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Traci Des Jardins

Traci Des Jardins on Losing Top Chef Masters
Traci Des Jardins

Chef Traci Des Jardins Talks Top Chef Masters and Africa

Although she didn't win Top Chef Masters, San Francisco's Traci Des Jardins came pretty close to being the first female Master.
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Although she didn't win Top Chef Masters, San Francisco's Traci Des Jardins came pretty close to being the first female Master. After she shared a day of her life with us, she took a quick minute to chat about the Top Chef experience. Here's what she had to say:

On not winning Masters: At that point, Floyd, Mary, and I were ready for the show to be over. We were each playing for charity and each of the charities was worthy of the money. I don't have a killer instinct about why I didn't win. I guess my food simply wasn't as good as Floyd's food. I wanted to see a woman win it.

On doing more television: I love the Top Chef brand. I would do it again for sure. It will be interesting to see what else they do.

On her upcoming trip to Africa: I'm very excited! I've always wanted to go on safari in Africa. I'm going all over. I'm going to see the migration. The best thing is we're following up the trip with a week in Barcelona. It's just a great city; the last time I went the food was spectacular. It's so unique and local. The fish they have there, we don't have here.

On her latest projects: I'm working on a book proposal. It's really thrilling! I'm also still recovering from the filming of the show. It was very intense and took a lot of energy.

Photo courtesy of Bravo

Traci Des Jardins Daily Life
celebrity chefs

A Day in the Life of Traci Des Jardins

Traci Des Jardins is a San Francisco based chef and restaurateur.
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Traci Des Jardins is a San Francisco based chef and restaurateur. She has three very different eateries: upscale Jardinière, Mexican Mijita, and ballpark-based Public House. Her fourth restaurant, Manzanita, is in Lake Tahoe at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. You may recognize Jardins from Top Chef Masters, where she made it to the final episode. Here is what she did yesterday, Sunday, June 26.

7:00 a.m.: I was in Tahoe. I drove up Saturday evening and woke up on Sunday early.

8:00 a.m.: I spent the whole day in the kitchen working out new dishes with my chef and sous chef. We're working on debuting a whole new menu. It's going to be put in place on July 7th. The seasons up there are different; it's basically going from Winter to Summer.

11:00 a.m.: I was tasting food all day long. I tasted a dozen different dishes, so I didn't really have lunch or anything. I started with the breakfast dishes. I tasted the huevos rancheros from the new breakfast menu. I tasted the egg-in-a-hole — it's a new dish.

1:00 p.m.: From the lunch and dinner menu I tasted the halibut with sweet melon and cucumber. Let's see. We also tried the new sea bass dish with baby fennel and saffron potatoes.

To find out what else Traci ate and what she made herself for dinner, keep reading.

Tom Colicchio, Ming Tsai, Traci Des Jardins Will Host James Beard Awards
celebrity chefs

Tom Colicchio, Ming Tsai, Traci Des Jardins Will Host James Beard Awards

Today's seen news from Bravo's Top Chef, Food & Wine magazine, and now, the James Beard Foundation, with word that it's nailed its podium with Tom Colicchio, Ming Tsai, and (Top Chef Masters contestant!) Traci Des Jardins.
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Today's seen news from Bravo's Top Chef, Food & Wine magazine, and now, the James Beard Foundation, with word that it's nailed its podium with Tom Colicchio, Ming Tsai, and (Top Chef Masters contestant!) Traci Des Jardins.

The hosts — all past James Beard Award winners themselves — will run with this year's "Ultimate Melting Pot" theme. They'll spearhead the May 9 gala reception as nominees and guests enjoy provisions from the likes of José Andrés and Jose Garces. Stay tuned for the announcement of James Beard Award finalists, which will come later this month.

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Pictures of Food From Traci Des Jardins's Manzanita Restaurant in Lake Tahoe
restaurants

For Unprecedented Fine Dining in Lake Tahoe, Head to Manzanita

Although Lake Tahoe is a major destination for Bay Area denizens, I don't find myself there very often.
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Pictures of Food From Traci Des Jardins's Manzanita Restaurant in Lake Tahoe

Although Lake Tahoe is a major destination for Bay Area denizens, I don't find myself there very often. Nonetheless, I'd been closely following the new Ritz-Carlton Highlands, a luxury hotel in North Lake Tahoe that opened late last year after five long years of planning and development.

I was invited to the lodge to check out the brand-new property, and while there, I had the chance to check out Manzanita, San Francisco chef Traci Des Jardins's first signature restaurant outside of San Francisco. The restaurant has been open for less than a year, but it's already set the standard for upscale dining in Lake Tahoe.

Although Manzanita's breathtaking view may be its biggest selling point, its rustic California cuisine is a close contender, too. See what's on the menu there when you keep reading.

Huevos rancheros Gnocchi Tiger prawn salad The bar Open kitchen Tagliolini nero Lychee martini
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Photos of 2010 Taste of the Nation San Francisco
san francisco

Best Bites From San Francisco's Taste of the Nation

A week ago, we attended Taste of the Nation, a charity event that benefits Share Our Strength.
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Spring Pea Soup

A week ago, we attended Taste of the Nation, a charity event that benefits Share Our Strength. The production, which is definitively one of San Francisco's most savory soirées, is always popular, but this year it was positively hopping. There were about 700 attendees and 46 chefs, and insanely delicious pesto pizza was merely the tip of the gastronomical iceberg when it came to what we ate. To see the rest, read more.

Tony's Rum Punch Smoked Corn Chowder Nduja Crostini Spring Pea Soup French Macaroons Delfina Dogs 15 Romolo Cocktail
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Why You Should Eat PBJs, How to Create the Perfect Home Bar, and More Food Links
Link Time

Yummy Links: From PBJ to the Perfect Home Bar

by partysugar

Interview With Chef Traci Des Jardins
Tips

Traci Des Jardins on Being a More Savvy Home Cook

I had the chance to speak with one of San Francisco's most prominent female chefs, Traci Des Jardins.
by partysugar

I had the chance to speak with one of San Francisco's most prominent female chefs, Traci Des Jardins. You may be familiar with her, thanks to an appearance on the Food Network's Next Iron Chef competition. Now Des Jardins is happy to be out of the spotlight, "I don't like being that recognizable," and back in the kitchen. Her elegant eatery, Jardiniere, recently launched a Monday night themed price-fixe dinner and she's working on a signature restaurant at Tahoe's NorthStar resort, which will be mountainesque with a casual feel (think wood tables), great service, and sophisticated food.

Des Jardins believes the key to restaurant success during a tough economy is to "control costs and be really financially savvy." We talked about how this concept can translate to the everyday kitchen. To find out what she had to say and check out her advice for being a better home cook, read more

Come Inside the Kitchen with Famous Bay Area Chefs
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Putting on the Ritz!

If you're looking for a nice splurge for your foodie, then send them to the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay — 40 minutes south of San Francisco — for their Inside the Kitchen series.
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If you're looking for a nice splurge for your foodie, then send them to the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay — 40 minutes south of San Francisco — for their Inside the Kitchen series. The series brings a top chef from the Bay Area and beyond into an intimate classroom environment. Meet and learn from renowned chefs like Traci Des Jardins, Ryan Scott, and Top Chef Season 3 winner Hung Huynh. All classes are demonstration-style cooking classes that include step-by-step instructions, beverage pairings and a recipe booklet to take home. The best part is that their sous-chefs are in the back creating large amounts for the entire class to taste!

Most of the courses are set up as full menus, and the chance to interact so closely with these chefs is phenomenal. The cost of the class is $90 — a portion of the proceeds goes towards Meals On Wheels of San Francisco — but they also have deluxe overnight packages starting at $529. It's definitely a tall cost to juggle —especially once you consider airfare and travel arrangements — but when else will you be able to work so closely with these phenomenal artists?

Classes begin Jan. 6; be sure to check out the full schedule of classes and instructors. In addition to the class, each chef will step into Navio — the restaurant in the Ritz-Carlton currently helmed by Aaron Zimmer — for a one-night-only chef's tasting menu. So if you're not interested in cooking, you could always sit back and eat instead.

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Where Are the Women Chefs?
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Where Are the Women Chefs?

For most of history, women played a large role in the kitchen, and now in 2007, the majority of chefs that dominate restaurant kitchens are male.
by partysugar

For most of history, women played a large role in the kitchen, and now in 2007, the majority of chefs that dominate restaurant kitchens are male. All three winners of Bravo's Top Chef were males. The final contestants on the Next Iron Chef are male. So where are the female chefs?

Star Chefs recently sought to answer this question by speaking with nine of the nation's top female chefs. They asked the chefs about having a family, prioritizing, the strength it takes to last in the kitchen, cooking with soul, and experimental techniques. Here's a snippet from their interview with San Francisco's Traci DesJardins:

"You never hear men talk or get asked about their kids as an issue — it’s because they probably have a wife who takes care of the kids. I have my son only two days a week and I’m not available to the restaurant on the days that I take care of my son. So if a critic walks in that day, I’m not going to be there, I’m going to be with my son. Period.

It's a sad truth that having children doesn't affect male chefs as much as it will female chefs, but this is something all female professionals have to deal with, not just chefs. What do you think? Will the role of females in the culinary work force change or will men continue to be in control?

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Will You Keep Watching "The Next Iron Chef"?
TV

Will You Keep Watching "The Next Iron Chef"?

Here's a novel idea: Take eight ridiculously qualified chefs and make them compete against each other.
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Here's a novel idea: Take eight ridiculously qualified chefs and make them compete against each other. Add a lot of over-the-top theatrics, a knowledgeable — if not slightly patronizing — host, throw in a beautiful backdrop, and you've got yourself the first episode of "The Next Iron Chef." [Warning, spoilers ahead.]

Did you watch it? What did you think of it? I found it to be pleasantly surprising, and the hour went by a lot faster than I anticipated. I was, however, disappointed that the first challenge was dessert. I know that the Next Iron Chef should be well versed in all aspects of the kitchen, but was a dessert challenge really necessary right away?

However, a little dessert is not going to stop me from watching. It's a short season (six episodes), and these professional chefs totally mean business. So how about you: What did you think of the episode? Can you believe that Traci Des Jardins went home so soon? What did you think of Morou's knife skills? Is the beautiful campus part of the reason the Culinary Institute of America costs so much? And more importantly, are you going to keep tuning in?