Meet The Team / Michael D. Ayers

Here's this week's installment of Slashfood's exclusive exit interviews with the latest "Top Chef All-Stars" contestant to get the boot. In an effort to prevent spoilers, we've included the text after the jump.

Though she needs no real introduction, we'll give it a whirl anyway. Over the past twenty years, Paula Deen has risen within the world of southern cooking to become its matriarch. After opening Savannah, Georgia's, Lady and Sons, in 1996, she went on to become one of the Food Network's most iconic faces, starring in Paula's Home Cooking, Paula's Party and Paula's Best Dishes. Recently, she's expanded her empire to include an array of cookbooks, kitchen utensils and appliances, and even furniture. Plus, she's teamed up with Philadelphia Cream Cheese, in their "Real Women of Philadelphia" campaign, and was recently selected to be Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade, preceding the 2011 Rose Bowl.

Paula Deen took some time out from her Thanksgiving prep at home in Savannah to chat with Slashfood about her memories around the holidays, the Rose Bowl and what she's excited about for 2011.

With the holidays approaching, how do you stay sane?

PD: I don't know [laughs]. I really don't know. I think it probably has a lot to do with my team members. I don't micromanage them. They do their job and I don't have to give it a second thought, unless something goes amuck, which is very seldom. But I almost fainted last week...when I was on the plane with them, and I said, "When is Thanksgiving?" and they said, "A week from tomorrow, dear." And I said, "What? How can that be?" So I almost fainted.

Just in case you haven't had enough Top Chef, it returns on December 1 for its eighth season (the fourth time this year Bravo has aired a Top Chef incarnation). Starting with the second series of Top Chef Masters this past spring, the brand expanded into the unfortunately cast spin-off Top Chef Just Desserts, as well as crowning it's Top Chef: D.C. winner in Kevin Sbraga. But this new season promises to be different, despite its focus on the ghosts of Top Chef's past.

Billed as Top Chef All-Stars, the new season casts the "best of" from the last seven seasons, along with nabbing Anthony Bourdain as a full-time judge. Yet even as another round ramps up, we can't help but wonder: Are viewers suffering from Top Chef fatigue syndrome?

In a conference call with reporters last week, Tom Colicchio and Tony Bourdain said that the returning cheftestants have matured since their time away from the Top Chef spotlight, which will hopefully provide a new spin to the Quickfire-Elimination formula.

Though he didn't win The Next Iron Chef, Marco Canora – one of our Kitchen Daily experts – made more than a solid run at the coveted title. Of all the Iron Chef hopefuls, chef Canora won the most battles, utilizing his simple-speaks-volumes methodology. The owner of New York City's Hearth and Terrior wine bar, Canora has made a name for himself not only in New York, but in Tuscany as well, where he retreats each summer to give hands-on classes.

Slashfood spoke with Canora about what we didn't see on the final episode of The Next Iron Chef and about his vision for his next cookbook.


You didn't become the next Iron Chef, but you did seem happy for Marc.

MC: I was. I was happy for him. We all got along well. There was no animosity, everyone was rooting for each other. Even though it was a competition, we knew nine people were going to go home and one guy was going to be left standing. That's just the nature of the beast. I'm very happy for the guy. Good for him, you know?

Though she didn't display the bells and whistles of her fellow competitors, Pasadena, California's Danielle Keene waded through the Top Chef Just Desserts battlefield by honing in on one thing: nostalgia. Whereas other chefs were concerned with flash-in-the-pan techniques, Danielle quietly did her thing, only taking time out to tell the more annoying cheftestants to shut their pie holes. A graduate of the Los Angeles Culinary Institute, Danielle currently owns and operates Bittersweet Treats, a pastry company that provides the Los Angeles area, as well as Internet customers, with homemade cakes, candy and ice cream.

Slashfood spoke with Danielle about her time spent on Top Chef Just Desserts, her homemade root beer and the one thing everyone is asking about.

Considering the contestants you were surrounded by, how did you not commit any violent crimes in that house?

DK: [laughs]. It was close. Very, very close. When I came back to the house, I had two things: pool and a puzzle. I'd just sit there and do my puzzle and tune everybody out. Then I'd go back to my room -- luckily I'd remembered to bring pictures with me, so I'd look at people out there who loved me.