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Top Chef Reunion Dinner: Did You Watch?

partysugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:30:43 -0800

The latest season of Top Chef was put on hold last night and instead of the regularly scheduled programming, Bravo brought us a little special. An all-star dinner hosted by season 5 fan favorite and upcoming reality star, Fabio Viviani. The best and most infamous competitors from the first five seasons of Top Chef gathered in Los Angeles to eat and relive their TC histories. Did you watch? Want to discuss? You know what to do: read more.

How fabulous was the intro? So fun to see the chefs now and then!
What with all the spinoffs, I can't help but wonder: Why doesn't Bravo do a Top Chef best of the best? And pit the final three chefs from the first 5 seasons against one another?
Who were you most excited to see? I didn't realize how much I missed Carla!
Has your opinion of any of the chefs changed?
Do you think the conversation was force fed by the producers?
What season did you start watching Top Chef?
What was your favorite line? Mine was when Harold said, "The Top Chef knife block needs to be napalmed, in my opinion."
How cute were Marcel and Ilan when they were grocery shopping?
What did you think of Fabio as the host?
Overall, did you enjoy the special?

Bravo Continues Its Affair With Fabio

YumSugar — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:15:19 -0700

Fabio Viviani may not have won season five of Top Chef, but we figured he'd go far. Turns out, the rumors about his own show are true: Fabio is getting a reality series on Bravo.

According to Variety, Fabio is one of three Bravo reality stars starring in upcoming spinoffs, along with Project Runway winner Christian Siriano and Real Housewives fixture and natural foods chef Bethenny Frankel.

The show will be called Fabio: A Catered Affair and "chronicle the challenges he faces as he and business partner Jacopo Falleni look to expand their restaurant and catering business in Los Angeles." The premise doesn't sound thrilling on paper, but I know I'll tune in just for Fabio's entertaining one-liners and charm. How about you?

Next Up For Top Chef's Fabio: TV Show, Frozen Pizza Line

YumSugar — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:30:09 -0800

Well, Fabio wasn't lying when he told us, "unfortunately, you're going to see my face a lot." When we last spoke to the charismatic Top Chef contestant, he mentioned that he had an offer for a TV show and a line of food coming out. Now the star himself has confirmed to at least one source that he will be starring in his own TV show. Although he stayed mum on the concept, Fabio promised that more details would be public by April.

Additionally, Dr. Oetker, one of Europe's top frozen pizza brands, is launching its Ristorante line in America, and has called on the reality TV personality to be the spokesperson for the thin-crust pizza. "We feel Fabio is the perfect voice for the brand," Dr. Oetker USA said in a statement. "He has an incredible personality and a real passion for cooking."

The Florence-born chef, who will tour with the pizza line this Summer, also recalls the frozen pizza from his childhood. "Growing up in Italy, my mom often had Dr. Oetker's products in the home," Fabio said in the same statement. "I'm excited to help introduce Ristorante frozen pizzas to American households."

I'm curious to know if you think Fabio could be a lasting food figure. Do you plan to try the frozen pizzas he's hawking, and will you watch his new TV show?

Source

Fabio: "Unfortunately, You're Going to See My Face a Lot"

partysugar — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 03:30:59 -0800

It's down to the wire on Top Chef with only three contestants remaining. Fabio was the first of the Euros to pack up his knives and leave the competition. Yesterday, I had the chance to speak with him over the phone. To find out what he had to say about Stefan, his experience, and Padma's Italian, read more.

On Stefan: He is extremely confident. The difference between me and him is I am a people person, very personable. He doesn't care. He's very straightforward. He's not a cocky guy. He's a great guy, great person, and he is confident. if you want to translate confidence into cockiness, fine with me. If I wasn't confident, I wouldn't be here. It's not a bad thing to be confident, especially in this kind of economy. I could hang out with him all day; sometimes he's at the restaurant, we go party together.

On his elimination: I wasn't upset. I'm a very happy person. I see that I have 13 people behind me and three in front of me, and I get motivated. Life is too short to complain. My dad and my grandfather used to tell me, "If you have a problem, and you know there's a solution, then stop bitching about it." If you know there's no solution, then why bitch about it? There's no solution. When you're the chef you're always in the spotlight.

On Bravo's portrayal of him: Whatever you see is the way that I am. I'm a nice person. Listen, if you see somebody on TV that said "f**k this, f**k that, d*ck here, d*ck there," it doesn't matter how they cut you and paste you - you said those things. They cannot put things in your mouth. That's what you said, that's what you've done. I've been very happy with what I said. If I did misbehave, I apologize for that. That's the way I am, the way I talk, the way I act, the way I cook.

On the judges: Who am I to judge them? With Colicchio, I can agree to disagree. He has done things that I would love to be doing in the next 10 years. I honestly respect his opinion. It's up to you if you are smart enough to take it. Padma was speaking Italian to me. She was modeling for this Italian agency and she was working for this very famous talk show in Italy, so I was actually looking at Padma way before she was looking at my food.

She has a great palate, she's smoking hot, she understands a lot about food. I respect her. She's a very nice person, very personable. We had a good time together. She's very fun.

On the guest judges he disagreed with: I had a big argument with Martha Stewart. My polenta, she said that it was gray, but she didn't even taste it. She dipped her fork in it, she didn't even take a full bite. The other judge was a French guy, Jean-Christophe Novelli. He told me that my cream was not cooked enough and that the egg white was coagulated. I told him there was no egg white in it. I'm saying, there is no egg white in the cream - how's that sound for you? But he's French! Italy, France, they have a history. In food, and wine. Last year there was the World Cup, soccer; I understand. I'm just kidding. You know, I think he's a great chef. It's an opinion. You cannot agree with everything. It's your ass there, you gotta defend yourself a little bit.

On what's next: I will do more TV, I can promise you that. I have a food line coming out. I have an offer for a TV show. What I said is that I am getting a lot of offers. I am getting asked to license my image to food companies. I have a deal with Ducati motorbikes. I am dealing with a TV company, yes - I got a lot of requests; they offered me a job here and there. But don't forget that I am a chef. Everything that I will ever do . . . my first business is food. Unfortunately, you're going to see my face a lot. I am not allowed to talk about it. We will see. Watch what happens. But stay tuned.

Source

Yummy Links: From Nirvino's Wine App to Eater's Expansion

partysugar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:50:56 -0700

Introducing the newest must-have wine application for your iPhone. - Nirvino
Fabio Viviani's cookbook by the numbers. - Eat Me Daily
Here are 21 tasty bar snack recipes. - Chow
Everything you need to know about buying sustainable seafood. - Sunset
Eight common fast foods you should avoid. - SF Weekly
Michael Pollan's next mission: reform health care. - Grub Street
The real reason Hector was kicked off of Top Chef? His thermometer didn't work.- The Feedbag
Is it OK to serve pesto at a dinner party? - The Epi-Log
This lavender honey spice cake is seriously Italian. - Serious Eats
Eater is expanding and looking for bloggers/photographers in a city near you. - Eater

Top Chef Vegas: Episode 11

partysugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:00:55 -0800

After a brief hiatus with last week's Fabio-hosted reunion dinner, we went back to Vegas - and into Padma's hotel room - for this week's episode of Top Chef.

The final six chefs started things off by cooking breakfast in bed for their fearless hostess and her celebrity chef friend Nigella Lawson. For the elimination challenge, each contestant created a dish for a party, drawing inspiration from different casinos on the strip. Who was playing to win? Let's talk about it when you read more.

I love how Nigella said Eli's dish "would be" good hangover food - you know, in theory. Whose quickfire dish would you want to eat if you were hungover?
How did you feel about Nigella as a guest judge?
What casino do you think would be hardest to base a dish around?
Kevin's dish looked great, but can anyone explain what it had to do with the Mirage?
Why do you think Jennifer has seemingly lost so much of her confidence?
With all the focus on Bryan's son and family life, did you think he might get kicked off?
Isn't it odd that the remaining guys are sharing a room? Shouldn't they be able to spread out by now?
What was up with the wind in that party venue?
Are buffalo wings something you associate with New York City? What iconic NYC food would you riff on in Michael's position?
How do you feel about who won and lost?

Photo courtesy of Bravo

Top Chef Vegas: Episode 10

partysugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:30:24 -0700

Things are winding down on the sixth season of Top Chef Vegas. After last night's episode only six cheftestants remain. Instead of a guest judge that's a chef, the actress Natalie Portman decides the fate of the competitors. It was all about vegetarian food. Did you watch? Let's discuss it after the break.

Which New Bravo Reality Show Are You Most Excited About?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:30:01 -0700

Whenever a reality show like Project Runway or Top Chef comes to an end, there are always a few standout contestants I know I'm going to miss seeing every week. Luckily, Bravo is giving three breakout reality stars more air time with their very own series on the network.

Project Runway's Christian Siriano will star in his own show about marketing his clothing line, while Top Chef favorite Fabio Viviani will give us a closer look at his life in the restaurant biz. Rounding out the three is Bethenny Frankel, who will show off her own culinary skills on the small screen while pulling double duty for Real Housewives of New York.

Now, here's the big question: which of these three shows are you most excited about?

Clive Owen Looks Good Enough to Eat

PopSugar — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:30:00 -0700

Clive Owen was suited up last night for the NYC premiere of The Boys Are Back. He doesn't share the screen with any big names, but he was joined on the checkered carpet by Miramax's president, Daniel Battsek. The screening was co-hosted by Bon Appetit, and it brought out stars from the cooking world like Emeril Lagasse and former Top Chef contestant Fabio Viviani. It looked like a fairly lady-less night for the group of guys, which works well to celebrate a film about fathers and sons.

To see more Clive, just read more.

View 10 Photos ›

Images include: Clive Owen, Daniel Battsek, Fabio Viviani, Emeril Lagasse, Bill Terlato

Introducing Top Chef the Wine

partysugar — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:15:31 -0700

Today at the Television Critics Association's convention in Los Angeles, the people behind Top Chef revealed a new TC branded product, wine. The collection, which was created in partnership with Rutherford Hill winery, is expected to be released soon, but won't make its debut on the show this season. Molly and BuzzSugar were lucky enough to taste the wine last night. According to Molly, the Cabernet Sauvignon is smooth, very easy to drink, and slightly spicy. Padma Lakshmi hosted the Vegas season launch luncheon and the quickfire that followed the meal earlier today.

The challenge pitted three of the upcoming Top Chef Las Vegas cheftestants against accomplished competitors Fabio Viviani, Antonia Lofaso, and Ryan Scott. With so many Top Chef products - from knives to t-shirts to a cookbook - the introduction of a wine is not surprising. After all, if the Food Network's Iron Chef can have its own wine label, why not market one for TC? Are you interested in tasting this wine?