"top chef masters season two" news and stories

Despite being edged out by a measly half star, Toronto's Susur Lee and Las Vegas based chef Rick Moonen clearly brought their "A game" throughout the entire second season of Top Chef Masters. Lee served up gorgeous plates of Asian fusion with a classical twist, and Moonen utilized his knowledge of seafood as the foundation for whatever challenges the show presented.

On the season finale, the chefs were asked to cook their life stories -- Lee, following his origins with his father in Hong Kong and Moonen returning to his Queens, New York, roots. Lee's final plate was an artistic display of lamb thailandaise with chang mai sausage; Moonen went with venison, an attempt to persuade the judges to rethink him as just a chef who sleeps with the fishes.

Any of the final three could have won -- and while Lee and Moonen fell short of the prize, they provided season two with more humor than any of the other contestants -- something they'll surely be remembered for, going forward.

Slashfood caught up with Lee and Moonen about the final challenge, how Top Chef Masters helps their career and whether the judges got things right.

Throughout the second season of Top Chef Masters, New York based chef (and KitchenDaily expert) Marcus Samuelsson displayed a steady hand and a masterful knowledge of world inspired cuisines -- so much so that he emerged victorious over "culinary ninja" Susur Lee and seafood king Rick Moonen.

Early on, Samuelsson's cool and confident demeanor helped edge out competitors such as Jody Adams, Carmen Gonzalez and Tony Mantuano. Then, during the first few episodes of the "champions' round" it almost felt like he'd be leaving at any moment. But once the competition field narrowed to four, Samuelsson hit his stride.

As was often noted throughout Top Chef Masters, Samuelsson was born in Ethiopia but raised in Sweden by an adoptive family. In the end, his heritage paid off. In the season finale, Samuelsson took the table guests and judges on a journey from Sweden to Africa, preparing smoked char, cured duck with a foie gras ganache and a hamachi meatball with a sea urchin froth and porcini couscous.

Where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday (translation: April) that we welcomed nearly two dozen of the nation's best chefs into our living rooms for their weekly hazing on Top Chef Masters. Most were excised in the cruel, quick early rounds, but those who stayed -- and those who judged them -- left us with burning questions that we fear will never be answered.

For instance: Would sustainable seafood guru Rick Moonen prove, on the basis of appearance and first name if nothing else, to be this year's underdog champ, a la Rick Bayless in 2009? Would Susur Lee's unbridled, crazy genius make him a lock or handicap him? Would the professional egotist Marcus Samuelsson give up the arrogant schtick, or is it genuine? And just how many pairs of plaid trousers does he own?

And what of the judges? What happened to our favorite grand dame, Gael Greene, anyway? Did she take her hat collection and open up a millinery? Why does Jay Rayner have that permanently downturned smirk? Is it hereditary, or does he practice it in the mirror? And why, dear god, why, does James Oseland have a fishy crush on Rick?

One question: Who decides which lucky newlyweds get to be a part of Top Chef's perennial "Wedding Wars" episode? And do they take bribes?

Frankly, we weren't planning nuptials anytime soon. But based on the spread served up by eight of the nation's best chefs on this week's Top Chef Masters, we'd like to know the shooting schedule for next season now, so we can get to the top of the list. Forget the registry -- we'd be marrying for the food.

"Wedding Wars" team challenges, of course, are a staple of the Top Chef franchise, along with piercings in strange parts of the body and the creative use of the f-word. But never has the challenge been done like this: Jonathan Waxman can make tarragon roast chicken for us anytime. Even the "boring" wedding food -- potatoes au gratin by Tony Montuano, crab cakes by Carmen Gonzalez -- looked mouthwatering, perfectly crusted and crunchy. And then there was the literal icing on the cake: Five -- five! -- separate desserts by Susur Lee.

Memo to Bravo: Can you bring back this week's Top Chef Masters contestants? Like, for a whole season? Whatever casting mojo you conjured to create the alchemy of this final group of five utterly-professional-but-unpredictably-funny pros, keep it coming.

Pot jokes, unvarnished egotism, shoeless cooking, radish carvings so intricate they looked like origami -- it was all there and more. Oh, and great-looking food -- although, ultimately, the judges' ratings suggested otherwise.

Maybe it was the multicultural, multiregional, melting-pot quality of the cheftestants. Maybe it was their obvious kitchen smarts. Or maybe they were just the kind of people you'd not only want cooking for you, but hosting the dinner, as well -- not to mention getting a little drunk and telling you stories about becoming a chef.