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.


Posted on AllTopChef.com

Video - Top Chef Just Desserts Finalist Danielle Keene

Posted on AllTopChef.com

TC News and Information 7.8.11

Congratulations to Bryan Voltaggio on the birth of his new daughter!

Is brother Michael Voltaggio working on a restaurant in India, while his L.A. restaurant named "Ink." remains unopened?

Spike Mendelsoh's Philly expansion of his Good Stuff Eatery chain appears to be dead in the water - er, at least until after 2012 - according to Feast. Top Chef: Just Desserts finalist Danielle Keene has resigned from LA Creamery. And Jamie Lauren is out at Beechwood while Kogi food truck king Roy Choi reportedly takes over the kitchen.

In more upbeat news, Season 6 finalist/Fan Favorite Kevin Gillespie, who, compared to many TC competitors, has remained pretty selective about appearances, has made this "30 Under 30" list of "chefs, bloggers, farmers, activists, and educators who are just as passionate about delicious food as they are about its sustainability and safe cultivation." You can, however, catch him at the 2011 Gig Harbor Wine & Food Festival in Washington State August 6.

A Top Chef contender who has remained even more under the radar, Season 2's Cliff Crooks (ousted after the infamous head-shaving incident with Marcel Vigneron), may make an appearance on the new season of Gordon Ramsay's "Hell's Kitchen," whose winner is promised the nebulous position of serving as sous under BLT Steak's current executive chef - yep, that would be Cliff.

As if the cooking competition reality show genre isn't already glutted, Top Chef producers The Magical Elves have issued a casting call for a "potential" new series for Bravo seeking "adventurous" professional chefs at "all skill levels." Does this mean we'll be spared a second season of Rocco's Dinner Party?

Speaking of food reality shows gone awry, here's an insightful update on the demise of the prize offered to the winner of "America's Next Great Restaurant," Jamawn Woods, for his Soul Daddy restaurants, in which Top Chef Masters 3 host Curtis Stone was supposedly an investor.

Finally, for your Friday summer reading pleasure, some wickedly funny "fake foodie fan fiction," by Jason Kessler. Curtis Stone is the protagonist in this inaugural installment of "Inside the Stoves" via Eater, featuring "excerpts" from faux books that are a great send-up of food media. I'm looking forward to more!

Happy weekend!

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National Chocolate Cake Day

Today is National Chocolate Cake Day, and to celebrate, here are some Top Chef-inspired recipes for chocolate-y yumminess.

Heather Hurlbert's Dark Chocolate Mousse Torte with Chocolate Grand Marnier Sauce

Morgan Wilson's Dark Chocolate Soufflé Cupcake

Danielle Keene's Chocolate Pudding Cake with Pistachio Ice Cream

Enjoy!

TC News and Information 1.25.11

Top Chef Masters 3 begins filming next week! So says Curtis Stone, recently announced replacement TCM host for Kelly Choi, in this interview with Slashfood. Eater speculates Top Chef Masters 3 will be filmed in LA once again. I dunno. If Bravo is really looking to change things up, a change of location might be in order. Of course, the Masters don't have to sleep in "bunky beds" or be quarantined after they're auf'd. So we'll have to watch what happens.

When Curtis Stone was asked whether he's glad he's hosting rather than competing in Top Chef Masters, he said: "I've just been going through all of the challenges and I'm so glad that I'm not going to have to do them myself -- they're tough challenges. But these guys are brilliant chefs. And as much as it's difficult -- you'll see them stand there shaking their head because they're angry at the challenge -- but they'll still go make great food. I think my role is to sort of empathize with the chefs since I appreciate the technical skill. Food writers just can't."

While it's not surprising the Top Chef Masters 3 cast is already in place, here's an update on that casting call for Top Chef 9 and Just Desserts 2:  Hopefuls can email the Magical Elves directly. Methinks Padma's gonna have some quiet time with her new kidlet before we see her on the Bravo airwaves anytime soon after Top Chef All-Stars concludes.

Last week's Restaurant Wars introduced viewers across the country to the concept of pop-ups. TC: Just Desserts' Zac Young of Flex Mussels is doing a two-week donut pop-up in NYC's Grand Central Station featuring "salted cajeta (goat's milk caramel), raspberry, spiced chocolate, cinnamon sugar, and two more changing options." Don't you wish your commute included donuts like these?

Just Desserts' finalist Danielle Keene has a new gig at L.A. Creamery, where she will be rolling out ice creams like "Hot Chocolate flavored with chili powder, cinnamon, vanilla bean and cocoa nibs, Milk Chocolate Chai flavored with black tea and seven spices, Sassafras flavored with sassafras bark, Honeycomb ice cream layered with handmade honeycomb seafoam candy, Roasted Banana made with fresh bananas roasted with brown sugar and butter until caramelized, then blended in a lightly flavored rum base, and a non-dairy Chocolate Sorbet made with bittersweet chocolate, sugar and water."

Got a hankering for a more back-to-basics dessert that even Sylvia Weinstock would love? Just Desserts' Erika Davis and her "Ultimate Cookie Dough Company" website are now up and running, with cookie dough you can receive in the mail and bake yourself: Oatmeal Walnut Raisins, Chocolate Chip Walnut, Peanut Butter Cookie, Chocolate Chocolate Chip, White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut, and Thousand Dollar Chocolate Chip Cookie. I'm thinking that if a tub of any of them arrived in my mailbox, I'd probably sit down and demolish them with a spoon before they ever hit the oven :) You can read more about Erika's Culinary Wonders USA and her scholarship efforts here.

Congrats to Top Chef: Just Desserts for being nominated for a GLAAD award in the "Outstanding Reality Program" category!

Need a red-carpet fix? Here's video of Fabio Viviani and his business partner at the Tasty Awards.

Meanwhile, there is no new episode of Top Chef All-Stars this week, so adjust your DVRs and expectations accordingly.

If you need some comfort food of the savory variety to get you through a chilly week without a new episode, how about a nice gooey grilled cheese from Dale Levitski's Chicago restaurant, Sprout?

Bravo Exit Interview - Danielle Keene

All Top Chef Interview with Danielle Keene

Top Chef Just Desserts finalist, Danielle Keene talks to ATC about her experience on the show.

Click here for the podcast.

Click here for Danielle's website.

Thank you Danielle!

Top Chef Just Desserts Finale Poll

The finale airs this Wednesday, November 17th. Which of the remaining three pastrycheftestants do you think will win the competition?

poll by twiigs.com

Top Recipe - Top Chef Just Desserts Episode 9

You can find the printable version of Danielle's chocolate cake with sour cherry compote and Greek yogurt ice cream here.

Congratulations, Chef Danielle Keene!

And finally we have an Elimination Challenge win for pastrycheftestant Danielle Keene! While she was a regular visitor to the bottom three early on in the competition, she showed later on that she has what it takes to make it to the final three, and maybe even win the whole shooting match.

After narrowly missing the Quickfire win with her candymaking skill (love the caramel corn truffle!), she wowed Sylvia Weinstock with her piano key-and-roses decorated layer cake.



We always knew Chef Keene had it in her! Way to go! Last woman standing! Now go win this thing!

This post is for positive comments about Chef Keene. If you have anything negative to say about her or her competition, please do so here.

Top Recipe - Top Chef Just Desserts Episode 7

Click here for a printable version of Eric Wolitzky's chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Other Whisk Me Away recipes from this episode:
Morgan's Chocolate Mousse Cake, and
Danielle's Pistachio Shortcake.

Meet the Pastry Chefs - Danielle Keene

AGE: 29
HOMETOWN: Los Angeles, Calif – currently resides in South Pasadena, Calif.
PROFESSION: Pastry Chef and Owner, Bittersweet
CULINARY EDUCATION: Los Angeles Culinary Institute.
FAVORITE SIMPLE FALL DESSERT RECIPE: Roasted pears, cinnamon ice cream, almond brittle and creme fraiche.

For Danielle Keene, creating gourmet desserts has been a passion, career and tradition. Coming from a dessert loving home, her first baking memory was cracking fresh walnuts for the oatmeal cookies she baked with her mom. After training at Water Grill, Campanile, and A.O.C. in Los Angeles, she became the opening Pastry Chef at Wilshire restaurant where her "Ice Cream Shoppe Night" received accolades from the Los Angeles Times. In early 2009, Danielle started her online business Bittersweet. Using the finest local ingredients, producing every item from scratch and combining unique flavors, Bittersweet represents Danielle's childhood favorites and modern classics. Danielle hopes to one day open a retro soda fountain with a selection of ice cream and baked goods.