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Spinning off the wildly popular "Top Chef," Bravo TV is pitting 24 of the best chefs around the globe against one another in a no-holds-barred knife fight for the chance to win $100,000 for charity in "Top Chef Masters." The show, which debuts Wednesday at 10 p.m. EST, comes complete with its very own Padma in Kelly Choi, a 33-year-old former model born in Seoul and raised in the suburbs of Richmond, Va.She was cherry-picked straight from local access TV in New York, where, dressed in skimpy outfits and armed with an inquisitive mind, she gave New Yorkers an intimate view of some of the city's top kitchens. We caught up with her to talk about her rise to national stardom, how the best chefs in the world handle criticism and what the deal is with magicians acting as judges.
How did you get involved with the show?
Someone from Bravo called me out of the blue and asked me to fly out to L.A. to meet the producers. What I do on ["Eat Out NY"] is pick a dish and cook it with a chef on TV. I pick all the restaurants that I want to feature and dishes that I think the readers would be into. This Bravo exec saw me on TV and flew me out and my dream came true.
Why do you think this show matters in this economy?
Why not? Everybody loves food. The alternative is to cook at home and you can totally pick up tips. It's a fun way -- to be inspired by fun and passionate people -- to cook at home.
What was the best tip you took away from the show?
I won't tell you who it was, but it was sauce of mustard and bananas. It was sweet and tangy and it was a nice thick sauce. Kind of bizarre, but I am totally going to use it the next time I cook. The chef who made it is a total mack daddy master chef and it was really good.
Who was the chef most averse to criticism?
There really wasn't. They have all seen it all. They are used to it. We could have told any one of these chefs that his or her food stunk. Of course there was none of that. But we could have said that, and they would have listened. The intention of these guys to say yes to come on the show, they are not vying to prove themselves. They have already done that.
So who wowed you the most?
I was really, really happy to eat some of Rick Bayless' food. I knew he was a whiz at Mexican cuisine. I was dying to try his mole sauce and let's just say my wishes were met.
Since these guys are so established, was there the backbiting and drama that usually comes with 'Top Chef'?
I know that there is a lot of drama, but not that kind of adversarial one. As far as I know it was never a case of mano a mano. I never felt it at critics table.
So they were very Type A?
Very much.
Of the guest judges, who was the most bizarre judge during the season?
I am not sure I can say. We have a day where we go on location which involves magic. They are some interesting magician type people and their outlook was bizarre.
Wait, like a bunny-out-of-a-hat magic show?
I am not sure I can tell you, honey. I am sorry. Let's put it this way, the producers put together some really interesting challenges. In the first episode, Girl Scouts act as blind taste testers. That's really honest. [It just shows] everybody has a opinion about what they are eating.
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6-12-2009 @11:46AM geez said... Being beautiful does give you a step up. Skimpy clothing is just the icing on the cupcake. Degrading to women? Not at all. Just pisses off the homely libbers. They are only satisfied if you have no make-up and wear a sack. So sad.
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6-12-2009 @12:14PM Rebecca said... Mandi,
You're right...Not everyone is an idiot but YOU certainly are. What does it matter if she's a model born in Korea? She's "American" too. You don't have to be blonde haired and blue eyed to be an "American."
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6-12-2009 @12:24PM rob said... I like a hot asian lady, but this woman is way too skinny
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6-12-2009 @12:33PM bunny said... She eats?
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6-12-2009 @12:35PM Sharon Burnett said... Kelly is about as much a 'chef' as Al Roker is a Weatherman!
She is totally obnoxious & the closest she's come to food--is sucking all the air out of the room & leaving teeth marks in the kitchen--which makes her
perfect for those dumb chef/food shows!
The only good thing is that hopefully
they'll get someone serious (& pretty too)to replace all that gushing &
phony comments.
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6-12-2009 @4:07PM jerrynyc4 said... Beyond any 'problems' with Kelly Choi, given the varieties of venom that seep out from some of these postings, I would say loudly and often: Seek therapy.
And as a NYer, who has been able to watch her show on TV for a while, "skimpy" is basically a word choice made by a really rather "stupid" writer. Her outfits are no more skimpy than outfits worn by at least twenty-five percent of women. Actually, she is more skimpy than the clothing.
The programme itself? Like a lot of the programming on the City's television channel, it's view of New York City is really rather odd.
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6-12-2009 @12:44PM Jefferygoat said... shes not too thin or anorexic looking. You fatasses need to get a life and stop trying to take all the attention off of your sloppy roles. This is what a real woman looks like.
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6-12-2009 @11:13PM Ann Kim said... This is for those people who think that slim people don't eat anything. No! That's not true! I eat alot more than others but I am slim like her. Check me out at face book.com. I know what, how many times and when to eat. And I feel really good about myself!
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6-12-2009 @1:02PM John said... Why do they call these people stars ? They are not stars, this woman is a cook and barely a celebrity. Stars are people like Bruce Willis, Clint Eastwood, Eric Clapton people with some movies or music albums under their belts not these here today gone tomorrow flash in the pan nobody's, I don't even consider losers like Brittney Spears a star she can't even perform her music live, too many nothing losers are given the title star and haven't earned it.
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6-12-2009 @2:14PM Barbara Greene said... Never trust an anorexic chef.
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6-12-2009 @3:12PM TopChefFan said... I enjoyed watching the masters! Does anyone know if this group of judges is just for this program? Hopefully the old group will be back soon. No one can replace Padma, or Tom.
Rebecca, thank you for letting "Mandi" have it-- I usually laugh when someone insinuates they're smarter than everyone else, but when they flat-out call others "Stupid"- well... that just shows their true level of intelligence.
tsk tsk
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6-12-2009 @4:58PM Chop Tef said... Guide to the restaurants of the Top Chef Masters, CHOI!
http://www.digitalcity.com/2009/06/11/eating-top-chef-masters-restaurant-guide/
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6-30-2009 @2:35PM Bri said... I TOTALLY don't like the new judge. its SO not the same without padma and tom. i guess the show is kinda cool but i miss the old one.
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7-10-2009 @8:23AM Dean said... Kelly just isn't a good host. Ignoring some of the ridiculous comments some made about her appearance, the real problem is that she's asked to function as a "spokesmodel" and doesn't add anything to the show. In that respect she's the equivalent of Vanna White. At least Padma tastes and comments on the food in the "regular" Top Chef and seems engaged with what the competitors are doing. Not so with Kelly. According to her bio, in addition to being a model, she also has a degree in journalism and has been nominated for local Emmy awards. If she's that talented, the shows producers should make use of that capability. Unfortunately, her role in the show is no more than a prop.
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8-12-2009 @7:56PM Suxee said... I can not stand Kelli Choi! I agree with the comment that she is so thin she is hard to look at! And I don't for a minute believe she actually eats anything. Too much make up, too skinny, no "flair" or personality, she reads her lines and it is not genuine at all. Admittedly Padma is a tough act to follow but please-get a real woman will you?
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8-25-2009 @8:59PM Seliny19 said... Mmm, love how there are plenty of jealous women on here making immature childish complaints about a HOST of a show. The show is about food instead of focusing on the show and the concept of it, you women complain about a freaking host and how she's Asian and not white enough for your standards.
Racism, ignorance, and shallowness coupled with inane irrelevant whining = fail. Come on ladies you may have the attention span and intellect of a fruit fly. But do you really have to complain about the way a person LOOKS and RACE she is? The show is about FOOD. Not whiny females and gossip. FOOD. We live in the 21st century. Forget your bigoted and shallow views. They're not needed.
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