TOP CHEF: SINFULLY HOT

We're deep in the season premiere of Top Chef and we already have our favorites that we are rooting for!!

These culinary lads are appetizing and gorgeous!!

We're hoping these meaty morsels last until the Final 3!!!

I SEE FRANCE:

Mattin Noblia:

AGE: 29
HOMETOWN: Biarritz, France – currently resides in San Francisco, Calif.
PROFESSION: Owner, Iluna Basque
CULINARY EDUCATION: C.A.P. de cuisine in southern France, the Basque Region
FAVORITE SIMPLE SUMMER RECIPE: Grilled Sardines and Fresh Tomato Sauce, or Boudin Noire with Caramelized Apples, or Stuffed Calamari in Ink Sauce over Rice



Mattin is the chef and owner of Iluna Basque, one of the most unique and prominent restaurants in San Francisco. Born in a small village in Basque Country, located in southwestern France, he became enamored with cooking as a small boy while watching his mother cultivate “piment d’ espelette” –Basque chile. Mattin has studied under noted chef Dominique Jolie, and incorporates a fusion of French and Spanish flavors into his cuisine. He admires French chefs such as Hubert Keller and Rolland Passot –but if Mattin could have his last meal with anyone, he would cook a candle-lit dinner for two for himself and Jessica Alba.


BROTHERLY LOVE:  

Michael Voltaggio:

AGE: 30
HOMETOWN: Frederick, Md. – currently resides in Los Angeles, Calif.
PROFESSION: Chef de Cuisine at The Dining Room, Langham Huntington Hotel & Spa
CULINARY EDUCATION: The Greenbrier Hotel Culinary Apprenticeship Program
FAVORITE SIMPLE SUMMER RECIPE: Soft Poached Egg with Morel Mushrooms, Fava Beans, Jamon Iberico Consommé



Born in Maryland, Michael began working in restaurants at the age of 15 and hasn't worked outside the industry since. He has studied under several celebrity chefs and the majority of his training has been in European fine dining kitchens with an emphasis on modern technique, flavor and presentation. He has been the recipient of several awards including the "AAA 5 Diamond" and "Mobil Award" while serving as Chef de Cuisine at the Dining Room at The Ritz Carlton in Naples, Florida as well as a Michelin Star while serving as Chef de Cuisine of Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen in California. In 2009, he was a finalist for the James Beard "Best New Restaurant" award. Michael serves as Chef de Cuisine at Bazaar by Jose Andres and describes his cooking style as sophisticated American Cuisine utilizing modern technology and classic disciplines of cooking.

Bryan Voltaggio:

GE: 33
HOMETOWN: Frederick, Md.—currently resides in Urbana, Md.
PROFESSION: Chef/Partner, VOLT Restaurant
CULINARY EDUCATION: A.O.S Culinary Arts, C.I.A.
FAVORITE SIMPLE SUMMER RECIPE: Marinated Grilled Hanger Steak, Silver Queen Corn and Fava Bean Succotash, Cherokee Purple Heriloom Tomatoes, Rick’s Arugula



Bryan is chef and partner at VOLT, a three-star fine dining establishment in his native Frederick, Maryland. He was classically trained at the Culinary Institute of America and was a protégé of celebrated chef Charlie Palmer. Bryan first fostered his passion for cooking during childhood, when his meals included produce harvested in the family garden. He has since become a strong advocate for meats, seafood, and produce that are local, sustainable and organic. Bryan says “through our choice of ingredients we become engaged in more than creating a great dining experience, but in supporting local agriculture.”

via bravo

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GAY CHEFTESTANTS

SHAKE AND BAKE:

For all you die hard Top Chef fans, this post is for you.

The premiere of Top Chef 6 will be quickly upon us:  Wednesday, August 19th @ 9 PM (EST/PST).

The OUT team players are one man and two women (via AfterElton/snicks)

Ash Fulk

 

Age: 29

Hometown: Pleasant Hill, Calif. - currently resides in New York City

Profession:: Sous Chef at Trestle on Tenth

Culinary Education: Self-Taught

Favorite Simple Summer Recipe: Grilled Corn on the Cob with Mayonnaise - with a sweet tea to wash it down.

Foodie Fact: Fulk enjoys working with foods that are regional and seasonal and follows the motto "if it grows together, it goes together." Ash enjoys whipping up custards and cooking with leeks, and some of his favorite chefs include Dan Barber and Claudia Fleming.

 

Preeti Mistry

 

Age: 33

Hometown: San Francisco, Calif.

Profession:: Executive Chef, Google, Bon Appetit ManAgement Company

Culinary Education: Le Cordon Bleu, London

Favorite Simple Summer Recipe: Fennel Crust Marin Sun Farms’ Rack of Lamb, Saffron Parsnip Puree, Heirloom Carrot and English Pea Ragout with Pinot Noir Reduction

Foodie Fact: Preeti’s commitment to seasonality, and her relationship with small local farmers are at the core of her cuisine. If she were a food, what food would she be? "I would be a green zebra tomato – extremely distinctive from all the others, a little hard on the outside, but pure love at the center."

 

Ashley Merriman

 

Age: 32

Hometown: Center Sandwich, N.H. – currently resides in Seattle, Wash.

Profession:: Chef at Branzino in Seattle, Wash.

Culinary Education: Institute of Culinary Education, New York, N.Y.

Favorite Simple Summer Recipe: Pan-Fried Soft Shell Crabs with Ramps and Morels

Foodie Fact: You don't have to become a chef if you hail from a town named Center Sandwich, but don't tell that to Ashley Merriman. Merriman's five kitchen must-haves are quality extra virgin olive oil, champagne vinegar, lemons and thyme.

2ND SERVING:

In unrelated but more Top Chef news:  THAT awful sour one note PadmER (say it English, zahlinks) Lakshmi is shopping  a sitcom series at NBC.

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VIVA LAS VEGAS: TOP CHEF 6

Filming for the new season of Top Chef  6 begins next week in Las Vegas.

Our snitch confided in us that the CHEFtestants are holed up at the M Resort near Henderson for the next month.

No doubt, Tom Colicchio's  restaurant Craftsteak at the MGM Grand will be location for part of the challenges.

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QUIETLY SIMMERING IN BROOKLYN: TOP CHEF NEW SEASON

The fifth season of Top Chef has made itself at home in Brooklyn, and is currently in production. That means that there have been chef sightings in the New York City area, although perhaps the biggest news is how few of them there are, especially in a city like New York.

Last week, Eater published a report from someone who saw the chefs at Whole Foods, where they’re apparently continuing to shop this season. An actual sign proved it was them: At the Bowery Whole Foods, there was “a sign announcing that anyone entering the store would automatically agree to being filmed for a production by ‘Magical Elves,’” Eater says. And Time for Cheese spotted the chefs at Craft, Tom Colicchio’s restaurant.

When they’re not cooking, the “cast has definitely been living for about two weeks now in a terraced duplex penthouse in Williamsburg overlooking McCarren Park,” The New York Observer reports, citing “an extremely well-placed source” who says the chefs are “leaving around 8 or 9 in the mornings for a soundstage in Greenpoint and coming straight back in the evenings.”

[reality blurred]

Top Chef: A Peek at the Cheftestants In Action
Thursday, July 24, 2008, by Amanda
Looks like Whole Foods is going to remain the gourmet grocery store of choice for the Top Chef production crew. A reader and Top Chef obsessive at the Bowery branch at 7:30 p.m. yesterday spotted the crew in addition to a sign announcing that anyone entering the store would automatically agree to being filmed for a production by 'Magical Elves.' Our spy followed the film crew around the corner to Chrystie Street and spotted all of the contestants loading their coolers of food into large white vans (they don't really drive around in Rav4s all day). Here are her descriptions of all of the contestants:
· 20-something Indian-American woman, on the short side and looking a bit bedraggled
· 40ish man, balding, gray hair, trim beard, smoking a cigarette and looking tough, black leather clogs.
· Late 30s man, tall, husky, like a mix between Season 3's Joey, Howie and Season' 4's Eric all rolled into one.
· Shorter Asian dude, wearing a wife beater, exceedingly tan, and covered with black tattoos.
· Tall, African-American woman with a bandana
· Late 20s dude, dark hair, with the soft paunch of a Williamsburg hipster.
·Tall, thin pretty/crunchy looking female, no makeup
· Another shorter, more non-descript female.
· There was another chick, tall, thin, blond, an indie pin-up, who might have been part of the crew.
· One of the coolers had the name "Gene" written on it
Note, the descriptors were the spy's, not ours. According to the man behind the fish counter he sold over $600 worth of seafood to the contestants. Perhaps for a Ripert challenge? Anyone who can ID the cheftestants from the above descriptions, please share. To the rest of you aspiring spies, more Top Chef intel is always welcome.

[eater]

20 BAYARD

 It's more or less an open secret, but we've learned that the Top Chef cast has definitely been living for about two weeks now in a terraced duplex penthouse in Williamsburg overlooking McCarren Park. So far, the chefs have pretty much kept to themselves, said an extremely well-placed source, leaving around 8 or 9 in the mornings for a soundstage in Greenpoint and coming straight back in the evenings. “They’re not allowed to talk to anyone, really, or even do their own thing,” the source said. They’re trying to keep things under control before the paparazzi start camping out.” Luckily, it sounds like they have the typical luxe reality show digs, complete with a private roof deck and a sweeping view of the city skyline, to occupy them when they are not shopping, cooking or shooting. Though the source would not say which of the two "identical" parkview penthouses the cast is living in, a 1,368-square-foot, 16th-floor unit was sold in April for $1.4 million, according to StreetEasy. (Meanwhile the neighboring unit, 16A, is in contract for $1.295 million.) According to the duplex floor plans on the 20 Bayard Web site, the first floor has an open-air kitchen, foyer, eating area and living room--with a balcony--and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking McCarren Park and Manhattan. The kitchen is outfitted with a 36-inch Sub-Zero refrigerator, a Viking gas range with Caesar stone, and Calacutta Gold marble countertops and backsplash. The two first-floor bedrooms overlook the buildng courtyard, while the master bedroom—with a huge en suite bathroom and private terrace—occupies the entire second floor. The sleek, American Psycho-esque standard penthouse pictured on the site is far from shabby as it is, but we’re told Bravo has done some redecorating. “They’re already awesome, but they’ve furnished it like a celeb would,” the source said. “One wall is orange, one is gray, one is purple. They’ve got that funky Real World look going on.” So far the cast has remained pretty incognito. Few people from neighboring buildings were even aware Top Chef was shooting in Williamsburg. “No way,” said the cashier at Urban Rustic, an organic market down the street, who is a fan of the show. “That’s awesome.” So will the cast do any shopping there? “That would be cool, but I doubt it," the cashier said. "They usually give them a budget.” [observer] If you enjoyed this post, other posts and enjoy reading LA*SURFPUNK HOLLYWOOD--Please take a moment to make a donation to keep this blog alive!!! You can click the donate button at the top right of the page. We thank you!! Read more of my blog by clicking the title or subject listings on the right. Email friends of my postings with the EMAIL icon at the bottom of each post. And as always, feel free to comment.







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