Top Chef Season 3 Champion, Hung Huyng on Fox & Friends

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TC News and Information 9.12.11

This week’s Willy Wonka episode of Just Desserts rated inclusion by producers The Magical Elves in their top 10 list of favorite episodes of all the shows they’ve produced, saying it “may be the ultimate episode of Just Desserts. . . ." Click through the slide show for the 9 others, many of which I’m sure our readers will recall.

Have you been reading Just Desserts Season 1 winner Yigit Pura’s Bravo blog about this season? You can also find him “half-naked and sugar-coated,” Yigit says, in a calendar for Meals on Wheels, one of his favorite charities. You can glimpse him in the right-hand sidebar, or purchase one, here.

Were you as glad as I was to see TC Masters contestant Hugh Acheson as guest judge on last week’s episode? He’ll be back as one of the judges on TC9: Texas with Emeril Lagasse, reports Entertainment Weekly.

Frequent TC judge Eric Ripert’s Le Bernadin recently reopened and Feast has before, during, and after videos about the restaurant’s renovation. Meanwhile, Ripert protégé and TC All-Star Jen Carroll has announced she is leaving Ripert’s 10 Arts restaurant in Philly, according to Grub Street.

Three Top Chef chefs make the New York Times list of this fall’s most hotly anticipated restaurants: Masters 3 winner Floyd Cardoz’s North End Grill, Season 3 winner Hung Huynh’s Catch, and All Star contestant Dale Talde’s Talde.

Those Voltaggio brothers are busy too. They have a new cookbook coming out, and Michael’s long-promised LA restaurant Ink. (reported here to be opening in late September) has been upstaged by his new sandwich shop, Ink.Sack, which opened recently a few doors down. LA Weekly’s Jonathan Gold reports here. Yum Sugar has a great video interview with Michael Voltaggio here about his numerous new ventures.

All-Stars winner Richard Blais tells Eater his wife came up for the name of his next restaurant, The Spence, slated to open in winter 2012. He’s also a finalist for Restaurateur of the Year from the Georgia Restaurant Association. Winners will be announced in November.

All-Star Casey Thompson has teamed up with Sam’s Club and is eyeing new opportunities in Napa, according to this interview with Eater. Dale Levitski has been enlisted by Sam’s Club too.

Here's a report of Season 4 of Top Chef Masters filming in Vegas (scroll down to the second paragraph under The Scene and Heard).

Finally, if you’ve ever dreamed of being on Top Chef, you have something in common with Marge Simpson, reports Zap2It. Tom Colicchio will appear in animated form on The Simpsons season premiere on FOX September 25. Is it just me, or does this rendering look more like Hosea Rosenberg?


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TC News and Information 6.27.11

I'm back from vacation, and our Top Chef contestants have been all kinds of busy!

Tre Wilcox's Marquee Grill has opened in Dallas, and you can drool over some fabulous photos of Tre's offerings here.

Mike Isabella opened his Jersey/Italian restaurant, Graffiato, last week, which will serve pizzas, pastas, charcuterie, and that pepperoni sauce from Top-Chef All-Stars that made Gail Simmons swoon. Photos from Eater DC here; menus and more from the Washington Post here.

Isabella is also working on a cookbook about New Jersey Italian food, with his wife honcho-ing the test kitchen and blogger Carol Blymire as writer. Blymire is an entertaining writer known for cooking her way through cookbooks by Thomas Keller, French Laundry at Home, and Grant Achatz, Alinea at Home, as well as some well played April Fool's jokes. But this is apparently the real deal.

Season 1’s Tiffani Faison has announced plans to open a new BBQ restaurant in Boston called “Sweet Cheeks” and is touring the South for inspiration.

All-Stars winner Richard Blais has all kinds of culinary irons in the fires, including expanding his Flip Burger Boutique chain to DC and Miami, opening a gourmet hot dog restaurant, HD or Haute Doggery, in Atlanta, and a yet-to-be-named restaurant in midtown Atlanta featuring “simple American food that tastes great.”

Another All-Stars contender, Dale Talde, will be head chef at a “New Asian” restaurant in Brooklyn’s Park Slope that hopes to open by September.

Season 3 winner Hung Huynh is slated to help open a Manhattan “seafood restaurant and lounge” called Catch.

Bryan Voltaggio is working on opening two new restaurants, in Frederick, Maryland, and Chevy Chase Plaza, as well as collaborating on a cookbook with brother Michael. His Frederick restaurant, tentatively called North Market Kitchen, is inspired by Mario Batali’s Eataly in NYC, or maybe not.

And don’t miss this fascinating piece from Ruth Reichl about her experience as judge on Top Chef Masters, from her new desk at Gilt Taste, about why she was surprised a woman didn't win and still loves Floyd Cardoz's food.

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TC News and Information 10.26.10

We're sorry to hear those rumors of Season 3 winner Hung Huynh's "culinary overlordship" were premature.

Meanwhile, Season 4 finalist and returning All-Star Richard Blais has apparently leaked his own rumors that his next restaurant will be in the Virginia Highlands area of Atlanta and move on to a new concept other beyond boutique burgers. But you can catch a blogger's eye view of his newest Flip burger joint, which opened last week, here.

TC judge Tom Colicchio is also saying he won't open any more Crafts, in a "branding = good, chain = not so much" strategy.

While Season 7 winner Kevin Sbraga hasn't yet released specifics about the restaurant he plans to open with all that TC cash (ya know, like name, location, or date), he is doing a preview dinner of its menu December 9, according to this item.

Season 1 finalist and returning All-Star Tiffani Faison got a little love recently from the Boston Globe, which said: "It's time we stop calling her 'Tiffani from Top Chef' . . . she deserves simply to be known as the killer chef she is." For more, click here scroll down to the item on her restaurant, Rocco.

Another returning All-Star, Season 6's Jennifer Carroll, has persuaded mentor Eric Ripert to let her make some changes to the menu at 10 Arts, including branching out from seafood and focusing on more seasonal and locally sourced dishes.

Season 6 finalist Bryan Voltaggio talks about turning down All-Stars, and being mistaken for his brother, in this extended interview.

Season 2 finalist and returning All-Star Marcel Vigneron promoted his new SyFy show, Marcel's Quantum Kitchen, at a recent press gig, making a Harry Potter-inspired "butterbeer" with the use of spherification-ized cream soda. You can read a report and catch a couple videos of his demos here.

And Season 3's Brian Malarkey, who as far as we know was not given the opportunity to turn down All-Stars, has his own new show, Kick Off Cook Off, on TLC. Click here for a piece in which he describes himself as the "poor man's Tom Colicchio," plus video snippet.

TC News and Information 10.20.10

Curious for a glimpse into the dessert preferences of tonight's Just Desserts guest judge Michael Laiskonis? Apparently he's a fan of a bit of salt and some fresh herbs with desserts. Laiskonis demos a dish of roasted figs, red wine caramel, goat cheese, hazelnuts, fresh thyme, and bacon ice cream in a clip from the most recent episode of Eric Ripert's Avec Eric here. Or you can watch the entire Avec Eric episode focusing on cured meats here (the lardo looks amazing).

Continuing in a pork-centric vein, TC Season 4 winner Stephanie Izard is hosting a mangalitsa pig dinner November 2 to benefit Friends of the James Beard House at her new Chicago restaurant, The Girl and the Goat. Check out the menu here. And apparently her new place is so booked even actor Ed Burns couldn't get a table.

Season 1 winner Harold Dieterle is also getting plenty of buzz with the opening of his new Thai restaurant, Kin Shop, including a nice two-part interview with the Village Voice here and here.

In other news about new restaurants from TC contestants, Season Three winner Hung Huynh has a new gig as "culinary overlord," and Season 5 finalist and returning All-Star Carla Hall plans to open a cafe at 24th & M in D.C.

Eater.com has an update on the recent shuttering of Season 7 finalist and returning All-Star Angelo Sosa's restaurant, Xie Xie, and got a confirmation from Angelo's rep that he's split from that Russian, er, fiancee of his.

Finally, Season 2's Sam Talbot was recently promoting Northwest pears in Portland.Remember how Sam liked to do quick pickles? You can find a recipe for his shrimp with pickled pears and gem lettuce sandwich here, and a quick video of him demo-ing the dish here.

Hmm, I wonder what you'd get if you matched pickled pears with bacon ice cream. Or not.

Top Chef at the Upfronts

Bravo's 2010 Upfronts were held last week and several cheftestants came out to play.

Among them, Hung Huynh, Jennifer Carroll, Eli Kirshtein, Casey Thompson, and Richard Blais.

And Michael Voltaggio, looking like he has a cold. Which may be why he's not in the photo with the rest of the gang.

TC News & Information 3.1.2010

The Guardian UK is giving away a dinner with Top Chef Masters judge Jay Rayner. Click here for more information and to enter.

LAist has an interview with Top Chef Masters competitor Susan Feniger.

Top Chef season 1 host Katie Lee and season 5's Fabio Viviani will serve as hosts and mentors of the Almost Famous Chef Competition, sponsored by S. Pellegrino. Top Chef Masters competitor Rick Moonen will serve as one of the judges. More info can be found here.

The CIA has a series of podcasts called Insight from the Inside, one of which features Top Chef season 2 winner Ilan Hall and season 3 winner Hung Huynh. Another features TC season 4 guest judge, hottie pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini. You'll need iTunes to access the podcasts. The listing is here.

Hung Huynh's Superbowl Wings

If I wasn't snowed in and could get to the store to buy chicken wings, I'd be making these to nibble while watching the Saints beat the Colts:

Lemongrass and Curry Chicken Wings

Prep: 15 minutes
Marinate: At least 2 hours
Cook: 30 minutes
Makes: 20 wings

5 lbs. chicken wings (about 20 wings)
1 cup lemongrass (chopped fine)
3 Tbsp. curry
½ cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. black pepper
3 Tbsp. hot sauce (any kind)
Garlic (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and marinade for 2 hours or overnight. Place wings on a sheet pan and roast in oven at 400ºF for about 30 minutes.

Comment: Spray the pan so the wings don't stick. You will need two rimmed baking sheets. Marinate the wings in a large plastic bag. The longer they marinate, the stronger the flavor

See the video here. Source: People.com.

TC News & Information

Season 4's Richard Blais is now a guest blogger for Creative Loafing. Read his first two posts here and here.

Will Blais' Flip have a copyright issue with a similarly named burger joint in New York?

Stephanie Izard is launching a video podcast.

Want to see Hung Huynh cook a geoduck clam?

Carla Hall is offering cooking classes in DC.

Tom Colicchio discusses the restaurant business with Crain's.

Season 3's Howie Kleinberg is opening his own BBQ restaurant in North Miami Beach.