Television/Film

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

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

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

'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

Food Network Branded Sandwiches to Hit Ballparks

COMMENTS 2

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Mar 23rd 2011 @ 3:00PM

Photo: Scott Ableman, Flickr

You can run from Guy Fieri, Rachel Ray, and the rest of the Food Network gang, but you can't hide -- not even at the ballpark. The network is launching Food Network branded sandwiches at eight baseball stadiums this season, complete with the networks perky red logo, according to CNBC. The highlighted offering is the Red, White & Blue Steak Sandwich with Maytag blue cheese and sweet and spicy Peppadew-pepper mayonnaise on a French demi baguette, but word is they'll also be serving up steak sandwiches topped with local ingredients. (The Milwaukee "sammie," as Rachel Ray would call it, will have beer cheese over the steak, while Baltimore's version will get a dose of Old Bay-spiced steak sauce.) Happily, no talk yet of branded peanuts or Cracker Jack.

Read the whole story at CNBC.

Filed under: Television/Film, New Products

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

COMMENTS 0

by Nichol Nelson, Posted Mar 18th 2011 @ 11:00AM

Top Chef elimination interview Photo: Virginia Sherwood / Bravo

Filed under: Television/Film, Chefs

Bikinis, Banana Leaves and Butter: 'Top Chef All-Stars' Recap

COMMENTS 1

by Michael Thomas Hastings, Posted Mar 17th 2011 @ 11:00AM

Top Chef Finale Part 1, Bahamas Photo: Virginia Sherwood / Bravo

Oh, it's time. Time for the home-stretch confidence. Time for the daring flavor combinations. Time for the bravado. Time for the beards and bikinis.

No, that's not a euphemism. The former was provided, rather feebly, by Richard, who summed up the key to being among the final four on Top Chef: "I've been bakin' bread, growin' a beard -- all the things you have to do in the finale!"

The latter was provided by Padma (what, you were expecting Mike Isabella?) who introduced the night's challenge while striking her best SI swimsuit cover-model pose. Cue the lascivious comments from the aforementioned Mike.

Inviting the chefs to hop aboard a boat chartered by some dude who looked like Sammy Hagar, Padma led the foursome to an island in the Bahamas where they were given the Survivor treatment: Cook only with what Bravo left on the shore and, just to add physical insult to culinary injury, go snorkeling in shallow water to supply your own conch for one of your proteins.

Filed under: Television/Film, Chefs

Marcel's Quantum Kitchen -- Enter to Win an Apple iPad 2

COMMENTS 602

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Mar 15th 2011 @ 2:00PM

Apple iPad giveaway from Marcel's Quantum Kitchen Photo Courtesy Marcel's Quantum Kitchen, Syfy

Starting March 22, celebrity chef Marcel Vigneron (best known for his two stints on "Top Chef"), defies the laws of cooking in his new revolutionary kitchen chemistry show, Marcel's Quantum Kitchen.

The series follows Marcel as he dreams up creative menus and produces extraordinary events and celebrations for all types of occasions while having to use every ounce of imagination and scientific experimentation in order to deliver a once in a lifetime experience.

In honor of the premier of the show, Syfy is teaming up with Slashfood to give one lucky Slashfood reader an Apple iPad 2, along with a pre-paid gift card to download some of the top food apps.

Find out how to win an Apple iPad after the jump.

Filed under: Television/Film, Giveaways

SNL's High-Fructose Corn Syrup Spoof Hits a Nerve

COMMENTS 16

by Bill Sertl, Posted Mar 14th 2011 @ 3:00PM

Saturday Night Live corn syrup commercial Photo: Hulu

It's probably debatable which is worse for you-artery clogging trans-fats or fat-producing empty calories from high-fructose corn syrup. But one thing is clear: Both of these toxic ingredients, which are found in almost all mass-produced foods on the market today, are harmful to your health. In a hilarious Saturday Night Live spoof this weekend, we find out why-it makes you fat, fat, fat. But the best part of the fake commercial is the satirizing of the real ad from the Corn Refiners Association.

In the spoof, one mom is surprised to find another mom serving Juicy Drink at a kid's party. After pointing out that's it contains HFCS, she says: "You know the things they say about HFCS." The other mom replies: "Like what? That's it's made with corn, it's natural enough, and, like sugar, it's fine in moderation." Trouble is, that's almost exactly what the real commercial says, and that's all one big corn-fed lie.

Filed under: Television/Film, Health & Medical