"surf" news and stories

Finally! Bravo's Top Chef was back on schedule with a new episode this week and now that the show had only nine chefs, there was more individual coverage of each one and we got to see everyone's dishes, which was sometimes a bit of a problem early in the season, especially with the quickfire challenges.

The theme of this week's episode was Raw and Cooked and the underlying theme seemed to be about technology and what chefs could do when there wasn't a lot of it around. For the quickfire challenge, the chefs were taken down to the Redondo Beach Farmer's Market and told that they had to create a mouthwatering, filling dish using entirely raw ingredients. They had a budget of $20 to spend at the marked and were then given 30 minutes in the kitchen to "cook" their food. They were also introduced to the guest judge, Raphael Lunetta, the chef at Jiraffe.

Summer means hot, sunny days and, if you live near the coast, day trips to the beach. You spend the morning prepping food and snacks, toss them into a cooler with lots of ice and hit the road. Most of the beaches out here - the good ones, anyway - don't offer a lot in the way of vendors, so except for the occasional hot dog stand or ice cream truck, you're on your own for beach-friendly sustenance. Fortunately, there are many good choices and here are a few that surfaced in our minds when we started to think about heading out for some fun in the sun (Besides, I had so much fun with the egg puns, that I couldn't resist...).

• Sandwiches - Portable and versatile, you'll be able to find something everyone likes, but keep them in a cooler unless you're sticking to peanut butter and jelly
• Sunchips - Multigrain chips that are less greasy, and more flavorful, than regular chips