"scott conant" news and stories

Food Network viewers have come to know chef and restaurateur Scott Conant as the prickly judge on Chopped -- but tonight Conant returns to TV as the host of Food Network's latest competition series, 24 Hour Restaurant Battle. The show pits two teams of two against each other, with the winner churning out the best restaurant within 24 hours.

Conant himself has been rather successful over the last 10 years in this realm, but he's had more than just a day. In 2002, he found success with L'Impero, and shortly after that, with midtown Manhattan's Alto. Recently, his flagship joint has been Scarpetta, with locations in New York and Miami (he's expanding to Toronto this week and Las Vegas later this year). As if that's not enough, earlier this year Conant also opened Faustina at the Cooper Square Hotel in lower Manhattan. Thus the contestants on 24 Hour Restaurant Battle are getting more than just the opportunity to win $10,000; they're getting the chance to pick a rather successful brain on the ins and outs of restaurant survival.

Slashfood spoke with Conant about his restaurant concepts, how he comes off on Chopped and the difference between 24 Hour Restaurant Battle and Top Chef's "restaurant wars" challenge.

24 Hour Restaurant Battle premieres tonight on the Food Network at 10pm. Read the interview after the jump.

There's yet another player in the reality television food competition: Food Network is set to premiere 24 Hour Restaurant Battle on Wednesday, July 21. The show features two teams of two who have to conceive, plan and open a restaurant in 24 hours -- one team member takes the front-of-house duties like décor and service, the other is in charge of menu design, shopping and cooking. The winning team takes home a $10,000 prize and most likely, exhaustion.

Chef Scott Conant -- a past guest judge on Top Chef and Chopped -- will host. Each week will feature a rotating cast of judges joining Conant; regular appearances will be made by Time Out New York food critic Gabriella Gershenson, restaurant marketing and PR expert Alison Brod, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, Myriad Restaurant Group's Drew Nieporent, Iron Chef America judge Karine Bakhoum and Chef Marcus Samuelsson. Together, the panel of judges offers three areas of expertise: restaurant marketer, restaurant reviewer, and restaurant investor.

The first season is scheduled for 8 episodes, and, from the descriptions, it seems like it's a family affair: mother/daughter teams, father/son teams, brothers, and couples make up the bulk of the contestants. Some have restaurant experience, some are pursuing a dream, like brothers Gary "Skip" Klavans (a writer) and Alan "Buzz" Klavans (a paramedic and musician), who are striving to open their childhood fantasy joint -- a caveman-themed restaurant.

• Is your meal ready for its closeup? Photographing your food is one of the odder trends of the new century.
• Induction cooking "just may be the iPad" of kitchen technology.
• Cooper Square Hotel's Faustina is the latest haunt of chef Scott Conant, "the city's most inventive practitioner of Italian-American top-dollar cooking."
• If great wines pack history in a glass, then Conterno Barolos are a survey course.
• Mark Bittman stands up for the losers -- the loser lettuces, that is.

Today was the first day that really, truly made me feel like it was summer. Humid, suffocating, with just a hint of agony and despair. And it's only June 27th.

Another reason to dislike summer? Reruns. There are more and more original shows in the summer now, but it's rather depressing when your regular shows are in reruns for 2 or 3 months. Martha Stewart's show has been in reruns (it's not one of my regular shows but I tune in now and then), but starting July 16 she'll have two weeks of special "Martha's Summer Session" episodes, where famous chefs will come in and cook. Included: Mario Batali will make Shrimp From The Devil Priest, Michael Lomonoco will make Skirt Steak With Chimichurri Sauce, and Rick Bayless will make Jicama, Beet, and Orange Salad.

Other guests will include Sue Torres, Michael Schulson, and Scott Conant.