Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com Slashfood http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.slashfood.com/media/feedlogo.gif Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Anthony Bourdain's Raunchy Roast of "Bizarre Food" Host Andrew Zimmernhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/02/anthony-bourdains-raunchy-roast-of-bizarre-food-host-andrew-z/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/02/anthony-bourdains-raunchy-roast-of-bizarre-food-host-andrew-z/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/02/anthony-bourdains-raunchy-roast-of-bizarre-food-host-andrew-z/#commentsFiled under: ,


Warning: this video is not suitable for minors or those offended by mentions of narcotics and foods made of animal genitals.

But if you are a fan of Anthony Bourdain or Andrew Zimmern, this one is right up your alley.

Bourdain took the stage at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival the other day and unveiled a new act in which he invited audience members to spin a wheel to determine which topic he would discuss. When a full-bellied fellow staggered up to the stage and spun, the wheel landed on "D**k Joke/Poop Joke."

The topic prompted Bourdain to start talking about Andrew Zimmern, whose show "Bizarre Foods" appears on Travel Channel along with Bourdain's "No Reservations."

"Something you need to know about Andrew and the reason I respect him a lot is we have a lot in common," Bourdain began. Zimmern happened to be standing nearby and, unbidden, hopped up on stage to join Bourdain. This did not stop Bourdain from continuing his rant, noting that he and Zimmern had both gone to Vasser and had both attended the Culinary Institute of America.

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]]>Andrew ZimmernAnthony BourdainBizarre FoodsNo ReservationsAllen SalkinWed, 02 Mar 2011 12:00:00 ESTThe World's Most Dangerous Appetizer: We've Got the Recipehttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/23/the-worlds-most-dangerous-appetizer-weve-got-the-recipe/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/23/the-worlds-most-dangerous-appetizer-weve-got-the-recipe/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/23/the-worlds-most-dangerous-appetizer-weve-got-the-recipe/#commentsFiled under: ,

Crispy Hominy with Chile and Lime recipePhoto: Allen Salkin


Warning: This recipe is dangerous.

Makes you want to try it, right?

When Michael Schwartz wanted to include an appetizer he is famous for in his new book,
"Michael's Genuine Food: Down-to-Earth Cooking for People Who Love to Eat," his advisors forbade it. It turns out that the crispy hominy he serves at his restaurants in Miami and Grand Cayman is too prone to cause injury to trust in the hands of most home cooks. Schwartz, who was in New York last week to cook at the James Beard House, explained that when the little morsels of hulled corn hit hot oil, some of them have retain moisture, which makes them likely to pop like little yellow bits of TNT.

Splattering professional sous-chefs with volcanic oil at Michael's Genuine Food & Drink is one thing -- the hominy remains on the menu. But since the book is being touted on Martha Stewart and sold everywhere, his recipe testers suggested he remove the recipe and spare home cooks the risk.

Get the forbidden recipe after the jump.

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]]>hominyMichael SchwartzMichaels Genuine Food DrinkAllen SalkinWed, 23 Feb 2011 11:15:00 ESTEric Ripert Can't Cook A Starfishhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/21/eric-ripert-cayman-cookout/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/21/eric-ripert-cayman-cookout/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/21/eric-ripert-cayman-cookout/#commentsFiled under: ,

Eric RipertPhoto: Cayman Islands Department of Tourism

Grilling barefoot, turquoise waters lapping at his ankles as he flipped tuna steaks, Eric Ripert tipped his straw hat back and said he wouldn't mind if Top Chef decided to shoot a few episodes down in the Cayman Islands.

The Le Bernardin chef and TV star was serving local tuna with a truffled herb salad at a picnic on a sandbar called Starfish Point last weekend. Working next to him was Jennifer Carroll, the former Top Chef contestant and an employee.

"What do you think, Jenny?" he asked. "Shooting a Top Chef here?"

Jenny was recently told to take her knives and go from Top Chef All-Stars.

"Can I be a judge instead of competing?" she asked.

Ripert just laughed.

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]]>cayman cookouteric ripertJennifer Carrolltop chefAllen SalkinFri, 21 Jan 2011 13:00:00 ESTAnthony Bourdain As "Paula Deen's Pedicurist"http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/19/anthony-bourdain-as-paula-deens-pedicurist/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/19/anthony-bourdain-as-paula-deens-pedicurist/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/19/anthony-bourdain-as-paula-deens-pedicurist/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Tony BourdainPhoto: Alexander Tamargo / Getty Images

Anthony Bourdain was in fine form this weekend in the Cayman Islands, skewering sacred culinary cows with beer-fueled gusto during an hour-long "Chat with Tony." After being introduced by Gail Simmons, of Top Chef, as part of a the third annual Cayman Cookout on this Caribbean island, Bourdain revealed a behind-the-scenes secret about the show on which he also appears as a judge: "Who do you think really spends the most time in hair and makeup?" he asked an audience of 100 barefoot fans gathered on the island's famous Seven Mile Beach. "It's not Padma. It's Tom!"

Why Tom Colicchio, the show's folically challenged head judge [no pun intended] should require so much time in the grooming room makes no sense, Bourdain continued. "What does it take? A quick shine and go!"

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]]>anthony bourdaineric ripertno reservationspaula deenAllen SalkinWed, 19 Jan 2011 11:00:00 ESTFestivus Food: Is There An Official Donut?http://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/20/festivus-food-is-there-an-official-donut/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/20/festivus-food-is-there-an-official-donut/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/20/festivus-food-is-there-an-official-donut/#commentsFiled under: ,

krispy kreme glazed donutsPhoto: Claire Sutton, Flickr


Among my many duties as the world's foremost expert on Festivus is monitoring my website www.festivusbook.com. On the site, all of the many fine points of Festivus are debated, and many grievances are aired.


One point of contention that has raged for years is whether there is an official Festivus donut. Of course a larger question is whether there should be an official Festivus anything. Festivus, of course, is an alternative holiday made famous by an episode of Seinfeld and now celebrated at parties across the country. According to the show, its essential elements are an airing of grievances, feats of strength, and instead of a tree or a menorah, an unadorned aluminum pole is the symbolic object placed in your home. In other words, Festivus, often celebrated on December 23, is a cheap, somewhat bitter holiday that requires no gifts be bought, no tinsel hung and no cards sent.

Over the years, those who throw Festivus parties have added many of their own rituals and foods. There was Festivus wine crafted in Oklahoma, St. Festivus Ale brewed in Baltimore, and, in my book, a recipe for Festivus Ham with Junior Mint and Snapple Glaze (delicious, I assure you.)

All of this stuff is homespun. Since Festivus is a holiday with no intrinsic meaning, made famous by a show about nothing, the very idea of anything being "official" about it offends many Festivus friendly folk. And so when on December 22, 2006, someone with the user name Fifi posted the following, it started a storm: "Declaration by reason, that the Krispy Kreme donut be the donut for all Festivus parties!"

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]]>festivusAllen SalkinMon, 20 Dec 2010 16:00:00 ESTTerror in Las Vegas: Jose Andres at Bellagio During Casino Heisthttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/15/terror-in-las-vegas-jose-andres-at-bellagio-during-casino-heist/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/15/terror-in-las-vegas-jose-andres-at-bellagio-during-casino-heist/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/15/terror-in-las-vegas-jose-andres-at-bellagio-during-casino-heist/#commentsFiled under:

Las Vegas casino hold-up, chef José Andrés on the scenePhotos: Richard Drew / AP Photo; Las Vegas Police / AP Photo

At the very moment that shouts of terror -- "Get down! He has a gun!" -- ripped through the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas yesterday morning during a $1.5 million stick-up, chef José Andrés was standing at a roulette wheel watching the ball finally settle against the number he'd been betting all night.

"All of a sudden in the distance you see this person running and one person screams 'Get down!' And then you see everyone get down on the floor, the whole casino at once," Andrés told Slashfood.

He hit the deck along with his pal the artist Mikel Urmeneta.

"It was very weird to see an entire casino laying down, everyone on the floor," Andrés said.

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]]>bellagio robberyfeaturedJose AndresLas VegasAllen SalkinWed, 15 Dec 2010 16:27:00 ESTJamie Oliver Versus the Alligator [Video]http://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/24/jamie-oliver-versus-the-alligator-video/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/24/jamie-oliver-versus-the-alligator-video/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/24/jamie-oliver-versus-the-alligator-video/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Photo: Slashfood


"Jamie's American Road Trip," a six-part series that Jamie Oliver says has already aired in 120 countries, may soon find a home on American television. "It may finally appear in the country whre it was shot," he told an audience at a screening of the series in New York (Nov. 15). He was also promoting a related cookbook, Jamie's America: Easy Twists on Great American Classics and More.

In the third segment of Slashfood's three-part video interview (also see posts for part 1 and part 2), Oliver explained that he did, in fact, kill the alligator he is shown carrying in one of the books photos.

"Game or fair game is different wherever you are in the world," he said. "In England it's rabbit and hares and pheasant. In Louisiana, it's alligators."

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]]>featuredjamie oliverAllen SalkinWed, 24 Nov 2010 14:00:00 ESTJamie Oliver Warns L.A. He's On His Wayhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/23/jamie-oliver-warns-l-a-hes-on-his-way/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/23/jamie-oliver-warns-l-a-hes-on-his-way/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/23/jamie-oliver-warns-l-a-hes-on-his-way/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Photo: Slashfood


Watch out, Los Angeles school officials! You may become next season's prime-time TV villains.

Jamie Oliver, the English chef who won an Emmy for his show "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" (which portrayed some school-lunch bureaucrats in West Virginia as ensuring that children are given meals sure to make them obese and short-lived), is bringing the show to L.A. for season 2.

When producers wrote to officials at the Los Angeles Unified School District, asking for permission to film in the schools, it was denied.

"Our feeling was that his time would be better spent or invested in other communities," an L.A. school official told the Los Angeles Times.

In part two of Oliver's exclusive three-part interview with Slashfood, he lays down a warning to the district.

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]]>jamie oliverjamie olivers food revolutionAllen SalkinTue, 23 Nov 2010 13:00:00 ESTRyan Seacrest As Jamie Oliver 2 [Video]http://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/22/ryan-seacrest-as-jamie-oliver-2-video/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/22/ryan-seacrest-as-jamie-oliver-2-video/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/22/ryan-seacrest-as-jamie-oliver-2-video/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Photo: Slashfood


We can't imagine "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" without Jamie, but, if things had gone Oliver's way back in 2008, the show would have been hosted by "American Idol" star Ryan Seacrest.

In the first segment of an exclusive three-part Slashfood interview with Jamie Oliver (parts 2 and 3 run tomorrow and Wednesday), the English chef reveals that he didn't want to host the American version of the show he had launched in England, and asked Seacrest to take on the job. "I had heard he was into food politics," Oliver said.

Although Oliver had experienced success on American TV with his "Naked Chef" series, on Food Network, he had been trying to pitch a prime-time show here for six years, based on the television docs he'd made in England about trying to improve school lunches and the local diet in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. But he was doubtful that he was well-known enough in the States to pull off it off here. So he emailed Seacrest, who he didn't know at the time.

Seacrest expressed interest, but after Oliver sent him a full proposal, the American Idol host said 'It's not for me, but I'll help you do it,'" Oliver recalled.

Continue reading Ryan Seacrest As Jamie Oliver 2 [Video]

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]]>food networkjamie olivers food revolutionAllen SalkinMon, 22 Nov 2010 15:00:00 ESTWolfgang Puck's Got Game In Londonhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/11/wolfgang-pucks-got-game-in-london/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/11/wolfgang-pucks-got-game-in-london/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/11/wolfgang-pucks-got-game-in-london/#commentsFiled under: ,

Wolfgang Puck restaurantPhoto: Allen Salkin


Wolfgang Puck is about to take on Europe with his first restaurant on the continent, a Cut steakhouse opening in April or May in London's Mayfair section. Puck's fourth Cut (joining others in Beverly Hills, Las Vegas and Singapore) will be an 80-seat restaurant located on the ground floor of the Dorchester Group's newest luxury hotel 45 Park Lane, opening in 2011.

And the menu? "It's going to have more seafood," Puck told Slashfood. "The seafood is really great over there. And in the winter we'll have game birds -- grouse, woodcock, and all that stuff."

Puck's company is managing the new Cut. "It's easier for everyone that way," he said. The hotel fronts the capital, but doesn't have to run the business. "It's better for them," the Austrian-born chef said. "These hotels are not great at running restaurants. We are." (Among the Dorchester Group's properties are the Bel-Air, in L.A., The New York Palace, and Paris hotels Le Meurice and Plaza Athénée, as well as London's The Dorchester).

Puck, who has lived in Los Angeles since 1975, was in New York this week to promote a new line of canned soups and stocks, half of which are gluten free and organic. From Vegas to tinned soups to pheasant under glass . . . welcome to Wolfgang's World.

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]]>chefslondonnew restaurantswolfgang puckAllen SalkinThu, 11 Nov 2010 17:00:00 ESTFerran Adria Will Make a Big Announcement in March [VIDEO]http://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/15/ferran-adria-will-make-a-big-announcement-in-march-video/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/15/ferran-adria-will-make-a-big-announcement-in-march-video/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/15/ferran-adria-will-make-a-big-announcement-in-march-video/#commentsFiled under:

Chef Ferran AdriaPhoto: Mark Von Holden / Getty Images for The International Culinary Center


Spanish Chef Ferran Adrià told Slashfood that he will be showing plans, photos and details of the much-anticipated "reinvention" of his legendary restaurant El Bulli at a press conference in New York City in March 2011.

Adrià said he has signed a deal with the multinational telecommunications company Telefónica to become a brand ambassador, and that he is working on details of the New York announcement with the company.

During an interview October 13 at the Hotel Eventi's Bar Basque after a screening of the documentary "A Day at El Bulli," he did share a few details about the major changes coming El Bulli, the restaurant in Roses, Spain which receives two million reservation requests a year for just a few thousand places.

The new El Bulli will be more like an educational foundation than a restaurant. "There will be no reservations," Adrià said through his friend and interprereter Chef José Andrés. "And everything will change every month."

What it won't be is limited to the cuisine that made it famous, Adrià's mind-bending innovations with molecular gastronomy. "It is going to be a bigger place, but a completely new philosophy. The main mission of the foundation will be to create, and where everything they create, they will be able to share through [the] internet everyday, with everyone around the world," Andrés explained.

Continue reading Ferran Adria Will Make a Big Announcement in March [VIDEO]

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]]>ElBulliFerran AdriaFerranAdriaJose AndresJoseAndresAllen SalkinFri, 15 Oct 2010 11:00:00 ESTIron Chef Karaoke Contest -- Behind the Apronhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/12/iron-chef-karaoke-contest-behind-the-apron/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/12/iron-chef-karaoke-contest-behind-the-apron/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/12/iron-chef-karaoke-contest-behind-the-apron/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photo: Allen Salkin

Over at Manhattan's Harvard Club this weekend, it was Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto vs. Ming Tsai vs. Anne Burrell in a bizarre but hilarious late-night battle for karaoke supremacy as part of the New York City Wine & Food Festival. Morimoto was first up at the mic, belting out a Japanese tune with conviction -- but not a whole lot of tunefulness.

After his uneven performance, a sober Morimoto offered an excuse: "With no drink, it's the first time."

Next up at the "Rock & Roll with Morimoto and Friends" event was Ming Tsai.

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]]>anne burrelliron chef americamasaharu morimotoming tsaiAllen SalkinTue, 12 Oct 2010 18:00:00 ESTThe English Beathttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/01/todd-english-the-bitter-end/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/01/todd-english-the-bitter-end/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/01/todd-english-the-bitter-end/#commentsFiled under:

Photo: Allen Salkin


Perhaps the reason Todd English's newest restaurant, Ça Va, got such a poor review in the New York Times this week is because the celebrity chef is spending his artistic efforts outside the kitchen.

He fronted a band a few nights ago at The Bitter End, a nightclub in Greenwich Village. The band has played in public a few times, but English has been very low key about his fledgling music career. Asked for information about upcoming appearances or whether there is an album in the works, his spokesperson said she had no comment. At the gig, the audience appeared to enjoy the music, bobbing their heads with the beat.

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]]>ca vathe bitter endtodd englishAllen SalkinFri, 01 Oct 2010 12:00:00 ESTMartha Poised to Assume Power -- Behind the Apronhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/08/03/martha-poised-to-assume-power-behind-the-apron/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/08/03/martha-poised-to-assume-power-behind-the-apron/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/08/03/martha-poised-to-assume-power-behind-the-apron/#commentsFiled under:




Martha Stewart has been out of jail and thriving since 2005, following her insider trading criminal case. But as part of a 2006 settlement of the related civil case brought against her by the U.S. Securities and Exchange commission, she agreed to a five year bar from serving as a director of a public company, and a prohibition from participating in financial reporting, financial disclosure, and other activities.

Slashfood caught up with Martha backstage at the James Beard Foundation's "Chefs and Champagne" event in Sagaponack, New York, and she talked to us about food matters - how impressed she was with the array of chefs at the event, her new TV cooking show "Martha Bakes," and her dogs' blog - and she did answer a question about whether she will assume a directorship at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia once the five year ban expires next year.

According to Yahoo! Finance, she controls about 50% of MSLO's stock and about 90% of voting stock. Before being convicted of four counts of obstructing justice and lying to investigators about a stock sale, Martha was CEO and Chairwoman of MSLO. A return to those roles would write a triumphant end to a dark chapter of her life.

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]]>chefs and champagnemartha bakesmartha stewartmsloAllen SalkinTue, 03 Aug 2010 11:00:00 ESTBatali's Humble Dream - Behind the Apronhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/07/29/batalis-humble-dream-behind-the-apron/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/07/29/batalis-humble-dream-behind-the-apron/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/07/29/batalis-humble-dream-behind-the-apron/#commentsFiled under:



In this frank interview with Slashfood, Mario Batali discusses his forthcoming vegetarian restaurant (yes, this from the man known for his love of lardo and other meat products), admits that his Italian food megacomplex in New York, Eataly, is delayed yet again, and reveals details about a new TV show he's pitching.

Batali also answered questions about his future with Iron Chef America and the "carnival" his life has become -- "dancing with Katy Perry on a Jetta was fun." Perhaps most surprising of all, the chef who has become a pop-culture celebrity as well as a celebrity chef said he dreams of one day letting others run his American restaurants while he moves to an out-of-the-way Roman neighborhood and runs a little eatery with 35 seats open only three days a week.

Sounds nice - when can we make a reservation?

"Behind The Apron," is a video series featuring news-breaking conversations between the journalist Allen Salkin and the biggest names in the culinary world. The series goes beyond the plate and into the lives of those in the food world who have become mainstream cultural icons. In a turnaround from his TV role as head judge on Top Chef, Tom Colicchio talks about his struggle to rise to the expectations of judges at the James Beard Foundation; Jose Andres gets political; and Jacques Pepin laughs about the social ascendance of chefs over the past two decades from blue collar workers into "geniuses." Much more is to come in this groundbreaking series.

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]]>eatalyiron chef americaitalian foodItalianFoodkaty perrymario bataliAllen SalkinThu, 29 Jul 2010 12:00:00 ESTEXCLUSIVE: Todd English on Life After Fiancée Erica Wanghttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/07/08/exclusive-todd-english-on-life-after-fiancee-erica-wang/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/07/08/exclusive-todd-english-on-life-after-fiancee-erica-wang/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/07/08/exclusive-todd-english-on-life-after-fiancee-erica-wang/#commentsFiled under: ,



In this exclusive installment of the "Behind the Apron," Chef Todd English opens up about a difficult personal issue, which drew headlines. In October 2009, reportedly on the day that had been scheduled for his wedding, Todd broke things off in a long-distance telephone call with his fiancée Erica Wang, leaving her to deal with the invited guests and resultant turmoil.

For months Todd has kept his silence on the subject, but in this interview he discusses his reputation as a "playboy," how the troubling incident has led to introspection on his part, and whether or not the difficult publicity hurts his brand as a restaurateur.

Related: Touring the New Food Hall with Todd English

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]]>erica wangEricaWangtodd englishToddEnglishAllen SalkinThu, 08 Jul 2010 14:00:00 ESTTouring the New Food Hall with Todd English -- Behind the Apronhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/07/07/touring-the-new-food-hall-with-todd-english-behind-the-apron/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/07/07/touring-the-new-food-hall-with-todd-english-behind-the-apron/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/07/07/touring-the-new-food-hall-with-todd-english-behind-the-apron/#commentsFiled under: ,



Back in May, we reported the opening of The Plaza Food Hall by Todd English in NYC, and recently Allen Salkin had the opportunity to tour the Hall with English himself. Get an up-close-and-personal look at the Hall's many stations, including a cheese section, The Ocean Grill fish grill, and a dumpling bar at which English's chefs will be experimenting with a variety of Asian cuisines.

Related: Todd English on Life After Fiancee Erica Wang (EXCLUSIVE)

"Behind The Apron," is a video series featuring news-breaking conversations between the journalist Allen Salkin and the biggest names in the culinary world. The series goes beyond the plate and into the lives of those in the food world who have become mainstream cultural icons. In a turnaround from his TV role as head judge on Top Chef, Tom Colicchio talks about his struggle to rise to the expectations of judges at the James Beard Foundation; Jose Andres gets political; and Jacques Pepin laughs about the social ascendance of chefs over the past two decades from blue collar workers into "geniuses." Much more is to come in this groundbreaking series.

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]]>food hallplaza hotelthe plaza food halltodd englishAllen SalkinWed, 07 Jul 2010 17:30:00 ESTAce of Cakes Just Says Nohttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/06/09/ace-of-cakes-just-says-no/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/06/09/ace-of-cakes-just-says-no/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/06/09/ace-of-cakes-just-says-no/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Photo: Allen Salkin

Duff Goldman does not want you to associate him with irritable bowel syndrome. Even for a six-figure payday.
The star of Ace of Cakes was in New York the other day to promote his new line of cake decorating supplies. He said that in his five years of being on the network, this was one of the first times he had accepted an endorsement deal.

Two he had turned down: a line of Duff Dog Food and the opportunity to be the spokesman for a medicine to treat irritable bowel syndrome.

"The second I got my own show, people were saying 'hey will you be the spokesman for this? Hey can we put your name on that, hey will you endorse this?'" Duff told Slashfood. "I was like 'no, no, and no. I'm a cook. I make cakes. I decorate cakes.'"
The irritable bowel syndrome gig would have paid "a lot of money," he said. "Six figures. It was a four month run of stuff right he middle of football season so every time you'd turn on football, you'd see me."

Not for him, Duff said, although he did acknowledge that the way food TV stars make their real money is from endorsement deals. Nevertheless, the teenage rebel in him has driven his talent agent nuts saying no to deal after deal.

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]]>ace of cakescakecake decoratingduff goldmanfood networkAllen SalkinWed, 09 Jun 2010 18:00:00 ESTTodd English's NYC Food Hallhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/05/28/todd-englishs-nyc-food-hall/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/05/28/todd-englishs-nyc-food-hall/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/05/28/todd-englishs-nyc-food-hall/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Photo: Evan Sung


To the owners of the Plaza hotel, Todd English is worth more than a washing machine.

Miki Naftali, the chief executive of the Elad Group (the owners of the Plaza Hotel on the corner of 5th Avenue and 59th Street in Manhattan), admitted as much during a preview opening of English's new Food Hall in an underground space at the hotel.
As guests tucked into prime-rib sliders, cumin-seared prawns and English's haute version of the Ring Ding in the warmly-lit and high-ceilinged space, Naftali said that when his group took over the hotel in 2004, the space was a dank and decrepit laundry room.

Now, about $4 million later and with the help of architectural designer Jeffrey Beers, it boasts stations doling out dumplings, oysters, sushi, salads, steaks and desserts. The former laundry room now dubbed "The Plaza Food Hall by Todd English" has 80 seats total, but no tables, just bar seats where diners can interact with cooks.

And the hotel has outsourced almost all of its dirty laundry. "There is no reason to do laundry in one of the most expensive pieces of real estate in New York," Naftali said.

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]]>elad groupmiki naftaliplaza food hallplaza hotelthe plaza food halltodd englishAllen SalkinFri, 28 May 2010 15:00:00 ESTFood Inkhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/05/21/food-ink/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/05/21/food-ink/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/05/21/food-ink/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Photo courtesy of Allen Salkin

Food tattoos were on display at the Cooking Channel launch party, the Food Network spinoff set to begin airing Memorial Day.

Chuck Hughes, a Montreal chef who network executives are touting as the next big thing, attended the party at the rooftop bar of the Empire Hotel in Manhattan along with a bevy of hosts from new shows on the Cooking Channel.

The hammy Mr. Hughes, host of "Chuck's Day Off," displayed his inkwork for a photographer: On the inside of his left bicep is a mermaid, her nakedness barely covered with two small shells. On his left forearm is a giant shrimp. Inside his right bicep is a pomegranate. He then he rolled up his sleeve to show a heart with the word "Oysters" and a pearl over it.

Chuck said he has been unable to get much fresh ink in the past few years because the producers of his show have said it would make for continuity problems, confusing viewers if on a new show he has more body art than on a rerun. But now that his show has run for three seasons in Canada already, the producers are easing up.

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]]>Chuck HughesCooking Channelfeaturedfood tattoosMichael SymonAllen SalkinFri, 21 May 2010 15:00:00 EST