Thomas Keller

Last week, I woke up (no surprises here) slightly hungover. It seems I had played one three too many rounds of beer pong. As I lay in bed, my head pounding, I suddenly realized I was in the best place in the world to be hungover: my parents' house — where the fridge was always stocked! Sure enough there was bacon, eggs, an assortment of cheese, and bread. It was time to make the ultimate breakfast sandwich — Thomas Keller's cheesy BLT with a fried egg. You may recognize this sandwich from the movie Spanglish. And if you've never made it, treat yourself to one today (especially if you are hungover!).

The combination of crisp bacon, oozing yolk, and melted cheese is scrumptiously sublime. The sandwich features simple ingredients in a magnificent way that is balanced in both taste and texture. Although it's extremely messy to eat, the dish is surprisingly hearty and beyond delicious. To check out this egg-cellent sandwich, read more

For our Best of 2008 series, we asked you who you thought deserved the title of best restaurant chef of the year.

The votes for Masaharu Morimoto and Thomas Keller were neck and neck, but ultimately your pick was Thomas Keller.

We must, however, respectfully disagree and say that our pick for best restaurant chef is David Chang. Since David Chang opened his first Momofuku restaurant, the New York chef has skyrocketed to unexpected heights of celebrity chefdom.

We have always been fans of the talented young chef's unparalleled innovation in flavor and technique, and his ability to bring a dramatically different yet affordable type of comfort food to the masses. When we sat down with him at Slow Food Nation, we also fell for his self-deprecating humor and bad boy demeanor.

Have you been to one of Chang's Momofuku restaurants?

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This year has been a momentous one for the Olympics — not just in sports, but in the culinary arena as well. The Bocuse d'Or — considered the Olympics of food and the world's most prestigious award for French cuisine — is scheduled for Jan. 28 and 29, 2009 in Lyon, France. The rigorous selection process, however, gained plenty of attention in 2008.

It all began this Summer, when we caught up with Hung Huynh at the Aspen Food and Wine Classic, and the Top Chef Season 3 winner revealed his wish to be a semifinalist — which he was. In July, the American Bocuse d'Or advisory board, which includes Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, and Tom Colicchio, selected eight semifinalists to compete for the coveted chance to represent the US. The judges appointed were even more prestigious, with highly respected chefs such as Jean-Georges Vongerichten involved in choosing a winner. On September 26 and 27, the semifinalists faced off in a culinary challenge hosted by Al Roker, Food and Wine editor Dana Cowin, and John Besh at the Epcot Center.

After two full days of competition, Timothy Hollingsworth, a sous chef at The French Laundry, was selected as the US representative. Currently, Hollingsworth is training directly under Keller as he prepares to represent America in next month's championships, where Paul Bocuse, the French founder of the competition, will be on hand to observe and officiate. No American chef has ever won the final competition and the closest one has come to seeing gold was sixth place in 2003. Could Hollingsworth be the first?

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Over the weekend, eight semi-finalists competed to see who would represent the United States at the Bocuse d'Or, a prestigious international culinary competition. Timothy Hollingsworth, a sous chef at the French Laundry, was selected as the winner. Hollingsworth now has three months to prepare for the French showdown in January. He'll train at a special facility created by Thomas Keller in Yountville, California with head coach Roland Henin.

No American chef has ever won the final competition and the closest one has come to seeing gold was sixth place in 2003.

The chefs and their assistants had to prepare two dishes — one fish and one beef — in front of a live audience. The dishes were judged on a variety of factors including presentation, texture, harmony of flavor, sophistication, and creativity. In the end, Hollingsworth's elaborately garnished Atlantic cod with Hawaiian blue prawns and sea scallops and equally complex beef tenderloin roasted in bacon with beef cheeks and oxtail won.

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Last week the world-renowned, award-winning chef Thomas Keller left his Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry, to speak at a panel discussion in San Francisco. The symposium celebrated the 100-year anniversary of the discovery of the fifth taste, umami. After the day-long event, Keller took some time out to speak with us.

The food industry's Yoda, Keller is a humble and wise chef devoted to the culinary arts. He prefers the quiet hills of Napa to the glittering nights of New York and when I asked where he would be dining that evening, he selflessly replied, "I have to get back to my kitchen to cook the dinner service." To see what else the inspiring chef had to say and find out why he's never gotten into television, check out our exclusive video!

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The eight semifinalists who will compete for the coveted chance to represent America at the culinary Olympics, the Bocuse d'Or, have been announced. Among them are Top Chef Season 3 winner Hung Huynh. It's no surprise that Hung was chosen for the competition, when I spoke with him at the Food and Wine Classic, he mentioned his desire to participate. Hung and the other seven candidates were selected from 150 applicants by an advisory board that included Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, and Tom Colicchio. The semifinalists will face off in a culinary challenge on September 26 and 27 in Epcot Center. The final two will be trained personally by Thomas Keller and will represent America in the finals. To find out who the other competitors are, read more

Recently, I was treated to a box of Bouchon Bakery goodies with a gigantic Nutter Butter cookie in the box. Everyone knows the famous peanut-stamped cookie with peanut-butter-cream filling from their childhood, and this homemade version was delightfully gourmet. While I remember that Nutter Butters were delicious, these cookies, made by culinary legend Thomas Keller, were absolutely heavenly!
After a quick search, I came across the exact recipe and decided to experiment with my own Nutter Butter cookies. The recipe is easy, but requires time and patience. However, anything with this much butter is worth the wait! To learn how to bake these creamy, crunchy, and peanut buttery cookies, read more

• Make the world a better place by purchasing sustainable seafood. — Gourmet
• Move over Pez, there's a new candy dispenser in town and wii love it! — Candy Blog
• Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller are looking for an American chef to represent them at the culinary Olympics. — Eater SF
• Deep fried cheese ravioli?! Why didn't I think of that? — The Food in My Bread
• With the price of food sky rocketing, you can never have too many tips on how to save at the grocery store. — Glam Dish
• Presentation of food is important, here's how to plate your food like a chef. — Start Cooking
• Calling all home mixologists: make your own maraschino cherries. — Serious Eats
• Get rid of coffee stains with dishwashing soap, water, and vinegar mixture. — CasaSugar

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