TC News & Information 9.3.2012

Hugh Acheson is featured in the September issue of Better Homes & Gardens magazine. You can see tear sheets of the article here. And of course, you can pick up your copy at newsstands, grocery stores, yadda yadda.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that Top Chef 6's chef Kevin Gillespie and his beloved beard are leaving Woodfire Grill to open their own restaurant. He's rarely been in the kitchen recently anyway, since he's been working on a cookbook (out in October).

Top Chef Just Desserts season one champ Yigit Pura is opening his own patisserie in San Francisco. Called Tout Sweet, the bakery opens September 8th. Eater has a photo tour, and boy, does it look delish!

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Video - Top Chefs in Aspen

Tim Love, Hugh Acheson, Johnny Iuzinni, and Marcus Samuelsson sure seem to be having a great time in Aspen, shilling for Hellman's/Best Foods Mayonnaise....

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Congrats to James Beard Award Winners Paul Qui and Hugh Acheson!

Top Chef Season 9 winner Paul Qui adds another notch to his award-winning belt after being named Best Chef, Southwest by the James Beard Foundation for his work at Uchiko in Austin, TX! Here’s a quick interview with Paul after his win from the Daily Meal.

Meanwhile, Top Chef Judge and TC Masters contestant Hugh Acheson won Beards in two categories. Last Friday he took top honors at the James Beard Foundation Media Awards for Best Cookbook, American for "A New Turn in the South: Southern Flavors Reinvented for Your Kitchen.” And, in a Beard Award rarity, the HughniBrow tied for Best Chef, Southeast for his restaurant Five and Ten in Athens, GA, with Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene, in Atlanta. AJC has a hometown proud post here.

Here's a list of all the other fine Beard Award winners in the Best Chef and Restaurant categories.Congratulations to all the nominees and the teams that help make their culinary magic happen!

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A New Interview with James Beard Nominee, Chef Hugh Acheson

Top Chef Masters contestant and Top Chef Texas judge, Hugh Acheson talks about his life as a chef with South Florida Food and Wine.

a highlight:

South Florida Food and Wine: The term “celebrity chef” has taken on a life and definition of its own. When did you realize you were on this rollercoaster ride?
Hugh Acheson: I don’t think I am a celebrity chef. I am just a guy who cooks food and happens to write books and appear on tv. I do get recognized at the airport a lot though.


Click here to read the full interview.
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James Beard Award Poll

Both Top Chef Master/Top Chef Texas judge Hugh Acheson and Top Chef Texas cheftestant Edward Lee are finalists in the James Beard 2012 Best Chef Southeast category. Who do you think will win it? Vote here and then tune in after May 7 when the winners will be announced.

poll by twiigs.com

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Top Chef Video Friday with Judge Hugh Acheson

If you’re stuck at work with nothing you feel like doing, or if you have 30+ minutes to while away over New Year’s weekend, check out this video. Continuing on his seemingly endless book tour, Hugh Acheson spoke to the Google folks in CA, revealing that he has a 3-year contract with Top Chef and that he will appear on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens late-night Bravo show in January to have his “hughnibrow” plucked for charity Wholesome Wave. Lots more TC dish, and interesting thoughts about American regional cooking as well.

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First Look at Bryan Voltaggio’s New Lunchbox, New Top Chef Texas Judge Revealed, and Richie Farina Does Molecular Chicken Noodle Soup

Here's an opening day report, with great photos, from blogger Ryan at GrubGrade about Bryan Voltaggio's new Lunchbox, where the sandwiches are an affordable $5, the apples are free, and to-go orders come in a disposable lunchbox.

Curious about what brother Michael Voltaggio is doing at his West Coast lunch spot, ink.spot? LA Weekly and The Amateur Gourmet weigh in with more great pics, happy with what they taste but both noting that the affordably priced ($4-$6) sandwiches are so small you should probably order two.

In other affordable, lunch-type news, Chicagoist reports that Top Chef: Texas contestant Sarah Grueneberg is the latest "Guest Chef for Charity" (Stephanie Izard was an earlier participant) at Chicago's Falafill, where proceeds go to Greater Chicago Food Depository. Sarah's spin on falafel includes basil pesto, green beans, crispy potatoes, celery, and pickled red onion.

Craving some soup to go with your lunch? Check out Richie Farina's recipe for a molecularly inspired Chicken Noodle Soup, er, Chicken Soup Noodle, from Endless Simmer, who, instead of doing interviews with each week's auf'd Top Chef: Texas contestant promises to ask them for a recipe.

And here's news about another judge for Top Chef: Texas, scheduled to appear on the Jan. 4 episode. I'm excited! For you spoiler-averse purists, click through the link above at your own risk.

And in case you missed it on the ATC facebook page, part-time TC Texas judge and former TC Masters contender Hugh Acheson is pledging to to groom his "Hughnibrow" for a great cause, Wholesome Wave.

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All Top Chef Mail Box Monday

Here's a great interview with the Moto boys, who cooked at the James Beard House last week.

Curious about Top Chef Masters Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger's new sitcom? Read more here.

Looking for a Christmas gift for yourself or another Top Chef friend? Check out this piece about judge Hugh Acheson's new cookbook, about how to start out Canadian and end up in the South.

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Video Sunday - Top Chef's Hugh Acheson's Talk at Google

If you have 45 minutes to spare this morning, you'll find lots of food for thought from former TC Masters contestant and current Top Chef: Texas judge Hugh Acheson here. His comments about Top Chef start at about the 35-minute mark. The Canadian describes his new book, A New Turn in the South, as an interloper's guide to Southern cooking, and has plenty to say on the topics of local, organic, sustainable, and community food. Grab a cup of coffee or your a.m. beverage of choice and settle in for a fascinating conversation!

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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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This Just In - Top Chef Texas!

NEW YORK ­ August 9, 2011

Go big or go home ­ that’s the motto for season nine of the Emmy and James Beard Award-winning No.1 food show on cable, "Top Chef," as it heads to the state that does everything bigger: Texas. Possibly the worst kept locale secret in this moment’s culinary universe, the new season of “Top Chef” will heartily embrace the Lone Star State’s adage that all things are bigger as, in a series first, the production will head to three cities within the season ­ Austin, Dallas and San Antonio. Season nine will also showcase many surprising twists and turns and never-before-seen challenges and events. Returning to the judges table is host Padma Lakshmi and head judge, chef Tom Colicchio, alongside judges Gail Simmons and new this season, famed chef and restaurateur Emeril Lagasse and critically acclaimed chef Hugh Acheson. “Top Chef: Texas” will air later this fall.

Posted on AllTopChef.com

All Top Chef Interview with Hugh Acheson

Master Chef Hugh Acheson talks about his experience on the show. It was great to get to know him a little better.

A highlight:: Hugh has written a cookbook called "A New Turn in the South: Southern Flavors Reinvented for Your Kitchen." The book will be available in October. Click here for more information.

Click here for the podcast.

Thank you Chef Hugh!

Posted on AllTopChef.com

Bravo Exit Interview - Hugh Acheson

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ATC Love to Chef Hugh Acheson

Doesn't it seem like we've already said good-bye to Chef Hugh Acheson? Oh yeah, we did - way back in episode 1. Hugh was brought back for a second chance and during his tenure in the competition, he won three Quickfire Challenges. Unfortunately, despite winning a Quickfire this week, his performance in the Elimination Challenge got him, well, eliminated, and this time he won't be back.



Chef Acheson - you are so entertaining to watch, and we're very sorry to see  you go. Again.

This post is only for positive comments about Chef Acheson and his dishes. If you have anything negative to say, please do so here.

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TC News and Information 5.9.11

Happy James Beard Awards Day! The Beard media/cookbook winners were announced last week, with Top Chef Season 7 winning for best studio program, and Eric Ripert's public television show "Avec Eric" winning for best on-location program.

Tonight the James Beard Foundation's chef and restaurant awards will be announced, with Tom Colicchio, Trace Des Jardins, and Ming Tsai hosting. The event will be live-streamed and live-blogged. Stephanie Izard's Girl and the Goat restaurant is a nominee in the Best New Restaurant category, and fellow TC Chicago chef Dale Levitski's shares some thoughts - and faces - of her in this video.

If you're looking for an alternative to those Beard awards, you can cast your vote in this competition sponsored by Zagat. You'll probably recall contestant #6, whose red beard had its own facebook page.

Speaking of Southerners, current TC Masters contestant Hugh Acheson's restaurant Five and Dime is featured in this NYT piece on sophisticated Southern cooking.

Hugh is also on the council of the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, set for May 19 to May 22 this year. With themes that include Old Traditions, New Traditions and Imports & Inspirations, Kevin Gillespie is cooking up an "inspired" contribution at Woodfire Grill.

TC Masters Season 2 contestant Anita Lo discusses the difference between appearing on Top Chef Masters and Iron Chef in this Wall Street Journal interview: “Iron Chef” was, by far, the easier challenge – a “walk in the park,” as Lo describes it. “It’s just one competition and you can go home after it,” she says. Plus, on “Iron Chef,” you “can have whatever ingredient you want.” With “Top Chef,” Lo was limited to what she could find in Whole Foods – and that meant foregoing harder-to-find Asian ingredients.

Former Gourmet editor and current Masters judge Ruth Reichl (yeah, she'll be back for this week's episode!) has a new gig with the Gilt Groupe, reports the Village Voice. She also had some insights to share about food, culture, and writing at the College of Brockport recently.

Finally, Eater LA is reporting a July opening for Michael Voltaggio's new restaurant, Ink.

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TC News and Info 5.2.11

Tre Wilcox's new restaurant, Marquee Grill, has opened in Dallas. Feast has a video interview with the chef here.

Robin Leventhal's newest venture, Shopsky's Delicatessen, is slated to open on Mercer Island in May. She talks to the Seattle Times about the eclectic "modern Jewish deli with a Pacific Northwest twist" here. Snake River wagyu pastrami, anyone? How about salmon cured in local gin?

Dave Martin is contributing the menu to NYC's first French fry truck, The Frying Dutchman. Eater has a sneak peek at the fries and sauces, including a cinnamon apple maple butter (for the sweet potato fries), a gorgonzola cream cut with buffalo sauce, and a sour cream, applewood smoked-bacon and cheddar cheese sauce.

And Preeti Mistry demos Indian Street Food from her current venture, Juhu Beach Club, for Thrillist in this video.

Marking the first anniversary of his restaurant, Plein Sud, Ed Cotton talks to Zagat about how the menu has evolved and other lessons along the way.

Hugh Acheson did this interview prior to his weekend appearance at the Good Food Block Party in Athens, Georgia, talking about his charity, Wholesome Wave, and saying this about competing on TC Masters: "Best thing is the camaraderie. The only downside is that it is mildly exhausting."

Eric Ripert offers some interesting food and music pairings to Maxim, and reels off an intriguing list of musicians he'd invite if he could have anyone to dinner, including: "Definitely Prince! I would also invite Maria Callas and Amy Winehouse. I think those two would be a really good combination." Ripert also tells WWD he would never compete on TC Masters.

The May issue of Esquire has an Tom Colicchio (done prior to the birth of his new son).

The Martha Stewart Radio show also has some audio clips of Colicchio, Gail Simmons, and Harold Dieterle about Top Chef.

And here's a piece about the Top Chef Tour's stop in Biloxi, where Eli Kirshtein and Tiffany Derry went head to head.

Finally, don't miss Top Chef: The Musical from Grub Street! The Top Chef-ers who would be willing to participate - or not - are a hoot.


Posted on AllTopChef.com

All Top Chef Interview with Hugh Acheson

Top Chef Hugh Acheson talks to ATC about his experience on the bravo show.

Click here for the podcast.

Click here for Chef Hugh's website.

Click here for his blog.

Thank you Chef Hugh!

Posted on AllTopChef.com

Bravo Exit Interview - Hugh Acheson

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ATC Love to Chef Hugh Acheson

How difficult must it have been for these twelve chefs to face Restaurant Wars right off the bat? Chef Hugh Acheson can tell you first hand - it's tough. He wasn't able to find smaller scallops for the appetizer he chose to make for the challenge, and cooking them to the proper temperature became problematic and led to his early dismissal from the show.

Chef Acheson, we didn't get to know you at all, but all of us at All Top Chef wish you much success.

This post is only for nice comments about Chef Acheson and his dishes. If you have anything negative to say, please do so here.

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Meet the Masters - Hugh Acheson

Hugh Acheson is the chef/partner of Five & Ten, The National, Gosford Wine, and Empire State South. Born and raised in Ottawa, Canada Acheson started cooking at a young age and decided to make it his career. At age 15, he began working in restaurants after school and learning as much as possible. Today, Acheson's experience includes working under Chef Rob MacDonald where he learned stylized French cuisine, wine and etiquette at the renowned Henri Burger restaurant in Ottawa as well as in San Francisco as the chef de cuisine with Chef Mike Fennelly at Mecca, and later as opening sous-chef with famed Chef Gary Danko at his namesake restaurant. Taking these experiences, Acheson developed a style of his own forging together the beauty of the South with the flavors of Europe and opening the critically acclaimed Athens, GA restaurant Five & Ten in March of 2000. Since 2000, Acheson has gone on to open Gosford Wine in 2004 with sommelier Ben Giacchino, The National in 2007 with fellow chef Peter Dale and his Atlanta based restaurant Empire State South in 2010. Acheson's fresh approach to Southern food has earned him a great deal of recognition including Food & Wine’s Best New Chef (2002), the AJC Restaurant of the Year (2007), a four time James Beard nominee for Best Chef Southeast (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) and a 2007 Rising Star from StarChefs.com. Chef Mario Batali chose Acheson as one of the 100 contemporary chefs in Phaidon Press' Coco: 10 World-Leading Masters Choose 100 Contemporary Chefs. In addition to running three restaurants and a wine shop, Acheson is writing a cookbook titled A New Turn in the South: The Cuisine of Hugh Acheson. This book is to be published by Clarkson Potter in the fall of 2011.

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