Chefs

Jamie Oliver Dishes on Food Revolution's Second Season

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 7th 2011 @ 11:00AM

Jamie Oliver Photo: Jeffrey Ufberg / WireImage

It's hard not to support Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. Yeah, it's a reality show and all, but his motive seems pure: Get people off processed junk and teach them how to cook.

For the ABC show's second season, he's taking on Los Angeles, a city that hides its addiction to burgers and donuts behind a glam Hollywood facade. The editors of YumSugar sat down with Oliver recently to get the skinny on his new season. Find out why he thinks supermarkets should be giving schools 30K a year, and what happened this season that sent four people to the hospital.

Read the full story at YumSugar.com

Filed under: Television/Film, Chefs

Mediterranean Roasted Chicken Wrap: Recipe of the Day

COMMENTS 1

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 5th 2011 @ 10:00AM

Mediterranean Roasted Chicken Wrap Photo: Ray Kachatorian

By incorporating his homemade hummus and tzatziki, KitchenDaily expert Curtis Stone creates a fresh and filling chicken wrap that's full of authentic Mediterranean spices and flavor. It's great for a weeknight dinner or even a hearty lunch.

Get Curtis' recipe for his Mediterranean Roasted Chicken Wrap.

Filed under: Chefs, Recipes

Our Exclusive Interview with 'Top Chef All-Stars' Winner Richard Blais

COMMENTS 18

by Nichol Nelson, Posted Mar 31st 2011 @ 4:00PM

Top Chef winner Richard Blais Photo: Virginia Sherwood / Bravo

Richard Blais took home the title of Top Chef at the end of Wednesday's nights finale, and all is right with the world. After a long, surprisingly spirited "All-Stars" season, Richard, the heavy favorite, nabbed the crown -- but not without a tough fight from challenger Mike Isabella. The four-course menus both chefs created were short on gimmicks, focusing heavily on technique and flavor, and the judges came down to the wire before giving Richard the title. Find out how he prepared for the finale -- and why he says he's o.k. with being perceived as neurotic.

What did you do to prepare for the finale?
I really just kind of got back to basics. I think people expected me to come out with a laser gun or a robot to cook the food or something, but really, I was baking bread and roasting chickens. I wanted to come back to the Bahamas and emphasize that although I enjoy using some modern techniques, I can also cook with a spoon, a pot and some butter and salt and pepper. So I really focused myself and did basic cookery.

Traditionally, the judges have given contestants a lot of freedom to create what they want for the finale. Were you worried they were going to throw you a curve ball?
Going back into the final round, I think all of us were surprised that it wasn't going to be just two challenges, it was going to be four. Then also knowing it wasn't going to be three contestants left for the finale, it was only going to be two. I think the pressure throughout the whole season kept building and building. So certainly by the end of it, you know you can't control it, you're just going to have to accept that and go with it. So the final challenge was a little bit different. Go build your own restaurant -- it was surprising to me, but also thrilling. You saw on the show where I said I got goosebumps -- well, I really did. For a chef to be given the task of building your own restaurant, I mean, this is what chefs dream about on the subways or commuting back and forth to work. We're dreaming of that while we're sitting there chopping carrots or peeling potatoes.

Filed under: Television/Film, Chefs

An Orgasmic Pepperoni Sauce Finale on 'Top Chef All-Stars'

COMMENTS 2

by Michael Thomas Hastings, Posted Mar 31st 2011 @ 11:00AM

Top Chef Finale Richard Blais and Mike Isabella Photo: Virginia Sherwood / Bravo

We have to admit, it's been a rocky season. At first, we weren't quite sure if we were invested in the notion of "all star" cheftestants from seven seasons of our favorite cooking competition show. Many of these folks weren't tops among their season -- would the hunger to win be there? Would the competitive, overconfident, back-stabbing spirit thrive?

But as we settled in with a big glass of wine for the finale -- watching Richard Blais futz around with a gigantic canister of liquid nitrogen, Mike Isabella hone his super-rustic Italian flavors, and Padma fumble around with some awkward "live" interludes from the finale afterparty -- we got that warm, fuzzy Top Chef feeling just like we do during the best seasons, and realized just how far all our friends had come this year.

You see, at first, we weren't quite sure if the stakes were high enough, what with Jen's early-season walk-off, weeks of Jamie's "who gives a crap" performance, and Fabio's oh-so-canned judge flirting. And then the proverbial almost-ran chaff fell away from the Top Chef wheat, leaving only the ones who were in it to win it -- and that's when things got really interesting. Carla proved not only to be the mega-entertaining ex-model personality we knew her to be but also a stunning purveyor of comfort food. Antonia shone as a competitor worthy of being with the best (and, in a plot twist straight out of a soap opera, ended up being Mike's cousin!).

Luckily, some of those awesome finalists at least got to be sous-chefs for the finale, although the method for choosing them was a bit unorthodox: Each eliminated All Star had to make a dish for Richard and Mike to blindly taste. Though the matching dishes to their creators was fun (no one got who they expected!), in the end, the sous-chefs ended up playing less of a part than they have in previous seasons, save for Carla's slight overcooking of Mike's dessert, and Spike's invaluable -- if totally unsubtle -- reconnaissance work for Richard ("Thomas Keller loved it!").

Filed under: Television/Film, Chefs

Ina Garten Agrees to Meet with "Make-A-Wish" Leukemia Patient

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by Slashfood Editor, Posted Mar 30th 2011 @ 4:00PM

Ina Garten Photo: Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images

Oh, Ina, we knew you'd do the right thing. After a week of getting hammered online for her apparent refusal to meet with a six-year-old leukemia patient, Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten has agreed to grant the boy's Make-A-Wish request.

Last week, TMZ reported that Garten denied Enzo Pereda's requests due to scheduling conflicts, but Garten said she only learned of his requests this past weeekend. (Her spokesman says she gets "100 requests a month to support charitable causes" and can't answer them all.)

If she really wants Enzo to forgive her, she should pull out all the stops and bake up her gooey brownie pudding cake.

Get the whole story at The Huffington Post.

Filed under: Celebrities, Chefs

Twitter's 15 Most Followed Chefs

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by Slashfood Editor, Posted Mar 29th 2011 @ 2:00PM

Paula Deen Photo: John M. Heller / Getty Images

It hardly seems fair to judge chefs by their tweets -- after all, it's what happens in their kitchens that really matters. Still, aren't you curious who's mastered the Twitter-verse? The Daily Meal has a roundup of the 15 most followed chefs on Twitter. Does his penchant for all things raunchy help Anthony Bourdain beat out Bobby Flay? Or is Paula Dean the pied piper of the 140 character set? And where does Mr. Food Revolution himself, Jamie Oliver, fit in? Find out.

Read The Daily Meal's list of the 15 most followed chefs on Twitter.

Filed under: Chefs, Online

Chatting with the Latest 'Top Chef All-Stars' Exile

COMMENTS 11

by Nichol Nelson, Posted Mar 25th 2011 @ 11:00AM

Photo: Virginia Sherwood / Bravo

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.

Filed under: Television/Film, Chefs

Crispy Cod Nuggets: Recipe of the Day

COMMENTS 0

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Mar 25th 2011 @ 10:00AM

Kids love fish sticks, but why serve them frozen, processed food when it's so easy to make breaded fish nuggets at home? KitchenDaily expert Lauren Braun Costello uses crushed cracker crumbs to create a crispy coating for pieces of fresh cod. The resulting golden nuggets are leagues better than anything you'll find in a box.

Get Lauren's recipe for Crispy Cod Nuggets.

Filed under: Chefs, Recipes

'Top Chef All Stars' - Cracking Up Under Pressure?

COMMENTS 1

by Michael Thomas Hastings, Posted Mar 24th 2011 @ 11:00AM

Top Chef Finale Part 1 Photo: Virginia Sherwood / Bravo

If you wanted to see three chefs losing it -- like, epically, majestically, Charlie Sheen-ishly losing it -- all you had to do was turn on Bravo this week. There, you could witness a textbook example of psychopathia culinarus: nervous laughing, pacing, sweating bullets, bags under eyes, nausea on the verge of projectile vomiting -- sometimes all in the same scene. Our friends at Bravo edited this one for maximum tension, to be sure.

We expect surprises when we're down to the final three, but this was ridiculous. First up was the Quickfire, where the now-overconfident Mike was allowed to further hone his mind-messing skills by getting to choose one of three classic Top Chef challenges for his competitors. His "gift" to Antonia: Cook using only canned food. Meanwhile, Richard bequeathed the "one pot" challenge to Mike (which, as Antonia pointed out, was a massive mistake -- it meant he could choose any ingredients he wanted!).

We're not exactly sure how much we'd stress over a Quickfire at this point in the game, and it seemed as though our trio might've just sailed right through it -- were it not for Padma throwing them a few curve balls: Don't use utensils (Mike), tie one hand behind your back (Richard), cook with a former cheftestant attached at the hip (Antonia and Carla).

When all was said and done, guest judge Wolfgang Puck seemed to be judging on a steep curve, taking into consideration the chefs' handicaps. Richard's hot dog pieces on roti bread was too "ketchupy," Antonia's shrimp broth was a bit overseasoned, and Mike's pork shoulder was not cooked long enough in his malfunctioning pressure cooker. Regardless, Mike took home yet another win.

Filed under: Television/Film, Chefs

Beef Stir Fry: Recipe of the Day

COMMENTS 1

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Mar 24th 2011 @ 10:00AM

Looking for an unusual weeknight dinner? Check out this beef stir fry from KitchenDaily expert Marcus Samuelsson -- it's known as "tibs" in Ethiopia. It's relatively easy to make, since everything is cooked in one pan. Red onions, cardamom, ginger and other aromatics give this dish intense flavor. In Ethiopia, this dish would be eaten with injera bread, but if it's not available in your area, he suggests using sourdough. He places a few slices at the bottom of a bowl, then tops it with the stir fry.

Get Marcus' recipe for Beef Stir Fry.

Filed under: Chefs, Recipes