Top Chef Season 7 contestant cooks for charity event in Baltimore

For those who love a good party, food, and drink this just crossed my desk.  No time to put my own spin on this - here is the press release: 

Bmore Together is hosting a Culinary Showcase on Monday, March 20, to benefit local youth arts organization Muse 360. Tickets are on sale now.

When: March 20th from 6-9pm

Where: Church & Co, 3647 Falls Road

Cost: $60 in advance ($75 at the door)

Your ticket includes:

Hearty small plates from five culinary superstars, assisted by high school culinary arts students from the National Academy Foundation in Baltimore City. Drinks and wine pairings included. Vegetarian options will be available at each station.

**The following chefs (who have graciously donated their time and top-notch ingredients!) will be preparing haute cuisine in their own distinct styles.

Pick your winners now for Top Chef Duels

The culinary reality show franchise Top Chef which has done numerous configurations on the chef competition theme now brings us Top Chef Duels premiering August 6^th.  Bravo just released the names of the competitors in these culinary cook-offs; runner-ups versus runner-ups, winners against winners, finalist against finalist, men against men, women against women and men against women. I wonder if Las Vegas will announce the odds? As an aficionado, avid fan and devout viewer of the Top Chef shows, I’ve picked who I think will win each chef- versus-chef battle.  See the competitors list of dueling chefs below and my picks for winners from each head-to-head battle.   

In Top Chef Duels, competing cheftestants take part in 3 challenges; two based on each chef picking a challenge that will focus on the other’s perceived weakness, i.e. baking, butchering, unlikely international cuisines…we don’t know but it will make it interesting. The third and final challenge decides who moves on to the finale where the 9 duel winners compete for $100,000 prize money. 

Find out who the competitors are and who I think will win HERE.

Cheftestant Mike Isabella live tweeting tonight during Top Chef

My curiosity is piqued. I just saw Mike Isabella, Top Chef contestant this season state on Facebook, “I will be tweeting live tonight @MikeIsabellaDC to clarify the Bull Sh-t!!!!!!” Well now I must stay awake and watch the tweets as I watch Top Chef tonight.

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Cheftestant Mike Isabella live tweeting tonight during Top Chef - National Food | Examiner.com

Top Chef alumni spotted at a Subway on Charles Street

So chatting with a food friend when he says a car pulled in front of him on Charles Street with vanity license plate TopChef on a BMW. “Wait”, he said, “he is going into a Subway.” You know me, the hair on my arms stood up and I said can you get a picture and send it to me?

Catch the full rant: Top Chef alumni spotted at a Subway on Charles Street

Hurry up Baltimore get your FREE desserts today

Today is Just Desserts Day – FREE desserts everywhere in the country and even here in Baltimore. The promotion kicks off the premier of the Top Chef new series Just Desserts tonight at 11 p.m. on Bravo. Where as Top Chef Just Desserts partnered with restaurants and OpenTable around the country for FREE desserts they didn’t partner with Baltimore restaurants........BUT

Check out local Baltimore Pastry shops that are giving away free desserts today:

Hurry up Baltimore get your FREE desserts today - don’t miss out

Get your free desserts compliments of Top Chef’s new series Just Desserts

What a great publicity partnership and you are the winners. Top Chef’s new series Just Desserts premieres tomorrow, Wednesday, September 15th. If you make your reservation through OpenTable.com and order an entrée at anyone of over 800 restaurants nationwide you get a FREE dessert to be shared by two. Waiter, bring an extra spoon!

The promotion seems to cover key cities but this writer has gotten wind that there might be special deals in other cities ....Read the full story and watch video:

Get your free desserts compliments of Top Chef’s new series Just Desserts - National food | Examiner.com

Ripert and Bourdain – the good, the bad, the calories – Part 1

Had you suggested 10 years ago to offer a show with two chefs sitting on stage chit-chatting and have it sell out a theatre, people would have said you should stop drinking. The reality is that last night the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore was filled, jammed with fans of Anthony Bourdain of the Travel Channel’s No Reservations and Eric Ripert of the PBS series Avec Eric.

A friend, who is passionately in love with Bourdain, sent her advanced ticket sale notice from Broadway Across America to me bemoaning she couldn’t go because of her son’s college graduation. Opportunity knocked but the best seats available were center row K. How could so many tickets for chefs just talking sold so, so fast? At the theatre Jody and Angela Lamberti discussed how they manage front row tickets and Jody replied she ordered the tickets the instant the e-mail came into her in box.

Read the story, catch the snap and watch the video: Ripert and Bourdain – the good, the bad, the calories – Part 1

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Top Chefs come to National Aquarium for sustainable cooking dining series

It’s a fact Jack! Yes indeed, I just got my e-mail from the National Aquarium confirming what they are hosting another in their series of Fresh Thoughts through Sustainable Seafood featuring Top Chef contestants. A couple days ago I saw a post from one of the participating Top Chef contestants on Facebook saying they were going to the National Aquarium and then a tweet hinting from the Aquarium and last night I met a National Aquarium official at Visit Baltimore’s town hall meeting who smiled when I asked for confirmation.

Get schedule and see which Top Chef contestants will be part of this series.

Top Chefs come to National Aquarium for sustainable cooking dining series

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Top Chef Parody - Hungry Ladies - my salute to tonights reunion show at 9 p.m.

Clever little video parody of Top Chef Season 6 with a fake Gail Simmons, Mattin, Ashley and Bryan Voltaggio. Tonight is the reunion show at 9 p.m. east coast time on Bravo. What little secrets will be revealed tonight?

Read the rest of the post and watch the very clever video:

Top Chef Parody - Hungry Ladies - my salute to tonights reunion show at 9 p.m.

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Top Chef - The finale

Call me surprised and probably many others when Michael Voltaggio won the Top Chef honor last night. The favorites were Kevin Gillepsie and Michael’s brother Bryan.

So I sit at my desk and mull over the finale ... read my opinions about the finale:

Top Chef - The finale

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Food Network’s Chopped outreaching to Baltimore chefs

In the past couple of weeks I heard from two different Baltimore chefs that the Food Network’s cooking competition show, Chopped, hosted by Ted Allen has approached them to come to New York for an interview. Being food nosy, maybe I should say food curious, I gave the Chopped staff a call.

Read the interview and see how you might get on Chopped:

Food Network’s Chopped outreaching to Baltimore chefs

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Why food? Women chefs and restaurateurs answer the question

Having so many talented women chefs and restaurateurs under one roof at the 2009 conference inspired me to ask the question, why food? For me food is the equivalent of love. My family believed we all sat around the dinner table, no TV, no newspapers and if there was texting that would have been forbidden as well. It was a time to share our stories of the day and feel the warmth of family.

Please share the passion of these chefs in the video, why food?

Why food? Women chefs and restaurateurs answer the question

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Cook your way to the Food and Wine Classic in Aspen

Before the South Beach, Atlantic City, New York City Food and Wine Festivals there was The Food and Wine Classic in Aspen, the mother of all food and wine festivals. The Aspen/Snowmass International Wine Classic started in 1983 and Food and Wine Magazine became the host in 1986. I’ve been reading about it for years and wishing it was within my budget. More of you have heard of it as part of the grand prize for Top Chef Winners. It is a foodie’s dream vacation.

Read more:

Cook your way to the Food and Wine Classic in Aspen

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Rumor mill has Top Cheftestant leaving her job

This morning I heard that Chef Jesse Sandlin was leaving Abacrombie and supposedly going to work for a large restaurant group in the East Harbor.

Read the complete story:
Rumor mill has Top Cheftestant leaving her job

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Top Chef video interviews redux

Watching Top Chef Las Vegas this evening reminded me of the video interviews I filmed with 3 cheftestants and one Top Chef winner: Carla Hall, Jeff McInnis, Michael Midgely and Ilan Hall. I thought you would enjoy having all four candid interviews in one post for easy viewing entertainment.

Watch all four videos: Top Chef video interviews redux

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