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Meet Your Top Chef Sin City Contestants!

partysugar — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:47:31 -0700

The moment you've been waiting for is here. The contestants for the sixth - and according to Gail Simmons, "I've never eaten better on the show," best - season have been announced. This time around there are 17 chefs who will duke it out in Las Vegas. Guest judges include Wolfgang Puck, Natalie Portman, and Tyler Florence, among others. Set your TiVos: the first episode debuts on Aug. 26. Here you can find a first taste of the competitors – there's one Euro, and brothers!
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Gail and Tom Reveal Details From Top Chef Vegas

partysugar — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:29:34 -0700

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Catching Up With Top Chef's Jen Biesty

partysugar — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:58:41 -0800

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YumSugar's Top 10 Things Found in Aspen

YumSugar — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:56:38 -0700

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Let's Dish: Top Chef 4.14 - In It for the Win

YumSugar — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:45:13 -0700

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Chefs Get Glamourous For Bravo's A-List Awards

partysugar — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 10:28:03 -0700

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Chefs Get Glamourous For Bravo's A-List Awards

partysugar — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:00:46 -0700

On Wednesday night, Bravo hosted their first-ever award show, the "A-List Awards" honoring those who have made a significant impact on the arts - beauty, design, fashion, food, pop culture - that are featured on the network's shows. Although the awards won't be televised until June 12, you're in luck because I have a sneak peek! Along with the judges Tom Collichio, Padma Lakshimi, Gale Simmons, and Ted Allen, the majority of this season's Top Chef contestants and some from seasons past were present at the event. This award show was hosted by Kathy Griffin who gave awards to the "A-List Chef" and "A-List Restaurant," but as far as I'm concerned, the highlight was seeing the chefs out of the kitchen and on the red carpet!

To take a closer look at the chefs including Daniel Boulud, Jose Andres, Rocco DiSpirito, Brian Malarkey, Dale Levistsky, Dana Corwin, and all of your faves from Top Chef Season 4 - read more.

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Let's Dish: Top Chef 4.13 - Going Whole Hog

YumSugar — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:32:22 -0700

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Let's Dish: Top Chef 4.12 - Off to the Butchers

YumSugar — Wed, 28 May 2008 23:56:45 -0700

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Let's Dish: Top Chef 4.11 - The War Is On!

YumSugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 23:56:44 -0700

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Let's Dish: Top Chef 4.10 - Light n' Healthy

YumSugar — Wed, 14 May 2008 23:48:30 -0700

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Let's Dish: Top Chef 4.10 - Light n' Healthy

YumSugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 03:01:33 -0700

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.

Once the episode started I got three emails from pals declaring their love for guest judge Sam Talbot. Are you on the same page as them?
Did you like the salad challenge? I thought Antonia's poached egg salad was total food porn. Even Sam said it was sexy!
I groaned a bit when I found out the elimination challenge was another catering-type challenge.
Do you think Spike spent more time trying to mess with his opponents than he did planning his meal?
You know, I couldn't help but think of former cheftestant Ryan Scott. He headed up Myth Cafe, which was known for their great boxed lunches. Too bad he didn't make it this far.
Okay the big drama came from Lisa's camp. Do you think someone really sabotaged her rice?
I thought it was interesting that Stephanie and Dale were the best in this challenge. They're both from the Chicago area and I wondered if that helped them at all.
Do you think Dale deserved to win? Who had your vote?
It was tense at judge's panel. Do you think it was bad of Lisa to call out the fact that Andrew didn't follow the rules to a T?
And finally, who are you rooting for now? Got any votes for the top four?

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Photos courtesy of Bravo

Let's Dish: Top Chef 4.9 - Wedding Wars

YumSugar — Wed, 07 May 2008 23:25:52 -0700

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Let's Dish: Top Chef 4.7 - Improv

YumSugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:15:35 -0700

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Let's Dish: Top Chef 4.6 - Tailgaters

YumSugar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 23:17:15 -0700

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Let's Dish: Top Chef 4.4 - Movie Night

YumSugar — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:13:33 -0700

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Nikki Cascone, the Princess at 24 Prince

YumSugar — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:05:39 -0700

Chef Nikki Cascone cooks up some tasty dishes.

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Bourdain's Commonwealth of Knowledge

YumSugar — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 06:57:18 -0800

A couple of weeks ago, TeamSugar and I headed out to Lafayette (east of San Francisco) and trekked out to a fancy pants high school where Anthony Bourdain was speaking. As you may have figured out, I have a slight infatuation with him and was quite eager to hear what he had to say. Would he be as brash in person? Would he complain about Rachael Ray? Or would he be slightly humble and have intelligent things to say? The answer to all of those is yes. He was brash, yet humble. He railed on Rachael, but he also gave a great perspective on our food industry.

The talk was hosted by The Commonwealth Club of California and is actually available online. To get the link to the audio, as well as read some of my favorite bits - including his run down of your fave Food Network chefs - read more

On vegetarians:
"How do you travel? I like a clean colon just as much as anyone, but [vegetarianism] just seems rude."
On Ina Garten:
"She's good. See, I surprised you. I might not want to spend a weekend at her weird house in the Hamptons, but she's good. She raises expectations and actually teaches you something."
On Mario Batali:
"He's godlike, a walking buddha."
On Emeril Lagasse:
"He's good for the world. I don't like the show either, but he raises expectations."
On Sandra Lee:
"Good or evil? I don't think there's any questions there."
On Rachael Ray:
"She scares me. She could have me killed with what she spends on Triscuits each week."
On cooking and eating:
"Cooking is about domination and being in control. Eating, however, should be a submissive act."
On opening his own restaurant:
"Life's good. Why would I want to go and f**k it all up by opening a restaurant?"
On the slow food movement:
"[The slow food movement] is really important. Anything that improves things is. But do I think the world will go that way? No way. I like Whole Foods just fine. I don't like paying $1 for a lemon, but I'm glad that I can."
On Top Chef:
"The judging is totally honest. When Tom sends home the 'wrong' contestants [the producers] despair in silence."

Like I said, those were some of my favorite bits, but definitely check out the audio (RealAudio only) when you have a chance.

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Top Chef 3.11 - Snacks on a Plane Recap

YumSugar — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 11:22:06 -0700

Well folks, we are down to the final six cheftestants, and I must say I was slightly shocked by last night's episode. Shocked by who was eliminated, shocked by how mean guest judge Anthony Bourdain was - although I should have been expecting it - and shocked by how many folks overcooked fish. I could go on and on about my shock, but let's just start at the beginning for now.

The episode starts with Padma sneaking into the dorms and rousing the chefs from their slumber. And naturally, she has a surprise! They stagger into the (super swanky) kitchen area and are told they have 20 minutes to make her breakfast with ingredients in the kitchen. No time to change, no time to think, just make. Oh and they're endorsed by Breville's blender, so they might want to use that too.

To find out what happens next, read more

Once the challenge starts, the cheftestants (as Hung said) "scatter like roaches." Truffle oil is falling off the counter, bell peppers are lying on the floor and burners are barely burning. All of the chefs decide to play it a little safe - crepes, French toast, eggs in a nest, etc - and Hung wins the challenge with a well prepared take on steak and eggs and a papaya smoothie. Did I mention that his papaya smoothie was spiked with Grand Marnier? I'm sure it gave him an edge, but the simple combo of blended papaya with milk is fantastic, so I'm sure his would have been fantastic with or without the added bonus.

As winner of the elimination challenge, Hung is presented a copy of Padma's upcoming cookbook and will be able to pick his protein first. However, before they can begin, it's time to pack their bags and head West to Aspen! But oh wait, there's a slight detour and they're going to New York first!

When the cheftestants arrive at the Newark airport, they're ready to head to New York, but are told to check in to their airport hotel and prepare for an elimination challenge the next day. The challenge takes place - hair caps and all - in the kitchen for Continental airlines. They have two hours to prepare business class appropriate meals that will be reheated and served to the judges - including guest judges Anthony Bourdain and Jimmy Canora of Continental's Congress of Chefs - and a fleet of elite flight attendants.

Four of the six chefs opt for fish, Hung takes the fatty Chilean Sea Bass, Brian takes lobster (to go with this gigantic steak), CJ takes halibut and Sara opts for salmon. Casey and Dale take meats, veal and steak respectively. The fishes - except for Hung's - are overcooked and rubbery. Bourdain says he didn't even know what Brian's lobster was and Sara's salmon is awful and inconsistent. In the end Casey walked away the winner with grilled veal medallions and cauliflower gratin.

However it isn't the fish, but side dishes that send folks home. Sara's couscous is considered an afterthought - which she agrees with - and CJ's burnt broccolini is according to Tom, the "worst dish that they've had in three years of the competition." Bourdain backs it up by saying that it looked like they were cleaning Bob Marley's house and found it in the closet. Ouch, harsh words for some sad broccolini.

Unfortunately, it isn't just harsh words that are given to CJ. He is also given the boot. I must say, I was a bit shocked. I honestly thought he would be in the final four. It looks like it must have been a tough decision, I mean Padma is practically in tears as she tells him to go home.

Things to ponder...

Did you think the beginning was staged? Something about it seemed like they re-enacted the scene.
This is probably some sort of sin to ponder, but is Bourdain's mean guy schtick too predictable? Oh and If you haven't read his thoughts on the evening, you really should.
Were you as touched by how sad Padma was, as I was?
Who are you rooting for? I think I'm rooting for Hung, but with my track record that must mean he's going home next week.
Oh and, I don't know about you, but I have to figure out how to fly business class from now on...

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Small Talk with Ilan Hall

YumSugar — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 09:56:12 -0700

Last week our very own FabSugar had the opportunity to chat with Top Chef Season Two winner, Ilan Hall. They were both backstage at the Cynthia Rowley Spring 2008 show - Fab reporting on the looks, and Ilan feeding the masses. Luckily for us, they were both able to take a few minutes from their jobs and provide us with a fun interview.

FabSugar: What did you have for breakfast?
Ilan Hall: I think I had baked chicken skin.

FS: Baked chicken skin?
IH: Yeah, because it's part of one of the dishes, and so I was just tasting it. That's what I got full on.

FS: Any juice or coffee?
IH: I had coffee, lots of coffee.

FS: A successful party is ....
IH: One that you get woken up from on the floor... I don't know.

FS: What's your guilty pleasure food?
IH: Pork skin.

FS: All of the skins!
IH: I know, I know, I've got a fetish.

To read the rest of the interview - or hear it for yourself, we've got a new built-in audio player! - and see pictures of the event, read more

FS: Do you cook at home, or do you tend to eat out?
IH: I eat out most of the time, but once in a while.

FS: When you do cook at home, what are your favorites?
IH: I like roasting fish. I like roasting chickens. I like, um.. I like making french fries. That's my favorite when you get a beautiful, perfect crispy french fry. To make a really good french fry, it takes a long time. There's a lot of care that goes into it.

FS: So what's your favorite kind of french fry? Steak fries? Curly fries?
IH: Steak fries, traditional.

FS: If we opened up your fridge, we would find...
IH: Nothing, I'm homeless right now.

To listen to the audio, use the player below:

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Be sure to visit FabSugar for pictures of the Cynthia Rowley Spring Collection 2008.

The Live Action Top Chef Cook-Off Results Are In!

YumSugar — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 06:58:31 -0700

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!).

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Source: TV Cocktail

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Top Chef 4 Star All Stars Recap

YumSugar — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 12:20:59 -0700

Last night Top Chef kicked off its new season with an All Star battle that pitted season one chefs against season two. On the season one team we had Harold, Stephen (oh how I missed his condescending smug attitude), Tiffani and Dave - surprisingly absent was Leanne, but she couldn't participate because she is now Bravo TV's food producer). The season two team consisted of fan favorite Sam, Elia, Marcel and Ilan. The two teams were going head to head and the team with the most wins contributed $20,000 to their favorite charity.

Overall it was a bit lackluster - there was no drama unfolding, as no one was getting kicked off, and all the food looked delicious - however it was fun to see my favorite contestants back in the kitchen. It was definitely a great tease (or should I say amuse-bouche) to lead into season three. There were a few good quotes and I'm sure you guys want to know about the food, and see some pictures. So let's get started, just read more

First of all, I can't get on with any of the recapping without pointing out three things. (1) Marcel rapped, again... (2) was that the Brooklyn bridge carved into Ilan's hair? I'm pretty sure it was and (3) the immersion blender in Ilan's mouth looked a bit... wrong? Oh my, now on to the recap!

The challenge started off with Padma and Chef Tom telling the former contestants that each team needed a team captain. Initially I thought it would be the two winners, but I should have known better! Instead of having the teams pick captains, the captains were chosen by a quickfire challenge! They were presented with two eggs and a large oven mitt. The oven mitt was for them to wear, because Padma tells them that they will be cooking eggs with one hand behind their back. They then cut to Stephen who says, "If you can't cook eggs, you're probably better off not being in the kitchen." I guess no one told those folks in Hell's Kitchen that.

In the end, Stephen wins with a "perfect omelette" and is chosen captain of season one - competing for the Susan G. Komen foundation. And even though his dish was topped with a dollop of saffron foam, Marcel is the runner-up and is chosen as captain for season two - competing for Share Our Strength.

The teams are then told that they're making a four course meal consisting of scallops, lobster, duck and kobe beef. Each team member chooses an ingredient and they will go head-to-head against the other season's chef. The team with the most winning dishes will be the victors.

Up first: Dave vs Elia with scallops - Elia produces two versions both paired with a marmalade, Dave produces a smoked scallop with a tapenade. In the end Elia's wins, although I must admit, I was rooting for Dave.

Next up: Stephen vs Marcel with lobster - Marcel's dish includes both a gelee and a foam (served tableside even!), both of which begin to deflate in the hot Miami heat. Stephen's is immaculately plated and consisted of beautiful saffron tones. Winner? Stephen.

Third course: Harold vs. Ilan with duck - The showdown is on! Season one winner vs season two winner, should be impressive, no? Actually turned out that the judges didn't really love either of them. Harold's was "incomplete" and Ilan's was a mess. In the end incomplete wins over a mess, and I say hurray, because well it's no secret, I heart Harold.

Last up: Tiffani vs Sam with kobe beef: Both dishes looked great, but Tiffani's was the winner. Chef Tom even mentions how nice it is to have her food again.

With a vote of 3-1, season 1 is declared the victor!

If you missed the show, you can check it out later this week (check the Bravo schedule) or stream it over the internet. Also, for a few hysterical comments on last night's show, visit our pals at We Cook, They Dish.

Now for a few of my favorite quotes:

"If the bitch can cook, let him cook!" - Dave about Marcel

"I have way too many people at home watching, I can't go home against this guy." - Harold about Marcel

"I'm so weeded right now." - Marcel

"I don't want to prove myself to these guys anymore." - Dave

"He's KIND OF cute?!?" - Ted Allen about Sam

"Don't read the blogs because you'll find shit on there that you don't want to know about yourself. Stuff that you probably didn't even know about yourself." - Sam

Oh Sam, was it something we said?

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2007 James Beard Award Winners

YumSugar — Tue, 08 May 2007 13:15:12 -0700

Last night the who's who of the food world all came out for the James Beard Foundation Awards. If you're not sure what that is, let me just say that it's sort of like the Oscars of the food world. They give awards to several categories of cookbooks, journalism, chefs, media, and more (including humanitarian & lifetime achievement awards). The "They" is a group of Awards Committees consisting of food-industry professionals. The judges are chosen by the committees and choose the winners by reviewing all entries and voting via secret ballot. Oh and just to be fair, if you're a judge, you can't enter to win in that category.

So now that all the rules and regulations are spelled out let's talk about the winners. The big "star" of the night was David Chang (pictured) of Momofuku in New York who won the award for Rising Star Chef of Year. Also noteworthy was Traci Des Jardins of Rubicon here in San Francisco, she was one of the few female chefs to win anything (she won the Pacific regional award for Best Chef).

For the list of winners and a gallery of folks on the red carpet, including: Martha Stewart, Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi with NY's Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, Salman Rushdie and Bobby Flay (who was inducted into the Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America), read more

Winners list after the gallery. Check out the James Beard Foundation website for a full list of winners (including nominees).

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RESTAURANT AND CHEF AWARDS

Outstanding Restaurateur Award
Thomas Keller of The French Laundry
Outstanding Chef Award
Michel Richard of Michel Richard Citronelle
Outstanding Restaurant Award
Frontera Grill Chef/Owners: Rick and Deann Bayless
Best New Restaurant
L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon
Rising Star Chef Of The Year
David Chang of Momofuku Noodle Bar
Outstanding Pastry Chef Award
Michael Laskonis of Le Bernardin
Outstanding Wine Service Award
Michel Richard Citronelle - Wine Director: Mark Slater
Outstanding Wine And Spirits Professional Award
Paul Draper of Ridge Vineyards
Outstanding Service Award
Tru Owners: Rick Tramonto, Gale Gand, and Richard Melman

BEST CHEFS IN AMERICA

Best Chef: Great Lakes
Grant Achatz Of Alinea

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic
R. J. Cooper III of Vidalia
Frank Ruta of Palena

Best Chef: Midwest
Celina Tio of The American Restaurant

Best Chef: New York City (Five Boroughs)
David Waltuck of Chanterelle

Best Chef: Northeast
Frank Mcclelland of L’espalier
Best Chef: Northwest
John Sundstrom of Lark

Best Chef: Pacific
Traci Des Jardins of Jardinière

Best Chef: Southeast
Scott Peacock of Watershed

Best Chef: Southwest
Nobuo Fukuda of Sea Saw

Best Chef: South
Donald Link of Herbsaint

AMERICA’S CLASSICS

Aunt Carrie’s Owner: Elsie Foy
Brookville Hotel Owners: Mark and Connie Martin
Doe’s Eat Place Owners: The Signa Family
The Pickwick Owner: Christopher Wisocki
Primanti Brothers President: Demetrios Patrinos
Weaver D’s Owner: Dexter Weaver

BOOK AWARDS

Cookbook of the Year
The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook
Matt Lee and Ted Lee
Cookbook Hall of Fame
Moosewood Cookbook
Mollie Katzen
Asian Cooking
Cradle of Flavor
James Oseland
Baking and Desserts
Baking: From My Home to Yours
Dorie Greenspan
Cooking from a Professional Point of View
Grand Livre de Cuisine: Alain Ducasse’s Desserts and Pastries
Alain Ducasse and Frédéric Robert
Entertaining and Special Occasions
The Big Book of Outdoor Cooking and Entertaining
Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison
Food of the Americas
The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook
Matt Lee and Ted Lee
General
Tasty: Get Great Food on the Table Every Day
Roy Finamore
Healthy Focus
Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way
Lorna Sass
International
The Soul of a New Cuisine
Marcus Samuelsson
Reference
What to Eat
Marion Nestle
Single Subject
The Essence of Chocolate
John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg
Wine and Spirits
Romancing the Vine
Alan Tardi
Writing on Food
The Omnivore’s Dilemma
Michael Pollan
Photography
Michael Mina
Photographer: Karl Petzke

HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR

Art Smith

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Barbara Kafka

WHO’S WHO OF FOOD & BEVERAGE IN AMERICA

José Andrés
Jim Clendenen
Bobby Flay
Dorie Greenspan
Michael Pollan

Full list of winners - including nominees

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Top Chef News Roundup - Season 3 is coming up!

YumSugar — Mon, 07 May 2007 11:08:00 -0700

There's a bunch of Top Chef related news going on right now - timed to go with the new season I'm sure - so I thought I'd just save some time and post them all at once, here we go!

First of all, Top Chef Season 1 winner, Harold Dieterle, opened up his restaurant Perilla this weekend. His grand opening is tonight - I want to try the Okinawa Yam Dumplings and Spicy Duck Meatballs...
Good ol' Padma (TC host) is heating things up in the current issue of Maxim magazine.
Don't forget, you can chat with Marcel (TC 2) Vigneron tonight at 7pm PT.
Remember how I said to set your tivos on June 13? Well, you better make that June 6. Bravo has a mystery Episode 300, entitled "4 Star All Star" - the first number usually means the season number so what does this sneaky 4 star all star title mean?

Bravo's launching a new site called TopChefOnline.com - they're hoping it will be a year-round destination for TC fans. It will also contain a web show called "Miami Spice" featuring Elia Aboumrad (TC2).
And finally (for now), several of our fave TC faces - Judge Tom Collichio, host Padma Lakshmi, former host Katie Lee Joel, TC 2 winner Ilan Hall and guest judge Ted Allen) - were out last night at the Bon Appetit Magazine & James Beard Foundation's Chef's Night Out. I always wonder if Katie & Padma talk to one another...

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Source: They Cook. We Dish.
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