sam talbot

• Alicia Keys is protesting cigarette company Phillip Morris International's sponsorship of her concert in Indonesia, saying she does not endorse smoking and banning them from promoting her. — E! Online
• Top Chef's Sam Talbot is engaged to Paola Guerro, his Colombian model girlfriend whom he met last December. — People
• Prince William will begin Special Forces training in a continuation of his British military service, although his posting will be nonoperational. — AP
• Alex Rodriguez filed his response to his wife's divorce, saying he is going to hold her to the prenup they signed and attempting to throw out her claims of his infidelity. — TMZ
• Ex-Scientologist Peter Letterese named Tom Cruise in a $250 million lawsuit he filed in Florida on July 15 against the Church of Scientology for harassing him after he left. — Rush & Molloy

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This week's Top Chef took another turn towards the catering when the cheftestants had to cook for the folks at the Chicago Policy Academy. In the end we traded in last week's wedding wars for lunchbox wars. We also got a nice dose of against the grain drama. Did you watch? What did you think? Check out my thoughts and tell me yours when you read more

Glad has announced the results of this summer's steamiest chef contest. A promotion for their microwave steaming bags, the contest allowed online readers to vote for the best looking Glad chef. Surprise, surprise, the winner is my future husband Sam Talbot. The fan fave from Top Chef Season 2 totally blew away the rest of his steamy competitors.

As his reward, Glad's donating $30,000 to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Sam's charity of choice. The money isn't the only thing Glad's giving away. They've created a free downloadable calendar featuring all five of the chefs and their recipes. I've already printed out mine and will be hanging it in the kitchen where I can read the recipes and admire the good looking chefs!

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Some of you were upset with our list of the hottest guys on Food Network, so to make up for it, I have to tell you all about Glad's new "steamy chef" contest.

To promote their new SimplyCooking Microwave Steaming Bags, the folks at Glad have selected five chefs — they're calling them the "Culinary Fab Five" — who will compete for the title of America's Steamiest Chef. The chefs don't have to do much, as it's up to you to decide who's "steamiest." The winner of the contest will have $30,000 to donate to a charity of their choice, while the other four chefs will donate $5,000 each.

So who's in the running to be the steamy chef? The current leader is Top Chef Season 2 fan-fave Sam Talbot, but he's followed closely by Dave Lieberman, Govind Armstrong, G. Garvin and Aaron Sanchez. Of these five guys, who would you want steaming up your kitchen? And while you're voting, don't forget to enter the contest. The winner gets to go to Miami for a Top Chef VIP prize and dinner with the Steamiest Chef!

Source: PR Newwire

Yesterday, to kick off New York's Restaurant Week, Bravo TV hosted a cook-off pitting season 2 crowd-favorite Sam Talbot against season 2 winner Ilan Hall. I was really hoping that Sam would show everyone that the wrong winner was chosen, but as it turns out, Ilan won the cook-off with a softshell crab dish. His winning dish, which beat out a quail entrée from Sam, will be tentatively added to some of the top restaurants' menu during restaurant week.

Also present at the event were Top Chef judges Tom Colicchio, Padma Lakshmi and the cast of Season 3 (which starts tonight!).

Source: TV Cocktail

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If you're a Top Chef fan who lives in New York, you might want to head over to NYC's Union Square Park next Tuesday. To kick off the 16th Annual Restaurant week, Bravo TV is hosting a Taste of Top Chef Cook-Off pitting season two winner Ilan Hall against season two fan favorite, Sam Talbot. Man I wish I lived in New York. - Will Work For Food

Yesterday I mentioned how Food & Wine magazine announced their Best New Chefs of 2007, well turns out that when you announce this kind of a list, you throw a big party to celebrate it too. Last night in Manhattan at 7 World Trade Center, past Best New Chefs, along with Top Chef winners Harold Dieterle and Ilan Hall (and I'm guessing Sam Talbot too, based on the fact that he looks like he's ready for the kitchen in this photo), prepared dishes for the new winners. The 2007 Best New Chefs will be featured in the July issue of Food & Wine.

To check out more pictures of the new best chefs, your favorite former Top Chef contestants (including Miguel, Dave "I'm not Your Bitch Bitch" and Andrea), the party atmosphere and the Food & Wine Staff (yep, Gail is there too), read more

Okay, now what's wrong with this picture from the South Beach Wine and Food Festival party? Go on take a good look.
Here we have Top Chef winner Ilan Hall, Gail Simmons, Sam Talbot and Tom Colicchio hanging out at the Food & Wine magazine after party. Have you figured it out? I'll give you a hint it has to do with attire. No it's not that Sam is looking under-dressed (although you have to admit that he is), it's that Ilan looks like he's spending his Top Chef winnings on fancy suits and bling!

In fact the folks over at snack spotted Ilan getting on to the plane for Miami and have put together their breakdown of Ilan's attire choices, including a $12,000 diamond encrusted watch.

Moncler black vest: $375
Pink shoe laces for white Nikes: $4
Louis Vuitton duffel bag: $1,100
Louis Vuitton white belt with candy-colored logo:$350
Patek Philippe Aquanaut Luce watch in pure white (with diamonds): $11,950

To check out more pictures of our favorite Top Chef crew partying the night away, read more