TC News and Information 10.3.11

Have you been reading the hilarious Just Desserts recaps on Eater this season by the guys from NYC's Big Gay Ice Cream? Tuesday from 2:30 to 4:30, they're welcoming as "interns" TCJD contestants Rebecca Masson and Amanda Rockman! Details here.

Speaking of ice cream, here's a nice piece from Creative Loafing about Season 6 TC contestant Kevin Gillespie's partnership with Morelli's ice cream parlor in Atlanta.

Season 1 winner Harold Dieterle took third place at Meatball Madness, which kicked off the NYC Wine & Food Festival. Click through the slideshow here for a pic of his Goat Meatball with Boiled Peanuts, Tatsoi, and Penang Curry, and some of the other contenders.

We're glad to read Harold also was ranked one of New York City's 17 best chefs by Robert Siestsema of the Village Voice, alongside TC Masters contestants Anita Lo and Marcus Samuelsson, as well as a number of chefs who've appeared as judges on the show.

Season 7's Tiffany Derry (now Derry-Mitchell) recently opened Private Social in Dallas, with her S7 cohorts Angelo Sosa, Kelly Liken, Ed Cotton, and Kevin Sbraga and All-Star Carla Hall in attendance. She talks to Eater about how her new restaurant came into being after her former employer, Go Fish, shut down shortly after she returned from taping her season.

Season 2 winner Ilan Hall has branched out from his LA restaurant The Gorbals to develop pizza specials for Urbano Pizza Bar. Some mouth-watering photos here, and more about how Ilan got involved in the venture from KCET here.

Speaking of pizza, after saying he wasn't going to be a media whore (at least for Bravo), Fabio Viviani is now shilling for Domino's "artisan" pizza (video here) - Fabio himself has a few words to share in the comments). And he's been posting on facebook like crazy that he'll be debuting a new show called Chow Ciao on Yahoo. We'll have to see what that's all about.

Stephanie Izard's new cookbook hits the shelves Wednesday. You can watch the trailer here.

And Megan Ketover, competing on this season of Just Desserts, assisted with a cookbook coming out Tuesday.

Host Gail Simmons talks about the evolution of Just Desserts in an interesting piece here, and credits the increasingly knowledgeable audience of Top Chef as a motivation for upping the challenges.

Bravo has also posted a couple of great behind-the-scenes videos, this one about the culinary production team headed by Season 3 contestant Sandee Birdsong, and this one about the differences between Just Desserts Seasons 1 and 2 - an interesting trip down memory lane that kind of makes you think a lot of the changes this season were a reaction to the crazy cast of characters last time.

This Wednesday's episode of Top Chef is a double elimination. Who do you think will stay, and who do you think will go?

Posted on AllTopChef.com

All Top Chef Interview with "Top Chef Just Desserts" Season 2 Chef Amanda Rockman

Chef Amanda talks about her experience on the Bravo show.


Click here to learn more about The Bristol.

Click here for the podcast.

Thank you Chef Amanda!

Posted on AllTopChef.com

Exit Interview - Amanda Rockman

Posted on AllTopChef.com

ATC Love to Chef Amanda Rockman

In week one of this competition, Chef Amanda seemed really poised to go all the way, so it was a bit of a shock that she got eliminated so early. Her idea to make funnel cake for the amusement park was a strong one; unfortunately, her inability to serve it to the judges the minute after it was made threw the textures off. They expected a pillowy soft cake, but got something crunchy instead.


Chef Rockman, you did so well and we thought we'd be seeing you in the finale. We're sorry to see you go and wish you great success in the future.

This post is only for positive comments about Chef Rockman. If you have anything negative to say, please do so on our Reactions post.

Posted on AllTopChef.com

Congratulations, Team Amanda!

Amanda, Carlos, Melissa, Katzie, Megan, and Chris - you did a fantastic job with your dessert table for Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump's restaurant party!  Your desserts and decor were impressively sophisticated, despite the rampant use of pink. ;)

Some of you are definitely looking like folks to beat. Will any of you make it to the top? We'll see!

This post is only for positive comments about these chefs. If you have anything negative to say, please do so on our Reactions post.

Posted on AllTopChef.com

Meet the Pastry Chefs - Amanda Rockman

HOMETOWN: Katy, TX
RESIDES: Chicago, IL
PROFESSION: Executive Pastry Chef, The Bristol and Balena 

CULINARY EDUCATION: A.O.S Pastry and Baking Arts, C.I.A 

FAVORITE SIMPLE FALL DESSERT RECIPE: Vanilla Basque Cake with confit apples, apple cider sabayon with cinnamon candied walnuts

Amanda Rockman grew up in Katy, Texas, where her mother would prepare lavish meals made from fresh and seasonal ingredients; she still recalls the day her mother made a Sacher torte when she was eight. Those meals around the dinner table provided enough inspiration for Amanda to attend The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park where she received her A.O.S. in Baking and Pastry Arts. Upon graduation, Amanda moved to Chicago to work at TRU under Gale Gand, where she started their chocolate program, offering 12 hand-made confections nightly, and importantly, met Chef Chris Pandel who was her sous-chef. Shortly thereafter, she traveled abroad for a few months and returned to Texas to work as the Executive Pastry Chef of FINO and ASTI Trattoria in Austin. After a few years, she returned to Chicago where she helped open Laurent Gras’s L.20, and at the age of 26, she became the Pastry Sous Chef at The Peninsula Hotel where she met her mentor, Celine Plano. In January 2011, she was honored with Chicago’s Jean Banchet Rising Pastry Chef award alongside Chef Chris Pandel, whom she rejoins at The Bristol. Amanda’s culinary philosophy is “Flavor comes first. Technique is second.” Amanda says, “Last but not least, your food needs a bit of soul. Sure, it can be simple or complex, but I want you to be able to feel the love and attention that was put into making that pastry.” She always has almond flour, vanilla bean, salt, vinegar, and chocolate on-hand. Amanda will be opening The Bristol group’s second restaurant, Balena, in Chicago come Fall of 2011.Posted on AllTopChef.com