'Top Chef' Season 4
We’ve got the dirt on this year’s crop of NYC contestants
- Metromix.com
- By Jacqui Gal
Photo: Chuck Hodes / Bravo
Read this article at Metromix.com
The new season of “Top Chef” debuts on March 12, and this year a whopping seven of the 16 contestants hail from New York.
We tracked down managers, servers, former bosses and even a mom of five NYC hopefuls to get the skinny on their chances. After all, who’d know them better than those who’ve prepped their veggies, carried their plates and brought them a sneaky vodka tonic when the day got rough?
Chef: Dale Talde
Current post: Sous-chef at Buddakan
Pedigree: Trained at the Culinary Institute of America. Worked in his hometown of Chicago at Spring, Kevin, Naha and with fellow TC4 contestant Stephanie Izzard at Vong’s Thai Kitchen under Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Talde then moved to New York, where he worked as chef de cuisine at Morimoto before his current post at Buddakan.
The dish: “When he was a sous-chef at Opera, he called one of my farmers and wanted some suckling pig,” says chef Kevin Shikami, of Chicago’s Kevin restaurant. “The guy told him that it was some price, say $13, and he thought ‘Oh, good’ and bought a bunch. It got delivered and he didn’t realize that it was $13 a pound, and it cost him over a thousand dollars. He had to take that bill to the accounts guys, and they really blew it. I don’t think he’ll ever order suckling pig again.”
The buzz: Despite Talde’s I-take-myself-very-seriously pretense on the Bravo Web video, Shikami insists that when Talde worked as a lunch cook in his kitchen he always liked a good laugh. “Maybe he had an epiphany when he got to New York. When he worked for me he was more into working and having fun—a cook’s life kind of thing.”
The verdict: Talde likes to entertain those around him, says his former boss, but he can work hard when necessary. “It will be tough,” says Shikami, with an eye to Talde’s Chicago-based competition like Izzard. “It will be interesting to watch.”
Chef: Manuel Trevino
Current post: Executive chef at Dos Caminos
Pedigree: Trained at the New England Culinary Institute. Worked at Le Cirque and with Mario Batali at Babbo (where he was sous-chef), before returning to his Mexican roots at Dos Caminos.
Life loves: According to a March 2002 announcement in the New York Times, Trevino married a Bloomberg research and development securities analyst named Jana. They are now the proud parents of twin toddler boys.
The buzz: “He’s going to be a great character for the show,” says a manager at Dos Caminos’ Third Avenue location. “He’s really charming when you meet him, but on TV they may be able to pull out his devilish side too.” So he has a little bit of that Mexican picante? “That’s the perfect way of putting it!” she laughs.
The dish: Other than food, Trevino has a passion for sports. “He takes great pleasure in giving people a really hard time when their teams lose,” says the Dos Caminos manager. And apparently, he can dish it out, but isn’t so good at taking a loss. “He only likes the Dallas Cowboys, so when they start losing he just doesn’t watch football anymore.”
The verdict: “I think he’ll be fabulous,” says the manager. “I’ve never seen him lose his cool.”
Chef: Nikki Cascone
Current post: Chef and co-owner of “24 Prince”: http://www.24prince.com
Pedigree: Cascone studied at the School of Culinary Arts in Atlanta before working both the front and back of house at restaurants there, including Bacchanalia and Floataway Café with Anne Quatrano. In New York Cascone worked at the now-defunct V in Columbus Circle (another Jean-Georges Vongerichten alumnus!) and various other restos in the JGV group.
Life loves: Cascone’s boyfriend Brad is a managing partner at the restaurant. Despite the lovey-dovey picture, on Cascone’s MySpace page she lists herself as “single”. (Maybe she’s one of those not-until-there’s-a-ring-on-this-finger kinds of girl. Respect.) Cascone’s other great love is for Italian Greyhounds. She brought home a brand new greyhound puppy in February this year—the third one she has owned. But her mom Sharon Tuckman-Skovera says Cascone loves all animals.
The dish: This isn’t Cascone’s first brush with reality TV. In 2002 she appeared on “Dog Days,” an Animal Planet TV series about dog lovers and their pets. “She was disappointed at how it came out,” says mom. “She thought it would be more about the animals. They took a lot of tape and lots of cute stuff and none of it came up on the show.” So, once bitten, is she worried about how she’ll be portrayed on TC4? “Well, she knows that they edit it for the drama.”
The buzz: If you’ve got it, flaunt it. Signs on Cascone’s restaurant window and Web site already state: “We are proud to announce our Chef Nikki Cascone will be participating in Season 4 of Top Chef Chicago. March 12, 2008 on Bravo”
The verdict: According to Tuckman-Skovera, Cascone’s a true all-arounder. “I don’t think there’s anything she hasn’t done,” reports the proud mom. “She’s opened up a restaurant for people, done restaurant consulting, she knows book keeping and accounting and how to cut prices and everything.” She’s also a certified sommelier.
Chef: Spike Mendelsohn
Current post: Chef de cuisine at Mai House
Pedigree: Trained at the Culinary Institute of America and worked with chef Gerard Boyer at his haute-cuisine restaurant and hotel Les Crayeres in Reims, France (you can find a recipe for Boyer’s “Foie gras de canard with white mushrooms, black truffles and vin d’orange” on the resto’s Web site…in French). Mendelsohn worked with Thomas Keller at Bouchon in Napa Valley and at Le Cirque in New York.
The dish: Spike’s real first name is Evangelos, and he lives in Williamsburg.
Life loves: Fat, salt spice and mayo. Mendelsohn’s next venture is to open a high-end comfort-food chain called Good Stuff Eatery in Washington, D.C. In his own words, the restaurant will feature “a heaping hickory bacon burger dripping with melted cheddar…fresh cut fries topped with tangy chipotle mayo and a thick and creamy marshmallow shake.” Can we have a side of double bypass with that, please? The resto is slated to open this spring.
The buzz: It’s that old familiar story: Kid grows up in family restaurant, bussing tables and washing dishes on weekends for pocket change. Saute cook calls in sick…on a night with 350 guests. Some are waiting 45 minutes for a table. Everyone panics. Kid jumps on the line and starts flinging pots and pans like a seasoned pro. “Did you know he could do that?” “No. Did you?” Fate is sealed. Sets off on adventure, traveling the world and learning from the best chefs. Winds up as contestant on “Top Chef” season 4.
The verdict: According to Mai House manager Weng, “Spike is talented, ambitious and team-oriented”. Yes, but will he win? “He’s my chef, I give him the best support. Hopefully, I think he’ll win. He is very talented.”
Chef: Mark Simmons
Currently post: Sous-chef at Public
Pedigree: With no formal training, Mark has worked his way up from dishwasher to sous-chef over eight years and several continents.
Life loves: Krispy Kreme doughnuts, tomatoes and Indian curries.
The dish: Mark got his start as a dishwasher. Not necessarily looking to become a chef, he was backpacking around Australia and needed to make a buck. But once he donned those checkered pants, it was all over for this Kiwi. Mark had been bitten by the bug, and it was probably a Moreton Bay Bug —an Australian specialty lobster-like species—that did it.
The buzz: According to a brunch waitress at Public, Mark has already been painted as the bad guy in promos and blogs. “Actually he’s really sweet,” she says. “He’s just confident.” Or probably the next Marcel.
The verdict: Floor manager Jesse thinks he could have a chance: “He’s very serious about his work, but he likes to have fun in the kitchen. He’s a good guy.”