‘Top Chef’ Season 5
Quickfire Challenge number 1. Photo: courtesy of Bravo.
Fellow chefs, barkeeps and ex-roommates give us the scoop on the new cheftestants
“Top Chef” fans are a pretty serious bunch. The minute one season’s winner is announced, the next batch of contestants are ready for some roasting. On the spit: “Top Chef” Season 5’s hopefuls, who mark the series’ return to New York after a brief detour to Chicago last season. (It debuts on Nov. 12.)
When taping on “Top Chef” Season 5 began in Brooklyn this past summer, the blogosphere was abuzz with chef IDs and speculation about who’d be the last cook standing. Yeah, Bravo’s own Web site give you some quick, sugary bios on the contestants. We did our own sleuthing—here’s what we dug up…
An all-out munch-athon at the Wine & Food Fest’s showcase event
Photo: Todd Seelie.
Since it’s the inaugural year of the New York City Wine & Food Festival, nobody quite knew what to expect from one of the showcase events: the Grand Tasting, a $150, three-hour tour through the kitchens of some of New York’s culinary heavyweights, held at Pier 54.
As it turned out, the event was a foodie paradise, with plenty of wines and spirits to sample alongside delicious plates from top chefs who were on hand to schmooze and tout their dishes.
NYC Wine & Food Festival
Daisy May's Adam Perry Lang at the South Beach Burger Bash
The 411 on the city’s biggest food bonanza ever—and how to navigate it
Dedicated foodies already revere Chelsea Market as a mecca of great produce and crusty loaves. Now, that site is the major hub in a series of venues handpicked for the inaugural New York City Wine & Food Festival. The festival, which takes place from Oct. 9-12, is a four-day gourmet extravaganza, designed to bring the spirit of its South Beach cousin to New York City.
Chef Shots: Wylie Dufresne
Photos: Melisa Hom, courtesy Metromix.com
wd-50’s mad scientist shows us the genesis of his ice cream bagel
Don’t call James Beard–nominated chef Wylie Dufresne a molecular gastronomist. You’ll piss him off. Although Dufresne does use a multitude of advanced scientific techniques to produce both playful variations on traditional dishes and wacky new food pairings at his acclaimed Lower East Side restaurant, wd-50, he’d rather be called a “New American” chef. Or maybe just a “chef.”
Hollywood actress
Growing up with images of dance role models like Mikhail Baryshnikov and Twyla Tharp, Victoria De Mare believed that dancing could be her life-long career. But when she suffered a break in her fifth metatarsal at the age of 21, she was forced to reckon with a tough new reality.
Law professor: Indian classical dancer
Photo: David Hou
Natasha Bakht never really had to choose between her legal and dance careers. In fact, until she was 22 and received an invitation to dance full time at the Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company in London, Bakht (who is from Toronto) didn’t realize that being an Indian classical dancer could even constitute a career.
Secret gardens for good eats
Max's secret garden. Photo: Mea Tefka
Enjoy a delicious dinner under the stars at these hidden outdoor retreats
Nothing thrills us more than stumbling on a hidden restaurant garden — probably because, as New Yorkers, we often have to do without our own little patch. So with the warm weather here to stay, get some green at these hidden gems.