Given the heavy advertising, if you haven’t heard that The Chew, featuring Top Chef’s Carla Hall, premieres today in the All My Children timeslot on ABC, you’re probably living under a rock. We’re happy to let our readers follow whatever shows they choose (or “chews” not). If you’re interested in more about how Carla got this gig (her first audition didn’t go very well, but she got a second chance after being voted Fan Favorite on Top Chef: All Stars), you can find linkage here The New York Times places the show in a larger context of food-watching and daytime TV demographics here. Grub Street is not thrilled with what they saw during rehearsal. Feel free to share your reactions in our comments.
If you’ve been following Top Chef since Season 1 (before the Fan Fave award was conceived of), you might be happy to know Lee Anne Wong will appear on Iron Chef battling IC newcomer Marc Forgione October 23.
Food Network has also announced the contestants for its upcoming Next Iron Chef competition, dubbed “Super Chefs,” debuting October 30. You’ll find some TC familiar faces, including Marcus Samuelsson (winner of TC: Masters 2), the inimitable Spike Mendolsohn (TC Season 4), TC: Masters contestants Elizabeth Falkner and Michael Chiarello, Chopped judges and other FN hosts. Reality Blurred reports that in a format change, the new season will pit the two chefs at the bottom of the pack against each other in a sudden-death cook-off with only one ingredient. Hmmm, kind of like the upcoming Top Chef: Texas where the first eliminees from the starting 29 contenders get a chance to battle back to be on the on-air finale?
Rick Bayless won the first season of TC: Masters, and he’s continued doing what he does, with dedication to Mexican food and building his Chicago-based restaurant empire ever since. But here is something completely different. Eater reports Bayless will play a chef in 1940s Mexico – and provide appetizers and a three-course meal – for a March 2012 production with Chicago’s Looking Glass Theater that sounds like a whole new spin on dinner theater.
Meanwhile, Michael Voltaggio's much anticipated "Ink." has opened. Reservations are hard to come by, but KevinEats apparently scored one. Check out his report (and excellent photos) here.
And Tiffany Derry's Private Social is now open, with a lotta help from her TC friends.
Posted on AllTopChef.com
1 comment:
I managed to see the last 3/4 of The Chew today - I wasn't impressed, either, mostly because there wasn't enough Carla! She seems to be the only one content to let others talk, which means she hardly gets a word in edgewise.
And I was startled to see a promo for Next Iron Chef - it's pretty much everyone in the Food Network stable , plus Spike. I wonder how he got in on the party. I was also amused that Alton Brown (whom I love) was so derogatory about Top Chef, claiming Iron Chef had a higher level of talent - except they seem to recruit TC talent when they need it. What, they can't get real chefs to sign on for NIC any more, so they have to stay in-house and call them "Super-Chefs" to make it sound big?
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