Top Chef: An Ilan Hall vs Sam Talbot Cook-Off and More
Ilan Hall and Sam Talbot
Meeting Sam Talbot, Ilan Hall, Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio and Ted Allen would be a fantasy for any Top Chef fan. Luckily, that fantasy came true for me at Bravo's Top Chef Cook-Off event between Sam and Ilan, and I'm here to share all the juicy details with you.
Let's begin with the Top Chef season two winner, Ilan Hall, and the fan favorite, Sam Talbot. When Sam was kicked off, leaving Ilan and Marcel to battle it out in the finale, fans went nuts (which Sam said was "a little unexpected" to him). Not only did most fans want Sam to win, but they expected Sam to win, and to see Marcel take his place seemed ludicrous. However, Ilan made quite the good point while speaking to me about the Sam debacle. "That's the only problem on the show. People can't taste the food," he said.
At first I thought Ilan was just being grumpy since his win seemed to be overshadowed by Sam's elimination, but then, after Ilan won again at the cook-off event, I realized he's probably right. Maybe Ilan's food is really better than Sam's. I guess we'll never know.
...Until they both open up their restaurants, that is. Sam said he's still wrapping up some things with his restaurant and can't say much about it until the end of this month. But, the good news for all you New Yorkers out there is that Sam will definitely be setting up shop in our city. Ilan, on the other hand, isn't exactly sure what his path will be, though he did say it would be ideal to "open up something in the East Village." Right now Ilan has been keeping busy traveling everywhere from Spain to Aspen doing cooking demos and charity events. All I know is that when these two super chefs finally do open their restaurants, I'm going to have a cook-off of my own - going to each of their establishments and finally deciding who is my top chef.
Ilan Hall with his Dad
Back to the Ilan-Sam-Marcel triangle of love. Okay, hate is probably a better word there. Ilan said the top two questions he's asked by people on the street are "What are you doing now?" and "Was Marcel that bad?" Since we've already covered question one, let's get to the good stuff. Ilan said that Marcel is "a good person," and that "he sent me a text message last night." While they probably won't be making foams together any time soon, Marcel and Ilan actually keep in touch outside of Top Chef events, and Ilan said their relationship is "amicable." I'm actually surprised.
I'd love to say that the question Sam is asked most often by fans is something equally as astounding as the fact that Ilan and Marcel get along, but I just can't do that. Sam said the number one question he's asked is, "Will you marry me?" Yeah, I'm not surprised either. Oh, and he also said that women will offer him their daughters. Check this out though: When I asked Sam if he's single, his response was, "We can't touch that." Um, what does that mean? (His MySpace says single, so who knows.)
MediaVillage.com's Jacki Garfinkel with Sam Talbot
Okay, more Ilan and Sam dish: Ilan told me, "Sam could be a better cook. He's better at making snap decisions." But, Ilan said that when they have more time, it's more of an even playing field. Ilan also pointed out that during season two the judges mentioned that Ilan had won the most elimination challenges while Sam won the most quickfire challenges. Maybe these two chefs truly are more equal than we were led on to believe. I reallllly want to taste their food. Can someone send me some now? Thanks.
All righty, Sam and Ilan get enough coverage due to their skill and good looks, so let's move on to the rest of the Top Chef crew. Super Chef Tom Colicchio. Before Top Chef even started, this man was a god in the food world, owning many renowned restaurants (previously Gramercy Tavern and now Craft, Craftbar, Craftsteak, and 'wichcraft). Since his role began as head judge on Top Chef, Colicchio has moved in status from celebrity chef to all around celebrity. Of course, he doesn't let that get to his head, as he said, "I don't give it much thought. It wasn't something I intended to do."
When Top Chef producers originally approached Colicchio about the role, he said no! Could you imagine the show without him? No? Neither can I. Tom Colicchio is Top Chef. Thankfully when the producers came to him a second time, he changed his mind, realizing that it would just be one more challenge he could try to conquer. In every season premiere of Top Chef, Colicchio lets the chefs know that he is not their mentor, but head judge. He pointed that out to me as well. "I'm not their mentor... but I do try to be fair and not be mean spirited." Once the show ends though, the mentor status can change. "If they call me, I'm there for them," he said. Colicchio said he helped season one winner Harold, not with the opening of his restaurant, but to help "keep his head on straight" in the whirlwind that follows a win on Top Chef.
Top Chef Season 3 Contestants
As for the season three contestants, Colicchio says that overall this is the most talented cast. While he understands that the producers have to do their job of finding characters and stars, he's looking for a top chef. This season he spent more time looking at resumes and had former cast members nominate people as well. (Hung on season three is a friend of Marcel. Even if I didn't tell you that, you'd know from watching the season premiere - they just seem like they'd be friends.) Colicchio didn't want untalented chefs on the show for the sole reason that they were good eye candy. "People buy into the idea that we're looking for a great chef. All 15 contestants should be able to win," he said.
By the way, can I just tell you how cool Tom Colicchio is? In the cook-off, Ilan had made crab, and apparently, as I learned from Colicchio, crabs have a tendency to explode. Well Ilan's crab did just that, all over Colicchio, burning him! And what did he do? Played it totally cool, did the interview, and even posed for a picture.
MediaVillage.com's Liz Satenstein and Jacki Garfinkel with Tom Colicchio
Of course, you can't talk about Top Chef without some Padma Lakshmi chatter. If anyone saw Lakshmi's recent appearance on The View, you'd know that she had quite the commanding presence in all the cooking segments, and that she sure knows a hell of a lot about food. Seeing her with such a take charge attitude, I wondered how she keeps her hands off when the contestants are cooking. "There's so much at stake," she said, "I'm just concerned with being as fair as possible." Lakshmi added that showing favoritism would be like "choosing between two children." Yet, she said that she and Tom do sit around playing the "What would I do differently" game. And for all of you who saw the charity cook-off on Bravo last week, Lakshmi has never tried cooking an egg with one hand! Just an FYI. Something she has tried though? Geoduck (pronounced gooey-duck), rattlesnake, eel... and that's just in the Top Chef season three premiere episode. Lakshmi said that challenge got "a little Fear Factor" for her.
Last but not least, this season Top Chef is bringing on Ted Allen as a judge. He's guest judged in previous seasons, but this time around we'll be seeing him on a much more frequent basis... something I couldn't be happier about. Ted has the time to make the commitment now that Queer Eye for the Straight Guy is coming to an end... something I'm not so happy about. At least I get my Ted Allen fix during Top Chef.
Allen is one of the nicest judges, saying he understands how hard the contestants have to work, and thus he likes to be respectful of them. Ted said one judge told a contestant their dish looked like "a venereal disease." Although that quote didn't make it onto the premiere episode, Allen gave us the scoop that it was famed chef Anthony Bourdain who said the line. Check back Tuesday, June 26, for my full interview with the beloved Ted Allen.
At this Top Chef cook-off event, it was announced that June 13th would be Top Chef Day in New York City. I'm not kidding. That's how much people love Top Chef. Lauren Zalaznick, Bravo president, joked to me that before coming to the event she wondered, "Is this going to be like Kathy Griffin?" Zalaznick was of course referring to Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, when Griffin received a key to a city and no one showed up for the event. Zalaznick thought, "Am I going to have my own D-List moment?" Zalaznick and the rest of Bravo had nothing to worry about as the cook-off was of course packed with fans.. Top Chef has become a staple (or should I say condiment) in TV viewing, and it won't be going away any time soon.
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