"tomcolicchio" news and stories

Laurine, the calm amid the 'Top Chef' chaos. Photo: Bravo.

Break out the chaps. Dust off your spurs. Get ready for Padma to ring the dinner bell as only she knows how -- that is, gingerly and timidly.

That's right, with "Top Chef" stationed in the middle of the Southwest this season, we knew there'd have to be some sort of roughing-it challenge to go along with all the gaudy glitz of the Vegas strip. The only question would be just how much roughness our cheftestants would have to endure.

Surprisingly, quite a bit. With only the most mysterious hint of their destination, the dozen remaining chefs were shipped off -- after countless shots of them enjoying the plush luxury of their product-placement Toyotas -- and left to fend for themselves in a remote desert ranch, in teepees, no less. "Is Padma sleeping in a teepee? I'd just like to know," asked Kevin.

That would be an emphatic "no." And while some chefs used the opportunity to wax nostalgic on their outdoorsy upbringings -- some (Ashley) more convincingly than others (Robin) -- some just weren't having it. Cue the urbanite whining of Atlantan Eli, or the voodoo-spellcasting of Haitian Ron, whose elaborate warding off of snakes was appreciated, if not understood, by bunkmate Ash.

Do you have what it takes to master this Top Chef quiz? Or will you be asked to pack your knives and go? Find out below.

Top Chef judges Toby, Padma, Tom and Gail. Photo: Bravo TV.

Chef-testants for season six of Top Chef were announced today. The showdown will take place in Las Vegas, which Tom Colicchio assures us is a "very serious food town."

The primary thing a bunch of these newbies have in common? Tattoos, big time. Click through the gallery and let us know if we're wrong. That's not to say we don't spy some serious contenders in the mix. Talent ranges from Michael Voltaggio, chef de cuisine of the buzzed-about José Andrés Bazaar in Los Angeles, to the innocuous-looking (but perhaps culinarily ferocious) Jesse Sandlin, one of the tattooed toques, who sports a flower in her hair.

Don't skip the video of our four judges, in which Gail declares, "I'm eating very well," and Padma asserts, "A few of these contestants have even taught Tom a thing or two." Hmm. We'll see.

Are you stoked about Top Chef Vegas -- or are you over it by now?

We were wondering what to serve for our weekly viewing party of that guilty little pleasure "True Blood." Chef Tom Colicchio has the answer.

Fresh from his Diet Coke ad, the Craft-y chef has done a campy viral video for the HBO vampire series, making a drink to satiate Colicchio's vampire pals while the "Top Chef" host dines out.

"I have a few friends that are vampires and I've had this issue," Colicchio tells the host of the fake show "The Perspective." We go out, and I'm sitting there through an appetizer, an entree and dessert, and they're just kind of nursing a Tru Blood [the blood substitute vampires drink on the show]. It's a little awkward."

Read on for the very non-Bon Temps recipe.

'Wichcraft'
Recipes by Tom Colicchio with Sisha Ortuzar
Text by Rhona Silverbush
Photos by Bill Bettencourt
Clarkson Potter -- 2009
Buy it at Amazon

It's not unusual to find one of us standing in the lunch crowd line at the 'wichcraft so conveniently located right downstairs from our office building. Can you blame us? Anyone who's ever tasted a sammie designed by Tom Colicchio and Sisha Ortuzar's knows exactly what we are talking about -- this isn't your ordinary sandwich, it's a sandwich adventure. For those who have wondered, sleepless, how they could replicate those tastes at home, pine no more: This cookbook divulges all the be-'wiching secrets for your munching pleasure.

Takeaway tips: Hoagie-making is taken to a new level by essays that instruct the reader on stocking the ideal pantry and define the architecture of a structurally sound sandwich. We also love the picture-packed "menu" at the beginning of the book that gives snapshots of the rest of the book (so much better than a Table of Contents!). The tome concludes with a source guide including all of the ingredients the shop uses, most of which are available online.

Quality of pictures: Mouthwatering -- some of the most detailed and appealing food porn we've ever seen.

See what we tested and whether it's worth buying -- after the jump.