Kelly Choi

If you thought the super-skinny, sometimes robotic hostess Kelly Choi was the weakest link on Top Chef Masters, looks like you weren't the only one. Bravo has just released the news that the third season of the culinary competition will get a new host. It's none other than Australian chef Curtis Stone.

No word on the chefs who will participate, but the channel did announce a ninth season of Top Chef; casting will begin soon. Also slated to premiere in 2011 on Bravo? Rocco DiSpirito's show, Rocco's Dinner Party, a competition where the chefs have to throw the ultimate dinner party.

Since I wasn't much of a Kelly Choi fan, I'm excited to see Curtis Stone as the host of TC Masters.

How about you? Will you be more interested in Top Chef Masters now that it's hosted by a real master chef?

Much like the semifinalist announcement, the list of emcees for this year's James Beard Awards reads like a who's who of the culinary world. Yesterday, the foundation revealed that the awards show, which takes place May 3 in New York, will be hosted by none other than Hollywood culinary legend Wolfgang Puck, Food Network gadget geek Alton Brown, and Italian grande dame Lidia Bastianich. Top Chef Masters host Kelly Choi and daring TV diner Andrew Zimmern will host the Media & Book Awards Dinner in a ceremony held the night before. In the past, the James Beard Foundation has made some bizarre host choices like Kim Cattrall and Stanley Tucci, so this year's lineup seems much more in line with the culinary intentions of the event itself.

Plus, I think Alton would make a great, if eccentric, emcee. Who would you like to see host the Oscars of the food world?

The second season of Top Chef Masters is set to premiere on April 7 and Entertainment Weekly has revealed the lineup of participating chefs. Kelly Choi will continue to host and the judges, James Oseland, Gael Greene, and Jay Reyner, will be joined by Gail Simmons. There's also an exciting new cast of guest judges including Andrew Zimmerman, Hank Azaria, and Mekhi Phifer. To check out the entire list of competing masters — six of the chefs were on the first season — read more

The US representative for the Bocuse D'Or, the world's most exciting and prestigious culinary competition, has been selected. James Kent, sous chef at Eleven Madison Park in NYC, won the spot on Saturday beating out the 11 other finalists, including Percy Whatley.

The finals competition, which was emceed by Top Chef Masters host Kelly Choi, took place at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. The participating chefs had two and a half hours on Friday and three hours on Saturday to prepare 12 servings each of salmon and lamb dishes along with extensive sides for the judges.

Kent's menu included Scottish salmon with leeks, Alaskan king crab, cucumbers and Meyer lemon, and Spring lamb with piquillo peppers, among other things. The open-to-the-public competition was the culmination of a two-day event that included chef round tables and demonstrations. Kent and his commis, Tom Allan, will spend the next year training to compete in the Bocuse D'Or that takes place in France in January of 2011.

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As Bravo's Top Chef Las Vegas reaches the halfway mark, the network continues to expand its Top Chef empire. First it released plans to shoot Top Chef 7, and now the network has announced that it's bringing back Top Chef Masters for a sophomore season.

The second season of Masters, which was the highest-rated first season competition series in Bravo history, will see the return of Gael Greene, James Oseland, and Jay Rayner as critics, as well as bubbly (and slightly bubbleheaded) host Kelly Choi. This time, however, Top Chef veteran judge Gail Simmons will also have a place at the Critics' Table.

Now for the fun part. Guessing who will star on the show next. Any takers? Here are my guesses: While it sounds like Ming Tsai probably won't be a contender, what about Marcus Samuelsson, Tom Douglas, Kent Rathbun, and Charlie Palmer?

Photo courtesy of Bravo

One chef took home the $100,000 prize on the final episode of Top Chef Masters last night. It was a nostalgic show that looked back at the final three chefs' — Michael Chiarello, Rick Bayless, and Hubert Keller — food memories and culinary careers. Did you watch? Let's discuss the details (spoilers ahead) after the break.

Only four masters remained on last night's episode of Top Chef Masters. The best part was when the Top Chef alum showed up! Did you watch? To discuss the episode, read more

• The hottest chef at last weekend's food festival in San Francisco? DJ Hubert Keller. — Eater SF
• How to start your own food truck. — Grub Street
• If you love Pop Tarts, you'll enjoy this Pop Tart art. — Eat Me Daily
• Taste test: milk chocolate bars. — Serious Eats
• Where to taste wine while traveling in Sonoma. — Chow
• Are you America's best home cook? Enter this contest and you could win big. — Food & Wine
• Kelly Choi just got a little more ridiculous: here she is dressed up as Catwoman. — The Feedbag
• The latest trend to hit the beverage scene is old-fashioned root beer. — Bon Appétit

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