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!

Posted on AllTopChef.com

Top Chef Kevin Gillespie's Cookbook!

Kevin Gillespie's first cookbook, titled Fire in My Belly: Real Cooking, is finally available for pre-order on Amazon, although it's not scheduled to be released until October.

We couldn't be happier for the red-bearded one. And if we score an advance copy and can give you a preview, you know we'll be happy to share.

Posted on AllTopChef.com

A New Interview with Kevin Gillespie from DavidAtlanta.com

Top Chef Season 6 finalist, Kevin Gillespie talks about Woodfire Grill, TWO new cookbooks and his passion for cooking.

A highlight:

You have a book coming out this fall, "Fire In My Belly."

Yes. It’s my very first cookbook. It’s part cookbook, part memoir. There’s a lot of writing in it. I wanted to make sure that we had a book that appealed to a lot of different people. If you’re the kind of person who likes to look at cookbooks for the pictures and stuff, it’s loaded with really beautiful photography. Or if you’re a person who really likes food writing, then it has a ton of that, and if you really want to cook from this book, we have gone a really long distance to make sure that this book is useable. We cooked every day, myself along with a professional recipe tester. She worked with me, documented what I did, replicated my recipes on her own, and then, if they worked, then she gave them to two home cooks to replicate, and only if all four of us produced the same end result did it make the final cut. So I feel confident that these recipes are really going to work for people in their homes.

Click here for the full interview.

Posted on AllTopChef.com

Congrats to Kevin Gillespie, and Mark Your Top Chef 2012 Calendars!

Photo by Fredrik Brauer in Forbes

Season 4 Finalist and Fan Favorite Kevin Gillespie made Forbes Magazine’s 30 Under 30 List for food and wine. Click here for a video interview where he shares his reaction to the honor. If that wasn’t sweet enough, Kevin will also be cooking on a “Wine, Dine, and Jazz” cruise in French Polynesia in September.

Top Chef Texas contestant Chris Crary cooks a game dinner this Thursday at Whist in Santa Monica, featuring such dishes as Roasted Rabbit with Carrot Panna Cotta, Venison Neck with Coffee and Huckleberry Mustard, and Antelope Osso Buco. Check out the whole menu here. Chris will also be appearing with Sara Moulton at the 2012 Food + Wine Festival in Palm Desert March 23-35.

Another TC Texas contender, Sarah Greuneberg, faces off against her boss and mentor, Tony Mantuano, in a "quickfire" challenge/tasting on January 21 at Spiaggia in Chicago. And here's a nice interview with Tony from AV Club, where he reveals more about how both of them decided to go on Top Chef.

Got a Top Chef news tip for us? Email us at alltopchef@gmail.com.

Posted on AllTopChef.com

Merry Christmas!

I'm sorry, but I like this image too much not to use it every year. Tell me you wouldn't like to find these elves under your tree....

TC News and Information 8.7.11 - Happy Anniversary to the Magical Elves!

Variety spotlights the production company behind Top Chef as the Magical Elves turn 10! Take a trip down memory lane here. And read more about upcoming Top Chef Season 9 here, where a Bravo exec discloses “We started things a little differently with more chefs. A big challenge for us after ‘All Stars’ is to make everything seem big again and I think we've succeeded. The challenges are inventive, there are a lot of special guests and there will be a traveling element, which is new.”

Meanwhile, Top Chef Masters has been renewed for a 4th season and the Elves are casting a new Bravo series, ‘Around the World in Eighty Plates,’ which “will follow up-and-coming chefs as they travel to various cities around the world to compete in culinary challenges. Contestants will have to learn the local cuisine, culture and customs so that they can best reinvent the menu at world-renowned restaurants,” according to TV Guide.

In other news, check out this New York Times item about head judge Tom Colicchio’s “secret farm” next his new Riverpark restaurant. (Take that, Elia.)

Top Chef Masters judge/former Gourmet editor/food memoirist Ruth Reichl is penning a new novel “set in World War II and the present.” It may involve food.

TC Season 2 and All-Stars contestant Marcel Vigneron is doing low-tech street tacos for The Gap.

We hear Season 6 finalist and Fan Favorite Kevin Gillespie won the Celebrity Chef Cookoff at this weekend’s Gig Harbor Wine and Food Festival in Washington State. Don’t miss this great video interview with the Bearded One filmed prior to the event. Turns out this Atlanta boy used to cook in the Pacific Northwest.

TC All-Star Dale Levitski and the team from his Chicago restaurant Sprout (which includes his Season 3 co-contestant and bff Sara Nguyen) were invited to cook at the James Beard House in NYC. Don’t miss the photos of their feast from Feast.

Season 3’s Camille Becerra’s newest gig is as a culinary producer of “pop-up” dinners in Manhattan. The Daily Meal explains.

Season 4’s Nikki Cascone is in on the culinary producer action as well, with “Southampton Supper Under the Stars” August 27, where she’ll be joined by TC contestants Manuel Trevino and Angelo Sosa, and a Bravo Housewife (or three?).

And reaching into the “way-back machine,” we’re glad to see Cynthia Sestito (who elected to leave at the beginning of the first Season of Top Chef due to her father’s illness) is out and about and picnicking with panache. Check out these photos from a recent Grey Goose event in the Hamptons.

Only two weeks and change until Top Chef returns to Wednesday nights, with Season 2 of Top Chef: Just Desserts! I’m especially excited because one of the contestants, Megan Ketover, is from my city (Cincinnati) and I have Downtown Restaurant Week reservations to taste her food! Anyone else have a hometown contestant to root for?

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!

Posted on AllTopChef.com

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.

Posted on AllTopChef.com

TC News and Information 4.25.11

Kevin Gillespie will be making an appearance at, of all things, the grand opening of the Vidalia Onion Museum on April 29. It actually sounds like a pretty cool place. Season 7's Tracey Bloom is also set to appear.

In addition, Kevin is slated to headline the Gig Harbor Wine and Food Festival August 9.

Meanwhile, Season 7's Kenny Gilbert is opening Nippers Beach Grill in Jacksonville Beach, FL May 16 and has a book available called "A Chef's Journal."

Arnold Myint, also of Season 7, has a new addition to his Nashville empire: a "gourmet grab and go cafe" at the Nashville Farmers Market.

Arnold also emceed the Top Chef Tour's stop in Nashville, where All-Star Casey Thompson went up against Season 5's Richard Sweeney.

And Top Chef: Just Desserts' winner Yigit Pura has been named one of the grand marshals of this year's Pride Parade in San Francisco, along with Chaz Bono and Olympia Dukakis.

Meanwhile, when Eric Ripert was asked by a Today Show staffer to describe co-judge Anthony Bourdain in one word, he said: "The grain of salt." I know, I know, that's four words. To hear him explain why, check out this video.

Bourdain himself offers videos with some behind-the-scenes tidbits on Travel Channel's site with Ripert here and here, and one with Tom Colicchio here.

Does it rankle you when Masters host Curtis Stone tosses off comments about dishes he would "be proud to serve at any restaurant anywhere in the world" or describes a bug dish as "not likely to be on the menu" at his restaurant anytime soon? Because, you know, the dude doesn't have any restaurants. In this interview with Yum Sugar, he claims he'll be opening one in LA this year, although he has neither a location nor a name selected yet. And he says he was asked to compete on Masters in its first season.

Finally, here's a thoughtful piece from Josh Ozersky in Time about why he finds Masters so depressing. It's also a bit of a love letter to the Top Chef franchise. What do you think?

Posted on AllTopChef.com

TC News and Information 3.22.11

As we reported previously (and other sources have reiterated), this season's "finale" runs four weeks. So don't let the name of tomorrow night's episode, "Last Supper," fool you. The final installment of the finale airs March 30. The All-Stars Reunion airs April 6 in the usual 10:00 p.m. Eastern time-slot, followed by the premiere of Top Chef Masters Season 3 at 11:00. Fan Favorite will be revealed on "Watch What Happens" March 31, according to host Andy Cohen on Sunday night's WWH, which featured Carla Hall. OK, I get it that the reunion show was filmed before Fan Fave voting was completed. But I'm still bummed Bravo chose not to figure out a way to announce Fan Fave winner within the context/time-slot of the reunion show. I'm hoping for a Housewives-free "Watch What Happens" March 31 following the actual All-Stars finale, but who knows.

In case you missed Carla Sunday night on WWH, here's a brief clip via Eater without Housewife interruption.

Meanwhile, this year's Top Chef Tour dates and cities have been announced. Details on these tours have been notoriously sketchy in the past, but I'm hoping they may be getting their act together as they take it on the road this year - especially since the schedule includes two cities in my metropolitan area and rumor has it that Richard Blais may be here . . . If you hear of details in your city, please email us and we'll be happy to share!

On to Monday's announcements about the 2011 James Beard Awards, where Top Chef Season 7 is in the running in the "Television Program, In Studio or Fixed Location" category - hmmm. Making the short list in the Chef and Restaurant section are TC winner Stephanie Izard for her Girl and The Goat as Best New Restaurant, and upcoming Top Chef Masters Season 3 contestant Sue Zemanick for Rising Star Chef of the Year (her third nomination in that category). Naomi Pomeroy, another Top Chef Masters S3 contestant, prepared "Cattail Creek poached lamb pastry with pickled sour cherry and spring herb salsa verde" for the pre-announcement James Beard event in Portland, OR, according to this.

If you haven't read this juicy interview with Tom Collichio from AV Club, check it out now. It includes some hints about the reunion.

Dale Levitski launched what some have called a "no-kids" brunch at his Chicago restaurant, Sprout, last weekend. (He says he just doesn't offer a kids menu.) Chicago Time-Out's coverage here, and Huffington post has more - including photos - here. Lingonberry French Toast or Foie Gras Deviled Eggs, anyone?

For news about Kevin Gillespie's long-anticipated new bbq restaurant, click here.

For video of the interior of Sam Talbot's long-delayed restaurant, Imperial No. 9 at the Mondrian Hotel in NYC, and a recipe demo from Feast, click here.

And for info about The Voltaggio Brothers Cookbook scheduled for release October 25, click here.

Plus Marcel Vigneron's new show on Syfy premieres tonight!

TC News and Information 3.8.11: Timing Is Everything Edition

The All-Stars Reunion Show was taped in NYC Friday, and much interwebular speculation has ensued over what the seating chart might reveal as to who the winner is. I'm inclined to agree with Eater, which offers a photo and compares the seating chart to reunions of seasons past. Photos that appear to have been shot during a break in taping were shared by Tom, Padma, Casey, and Marcel, and probably others, so methinks there's nothing too spoilerific going on here. But feel free to take a gander and make up your own mind.

While they were in town, auf'd All-Star Angelo Sosa had the gang over to his soon-to-open restaurant, Social Eatz, and received some plugs from his co-stars.

Meanwhile, another contingent of Top Cheftestants gathered for the Charleston BB&T Food + Wine Festival. Tiffany Derry had been scheduled to emcee a cook-off among six TC'ers, but she, Carla Hall, and Casey Thompson had to cancel when the All-Stars reunion taping was scheduled for the same day (as we passed along back in Feb). Marissa Churchill, Brian Malarkey, Ryan Scott, Ariane Duarte, and Kevin Gillespie were in attendance, and Season 1's Dave Martin took first place in the Giddy Goat Cheese cook-off. Food pics and commentary from the Charleston City Paper here (guess who wore a hat). And replacement emcee Kenny Gilbert's blogs about the event here.

Stephanie Izard, who will be cooking head-to-head with both Richard Blais and Antonia Lofaso in this week's installment of the All-Stars finale, will also be opening The Little Goat, a mere footsteps away from her Girl & The Goat in the fall. Time Out Chicago reports it will be a "diner/bar/bakery." She tells Eater Chicago it will feature such fare as "an awesome club sandwich with homemade bacon and our own roasted turkey, tasty malt milkshakes ... we'll poach our own tuna for a tuna melt . . . We're not doing a foie gras burger, but we will obviously have a goat burger. It'll be like old school diner favorites without making them all gastro foofy."

In other expansion news, Spike Mendelsohn tells Feast he plans to franchise his Good Stuff Eatery in this video interview from SOBE. And his sister and spokesperson says he plans to launch a deli-style Kosher food truck in April according to this item.

As for this week's All-Stars episode, there's been a lot of speculation that because five contestants were allowed to move forward last week, a double elimination is in store this week. I'm not so sure. As we reported previously, TV Guide mentioned in its Feb. 9 article that a four-part All-Stars finale is in store (yep, the same piece with the photo of Padma in a bikini). We know there's a reunion episode and that the All-Stars Season will be wrapped up before Top Chef Masters premieres April 6 - at 11:00/10:00c per the TCM facebook page. Which means it's likely that either the reunion show or the last installment of the finale is slated for the usual 10:00/9:00c timeslot on April 6. I've read variously that the finale and the reveal of Fan Favorite will be March 30, although these are usually on two separate dates. I, for one, would be happy to have Fan Fave announced during the reunion show rather than on Andy Cohen's Watch What Happens. So, kids, what do you think? Are they messing with our heads on the schedule? Have they just not figured it out yet? Or is there a crazier plan afoot?

TC News and Information 2.16.11 - Jay Rayner Out, 5 Cheftestants In

Jay Rayner tells Eater he's been "sacked" from Top Chef: Masters: "All I know is that the new host is non-American and therefore they couldn't have another non-American accent on the panel. And that's fine. I'm reasonably assured that is the reason. I don't examine these things too deeply, because all jobs come to an end. Being involved with TCM was fantastic. Being able to say I'd done it was fantastic. But it was difficult. I have two small children, and doing the show meant I would be in Los Angeles for a month at a time. And that was very, very hard. It ended up with me phoning my wife and saying, "I've got good news and I've got bad news: the bad news is that I'm no longer involved with Top Chef: Masters, and the good news is that I'm no longer involved in Top Chef: Masters." I knew she'd be delighted."

Meanwhile, Food + Wine is opening up its annual Best New Chef Awards this year to online voting from the public. You have until March 15 to vote for 10 nominees in 10 regions. And the Top Cheftestant nominees are:

Season 4 winner Stephanie Izard (Great Lakes)
Season 5 contestant Jeff McInnis (Gulf Coast)
Season 5 contestant and ousted All-Star Jamie Lauren (Pacific)
Season 6 finalist Kevin Gillespite (Southeast)
Season 3 finalist and ousted All-Star Casey Thompson (Southwest)

Voting linkage from Food + Wine here, and more from their "People's Choice" partner, CNN's
Eatocracy here. F+W has more details about each of the nominees, or you can find a quick and dirty list of all 100 nominated chefs from Eater, which assures us the press release says, "Inclusion as a nominee for The People's Best New Chef award does not preclude consideration for a Best New Chef award" (aka the traditional Best New Chef award decided upon by F+W) and that results will be announced in F+W's July issue. Guess our press release got lost in the mail :)

Meanwhile, Stephanie Izard's Girl and The Goat gets a positive write-up from Saveur, launching the magazine's venture into long-form restaurant reviews that aim to be "expansive, thoughtful pieces about very interesting restaurants of the moment," explains TC Masters sometime judge and Saveur editor-in-chief James Oseland, who offers no tidbits as to whether he - and his sweaters - will be back for TC Masters Season 3.

So who were you surprised to see on Food + Wine's list, and who are you proud to see from your own region? And what the heck do you think is going on with the revamp of Top Chef Masters?

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 12.27.10

Mike Isabella reveals more about last week's tennis-themed Elimination Challenge, talks about his upcoming pizza restaurant, and claims there was less drinking during the All-Stars season than previous seasons in this video interview from the Washington Post.

Atlanta Magazine catches up with Kevin Gillespie here and gets an update on his plans "to create an old-fashioned, old timey-style barbecue joint meant to emulate the original roots of barbecue" - mmmmmmmmmmm.

You can catch Tre Wilcox doing cooking demos in Brandon, Florida Jan. 13 and 14.

And here's a look at the Magical Elves' newest food-related TV show.

TC News and Information 12.08.10 - Just for Fun Edition

A warm welcome back to What'ere Jane Eyre, whose recap we somehow missed for the Ep. 1 Round-Up. And for a ribald recap of the audio variety, check out Creative Loafing's podcast.

(Photo: Travel Channel)

Speaking of ribaldry, if you missed TC All-Stars judge Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" Holiday Special Monday night on the Travel Channel, with Michael Ruhlman, David Chang, Pat LaFrieda, that cake guy who's leaving the Food Network, and special musical guests, you can find a video with Marky Ramone here, an outtake about Santa, terrorists, and Alvin and the Chipmunks here, and the crew's take on assembling all that generic, non-denominational holiday stuff (plus guns for Ted Nugent) for the out-of-season shoot here. As always, Eater offers up its take on the best lines of the show, here.

Enough irreverance, you say? Then check out this hilarious item from Atlanta Magazine (and accompanying photos), which will warm the cockles of your red-beard lovin' heart.

Kevin Gillespie made an appearance at an Atlanta puppetry performance of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," and is going a step further in the holiday spirit. "Doppelgangers unite!" he says on his facebook page. "In honor of Rudolph's woodsy pal, you can now enjoy the Yukon Cornelius cocktail at Woodfire Grill, made with High West Silver whiskey, maple bitters, allspice dram, zirbenz liqueur, an egg and half and half."

Cheers to all, and happy viewing tonight for Top Chef All-Stars Episode 2!

Who Got Cast for All-Stars - and Who Didn't

I love it when the producers speak. Here's what Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth of the Magical Elves told TV Guide about who got cast, and why - click through the slideshow to see their accompanying comments.

According to this item, Season 7's Angelo Sosa, winner of the first All-Star Elimination Challenge, had only 4 days after the S7 finale before the producers called him about TCAS, and a week and a half before he started filming All-Stars.

We already knew Bryan Voltaggio and Kevin Gillespie turned down opportunities to return for All-Stars. But according to her facebook page, Ashley Merriman from Season 6 was also invited but declined: "Watched Top Chef All Stars last night - and am thrilled I said no to doing the show. But I'm cheering on my girls Jennifer Carroll and Tiffani Faison and my boy from Jersey Mike Isabella."

The ever-gracious Kevin Gillespie posted this: "I want to wish everyone on Top Chef All Stars good luck. As everyone knows, I chose not to participate in order to spend more time at Woodfire Grill and on my many new projects. I can only hope that another TV show is in my future, as I would love to be able to share my love of food with all of you again soon."

Say tuned for more, kids. The mailbox is bulging, and methinks pretty much everyone is ready to capitalize on whatever additional 15 minutes of fame they can garner.

TC News and Information 11.22.10

The Chicago Tribune has done the math, so you don't have to. Check out their Top Chef Power Index, where S + Q – EB + EW + ET = TCPR. If you prefer word problems, this translates as (Staying power) + (Quickfire wins) – (number of times in the elimination bottom group) + (number of times in the elimination top group) + (elimination wins) = “Top Chef” Power Rating. Hmmm, this could come in handy if you want to pick your fantasy team on Fafarazzi for the All-Stars.

Meanwhile, Season 6 Top Chef winner Michael Voltaggio has announced he'll open his own restaurant, "Ink." in a space formerly occupied by a sushi restaurant in West L.A., hopefully by the end of February. Yes, tats had something to do with the name. Click here for more info about his plans for a non-Japanese "omakase-style" menu, mixing casual and fine dining, and creating a place where "even the servers are running in to work every day excited to be here."

Want to know what's on the wish list of MVolt's brother, Season 6 finalist Bryan? Investors for a green hotel in Frederick, Maryland, that would include a bunch of his restaurants. And, oh, yeah, astronaut ice cream and a $10K freeze dryer.

TC Just Desserts' Zac Young tells DessertBuzz he'll be opening a donut shop in conjunction with his current employer, Flex Mussels.

And Just Desserts winner, Yigit Pura, tells SF Weekly he'd like to open a "high end concept dessert shop" in San Francisco with his TCJD winnings.

Need some Thanksgiving tips or inspiration? Season 6 finalist Kevin Gillespie demos an oil-less turkey fryer in this video. And Wal-Mart has teamed up with returning All-Star Carla Hall to provide organizational and money-saving tips, along with Carla's recipe for a Sweet Potato Casserole with Wheat Chex and sage crumble.

Finally, remember that Quick-Fire Viewer contest Bravo ran for TCJD? You can find the winner and her recipe for Key Lime Lollies here.

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 11.8.10

TC6 finalist and Fan Fave Kevin Gillespie has two cookbooks in the works with publisher Andrews & McMeel. Way to go, Kevin!

Speaking of Fan Favorite, the polls are now open at Bravo.com to vote for Top Chef: Just Desserts Fan Fave.

Here's a great new interview with judge Gail Simmons.

It's official - TC7's Angelo Sosa's winning short ribs are set to launch into space, and NASA has the details.

For something a little more down-home, check out the Apple Cranberry Frangipane Tart Season 5's Carla Hall shared with NPR. "All it is is almonds and sugar and butter, oh my!" she says.

Yigit Pura may not have made it into the top 3 on last week's episode of Just Desserts, but he managed to claim a spot inside The Bullseye on Entertainment Weekly.

And here's a fun contest, the 1st Ever Alaska Wild Fish Taco Contest. The winner gets to hang out with the Too Hot Tamales, TC Masters contestant Susan Feniger and her long-time business partner, Mary Sue Milliken, on their taco truck making your winning dish! Even if you're not thinking of submitting an entry, click through to the animated promo - it's a hoot!

Blogger's Eye View

Photo courtesy of kevinEats.com

Today I wanted to share some blogger perspectives on tasting Top Chefs' food, starting with this post about Top Chef Masters contestant Ludo Lefebvre's Ludo Bites from Southern California-based blogger Kevin of kevinEats, who ate at the current sixth iteration of Ludo's "pop-up" L.A. restaurant on opening night. Click on over for Kevin's take - and stellar photos - of dishes including this Vietnamese-inspired hamachi sashimi with lotus root, jicama and papaya.

Photo courtesy of kevinEats.com

And this bruleed marinated mackerel with baby leeks and purslane.

Photo courtesy of kevinEats.com

For a unique perspective on Top Chef Season 6 finalist and Fan Favorite Kevin Gillespie's Woodfire Grill in Atlanta, check out this report from Sierra of forkheartknife - which is the name not only of her blog but also of her recently opened catering business and part-time restaurant in Cincinnati.

She was starstruck to find Kevin Gillespie eating brunch in her fledgling restaurant during his visit to attend International Bacon Day festivities and jumped at the chance to try his cooking on a recent trip to Atlanta. Like many a chef, she concentrated on the flavors and experience (rather than photography), but she brought back a lot of great notes to share.

Finally, have you ever wondered about those Schwan's Home Service meals created by the Top Chef contestants? Chicago blogger Christina of Dinner at Christina's tried out a couple in her own kitchen.

Photo courtesy of dinneratchristinas.com

See what she thought of the Schwan's frozen meals based on Kevin Gillespie's polenta and meatballs (which won him a Season 6 Quickfire) here and Season 7's Ed Cotton's gnocchi with mushrooms, asparagus, snap peas and edamame here.

Photo courtesy of dinneratchristinas.com