Food and Tell » Celebrity Chefs

an ‘awwww’ moment

Jonathan — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:06:12 +0000

I came across this photo and just had to share it. Tom with hair.

Top Chef Canada

jonathan — Wed, 19 May 2010 18:54:05 +0000

Top Chef was the gateway show into a full-on chef competition addiction shared by millions. Top Chef, Top Chef Masters, and lots of lesser (crappier) copycats. Syndicating like a top model, we now have Top Chef Canada, which as announced Toronto-based celebrity chef Mark Mcewan as head judge. Casting call for contestants is currently open. Game on!

Via the Star

How I fell in love with a fish

jonathan — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:12:17 +0000

Watch Chef Dan Barber’s TED talk on how a chef can keep fish on a menu at the same time as being responsible about sustainability.

View on TED

cross-border chefs

jonathan — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 04:41:56 +0000

Legendary chef Susur Lee does a QA session with the NYT on traveling and his troubles transporting special ingredients into the US. Customs trashed his ingredients and took his stock and then asked to pose for photos. Susur still blames them for his Iron Chef tie with Bobby Flay.

via NYT

photo credit: Greig Reekie et Dominic Gauthier

Farewell El Bulli

jonathan — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 19:34:38 +0000

If you follow Ferran Adrià, arguably Spain’s most famous and controversial chef, it will not be entirely surprising that he has decided to permanently shut down his world-famous restaurant El Bulli to build a culinary school in its place. The announcement comes after an initial decision to shut down for two years, the move is now said to be permanent. For a restaurant so sought after that it claims to take 2,000,000 reservation requests per year for only 8,000 spots, and a team so ambitious that half the year is spent in research and learning, it is obvious that 3 Michelin stars and unrivaled fame is simply not enough. And indeed, there are now revelations that El Bulli has been losing half a million euros a year. If you are like me and have long dreamed of dining at El Bulli, this news will no doubt come as a great disappointment. One simply has to trust that Ferran still has a long way to go and with some luck one might be able to sample his cuisine otherwise. Failing that, I can always snuggle up with my copy of the 500+ page book, “A Day at el Bulli,” which chronicles the incredible efforts that went into El Bulli’s reign.

Via NYT

Photo credit: Peter Foley

Slimming Chefs

jonathan — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:25:22 +0000

I have often thought about what it must be like for cullinary professionals to suddenly find themselves being viewed by millions on the food network. The kitchen is not a lifestyle that promotes a lean body, which is the only reason that Gordon Ramsay gets away with showing off his chest in every episode of Kitchen Nightmares.

Time magazine has a fluffy article about this topic and bunch of celebrities who have lately taken to losing weight, including the manic Alton Brown and even gourmand Mario Batali.

Photo Credit: clarita on Morguefile

Richard on Eli

jonathan — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:56:59 +0000

I do not normally post during the Top Chef season because I have had the outcomes spoiled for me so many times. So if you are not caught up please stop reading now!

Bravo has a blog post by Richard Blais, runner-up in top chef season 4, in which he discusses his relationship with season 6 contestant Eli Kirshtein.

Read it on Top Chef Blogs.

Photo Credit: Spark St. Jude

Top Chef Vegas

jonathan — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:31:36 +0000

Top Chef Vegas kicked off today with a strong showing out of the gate and some early leaders in performance and annoyance alike. It looks like a great season, packed with showy vegas touches and already some impressive cuisine, star power and high drama. Game on!

Canadian Ice Cream Takes Top Prize

jonathan — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:18:31 +0000

In a recent ice cream contest in Austin Texas, food celeb and general wierdo Bob Blumer, aka “the surreal gourmet,” caused a bit of an upset as the first non-texan to take top honors. Born in Montreal and busy in LA, Bob hosts the show Glutton for Punishment, which personally I can’t watch – he weirds me out. His winning flavor? Maple bacon crunch. Which makes sense, since what could possibly beat bacon AND maple syrup?

via Yahoo

Canadian Chefs Overlooked

jonathan — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:23:30 +0000

The Canadian culinary community is apparently outraged that a new book profiling up-and-coming chefs, as chosen by a handful of the most famous and celebrated chefs in the world, does not feature a single Canadian. Chosen by chefs such as Ferran Adrià, Mario Batali, Rene Redzepi, Alice Waters, Gordon Ramsay, Alain Ducasse, Fergus Henderson, the profiles span the globe, while leaving out Canada altogether. The publisher Phaidon is no doubt wringing its hands in embarrassment and anticipation, as the furor will no doubt sell more books. And it begs the question, do these masterful chefs really need to worry about being inclusive with their picks? And what does this say about the relevance of high cuisine in Canada?

via the guardian
Photo by momo1976 on Flickr, CC-BY
thanks Jess