Top Chef Tour Bus Rolls Into Boston

  Click here for more on the tour.

 Posted on AllTopChef.com

Top Chef’s Brian Malarkey Plans 74 Restaurants, Tiffani Faison’s New BBQ Joint, and Tiffany Derry’s New TV Show

On the heels of his current Southern California restaurants, Searsucker and Burlap, and after the opening of Herringbone and Gingham, the San Diego Reader reports that Season 3’s Brian Malarkey plans to open Spandex, featuring deep-fried foods, and is eyeing 74(!) fabric-themed restaurants nationwide “from Fishnet to Velour.”

Season 1 Finalist and All-Star Tiffani Faison has her new BBQ restaurant, Sweet Cheeks, up and running. Click to read what Serious Eats and the Boston Herald have to say about it.

Tiffany Derry of Season 7 and All-Stars reveals to the Atlanta Journal Constitution that she’s filming “her own yet-to-be-named reality TV series that focuses on the rigors of being a chef” and told Eater LA she would like to open “a breakfast and lunch spot in her hometown of Beaumont (that Derry promises ‘will not be called Breakfast at Tiffany’s’)” and is considering LA, New Orleans, and DC for future restaurant endeavors.

Posted on AllTopChef.com

TC News and Information 10.21.11 - Lee Anne Wong on Iron Chef Sunday and more Season 1 News!

Yes, indeed, Lee Anne Wong goes toque-to-toque with Marc Forgione on Iron Chef America this Sunday (10/23/11) at 10:00 Eastern on the Food Network.

Season 1 winner Harold Dieterle will open his third restaurant, Marrow, in Brooklyn, reports the NY Times.

The Boston Globe has a terrific in-depth piece about Tiffani Faison, who finished second on Season 1 and will open her new BBQ restaurant, Sweet Cheeks, in Boston next month.

And the season's other finalist, Dave Martin, will open The Meatball Factory next week in NYC's East Village, says Eater. Turducken meatballs, anyone?

Congrats to all!

Posted on AllTopChef.com

Bravo Exit Interview - Tiffani Faison

All Top Chef Interview with Tiffani Faison

Top Chef All Star, Tiffani Faison talks about her experience on the Bravo show.

A highlight: Tiffany plans to open a new restaurant in the Boston area very soon. Stay tuned to ATC for updates.

Click here for the podcast.

Thank you Chef Tiffani!

ATC Love to Chef Tiffani Faison

In this week's fishing challenge, Chef Tiffani caught bluefish and had the smart idea to smoke it, bluefish being oily and ideal for the technique. But she also wanted to serve a bit of crispy skin, which unfortunately meant she would have to include the strongly-flavored "bloodline" of the fish. The judges were not pleased with this decision and sent her packing, along with her team-mate Jamie.

Tiffani did very well in Season 1, and she has grown a lot since then. We felt fairly certain that she would go far in this All-Stars season so we are very sorry to see her leave so early. Best wishes to you, Chef, from us at All Top Chef!

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

TC News and Information 1.12.11

Casey Thompson talks to Feast about those butchery aspirations that led her to attempt the chicken feet that got her booted last episode: “Butchery is kind of my thing. I think it's important that chefs grind their own meat, butcher their own cuts, and know where their products are coming from. So, my ultimate goal is to open a butcher shop/restaurant that features local ingredients so that small farmers can feature their products. That's my next big thing. I hope to open them up all over the nation, actually. It will be a chain retail shop but will feature good products from farms in the area.”

As to that shot of Dale Talde wiping off his shoes in the dim sum restaurant last week? “It was because I had just spilled a bunch of hot liquid all over myself,” he says here. "Less-Angry Dale" has more to say about being less angry and his hopes to open his own restaurant featuring some of his favorite Filipino comfort foods here, plus: “I’d be biased but for me, this is the best season of Top Chef. There will be more twists and turns and shocks.”

One of my favorite TC episodes of all time had to be in Season 6 when Kevin Gillespie won the pork battle and his prize was to appear at Charlie Palmer's annual Pigs and Pinot charity fundraiser - a poetic win, and darn, but that event sounded tasty. Tickets go on sale January 21 for this year's Pigs and Pinot, which will be held in Healdsburg, CA, March 18-19 and feature Michael and Bryan Voltaggio.

However she ends up faring on All-Stars, Tiffani Faison is plugging away in the wake of the abrupt closing of her Boston restaurant Rocca. In this new video interview, you can see some of the food she prepared there, and hear a few of her insights on filming this season.

For you hard-core Anthony Bourdain-o-philes out there, Boston was also the location for Tony's shoot this week for No Reservations. Having become more involved in his NR facebook page, etc. (or installed someone closer to his inner circle to manage it), one result is that Tony and crew attempted to livestream a portion of their Boston visit via facebook and eater.com. The endeavor, which turned into a bit of a clusterf*$k, has now been moved to one 50-minute continuous vimeo here.

If you lack the time or patience to wade through the whole thing, a couple of highlights: Bourdain says his next book will be a novel, "about violent New Yorkers doing terrible things to each other in the Caribbean" (36:14) and his full comments offering advice to food bloggers - more fully weighted toward the importance of, you know, loving food than previously misquoted by "anti-feline" sources (21:14). Make up your own mind about Tony's Mister Rogers sweater (which embarrasses his wife), and what's with that Guy Fieri-looking hair?

A shout-out to Karen at Cats Working, who must be an even more ardent Bourdain follower than I am. You'll find some serious Bourdain esoterica over at her place, including a link to this hysterical imagining of "No Reservations: Narnia" by a talented writer who has Tony's voice down pat.

So . . . which two will go home on tonight's All-Stars?

TC News and Information 1.3.11

We are sorry to hear that Tiffani Faison's Boston restaurant, Rocca, has closed, apparently abruptly. Guess that means no more All-Stars viewing parties there featuring global noshes that pair well with Bud Lite. Maybe Tre Wilcox will invite her to cook at his Dallas Restaurant, Loft 610, for a viewing party, as he has Tiffany Derry and Casey Thompson.

Speaking of Casey, plans are in the works to open a second outpost of her DFW restaurant, Brownstone.

Just Desserts pastry-cheftestant Erika Davis also has a new venture in the works, according to her facebook page. The Ultimate Cookie Dough Company plans to ship frozen cookie dough. TUCDC's website doesn't seem to be up and running quite yet, despite a projected Jan. 3 launch date, but we'll let you know whrn we hear more. While we wait, here's a great article about Erika.

Season 4 winner Stephanie Izard is also working on a new project, her first cookbook. You can see samples of the outstanding photography here. Originally slated for a Fall 2010 publication date and entitled How to Think, Shop and Cook Like a Top Chef according to this item, apparently the book is now slated for next fall. In addition, she's working on a pilot for a cooking show, developing the concept for a second restaurant, and working on a slew of other projects you can read about here, while helming Chicago's much-buzzed-about The Girl and The Goat.

Season 1 winner Harold Dieterle's second restaurant, Kin Shop, is also garnering lots of buzz, including this New York Times 2-star review. Well done, Chef Harold!

TC News and Information 12.14.10 - Insiders' and Spin Edition

The All-Stars Episode 2 elimination was a stunner, wasn’t it? Not only because Jen Carroll was someone a lot of us expected to last further into the All-Stars season, but especially because of the way she went out. I'll get to some thoughts and links about that in a minute. Meanwhile, check out these items for more about that night at the museum from the contestants who were actually there.

Casey Thompson talks about cleaning up after the kids, and says most of the cast had figured out in advance that they would spending the night there (although 75% had no clue who Joe Jonas was) on her blog here.

In this video, Tiffani Faison talks about their teeny-tiny cots and the kids' reactions to Spike's midnight snack, saying she thinks judges table could have gone any number of different ways.

In this audio clip from WGN radio, you can hear Fabio describe in his own inimitable way how foreign this challenge was for him, why he decided to wander around the museum in lieu of sleeping, and how much better Tiff F's Quickfire dish was than Spike's. Fabio also hints that Episode 3 is "very memorable." (Can we take three in a row?)

And in case you're interested in what Episode 2's guest judge Joe Jonas thought of the experience, you can find that via Bravo here.

So . . . I admit to smiling whenever a “serious” news organization features Top Chef, and I read this “morning-after” item from NPR with interest. While I think NPR may prematurely have gotten it wrong in its specific comparison between Jennifer Carroll and Tiffani Faison as to how these two are presenting themselves this time around (other All-Stars who've gotten less face time this season are also mentioned), the piece addresses an interesting point. Some cheftestants seem to be making a concerted effort to soften their edges, while others, notsomuch. Oh, yeah, there’s also that “editing thing,” so a large degree of how we perceive the competitors is shaped by what the Magical Elves choose to air vs. leave on the cutting room floor (where Jen might well have preferred to leave her expletive-filled comments once she’d been booted).

The contestants have no control over how they’re edited for the Bravo episodes. But they do have a choice as to how they present themselves in their post-elimination interviews. Elia Aboumrad might have garnered some sympathy for being the first All-Star cut – until she gave explosive interviews afterward. Jennifer Carroll, in contrast, was shown to blow up on camera, but then gave a lot of interviews two days after the episode aired where she came across in a kindler, gentler, funnier light (you can find some here, here, and here, in addition to our own interview with Jen here). In the judges’ blogs and “extended judging” video on Bravo, there also seems to be a concerted effort on Bravo’s part to dissuade viewers from thinking Jen’s ouster had anything to do with her talking back to judges rather than her dish simply being the least successful on “any given Sunday night at the museum.” Read and decide for yourself.

How are some other All-Stars controlling their own spin and capitalizing on their "second-time-around" exposure?

Tre Wilcox continues his Wednesday night viewing parties at Loft 610, inviting All-Stars friends to cook. Tre did the premiere party, Tiffany Derry sold out the one last week (at $100/person), and Casey Thompson is up at bat this Wednesday.

And Carla Hall is doing a live chat Wednesday night 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. PST / 8:00 p.m.to 9:00 p.m. EST on the Tom’s of Maine Facebook page -www.facebook.com/TomsofMaine – via the Live Chat tab, where she says she'll be talking about cooking with seasonal ingredients and holiday entertaining.

TC News and Information 12.05.10

Ratings may have been down for the All-Stars premiere, but there's still a whole lotta media hype going on. The New York Daily News review of the premiere likens it to "high school reunion turned upside down" and the LA Times opines that the caliber of chefs assembled for the All-Stars season is "either the show's greatest strength -- or its Achilles' heel." Yes, we're going to be saying good-bye to a two-time loser every week.

Some of the contestants are blogging All-Stars themselves, including Casey Thompson. Dale Talde blogged the premiere in three words. Yumsugar rounded up Season 4's Ryan Scott to live-blog the premiere (doesn't sound like he was asked to return this season). And if you'd like to join in the live-blogging chat thing yourself, there's a party going on all season at Gawker. To see what went down for Episode 1, click here.

For social media interaction of other sorts, you can find out more about how that Bravo-sponsored Top Chef Facebook game thingie works here.

In case you missed the twitterversy over Michael Voltaggio's comments surrounding the premiere, you can find a round-up here, although I'm inclined to take him at his word that he wasn't trying to diss anybody. I'm much more interested in the news that older brother Bryan is looking to open a second, more casual restaurant in Frederick, Maryland, despite an earlier blog report that may not have been entirely accurate. And if I lived near Frederick, I'd sure be interested in trying out Volt's 3-course "express lunch" for $14.

I mentioned on ATC's Facebook page before the premiere that Fabio Viviani would be live-tweeting the show. You can find a wrap-up of his tweet banter aimed at judge Anthony Bourdain in this item, which also Fabio will host "Wednesday-night viewing-and-posting parties at his restaurants as long as he remains on the show."

If you really care about the brouhaha that erupted over the question of whether TV Guide lightened Padma's skin tone, you can read about it here. Or, for rather more entertainment value, in my book, you can make up your own mind and watch video of the photo shoot with Tom Colicchio here. Best quote of the clip: "I think it's a great time to do [All-Stars.] I just wonder what we're going to do next."

The remaining All-Stars are getting plenty of press themselves.

Richard Blais's focus this time around: "My game plan is just to cook really great food and not get too wrapped up in any specific strategy or get wrapped up in the drama. I worry more about competing against myself," according to this piece, in which Colicchio points out: "He’s been doing the burger thing the past couple of years. He’s been out of the fine dining scene. That could be a bit of a handicap." Read on for more about Blais's Flip Burger and possible ATL gourmet hot-dog boutique spot.

Carla Hall identifies which contestant is the den mother and who sleeps on the couch here, and says Padma is much nicer since she had her baby here.

Angelos Sosa's pick for All-Stars class clown is Carla, and he describes Marcel as a "Wikipedia topic," according to this piece, where he also reveals that it was only 4 days after the S7 finale before the producers called him about All-Stars and a week and a half before he started filming. As to whether that was good or bad, he says, ""Honestly, it was a double-edged sword. . . . "I wish I had time to rest. Then, again, I had the momentum, too. So, I teeter-tot back and forth."

Dale Levitski tells 312DiningDiva (here's an easier link from HuffPo) that the All-Stars anticipated their previous losing dishes would come back to haunt them at some point during the game, and that he was "absolutely prepared" to re-make his butter-poached lobster with Chanterelle mushrooms, bacon and corn with chive dumplings and curry lobster reduction, a signature dish at his current restaurant, Sprout. Dale also says each Wednesday he'll feature a dish on Sprout's menu inspired by the previous week's challenge and is teaming up with next-door neighbor SmallBar Fullerton for weekly viewing parties.

Speaking of viewing parties, Tre Wilcox's Plano restaurant, Loft 601, which hosted a viewing party for the premiere, welcomes fellow Texan Tiffany Derry (whose restaurant, Go Fish, shuttered abruptly recently), who will cook $100 a plate dinners of "poached Maine lobster, roasted baby beets, braised Berkshire pork belly, and more" for the Episode 2 festivities.

Tiffani Faison's Boston restaurant, Rocco, continues to host viewing parties. Does Tiff F. really love Bud Lite Lime that much, or is there some kind of, er, product placement thing goin' on?

Season 7 winner Kevin Sbraga joined Jen Carroll at the 10 Arts premiere viewing party - photos and dish here, where Kevin talks about his plans for a new restaurant, while Jen, it appears, kept to the kitchen.

Our condolences go out to Chef Carroll on the loss of her grandmother this week. She wrote on Facebook: "Yesterday my Grammy passed away and if it wasn't for the the coleslaw and beef stew that she made i probably would be a professional gin rummy player or at least the scrabble queen but her food inspired me to be the chef that i am today."

And proving that you just never know what will show up in the ATC mailbox, I ran across this assessment of NFL teams' prospects during the rest of this season, which had this to say about my hometown Bengals: "Marvin Lewis, pack your knives and go. Yes, I have a gut feeling he will be on Top Chef. Maybe even Desserts. Regardless, his team is a mushy corn soufflé with a maple dressing that tastes like baby food which makes Tom Colicchio vomit on Carson Palmer’s head and Padma punch Terrell Owens in the face as he makes advances. If given the option between that and going through this season again, I think Bengals fans would choose the Top Chef scenario." While I'm not much of a sports buff, I was hoping the Bengals might pull it out against the Saints today - particularly for the free crawfish boil promised by one of my favorite Cincy food trucks, New Orleans To Go, in the event their beloved Saints were upset by the Bengals. Dang, I still want some of NOTG's crawfish, even if I have to pay for it myself :)

TC News and Information 12.1.10

Woo-hoo - tonight's the night! And there's a media feeding-frenzy goin' on.

Here's what TV Guide gleaned from head judge Tom Collichio about the All-Stars season (I'd love to know Tom's 1-year-old son's reaction to being on set - and I'd really love to know which contestant(s) were among the 5% of the previous competitors the producers didn't manage to snag for their dream team All-Stars roster).

Click here for an interesting assessment of "All-Star Alignment" and a star chart I'm not sure I completely understand or agree with.

And here's a fun trip down memory lane.

Richard Blais offers his own assessment of some of his All-Star competitors in this interview.

Jamie Lauren reveals that she had no idea who she'd be competing against in the All-Star season until she met them all back in NYC.

Dale Levitski talks about this season's judging and why he hears TC theme music wherever he goes in this great piece from the Chicago Tribune. He also says he felt "stood up at the prom" by Michelin and has some interesting things to say about how he'd restructure the finale challenges in this Q&A with Metromix.

Dale L. encourages fans to come out for an All-Stars viewing party tomorrow at Small Bar, next to his Chicago restaurant, Sprout. No doubt there will be plenty more viewing parties from other cheftestants as well. Here are some that have hit our radar.

You can crack a Bud Light Lime and sample "globally inspired snacks" at Tiffani Faison's Boston restaurant, Rocca. Tre Wilcox is having a viewing party at The Loft 610 in Plano, TX. And Fabio Viviani says on facebook, in his own inimitable way, "Tomorrow night Premiere TOP CHEF All Star !! 7pm Cafe Firenze & 9pm Osteria Firenze ill be in both place !! See you there !!" Casey Thompson's Dallas restaurant, Brownstone, will offer complimentary bites, happy hour drink specials and half-priced bottles of wine throughout the season according to this.

Updates on Jennifer Carroll's premiere viewing party at 10 Arts in DC, which we reported about previously: Details of Jen's tasting menu here. According to this, an a la carte menu will also be offered, and Eric Ripert, frequent TC guest judge and Jen's mentor will be on hand to meet, greet, and sign books.

Photo courtesy of Max Jacobson, Unicaworld.com

If you, like me, don't live in a city graced with the presence of a Top Cheftestant (yet), you can check out the food and festivities presented by a number of former TC competitors at the Food and Wine All-Star Weekend held earlier in November in Las Vegas, thanks to this report from Unicaworld. And for a truly charming take on what it's like to put together such an event, check out this post from culinary student Athena Thickstun who worked behind the scenes.

Photo courtesy of Athena Thickstun, http://athenathickstun.blogspot.com/

Not sated yet? Click here for a full transcript of that media conference call with Tom Collichio and Anthony Bourdain that our own Minx reported on earlier.

Or live chat with TC judge Gail Simmons tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. EST according to these directions:

WHEN: Thursday, December 2nd at 1:00pm EST
WHERE: Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry’s USTREAM channel
HOW:
1. RSVP by replying to this invitation
2. Sign up for a USTREAM account – it’s easy and free!
3. Logon to ask Gail your questions… Or submit your questions ahead of time on the Puff Pastry web site or Tweet to @PepperidgeFarm using “#AskGail”

Happy premiere viewing, all!
eggy

Meet the All Stars - Tiffani Faison

Tiffani went up against Harold Dieterle in the Season 1 finale in Las Vegas. Although Tom Colicchio has said in the past that her artichoke risotto was one of the best dishes he's ever eaten on the show, the fact that she presented duos for each course bit her in the arse, and Harold took home the title. Tiffani did, however, win our holiday special that aired in 2007.

Born in Northern Germany to a military family, Tiffani moved extensively throughout her childhood and her travels exposed her to a diversity of cuisines. She took her first job in the hospitality industry at the age of 14 in Northern California but the kitchen later caught her eye while working as a bus-er at a restaurant in Boston. Within a matter of months, she was the line cook for celebrity chef and restaurateur, Todd English, and was quickly promoted to Sous Chef. She eventually traveled and cooked side by side with English. Later, the acclaimed chef Daniel Boulud hand-selected her to open his first West Coast venture, Daniel Boulud Brasserie at the Mobil five-star Wynn Las Vegas Hotel. Viewing Boston as a home base, Tiffani moved to Nantucket to get back to the roots of restaurant cooking at the island’s Straight Wharf. From there, she teamed up with her former mentor Todd English as Interim Executive Chef for a 400-room boutique hotel, worked as the private chef for actor Will Smith, and as a consulting chef for the firm “The Culinary Edge.” In 2010, Tiffani joined ROCCA Kitchen & Bar in Boston as Executive Chef and recently garnered three stars from The Boston Globe.

Buzz up!

TC News and Information 11.10.10

It's a big week for Stephanie Izard! In addition to her impressive sweep of the Eater awards, her restaurant, The Girl and The Goat, has learned it's won a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation. It seems the Windy City is abuzz with anticipation of next week's release of the Michelin Guide, with special events lined up that include a panel discussion/radio-show taping with Stephanie and TC Masters contestant Graham Elliot on November 18 and a live chat November 19 featuring Rick Bayless and Art Smith of TC Masters with former NY Times food critic Frank Bruni. More info about both events here. The Girl and The Goat also took the top spot on Chicago Magazine's November Hot List. Want to try some of Stephanie's food but don't live in Chicago? You might be in luck if you're near Miami or NYC. This month all of Mercadito's locations are featuring her braised chicken taco with avocado crème fraîche, fermented black bean, nicoise olive tapenade, mint, preserved lemons, sambal, smoked tomato and shaved brussel sprouts, at 4 tacos for $16 to benefit Share Our Strength. TC Masters contestant Wylie Dufresne is another chef who will design a taco for the year-long benefit. You can find out more here and here.

Where else can you meet and eat with Top Chef contestants? All over, it seems. Here are just a few upcoming events.

Mike Isabella and Carla Hall will be at the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertainment Show in D.C. November 13. And here's something a little different - Carla is also appearing at the 17th Annual Funniest Celebrity in Washington Contest December 2.

Meanwhile, Dave Martin will be doing a cooking class in the "other" Washington November 17, at Desert Wind Winery in the Yakima Valley, and has other upcoming appearances in Washington, Oregon and Nebraska.

Dave's Season 1 rival, Tiffani Faison, will be participating in Eat Your Heart Out Boston November 14 at the Paradise Rock Club where chefs and local bands team up to benefit local charities. In an interesting twist, the chefs will "style plates in homage to their music idols" - Tiff's dish: pork belly agrodolce, house-made “hots,” foie pastrami mayo, and crispy onion, inspired by Ray Lamontagne’s "New York City’s Killing Me."

If New York isn't killing you, you can catch Richard Blais demo-ing sous-vide equipment at Bloomie's on November 20.

Jen Carroll and Rick Moonen will be headlining the James Beard Celebrity Chef Tour in Las Vegas November 15.

And this one sounds like a lot of fun - if you're in Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina November 20, you can see Gail Simmons, Kevin Gillespie, Kevin Sbraga and Kenny Gilbert at the Music to Your Mouth Culinary Festival. How much more fun could the Low Country be?

TC News and Information 10.31.10

Congratulations to Season 3 contestant Brian Malarkey and his wife, Chantelle, on the birth of their twins, Sailor and Miles. (Looks like Brian's still sporting the hats.)

Stefan Richter is still swaggering and swearing, according to this LA Times interview with him (and his girlfriend), which says he will be opening a restaurant in Finland, where he claims he's a superstar.

Stefan will also be appearing with Season 1's Candice Kumai (who now has a show on TLC) at a benefit for the National Kidney Foundation November 7 in LA.

And congrats to Season 1 finalist Tiffani Faison for her current restaurant, Rocco, making Boston Magazine's Top 50 restaurant list, as well as for her participation in the Project Trevor/It Gets Better Project, pulling together a benefit at Rocco shortly after returning from filming the upcoming TC All-Stars season. More on the event from the Huffington Post here.

Eater.com thinks it has uncovered an update on Season 7 winner's Michael Voltaggio's new restaurant.

Sam Talbot is "stoked" for November tastings in anticipation of his new Soho resto at the Mondrian opening in February.

And Top Chef Masters Season 2 winner Marcus Samuelsson will offer a preview dinner of his much-anticipated, but still not open, restaurant, Red Rooster Harlem, on November 15.

To leave you with a bit of Halloween cheer, want to know what judge Eric Ripert dresses up as? Click here, where he reminds us that cooking is not heart surgery.

And darn if I didn't just have an 11th hour thought for a costume I would get a kick out of wearing.

Happy Halloween!

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 10.12.10

Wow, a bulging in-box this week. First up, the New York City Wine & Food Fest took place last weekend - lots of chefs with TC connections made appearances and offered commentary. A few morsels.

Top Chef Just Desserts judge Johnny Iuzzini dished to the NY Post that upcoming JD episodes will include drama (despite Seth's departure) and fashion (no surprise if you’ve seen previews for Wednesday’s show). Perhaps more interesting are his thoughts on what to serve at such an event, as Iuzzini handed out “caramelized Godiva chocolate mousse on a stick, with salted walnut nougatine, dried cranberry, a Godiva pearl and a gold leaf.” Hmm, we just know there are bound to be more catering challenges coming up on this season of Just Desserts, and it's always helpful to know where the judges are coming from.

In an interesting panel discussion about the meaning and importance of eating locally, TC head judge Tom Colicchio mentioned that one of the reasons he chose the location of his new NYC restaurant RiverPark is "we're looking to actually grow food in soil. Majority of it will go to schools and educating kids about nutrition."

Eater.com caught up with TCJD judge Eric Ripert’s pastry chef at Le Bernadin, Michael Laiskonis, who will appear as a guest judge in his own right during this season of Just Desserts and offered his observations about TCJD and pastry chefs’ time in the spotlight in this interview.

Speaking of The Ripper, he will prepare a five-course dinner featuring sustainable seasfood with his protoge, Jennifer Carroll - much-rooted-for Top Chef Season 6 contestant and member of the upcoming TC Season 8 All-Star cast - this Thursday in Philly.

And re: sustainable seafood, TC Season 7 contestant Tamesha Warren will prepare an entree Nov. 16 for Baltimore’s National Aquarium Fresh Thoughts series, while Season 1 finalist and returning All-Star Tiffani Faison recently appeared at Boston’s Museum of Science, where she demonstrated how to make “meatballs” from scallops and monkfish, two fish that “tend to be a bit sweeter” and appeal to kids, commenting that it can be hard to get kids to eat fish. Guess it depends on where they grow up and what they’re used to as a kid.

Traveling further along the science – and TV series – train, according to this item, Season 6 finalist and returning All-Star Richard Blais has just wrapped production on a couple of pilot episodes for a show on the Science Channel. And lest we forget Chef Blais’s heavy-duty background, here’s a photo Alinea’s Grant Achatz recently tweeted from years gone by of Blais, Achatz, and the renowned Thomas Keller.

TC Season 3 contestant Brian Malarkey seems to have landed himself a show on TLC called Kick Off, Cook Off, traveling around the country as “cheferee” to judge football tail-gate cooking.

In news about a TC chef who did not try to boost her recognizability by wearing hats, Season 5 chef and All-Star contestant Jamie Lauren has a new gig.

Top Chef Masters contestant Graham Elliot & TCM Season 2 winner Marcus Samuelsson are among the chefs to be included on A&E’s Ikea-sponsored “Fix This Kitchen” makeover show premiering October 16th, along with TC guest judge Charlie Trotter and a couple of other chefs you may have heard of, Ming Tsai & Lydia Bastianich.

Enough media, shilling, and hype, you say?

How about the great news that TC Season 1 winner Harold Dieterle is opening his second restaurant, named Kin Shop? Grub Street has early photos here, and Feast has a mini-interview with H here.

If you’re still craving a first-hand taste of what’s served up by another much-admired TC finalist, you won’t want to miss this report from blogger, TC afficianado, and photographer extraordinare Big Shamu of The Karmic Kitchen about her recent dinner at Season 6 Finalist Kevin Gillespie’s Woodfire Grill in Atlanta.

And because I would be remiss if I did not keep you up to date on TC judge Anthony Bourdain news, here's the official announcement from DC comics about his upcoming "graphic novel," Get Jiro!
 

Video du Jour - Tiffani Faison Makes Swordfish Escabeche

TC News & Information 10.21.09

True Flavors Celebrity Cookoffs: See former Top Cheftestants Ryan Scott, Jamie Lauren, Casey Thompson and Tiffani Faison, plus Top Chef Masters competitor Elizabeth Falkner this weekend, October 24th in San Francisco, and Carla Hall in DC on November 12th. For more info on the events, and to buy tickets, click here.

Catch Creative Loafing's episode 8 podcast here.

The Crave Arizona Culinary Festival is this weekend, October 22-24, and will feature Season 4 winner Stephanie Izard, Season 2 finalist Sam Talbot, and TC Masters' Douglas Rodriguez. Click here for more information on Crave.

Fabio Viviani appeared on the 10 Show! on Monday. If you missed it, here's the clip: