Top Chef Pig Roast

Several former Top Cheftestants are participating in an event for Share Our Strength No Kid Hungry. Nyesha Arrington's Pig Roast will be held on April 28th, 2013, at Wilshire Restaurant, 2454 Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica, CA from 1-4pm.

Guest chefs will include Ilan Hall, CJ Jacobsen, Alex Reznik, Marcel Vigneron, and Brooke Williamson from Top Chef and Danielle Keene from Top Chef Just Desserts.

Tickets are $55 and can be purchased here.


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All Top Chef Interview with Brooke Williamson

Top Chef Seattle finalist, Brooke Williamson talks about her experience on the show.

A highlight:  

ATC:  Do you think it was harder to fight your way through all of the challenges, or to fight back in Last Chance Kitchen?

BW:  That's a good questions.  They are both hard.  Last Chance Kitchen is more predictable.  You know it is 30 minutes.  You know Tom is your judge and you know you have to beat one chef.  It's do or die.

Click here for the full interview.

Thank you Chef Brooke.

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Congratulations Chef Brooke Williamson!

Well, this is getting rather redundant! Chef Williamson has won again! Not only did she win the Quickfire Challenge, but she also won the Elimination Challenge. Using her mother as the inspiration for why she wanted to become a chef, she made braised chicken and quail. Equally homey and complex, Chef Williamson illustrated both the roots of her culinary interest and the level of expertise she has developed along the way.

Heading into the finale, she has certainly shown that she has what it takes to win. Only Sheldon and the winner of Last Chance Kitchen stand in her way.

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Congratulations, Chef Brooke Williamson!

Tom Colicchio wondered about Brooke's decision to poach her salmon to order in the Elimination Challenge this week, and his comments to that effect made her rethink her decision. It was too late to change things at that point in the game, but it didn't matter - her original idea was a great success. The judges loved her salmon and her broth, and the way the bread soaked it up.

Congrats, Chef Brooke, on your second consecutive Elimination Challenge win, and enjoy the trip to Costa Rica!

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Congratulations Chef Brooke Williamson!

Chef Williamson has show remarkable flexibility and tenaciousness throughout the competition. This time, she pulled out a win by stretching the boundaries of what surf and turf could be by using mussels and frogs legs. Not only was the dish executed well, but her plating earned her high marks, sticking with the spirit of the restaurant in which she was cooking. As she moves onto Juneau as one of the final four, Chef Williamson is well positioned to take home the top prize.

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Congratulations, Chefs John Tesar and Brooke Williamson!

Chefs John and Brooke paired up for the Roller Derby girls after party and turned out to be a great team. She reminded the Most Hated Chef in Dallas of his daughter, and she was too polite to say who he reminded her of. :) Their dish, a Thai-inspired beef with lobster rice and a tart slaw in honor of derby girl Kutta Rump, won unanimous praise from the judges and scored them a joint win.

Third time's the charm for John, but Brooke has been on top before. What's next for the two of them? Stay tuned and see!

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Congratulations, Chef Brooke Williamson!

After last week's dismal performance by all of the chefs, this week brought renewed energy and the drive to create something delicious. This was most obvious in Chef Brooke's dishes, as she won both the Quickfire for her "homey" apple pie with cheese, and the Elimination Challenge, with her far from ordinary lamb-stuffed squid dish.

Congratulations, Chef Williamson! Will we see you in the finale?

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Meet the Chefs - Brook Williamson

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Profession: Co-Executive Chef and Co-Owner, Hudson House (Redondo Beach, CA) and The Tripel (Playa del Rey, CA)

Culinary Education: No formal culinary school; learned in the kitchen

Favorite Simple Winter Recipe: Crispy duck confit with wild mushroom bread pudding and caramelized brussel sprouts

Brooke is a self-taught chef who started her culinary career at age 15 as a teacher’s assistant at the Epicurean Institute of Los Angeles. At age 18, she started working as a pastry assistant at Fenix at the Argyle Hotel, and was soon noticed by Chef Ken Frank, who invited her to work in the savory kitchen. Brooke moved onto the acclaimed restaurant Michael’s in Santa Monica, where she became Sous Chef within a year. After a brief internship at the celebrated restaurant Daniel in New York, Brooke returned to Los Angeles, where she was appointed Executive Chef at Boxer and later Zax. During her tenure at Zax, she was heralded by The Los Angeles Times as a “culinary wunderkind,” and was also the youngest chef to ever cook at the James Beard House. Brooke left Zax to open Amuse Café and Beechwood with husband Nick Roberts, where she earned the title “Rising Star Chef” by StarChefs.com. In 2009, they opened American gastropub Hudson House, and most recently The Tripel. When she’s not calling the shots at her restaurants, she can be found spending time with her family, running, hiking, traveling, or wandering around the farmer’s market.

Posted on AllTopChef.com