a food critic, I'm constantly asking my editors to let me review airline food, not least because it is such a good opportunity to be funny. So far, they've never said yes, but for an example of just how funny it is possible to be about airline food check out the link below received by Richard Branson, the owner of Virgin Atlantic.
Last night's Elimination Challenge wasn't about making a good airline meal, but it wasn't far off. The seven remaining cheftestants were asked to put together the kind of dishes that would be good to eat while watching the Super Bowl. In other words, something simple and portable and which didn't require too much fiddling about with cutlery. If they could convey something of the flavour of the region where their particular teams came from, so much the better.
For me, the big surprise of the night was that the three remaining female contestants ended up among the winners, while Stefan, Jeff, and Fabio had to battle to stay in the competition. Why should women be better at cooking "football food" than men? Perhaps the answer is that in spite of the advances made by the feminist movement, in most households women are still stuck behind the stove on game day.
Carla admitted that her husband and stepson are big football fans, while she can take it or leave it, so it is not surprising that she emerged as last night's overall winner. She's probably been cooking up a storm on Sunday nights for years. By picking New Orleans, she got to play to her strengths and she scored a touchdown with her gumbo. I can just imagine her making this dish for the men in her life as they sit down to watch the Super Bowl - which might explain why both Tom and I said we could "taste the love" this time. I wonder if she'll give both of those Super Bowl tickets to them or keep one for herself?
Picking the overall loser was a lot more difficult - probably the toughest decision I've had to make as a judge since joining the show. Remember, we're not allowed to take a chef's track record into account, so Stefan wasn't safe in spite of having won so many times before. We really didn't like his salads - and serving two salads, along with two different proteins, seemed a little excessive given the parameters of this challenge. Fabio, too, let himself down, by overcooking the venison. Still, I preferred Fabio's dish to Spike's - and so did the audience.
In the end, we concluded that Jeff's dish was the weakest of the three. His ceviche was limp and flavourless, not the sort of food anyone would associate with the Miami Dolphins. Up until now, I've enjoyed Jeff's complex, multi-faceted food, even if he is a little over-reliant on sorbets. But this dish was more suitable for a trio of ladies at a tennis match than a bunch of guys sitting down to watch a football game. If the sports competition in question had been
Wimbledon, rather than the Super Bowl, he might have won. As it was, he deserved to go home.
Link to the blog: http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?blog=toby_young&article=2009/01/girl_power_1#breadcrumbs (http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?blog=toby_young&article=2009/01/girl_power_1#breadcrumbs)
Link to review: http://timesnews.typepad.com/news/2009/01/apparently-sir-richard-branson-thevirgin-bossthought-this-was-the-funniestletter-of-complaint-hed-ever-received------dear.html (http://timesnews.typepad.com/news/2009/01/apparently-sir-richard-branson-thevirgin-bossthought-this-was-the-funniestletter-of-complaint-hed-ever-received------dear.html)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on January 29, 2009, 06:50:20 AM
I was not surprised that of the bottom three, Jeff went home. He's been in the bottom three more often. Of the 6 left, my favorites remain Stefan and Fabio, but the remaining women are beginning to hit their stride, particularly Carla.
It's probably the edit he's getting but Hosea whining and griping about Stefan is getting old. Hosea, if you want to win, beat him in the kitchen! (Do ya hear me Top Chef producers?) :knuckles:
Fabio thanked the judges for giving him a second chance which I thought showed his heart and desire to do better in order to win. Stefan got shot down and I hope it will cause him to focus more, I think he is the best chef this season.
Oh and Spike??? I told ya, no contest, Fabio is the better chef.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: scuzneck on January 29, 2009, 01:46:53 PM
It may very well be the edit, but I've got to say that Stefan is truly getting on my nerves. The pompusity of the gentleman is very much outlandish. Now, with that said, he knows this competition well. Simple ingredients cooked to perfection. He did stumble last night. And maybe that will bring his brashness down to a more pleasing level.
I hate to say it, but I am starting to think that this may end up being Jaime's competition to lose. She is continually in the top in both the Quickfires and the Elimination challenges. And admitingly, she hasn't cooked her best food yet.
Jeff needed to go this week. His food has been very suspect in the last few episodes and, for a show like this, his imagination and technique seemed too much. I would definately try his restaurant if ever in Miami, but he wasn't Top Chef final cheftestant material.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 29, 2009, 04:45:41 PM
Wow scuzneck what a treat nicely said and thanks for sharing :tup: cool
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 29, 2009, 04:48:53 PM
An interesting article an interview with Jeff:
Top Chef's Jeff
Jeff McInnes was nothing if not serious about his food. And when the Miami-based chef lost his head-to-head challenge in Wednesday’s episode, he took the loss hard. Calling from his Florida restaurant Dilido Beach Club, the chef had some spicy words about his competitors, head judge Tom Colicchio and why he felt “used” by the show. He also tackled our five burning questions.
Did you think Fabio was going to be eliminated — or did you know it was your time? We all thought it was going to be Fabio. He had overcooked venison. It was well done. It was dried out, overcooked, [the] salad was wilted [and the] dressing was just soaked into the salad. It was a bad dish. They even showed on TV when the judges came up and ate mine, every single one of them said, “I like yours. I like yours too. I think I’m going to vote for [Josie's].” … They all said something negative about Fabio’s, so it was strange for the judges to all say something positive [about my dish] and then me be the one who goes.
Talk about your ceviche dish versus Josie’s? Was your dish more authentic? Ceviche is a chilled seafood dish that’s cooked in acid. Josie took a can of black beans and heated it up in a sauce pot, and put some shrimp in there and heated up the shrimp. It’s like shrimp nachos what she made. There’s nothing wrong with that. There’s actually a Cuban dish like that, too. But for her to call it ceviche is interesting. … If the tables were turned and she was the Top Chef challenging, it would have been judged a little more [harshly].
Were you held to a different standard? Definitely. I’m competing for [the title of] Top Chef. Josie was just in there [as] a hit man, coming to knock you out. Say she made beef Wellington, which is something wrapped in puff pastry, and called it carpaccio. It doesn’t matter to Tom.
One constant criticism of your food was that there were too many components to each dish. Was that helpful or constructive? It was a criticism that night. It’s something I thought about. [But] that dish is on my menu … [and I] served it to about 20 people today. They all loved it. I am not going to change that dish because Tom Colicchio said he didn’t like it. It’s a little shocking [that] I went home over that dish, but I’m not going to change the way I cook because of one person’s opinion. My opinion about Tom Colicchio’s food is that it’s extremely boring. I’ve been to his restaurant. His chicken dish on his menu is roasted chicken with roasted potatoes, thyme and olive oil. If I want that, I’d go to my grandmother’s house. That’s just not exciting to me. I don’t know who would go out and pay exorbitant amounts of money for that food.
How do you think you’ll be remembered on the show? What impression did you leave? I think the show used me as some kind of sex object. Every single show that I’ve ever seen, they have me with my shirt off in the beginning — which is kind of strange. I don’t run around the house naked half the time like they portrayed me. It seems like a camera was always following me around trying to find me whenever I’m taking my clothes off to change in the morning or at night. So, to be used like that is always fun.
Our Top Chef 5 Burning Questions:
Describe your Top Chef experience in one word. Exciting.
What is in your refrigerator right now? Chicken.
Name one food you cannot stand. There’s nothing, really.
Pick your favorite fast-food restaurant. Street food? There’s little Taquerias. There’s a place called Lime that’s good around here.
Gail or Toby? Gail — she knew food better. She had a better palate.
Link to the article: http://tvwatch.people.com/2009/01/29/top-chefs-jeff-the-show-used-me-as-a-sex-object/ (http://tvwatch.people.com/2009/01/29/top-chefs-jeff-the-show-used-me-as-a-sex-object/)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on January 29, 2009, 05:41:36 PM
It may very well be the edit, but I've got to say that Stefan is truly getting on my nerves. The pompusity of the gentleman is very much outlandish. Now, with that said, he knows this competition well. Simple ingredients cooked to perfection. He did stumble last night. And maybe that will bring his brashness down to a more pleasing level.
I hate to say it, but I am starting to think that this may end up being Jaime's competition to lose. She is continually in the top in both the Quickfires and the Elimination challenges. And admitingly, she hasn't cooked her best food yet.
Jeff needed to go this week. His food has been very suspect in the last few episodes and, for a show like this, his imagination and technique seemed too much. I would definately try his restaurant if ever in Miami, but he wasn't Top Chef final cheftestant material.
Hi scuzneck! :waves: I think part of it is the edit to have someone be the villain so to speak because this year everyone seems to be on better terms. Hosea wants Stefan gone so he has a chance to get to the finals. (I'll give him this, I would be hoping for the same thing.) In other seasons it seemed like real hate going on, think of Marcel. They ganged up on him and tried to shave his head. :ascared
I do agree with you that Jeff needed to go. I also agree that Jamie has an excellent chance to be in the final elimination. I think it will be Stefan, Fabio, Jamie and possibly Carla final four. Not sure that Hosea can make it that far. The women are stepping up their game at the right time.
How much of Stefan's attitude do you think comes from his upbringing? I believe he is the oldest chef on the show and grew up in Germany.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on January 29, 2009, 05:46:11 PM
Thanks for the exit interview with Jeff, MG. :tup:
I don't recall seeing him with his shirt off a lot though. :lol: It's interesting that he thinks Tom serves things that you could get at your grandmother's house and that Gail has the better palate.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 29, 2009, 09:10:48 PM
An interview with Jeff:
Top Chef Exit Interview: Episode Ten
Leave it to Top Chef to throw a Quickfire featuring sponsored product Quaker Oats into the same episode as a Super Bowl–themed competition with a handful of has-beens from the show's earlier seasons. Tasked with creating a regional dish in twenty minutes, season five's cheftestants came out on top against their predecessors, but not without some major losses, leaving Fabio, Jeff, and Stefan on the chopping block. In the end, Fabio's overcooked venison was overlooked in the interest of keeping the show's European duo intact. That meant that Jeff McInnis, he of the golden hair and busy plates, was sent to pack his knives. We spoke to him on the phone this afternoon, and he told us about Josie's slimy seviche and life after the show.
Between the three of you, do you have any idea who made the worst dish? Did you get to taste the other ones? Yeah, we all got to taste everybody’s food. In my opinion, obviously mine was better. I definitely think it was better than Fabio’s. We all looked at Fabio’s and how well-done it was, and there were definitely thoughts that it was going to be him.
I’ve never heard of warm seviche before — it sounds gross! Have you ever heard of it? It doesn’t exist. It was very original, that’s for sure.
Did Josie make that up? You can’t seviche a shrimp in twenty minutes, it’ll still be dead raw. Josie had a can of black beans that she had put in a sauce pot, as you saw, and she threw the shrimp in, heated them up, and voilà. It definitely wasn’t seviche, but something like it.
The bizarre thing is that the judges kept calling it authentic. I heard Toby say it. Great guy, but maybe he doesn’t know a lot about Miami. He’s from England, right?
You were criticized throughout the season for overcomplicating your dishes. Is that the kind of work you do at your restaurant? I wouldn’t call it overcomplicating. I would call it not the simplest cuisine, not the simplest flavors, or maybe just not grilling chicken breast and putting it on a plate.
On Top Chef they seem to appreciate simplistic cooking. That’s what Tom likes a lot. That’s his style of restaurants, what he looks for in his chefs and cuisines. I’ve been to a couple of his restaurants, and it’s very simple food. It’s amazing food, but it’s simple. If that’s what he likes, then maybe that’s what the competitors should be cooking. Otherwise, you might end up on the chopping block and going home.
What was at stake for you in this competition? Was it the money? No, it was never about the money. I never thought about that. I guess if I had made it to the finale, I would have started thinking about that. Getting older in life, unless you’re playing in a softball league, you’re not really doing a whole lot of competing. So I had a shot at this, and I thought it would be a good time.
Have you received any business offers as a result of being on the show? Surprisingly, no.
But I also think that it’s an asset to you. Yeah, definitely. Being able to watch yourself on TV. In this competition, I got to cook for a lot of amazing chefs, got to eat my food and critique my food, and where else in the world can you go for six weeks and cook for that many amazing chefs and have them tell you, speak to you, about your food and the way you work. It’s a huge learning experience.
Do you have advice for future contestants? Yeah, do your homework. I never did my homework on what Tom and everybody likes and dislikes. In the first challenge, I served Tom okra and truffle oil on the same plate. Those are two things he hates.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 29, 2009, 09:20:22 PM
An interesting article:
Top Chef 5: Conference Call with Jeff McInnis
All season on Top Chef 5, watching Jeff McInnis has been a chance to see how one's will or ego can sometimes get in the way of the one's own innate talent. This isn't using “ego” in the usual sense of the word, i.e., conceit or arrogance. More the Eastern take on the concept: the idea we have about ourselves and how the world should be that sometimes prevents us from seeing how the world actually is.
In Jeff's case, it seemed like his fixation on presenting a complex dish that would showcase his broad range of skills and ideas sometimes meant the underlying quality of his flavors was lost to the judges in the noise. In the episode last night, that battle was finally lost according to those judges, and he was sent packing.
Jeff spoke today about his time on the show and what he's doing next.
Jeff is still clearly bummed about his exit, saying he's a better chef than this represented and he had expected to make it to the final. He seems very surprised that Fabio wasn't the one sent home, noting that the judges had very specific execution issues with Fabio (the overcooking of the venison, the overdressed salad), whereas his critique seemed vague. He noted it was hard to take away any improvements when the most pointed comment seemed to be that he had a “watered-down version of a ceviche.”
Regardless of what went down between the two of them as contestants, Jeff and Fabio are still friends after the show. Fabio was a good guy to bunk with in the Top Chef 5 house, saying he wasn't a “slob.” He also shared that Fabio cuts his own hair, clearly a man of many talents.
They've stayed friends after the show. Both are working on cookbooks, and Jeff said Fabio's helped him with his.
The cookbook Jeff has been working on is called Natural Course. While his location in Miami precludes the possibility of going entirely organic, he cooks with organic products and the book is focused on “clean, good food.” He says it's divided into chapters of “Farm, Ocean, Garden” and a “Final Chapter” that has desserts and cocktails.
I asked him about his penchant for using a savory sorbet as part of the meal, an element that seemed to go over well when he used it in the competition. He said the dining room in his current restaurant at the Ritz-Carleton in South Beach is outdoors on the beach. So when it's a hot summer day, incorporating the cool element of a sorbet is refreshing to his diners. He also likes making concoctions that transform as they melt, noting a sorbet that melts into a sort of vinaigrette on a salad. He uses liquid nitrogen for this, so doesn't need the sugar, salt or alcohol usually used to keep sorbets smooth.
Speaking of Miami, he said he so far hasn't heard any flack about not winning the challenge for his hometown. He said being on the show has seemed to bring positive attention so far to his restaurant. He notes that he never got any of Toby Young's little bon mot criticisms, and thinks that could be tough to deal with if you have customers coming in talking about your “cat food” entrees.
He didn't find Toby as abrasive as some of the other chefs did, but he did still like Gail Simmons better. He found Padma Lakshmi to have a good palate and to be intelligent. In addition to Fabio, he's also rooting for Hosea Rosenberg to regain his focus and pull ahead in the competition. He said it was fun to compete against the other chefs, but by that point in the competition, the schedule and uncertainty meant you kind of just had to be ready to “hunt a unicorn and put it on a grill.”
He would consider doing television again in the future, but for now, he's focusing on his current job and his book. He might want to open his own place someday, but right now there are a lot of new spots in Miami, and he's not sure this is the right economic climate in which to try a new venture.
Jeff's cookbook Natural Course will be out this summer, so if you can't make it to Miami, you can pick up the book and try out his flavors yourself.
Link to the article: http://www.buddytv.com/articles/top-chef/top-chef-5-conference-call-wit-26019.aspx (http://www.buddytv.com/articles/top-chef/top-chef-5-conference-call-wit-26019.aspx)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 29, 2009, 09:25:50 PM
An interview with Jeff:
Top Chef Exit Interview: Jeff Is Cut But The Sorbets Live On!
Wednesday’s Top Chef saw the exit of Cheftestant Jeff McInnis after failing to wow the judges during the Top Chef Bowl Challenge. Fancast talked to Jeff in a press call today to see how he’s dealing with a self-proclaimed decade’s worth of disappointment ahead of him. Luckily, he’s got a lot to look forward to in his home city of Miami, with a new book in the works, and plenty of appreciative customers ready to gobble up his infamous sorbets. Read on for more on his take on his shocking departure, living with Fabio (who doubles as a hair dresser!), surprising challenges (is grilled unicorn next?), and who he’s rooting for from Miami.
You seemed pretty bummed last night at the end. How was it to watch it?
Yeah I was pretty bummed. I think usually everyone is a little upset whenever they get kicked off something like that. Watching it was just a reminder. It happened a little while ago for me, but, what can you do.
You said that you were really disappointed with yourself and it was going to stick with you for at least a decade. Has any of that pain worn off now?
It will definitely be something I remember for a while. If I could go back and change things there’s a few things I would change, but I wouldn’t change my style or anything I did. But I was pretty let down that I didn’t pull it off. I thought I would have at least made it into the finale. I know myself and I think I’m a better chef than I portrayed. You’re put in a situation and you’re cooking your butt off all the time and you’re stressed out, and away from home, and not even using your own toothbrush half the time and you’re on your feet. You’re just out of your element and I guess I got caught off guard and I was kicked off way before I was ready to be kicked off and I’m pretty bummed about it.
Has being on the show changed the way you approach creating new dishes? Are you still just as imaginative, or have you toned it down based on what judges said?
No, I haven’t really changed what I’ve done. The judges didn’t really give me enough critique for me to change anything so it was a difficult part of being let go. Fabio knew that he overcooked the venison; it was obvious, they said, “hey, you overcooked the venison, you put cheddar cheese with venison, you put on heavy vinaigrette that weighed down the lettuce and it was soggy” - those are direct critiques, so when someone turns to me and says, you gave a watered down version of ceviche, it’s like, okay, well I didn’t use water so what is he referring to? He didn’t say it was too salty, or too sweet, or overcooked, or too hot, too cold, so there’s really not a whole lot for me to go on with the critique that was given as to why I was kicked off. Did I do a lot more steps than I had to do? Maybe, but I’m not going to change what I did. Because the food I cook is the reason I am where I am today.
So it was a pretty big shock then, that it was you and not Fabio?
Yeah. I was surprised. As I said, I mean, those were all points - you overcooked this, overdressed this. I think Scott said something about the cheddar cheese with the dish. There were four main points they made to Fabio, and I think they showed all four on the show last night, and they really ripped him for a long time. You saw him get into a pretty heated conversation with Scott there. I guess I thought I was gonna scoot by on that one and that it was going to be Fabio. I mean, there was a little feeling in the back of my throat always that I was going home, but I thought it was going to be Fabio.
You and Fabio were roommates; what was the experience like with him? Are you guys still in touch?
Yeah, Fabio is a good friend of mine, I just saw him recently. Good guy, I like him a lot. Just a hilarious all around funny guy, good cook. He just finished a book and so did I, and he’s definitely been helping me with that a little bit and getting it to a publisher. I can’t say enough positive things about the guy; he’s a good person to have as a roommate too. Very clean, not a slob, well dressed, takes showers, and he cuts his own hair too by the way!
Tell us about the book. What’s the concept?
It’s called A Natural Course. I use a lot of organics. I can’t say the restaurant I’m in now uses a lot of because it’s impossible here in Miami. In Northern California you could base a restaurant off that, but here it’s difficult to get everything organic. So it’s called A Natural Course and the first chapter is Farm, the second is Ocean, the third is Garden, and the last chapter is called The Final Chapter, which goes into cocktails and desserts. It just talks about taking the elements from Mother Earth and presenting them on a plate. It’s a lot of clean, good, food. It’s a lot of stuff I’ve done over the years; dishes that I grew up with, dishes that I’ve always cooked, dishes that I love; it should be out in the summer.
You mentioned a dessert section in the book and it seems you really liked to use savory sorbets. What do you feel that they add to your dishes?
The sorbets I do at the restaurant are a little different from what I’ll be doing in the book. At the restaurant I have liquid nitrogen so I can make desserts that don’t have the high levels of sugar. In order to keep a sorbet or ice cream soft, you usually have to load it with sugar or salt or alcohol, and when you use liquid nitrogen you can do a lot of different things. On the menu right now I have a goat cheese sorbet, a yogurt sorbet, cucumber sorbet, the sangria sorbet, and those are all served as savory dishes. I’m in Miami and the dining room is outside on the beach and the guests get really hot, so I like to serve stuff that not only tastes good and gets you full, but it entertains you, and cools you down, and makes you comfortable. So there will be a big section on sorbets in the book and how to make savory sorbets, and I think that’s something that’s not in a whole lot of cook books, and it’s something most chefs don’t touch on. Stefan liked to make fun of me for it all the time but no one else really hit on me for it, like the “Top Scallop” thing with Jamie. And I wasn’t making the same thing all the time. A scallop is a scallop. A sorbet made of avocado or sangria is two different things and can be used as sauces to melt over things. There’s an olive oil sorbet that I do that has a little bit of vinegar in it and when it gets out to the guest and melts over the salad it’s a wonderful vinaigrette. It’s like the plate transforms in front of you.
What was it like having the All-Star Chefs there? Was it surprising?
Yeah, that was different. Nothing gets too surprising on the show though, they could tell you to run off into the forest and hunt a unicorn and put it on the grill; you never know with this show. There are always surprises. So, yeah, it was a surprise to have them come in. It was good and fun to meet some people from the old show and to talk a little bit with them.
Who do you think has the potential to win it all? Who do you WANT to win it all?
I think everybody has the potential to win it all. All those guys are really talented. Hosea and I became good friends on the show, Fabio and I became good friends on the show, so I’m pulling for both those guys. I don’t want to say Hosea is the underdog by any means but, for some reason, he’s just lost his focus as you can see on the show right now. So I’m pulling for him, hoping he gets his head back in the game. But there’s nobody to be underestimated. It will be a race to the finish, that’s for sure. Everybody is definitely talented.
What has your reception been like back home? Was it tough losing on a Miami challenge?
I guess the general public just saw the show so I haven’t had anyone throw a brick through my window yet. I haven’t heard anything. All my cooks and staff came in and said, “Sorry you got kicked off.” But, no one really thought, “Wow, she made a better ceviche than you.”
What about the show as a whole? What kind of responses are you getting?
I’d say at least half the people that come in, know about Top Chef and the show, and come in asking to speak to me. It’s definitely brought a lot of clientele in and has been a positive turn of events. The show does well and is always ranked very high in the ratings.
Do you think part of the reason they kept Fabio on is because he has this big, funny, TV personality?
I don’t know if I should touch that one too much. I can definitely say Fabio is a funny guy, he’s hilarious, and he’s good on TV. I mean, you see him, everyone likes him, and he’s a very likeable guy. That’s pretty much all I can say bout that one.
On the videos afterwards, you talked about the male judges not being able to look you in the eye after they asked you to pack your knives and go. Can you tell me about how you felt?
What if I didn’t talk about that one so much? I think I might stay away from that one too, I’m sorry.
What was the general reaction among the contestants to Toby Young coming on?
I liked him. He seemed to always like my food. Obviously he didn’t vote for me on this past show, but I thought the guy was very intelligent. I did a little research on him after I got off the show. Very smart guy. Has he ever been in the kitchen and cooked and known what it takes to cook? No, but then again neither did Gail. Gail is very intelligent also and for some reason I liked Gail a lot better than him. A lot of people thought he was very harsh and rough. He definitely pulled out the drama and had plenty of smart things to say and had a big character. I didn’t mind him at all, I liked him a lot, and I thought he had some important things to say. He was definitely witty and quick, but there were plenty who didn’t like him. Maybe scared of him because he was so harsh. His first show, as you saw, he made comments like, “this tastes like cat food,” “this is where the weapons of mass destruction are.” Those are the kinds of comments that hurt a chef when you’re at your restaurant and someone comes in and says, “hey, I’ll have the chicken sandwich but leave the cat food to the side,” or something like that. That’s the kind of stuff that would turn you into hating him down the road and I hope that hasn’t happened to Melissa, or Rhadika, or anybody. Those are harsh comments that I think those chefs will carry around for a while and they have every right to be mad. You have too much salt, or too much spice, did you taste that tuna? It tastes fishy - those are critiques, not, this tastes like cat food. But it is good TV right? It’s funny, unless you’re on the other end of it.
What about Padma? Did you think she was a fair judge?
Yeah, she’s a great talent. Very intelligent and she definitely serves her purpose and does a great job. I liked her; she seemed to always like my food and she always liked the spices and different elements I brought to the table. She had made several comments throughout the show that I could cook globally and do a lot of different cuisines and I definitely felt some respect from Padma.
What’s next for you? Do you plan to stay in Miami?
Yeah, I just bought a house recently, and I’m at the Ritz-Carlton still. I plan to stay here for a little while; the Ritz has blessed me and let me do this book here, and hopefully it will go well. So I’m just going to stay here cooking at the Ritz-Carlton in South Beach and put my book out there. I’m not going to try and open my own restaurant right now. Not today, today the economy is not what it should be for a young guy like me to go out there and start throwing around new restaurants. Miami just had a lot of new restaurants open, and if it wasn’t for that, maybe I would be thinking about it, but I think there’s a lot on Miami’s plate right now. Maybe four or five years down the road, we’ll see how it goes.
Would you want to do TV again?
Definitely. Perhaps one day. I’m happy right now but if something came along, who knows.
Link to the article: http://www.fancast.com/blogs/interviews/top-chef-exit-interview-jeff-is-cut-but-the-sorbets-live-on/ (http://www.fancast.com/blogs/interviews/top-chef-exit-interview-jeff-is-cut-but-the-sorbets-live-on/)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 29, 2009, 10:22:51 PM
An interesting article:
Top Chef's Jeff Tells Who Else Hosea's Been Kissing
An unsensational seviche sent Southern boy Jeff McInnis back to the beach at the end of last night's episode of Top Chef.
I caught up with Jeff earlier today on Florida's South Beach, where he's chef de cuisine at the Ritz-Carlton's DiLido Beach Club, to get the lowdown on his elimination. Like a lot of fans, he remains baffled by the judges' decision, and he also reveals why he thinks the kitchen wasn't the only place where things got hot and steamy for Hosea and Leah.
So, what was the first thing that went through you mind when Padma told you to pack your knives? Not much. I kind of had a sensation of the whole thing. I kind of had this eerie, clairvoyant feeling all day that something wasn’t right.
You definitely think you should have stayed, right? Of course.
Why? Well, there wasn’t a whole lot of critique on my dish. And that’s the only thing that I can’t sleep about. If Tom had said, “Your dish had too much salt in it,” or “Your dish didn’t have enough salt in it,” or "Your dish was sweet” or “sour” or “bitter” or “too cold,” then I would have some critique to go on...The only critiquing he said was that [the seviche] was a watered-down version—which is funny, because I didn’t even use any water. It was very vague...Whereas, for Fabio, they were like, “Dude, you put cheddar cheese on game. The dressing was way too much.” And they said to Stefan, “Your salad tasted awful, and you didn’t have enough full flavor, you didn’t have enough spice.” Those are hard-core critiques that I didn’t get.
What was your take on Hosea and Leah's love affair, so to speak? I think they just forgot there were cameras around [laughs]. Be realistic. We’re all adults here. People have a few drinks and they wind up kissing each other. I knew the cameras weren’t on me, and Hosea and I would go make out from time to time [laughs]. But, seriously, he made a mistake. People make mistakes...It’s their lives, and I think that they both regret that that’s what wound up being focused on. America’s now focused on them and how they cheated on their boyfriends and girlfriends. Nobody was a homewrecker or anything.
So you think it was kind of lighthearted, drunken fun? It's like, have you ever been to jail? On this show, you’re locked up for six weeks, and I mean, Leah’s not ugly. They had a spark between them, and, naturally, something’s bound to happen
Link to the article: http://ca.eonline.com/uberblog/marc_malkin/b81483_top_chefs_jeff_tells_who_else_hoseas.html (http://ca.eonline.com/uberblog/marc_malkin/b81483_top_chefs_jeff_tells_who_else_hoseas.html)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: scuzneck on January 30, 2009, 08:18:17 AM
Hi scuzneck! :waves: I think part of it is the edit to have someone be the villain so to speak because this year everyone seems to be on better terms. Hosea wants Stefan gone so he has a chance to get to the finals. (I'll give him this, I would be hoping for the same thing.) In other seasons it seemed like real hate going on, think of Marcel. They ganged up on him and tried to shave his head. :ascared
I do agree with you that Jeff needed to go. I also agree that Jamie has an excellent chance to be in the final elimination. I think it will be Stefan, Fabio, Jamie and possibly Carla final four. Not sure that Hosea can make it that far. The women are stepping up their game at the right time.
How much of Stefan's attitude do you think comes from his upbringing? I believe he is the oldest chef on the show and grew up in Germany. [/quote]
I think that Stefan definately knows he can cook and I firmly believes that he believes he is the best chef on the show. He may prove to be right when all is said and done. As far as his upbringing and being bred in Germany affecting his attitude, Iit probably has some effect but, as we havbe seen in previous season, Us Americans can bring the bravado too. (Incidentally, he is the 3rd oldest chef this season...Carla then Arianne then Stefan).
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 30, 2009, 03:02:10 PM
An interview with Jeff:
Was the Top Chef's Super Bowl Showdown Elimination an Upset?
It was a battle of the ceviches for this week's axed cheftestant, Jeff McInnis, during Top Chef's Super Bowl Showdown. But should he have been the one who left? TVGuide.com caught up with the Miami chef to find out who he thought should have gone home in his place and why he thought his all-star competitor basically made shrimp nachos — not ceviche.
TVGuide.com: What did you think of the judges' comments about your dish? Jeff McInnis: I never got any direct critique except that it was a watered-down version, which I don't know what that means because I never used any water. I never got "Make it hotter or colder, saltier or sweeter," so I don't know what I could have done to change it. It was a good dish, and I stand by it. I actually have the exact dish on my menu and people love it. I sold 10 of them today. But if I could go back, I would have done something totally different.
TVGuide.com: Do you think Fabio should have gone home over you? Jeff: Sure. He blasted a piece of meat. That's something a chef can put their finger on and say, "This is overcooked — I meant to do it medium-rare and I did it well-done." He committed a sin. In the Bible, it says you don't do this. Whereas I committed a sin and it says it's not law, but something the judiciary system has to judge over.
TVGuide.com: How did you feel about your competitor Josie's ceviche dish? Jeff: Ceviche is a chilled seafood dish where the seafood is cooked in a citrus. I've never seen it with black beans like that. The dish was hot and had these plantain chips. It like you're were in Mexico having shrimp nachos. I think if she were to have thrown some cheddar cheese on it and called it that, the outcome would have been the same.
TVGuide.com: Why did you always feel the need to make your dishes so complex? Jeff: I've never taken the simple road. I make all my own stuff — it's just the way I do it. This is Top Chef, it's not where you go to the cupboard and scoop something out and plate it. That's just not me. Even if I wasn't on the show, I just don't do that. In my kitchen, we don't have a lot of canned ingredients. Like for shrimp cocktail — no one really makes their cocktail sauce from scratch, they use canned chili paste. I take six different chilies and roast them from scratch. It's just what I've always done.
TVGuide.com: Seems as though the judges don't seem to take that into account. Jeff: I guess not. The judges aren't in there the whole time and that's one thing I do regret. It's all about the final product. It's like the ice cream scooped from a container tastes really good against that homemade one that tastes pretty good. But you know what, I don't think I could bow down and change. Just because there's a can opener and can there, I think I'd wind up making it from scratch anyways.
TVGuide.com: Any big plans for the Super Bowl? Jeff: Just cooking at my restaurant, DiLido Beach Club. We'll probably will have a big-screen TV there and have the wings, beer, ribs, burgers — but our ribs will are Moroccan BBQ with a little spice to them, and the wings are going to have a little apricot glaze. We're going to put our own Mediterranean twist on them.
I think that Stefan definately knows he can cook and I firmly believes that he believes he is the best chef on the show. He may prove to be right when all is said and done. As far as his upbringing and being bred in Germany affecting his attitude, Iit probably has some effect but, as we havbe seen in previous season, Us Americans can bring the bravado too. (Incidentally, he is the 3rd oldest chef this season...Carla then Arianne then Stefan).
Thanks for the info on Stefan's age. I didn't realize Carla was older than him. She's 44, Arianne is 41. True that, Americans can up the bravado too. :lol:
I can't wait to see what happens next week, we're getting down to the finals now. :jumpy:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 30, 2009, 09:40:18 PM
An interesting article:
Top Chef's Padma cooks up jewelry line
Padma Lakshmi, model, actress and host of the Bravo cooking contest show "Top Chef," is adding one more ingredient to her resume: jewelry designer.
Following in the footsteps of supermodel and Project Runway host Heidi Klum, Lakshmi's "Padma" line, consisting of delicate gold necklaces, cuffs, earrings, rings and bangle bracelets, is set to hit Bergdorf Goodman stores in May, according to the line's official Web site, PadmaLakshmi.com.
Women's Wear Daily (WWD) reports that the 10- and 14-karat gold pieces are priced between $375-$6,600, and that the Indian-born Lakshmi said cooking ingredients, combined with a dash of her Indian heritage, inspired the look of the line. Pieces include delicate arm cuffs with citrine briolettes, four-row gold cuffs with charms and dangling gold earrings that mimic a sight that is common in any kitchen--fish bones.
Other pieces in the collection include a calla lily charm ring and a hand-piece with a ring attached to the chain bracelet.
The Padma line also includes a sub-collection called "Nav," a line based on the ancient Hindu philosophy of balancing a person's life force, known as parna or chi. Nav incorporates the nine essential stones needed to achieve this balance, including sapphires, diamonds and pearls, into the collection, which includes colored-gemstone bangles and dainty drop earrings featuring all nine navaratna stones.
Link to the article: http://www.nationaljewelernetwork.com/njn/content_display/more-news/e3ic91a89e95431f4d5488de37eaa1f10a3?imw=Y (http://www.nationaljewelernetwork.com/njn/content_display/more-news/e3ic91a89e95431f4d5488de37eaa1f10a3?imw=Y)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 31, 2009, 12:15:59 AM
Top Chef New York
Episode 11: LE BERNARDIN
02-04-2009
The chef'testants get the opportunity to cook in one of the best restaurants in the world, three star Michelin winner Le Bernardin. Their final product will be judged by renowned chef, Eric Ripert.
Top Chef New York
Episode 12: THE LAST SUPPER
02-11-2009
It's time for the knife off. The final five chef'testants learn who will be cooking the last supper on "Top Chef: New York." It's their last chance to impress the judges before the finale and things get heated as the chef'testants pull out all the stops to avoid being cut.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on January 31, 2009, 09:55:14 AM
Top Chef 5, episode 10
This episode starts with a more mundane product placement in association with Quaker Oats. The Guest Judge for the whole episode is Scott Conant of Scarpetta Restaurant. The chefs have to pick a position on a board which will determine the one of 7 food groups which they will work with. Then on the top of that column, wherever it is, is a "secret ingredient" that has to be used along with the food group. This could lead to some varied results for sure, but the catch is that all of the secret ingredients are Quaker Oats oatmeal. Now most of the contestants are pretty blah about that, but Carla states that she eats Quaker Oatmeal 4 times a week. The dishes concocted in 45 minutes are:
Jaime(Fruits) - coconut oat-crusted shrimp, nectarine salsa, avocado crème fraiche Fabio(Vegetables) - rolled fried eggplant crusted w/ oats, corn and parmesan salad Stefan(Dairy) - banana mousse with almond petit fours Carla(Nuts) - pecan and oat-crusted tofu w/ oatmeal and lentil salad Jeff(Poultry) - oat-crusted chicken paillard w/grits and fried zucchini Hosea(Meats) - wiener schnitzel w/ oat crust, warm potato salad and mustard sauce Leah(Seafood) - oat crusted branzino and mussels w/ escarole and bacon
The losers group was Leah, Jeff and Fabio. Leah's fish was overcooked (opposite of last episode) and clashed with the bacon flavor being too strong, Jeff had too many brown colors, and Fabio too much oat taste due to method of encrusting. The winners group was Carla, Jaime and Stefan. Stefan is the designated Winner and his reward is to pick the opponent and city for the Top Chef Bowl.
Top Chef Bowl The elimination challenge has been renamed this week in honor of the Super Bowl. It is a cookoff between the Top Chef All-Stars, with that group including nobody who had finished 1, 2 or 3 in the past 4 years and obviously trying to showcase some chefs who have received less publicity since they "graduated" from Top Chef. They are: Spike (season 4) Andrea (4) Josie (2) Andrew (1) Camille (3) Nikki (4) Miguel (1)
The NFL cities whose key ingredients are supplied and whose cuisine is going to be attempted are Green Bay, Miami, Dallas, Seattle, New York, San Francisco and New Orleans. That's an interesting range of regional cuisines. First is the pairing. Stefan gets to pick opponent, which is Andrea, and city, which is Dallas. The remaining chefs for each team have to huddle just like an NFL team and have 5 minutes to determine who gets which city. That results in these pairings:
New York Leah vs. Nikki Miami Jeff vs. Josie Green Bay Fabio vs. Spike Seattle Hosea vs. Miguel San Francisco Jaime vs. Camille New Orleans Carla vs. Andrew Dallas Stefan vs. Andrea
The scoring system was mostly logical(for a judges tie I would have split the touchdown points into half). There are 4 judges votes; if they split 3 to 1 or 4 to 0 that's scores a touchdown and 7 points for the winning chef. Then 5 secret fans in the gallery are asked for their votes, which determine which of the contestants get a field goal for 3 points. With a 2 to 2 judges vote, the fan vote will determine who gets all 10 points from both touchdown and field goal; that a bit nonsensical to have your closest competitions result in the widest point differential, but so be it. I am going to guess that the judges are going to work to make sure neither team wins before the last opportunity (isn't this Hell's Kitchen and the way that is supposed to work?). Each pair gets the prior evening to prep and then 20 minutes to cook at the Institute for Culinary Education. Here are the dishes and actual scoring:
Leah - NY strip steak w/ creamed corn, snap peas and arugula salad Nikki - chicken livers w/ onions and goat cheese on challah Outcome - Leah wins the judges 3-1, Nikki the fans, scoring 7-3 for Season 5
Hosea - crispy salmon roll w/ ginger and blackberry sauce Miguel - cedar plank salmon w/ noodles and mushrooms Hosea wins the judges 3-1, plus fans as well, scoring 10-0 for season 5
Carla - crawfish and andouille gumbo over stone-ground grits Andrew- crayfish crudo w/ spicy lime vinaigrette Carla wins the judges 4-0 (take that and shut up, Andrew), Andrew salvages a field goal win as fan preference, scoring 7-3 for season 5
Stefan - roasted pork w/ coleslaw, NY steak with corn, pepper and pesto salad Andrea - TexMex chili w/ crispy fried corn chips and guacamole coleslaw The judges tie 2-2, so all 10 points from fan preference go to Andrea, scoring 10-0 for all-Stars (and note that Stefan asks Andrea to call him and this will be his first losers' group trip to losers' table and that Andrew has a wickedly funny impression of Stefan just after)
Jamie - crab cioppino w/ olives, basil and toasted sourdough Camille - miso sweet potato mash w/ mustard crab meat and salad The judges tie 2-2, all all 10 points from fan preference go to Jamie, scoring 10-0 for season 5
Jeff - rock shrimp ceviche w/ sangria sorbet Josie - warm rock shrimp ceviche w/ papaya The judges vote for Josie 3-1 and the fans prefer her dish too, scoring 10-0 for All-Stars At this point there is one pair left and a 10-0 victory for Spike will win it for All-Stars; any other outcome means victory for Season 5
Fabio - venison in mustard sauce w/ mache salad and cheddar cheese Spike - 5 spice venison w/ port reduction and micro herb salad The judges vote 3-1 for Spike but the fans save Season 5 by voting for a Fabio field goal
Final score: Season 5 37, All-Stars 33, similar to real NFL scores. This putts Fabio, Jeff and Stefan on the bubble.
Winners group includes all 4 in Season 5 who won. Carla was told that Toby tasted the love this time and Tom loved the flavor and considered it smart to infuse reductions of the shells into the gumbo. Tom tells Hosea that he managed to take an egg roll and cook the salmon inside it to perfect medium rare. Scott says Jaime is meticulous, which pays off in her flavors. Leah was told she had a good simple dish (which I call damning with faint praise). Scott gets to declare the winner, who is Carla. She wins 2 tickets to the Super Bowl!
Next we come to the losers' group. My bet is that it will be Jeff because the producers are not going to allow the other 2 (who are both final 3 material) to be eliminated just yet. I actually think Fabio's dish was the worst by a small amount. Stefan had a good dish that was beat by a slightly better dish and he should not be in jeopardy here. Jeff is told that his dish did not have a ceviche flavor; Tom says it was watered down. Jeff argues that he did "19 things" more and he disliked paper plates, but he gets no sympathy. Tom says "he went down and he went down hard." Fabio is told by Tom he completely overcooked the venison. He claims that the meat when finished was not overcooked, but standing caused it to do so. Scott tells him that the greens were wilted and the cheese was questionable. Stefan was told that he did not have strong flavors. It is possible that the producers intervened to create this outcome although there is a 50% chance that that was the conclusion of the judges. Jeff is eliminated.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: tory on January 31, 2009, 11:57:24 AM
TY mg for the vid's and interviews. side note i live like 2 hrs from dc so i have friends who have eaten at spik's restrunt and love love it. it is not to costly to eat there and the food is awsome. i heard the hamburgers r the best in the city. :waves: also ty for the warm welcome u guys gave me the other day it was awsome to see today.. i guess i am so busy watching tv i have not posted for a few days..hhuumm any way i kinda liked jeff he was right about getting kicked off for that dish i no they keep ppl around for intertanment value some times and a few weeks i think they did that for him but this week they did it for fabio, jmo a few weeks bk i though jeff was a gonner.. i think that was the week the mom left..i for got her name sry.. any way i found a realy good pod cast and they interview cj and spike and severl other cheftestants from past seasons they call it life after top chef. that is not the pod cast, i am not sure if i am allowed to mention another pod cast on this board if so let me no and i will post it. out of respect to rff love them rob and trevor, who introduced me to the best pod cast ever.....i now down load lots of them for the gym it is great..ok bk to top chef i loved the vid of padma playing the tamborin she was so not padma she look like she was haveing so much fun...she should have taken down that poney tail and let her freek flag fly lol.. it was great.. ty mg again
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on January 31, 2009, 03:47:47 PM
TY mg for the vid's and interviews. side note i live like 2 hrs from dc so i have friends who have eaten at spik's restrunt and love love it. it is not to costly to eat there and the food is awsome. i heard the hamburgers r the best in the city.
:hearts: Oh my gosh tory you have the best and amazing stories to tell thanks for sharing with us :hugs:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on February 04, 2009, 09:40:08 AM
Here is an article in today's Star-Ledger about Chef Ji of Hell's Kitchen 5, Ariane Duarte recently eliminated from Top Chef 5, and Cliff Crooks former Top Chef competitor:
Ariane Duarte Video and Article (http://www.nj.com/entertainment/dining/index.ssf/2009/02/lights_camera_cook_jersey_chef.html)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: scuzneck on February 05, 2009, 11:35:12 AM
Alrightie...What an episode...Very easily 4 of the cheftestants could have gone home...Fabio, Leah, Jamie and Hosea all produced bombs of dishes last night...Only Stefan (gawd!!!) and Carla (Yeah!!!) produced anything of quality...
Fabio was only in the Top 3 because they needed a Top 3...His dish was the best of the worst and he has to know that...He is too smart of a chef to not realize that...
Stefan and his eel proved to be his stepping stone for this challenge...Not only did the eel provided the Quickfire win, but also gave him choice of the easiest dish to recreate...Even I can bake a lobster and have it come out nice and clean and delicious...He took the easy way out, which may end up proving to be the winning way out...
Carla, once again, came out of left field and made a spectacular dish. I actually thought that she was going to win the elimination challenge. Her food was praised that highly...
In my opinion, the bottom three were very much deserving. And each of those three have no excuses for not paying attention at lunch. A 6-course lunch with two world-renowned chefs, eating with you, at one of their restaurants. Both of those chefs make comments about the dish throughout the meal. And you don't put 2 and 2 together and realize you are going to have to recreate the dish. All three schould be booted for that reason alone. Come on now. A 3 year old could have seen that coming.
Hosea. A seafood chef?!?! Remind me not to eat in his restaurant. Sorry, that's harsh, but if he cannot simply recreate a dish he got to eat, look at and have all ingrediants right there in front of him then something is horribly wrong. Even my untrained eye could see that the spice used was used liberally. When he started to coat the fish in it, I knew he was in major trouble. Hosea dodged a big bullet this episode. The question becomes Can he withstand the chopping block, like Stefan last week, and or will he tank like many of the chefs before him?
Leah, in my opinion, should have been gone this week. The quickfire challenged proved that. If it had been me, after fileting the sardine and thinking I had done horribly, only to be told that I, in fact, had done a splendid job, would have been ecstatic to the point of knocking out the next fish. Instead, Leah crapped out and QUIT. If I thought my sardine was bad, but wasn't, I would have filet the next fish until I was told to stop butchering it. Who knows she might have done an excellent job. But she will never know. And once again, fish proved to be her downfall. Now, I don't know miso from mayonaisse, let alone how to prepare it. But that's why I am here and she is there. She should have been able to figure out the composition of the miso and recreate it to near impeccable standards. Hell, she had all the ingredients and the chef's input. It was a shame that she couldn't even come close and a shame that she is staying. I had always liked Leah up until this point.
Lastly, Jamie. Pack your knives and leave. Jamie had grown on my the past few episodes. She became a chef that didn't think to highly of herself or her dishes and I liked that. I really hated to see her go. She knew what her limitations cooking and preperations were. Hence, her immediate knock out in the quickfire. No excuse. I don't filet sardines. The elimination challenge was hard for her. It is hard to have to recreate a dish that you didn't like in the first place. I have had to do this with recipes from family memebers that my wife and kids like. You try to add your flavor to the dish. I know Jamie wanted to do that. The only beef that the judges seemed to have was the saltiness of the celery. I believe her ultimate downfall was the fact that she served the celery knowing full well that the judges were going to rip her to shreds about it. Many times we have heard the judges say, if you are not happy with something, why serve it? Jamie fell into that realm last night and was thusly eliminated. Had she not served it and explained why may not have saved her either, but it may have been worth a shot.
Everything is shaping up to be a Fabio/Stefan/Carla finale...
I believe Leah is next to go...Her heart, for the competition, seems to have left when Hosea and she kissed. Hosea better man up...He talks a big game against Stefan...but he needs to watch out for himself first...
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on February 05, 2009, 02:35:47 PM
scuzneck, in general your remarks as OK but when you talk about Hosea I disagree:
Hosea. A seafood chef?!?! Remind me not to eat in his restaurant. Sorry, that's harsh, but if he cannot simply recreate a dish he got to eat, look at and have all ingrediants right there in front of him then something is horribly wrong. Even my untrained eye could see that the spice used was used liberally. When he started to coat the fish in it, I knew he was in major trouble. Hosea dodged a big bullet this episode. The question becomes Can he withstand the chopping block, like Stefan last week, and or will he tank like many of the chefs before him?
Recreating a dish is not exactly a trivial exercise and when the recipe to be deduced is from a world-class chef it is likely to be quite complicated. Second, Hosea was given low marks because of the texture of the sliced monkfish. He should have done a better job of planning ahead on timing so that the monkfish could sit for more than the 1.5 minutes he said was all he could do. Not being able to do that is the kind of mistake that a knowledgeable seafood chef should not make, but I say give him the benefit of the doubt. It's obvious that the judges were not considering him for elimination. He was the Best of the Worst.
I find you comments about Fabio's dish inappropriate. Who are you to second-guess the judging of the judging team? You aren't eating the food they eat to judge the dishes and the stated objectives of top chef judging are to use only today's food as the basis for decisions. If there were a personality component then I think commentary on personality etc. would be relevant in the final juding, but that is not the way it is. The quesiton of whether past food perfomrance shhould be used is open as far as I am concerned (I think they should use past peformance in some minor, such as for a tie-beraker. Fabio did more than OK and he deserved to be in the Best group. There is never any requirement for an even split between the size of the two groups. In fact, I rarely see that. Fabio had to earn it to be there. If not there would have been 4 in the Worst category.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on February 05, 2009, 03:08:52 PM
I believe you both are right in your assessments. I found this round particularly interesting, it reminded me of Hung's winning dish when they went to the French Culinary Institute in New York. However this seemed like an even harder challenge because they each had to create exactly a dish from Eric Ripert.
What do you both think of the degree of difficulty here? It seemed to me that this is one of the strongest groups that Top Chef has ever had and this was a way of weeding out the weakest of the lot. I was not surprised to see Leah, Jamie and Hosea in the bottom three and I thought any one of them could have been the one sent home.
One other thing that hit me last night, I think this has been the best season yet for the other chefs helping their fellow contestants. I remember that no one would help Marcel when he needed it and yet this season they have jumped in to bail out a fellow competitor. :tup:
Oh, I do agree with you both about Hosea, I would NOT want to eat at his restaurant. If he is a sea food expert, he should have planned his time to let the monk fish rest. That seemed like a bad mistake on his part.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: scuzneck on February 05, 2009, 03:12:42 PM
apskip, I will agree with your assessment of Hosea. Even my wife commented on the fact that they are under extreme time constraints and therefore have to rush plates to service. (I believe even Carla commented upon the fact that without help from her fellow chefs, her dishes would not have made it out there). But even with that, he should know better. Letting the monkfish rest for even two or three more minutes would have been better. And he admitted that he did know that. And, I realize that recreating a 5 star chef's high quality extraordinary dish is no easy feat, but it can be done. He over spiced the fish. I still contend that anyone could have seen that the spice was not the signiture part of the meal.
As far as Fabio, I still think he was the "best of the worst". I will have to review the tape, but most of the judge's comments at the restaurant seemed to be of a negative nature. They simply did not like the dish, initially. As more dishes came, I believe they appreciated Fabio's meal more. They were able to see that his dish was not the worst thing they put in their mouth that evening. Therefore he was rewarded with a top 3 finish. Why? Because his was third best or fourth worst. "Best of the worst" may be too strong. Three categories of food last night...1st Rate (Stefan and Carla)...Atrocious (Leah, Hosea, Jamie) and Average (Fabio)...
Fabio can do much better than what he ran out there last night...
(Disclaimer: I belittle the chefs because I am jealous of their talent and dedication. There is little to zero chance of me being able to recreate any of their dishes in the time they are given. I would love to be able to cook as well as they do, but I'll just stay in my little kitchen and make pleasing meals for my family. Let these big dogs cook up a storm. I enjoy watching {and criticing} them every week.)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on February 05, 2009, 04:35:46 PM
Quote
Posted by: scuzneck "Everything is shaping up to be a Fabio/Stefan/Carla finale..."
I so agree with this. I'm wondering why all the eliminated chefs are holed up in an adjacent apartment. Do the producers have plans for them? I know they bring back the eliminated chefs as helpers but all of them staying in New York? That seems odd to me. :duno:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on February 06, 2009, 10:49:56 AM
Well, there are two good reasons and one OK one that I can think of for keeping the eliminated chefs around. The first is that they need to be sequestered somewhere until the show is over. That is standard practice for reality shows. Why not next door? The second reason is that they often show up on-screen as diners or whatever might be needed. Third, there are probably miscellaneous tasks in the Top Chef kitchen area that they can do.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: scuzneck on February 06, 2009, 01:54:42 PM
I think apskip hit it right on the head. The competitors stayed in New York because of the "sequester rule". If you go home two days after leaving for the program, people are going to know immediatley and the RFF detectives will have it posted within minutes of your arrival back home. ;D :wohoo: :hearts:
Plus, as apskip pointed out, I am sure they are in the audience at the restaurants being served as well as helping to prep and clean the Top Chef kitchen afterwards.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on February 06, 2009, 02:26:19 PM
I think apskip hit it right on the head. The competitors stayed in New York because of the "sequester rule". If you go home two days after leaving for the program, people are going to know immediatley and the RFF detectives will have it posted within minutes of your arrival back home. ;D :wohoo: :hearts:
Plus, as apskip pointed out, I am sure they are in the audience at the restaurants being served as well as helping to prep and clean the Top Chef kitchen afterwards.
You guys are right... I'm a dunce. :lol: (Not sure if I got eliminated I'd want to be cleaning the kitchen though.) :snicker:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on February 07, 2009, 01:51:54 AM
An interview with Jamie:
Top Chef's Jamie: Toby Young Is Like Simon Cowell
After a Quickfire challenge that entailed hammering a nail through the head of a still-moving eel and a tricky dish recreation, a side of salty celery is the only thing that stood between cheftestant Jamie Lauren and the next round of Top Chef. We caught up with the San Francisco-based executive chef to find out what she thinks of Toby Young, what inspired her many tattoos and why buying tampons is a hassle these days.
TVGuide.com: What was it like getting kicked off for a dish that wasn't your own? Jamie Lauren: The challenge was difficult. I thrive on the creativity of being a chef, so I had a hard time recreating someone's creative innovation. But the way I look at it is if I had to go home, I was happy that it was cooking someone else's dish badly and not my own food!
TVGuide.com: It sounded as though you weren't a fan of Chef Eric Ripert's food at Le Bernardin? Jamie: No, that wasn't true. I liked the meal we had, but I didn't like the dish I got stuck with. I got the one that was sort of lame — and I wasn't the only one who felt that way. I would have rather done the one Hosea got because the flavors in that one are really cool and I work with them a lot, or the dish Fabio got.
TVGuide.com: How did you feel about the Quickfire fish-gutting extravaganza? Jamie: I thought it was a cool concept. I wish I could have gone further in it, but I just could not fillet the goddamn sardines. [Laughs] It was hard to do in five minutes because your hands are shaking while you're trying to get these little bones out. I looked at Eric's fillets and they were gorgeous. And I looked at mine and was like: eh. Whatever. If you look at my track record from the show, I've cooked a lot of seafood. It's actually one of my favorite things to cook, but I've never filleted a sardine before. I serve them whole.
TVGuide.com: Toby, who wasn't a fan of your dish, seemed to be a bit vocal throughout this season. What did you think of him? Jamie: I think Toby is the Simon Cowell of Top Chef; he's there for shock value. I think they wanted someone to get annoyed about and just say things to say things. He was always really cool to me, so I don't have anything bad to say about him. I just don't think I'd take what he says as much to heart as I would Gail.
TVGuide.com: From what we saw this season, it seemed as though Stefan had a little crush on you, no? Jamie: Stefan and I were there to just support each other as chefs, and I think we have a lot of mutual respect for each other and the talents we have. In terms of it being a crush, maybe it is a little bit true. Though in all honesty, I think he just admires me as a chef and a person. And I feel the same way about him. But putting up with Stefan for the past couple episodes has made me a more patient person. He's great, but he's a pain in the a--. [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: Tell us about your tattoos. They're hard to make out on television. Jamie: I have two sleeves. The full one is a sleeve of jellyfish. I was toying with the idea of doing an octopus or fish of some sort, but I went down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and they had the most beautiful jellyfish exhibit. I knew right away that's what I wanted. The other is orchids and a lotus flower, which I really like. I just wanted them to be really bright and colorful.
TVGuide.com: Now that you're a reality star, how are you handling all this extra attention from strangers? Jamie: It's interesting to not be anonymous anymore. It's definitely changed my life, for sure — not just with people coming in to meet me at the restaurant but everywhere. I live in the The Castro in San Francisco, which is the gay area, and I can't even go down the street without someone screaming out a car window at me. It's definitely great, but there are times I just want to go the drugstore. [Laughs] I feel awkward going into Walgreens and, like, buying a box of tampons, and people being like, "What is Jamie buying?!" [Laughs] But at the same time, I signed up for it by signing up to be on a reality show.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on February 07, 2009, 02:17:48 AM
An interview with Jamie:
Top Chef Exit Interview: Episode Eleven
Last night's episode of Top Chef brought a welcome dose of New York to the current season, with fancy cooking at Le Bernardin and the eel-skinning that inevitably happens whenever Eric Ripert is around. After a Quickfire full of fish-filleting, the cheftestants moved on to a six-course lunch with the Ripper, only to learn that their challenge would be to re-create his dishes from memory. Stefan got lucky with a lobster dish, Carla successfully poached escolar in oil, and Leah pouted and got things wrong. But in the end it was Jamie Lauren, the last remaining member of Team Rainbow, who was given the boot for making her celery too salty. We spoke with her earlier today about whether she really finds Ripert's food "uninspiring" and why she has nothing in common with Lisa from last season.
Were you shocked by the outcome of this challenge? Not at all. I knew that I screwed up and I might be going home.
The decision came down to: Is it better to acknowledge your mistakes and know how to fix them, or to not even know your mistakes and not know how to fix them? I haven’t even watched the show. I don’t know how it was edited. I was at work last night and I came home and didn’t really feel like watching it. I always own up to my mistakes and know what I did wrong. I don’t even really remember what Leah did or didn’t do, so I can’t really say.
So losing wasn’t a huge blow to you, it seems like. I never went on the show with the intention of winning. I went on the show to prove to myself that I could actually do it.
You certainly did right by the Team Rainbow name. You were the last to survive, I guess. It’s interesting, every season, there’s a few gay contestants. Last season it was Lisa who made it the furthest. Yeah. I have heard comparisons, but I don’t think we’re similar at all.
What have people said? People have said that I’m just the grumpy, bitter lesbian who stands there with her arms folded. I don’t know if they just group all of us lesbians together. It was never about being the lesbian contestant. I’m very proud of who I am as a member of the queer community. But first and foremost I’m a chef. I’m a chef first and a lesbian second.
Of the bottom three, was yours was the worst dish? I think mine had the worst offense. I think it being oversalted was the biggest problem. You couldn’t eat it; it was oversalted.
You realized the mistake, but it was at the point of no return. It’s not like I had a chance to go back and braise more celery. I had to plate it, I didn’t have a choice. It was either not plate it or plate it. And either way I was kind of screwed.
One of the things you said in the show was that you found Eric Ripert’s food somewhat uninspiring. Would you say that in general or was it just in regard to the dish that you made? Out of the dishes that we tasted, that was the most old-school and classic. It’s just not the food that I’m into. That’s what I meant when I said that I was uninspired by it. I am one of those chefs that thrives off of the creative process, so that’s why I had such a hard time with it.
Throughout the season you were sometimes criticized, jokingly or otherwise, for making a lot of scallops. Is that your favorite thing to cook? No, not at all. The scallops just were there! They were in the kitchen, so somebody needed to use them.
Did Stefan really have a crush on you? I know Stefan has a crush on me. He still has a crush on me.
What was the highlight of this experience for you — if you had to pick one thing, one dish, one moment? I think overall the highlight for me was being able to showcase who I am and my talents on a regular basis to 3 million people a week. That’s a huge thing.
How would you compare San Francisco and New York as food towns? They’re very different. People in San Francisco are into knowing where a product comes from; the whole farm-to-table thing is a really big deal here in the Bay Area. They consider themselves massive, massive foodies. They’ll be the first to remark on something if it’s not right or not local enough. In New York people are a little bit more laid-back.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on February 07, 2009, 12:17:14 PM
An interview with Jamie:
Top Chef Exit Interview: Jamie Is Cut, And She’s Over All The Scallop Talk
Last night’s Top Chef had a few shockers - wriggling dead eels, anyone? - but the biggest doozy of the evening came when Jamie Lauren, the soup and scallop loving cheftestant was given the boot after a salty recreation of an Eric Ripert signature dish. To many, Jamie was expected to go all the way. She had what seemed to be the winning pairing of hot, judge-pleasing dishes, combined with a cool, and (mostly) calm attitude. In an interview today, the 30-year-old chef talked about leaving the show, her “relationship” with Stefan, why the “scallop thing” got out of control, and on a more personal note: what she plans to do with her girlfriend on Valentine’s Day.
You seemed like you had resigned yourself to the idea of getting kicked off last night. Were you ready to go?
I knew that I’d screwed up. I had a pretty good idea that I was going to be the one going home, and I was okay with it. I couldn’t go back and change anything, so I kind of had to accept my fate at that point. It’s not the end of the world, for me, at least. It was so long ago. It was six months ago, and I’m kind of over it at this point. I’ve had enough time to let it marinate. I’ve dealt with it. Being on the show itself was an amazing experience and I’m lucky that I have that. I can’t beat myself up over that. It was over celery. It’s just not a big deal.
You mentioned on After The Knife that it was also easier to deal with because you were cooking someone else’s food. Do you think if it had been your dish you would have had a different reaction during judging?
Absolutely. Had it been my own food, or my own intellectual property, my own creative intelligence, I would have been really pissed if I went home. It’s easier for me to stomach going home because I cooked someone else’s food that night.
Were there any moments that you were shocked by when you watched the show on TV? Maybe Fabio’s comment “this isn’t Top Scallop, this is Top Chef?”
[Laughing] Well, I haven’t seen last night’s episode yet, so I don’t really know what happened on that. I mean, I know what happened, obviously, but I haven’t watched it yet. It is interesting to see what other people say in their interviews, because we don’t see that. I think you learn that you have to take it with a grain of salt, because it is a TV show. I wasn’t surprised by much of anything, though.
How come you haven’t watched last night’s episode yet?
I got off of work really late, and I got off and came home to watch American Idol first, then I fell asleep. Now I have to go to work again, so I probably won’t watch it for a while. I never really ran home to watch it. I wasn’t the girl who was like oh my God! I have to go home and watch myself on TV! It was never like that.
How do you feel about all the “scallop” talk?
I’m kind of over the scallop talk, to be honest. I don’t know, the scallop thing - I didn’t realize it would turn into such a big deal - I think a lot of it is because of Fabio’s one-liner. It is what it is. I do like cooking scallops, but it’s not the one thing I can cook, that’s for sure. But, I mean they are on my menu! I think the whole thing is kind of silly.
You said that you achieved what you wanted to achieve. What were those things?
For me, going on a show like that, being able to showcase who I am as a chef was definitely what I was trying to achieve. That’s what I did. I think people out there realized that I can cook, and I’m a strong competitor. I feel good about that.
While you were eating at Le Bernadin on last night’s episode, did you have any idea what the challenge was going to be?
Oh yeah. There’s no way they’re going to bring us, 6 people, to Le Bernadin, and feed us 6 dishes without us having to recreate them. There was just no way!
Have you stayed in touch with the other Team Rainbow members?
I keep in touch with a lot of people from the show. I don’t talk to Patrick as much as I’d like to, or Rich.
How annoyed were you actually by Stefan’s love for you?
The whole romance with Stefan was totally ridiculous. I think it was fabricated a lot for television. He definitely did have a crush on me, that part is true. But I think it’s more of a crush out of admiration. We had a lot of mutual respect for each other as chefs. He’s definitely one of the people who I talk to the most, which is kind of interesting. In terms of his personality, though, he can be a little bit overbearing. There were definitely times when he was a little bit annoying, especially when we were stuck in a room together for hours and hours.
Next week is Valentine’s Day, are you pro-Valentine’s Day, or anti?
[Laughing] I guess it depends on whether or not I’m in a relationship. Valentine’s Day for me is one of the busiest days of the year. We’re fully booked and I’m not really looking forward to it because it’s going to be a lot of work for us. I am looking forward to getting on a red eye after Valentine’s Day and going to New York to see my girlfriend. So I guess I’m a little bit romantic.
Are you going to cook her a special one-day-late Valentine’s Day meal?
Absolutely not. She definitely wants me to, but I doubt that I will. I’m only going to be in New York for three days.
Do you have a favorite restaurant in New York?
I have lots of favorite restaurants in New York. I grew up in New York. I think one of my all time favorites, that I’ve been going to for at least 20 years, is a restaurant called Boca Chica. It’s on the corner of 1st Avenue and 1st Street in the East Village, and it’s awesome. It’s Caribbean food and it’s always been delicious, every time I go back.
Who are you rooting for now?
I think at this point it’s anyone’s game. I think Stefan is the most talented out of everybody. I think he has a really good shot, but anybody can snag it. A lot of people thought I was going to win and I’m not there anymore, so you never know.
What was your impression of the judges?
I thought for the most part they were pretty fair. I thought Gail was probably the most fair. When Gail would speak, I would listen. I really respected what Gail had to say. I think Toby, on the other hand, is there for showmanship. And I’m just going to keep mum about Tom and Padma.
Is there anyone who you thought was sent home too early?
Yeah, well if there was someone who I thought deserved a chance to showcase her abilities more, it’d probably be Ariane. She’s a badass cook. I’ve eaten at her restaurant twice, and girl can throw down. She can cook!
What’s the best memory or moment?
The most fun that I had was on the Super Bowl challenge. Once I got past the point where I thought that I wasn’t going to be able to come up with a dish, and I came up with a dish that I actually liked, I decided to have fun with it. It was fun going up against the “all-stars,” the old contestants.
What would be your ultimate career path?
I think if I could do anything in the world, I’d do travel. I would love to travel and cook in other countries. It’s very important as a chef to experience other cultures and other people’s food. So that would be ideal. Anything after that, I mean, I don’t necessarily know if I want to open my own restaurant; part of me does, and part of me doesn’t. In this economy, it’s such a hard time to be in the restaurant industry. There’s been some talk about me opening up a soup restaurant, since I did a lot of soups on the show. Then a part of me really wants to go back to New York, so it’s all up in the air right now. I’m totally happy at Absinthe and I’m not going anywhere unless something totally amazing comes along.
Would you ever want to write a cook book?
Yeah, it’s definitely something I’ve thought about. I’ve also thought about doing more television, although not reality television. Some sort of television.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on February 07, 2009, 12:51:21 PM
An interview with Jamie:
Top Chef’s Jamie: Stefan Had a Real Crush On Me
She was outspoken and talented –- and seemed destined to make it to the finale, but a too-salty dish sent San Francisco’s Jamie Lauren packing on Wednesday’s Top Chef. While the elimination may have surprised viewers, the chef seemed to know it was her time. Calling from her Bay-area home, Lauren dished about Stefan’s crush on her (yes, he was for real!), her brassy personality and tackled our five burning questions.
You and Stefan had a fantastic dynamic. Did he really have a crush on you? Stefan definitely had a real crush on me. Stefan admires talent and I think [he] realized I was the other person there who was on the same level as him. He used to say that to me a lot. And he was convinced that I was going to be in the finale — [that] it was going to be he and I going up against each other. He was probably more bummed that I got sent home than I was because I think he really liked working with me.
So, his “crush” wasn’t of a romantic nature? There was no romantic anything. That was just nonsense. In all reality, I’m queer. I would never go out with Stefan. That was never going to happen.
You also got some attention from Fabio when he made a joke about how many scallops you used in the competition. What did you think of his “Top Scallop” crack? It’s funny to have seen that after the fact. That’s just Fabio. Fabio’s a clown. [He] has a ton of charisma. He had a lot of great one-liners. Unfortunately I’m never going to live the “Top Scallop” thing down. It’s a little bit obnoxious because people come into [my restaurant] and they’re always making these scallop remarks. But at the same time, we’ve sold a lot of scallops. So, I guess that’s a good thing.
You were refreshing to watch because you had no problems speaking your mind. Any regrets? I have a problem with speaking my mind [laughs]. I feel really good about how I was portrayed. I definitely feel I come across as somebody strong and confident who knows how to cook and knows her s—.
You didn’t shy away from criticizing Eric Ripert’s food –- and the dish you got — while everyone else seemed to revere him. Did he intimidate you? I am definitely fazed by Eric Ripert. I mean, I have his cookbook. I know who he is. I think he’s amazing. I just think out of the six dishes, I got stuck with the one that was sort of lame. I just didn’t think I could do it justice the way he needed it to be done.
You said you knew you were going home. What sealed your fate? I was convinced just based on the feedback from the judges. When Padma said [the food] was so salty, it was inedible, I was like, ‘Okay, I’m going home.’ Inedible usually means go home. I would have sent myself home. I also get that the competition isn’t based on a cumulative scoring system because if it was, I definitely think I’d stay in the game.
What do you think people took away from you being on the show? If my 150 comments that I got on Facebook last night mean anything, I think people are really, really bummed that I got kicked off. I think a lot of people expected me to make it to the finale and that’s a really good indication of how people saw me on the show - as somebody who knew how to cook and was confident and sure of themselves most of the time. I think I was really original, and people saw that too.
Our Top Chef 5 Burning Questions:
Describe your Top Chef experience in one word. Inspiring.
What is in your refrigerator right now? A bottle of hot sauce. I have a jar of pickled green beans. A slice of American cheese. A jar of olives. A Brita water filter. And a bottle of sparkling rosé.
Name one food you cannot stand. Salmon.
Pick your favorite fast-food restaurant. In-N-Out Burger.
Gail or Toby? Gail gives much better criticism and she’s way better to look at — for me!
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on February 07, 2009, 01:09:44 PM
Top Chef Burning Questions with Stefan:
Bravo.com: First, the Quickfire Challenge: What were you thinking when you saw that Eric Ripert was guest judge? Everybody knows the Master of Fish. He is one of the best french chefs in America and of course it made me happy to see him. And to his person, what a sweet and nice chef. I would work for him at anytime.
Bravotv.com: Were you worried at all about the fileting? Which did you think was the hardest? See again we go back to apples. It is the basics like I said prior. You can’t fillet a fish, you should not be in the kitchen, or at least learn and keep your eyes open and watch and go to a fish market on your day off and work for free. Again, eel I love and it is probably the easiest. We used to catch them in horses' heads in the river in Germany and Switzerland. You rope the head of the horse and throw it in the river or stream, wait a few days and pull it out and here you have beautiful eel.
I know Hosea wants to beat me. That’s OK. He knows who is the better chef. Do I feel the same way? Not really.
Bravotv.com: Hosea really seems to want to beat you specifically. Do you feel the same sense of competition with him? I know Hosea wants to beat me. That’s OK. He knows who is the better chef. Do I feel the same way? Not really. I have cooked in so many different countries and continents there is always somebody jealous and wants to beat you, comes with fame, fortune, and good looks. Ha! Hosea that one is for you. My hair looks so much better then yours.
Bravotv.com: Onto the Elimination: You seemed surprised that a challenge was announced at lunch. Were you?
Not really. I was counting the peeps on the table and six courses, six chefs. Do the math. And why would Tom and Eric sit with us for lunch and check us out?
Bravotv.com: Why did you choose the lobster dish? Did you think it would be the easiest as Hosea suggests? Whole Foods isn’t selling lobster so I thought, Why not?" And it was my favorite dish. I could have picked any of them; that’s the food I have cooked all my life and to Hosea’s remark, It is the easiest one. He almost did not make it with his dish. And when you cook lobster 30 seconds too long it is like rubber. So that is my answer to the question. But if Hosea thinks it is easier then I'm happy to take any of his dishes in his restaurant and re-do them, especially when I kick his ass in Bolder when we go skiing together. Hosea, I’m the guy waiting for you at the lift and waving and waiting for you.
Bravotv.com: What did you find to be the biggest challenge in recreating the dish? Challenge? Again it was the basics. We are chefs here and not in school. RIGHT?? And execution was the key to the dish. That’s why I made one dish for Eric to try and he said it was great. Then I was sure I was fine.
Bravotv.com: Did you get to try your fellow chefs' dishes? What did you think? Fabio’s was good, Hosea’s was OK as well, Carla was pretty close I have to say. And Jamie's? Ohhhhh Jamie. Sooooo salty, sorry.
Bravotv.com: Were you surprised Jamie was sent home? Did you think someone else deserved to go? See, now I have to be honest. When I tasted Jamie’s food after she put it out I knew it was too salty. The fish seem to be OK, but the celery was sooooo salty and I knew when I ate it, she was going home. Someone else nope; it was Jamie.
Bravotv.com: You seemed to really like Jamie — how upset were you that she went home? I knew that question is going to come. I really love Jamie, as a chef, as a person and how she is. She is a straight shooter like me. Lots of people think, that we comes across as arrogant or pompous. Trust me, it is just love and passion for the kitchen. She is by far one of the most creative chefs I have met. She was my biggest competitor on the show. She is fun, and has the sweetest smile and laugh on the face of the earth. And yes, Jamie is that chef I want to cook against in the finale. Boring without her.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on February 07, 2009, 01:15:48 PM
Top Chef Burning Questions with Jamie:
Bravotv.com: First, the Quickfire: What were you thinking when you saw that Eric Ripert was guest judge?
I thought for sure it was going to something involving fish, I mean, I know Le Bernadin is one of the top rating seafood restaurants in the country so it wasn't surprising when the announced the fish relay race.
Bravotv.com: What did you think of the filleting challenge? If they hadn't started with sardines, do you think you would have gone further?
I thought the filleting challenge was cool, until we pulled off the domes and were presented with the sardines...I had never actually filleted a sardine like that, with such precision...I was definitely intimidated, I usually serve sardines whole, Eric's were gorgeous! I knew I wasn't going to be able to do it as well as he had, it was something I had no experience with. I think, had we started with the Char, I would have totally had a chance to go on further in the quickfire.
Bravotv.com: Onto the Elimination: It almost seemed like you guys didn't know there would be a challenge announced while you were eating at Le Bernardin. Were you guys surprised?
No, Not at all...all through lunch I sat there and scrutinized every last thing I ate. I knew for sure we were going to have to replicate his dishes, and I knew I was in trouble...I am am awful at replicating...I thrive off the creative aspect of cooking and being innovative...I was terrified that was going to be our challenge.
Bravotv.com: What did you think of the concept of the challenge overall?
I thought the concept was cool, but not surprising...we all knew what was coming, some people were even taking notes under the table on certain dishes...but, I would have preferred being thrown in his kitchen and making our own seafood focused dish...I just think that would have been more interesting.
Bravotv.com: Were you happy with the fish you got? Was there a dish you would have preferred to make?
I was happy cooking black bass, I have cooked it hundreds of times before...I didn't think that part of it was going to be a problem (which its was). I would have loved to make the dish Fabio got with the tomato water and bread crust. That dish was beautiful. Or even the dish Hosea got because of the flavors in it, the black garlic (which was one of my ingredients I brought with me), the Persian lime, the cous cous...It was just more interesting.
Bravotv.com: What did you struggle most with in replicating Chef Ripert's dish?
I had a hard time figuring out the sauce, it was such a strange flavor with the ham and the celery. I also was having trouble trying to cook in his 700 degree ovens...I guess in his kitchen he really likes to keep his oven at blazing hot temperatures. Every time I opened the oven door and stuck my hand in, I think my arm hair got burned off! And then there was the braised celery, which ultimately did me in...
Bravotv.com: You knew that your celery was over seasoned. Did you think this would send you home?
I knew the celery was over seasoned, but at the point I realized it, I couldn't do anything to change it. All my ingredients were accounted for and I had nothing left over to help dilute the liquid to take some of the salt away, I tried adding some water when we got to the upstairs kitchen, but at that point it was just too late...I couldn't fix it. But, I had to serve it...it was either that, or serve nothing, I thought nothing would have been a worse offense. I had a pretty good idea that I would be going home, considering mine was the most offensive of all the dishes.
Bravotv.com: Do you think someone else deserved to go home instead?
Nope, not that I can recall...I think it was totally fair, and I was okay with that. I screwed up, it wasn't my food, I wasn't inspired...I think if I were to go out on any challenge this was the one to do it on...because at least I didn't screw up my own food and I didn't go home because the judges disliked something that was creatively mine. I think that would have been a bigger blow for me.
Bravotv.com: What was your experience like overall? Did Stefan ever get that kiss? (just kidding)
I had a great time shooting the show and I am super happy I did it. I met a lot of really amazing people who I know I will be friends with for a long long time to come. I think in the long run being on Top Chef has made me a stronger more inspired chef. It was a chance that not many people get to live through and I am very grateful that I was given the opportunity to do it. As far as Stefan is concerned...I think we may have kissed once or twice in his dreams (ha!)....but, truthfully...he knows I adore him...
Bravotv.com: You were the last member of Team Rainbow left standing -- is Team Rainbow still alive and well off camera?
Oh Team Rainbow...that's one I will never live down! I never wanted to be a gay poster child when I started the show, but I think as the months have progressed I have changed my tune a little...It's amazing to be able to inspire a community and I am glad that I had the courage to be "out" on national tv...a lot of people can't even make it that far...I think its important to embrace who you are and be proud of it, hence the reason Team Rainbow was hatched in the first place. The three of us immediately bonded over being queer, which when you are a minority tends to happen, and yes, we are still thriving...in fact Rich and I are doing an a gay marriage fundraiser in San Diego next month.
Bravotv.com: Where can your fans learn more about you and your food?
Fans can check me out at www.absinthe.com where I am still the Executive Chef...Plus, on our website there is a link that tells folks where I will be over the next few months so if I am in your city, I'd love for you to come out and say Hello! I also just wanted to say many many thank you's to everyone who has supported me through this journey...
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on February 07, 2009, 11:46:22 PM
Top Chef 5 episode 11
The Guest Judge was the fabulous Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin restaurant, generally regarded as the finest seafood chef in the U.S. and probably the world. During the Elimination Challenge as the competing chefs were having problems, Padma made the statement that Ripert is "the Top Chef." He has taken refined cuisine to the maximum, going for very subtle flavors and balance of ingredients.
We start with a Quickfire Challenge and this one is deceptively simple. There are 3 rounds and the bottom 2 chefs will be eliminated each round. Round one is 5 minutes to fillet 3 sardines. Jaime and Carla bit the dust. Leah did best and Stefan did really well. Round 2 was 5 minutes to fillet an arctic char. The best was Hosea and Stefan was close. Leah and Fabio were out. The final round was to filet a moving (although dead) eel. Seafood chef Hosea knew the pressure was on him but Stefan had huge experience in this from childhood. He won and gained a significant advantage in the elimination challenge.
The chefs were invited to lunch at Le Bernadin to be overseen by Eric Ripert. This is an obvious ploy, as any chefs that have ever watched earlier seasons of Top Chef know. The chefs have to bring their "A" game and observe very carefully and take either mental or actual notes. The meal is 6 courses, each one of fish. At the end, Tom Colicchio announces that, after Stefan picks the dish he wants, the others will draw knives for which dish they will get. The results are: Fabio - Sourdough marinated Red Snapper w/ tomato basil consomme Leah - Baked Mahi Mahi w/ miso and matsutake mushroom sauce Stefan - Baked Lobster w/Hollandaise sauce and asparagus Carla - Oil-Poached Escobar w/ potato crisps in Bearnaise red wine sauce Hosea - Za'apata Spiced Monkfish w/ black garlic Jaime - Sauteed Black Bass w/ Serrano ham green peppercorn sauce and braised celery
The chefs then have 2 hours to prep and prepare, followed by staggered cooking of the dishes. The goal is to match the way Le Bernardin does it, so a "control" by a chef under Ripert's is the standard for comparison of the cooking of each cheftestant. Late in the 2 hours Eric Ripert visits each one to offer counsel.
The actual cooking begins as the courses are cooked and served sequentially. Hosea knows that he has a problem with the consistency of the monkfish, but when he discovered it there is nothing he can do to fix it. Jaime is aware just before plating that there is nothing she can do about the celery being overcooked and too salty. Leah was not able to figure out the miso and added butter to compensate for her lack of understanding. The other 3 chefs had very minor problems and were put in the Winner's Group, composed of Stefan, Fabio and Carla. The Loser's Group was Leah, Jaime and Hosea. Based on the comments occurring at the table where the judges sampled, those three were in jeopardy. So when the Winner's Group was announced, Hosea was kicking himself as a seafood chef who was not going to win a seafood cooking competition. Leah and Jaime were just scared about being sent home and each of them expected it would be themselves. Stefan wins and the prize is the latest Ripert book "End of the Line" plus a week's apprenticeship under Ripert to Le Bernardin, two unnamed other restaurants of his, and finally a trip to the Food and Wine Festival of Pebble Beach.
Next is the time for the Loser's group to talk and the judges to give some indication of what concerns them: Leah - knew her miso flavor was too strong but did not know how to fix her miso sauce, ending up with adding butter. That was the wrong answer. Tom asked her if her giving up in the Quickfire Challenge was going to be repeated any time soon. What's she going to say? She has to sound committed to continuing. Jaime - the braised celery was really bad but she could not fix it. Padma said if she could have sent the dish back she would have. Hosea - the quality of the sauce was really good; his problem according to Tom was not letting the monkfish set long enough before slicing it. Hosea says he only had 1.5 minutes. Tom basically said that Hosea's planning should have allowed for much more time.
It was obvious that Hosea was going to stay and the battle was between Leah and Jaime. I was expecting Leah to be eliminated, but the decision was against Jaime. I suspect that the producers got into the act on this one because the "love story" between Leah and Hosea is good for show ratings. I don't think so. I find it obnoxious that they would behave like they did in the episode 10.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on February 08, 2009, 06:01:33 PM
An interesting article:
Padma Lakshmi has a life outside of `Top Chef'
Ice princess probably isn't the right term for Padma Lakshmi. Even though the Top Chef judge dispenses all her exiting cheftestants flatly with her signature ''Please pack your knives and go,'' the 38-year-old former model from Kerala, India, really, really has a heart.
''I always feel bad because Top Chef is much harder to compete in than it even looks on TV,'' says Lakshmi, who appears on the cover of this month's Ocean Drive. ``I'm with these chefs day and night and I can see how much heart and soul they put into their work. Telling a chef to go home is the single most difficult thing about my job.''
The former Mrs. Salman Rushdie opened up about other, better parts of the gig and what she's up to off the set:
You filmed Top Chef : Miami down here in '07. What did you think of the dining scene?
I love the food in Miami. I especially loved all the citrus and seafood. The confluence of Latin flavors and Southern cooking traditions as well as Caribbean cooking all make for a great culinary scene. Some of my favorite spots are Table 8, Michael's Genuine, or just getting tacos at Lime.''
You're super thin -- how do you do it? Have any guilty pleasures?
I do try not to overeat, especially when dining out. But it's always hard -- starting from when you first get to the table and that big, fat bread basket is eyeing you. My best guilty pleasure is watching old sitcoms and eating grilled cheese and tomato soup in bed.''
Are you a fan of reality TV in general?
I must say I'm not. In fact, as my life becomes busier, I find that I don't have time to turn the TV on enough, but when I do, I'm more drawn to shows like Flight of the Conchords and Mad Men. I have a weakness for old black and white videos of Julia Child's cooking show and documentaries. I've stayed up till 3 a.m. watching things like the history of paint!''
We hear you have launched a fine jewelry collection inspired by your heritage.
The line of [cuffs, necklaces and rings] is 10K and 14K gold with semi and precious stones. I wanted to do a line that women could wear with jeans as well as with cocktail dresses. I wasn't able to find anything on the market that really suited all my needs.''
If you weren't a chef/host/author what would you be?
I have really been fortunate to make a professional life out of what genuinely interests me. I love food, film and fashion and my work is in these areas. But I suppose trapeze artist would be interesting.''
Link to the article: http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/people/story/893681.html (http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/people/story/893681.html)
Link to Ocean Drive Magazine: http://www.oceandrive.com/flash/interface.html (http://www.oceandrive.com/flash/interface.html)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on February 08, 2009, 07:29:10 PM
...It was obvious that Hosea was going to stay and the battle was between Leah and Jaime. I was expecting Leah to be eliminated, but the decision was against Jaime. I suspect that the producers got into the act on this one because the "love story" between Leah and Hosea is good for show ratings. I don't think so. I find it obnoxious that they would behave like they did in the episode 10.
Thank you Apskip for another wonderful recap! :tup:
I hate the whole "relationship" diversion and it is a diversion for me, but I also think it says a lot about professionalism as well.
About the elimination, I thought it would be Leah out not Jamie.
Concerning Stefan's sauce, the judges thought it was too thick, but Ripert said they use a blender to make it, so my question is for the foodies here, wouldn't it add difficulty to hand whip the sauce and have it end up to be quite close to the original? I would have thought hand blending it would be a plus.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on February 09, 2009, 06:54:09 PM
Top Chef, Jamie Lauren's favorite places to shop in SF
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on February 11, 2009, 02:30:24 PM
An interesting article:
Eric Ripert’s Pick to Win Top Chef — Stefan!
After judging the cheftestants at his restaurant Le Bernardin on last week’s episode of Top Chef, Eric Ripert has a good sense of who he thinks might come out on top this season. Calling from his restaurant in New York in between work on his upcoming PBS show Avec Eric (which premieres in September), the good-natured master chef told us why Jamie deserved to go home, weighed in the American vs. European chef rivalries and picked his Top Chef winner.
Tell us about your new show. It’s [about] traveling for inspiration — visiting people who are doing interesting things. Sometimes it’s farmers. Sometimes it’s restaurants. We shot in Italy and California. We’re shooting in New York. Then, the last segment of the show will be cooking.
Speaking of shows, you judged last week’s Top Chef. Which contestants do you think have what it takes to win? I thought Stefan was by far the strongest. He’s the one who really makes a difference, and he won the challenge easily. He has the technique; he has the sensitivity; he has a good palate and a good knowledge and good professional experience. To me, it makes a very big difference.
Is he your pick to win? I wouldn’t be surprised all. To me it would be logical if he wins. I don’t think any of the others [are at] the same level.
What were your impressions of Jamie, who lost last week? I’m not surprised [she lost]. She was not at ease at all with even basics like filleting fish. It took her a very, very long time to fillet her black bass. I don’t know her from the previous episodes. But I thought she was weak.
At first, there was a rivalry between the European and American contestants on the show. What are your thoughts on that? Look, at the end of the day, good food is good food — it doesn’t matter if you’re French or German or American. Knowledge is knowledge. If you don’t have it, the citizenship doesn’t give you it.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on February 11, 2009, 02:36:19 PM
Q&A with Eric Ripert:
Bravotv.com: First the Quickfire, what is the most difficult fish to filet correctly? They all have their own challenge. Since the sardines are so tiny and fragile, it’s definitely not an easy task to fillet them. It is a very fatty fish and the more you keep them out of refrigeration the more they become inconsistent, almost like a piece of soft butter. The arctic char is very similar to salmon and they both have a very delicate flesh, and an ultra-thin spine, and fish bones that are not easy to locate and follow. The eel is certainly the most challenging. Even after they are dead they move a lot, they are very bloody, and their skin is very difficult to remove. It’s also a fish that you don’t see very often and therefore few people have experience filleting it.
Bravotv.com: How do you think the chefs did filleting their fish? Stefan definitely did very well on that challenge. The arctic char was his weakness but it was very acceptable. Carla really sabotaged the sardines. Hosea in particular did an excellent job on the arctic char. The group overall reflects what I see all the time with young chefs and line cooks — they are uncomfortable and lack confidence in filleting fish. It’s one of the basics of learning how to cook, therefore I always encourage our team (or anyone) to spend time with the fish butcher to learn better techniques.
Bravotv.com: When Leah gave up on the arctic char, what were you thinking? Gone baby gone …
Bravotv.com: Onto the Elimination: Which dishes do you think were the hardest to replicate? At Le Bernardin we focus mostly on flavors and harmony between all the components of the dish keeping in mind that the fish is the star of the plate. Since fish is so delicate we believe in not overcomplicating and overwhelming a dish. Presentation is never the priority at first. All our focus is in the technique and the precision used to build flavors. Looking at one of our dishes, it can be deceiving and appear extra simple, but that is our intention and challenge. However, as soon as you taste it you enjoy a subtle complexity of textures and refined flavors. For example, the black bass, the dish that Jaime had to reproduce, represents our style and philosophy the most and therefore was the most difficult to replicate.
Bravotv.com: What were the keys to being successful to replicating Le Bernardin’s dishes? The key word is focus: focus on the overall look of the plate, in the taste profile of the dish, identifying the techniques we used to elevate the fish.
Bravotv.com: Which dishes stood out the most to you (for better or for worse)? As an overall I was very impressed with the capabilities of the contestants to replicate the dish that was assigned to them. In presentation it was at least 90% identical. In terms of flavors, the lobster dish was 99%. And really, I was impressed with Stefan since he had never seen that dish before that day of the challenge. The black bass recipe was inedible. The celery was an embarrassment and the sauce was burned and way oversalted.
Bravotv.com: What put the winner’s dish above the others at the top? The execution, the closeness to our dish, again it’s all about flavors and it was great. In fact, the lobster dish Stefan had to make was not that simple. The lobster was perfectly cooked and seasoned, so were the asparagus and his sauce was very well-balanced, harmonious in between richness, acidity, even its consistency. The herb flavor in the sauce developed very well.
Bravotv.com: The eliminated chef was seemingly sent home for oversalting celery — was this the worst culinary crime that day? By far, yes. Unfortunately we just couldn’t eat it.
Bravotv.com: What is your overlying philosophy on creating a great seafood dish? Our mantra is that the fish is the star of the plate and all our efforts and creative vision support the mantra.
Bravotv.com: Overall, how did this experience compare to your other guest judging experiences? I have always loved being a guest judge on Top Chef. This time was very different since I was hosting it at Le Bernardin. I felt very responsible for making sure that we provide everything possible for the contestants to shine. I always feel that the most important thing for me as a judge is to be fair, focusing solely on the quality of the food, not personalities. I was certainly more involved and certainly felt more pressure to be an inspiration in this episode.
I was certainly more involved and certainly felt more pressure to be an inspiration in this episode.
Bravotv.com: Anything you want to catch your fans up with that you’ve been doing lately? First and foremost we are taking care of Le Bernardin and our other restaurants: 10 Arts in Philadelphia, Westend Bistro in Washington, D.C. and Blue in Grand Cayman Islands. All located in The Ritz Carlton hotels. I am also very involved with a food rescue organization called City Harvest in New York City. Their mission is to save unused food from restaurants, corporations, grocers, farmers, etc. and deliver the fresh food to agencies around the city who are serving those in need of a meal. Actually we just decided to give City Harvest $1 for every client who dines with us this year — and we anticipate a donation of upwards of $100,000 for the year. I’m also finishing shooting my own TV series called Avec Eric which will debut nationally this Fall on PBS. The show has been shot on location in HD in Italy, Northern California and New York.
Last but not least, I’m just about to conclude promotion of my new book called On The Line.
To keep updated on what is going on with me, please check out my Web site: www.aveceric.com
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on February 12, 2009, 04:51:41 AM
Q&A with Fabio:
Bravotv.com: First the Quickfire: What was the inspiration behind your dessert? The inspiration behind my dessert was that this guy is one of the highest representatives of molecular gastronomy in USA, and what I've done is a perfect representation of some "eggs" concept in two different ways and one egg breakfast dish. Now i was the only one trying to go molecular in order to honor the master and I was on the bottom because he told me that I used the same tecnique, which by-the-way he was wrong because, yes, it was spherification but one was the classic recipe and in the eggs in the shell was the reverse one, so, yes, the result was similar but i got two completely different approaches, and also i've done the quail eggs like for Rocco. The next time i will poach again a bullsh-t eggs with some sauteed spinach and some Hollandaise sauce and I'll be again in the top 3, but i'm happy. I am a very happy person; it is very hard to put me out of mood.
Bravotv.com: Did you think you’d be penalized for not making breakfast? Or lauded for using molecular gastronomy? The problem is that for the whole season the judges are keep asking us to amaze them with incredible food. They have been telling us that playing safe is not going to get us anywhere and they prized poached eggs and roasted chicken. Lately who is winning the challanges has been doing panna cotta, seared scallops, mousse, and grits. With all due respect for those people, how amazing is a panna cotta or a plate of grits. They have to decide where they arestanding because this year it seems like that the more safe you play the further you go. I'm happy I do simple food and this is what is good for me but I dont know how amazing the food is till the end of the competition; all the chefs are playing very safe, and I dont think that he will laugh at me. My tecnique is perfect — there is no room for mistakes in molecular.
Bravotv.com: Onto the Elimination: Would you have preferred to cook for anyone but Lidia? Lidia is a wonderful woman with a great palate. It was a true plesure to cook for her. I coudn't have been happier ... too funny that I didnt have to cook the bull**** eggs for Dufresne at the end in the Elimination Challange.
Bravotv.com: What would your last meal be? Steak and pasta, and a bottle of wine. If i have to die after dinner, I want to be a little drunk.
Bravotv.com: You really hurt yourself — what happened? I took a corner and I did fall due to the wet floor and my pinky was dislocated, so it got very swollen and I coud not move my whole hand. The funny part is that I was about to start cooking and I am a professional chef and like I said this is Top Chef not Top Pussy, so I held strong and got the job done!
Bravotv.com: Had you ever hurt yourself that badly in the kitchen before? I did burn myself really badly three years ago. I accidentally coated my whola hand with caramelized sugar and I had a third-degree burn. I almost lost my hand and after four days I was back to work. I was eating painkiller sfor breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is what it is; you have to deal with it.
Bravotv.com: Did you have to do anything differently because of your finger just to get the work done? I got very upset with the f*##*ng potatoes. I could not peel them and they kept falling off my hand, and also butchering the chicken was a mission almost impossible, but I didn't do anything differently. I kept my focus and moved on.
Bravotv.com: How do you think your dish turned out? What would you have done differently? It was pretty good — a roasted chicken is a roasted chicken. It's been done before and I have to know how get it done but I was very happy with it, and the potatoes were killer. I challange anyone to reply the potatoes of my grandma.
Bravotv.com: What did you think of the other dishes? I did not have much time to check the other dishes. I was behind with mine so I did not really pay attention to what was going on with the other contestants.
Bravotv.com: What was it like cooking for such culinary legends? It was a true pleasure to see that such culinary legends are asking for down-to-heart food, no foo-foo, no complex things, no high-end presentation. Top Chef is about somebody that can be consistently good over the years and it is too bad that people are being judged over a single dish. And I don't care about what people think of how simple or safe is the food that I do. In the last 6 months of 2008 my restaurant did over a 38% more in profit respect to the last 6 months of 2007, and this means that with this bad economy, when all the other restaurants are losing money and closing down with their fancy food and fancy chefs, my restaurant is getting stronger than ever … how about that??? I am opening three more restaurants in 2009 while all the fancy restaurants that are doing fancy food are closing down. You have no idea how many "fancy" chefs from Los Angeles restaurants are applying for jobs at my restaurant. That is a good problem to have. Simple delicious food is what i do for a living and in my place I give you a fine experience for a fraction of the price. Now you can say anything you want about my food — it is too simple, boring, not refined — I dont care. You can keep your opinion and good luck with that!!!
Bravotv.com: Were you surprised about who went home? Do you think the right person went home? I think that Leah was over the show. She is a very talented chef but she has no passion for being in TV or this kind of pressure/ She is a great chef and she belongs to a kitchen. She loves what she does and I will work with her anytime, anyday, but for what concerned the competition she was over. She just let things happen and that's it. I wish her the best. She is really talented and i love her.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on February 12, 2009, 07:28:20 AM
Yay!!!!! My final 4 hopes are realized!! Hosea, Carla, Fabio and Stefan!
:wohoo: :jumpy: :wohoo:
Stefan has had two smacks to the head, he's been in the bottom twice now, he better get focused. Fabio was Fabulous, working through his injury and winning this challenge. Kudos to him! :tup:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on February 12, 2009, 07:34:01 AM
I think Fabio had some profound things it say in his interview above. Most importantly, that the judging system is say one thing (make me the absolute best dish that you can) but rewarding another type of behavior that is far short of of demonstrating your very best (keep it simple, stupid).
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on February 12, 2009, 07:42:14 AM
I think Fabio had some profound things it say in his interview above. Most importantly, that the judging system is say one thing (make me the absolute best dish that you can) but rewarding another type of behavior that is far short of of demonstrating your very best (keep it simple, stupid).
Can you explain further Apskip, I'm really interested in your opinion.
Thanks Marigold for posting the articles about Fabio. About the quick fire, it didn't seem right to me that Fabio did use a molecular gastronomy method to cook his two dishes and was penalized because it wasn't breakfast. Maybe I need to rewatch it again to see what the specifics for quick fire challenge.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on February 12, 2009, 12:12:51 PM
Toby Young's Blog:
Keep it Simple
Watching last night’s episode, it was incredible to see so many legendary chefs assembled at one table. It was the culinary equivalent of The Avengers, the team of Marvel superheroes that includes Ant-Man, Wasp, Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk, and Captain America. No wonder Hosea said having to cook for them was the most daunting challenge he has faced so far.
In fact, it wasn’t nearly as difficult as last week’s challenge. The guests may have been distinguished chefs, but they were asked to name the last meal they’d like to eat, not the most difficult dish they’d had to prepare. In responding, they did what most of us would do — they named the meal that meant the most to them as children. Typically, children like food that is fairly simple and undemanding. These culinary superstars weren’t asking the contestants to prepare modern, complicated food; they were after the equivalent of Proust’s madeleines. Even Wylie Dufresne, a molecular gastronomist, opted for eggs Benedict.
For that reason, it was easy to pick last night’s winner. Fabio decided to use his grandmother’s roast chicken recipe and, by invoking a taste memory from his own childhood, he cooked exactly the dish that Lidia Bastianich had in mind. The fact that he managed to pull off this triumph with a broken finger made it all the more impressive. His line about working through the pain — “It’s Top Chef, not Top Pussy” — was almost as good as his comment on Jamie’s food: “Is Top Chef, not Top Scallop.”
Choosing the loser was much harder. I leaned towards Hosea because I thought his attempt to reinvent shrimp scampi was completely wrong-headed — it was so not what this challenge was about — but Tom was convinced that Leah ought to go because the hollandaise sauce in her eggs Benedict was watery and flavourless. In the end, Tom managed to convince the rest of the judges to send Leah home on the grounds that she’d failed to do what she’d set out to do. Hosea’s dish may have been misconceived, but at least he managed to produce a decent version of his idiosyncratic interpretation of shrimp scampi.
Last night’s episode was a good illustration of the golden rule when it comes to food reality shows: Keep it simple. I know from having been a judge on three different ones that the most common reason contestants are eliminated is because they over-reach; they opt for the fussy and complicated when, really, they’d be better off cooking the most straightforward version of the dish in question.
However, this is only a good strategy for avoiding elimination. Once you’ve reached the final, you have to pull out all the stops. So far on this season of Top Chef, Stefan, Carla, and Fabio have survived by cooking well in a fairly safe, conventional way. Hosea has been much more ambitious — and, as a result, he has been among the losers as often as he has among the winners. It will be interesting to see how he fares in the next two episodes and whether the other three can raise their game.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on February 12, 2009, 01:49:03 PM
An interesting article:
Top Chef 5: Conference Call with Leah Cohen
It's hard to know if it was the dalliance with Hosea Rosenberg, her apparent loss of steam towards the end, or just the whims of the Top Chef 5 audience, but it appears that not a lot of viewers were heartbroken last night when Leah Cohen was told to pack her knives and go, being denied a spot in the final four.
It appears that she might not have been entirely heartbroken herself by the ouster, and she talked to us today about her time on the show and how she was feeling by the end of it.
Leah admits that she was stressed out and did not want to be there any longer by the end of the competition. She feels like the process is set up to wear you down and admits that she “just couldn't handle it” by the end. She said it was also challenging to be in New York City and only a few blocks away from her home. She now regrets not giving it 100% during those last few challenges. Her cooking style involves more thought and re-working of dishes, and therefore it was tough to adjust to the conceptualize-on-the-fly style of Top Chef 5.
That said, looking back on the final challenge, if she could, she wouldn't have swapped out her dish for another in the Elimination Challenge. If she did do anything differently, it would just be not second-guessing herself with thinning out the sauce. She stands by the texture of her egg, saying she feels that is the correct consistency for a slow-poached egg.
She doesn't feel like that episode was actually her time to go home, not feeling that she performed the worst. She does, however, admit that she deserved to go home for her performance in Restaurant Wars, so is philosophical about things evening out in the end. Although the episode where Ariane Duarte went home seems to be the one where many viewers felt most strongly that she should go, she says she thinks in that episode, it was Radhika Desai who deserved to go, not her or Ariane.
So what about all the controversy with Hosea? She says the kiss was all there was, and that it was not as big of a deal as it was made out to be. She also thinks she was edited to appear to be more of the instigator and a “clingy girl” and doesn't find that to accurately reflect the real dynamics of the situation. She understands, though, that that was the story line and her role to play in it. She said she is no longer with her boyfriend but did not elaborate on the specifics.
With regard to the other competitors, she says she was surprised at the level of friendship she had with Jamie Lauren, and that Stefan is nowhere near as annoying as viewers seem to find him, calling him a “nice guy.” She thinks Hosea and Stefan are the strongest, and thinks Stefan could take the competition.
As to the judges, she respects Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons, thinks Toby Young was brought on to be the wit but isn't that witty and finds Padma Lakshmi to be a bit remote and unconcerned about the contestants, although she concedes this isn't her job.
Leah talked in interview about going to Hong Kong after Top Chef 5, but she says that she doesn't actually have any immediate plans, just thinks that travel is the best way to broaden one's culinary horizons. For now, she's sticking it out in New York and will continue to cook in the Big Apple.
Link to the article: http://www.buddytv.com/articles/top-chef/top-chef-5-conference-call-wit-26334.aspx (http://www.buddytv.com/articles/top-chef/top-chef-5-conference-call-wit-26334.aspx)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on February 12, 2009, 01:55:31 PM
An interesting article an interview with Leah:
Top Chef’s Leah: Do I Regret Kissing Hosea — Yes and No
Love her or hate her, New Yorker Leah Cohen nearly made it to the semifinals of Top Chef. But she was cut on Wednesday after a runny egg dish failed to impressed a who’s who of famous chefs. Apart from her food, the chef also cooked up one of the season’s most memorable — and scandalous moments — when she shared a kiss with fellow contestant Hosea, even though both chefs were dating other people at the time. Calling from New York, Cohen talks about the fallout from the kiss, explains why she was “done” with the show long before her ouster and tackles our five burning questions.
Everybody is wondering, what’s your relationship with Hosea like now? We’re really good friends. He’s my boy. I love him like a friend. Just straight off the bat we just gravitated together, and it was one night where we kissed. We were drunk and we kissed. It just happened. Of course, I wouldn’t have cheated on my boyfriend on national television, which was probably the most f—-d up thing I did on the show. I can’t take that back. I’ll take full responsibility for my actions.
Do you regret what happened at all? I definitely regret cheating on [my boyfriend] on national television. He’s not my boyfriend anymore because of what happened on the show and other things. Do I regret kissing Hosea? Um, yes — but no at the same time. I don’t know. It’s weird. Whatever it is, I did [it]. So, there’s nothing I can do to change it.
You’ve been in the bottom on several occasions. Did you ever feel that you were going to be going home earlier than you did? During Judges’ Table [at the farm challenge], I was kind of shocked because I thought “team pig” that was losing team. Then for Restaurant Wars, since we had no idea who was going home, I had made tons and tons of mistakes that day. It was like a bad day of work, but unfortunately if you have a bad day of work on the show, you get kicked off. I would have definitely gone home if it wasn’t for Stefan and Fabio’s [work]. From then on, I was just over it.
Do you mean you just kind of gave up? I think everyone has a certain level of how much they can take. You can prepare yourself as much as you want, but doing the show, it was way more stressful and challenging than I had ever anticipated. The night of Restaurant Wars, after that challenge, I was just done. I was over feeling the anxiety, the stress and I kind of had enough.
Back to the farm challenge, many people thought Ariane, who was on your team, was unfairly eliminated. I really thought that Radhika was going to be eliminated for that challenge, and then when I found out that we were on the bottom, I thought it was between myself and Ariane. They kind of played it like Hosea and I teamed up against Ariane, which was not the case at all. I would have never intentionally thrown Ariane under the bus - nor do I think to this day that I did. And I read that a lot of people were upset. I was upset that Ariane got eliminated as well. I didn’t think it was going to be anyone on my team. There’s a level of feeling bad about it, but in the end you’re there for yourself.
Before leaving last night, you said you feel like you didn’t cook your best food on the show. What did you mean? Before coming onto the show, I really did not have a lot of experience. I had never put a dish together from start to finish - and since [being on] the show, I know I’m a lot more capable of some of the food that I produced. I made a lot of working mistakes, like undercooking the fish for Restaurant Wars. Overall, I think, you’re in a stressful situation and you’re thrown all these curveballs. … They threw me off. I know the food that I do now is way better than anything I’ve produced on the show.
Our Top Chef 5 Burning Questions:
Describe your Top Chef experience in one word. Stressful
What is in your refrigerator right now? I have beer and kimchi.
Name one food you cannot stand. I don’t like white asparagus.
Pick your favorite fast-food restaurant. I like New York hot dogs from the street vendors.
Gail or Toby? Gail, hands down. I don’t really think Toby brought much to the table. Toby was just there to be the Simon Cowell of Top Chef.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on February 12, 2009, 02:06:22 PM
Another interview with Leah:
Top Chef Exit Interview: Episode Twelve
In a season that’s been lagging of late, it was a surprise to suddenly find that it was time to determine which cheftestants would move on to the final leg of the competition. It was also a bit of a shock to see such a simple, straightforward challenge for this definitive challenge, which involved cooking “last suppers” for food-world luminaries inside the cavernous Capitale. But the episode was not without drama: Fabio broke a finger, Carla made green eggs and ham, and Stefan managed to ruin salmon. Carla and Fabio got the thumbs-up from the judges, leaving the other three on the chopping block. In the end, it was Leah Cohen, the youngest and least experienced of the remaining cheftestants, who was instructed to pack her knives. We spoke with her earlier today about why she was ready to leave the show and what she thought about kissing Hosea.
Everyone wants to win Top Chef. But once the competition started and you sized up your competitors, how far did you expect to make it? My personal goal was to make it at least halfway through. Top eight would be great and anything more than that would be really great. I didn’t think I was going to make it as far as I did.
In terms of the specific challenge, “the Last Supper,” did you feel that of the three of you, Hosea and Stefan, that you deserved to be eliminated? Stefan hammered his fish. It was completely overcooked. And Hosea’s shrimp scampi was a little 1980s. I thought I was fine, totally making it to the final four. But after the judge’s table, before they deliberate, when they just give the rundown of everyone’s dish, I realized that I was going to be sent home.
There were three of you who sort of stumbled in this challenge. Do you think it was just because the pressure was so high? Yeah, I mean the panel of judges that we had to cook for was [of] the highest caliber, and that definitely played a role in the stress of this challenge. Everyone wanted to make it to New Orleans and be in the final four. It wasn’t a hard challenge — you’re creating people’s last supper — and overall none of the dishes were complicated. It was just who we were cooking for that made it that much more challenging.
It also seemed like there was a lack of instruction. They just said, “make the dish,” right? Do we go the traditional route? Or do they want us to be creative with it? It was a little undefined in what exactly we were supposed to do. I guess it should have been pretty straightforward, which is what Carla did and Fabio did.
If you had been able to pick any of the five dishes, instead of eggs Benedict, would you have made a different choice? Maybe, maybe not. Eggs Benedict is pretty easy. I don’t know how I managed to **** that up. They were all pretty easy, so any one of the dishes, I thought, were fine to have.
What was the best dish you made on Top Chef? The white-asparagus soup for Grant Achatz that I won the Quickfire for.
At certain points throughout the season, it seemed like you gave up a little bit or were exhausted. I was just over the whole thing midway through. I didn’t feel like being there anymore, I didn’t feel like dealing with the challenges and all the stress of the show. The game kind of took over and beat me.
What about your interaction with Hosea? Everyone paired off and gravitated towards whoever they got along with the best. With Jamie, it was Ariane and Carla. With Danny, it was Gene. And for me it was Hosea. Did they portray it accurately? No. But we did have a connection and a strong friendship.
Did that get out of hand? Yeah. That episode where we kissed should have never happened.
Do you regret that? Yeah, absolutely I regret that happening. It was silly and it was a mistake.
Did Top Chef take advantage of New York? I thought that it would be more city-related. We never went to the Greenmarket. There were all these people — I guess paparazzi, if you will — trying to find out what our next challenge was. So to keep it under wraps and not have anything be spoiled it was sort of difficult for them to be in the city, where there were all these people around. They were expecting us to go to the Greenmarket, so, of course, we couldn’t do that.
What do you feel like you learned from this experience? Did it change you as a chef? I think that, prior to going on this show, I don’t think I would have been able to do what I’m doing right now at Centro Vinoteca. I redid the whole menu, and I’m running the kitchen. The show just gave me a lot of confidence. It was probably the most intense experience that I’ve ever had as far as culinary life is concerned. I’d never come up with dishes before the show. I’d never done a complete dish from start to finish. So now to have done the show and be running my own restaurant and have the menu be 85 percent my food is pretty amazing for me.
Link to the article: http://nymag.com/daily/food/2009/02/top_chef_exit_interview_episod_7.html (http://nymag.com/daily/food/2009/02/top_chef_exit_interview_episod_7.html)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: scuzneck on February 12, 2009, 02:11:20 PM
Alrightie, Top Chef Last Supper...
This was by far the easiest episode to predict as it was happening. Both the Quickfire and the Elimination Challenge were simple to predict the outcome.
The Quickfire, featuring Chef Wylie Dufresne, had the chefs make an egg dish. Now, without looking back at the program, I believe it was just that a dish. I personally don't remember breakfast being broadcast as part of the challenge but I have been wrong before. As soon as the challenge was issued and I saw the Hosea, Leah, Fabio and Stefan were planning more than one dish, I knew Carla would be a shoo-in to win this challenge. But that was just me, my wife thought I was bonkers and she is a Carla fan.
Fabio tried to do too much, while kissing the buttocks of the guest judge. Leave molecular gastronomy to the experts Fabio. Trying to impress Dufresne with molecular gastronomy is like trying to impress Mozart with your Concerto in D minor when all you've played in trombone in high school marching band. Fabio was so off the mark it was laughable. Now, with that said, there is no way I could have even gotten close to anything he plated. But what he plated was very poor for Fabio's standards.
Leah. Poor poor Leah. It was very obvious the Leah had her bags packed and was ready to leave even before this challenge started. Her dish was so average that I even forgot what she cooked. Leah, probably should have gone home last week. I think that Jamie would have given a better go at the challenges this week. With all that said, i liked what Leah was able to produce throughout the show.
Hosea's attempt at an egg roll was an incredible idea. But one, he admitingly, had never tried before that attempt. His technique was genius and something I could 1) never come up with and 2)never recreate. However impressive the technique was the taste and/or texture was not something that Wylie thought was worthy of the Top 2.
Stefan's downfall in this challenge was cooking two egg meals instead of just 1. Had he stuck with the mango yolked egg concoction he created he may have won. But, alas, two many eggs spoiled the victory. Stefan's meal did look very very good, however.
Green eggs and Ham. Just freakin' cornball. Dr. Seuss insipred food. Only Carla could come up with that and make it so good that it would win a Top Chef challenge. Carla's plate looked like something my kid's kindergarten teacher came up with and prepared after reading the book. Carla's, though, was probably quite delicious.
(More to Come)
On to the elimination challenge. The premise was simple, cook a renowned chefs "Last Supper". Seems fairly straight forward, which is what I thought the judges had intended. Cook a superior meal, put some of you in it, but stay true to the dish. As the challenge progressed, we saw 3 chefs do that, two chefs that didn't.
Let's start this off with Stefan. He keep to Marcus Samullson's wishes and cooked a salmon in the "Scandinavian" way. His flavoring of the fish was spot on. He failed in two regards. First was his use of spinach two ways. It seems that most of Stefan's dishes can go two ways. Spinach, two ways. Eggs, two ways. Potatoes, trwo ways. Beefsteak, two ways. It is almost like the confidant and cocky Stefan is unsure that one dish can set him apart from everyone else, so he settles for two. His second mistake was obercooking the salmon. A cardinal sin in the Top Chef kitchen. Never Under or Over cook anything. Stefan overcooked the salmon. However, he was safe from elimination due to Leah's and Hosea's poor dishes.
Moving to Hosea. Hosea found himself in the quandry the Fabio talked about in his interview above. The judges seem to be contradicting themselves in their critquing of the chefs. Do you cook food that is complex in nature that show off your true calling as a chef, using varied ingredients and techniques or do you keep it simplistic in design and style, as well as technique? Classic dishes with your flair or classic dishes with no flair? Hosea chose flair. And was resounded with disapproval from the judges. He failed to cook a "classic" shrimp scampi and was therefore placed in the bottom 3. For me it was rightfully so. The challenge, as said before, was simple. Cook a judges' last meal. Cook what they would want. Not what you think they would appreciate being a judge. Hosea missed the mark. Leah's disenfranchisement with the competition spelled his continuation on the show.
Then there was Leah. As I stated before, Leah was ready to pack her knives and go. She just got an extra week to do it. Uninspired dish. Second guessing herself. Eggs not cooked long enough. Total meltdown. Total disaster. Liked Leah and hate to see her go, but it was overdue.
(Still more to come) (jury duty calls)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on February 12, 2009, 05:41:10 PM
my wife thought I was bonkers and she is a Carla fan.
(More to Come)
:lol: awww I like Carla too, she is such a sweetheart loved her reanactment of how she feels like a turtle
Thanks again scuzneck I'm looking forward to more
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on February 12, 2009, 05:45:32 PM
Quote
The Quickfire, featuring Chef Wylie Dufresne, had the chefs make an egg dish. Now, without looking back at the program, I believe it was just that a dish. I personally don't remember breakfast being broadcast as part of the challenge but I have been wrong before. As soon as the challenge was issued and I saw the Hosea, Leah, Fabio and Stefan were planning more than one dish, I knew Carla would be a shoo-in to win this challenge. But that was just me, my wife thought I was bonkers and she is a Carla fan.
scuzneck, funny you comment on this, I JUST got through playing back the beginning of the Quick Fire and there was no mention of breakfast. It had to do with the eggs. Carla is coming into her own, I give her kudos!
Looking forward to the continuation of your comments.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on February 12, 2009, 06:31:52 PM
An interview with Leah:
Top Chef's Leah: What Really Happened With Hosea?
Eggs Benedict?!
On last night's Top Chef, Leah Cohen was told to pack her knives and go home after judges got a taste of her basic brunch dish.
"Please!" Leah huffed about her elimination. "I've definitely been the 'brunch bitch' at restaurants and I've done eggs Benedict before. To have that be the downfall of the show for me was kind of, I thought, pathetic. It's eggs Benedict! People who don't know how to cook know how to make eggs Benedict. Whatever."
That's not all Leah had to tell me when I caught up with her earlier today. Keep reading to find out what her boyfriend thought about her kissing fellow cheftestant Hosea, why she thinks Toby Young is a "douchebag" and what she has planned for her restaurant's spring menu. Nope, not eggs Benedict…
What was it like being on Top Chef? My experience was OK. I had a hard time when we were shooting it. I'm not the most competitive person, and I didn't realize how intense the show was going to be...And you're in this little bubble, and you have no interaction with the rest of the world, and you're told what to do all the time. I felt like a child again.
How do you think you came off after the editing was done? I stopped watching the show when Toby Young came on. I didn't even watch that episode. I have my brother and all my friends give me updates. And I knew the whole Hosea thing was going to be played up, so I kind of just stopped watching it, because I just didn't like the direction it was going in.
Well, what did happen between you and Hosea? We were really good friends and we kissed one night, that was pretty much it. What they showed on TV was really the extent of our relationship beyond the friendship that happened. And that was it. We hung out all the time. But I also hung out with Stefan all the time, and they didn't put that in at all. I was predominately with Hosea, Stefan and Fabio for the entire time. I didn't hang out with the girls that much.
Did you tell your boyfriend what happened? When I got home, I told my boyfriend what happened, and then it was three months later when it came on the show. It wasn't forgotten, but it was, like, it happened, whatever.
What's next for you? I'm trying to redo the menu for spring and hopefully make the restaurant (New York City's Centro Vinoteca) more successful than it already is.
Eggs Benedict on the menu? It's not [laughs], but there is a poached egg on the menu which I purposely put on a few months ago so people know I could properly do a poached egg…I also put cod on the menu to show that I can properly cook fish, too.
Let's go back to Toby Young. What did you think of him as Gail's replacement? Toby Young is a douchebag. He was just, like, whatever. He didn't bring much to the show. He didn't bring much to me as a judge like Gail. You valued her opinion. I thought his witty banter didn't do much for constructive criticism. My friends are like, "Who is this f--king douchebag?"
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on February 13, 2009, 11:13:29 AM
An interview with Leah:
Top Chef Exit Interview: Leah Cut, Says Things Went A Little Too Far With Josea, Portrayal Of Their Relationship “Wasn’t Accurate”
Wednesday night on Top Chef Leah Cohen was sent packing, knives and all, when her eggs benedict wasn’t up to snuff for the rather morbid “last meal” challenge. In an interview yesterday, the 26-year-old, who caused quite a stir this season after a caught-on-tape makeout moment with fellow cheftestant Josea, dished on her side of the kissing story, and talked about why she was more than ready to head home, which just happened to be four blocks away. Read on:
You said the experience was much more difficult than you’d expected. What did you expect going in, and how was it so tough?
I think I didn’t realize how quickly on the spot you’d have to come up with ideas. For me I think it’s more of a process of trying out things, and testing them out. I’ve watched previous seasons of the show so I knew you’d have to be quick on your feet, but I didn’t really think it was like oh you have 30 minutes, now go! The way it’s portrayed on TV is actually how it really goes down.
You can never prepare yourself for the actual playing of the game. That was challenging for me as well.
Was being from New York and having to be there, but not actually home, difficult?
That was really difficult. We would go on challenges and we’d be like literally four blocks away from my apartment, and I’d be like ohh, I just want to go home! It was like I’m so close to my bed and everything from my regular life, and yet I can’t just go to my bed for one night.
So, what happened with Josea?
Not much. Whatever you saw on TV was pretty much the extent of what went down. We hung out all the time. We were really good friends, and then we kissed on TV. There’s really not much more to it. We were really just good friends and it kind of went a little too far. For the most part he was just like my support there on the show. Everyone paired off and formed cliques and friendships. Everyone had someone they went to to help out, and for me that was Josea. I guess since we were of the opposite sex, there’s always going to be a little flirtation, but for the most part we’re just good friends. We’re not anything romantic. We’re not romantically involved, and I wouldn’t even say we were so on the show. I just see him as a friend.
Are you still with your boyfriend?
No, unfortunately not.
If you could have switched your final meal with a different culinary celebrity, who would it have been?
I would have probably chosen the same thing that I got. I thought overall that all of the final meals were pretty simple and straight forward. I was happy with eggs benedict, so I don’t think I would have changed it. But if I had too choose, I guess I probably would have done the squab and peas. That one was pretty easy, and it was for Jacques Pepin, and he’s pretty awesome.
Would you have changed anything with your dish if you had to do it again?
Instead of thinning out the hollandaise, I probably would have just kept it thick. I thought the egg was cooked properly. I know that Tom and some of the other judges thought that it wasn’t cooked properly, but a slow poached egg is supposed to be like that. I would have picked a different bread, too. I don’t think Padma liked that I used challah. I should have done like an english muffin, or something really traditional.
It seemed like towards the end you were losing steam, was that accurate? Were you feeling ready to leave?
That was accurate. I really kind of just did not want to be there towards the end of the competition. I was stressed out. Doing each challenge really wears you down. At that point I didn’t feel like participating any more, which probably wasn’t the best idea not giving it 100%. But you live and you learn. That’s part of the game; it’s designed to wear you down, and unfortunately I couldn’t handle it.
You mentioned in your exit interview that you didn’t expect to be friends with Jamie. Why?
In the very beginning I was always with guys for pretty much the entire show. We had two separate apartments and I was always over at the guys place. It was me, Josea, Fabio, and Stefan who were always hanging out together. I didn’t really hang out with, or make friends with a lot of the girls, except for towards the end of the competition Jamie was there. I think we’re both really similar in a lot of ways, so in the beginning I didn’t think we were going to get along. So we didn’t even try being friends. Then towards the end of the competition it was me, Jamie and Carla who were the only girls, and we really kind of bonded because of that. Jamie and I are really good friends now. She’s probably one of my favorite people that I met throughout the entire show. It’s just weird, I didn’t think that we were going to click, but towards the end we got along really really well. We have a lot more in common than we thought we did.
Were you surprised when she got kicked off?
I was surprised when she got kicked off only because I thought she was going to be in the final four. I tasted her dish - I mean we all taste each others dishes - and I knew that she would be going home because her celery was too salty and the skin of her fish wasn’t crispy throughout, so for that challenge I thought she was going to be sent home. But overall I thought she was definitely going to make it to the finale.
I thought she was one of the most talented chefs on the show, maybe more so than the people who are in the final four.
Were you surprised that you were sent home?
I knew when we were at Judges Table and everyone was getting critiqued on their dishes. I knew I’d be getting sent home by the point they sent us to the stew room to deliberate. For the actual challenge going on, though, I thought I did pretty well. Was I shocked to be going home? No. Did I think I deserved to go home? No, I didn’t. I think there were other times in the competition when I should have gone home.
Like when?
Restaurant Wars, but we won the challenge so I wasn’t going to get sent home. But based on performance alone, that was a really bad day for me. That was probably the worst performance of the entire season.
When Ariane got kicked off she seemed to blame you for not helping out with the lamb enough. What’s your take on that?
My take on that was it’s kind of hard when you’re put in a group and two people out of the three have this kind of relationship. I think she kind of felt like an outsider in the group. I never intentionally tried to throw her under a bus. I didn’t think she deserved to go home. I know a lot of the viewers thought that I should have gone home, but I didn’t think we were the losing team. I thought that the pink team should have lost, and that Radhika should have gotten sent home that episode. But as much as I regret, or feel bad for her going home, at least I wasn’t the one who went home for that challenge. It’s kind of a weird situation. I felt somewhat responsible, like maybe I should have helped out more, but she wanted to do the lamb. So Josea and I were like OK you want to do the lamb? Whatever you feel comfortable doing, you do it. Then unfortunately that was what got her sent home. We thought we were being nice and being a team, letting her do what she was comfortable doing. I would have done anything that anyone had asked me to do. I kind of sat on the back burner and was like whatever you guys want me to do, and that was probably my mistake. I should have done the lamb, or Josea should have done the lamb, but at that point we were trying to let her do whatever she wanted to.
Who are you rooting for now?
Josea or Stefan.
Who do you think will win?
Stefan.
Is he as annoying as they make him seem on TV?
You know it’s so funny. Everyone thinks that Stefan is this asshole and you know, he has like 23 years of experience. He has a very successful catering company in LA. He knows what he wants. He knows how to get it done. Yes, that can be arrogant, but he really is a nice guy. He was one of my closet friends on the show from the beginning. I love him. I think he’s awesome. Some people might not like him.
What was your impression of the judges?
You know there’s very little interaction that we have with the judges. It’s pretty much Judges Table that’s the extent of our interaction. I think Gail was awesome, she was really nice and really critiqued you in a positive way, and was really accurate in her critiques. Padma, I don’t know. Padma is Padma, I don’t really have anything nice to say at all, so that’s it with Padma. When Gail left, Toby was kind of this asshole who was just there to bring his English wit, and I just didn’t get it, or think that it was that witty or funny. And Tom, I respect him a lot. He knows a lot about food, and he’s very successful.
Everybody seems to have the same reaction to Padma. What is it about her?
I don’t know. Out of all the judges, we see her the most because we have the most interaction with her through the Quickfires and the Elimination Challenges, but I don’t know. As far as caring about other people goes, she just didn’t care. Whereas Tom and Gail I felt like looked at us as people and not as contestants, and were there to help. There’s only one winner in this entire competition, and whatever else we other losers can take from this experience is invaluable, and I thought that Padma didn’t invest any time in us, and Tom did more. But that’s not her job. She’s the host. She’s supposed to be there to be pretty and be the host.
What did you think of the way you were portrayed on the show?
It was kind of not as good as — I mean, I don’t know. That’s kind of why I stopped watching the show because I didn’t really like it for the most part. It kind of made me look like this clingy girl throwing myself on Josea, and for the most part that’s not how it went down at all. The whole portrayal of our relationship I didn’t think was accurate, but it was a storyline, and I guess it was an interesting storyline that they had to play off.
I didn’t act for the camera, I didn’t do certain things, I was just myself. People who know me know how I am, and people who just know me through the show can think how ever they want about me, I don’t really care. I don’t care what the blogs say, I don’t care about any of that stuff. Not everyone is going to like you, and not everyone is going to dislike you. But I signed a paper that allowed them to portray me any way they wanted to, so I can’t really complain. I knew what I was getting myself into.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on February 13, 2009, 05:10:41 PM
An interview with Leah:
Top Chef Leah Reveals Her Boyfriend's Reaction to Hosea
Top Chef's final four are heading to New Orleans for the finale, but for cheftestant Leah Cohen, the "last supper" challenge was her last challenge altogether. The New York native explains why she didn't think she deserved to be eliminated, how she became mentally spent and how her boyfriend took the news about her Hosea hookup.
TVGuide.com: Considering Stefan's salmon was overcooked, how do you feel about being eliminated for your egg dish? Leah Cohen: I don't think I deserved to go home for what I made. They thought my poached egg was undercooked, which I disagree with. It's a very specific time and temperature — 62 degrees for 45 minutes — and it comes out perfect all the time. I think some people's proteins were overcooked and not what they were supposed to be. Stefan overcooked his salmon, but he wasn't going to go home because he's been killing it the entire competition. But it's their decision and they had their reasons, so it's fine.
TVGuide.com: What was the deal with the Fabio drama? Leah: Fabio is kind of like a big klutz and falls all the time. [Laughs] I heard he fell and broke his hand, but then I saw him all bandaged up and was like, "What the hell happened?!" But he really did a good job with that curve ball thrown at him. I know I wouldn't be able to handle it if I only had one hand.
TVGuide.com: You seemed to give up during the filleting challenge. Why? Leah: I actually just didn't want to do it any more. I was just over it, the competition and the show. It's not just a challenge on how you cook, but also a mental challenge and how you can deal with the stress that comes. I didn't want to do it anymore, and my mind was spent. I was mentally, physically over it at that point.
TVGuide.com: Did the cameras following you around drive you nuts? Leah: It was probably the most annoying thing that I've ever experienced. You wake up, and there's a camera. I didn't really get used to it until about midway through. But you never really forget they're there; they're in your face all the time.
TVguide.com: Did you know that the cameras caught you and Hosea kissing? Leah: Actually, I didn't. They usually leave when everyone is going to sleep.
TVguide.com: How did your boyfriend take the news? Leah: I went home and told him right away. He was fine with it, and then he saw the actual footage and wasn't fine with it. I guess the way I said it was kind of like, "Oh, I kind of kissed a guy on TV." Then he saw it and was like, "No, you were flirting with this guy the entire show, and then on top of that, you made out with him." Needless to say, he was not cool about it, and we are not together anymore.
TVGuide.com: Any chance you and Hosea will hang out again? Leah: It's totally a friend thing, but we're going to film the reunion soon, and we'll get to hang out.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on February 18, 2009, 06:47:12 PM
*** REMINDER! ***
Tonight is the first round of the finale and will run 1 hour and 15 minutes!
Can't. Wait! :jumpy:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on February 19, 2009, 01:23:32 PM
Apskip is away so here is a recap for us. (We miss you Apskip!)
Top Chef 5: "Finale Part 1" Recap Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Four chefs – Carla Hall, Hosea Rosenberg, Fabio Viviani and Stefan Richter – have successfully run the gauntlet of Top Chef 5 in New York City, and can officially say: they made it there.
Now that they tackled the Big Apple, it's time to try the Big Easy, and the chefs head down to New Orleans to cook for the Top Chef judges and Emeril Lagasse. Of course, there has to be a twist, and this one brings back some familiar faces.
The chefs arrive in New Orleans, and Fabio has brought a new haircut. One of the other chefs gripes that he broke the streak of no mohawks on this season. But the actual trend on Top Chef is for fauxhawks, so I think he should get a pass.
The chefs head to Houma House, where several cooking stations are set up on the plantation grounds. But only three. Carla wonders if one of them is going home right away.
No, it's actually something different. Padma Lakshmi introduces Emerial and Tom Colicchio, then announces that three chefs – Jeff McInnis, Jamie Lauren and Leah Cohen – will actually be competing in the Quickfire. The winner of that challenge will cook alongside the final four in the Elimination Challenge. And if that chef wins, he or she can head to the final three in place of Carla, Fabio, Stefan or Hosea.
The three chefs prepare their dishes, starring the popular Louisiana ingredient crawfish. While all three seem to do well, it's Jeff who wins a spot in against the final four.
The chefs learn about their Elimination Challenge the next day at a large warehouse where parade floats are stored. They will each be serving two dishes and one cocktail to a masked ball with 100 people in attendance. At least one of their dishes will need to be influenced by Creole cuisine, the cuisine that combines the flavors of the French, Spanish and African cultures of New Orleans.
The chefs get to cooking in Emeril's well-stocked kitchen. It's well-stocked, but the oysters he has on offer are not shucked. Carla's opted for an oyster dish, and although she just learned how to shuck an oyster within the past week, she sets about slowly working her way through 100 of them.
Hosea is also involved in some time-intensive cooking. He's making gumbo, and so must go through the long process of developing the flavors of the roux.
Stefan is also making a gumbo, but he's not quite investing the same amount of time or care, or at least that's how it appears to the other chefs. He's not developing his roux as deeply as Hosea, and he's using a prepared andouille sausage and not making his own like Jeff.
Andouille sausage from scratch is just one of the several components Jeff is making. While complex dishes have sometime proved to be his downfall, this time he knows he really has to pull out all the stops since he must win to stay in the game.
Fabio is working with the flavors of Creole, but can't help but bring his Italian influence to bear on the dishes. At the event, most of the dishes go over well, but it seems clear that Carla and Jeff are the standouts. Hosea also gets warm reception for his authentic gumbo. Fabio's food is tasty, but is missing the heat of Creole. Stefan's grits impress the judges, and his gumbo is enjoyable, but it's not as developed a flavor or color. His apple beignet is also not at the right temperature.
At judging, the judges ding Stefan not only for the flaws of his dish, but also for his cockiness. Fabio's Italian elements had some success, but his overall flavors are off.
After additional deliberation, the winner is announced: it's Carla. This win comes with something extra: a new car! Unfortunately for Jeff, it also means a second elimination.
Hosea is told he's safe, so it's down to Stefan and Fabio…and it's the Italian representative of the Team Euro who's going home.
We'll be talking with him tomorrow, so head back here to see what he has to say about his time on Top Chef 5.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on February 19, 2009, 02:05:08 PM
I have to say, I was surprised at the first part of the finale. I don't quite understand bringing back 3 eliminated chefs for another round. Jeff won the quickfire, and from the comments did quite well with the challenge only to be eliminated once again. It made me wonder, what was the purpose of the twist, were they trying to bring back someone else to change the final winner?
I'm sorry to see Fabio eliminated. I'd have liked to see him compete.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on February 20, 2009, 10:03:19 AM
Top Chef 5: Conference Call with Fabio Viviani Thursday, February 19, 2009
Last night on Top Chef 5, we said a sad arrivederci to Fabio Viviani. In the true sense of the word, though, he told us to get used to his face because we would be seeing it again. Today we spoke with Fabio about his time on Top Chef 5, his prediction that Stefan would take it all, and the special connection he had with Padma Lakshmi.
Despite the loss, Fabio was exactly as upbeat and humorous as he'd been on the show. He said he's not the kind of person who wastes a lot of time being unhappy. He said his father and grandfather always told him that if he has a problem, and there is a solution, act on it and “don't bitch about it.” And if there is no solution, what is there to bitch about? Just get over it.
It's clear his family is incredibly important to Fabio, and has shaped his character and his sense of humor. He says they are the kind of family that lived paycheck to paycheck, so as an adult, he's made pretty happy by simple pleasures.
They also appear to be quite a source of amusing anecdotes for Fabio. He laughed that in Italy, chefs are not on TV unless they've committed a crime or something, so he couldn't really get his mom too much into the fact that he was on TV every week.
That's not to say she's not proud of him: he said she called him excited when she found him on Google, although she didn't seem to grasp that this was a search result and not an actual website itself. He said that she started proudly printing out the page results of his name in the search results.
As to his time on the show, he's still a little feisty when it comes to Martha Stewart calling his polenta gray, and protesting that she didn't even taste it. He also jokingly blames French-Italian rivalry for the criticism he received from Jean-Christophe Novelli.
Even after seeing Stefan's lackluster efforts again last night, Fabio maintains he thinks Stefan is the one to take it all. He is yet another competitor to confirm that Stefan in person is more likable than the one we've been seeing on screen. He says the two of them hang out in real life and he just seems to think Stefan is a great guy.
He has respect for the judges, and said that Padma was a “sweetheart” with a great palate. He said she actually spoke Italian with him at times, having spent part of her early career in Italy. Fabio recalled seeing her on TV there long before she was a TV star here.
Overall, he feels happy with how he was represented on Top Chef 5, not seeing that he was edited into someone else.
While most of us could probably use the help of an editor to shape us into the most interesting version of ourselves, with Fabio, the raw feed is pretty much just as entertaining. Despite the loss, his spirits remained high and he kept the group laughing throughout his interview. He mentioned that his future plans might include more TV, but personally, I think there should just be a Fabio Channel online. It's hard to accurately convey how seriously charming and entertaining this guy is even in real life. It seems like you could simply put a camera on this guy and just let him keep talking. It would still be more entertaining than a lot of stuff out there.
His abilities as a raconteur are even more impressive when you consider that he just really started learning English about two and a half years ago. He notes that when he was unexpectedly put in charge of a kitchen only a few months into time here, he would spend hours trying to learn vocabulary as he tried to order food for the restaurant. He notes he learned mainly through getting his “ass kicked.”
In addition to the possible TV stuff, he's also going some licensing here and back in Europe, working on a cookbook, opening more restaurants, and starting a nutrition-focused website : www.kidshealthcafe. Check it out for more Fabio and also look for his restaurant in California.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on February 21, 2009, 10:57:48 AM
TV Guide's Top Chef Fabio Exit Interview
Top Chef's Fabio: "I'm a Little Bit Rock Star"
* Feb 20, 2009 03:25 PM ET * by Gina DiNunno
Fabio, Top Chef
Top Chef fans across the nation were crushed Wednesday night when cheftestant Fabio Viviani had to pack up his knives and say arrivederci after his Creole cuisine couldn't win over the judges. The Italian funnyman (with adorable broken English) opened up to TVGuide.com about Stefan's misunderstood persona, his mom's struggle and his fancy Mohawk.
TVGuide.com: How did you handle the judge's decision? Fabio Viviani: I respect them. Would I agree with them? No. Because of course, for me, that be the winning dish. But what happen is I got a lot of compliments. Emeril say that was one of the best Maque Choux he'd ever had. I think the decision came to Stefan over me because I did an Italian dish and New Orleans dish, and Stefan did both New Orleans. But it's fine. I'm very happy to made it that far. So, I have no regrets. That was not the last you're gonna see me.
TVGuide.com: Did you taste your cocktail that the judges were hatin' on? Fabio: Yes I did, and the drink was absolutely perfect. Again it's a taste. I do like sweet. But it was not that sweet. I had probably half pound sugar in six, seven gallon of drink. We sell hundreds of those every week at the restaurant. If people like straightforward gin like Colicchio does, or if you like dirty martini, you're not gonna like that cocktail. The things that I should have know better is that no judges are ever happy with extreme flavor — too sweet, too bitter, too salty, too acidic. So that was one misstep.
TVGuide.com: Coming from Italy, had you experienced Creole food? Fabio: You know what? Pig, pork sausage — it's the same everywhere. It doesn't matter if it has a German flag or Italian flag or American flag. No, I never do Creole cuisine, but the Maque Choux I did was one of the strongest dish of the night. You're a chef and you should know in your head how to match ingredients and flavors.
TVGuide.com: What did you think of Stefan's cocky attitude? Fabio: I don't call it cockiness, I call it confidence. But I agree, that's what he sounds like. He's a very nice guy, very confident and sometime you can misunderstand that for cockiness. He is what he look like, but it's not that bad as it sound. He's a lovable person. I always hang out with him, he's at my restaurant all the time and we are very good friends. Is he less personable than me? Yes. Is that bad? No, not at all.
TVGuide.com: Speaking of personality, you definitely showed a lot. Did any of your one-liners crack you up after watching yourself on television? Fabio: For me, to see myself on TV is not funny. I know I have this personality, because that's who I am. When you know a really funny joke and you say it in a room when nobody's there, at the end, you're not laughing. What makes me laugh is the reaction of the people when I say things. I did have people choking in the restaurant when we had the TV on. [Laughs] One time I did laugh at myself was in the last episode when I broke my finger and I said I'd chop it off, sear it to stop it to bleed and deal with it later. I said to myself "You, f---in' nuts, why you say that?"
TVGuide.com: What did your friends and family think of you on television? Fabio: Besides my wife and a few friends, everybody I know is in Italy, so they don't really know what's going on. In Italy, when you go on TV, you either kill somebody or robbed a bank — it's not as big as it is in the U.S. I remember this funny thing last month where my mom called and crying, saying "Oh my god, I'm so proud of you." I say, "Mom what happened?" She say, "I got this letter from a friend. She saw you, and say you are on Google!" [Laughs] "I say, Ma I love you so much but I'm not on Google. Google is the search engine, and I am in another website." And my mom is like "Shat ap! You are! It's right in front of me." Now what she's doing, she's printing from Google homepage this little a-- pictures of me. But what you want me to do, fight with that? She's happy, so I let her be.
TVGuide.com: You said you wanted to win to help your mom because she's sick. How is she doing? Fabio: She's not dying, but she has a problem that cannot be cured. There is something with her blood that is not working properly. She has lots of problems with arms and hands. She is going through surgery every six month in order to keep moving her hand. The last couple surgeries didn't go really good, so she's almost paralyzed and can't work. She's very young, she's 47 and she's the reason why I'm alive so I have to support her. I want to. Family and friends are the biggest things. If your family and friends are good, you're fine.
TVGuide.com: Do you have any plans to do more as a chef? Fabio: I have Cafe Firenze cookbook is coming out in April and it's very funny. I had one editor laughing their a-- off! I have another big nonprofit project, which is my website, www.kidshealthcafe.com, to raise awareness to change box lunches and teach people how to eat healthy. And I'm opening a new restaurant in downtown Ventura (Calif.) this summer, and we are searching for location in Vegas and New York.
TVGuide.com: And lastly, just because we have to know, why the Mohawk? Fabio: I'm a chef. I'm extravagant and it's something I wanted to do. I didn't like anymore the haircut that I have, so I went little bit more extreme. Last year this time, I was blonde completely. For the first day of summer every year, I go blonde for one month. I like to change my haircut. It doesn't bother me no one in America really likes Mohawk. It's more for rock star and stuff like that. But I'm a chef so I'm a little bit rock star.
Still here, folks...Been on Jury duty...Not a fun place to be...Will begin first part of Finale recap after I revisit the program...
Yay!!!!! We missed you!!! :hearts:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: scuzneck on February 23, 2009, 02:00:24 PM
Will not have perfect particulars as hulu nor tv .coms have full episodes I can watch at work...
Finale Part One
Welcome to Naw'Lins, Home of Bourbon Street, The Saints, Mardi Gras and some of the best food on the planet, bar none. New Orleans is, from much experience, one of the greatest cities in America and I am so glad to see it rebuilding and getting stronger since the destruction of the levees after Katrina.
I am extremely glad that this episode panned out the way it did. But let's not get to ahead of myself. Let's start with the opening twist. Emeril Lagasse is introduced as the guest judge, not a surprise as he was shown in the previews and it's New Orleans for goodness sake, who else would you run out there. After Emeril, the last three cheftestant who have been eliminated are reintroduced to the group. I actually thought that they were there to asist unitl I quickly did the math in my head. 3 packed up chefs and 4 finalists. Numbers didn't add up, plus add the fact that Jeff, Leah and Jamie were in cooking gear and the finalist were not, led to the possibility of a quickfire for Jeff, Leah and Jamie. And lo and behold, that's what it was.
Not a surprise at all that Jeff took the Quickfire and the fifth spot in the finals. As has been previously stated, I thought Leah had quit on the compeition weeks before and even with several weeks of contimplation and knowing this opportunity was coming, I still do not believe she was in it to win it. She showed very little passion when it came to the dish she prepared. She was there because she was obligated to be there, plain and simple. Jamie's dish, as I recall, was very well recieved by the judges, as usual, but, unfortunately, Louisiana Cajun Crawfish was not in her wheel house. This challenge screamed Jeff and I would have been totally shocked if Jeff had not walked away with the victory.
For winning Jeff recieved a spot in the finals, going up against Fabio, Stefan, Hosea, and Carla. A very formidable final four that nither Jeff, Leah nor Jamie deserved to be with. Jeff had his chance. Blew it by over thinking and complicationg his dishes and thusly being asked to go. He should not have been allowed back. The next twist came when Jeff was told in order to make the final 3 he would have to win the elimination challenge. A very daunting task, one that would be next to impossible to do. (Although he came damn close in my estimatiton {more on the in a sec}). (Nevermind, just read Chef Tom's blog on bravotv.com. :-)
Elimination Challenge had the contestants serving a huge New Orleans Masquerade party. The menu consisted of at least 2 items (I think) and one drink.
Fabio, I felt, was in trouble from the beginning. Whenever, this season, I hear a chef say that s/he is going to do another dish I always cringe because it has mostly spelled defeat for that individual. This has been a season of Keep it simple and Fabio added to the simple part. Tsk Tsk. Add to the fact that Cajun cuisine and Italian cuisine are at Polar opposites of the flavor scheme. Fabio was in trouble. He did seem to blend the two cuisines well, but his dishes seemed to lack the BAM that Cajuns crave. A well done effort but far from the standard we had come to see in Fabio. I was time for him to go, even though I hated to see it.
Stefan. The Euro we love to hate and hate to love. Once again, in the bottom, and once again just good enough to stave off elimination. (If only, Jeff could have won the challenge). His dishes seemed to just be there. Noting spectacular. Nothing to write home about. Just the typical Stefan, I'm going to the Finals, fare. And unfortunately for me a Stefan hater (smug and arrogant Euro :-) ) I think this is his competition to lose. All of the judges seem to think that his best has yet to shine through and when it does, don the shades and put on the suntan lotion because it is going to be a very hot dish. Stefan has all the makings of being a superstar chef. He just can't shoot himself in the foot like he has done in a few of the challenges.
Jeff got his second chance and produce what the judges found to be very delicious food. Apperently, he got a very good edit in this episode beacuse Chef Tom stated in his blogs that his oysters were "cambro" (Sterno) tasting. Never a good thing. The edit had him being just a smudge under Carla. When all is said and done, He shouldn't have been there anyway. Glad to see him go. Again.
Hosea is producing quality food. Quality food will and did get him to the finals but I think he is looking smack dab at third place. I do not believe he has the culinary techniques and temperment of Stefan, nor do I think he has the fire and the "LOVE" of food Carla has. He is a straight and narrow chef. Quality food time in and time out. But nothing that could distance him from the rest. I retract my statement some posts ago that said I would never eat at his restaurant. I would welcome the opportunity to eat any of Hosea's dishes.
Finally, there is Carla. Quirky and fun loving Carla. New Orleans and Carla were made for each other. Her upbeat, happy, love filled personality blends perfectly with New Orleans laid back, fun-loving style. It is absolutely no surprise that Carla won this challenge. Her food, once again, was spot on. She took the flavors of New Orleans and mixed in all of her dishes, including the non-alcoholic (in New Orleans...and it worked !!!!!!!!!!!) drink. This challenge wasn't even close. And I think the 4 boys knew it. Hosea and Stefan will have to bring their A game to the final challenge, if they want to beat the culinary juggernaut that is Carla.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on February 23, 2009, 07:00:02 PM
Extremely interesting comments. One thing you mention is Jeff coming back and it occurred to me reading it that perhaps they were bringing him back to have another chance since he left with bad feelings about the judging. (Not that I think he should have come back along with the other two. They lost, they were eliminated.
I found it odd that Jeff's dishes got such good comments from the judges and the diners only to read that the food tasted of sterno. I'm wondering if it was one particular dish.
The top two chefs are Carla and Stefan, I agree that Hosea will be third but he did do well with this challenge. I'm thinking Carla will win the whole thing. I'm looking forward to your additional comments. :tup:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: tory on February 24, 2009, 11:02:31 AM
yea i can't fugure out stephan?? he seemed so strong at one pt nad themn it is like he is putting food out now just to get by, wth?? ihave to jmo eather he is doing it to syck out the others or he realy doen't care..the last 2 weeks his dishes have been bad one week i realy though he should have gone home.. so again wth?? i like the ones who bring it every week to bad they don't take that into account..
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: scuzneck on February 24, 2009, 11:24:15 AM
Extremely interesting comments. One thing you mention is Jeff coming back and it occurred to me reading it that perhaps they were bringing him back to have another chance since he left with bad feelings about the judging. (Not that I think he should have come back along with the other two. They lost, they were eliminated.
I found it odd that Jeff's dishes got such good comments from the judges and the diners only to read that the food tasted of sterno. I'm wondering if it was one particular dish.
The top two chefs are Carla and Stefan, I agree that Hosea will be third but he did do well with this challenge. I'm thinking Carla will win the whole thing. I'm looking forward to your additional comments. :tup:
Chef Tom stated in his blog the following: "That night, however, Jeff was never in the running for a reason that didn't make it into the final edit. He did a very fine job, however he used a sterno chafing dish to keep his oysters warm that, for whatever reason, imparted a taste of burning sterno to the oysters. We all smelled it and remarked on it while the chefs were setting up their stations, and then we tasted that horrible taste when we sampled his selections. So, unfortunately for Jeff, who otherwise was cooking very well, he could never have taken the top spot of the evening."
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: scuzneck on February 24, 2009, 11:37:30 AM
Only one episode remains (not including the always intriquing reunion)...
Thoughts on the Finale Part 2 episode
As usual it comes down to what appears to be "cook the best damn meal you have ever coooked in your life." And I wouldn't expect anything else. What I believe we will see is that both Carla and Stefan distance themselves from Hosea. I believe we have seen Hosea's best, in terms of comparisons with Carla and Stefan. Even if he is allowed to cook a seafood dish, I still think it will fall short of the mark.
This is really a two dog race. Stefan and Carla. Stefan, I had pegged for the finals in episode 1. His demeanor, his culinary training, his technique, his attitude screamed CHEF and he had proven (even with his laissez-faire attitude recently) that he does deserved to be in the running for Top Chef. For Stefan's sake, I hope that he does show some sort of compassion toward the competition. The judges have stated time and time again that previous challenges hold no water in the upcoming challenge, yet, one has to wonder if Stefen's persona of "I'm the best, give me the title" will finally rub the judges the wrong way. Personally, I hope so, but, unfortunately I do not see it happeneing.
While I had Stefan pegged for the finals early on, I had Carla leaving very early in the season. In fact, I thought that she would be gone after the first challenge. I guess I did not see her as being "strong" enough to handle the other competition. Thankful, I was wrong. Carla has proved very resilient. She has added fun and love to the program. She has added spice and flavor to what seem like simple dishes. She is observant in her preparations. She is graceful in defeat and criticism and equally grateful and gracious when she wins. Always saving her celebrations for us in confessional. Carla seems to have befriended everyone, which makes it all the nicer that she is winning the challenges. No one has seen her as a threat, until now. Carla could very easily walk away with the title of Top Chef. And I would be pleased as punch if she did.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on February 24, 2009, 11:48:35 AM
About Stefan, I think he's getting a bad edit. For example Carla asked for help with her oysters and Stefan told her he'd help her in a minute. (Paraphrasing.) But we did not see him actually help her so we don't know if he did or not but I suspect he did.
I also think for whatever reason Colicchio doesn't seem to like Stefan but I would venture to say that he would think he was the better chef compared to Stefan so is that cocky, arrogant or confidence? Probably confidence.
I do recall that Tom said that the first Quick Fire winner is usually the Top Chef so we'll see if that holds true.
Hosea has been more talk than performance, that's why I think he hit his peak with the first part of the finale. (Could be wrong, I often am.) :lol:
Forgot to add, I thought for sure Carla would be gone but she has gotten into her groove and Stefan better cook the best dishes ever to beat her.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: tory on February 24, 2009, 11:52:00 AM
Only one episode remains (not including the always intriquing reunion)...
Thoughts on the Finale Part 2 episode
As usual it comes down to what appears to be "cook the best damn meal you have ever coooked in your life." And I wouldn't expect anything else. What I believe we will see is that both Carla and Stefan distance themselves from Hosea. I believe we have seen Hosea's best, in terms of comparisons with Carla and Stefan. Even if he is allowed to cook a seafood dish, I still think it will fall short of the mark.
This is really a two dog race. Stefan and Carla. Stefan, I had pegged for the finals in episode 1. His demeanor, his culinary training, his technique, his attitude screamed CHEF and he had proven (even with his laissez-faire attitude recently) that he does deserved to be in the running for Top Chef. For Stefan's sake, I hope that he does show some sort of compassion toward the competition. The judges have stated time and time again that previous challenges hold no water in the upcoming challenge, yet, one has to wonder if Stefen's persona of "I'm the best, give me the title" will finally rub the judges the wrong way. Personally, I hope so, but, unfortunately I do not see it happeneing.
While I had Stefan pegged for the finals early on, I had Carla leaving very early in the season. In fact, I thought that she would be gone after the first challenge. I guess I did not see her as being "strong" enough to handle the other competition. Thankful, I was wrong. Carla has proved very resilient. She has added fun and love to the program. She has added spice and flavor to what seem like simple dishes. She is observant in her preparations. She is graceful in defeat and criticism and equally grateful and gracious when she wins. Always saving her celebrations for us in confessional. Carla seems to have befriended everyone, which makes it all the nicer that she is winning the challenges. No one has seen her as a threat, until now. Carla could very easily walk away with the title of Top Chef. And I would be pleased as punch if she did.
i would love to see carla win over stephan :hearts: :hearts:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on February 25, 2009, 10:14:48 PM
Shocked, SHOCKED I tell you! :ascared
Hosea won. :umn: :duno: :'(
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: scuzneck on February 26, 2009, 01:42:11 PM
Let me preface my thoughts and opinions on the season finale of Top Chef 5 with this: I am an extreme Top Chef fan. I have watched every season, every episode. I own all the cookbook by the Top Chef judges, as well as the Top Chef cookbook. I try to prepare the foods that look good in the episodes. I use balsamic vinegar like water in my foods, thanks to Top Chef. The show is my second all-time favorite reality show. (The Amazing Race is numero uno.) I cannot forsee any major changes to the show that would make me ever think twice about watching it. With all that said,....
WHAT THE HELL?!?
It floors me that the deciding factor on this show is the very last challenge. I cannot believe that season in and season out, the judges hold to the standard of "what have you done for me lately", instead of looking at the complete body work. Each season, someone who has been deserving of the TOP CHEF moniker, (i.e. Richard from season 4, Casey from season 3, Carla from this season) has a major snafu in the finale and is thusly booted from consideration of the title. This is such a bogus way of looking at a competition that it has me steamed. It's like taking a football team that wins it's first 15 games of the season, then falls flat in the final game, and saying to them "Sorry, no play-offs. You lost your last game." I believe for the finale that the entire competiton should be taken into consideration, not just the last "meal of your life."
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on February 26, 2009, 02:41:10 PM
I cannot tell you how upset I was last night. This was a horrible decision. Like you scuzneck , I have watched every season since it began and I've been let down when someone I thought didn't deserve the title "won." (Like Ilan. But based on this season, I wonder if he didn't get a bad edit too.)
Carla, Carla, Carla! It was hers to win! I knew when she followed Casey's suggestion for the meat it was a mistake. She got there by cooking her food in her simple but wonderful way. I think forgetting the oven temperature was a sign of her stress over finishing her dishes. Still she is a winner. No one will ever forget her and her love of food.
I thought that Stefan should have been given more consideration, he made a delicious soup with an unfamiliar protein.. alligator! I doubt that Hosea could have pulled that off. And a pedestrian dessert? It looked fabulous. I don't go to many wedding dinners so it looked wonderful and complicated. With all the various parts of it, it must have taken a fair amount of time to make it. Certainly his overall success should have been a factor. It has been obvious for several weeks now that Tom had a personal bias against him. (Someone who has the final vote as a judge should be more professional.)
Stefan will go on to bigger and better things, I don't see him as cocky I see him as confident. He's older and professional and I loved the way he went to Carla to console her. I also found it interesting that Hubert Keller and the owner of the Commander's Palace both thought a chef should be able to make a dessert. (Sorry, I've forgotten her name.)
We will remember Fabio, Carla and Stefan long past this show.
My final question, who really won last night? Hosea who has not risen to any of the challenges or quick fires.. or Richard who was his sous chef. I know what I think. :jam:
I really may never watch this show again. I'm that disappointed. :'(
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: tory on February 26, 2009, 04:00:12 PM
wow u 2 r very passante about u r top chef..i was realy sad carla did not win, she is so nice she did not say no when she realy needed to. i totaly agree they should b judged on there body of work over the whole season and not one night, but the body of the season got them to top3 so i guess that was there reward for those win's i wonder what happened to stephen in thease last few episods he has fallen down hill the last 4 weeks it started with the foot ball week, maby he did think he was to good for this who nos cause he has messed something up every week sence..and acted like he did not care. i no u guys r made hosea won but based on growth in this time frame he has grown a lot in his skills and over stephon i am glade he won. ok so where is that hiding under the chair u have tl..
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on February 26, 2009, 05:12:16 PM
wow u 2 r very passante about u r top chef..i was realy sad carla did not win, she is so nice she did not say no when she realy needed to. i totaly agree they should b judged on there body of work over the whole season and not one night, but the body of the season got them to top3 so i guess that was there reward for those win's i wonder what happened to stephen in thease last few episods he has fallen down hill the last 4 weeks it started with the foot ball week, maby he did think he was to good for this who nos cause he has messed something up every week sence..and acted like he did not care. i no u guys r made hosea won but based on growth in this time frame he has grown a lot in his skills and over stephon i am glade he won. ok so where is that hiding under the chair u have tl..
:funny: The ONLY time anyone has to hide under that chair is if I put THIS up! :vader:
But to get the chair click on [MORE] for additional smiles It's about 6 rows down. or type :.hides without the "."
We all have our favorites.. Hosea just wasn't mine. :hugs:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on February 26, 2009, 06:23:13 PM
Casey comments on her experience as sous chef for Carla.
Casey Thompson Speaks Out About Top Chef
Posted on February 26th, 2009 12:19pm by Sarah Eveans Filed under Chefs, Food Fight!, Food On TV
"Casey speaks! And she doesn’t sound happy, folks. I asked her to comment on last night’s episode, and here’s what she had to say:
Carla was not prepared and in over her head. The show did not talk about how the first course (crab) took her half of the friggin’ cooking time that day, I was left to work the rest of HER dishes.
She also did not have a plan. The ONLY thing she had in mind was a cheese course! I would NEVER do a cheese course. And where in the hell did french come from!? She is not even classically trained! It (the show) didn’t talk about how I worked on a sauce for 2 days and Carla forgot to put it on the plate… It didn’t show how the 2nd course (fish) was MINE. It didn’t show how she took the sous vide idea and decided to GRILL it last minute causing it to be tough… And it didn’t show how she WANTED to do the souffles which she does not even know how to make! That was HER food, because it certainly was me asking her how she wanted to do this and that while she was busy picking crab the entire time and making a souffle that didn’t rise!
I am done with TC. I did not influence her. She has NO ideas of her own, oh, except a cheese course.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on February 26, 2009, 08:26:31 PM
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Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: catzoid on February 27, 2009, 08:26:52 AM
Hi, fellow foodies/TV watchers. First post here...
There is a short article in today's Washington Post about how Carla's catering (?)business has taken off despite the bad economy. And Carla being Carla, she spoke of how grateful she was that the Top Chef exposure allowed this to happen, and how sad she is for her colleagues in the business who are facing hard times.
As for Casey's comments, Casey is prickly but probably right at the heart of it. In a kinder interpretation, I suspect Carla's nerves got the best of her, causing her to rely on Casey too much. Carla strikes me as one of those chefs who would benefit greatly from more time to think and plan and experiment (they all would, but her especially IMO). Under those circumstances, she did an amazing job on this show.
Overall, though, I thought this was a weak season.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on February 27, 2009, 09:02:49 AM
Hi, fellow foodies/TV watchers. First post here...
There is a short article in today's Washington Post about how Carla's catering (?)business has taken off despite the bad economy. And Carla being Carla, she spoke of how grateful she was that the Top Chef exposure allowed this to happen, and how sad she is for her colleagues in the business who are facing hard times.
As for Casey's comments, Casey is prickly but probably right at the heart of it. In a kinder interpretation, I suspect Carla's nerves got the best of her, causing her to rely on Casey too much. Carla strikes me as one of those chefs who would benefit greatly from more time to think and plan and experiment (they all would, but her especially IMO). Under those circumstances, she did an amazing job on this show.
Overall, though, I thought this was a weak season.
I'm happy for Carla and her business! It sounds about right concerning Carla and her nerves. It must be very difficult to know exactly what you are going to prepare when TC is known for throwing in a clinker in the works. Casey got trashed in the after-show comments that I've read as well and I'm sure that is part of the reason she reacted the way she did.
Welcome to RFF catzoid! We're glad you joined us! :bigwelcome
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on February 27, 2009, 09:32:52 AM
I have been away and just had the chance to catch up on the Top Chef 5 Semi-finals and I watched the Finale on Wednesday night. It is clear to me that:
1. Carla totally blew it. It was hers to win but "soul, heart and love" in the food will NEVER beat flavor when Tom Colicchio is head judge and it shouldn't. I consider Carla's "I put more love into my food" comment from a few episodes back to be pure rubbish. 2. I am willing to accept Casey's comments on how things went in that kitchen. It was Carla's decision to do a cheese souffle; Casey only recommended it. It appeared that the sous vide was the problem (Casey's idea which Carla accepted) but it appears that Carla messes up her chances by then grilling it. I think Carla acted like a big baby in trying to pin her loss on Casey and my opinion of her has dropped accordinagly. 3. Stefan blew it on the carpaccio by using frozen salmon and halibut. If he had used fresh fish even if they were different, I am willing to speculate that Stefan would be Top Chef. 4. Hosea totally earned the title and the $100,000 by being rock-steady throughout the Finale. 5. I do not like the "use only this evening's meal as the basis for decisions" principle and do not agree with it, but like in the Amazing Race the uncertainty makes for more exciting reality TV.
Wasn't it interesting to see the fans vote 60% for Carla? Since none were tasting the food, it was a personality contest. Of course Carla would win that over Stefan (Mr. Personality) and Hosea (much less colorful than the other two). So I say, "where was Fabio when you need him in the kitchen competing?" His ouster was unfortunate and undoubtedly very close.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on February 27, 2009, 10:21:07 AM
Thanks for your comments Apskip. :waves: It was Carla's to win and she lost it by not thinking ahead, and not cooking the food she is known for.
BTW, I really wish someone would explain to me what "soul" has to do with food. How can you tell "soul" from really delicious food. ??? I know the difference between so-so food, bad food... ill prepared food, and yummy food, but soul food? :umn:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on February 28, 2009, 08:14:43 AM
A chat with the winner of Top Chef 5
Top Chef 5: Conference Call with Hosea Rosenberg Friday, February 27, 2009
Hosea Rosenberg's ascent to the top spot on Top Chef 5 was certainly not a smooth ride. From the stress of a father ill with cancer, to the poorly-timed dalliance with Leah Cohen that seemed to rattle his focus, to several brushes with the bottom, it was never a sure thing that he would emerge with the win.
But he did win, and he spoke with us today about the competition, what he thinks about the reaction to his victory, and what exactly is going on with Leah Cohen now that the show is over.
Hosea said he did not go into the finale positive he would win, but he was more focused than he had been. The last few challenges in New York were difficult, but with the break before New Orleans, he was able to refocus and regroup to go into New Orleans with his “head down” and the determination to cook the best food he could.
He says that the rivalry between him and Stefan Richter was not the main focal point as it was edited to be, and that his comments about it were maybe “five percent” of his overall interviews. Although his feelings about competing against Carla didn't make it into the show, he saw her as just as much of a competitor as Stefan. He said that once he heard her menu, he was thinking she was the one to beat, as he himself found the list of dishes quite appealing.
While he sticks with his decision to not make a dessert course, he says he had an idea for one in his back pocket in case that infamous twist was to add another course. He would have made chicory custard with a beignet as a play on coffee and donuts.
Overall, throughout his time on the show, he feels the foie gras and scallop dish from the finale was one of his strongest, as well as the trio of fish he made early on. The one dish he regrets is the one served at Eric Ripert's Le Bernadin, saying he messed up his timing on that one.
Although that one brush with a French culinary luminary might have been less than stellar, his win gave him the chance for another. He says he's not sure how his time of Top Chef 5 will ultimately be received in the food world. At a recent event, though, restaurant world heavyweight Daniel Boulud approached him and asked when they would cook together, so he feels pretty hopeful about the professional reception.
As to the fans, he hasn't had time since the finale to read much of the fallout from the show and some of those Top Chef 5 viewers who might not be thrilled with his win. That said, he says he “worked [his] ass off” to get there, and that he doesn't need to apologize for winning. He doesn't necessarily think he is a better chef than the other cooks, but does feel he did the best in that final moment. He said he doesn't really understand the negativity.
I noted that I thought the fan reaction might be due in part to his edit. After all, other than the brief mention of his father, the only thing we ever really got to know about Hosea was that he kissed Leah (while having a girlfriend back home) and that he was in a rivalry with Stefan. It's hard to get a sense of personality when someone is only presented in relation to other people. I asked him what he wished had been shown in the show about him and his background.
His answer gave me, at least, a much better sense of what is likable and relatable about the chef. I did not realize that he had a degree in engineering, and so the fact that this self-taught chef who admits he hasn't been in the business very long was able to do so well is pretty remarkable. He also noted, though, that while not directly related, he thinks his background in science helped with cooking as it gave him a foundation in math and organizing information.
He says that the people who know and work with him back in Colorado have respect for him and know that he is a “caring” person. He says he's got a large network of farmers, growers and ranchers that he's developed, and it's part of the reason why he doesn't plan to leave Colorado in the immediate future.
And it's partially that geographic complication that means that while neither he nor Leah are still with their previous romantic partners, they're also not currently boyfriend/girlfriend themselves. That said, when asked if recent Page Six reports of a make-out session were true, he admitted that they are both now single and have kissed again since the show. He said that they would be going out to dinner while he was in New York, and that if they lived in the same town, they would probably be dating.
With regard to some of the other Top Chef contestants, he says that he and Stefan are friends. He also confirmed that Fabio Viviani is pretty much as funny as he came across, noting that one of the funniest things that happened while they were all together was Fabio hitting his crotch as he got down from what Fabio calls “bunky beds” and cursing up a blue streak in a combination of Italian and English.
As to his future plans, he's taking the money from the Top Chef 5 win and using it to spend more time with his father, who unfortunately is not doing better with his cancer. Hosea also hopes to open his own restaurant and will be doing some work with a packaged food company.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on March 04, 2009, 07:07:51 AM
Tonight in the usual time slot is the BRAVO TOP CHEF 5 Reunion, hosted by Andy Cohen. I was curious on who Any Cohen is, so I investigated and discovered that he is the Sr. Vice President of Programming and Production for the BRAVO network. He loves to ohst reunion shows of all types, but his main job is to decided what shows get or do not get onto BRAVO and then overseeing them. I expect that Carla will walk away with the $10,000 prize tonight for the fans' most popular chef. Ariane has a slight chance and Fabio has a decent chance.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on March 04, 2009, 06:19:24 PM
Tonight in the usual time slot is the BRAVO TOP CHEF 5 Reunion, hosted by Andy Cohen. I was curious on who Any Cohen is, so I investigated and discovered that he is the Sr. Vice President of Programming and Production for the BRAVO network. He loves to host reunion shows of all types, but his main job is to decided what shows get or do not get onto BRAVO and then overseeing them. I expect that Carla will walk away with the $10,000 prize tonight for the fans' most popular chef. Ariane has a slight chance and Fabio has a decent chance.
I didn't realize who he was either, thanks for posting this. I fully expect Carla will win for most popular but if not then it will be Fabio. I'm OK with either one! :hearts:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on March 05, 2009, 10:04:30 AM
Recap Top Chef 5 Reunion
Andy Cohen of BRAVO hosted the fifth Top Chef Reunion. All 17 of the chefs appeared to be present plus all four permanent judges. The most important purpose of the show is to set up the award of $10,000 to the FAN FAVORITE, but they also want to present the human side of these chefs to set up Top Chef 6. I think everyone except Carla and Fabio can forget that prize and Fabio has the ladies behind him. A majority of Top Chef watchers are female. Andy is presenting fan questions plus a few of his own and showing excerpts that demonstrate a particular point. Stefan is presented as a possible FAVORITE candidate by Andy. However, that's a red herring because I think Stefan would be the easy winner of LEAST FAVORITE.
Carla was mocked for her use of the phrase HOOTIE, which she uses when her husband is missing. If he hears it, he will answer WHO. Carla used this occasionally on the show. Carla also talked about how her food had lots of heart and love in it. I just cringe when I hear this.
Andy next asked who is surprised Hosea won. Stefan says that he is happy that Hoses won and he didn't. Given Stefan's competitive nature, I consider that to be misdirection because Stefan really wanted to win.
The judge were asked what was the deciding factor in the FINALE judging? Tom says that it was Hosea's steadiness. Toby says that Hosea cooked better than Carla and Stefan that day.
Jaime made the statement that Stefan cannot stand being away from Fabio for more than 10 minutes. Doubtless it was the head rubs that Fabio gave him, which were illustrated with some footage.
Fabio was asked once again to explain his accident. He said the floor was wet and he was going fast around a corner. Andy has a gift for Fabio and it's an "I LOVE FABIO" Tee shirt.
There was a Top Chef 5 Birthday Curse that nobody has really heard of. Four chefs were eliminated on or near their birthday: Danny, Eugene, Radhika, Leah.
Toby's "weapons of mass destruction" comment about Radhika's soup was highlighted. Fabio went and massaged Toby's bald spot in solidarity.
There was a segment on some of the previously not shown activities in the "Stew room" including volleyball, basketball and innovative uses of GLAD bags.
The romance of Leah and Hosea just had to be shown here. It resulted from Leah drinking too much. The impact of it caused both the partners of Leah and Hosea to break up with them. Hosea stated the only way he and Leah would be together was in the same city. Leah made it clear on camera that she's not moving from the New York metro area. Hosea is plenty busy with various business propositions in Colorado. He said he regretted the incident. Fabio's comment put it into perspective: "Hosea got Leah; I got Stefan."
Jeff was not shown with his shirt off, but apparently that was common in the morning during the taping of the episodes. Jeff was also roasted for the complexity of his dishes. Jaime said that in one blind judging contest it was obvious which dish was Jeff's because it was twice as busy as any other plate.
Stefan was shown in a segment with guest chef Andrea where he asks her to call him.
The "attack of the baldies" was emphasized with Tom and Toby from the judges and Eugene, Hosea, Stefan and Patrick from the chefs.
At the end there is a $10,000 check for Fabio, who was voted Fan FAVORITE.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on March 05, 2009, 10:38:49 AM
Thanks apskip!!! :-* We didn't get to watch the reunion show and I'm happy to learn that Fabio won Fan Favorite! I am betting that Carla was a very close second!
:hearts:
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on March 07, 2009, 11:36:23 AM
:) gossip :lol:
The Fabio Show
Stefan might have a dubiously titled book coming out, but his Euro bro Fabio is getting his own TV show (obviously). No word yet on whether it’ll be on Bravo or what, but we’d love to see some Real Housewives synergy — the Italian stallion cooking for cougars?
Abbe Diaz reports, on her PX This board, that Hosea and Leah recently enjoyed what might’ve been a $500 meal at Del Posto last weekend. We’re going to assume Hosea “I’m Rich, Bitch!” Rosenberg picked up the check.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on March 07, 2009, 11:39:58 AM
An interview with Season 5 winner Hosea:
Top Chef Exit Interview: the Winner
Before the competition began, what did you do to prepare? Nothing really. My job is to cook every day and to find inspiration and research. I did what I always do, which is to cook good food. I tried to memorize a few recipes before I came out, mostly pastry recipes. I honed in on a few of my better regarded dishes from the customer standpoint, things that people really seem to enjoy.
When this began and you had sized up your competition, did you think you would win? I wasn’t sure I’d win, but I definitely put myself in the top tier. I definitely thought there was some real talent in the group, but I also thought I was going to make it farther than half of everyone.
So making it to the finale was not a surprise? Well, ultimately no, but I was struggling at the end a bit. It’s not that I can’t handle that kind of cooking, but my mind was getting worn down by the end of our time in New York. I feel kind of lucky to have gotten into the finale because I wasn’t putting out my best dishes in the end.
What about in the final challenge? Could you tell you had made the best dishes of the night? No, it all happened so fast. The time between courses was so fast that I had no time to analyze anyone else’s performance or even taste their food. What I did know was that I had put together a really great meal that I was happy with and I said to Blais that win or lose, I was really happy with our dishes.
Carla was the audience favorite; did she have a real shot at winning the title? Absolutely. Especially after hearing her menu, I really thought she had a pretty good chance of winning. I was worried about her winning.
What about Stefan’s dishes? I definitely respect Stefan’s cooking. Out of everyone in this season, he came with the most experience. He is probably the highest-caliber chef of all of us. All along I said he was the guy to beat. He’s very capable of beating Carla and me, he’s shown that time and time again. But it’s all about execution and that last plate that goes out.
Were you jealous of him? He and I had a had a healthy competitiveness, but it was friendly. We smack talk a little bit because I think both of us felt like the other one was a threat. I don’t think he would have spent any time talking about me if he didn’t think I had it in me.
Did Richard contribute any ideas to your dishes? What he did is help me hone my thoughts. I told him I didn’t have a menu selected until we went into the kitchen for the first time so we could see what proteins and what ingredients we had to work with. He did suggest plating the fish course in the walk-in and I thought that was a brilliant idea.
What do you plan to do with the prize money? I do have some plans to open a restaurant of my own. I’ve gotten involved with this food company over the last few months that does gourmet, prepared foods for Whole Foods and other stores across the country. Part of the money is going toward spending time with my dad and my mom, both of whom are ill right now. But I will be investing this money in a business of my own.
Is there any famous chef you’d like to emulate? I’ll never be as good as Daniel Boulud but I’d love to be like him, owning amazing restaurants and being very involved in the food world.
Obviously the highlight of this experience was winning, but what were the low points? There were a few times where my food didn’t come out nearly as good as I had hoped, and then obviously the whole Leah incident was a downer for me. It kind of messed me up a little bit and I wasn’t as focused on the food as I should have been. It affected my work and I was mad at myself for that.
What does it mean to be Top Chef? It’s humbling for me. I made a few mistakes along the way and I was able to recover from that. Being exposed to so much food here in New York City, I was reminded that the journey is so far from complete; I’ve got a lot to learn. I know how to make great flavors, and this is a great starting point for my career.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on March 12, 2009, 09:41:19 PM
An interesting article:
Chef Carla Gets Shot At Redemption
Top Chef finalists Carla and Stefan compete for charity
Oh Carla. Two weeks ago, so many of us Top Chef fans wanted you to win Bravo's reality competition series, especially against homewrecker Hosea and smug Stefan. But then you went and let former contestant Casey Thompson steal your thunder and sabotage your meal.
Carla Hall may have a chance to redeem herself, however. She and fellow finalist Stefan Richter will be battling in the kitchen once again, this time for a good cause.
Each Top Chef, assisted by a Chicago-area chef and one audience member, will have 30 minutes to put together a three-course meal using a secret ingredient that will be revealed on site.
The showdown will take place at 6 p.m., April 4, at The Chopping Block, inside the Merchandise Mart. Tickets are $150 and include food, drink, and the chance to participate in raffles and live auctions.
Proceeds benefit True Childhood, a national organization hoping to combat the negative effects of influential media on children.
Visit the True Flavors Website for more details.
Hopefully, Casey will stay far, far away this time.
Link to the article: http://www.nbcchicago.com/around_town/the_scene/Carla-and-Stefan-Battle-Again.html (http://www.nbcchicago.com/around_town/the_scene/Carla-and-Stefan-Battle-Again.html)
Link to True Flavors: http://www.truechildhood.org/trueflavors/ (http://www.truechildhood.org/trueflavors/)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on March 12, 2009, 09:48:40 PM
An interesting article:
'Top Chef' contestants set to return to New Orleans. Again.
Top Chef: York" blew into town in January to film the final two episodes of the hit series on Bravo. And now it's as if the show won't leave New Orleans alone.
Four of this season's contestants will participate in the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience, the culinary festival being held this year May 19 -23. Jamie Lauren, Leah Cohen and Jeff McInnis will all be participating in Saturday's Grand Tasting, according to N.O.W.F.E. spokesperson Liz Goliwas Bodet.
They will be joined by Hosea Rosenberg, the season's eventual winner, who will also be a featured chef at FEASTiVAL, a new N.O.W.F.E. event taking place May 21 at Harrah's New Orleans Theatre.
I only saw a few of the episodes, but given how much it was blogged about, I feel duty-bound to mention Rosenberg and Cohen shared an on-camera "showmance" over the course of the season.
Tickets for N.O.W.F.E. are available at nowfe.com.
Link to the article: http://blog.nola.com/brettanderson/2009/03/top_chef_contestants_set_to_re.html (http://blog.nola.com/brettanderson/2009/03/top_chef_contestants_set_to_re.html)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on March 14, 2009, 12:48:15 AM
An interesting article:
Culinary students work with 'Top Chef' winner
About 10 Lansing Community College culinary students got to work with a pro today.
Stephanie Izard, fourth-season winner of Bravo’s “Top Chef” reality TV show, spent the afternoon with the students as they prepared food in the kitchen of the Lansing Center.
Izard will use the food Saturday during cooking demonstrations at local libraries.
“It would have been a lot of work by myself. I would have been here until very late this evening,” she said this afternoon, as she shaved pieces of fennel that she’ll mix into a salad.
Lansing Community College culinary student Craig Foster stood beside her, breaking stems off mushrooms and separating them into two pans.
“As a culinary student, it’s always nice to be able to work with really good chefs,” said Foster, 33, of Lansing. “It’s nice to see someone who started out as a student. It just shows you how far you can go up in the business.”
Izard will appear at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Okemos Library, 4321 Okemos Road in Okemos, and at 3 p.m. at the Holt-Delhi Library, 2078 Aurelius Road in Holt.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on March 14, 2009, 01:35:38 PM
Video:
Celebrity Chef Series: Tom Colicchio
March 19, 2009, 8 p.m.
Arsht Center, Miami,
One of the culinary world's most celebrated figures, Chef Tom Colicchio has won five James Beard awards and is the chief judge on Bravo's "Top Chef." Colicchio has parlayed his cooking prowess into a career as an entrepreneur and is now the owner of the Craft group of restaurants, with venues in New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and and other cities around around the country. The New York Times described the New York Craft restaurant as "a vision of food heaven."
The Adrienne Arsht Center's Celebrity Chef Series features enlightening interviews with renowned chefs who discuss their personal culinary journey and give a lively and informative cooking demonstration.
Additionally, patrons who purchase VIP tickets can meet the chef and take a personal photograph with him; have access to the best seats in the theater and are invited to the VIP cocktail hour after the show.
After a feature on the Bravo channel's "Top Chef" earned Oceans Alive Scallops national acclaim, the company decided it wanted to repay the favor. They invited Hosea Rosenberg, who won the competitive cooking series with a dish made from the local scallops, to see firsthand where scallops come from — and he was more than happy to accept.
On Saturday, Rosenberg traveled from Boulder, Colo. to visit New Bedford and learn about the scallop industry. Carl Achorn III, head of sales for Oceans Alive, gave him a tour of the waterfront and took him aboard Hear No Evil, a 92-foot western-rigged scallop boat captained by Michael Willett.
"This whole thing for us has been tremendous," Achorn said. Since Rosenberg chose to work with their scallops for his winning dish for the series finale in February — and since the distinctive Oceans Alive can was featured prominently in a shot — the local company has seen a surge in customers.
"Our phones have been lit up like crazy ever since the episode aired."
Aboard Hear No Evil, Rosenberg got a rare chance to be on the ocean. Achorn and Erik Orman, the co-owner of Tempest Fisheries, pointed out local landmarks as the boat made its way through the hurricane barrier. Fishermen aboard the boat gave Rosenberg a demonstration of how the scallop dredge is set out and hauled back in. Steven Gemaly, a deckhand, explained in detail the process of shucking and storing the scallops. It was a lot to take in.
"They just know what they're doing; they're proud of their work," Rosenberg said. He added that often people are removed from their food's origins.
"You don't really think a lot about product," he said. "It's rare to see where the see where the seafood is coming from ... we don't think about the people involved in getting it there."
The down-to-earth Rosenberg said that since the show, things have been "completely 180 degrees from my old life." He is recognized everywhere, and his restaurant, Jax Fish House, is seeing a rush of business that is usually reserved for the summer.
Rosenberg will accompany Oceans Alive to the Boston Seafood Show today, which Achorn describes as a showcase of "every aspect of the seafood industry you could possibly imagine."
Achorn's father was a commercial fisherman and a scallop captain.
"It's in my blood," he said. To promote the industry, he added, "meant a lot to me personally."
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on March 16, 2009, 03:42:01 PM
An interesting article:
Recipes From 'Top Chef' Fan Favorite Fabio
He was the handsome, charming Italian "Top Chef" contestant "fresh out of the boat," as he put it, who didn't take home top honors but did capture viewers' hearts.
Fabio Viviani was recently voted the "fan favorite" of the popular Bravo TV reality show and took home $10,000.
From Florence, Italy, Viviani, 31, is owner and executive chef of Café Firenze Italian Restaurant and Martini Bar, in Ventura County, Calif., that was already busy and well-regarded, but Viviani has seen his own and his restaurant's popularity explode.
Viviani was in a tight competition for fan favorite with the wacky, spiritual and hilarious chef Carla Hall, who was among the Top 3 finalists. In fact, Viviani said in an interview with Bravo that he voted for Hall as fan favorite 20 times.
It was that kind of good nature and broken-English witticisms that put Viviani over the top as fan favorite. Perhaps his most memorable moment was during a challenge in which he broke his finger while cooking. Asked whether he wanted to go to hospital, Viviani said he'd rather chop off his finger, sear it on the hot grill and deal with it tomorrow than not finish the challenge.
Viviani has also set up a web site with resources and recipes to raise healthy kids. Visit www.kidshealthcafe.com for more information.
Link to view the video: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Recipes/story?id=7089609&page=1 (http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Recipes/story?id=7089609&page=1)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on March 16, 2009, 04:23:44 PM
Video from People:
Top Chef's Carla Shares The Love
The finalist admits she messed up during the finale and explains how to do a full "hootie hoo" call
Natasha Richardson has been critically injured in a skiing accident in Canada.
The English actress and wife of Irish native Liam Neeson suffered a traumatic brain injury, a source tells IrishCentral.com. Richardson was due to appear next year in a Broadway revival of A Little Night Music alongside her mother, Vanessa Redgrave.
It's yet to be determined whether or not Neeson is with Richardson at the Montreal hospital where she is being treated. The Oscar-nominated actor has had his own run-in with injury; Neeson suffered a broken pelvis in 2000 after his motorcycle collided with a deer outside New York City.
In addition to her scheduled stage performance, Richardson's TV and film credits include Evening, Maid in Manhattan and The Parent Trap, in which she starred opposite Dennis Quaid — and co-parented a pre-pubescent Lindsay Lohan.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on March 18, 2009, 07:45:47 PM
:(
Natasha Richardson dies after ski fall
"Richardson's family released a statement saying, "Liam Neeson, his sons, and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha. They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time."
The article here: http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/18/obit.richardson/index.html?section=cnn_latest (http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/18/obit.richardson/index.html?section=cnn_latest)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on March 19, 2009, 11:47:11 AM
BRAVO KICKS OFF "TOP CHEF: THE TOUR 2" BEGINNING FRIDAY, MARCH 27 SPONSORED BY QUAKER
Released by Bravo
Today, Bravo announced the official kick-off for "Top Chef: The Tour 2," which makes its first of 21-city stops in New York on Friday, March 27 at the Flatiron Pedestrian Plaza. Bravo's passionate fans and affiliate partners nationwide will once again have the opportunity to interact with the No. 1 food show on cable, the Emmy and James Beard award-winning "Top Chef," in a more grandiose and interactive way than ever before. The tour will feature a brand new state-of-the-art customized traveling 18-wheeler semi-truck, with an expansive space to accommodate more fans for each on-site demonstration.
The "Top Chef" truck will be making an extra special stop at Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby weekend. The truck will be in the infield of Churchill Downs on Friday, May 1 for a Bravo special featuring the food, fashion and celebrity experience associated with Kentucky Oaks and will be featured on NBC's red carpet show for the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 2.
"Bravo viewers are engaged and passionate about our shows," said Frances Berwick, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Bravo Media. "On the first Top Chef tour, we had fans lining up for hours to meet the chef'testants and see them at work. It's a hands-on experience that allows our viewers to be one step closer to the show they love."
As part of the tour's launch event in New York City, three finalists will experience what it's like to be a "Top Chef" when they compete in the first-ever Quaker Oats Viewer Quickfire Challenge and prepare an original dish featuring Quaker Oats. Dishes will be judged by "Top Chef" season 5 winner Hosea Rosenberg and season 4 chef'testant Nikki Cascone, with the grand prize winner receiving the chance to attend a future "Top Chef" taping. Finalists for the Quaker Oats Viewer Quickfire Challenge were chosen as part of a nationwide challenge where at-home chefs and fans of the show submitted original recipes showcasing Quaker Oats as an exciting and versatile ingredient to www.BravoTV.com.
Watch what happens when "Top Chef: The Tour 2" pulls up to a farmer's market, mall or food festival in the following cities:
New York, N.Y. March 27-28 Hollywood, Fla. April 5 Delray Beach, Fla. April 6 Jacksonville, Fla. April 9 New Orleans, La. April 14 Houston, Texas April 17 Dallas, Texas April 19 Little Rock, Ark. April 21 Nashville, Tenn. April 24 Hopkinsville, Ky. April 27 Louisville, Ky. May 1-2 Atlanta, Ga. May 4 Raleigh, N.C. May 6 Washington, D.C. May 9 Westchester, N.Y. May 13 Boston, Mass. May 15 Pittsburgh, Pa. May 20 Columbus, Ohio May 23-24 St. Louis, Mo. May 27 Chicago, Ill. May 30-31 Des Moines, Iowa June 6 Los Angeles, Calif. June 12, 13
"We're very excited for the chef'testants to unpack their knives and set out on this nationwide promotional consumer and affiliate promotion, which proved hugely successful the first time around," said Brian Hunt, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales Strategy, TV Networks Distribution, NBC Universal. "We are committed to bringing our distribution partners and foodie fans alike an even bigger and better interactive experience with the hit series they love."
In each city, two select "Top Chef" chef'testants will host four live interactive shows, including three for fans in attendance and one private show for affiliate partners over one or two days. Cooking demonstrations, gourmet tips, show secrets, and food tastings will be highlighted on the "Top Chef" truck, the impressive self-sufficient moving vehicle equipped with power and water. The truck will expand outwards with its kitchen, stage, demonstration area and 60 seats, all under an enclosed canopy. Additional guests will be able to view demonstrations from outside of the seating area or from a 50" plasma television in the activity area.
Partnership opportunities for affiliate partners at each city stop include one reserved cooking demonstration, meet and greet with chef'testants, "Top Chef" trivia wheel sponsorships, logo placements, a sampling of affiliate products, advertising services and sponsor table, and promotional spots on plasma televisions airing throughout the day. Additionally, affiliates will provide 150 on-air spots, which include 75 "Top Chef: The Tour 2" promotional spots, as well as 75 spots for designated Bravo programming.
Fans and affiliates will have the opportunity to experience new activities such as the "Top Chef" trivia wheel sponsored by a local affiliate and/or local advertiser, giving guests the chance to win prizes by answering "Top Chef" trivia questions. Attendees will be able to use the interactive web kiosks, with access to a "Top Chef" computer game and Bravoshop.com, and receive answers to cooking questions, autographs and photos from chef'testants. Also, they will have the opportunity to purchase Bravo and "Top Chef" merchandise, including exclusive tour items. Finally, they can make oat-based smoothies using the "Top Chef" blender bikes powered by human energy and sponsored by Quaker, national sponsor of "Top Chef: The Tour 2." The Tour is produced by mobile touring specialist LeadDog Marketing Group.
In 2008, "Top Chef: The Tour" traveled 10,200 miles, stopped in 20 key cities and hosted three consumer demonstrations at 26 events, resulting in thousands of "Top Chef" fans served inside the truck, with an estimated 1,000 consumer impressions per day. The success of the tour was evident as fans camped out in multiple markets just to get on the waiting list.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on March 20, 2009, 06:24:52 PM
I just went to eat at Stone Barns at Blue Hill Saturday night and Barber's cuisine was spectacular.
Oh nice, what did you order :)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on March 24, 2009, 11:23:51 AM
You do not order specific dishes there. There is a 5 course prix fixe menu and a 7 course menu. In both cases, you eat what they want to showcase that evening. Each course is tiny so having 7 of them is not a problem. The entire table has to order 5 courses or 7, although there was variation in desserts served and my aunt cannot have any uncooked vegetables so those were left off her plate. We had a shellfish soup with spinach, tiny cups of squash soup with a single homemade potato chip, bread with homemade butter, cream cheese, and two vegetable powders, lamb, pork, 4 other vegetable courses and 2 desserts (one pineapple sherbet and the other apple sherbet with oatmeal crunch). The rich sauces have terrific flavor and there is a different one or more than one is on every course. I noted that yesterday James Barber won a 2009 James Beard award. He certainly has a restaurant dedicated to making the diners satisfied with the creativity and freshness of his cuisine.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on March 24, 2009, 02:50:17 PM
You do not order specific dishes there. There is a 5 course prix fixe menu and a 7 course menu. In both cases, you eat what they want to showcase that evening. Each course is tiny so having 7 of them is not a problem. The entire table has to order 5 courses or 7, although there was variation in desserts served and my aunt cannot have any uncooked vegetables so those were left off her plate. We had a shellfish soup with spinach, tiny cups of squash soup with a single homemade potato chip, bread with homemade butter, cream cheese, and two vegetable powders, lamb, pork, 4 other vegetable courses and 2 desserts (one pineapple sherbet and the other apple sherbet with oatmeal crunch). The rich sauces have terrific flavor and there is a different one or more than one is on every course. I noted that yesterday James Barber won a 2009 James Beard award. He certainly has a restaurant dedicated to making the diners satisfied with the creativity and freshness of his cuisine.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us the details provide a wonderful vivid image it’s very impressive
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on March 27, 2009, 01:30:09 AM
Update on Top Chef S5 winner Hosea:
'Top Chef' partners with Lafayette food company
A Lafayette-based company that makes pestos, spreads, dips and tapenades has entered into a partnership with “Top Chef” Hosea Rosenberg, of Boulder, on a new product line, a recipe booklet and marketing efforts.
Tellory Inc., which produces the Ciolo and Piccolo brands, said Rosenberg also will make public appearances to demonstrate uses for Ciolo products at Whole Foods and for Piccolo at food stores throughout Colorado, New Jersey, New Mexico and New York City.
Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed.
Rosenberg, the executive chef of Jax Fish House, was selected as the winner of Bravo’s chef competition show, “Top Chef,” earlier this year.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: apskip on March 27, 2009, 11:21:59 AM
It's a fine commercial, but I cannot imagine Padma really having Carl's Jr. burgers as a major part of her diet. I can imagine her ordering a $6 menu item, however.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on March 27, 2009, 12:57:11 PM
It's a fine commercial, but I cannot imagine Padma really having Carl's Jr. burgers as a major part of her diet. I can imagine her ordering a $6 menu item, however.
I can't either. :lol: Nor wearing that beautiful dress while eating that drippy burger but it is a fine commercial.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on March 27, 2009, 08:44:42 PM
American Idol and Dancing with the Stars aren't the only shows that love to hit the road during the off-season. Top Chef just kicked off its second nationwide tour — aboard a spanking-new 18-wheeler specially fitted with power, water and state-of-the-art kitchen.
The 21-city journey began Friday in New York City, featuring on-site demonstrations and tastings hosted by Season 5 winner Hosea Rosenberg and Season 4 cheftestant Nikki Cascone — and a merch table that offered "I Heart Fabio" and "I Have a Culinary Boner" T-shirts.
While the chefs whipped up curry shrimp with jasmine rice (it was delectable!), Hosea dished on his experience on the show. A proud member of the Bacon of the Month Club, he had nightmares for more than two months after filming. "I'd wake up and be like, "Ah! Where's the chicken?!'" said the Top Chef.
Nikki, on the other hand, revealed the secrets of the Stew Room. "There was a lot of alcohol, filming and stress," she said. Things got so crazy they blew up garbage bags — from the Glad family of products — and wrapped them around a fellow contestant to create "Glad Man."
So what's shakin' with the two culinary gurus these days?
"I'm getting married May of next year, and Christian Siriano of Project Runway designed my dress, so it will be one of a kind." Nikki told TVGuide.com. "And I'm about to launch my clothing line. I have trouble finding chef coats that fit me, so I decided to do a different line."
Hosea, who recently told us he had plans to open his own restaurant, announced he is tabling the idea for now. "We had some things in the works, but I realized that once the show aired, there were so many more opportunities," he said. "I will open a restaurant, but probably not until the end of the year. I want to do food festivals and events like this first."
And for those of you curious if Hosea and Leah will be reunited (and it feels so good) during the tour's NYC stop, the answer is yes. "We're going to meet up," said Hosea. "We're both single now and allowed to go on a dinner date."
Bravo's "Top Chef" puts the pedal to the metal and foot to the floor today and tomorrow when it begins its 21-city promotional tour in a 44-foot-long, 18-wheel mobile kitchen that's built to cook. The show's fifth-season winner, Hosea Rosenberg (right), and season-four standout Nikki Cascone will cook up samples and give cooking demonstrations for foodies at the Flatiron Pedestrian Plaza (Broadway between 22nd and 23rd streets) today from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and tomorrow from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. While there are only 60 seats on the semi-trailer itself, you can also watch "Top Chef: The Tour Two" on a 50-foot TV. For more info, go to bravotv.com/thetour.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on March 28, 2009, 10:53:50 PM
Video:
An Interview with Top Chef's Patrick Dunlea
Patrick is currently a student at the Culinary Institute of America. With an inherent love for cooking, he was inspired as a child by his mother and grandmother and today by food writer Michael Pollan. Patrick has always had a love for the arts, both performing and visual and tries to incorporate them into every dish he creates. With ingredients as his medium of art, he is inspired by quality and freshness and enjoys making fresh vegetable dishes like succotash, pisto and ratatouille. He has a passion for sustainable agriculture and hopes to educate and promote support for local farmers and growers.
While Fabio Viviani doesn’t have plans to move to New York (“You go in a cab in New York, you get out, you just want to punch somebody in the face. I’m a very peaceful person”), the Top Chef contestant was in town last week to promote the Café Firenze cookbook (out in May) and scout a Village location for a local outpost. Since leaving the show, Viviani scored another book deal (with his mom) and has contributed to the nutritious-eating site KidsHealthCafé. We managed to stop the season-five fan favorite long enough for him to share his New York Diet.
Full article here: http://nymag.com/daily/food/2009/03/top_chef_contestant_fabio_eats.html (http://nymag.com/daily/food/2009/03/top_chef_contestant_fabio_eats.html)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on March 31, 2009, 07:48:03 PM
Video:
Hosea returns to Jax FIsh House
Newsteam's Jenna Levesque reports on Top Chef winner Hosea
returning to his previous chef position at Jax after winning the popular Bravo series
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on April 01, 2009, 01:19:37 PM
An interesting article:
Churchill Downs Welcomes 'Top Chef' to Infield Club for 2009 Kentucky Derby and Oaks
Churchill Downs will welcome one of cable television’s most-watched shows, Bravo’s Emmy® and James Beard Foundation® Award-winning “Top Chef,” to the Infield Club on Kentucky Oaks and Derby Days, May 1-2, 2009. Top Chef: The Tour will be part of Churchill’s new Infield Club hospitality area, which allows Derby and Oaks guests to enjoy the exuberant party atmosphere of the traditional infield with an upgraded twist.
The Top Chef Tour will be included in Bravo’s special one-hour telecast, “Ladies First: Bravo at the Kentucky Derby,” on May 1 from 5-6 p.m. EDT. The program will feature the food, fashion and celebrity experience associated with Kentucky Oaks 135; live coverage of the Derby’s sister race, the Kentucky Oaks; and highlights of special on-track events related to Churchill Downs’ new partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, which leads the global movement for breast cancer research, education, advocacy and community support. Top Chef: The Tour will also be featured as part of NBC’s May 2 coverage of Kentucky Derby 135, beginning with celebrity Red Carpet arrivals at 4 p.m.
The Infield Club is a new, secured hospitality area in the center of the Churchill Downs infield. It offers amenities that include a 430-foot bar, private mutuel windows, JumboTron televisions, sports bar-style food offerings, disc jockeys, limited shaded seating areas available on a first-come, first-served basis, and upgraded restroom facilities. Each Infield Club ticket purchase includes all-day track admission and Infield Club access. Tickets are currently available at a cost of $150 per person for Derby Day and $50 per person for Oaks Day. Guests planning to attend both the Oaks and Derby can save money buy purchasing a two-day ticket package to the Infield Club for $175. Tickets to the Infield Club may be purchased online while supplies last at www.kentuckyderby.com/infieldclub.
“We are excited to host Bravo’s popular ‘Top Chef’ program as a part of the Infield Club experience during Kentucky Derby weekend,” said Churchill Downs Incorporated Chief Marketing Officer Dave Tompkins. “The show is highly entertaining and enjoys a tremendous fan following. We believe the inclusion of the Top Chef Tour in our newest hospitality area will give customers yet another reason to want to check out the Infield Club in 2009.”
The Top Chef Tour stop at the Kentucky Oaks and Derby will feature some of the show’s “chef’testants” hosting eight interactive shows – four each day – in the Infield Club, with limited reserved seating available. Cooking demonstrations, gourmet tips, show secrets and food tastings will be highlighted from the Top Chef Tour unit, a state-of-the-art customized traveling kitchen with expansive space to accommodate cooks and fans alike. Top Chef: The Tour will also include trivia contests, information kiosks, and an opportunity for Infield Club guests to interact with the “chef’testants.”
The Top Chef interactive cooking demonstrations will take place on Oaks and Derby Days in the Infield Club at 11:15 a.m., 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. (times subject to change). Fans of the show can reserve a seat in the audience for one of that day’s demonstrations by completing a brief survey, while supplies last, at the Infield Club stage. A limited number of surveys will be offered, based on the number of reserved seats available which will be assigned beginning with the earliest shows. Infield Club guests who do not receive a reserved seating pass will be able to view demonstrations from outside of the reserved seating area or from a 50” plasma television in the Top Chef Tour activity area.
Churchill Downs has also released a rendering of the Infield Club and the Top Chef Tour location, available online at www.kentuckyderby.com/infieldclub.
Churchill Downs, the world’s most legendary racetrack, has conducted Thoroughbred racing and presented America’s greatest race, the Kentucky Derby, continuously since 1875. Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN) also operates Trackside at Churchill Downs, which offers year-round simulcast wagering at the historic track. Churchill Downs will conduct the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2009. The track’s 2009 Spring Meet will take place from April 25 through July 5. Churchill Downs is scheduled to host the Breeders’ Cup World Championships for a record seventh time on Nov. 5 and 6, 2010. Information about Churchill Downs can be found on the Internet at www.churchilldowns.com.
Video about the book click here: http://www.nbcbayarea.com/around_town/the_scene/From_Top_Chef_to_Front_Cover_Bay_Area.html (http://www.nbcbayarea.com/around_town/the_scene/From_Top_Chef_to_Front_Cover_Bay_Area.html)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on April 07, 2009, 11:22:49 AM
An interesting article: Tom's the man
Top Chef's Tom Colicchio Recalls Son's Premature Birth
This may be his most fulfilling recipe: Tuesday night Top Chef head judge Tom Colicchio will host a benefit for Children of Bellevue, a charity that assists and educates kids treated in the New York City hospital. But thanks to his personal connection to the hospital, the real celebration takes place later this month when Colicchio's son, Dante, turns 16.
"Sixteen years ago, my son was born eight weeks early," says Colicchio. "He was 2 lbs., 5 oz." The hospital where he was delivered had no more neo-natal ICU beds, so Dante was transferred to Bellevue, where he would spend the first two months of his life. Unable to ride in the ambulance with his newborn, Colicchio ran through the rain, still wearing scrubs from the birth.
"At first it was really bad, going to the hospital every day," says Colicchio. "We saw quintuplets there, and some of them didn't make it. The doctors worked so hard, and the care was great. But still you freak out."
As Dante grew stronger, the family prepared to take him home. A social worker asked Colicchio routine questions about whether they had adequate food and clothing for the baby. "We were kind of annoyed, and said, 'Yes, yes, we have insurance too.' A couple days went by and I started thinking, 'What if I had said no?' " wondered Colicchio.
He learned that through the private Children of Bellevue program that they could have received assistance for meeting the baby's needs. The group also works with long-term pediatric patients, health and parenting education. He asked how they raised funds and was told there was an annual cocktail party.
"I went to one and said, 'I think I can do this better,' " he says. No surprise that the owner of Mnahattan's Craft restaurants soon took over hosting duties and roped in 20 celebrity-chef pals to help provide the food. "Last year, we raised $350,000," he says.
As for Dante? The teen "is fine, no complications at all, he's doing very well." Tickets for the April 7 event are available at www.childrenofbellevue.org.
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: marigold on April 13, 2009, 11:05:51 AM
Padma poses nude in Allure Magazine:
The Naked Truth
ALLURE: What did you do to prepare for the shoot? PADMA LAKSHMI: "I exercised a little bit extra, but I actually think I look better when I have a little bit of weight on—my breasts are fuller, and I'm curvier than when I'm at my thinnest."
ALLURE: Are you confident about your body? PL: "Yes; I like the way I look. I think I look better now than I did in my 20s, because I'm more confident about my body—and I don't want to look like anyone but myself."
ALLURE: Do you sleep naked? PL: "I tend to sleep in the nude. I'm an innately tactile person and a very sensual-leaning woman. You have to use the word 'leaning' or it sounds like I'm boasting! When I'm in my own private space, I do spend time with very little on."
Click to see several nude pic's http://www.allure.com/magazine/2009/05/nudes (http://www.allure.com/magazine/2009/05/nudes)
Title: Re: Top Chef New York Season 5
Post by: TexasLady on April 13, 2009, 11:12:29 AM
We probably should add a warning that the site isn't exactly a work friendly site. :-[