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Hosea: "I Am Not Going to Apologize For Winning"

partysugar — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:30:26 -0800

The fifth season of Top Chef is officially over, and in an interesting turn of events the new winner was neither Carla nor Stefan, but the strapping young baldy from Boulder, CO, Hosea. Since speaking with Hosea on the phone last Friday, I have a new perspective on the somewhat misunderstood chef. He actually has a degree in engineering and looks at the kitchen with a scientific mind. His last meal, humbly, would be the perfect BLT. To find out what Hosea had to say about winning and his relationship with fellow contestant, Leah, read more.

On winning: It feels great! It's kind of overwhelming. I still haven't gotten used to the idea of it. It has really humbled me. Yes, I'm very pleased, but I'm not claiming that I am a better cook than everyone else.

I just happened to cook the best meal. I was at the Miami Food and Wine Festival last week and Daniel Boulud shook my hand and asked me when we're going to cook, and that amazed me! I think I'll get a lot of great opportunities out of winning.

On the people who don't think he should have won: I don't know why there are haters out there. I don't understand it. I put my best work in at the end there. I talked to Tom yesterday and he told me I did the best job and that is why I won. I don't know why people are so against me. I stuck in there, I worked my ass off, and I'm really proud of myself for my accomplishments. There's nothing I can do about the way other people will perceive me. I won. I belonged there. I don't understand why there's the hatred out there. I have a big passion for food, I love what I do. I have proven myself time and time again - that I belong here - and I am not going to apologize for winning.

On his relationship with Leah: We are good friends. We talk a lot. We enjoy each other's company, but I live in Colorado and she lives in New York. We are both single now and we do like each other. We have kissed each other since the show ended. I think if we lived in the same city we would probably be dating. I am having dinner with her tonight, but I'm not going to tell you where!

On Bravo's portrayal of him: You know it's hard to say. The editing is interesting for sure to watch. It's not just about the food we made. For me it was about the food, so it would have been nice of them to show that I am smart guy, I am a caring person. I have an engineering degree. Because of the editing they really focused on the thing with Leah and then the rivalry with Stefan. But that was about five percent of what I talked about!

On what he's learned from participating in Top Chef: The biggest lesson I took away from the show is that I still have a lot to learn. I have so much left that I haven't seen or cooked or learned. I have a long way to go as a chef. I am still like a baby in this line of work. I am thrilled to have this opportunity and to have proved to myself that I can learn it and do it. I am very scientific and pragmatic. I think of the smartest way to cook. You know there is a lot of math involved when you are running a kitchen.

On working with Richard Blais: Having Rich on my side was a huge help! He was so perfect for what I needed. He offered a lot of advice, but never tried to get in the way of what I was doing. He worked his ass off. That guy is badass! He is quick and he did the perfect plating.

On what's next: I'm taking some time off to be with my dad. He's gotten worse. I am going to see what I can do for the family in terms of the sickness. My dad was diagnosed with cancer nine months ago and it's spreading. He's not doing very well, so I want to be with him. As far as the future, I'm partnering with a food company to create a product line. I'm working on my own restaurant, which will hopefully be open in the next nine months. In the short term future, I am staying here in Colorado. It's where all my contacts are. I work with a lot of local farmers, ranchers, and growers. I want to stay here for awhile, for at least the next year. I'm not sure what the future holds. Hopefully I'll be doing a restaurant in Boulder or Denver, but I don't want to talk too much about it because I don't want to jinx it.

Source

Stefan: "I'm Not a Villain, I'm a Softy!"

partysugar — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:00:56 -0800

Although many people thought Stefan was a cocky bastard, I happened to like the quick-witted chef. Sure he was arrogant, but he had the skills to back up the ego. However, his impressive culinary expertise wasn't good enough for him to earn the title of Top Chef. When I spoke with Stefan yesterday, I was surprised at how funny he was. He happily endorses bloggers and is coming out with a clothing line. To find out what he had to say - yes he is still madly in love with Jamie! - read more.

On losing to Hosea: In my mind, I won Top Chef. No really, you know what happens? If you win the title of Top Chef, you get a $100,000 egg, but if you are the runner-up, you laid the egg. What I mean is I'm going to make a lot of money, hopefully. I know I will get something out of the experience, but Hosea? Sure he has the money . . . I hope Hosea sells himself properly and that he has a good shot to get himself somewhere.

Hosea won Top Chef. He deserved it. I love the guy. There's no bullshit going on between us. Really everyone should lay off of Hosea. He doesn't deserve the crap that people are giving him. He's actually pretty strung out about people picking on him.

On being confident: I've always been very confident. Some people call it cocky, some people call it arrogant, but everyone has opinions of those on Top Chef. I think I am pretty good. I thought I had a pretty good shot for it. You want to know the truth? I think it was partial editing. They wanted to create drama. Actually there is nothing that can faze me. I cook for a living! It's the only thing I know how to do. I'm a cook. If I wasn't a cook, maybe I would be a gardener, but I love food. I love people in the restaurant business. I have a very strong personality. It's my way or the highway.

On the judges: Toby is a funny guy. Tom is incredible chef, an incredible restaurateur. Padma is smoking hot. I will take her out anytime and Gail? She's cute. I gotta tell you, she's very cute.

On Bravo's portrayal of him as the villain: We all understand it's a reality show. I think people see me different now. I'm not a villain, I am a softy! Jeez, good Lord, Do I look like a villain? Maybe, but look over the entire season. I thanked every judge, I kissed every eliminated contestant goodbye, I shook all the winners hands. When I watched the finale, I had some tears in my eyes when Carla got choked up. I can't see women cry. It breaks my heart.

I am a softy! That's why I picked Marcel because, if I would have picked Casey, Carla would have had a really hard time. She wouldn't have done well with Marcel. I love Carla. Of course, I'm a softy.

On Fabio selecting Hosea's dishes over his: You get honesty from Europeans. I have absolutely no hard feelings. He stopped bullshitting. I love honesty. I love all you bloggers for your honesty. I take it like it is.

On Jamie: How could you not be in love with Jamie? I love Jamie. I've been asked that many times. It's not the first time I fell in love with the lesbians! She has the best laugh. She is beyond fun, she's a great chef. By the way, I love Leah though as well. Not as much as I love Jamie. If Jamie ever reads this: Jamie if you're ready for babies, I'm ready for it! She would make pretty babies, let me tell you.

On being friends with many of the contestants: I have made wonderful friends on that show, including Hosea, Jamie, even Lauren. I'm 36 years old. I've argued in kitchens, now I don't want to do that. I'm too old for constantly arguing. I want friends in my life. You can ride my bus if you want to, but if you don't, get off! I love them all. There is no bullshit behind the whole thing.

On what's next: I'm coming out with a clothing line. It's called Cocky Chef Clothing you should check it out. It's panties and boy shorts. I have a book coming out, it's called Stefan's Dirty Dishes and it's about my life. Sure I want to open a restaurant, but I want to do it the right way. I don't want it to be high scale. I want it to be a cool hangout with a fireplace outside. I would love to do more TV. I'm working on it. I have a great agency working with me and I'm signing today. We are talking about some ideas, kind of something of Gordon Ramsay-like because of my attitude. We will see what happens. Fabio and I would be a hilarious show, but I think I should do a show with Jamie because she is more clever.

Source

Carla: "I Do Not Consider My Loss Casey's Fault"

partysugar — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:00:45 -0800

In an upsetting turn of events, Carla lost her cool during the final challenge of Top Chef. Like many people, I was totally disappointed! It was tough to see the normally cheery chef get teary-eyed during judges' table, but you'll be happy to know that when I spoke with her yesterday, "Hootie" was back to her fabulously spirited self. The passionate chef had a lot to say about her experience, and to find out her thoughts on Casey and the competition, read more.

On her "cooking with love" style: I don't know if I was the first contestant who ever cooked with love. Other chefs may not describe it the way the way that I describe it, but it's just the way I am. I'm very passionate about what I do. In any discipline - art or music - if you love what you do, you do good work because you care so much about it.

I know Gail definitely got it, and Toby mentioned it in the finale. A chef isn't just about throwing out a dish that's technically sound. When there are people busting their butts to get you a good meal, you have to understand that there is a piece of me in every dish I make. That's what cooking with love is about.

On Bravo's portrayal of her: Well I think I'm weirder than they made me seem! My friends were like, are you sure you want to show people that side of you? Sometimes I'm really quirky, sometimes I'm introspective, sometimes I'm speaking on a soapbox, but I think they pretty much captured the essence of myself. I wasn't a one-dimensional character. I think they did a good job portraying who I really am.

On Casey being her sous chef: When I was there and afterward I really enjoyed working with Casey. I wanted to work with her. I thought we would connect personality-wise. I do not consider my loss Casey's fault. During the competition you give so much. It's emotionally exhausting trying to think of things. Going into the finale after winning was great, but it was the next day. All of a sudden you have help and you have help from someone who has already been through this. I made the mistake of giving too much power away to Casey. I am prepared to take full responsibility. When you are exhausted, you make a different decisions. I hadn't sold myself on the soufflé dish or changed my idea of the tart. Really it wouldn't have worked anyway because I was still in my head creating it. I know the blogs are blowing up, saying "Casey did her in," but no she did not. I haven't spoken to her and I would love to give her a call. I would love to get her number. If I could get on a loud speaker and say "please do not blame Casey." I just hope she's not getting beat up for that.

On Stefan comforting her at the final judge's table: I think it was really sweet. We had been standing in front of the judges for hours, so it wasn't until the end that I started to break down. After three hours of being badgered, you could tell that I was trying to hold it in and my voice started to quiver. I was really touched because you are so into what you're doing, Stefan and Hosea didn't realize I was falling apart during the service.

They didn't know what happened until judges' table. I really like Stefan. I know he's portrayed as a villain, but he's not a villain. He does not want to win by screwing someone up, he wants to win by doing a good job. I applaud his technique. He was awesome with the alligator! I like the guy.

On Hosea's win: I think he made the best meal. I am so happy for him. He's a really good guy and I am very happy for him. Everyone worked really hard. Should it be cumulative? I'm going to say no because if it was, Hosea would not have been there to win. It's like real life. You get to mess up and if you are still there you get to have a fresh start and you can win the next day. I think that's a really good message in life.

On what's next: I will continue to cater. I don't know what's coming down the pipes. I don't know what will happen. In my own little world, I will continue to cater. I really want to start a sweet and savory petite cooking line and have a chef's table where people can taste my food. I'm teaching a couple of classes in DC. I would love to do more TV. I look at myself and am amazed that I'm able to be myself in front of the camera. My personality seems to have radiated with people. The biggest joy I can get is to inspire people by being myself, so yes I would love to do more television.

Source

Fabio: "Unfortunately, You're Going to See My Face a Lot"

partysugar — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 03:30:59 -0800

It's down to the wire on Top Chef with only three contestants remaining. Fabio was the first of the Euros to pack up his knives and leave the competition. Yesterday, I had the chance to speak with him over the phone. To find out what he had to say about Stefan, his experience, and Padma's Italian, read more.

On Stefan: He is extremely confident. The difference between me and him is I am a people person, very personable. He doesn't care. He's very straightforward. He's not a cocky guy. He's a great guy, great person, and he is confident. if you want to translate confidence into cockiness, fine with me. If I wasn't confident, I wouldn't be here. It's not a bad thing to be confident, especially in this kind of economy. I could hang out with him all day; sometimes he's at the restaurant, we go party together.

On his elimination: I wasn't upset. I'm a very happy person. I see that I have 13 people behind me and three in front of me, and I get motivated. Life is too short to complain. My dad and my grandfather used to tell me, "If you have a problem, and you know there's a solution, then stop bitching about it." If you know there's no solution, then why bitch about it? There's no solution. When you're the chef you're always in the spotlight.

On Bravo's portrayal of him: Whatever you see is the way that I am. I'm a nice person. Listen, if you see somebody on TV that said "f**k this, f**k that, d*ck here, d*ck there," it doesn't matter how they cut you and paste you - you said those things. They cannot put things in your mouth. That's what you said, that's what you've done. I've been very happy with what I said. If I did misbehave, I apologize for that. That's the way I am, the way I talk, the way I act, the way I cook.

On the judges: Who am I to judge them? With Colicchio, I can agree to disagree. He has done things that I would love to be doing in the next 10 years. I honestly respect his opinion. It's up to you if you are smart enough to take it. Padma was speaking Italian to me. She was modeling for this Italian agency and she was working for this very famous talk show in Italy, so I was actually looking at Padma way before she was looking at my food.

She has a great palate, she's smoking hot, she understands a lot about food. I respect her. She's a very nice person, very personable. We had a good time together. She's very fun.

On the guest judges he disagreed with: I had a big argument with Martha Stewart. My polenta, she said that it was gray, but she didn't even taste it. She dipped her fork in it, she didn't even take a full bite. The other judge was a French guy, Jean-Christophe Novelli. He told me that my cream was not cooked enough and that the egg white was coagulated. I told him there was no egg white in it. I'm saying, there is no egg white in the cream - how's that sound for you? But he's French! Italy, France, they have a history. In food, and wine. Last year there was the World Cup, soccer; I understand. I'm just kidding. You know, I think he's a great chef. It's an opinion. You cannot agree with everything. It's your ass there, you gotta defend yourself a little bit.

On what's next: I will do more TV, I can promise you that. I have a food line coming out. I have an offer for a TV show. What I said is that I am getting a lot of offers. I am getting asked to license my image to food companies. I have a deal with Ducati motorbikes. I am dealing with a TV company, yes - I got a lot of requests; they offered me a job here and there. But don't forget that I am a chef. Everything that I will ever do . . . my first business is food. Unfortunately, you're going to see my face a lot. I am not allowed to talk about it. We will see. Watch what happens. But stay tuned.

Source

Leah: "I Didn't Really Like the Way They Made Me Look"

partysugar — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:00:56 -0800

I think it's safe to say that the majority of viewers weren't surprised to see Leah pack up her knives and go on the latest installment of Top Chef. Since restaurant wars and the infamous kiss, it was obvious that her heart wasn't in it to win it. I spoke to Leah yesterday and as is to be expected, she's no longer with her boyfriend. To see what she had to say about Hosea, and her experience, read more.

On the difficulty of the competition: I didn't realize how quickly and on the spot you have to think and come up with ideas. For me, cooking is more a process of trying out things and thinking about it. You can never prepare yourself for the actual game. It was hard being in my hometown. I mean we would go on challenges and be four blocks from my apartment.

I was so close to my bed and my real life, but I couldn't just walk those blocks and go sleep in my bed. It was very hard. Knowing I'm so close to home, but I can't go there or talk to anyone.

On her relationship with Hosea: There's not much to say. We hung out all the time. We kissed on TV, but there was really not much more to it. We are actually just really good friends. He was my support on the show. Everyone paired off into cliques and friendships formed. There were certain people that you would go to and I would go to him. Since we are of the opposite sex, there will be always be an element of flirtation to the relationship. But, no we aren't and weren't romantic.

On Bravo's portrayal of her: It was not good. I kind of stopped watching the show. I didn't really like the way they made me look like this girl who was throwing myself on Hosea. That's not how it went down. That whole portrayal of our relationship - I didn't think it was accurate at all. It was a story line. For the most part I acted like I would in real life. People who know me, know how I am. People who know me through the show, can think what they want. Not everyone is going to like you and not everyone is going to dislike you. I signed up for the show, so I signed up for them to portray me any way they wanted to.

On giving up: Towards the end, I just did not want to be there. I was over it. I was stressed out. Doing each challenge wears you down. It takes a toll on you. I just didn't feel like participating. I regret not giving it 100 percent, but you live and learn that's part of the game. It's designed to wear you down and unfortunately I couldn't handle it.

On the judges: There is very little interaction. The only that we do have is during judges table. I think Gail is awesome. She was really nice and really critiqued you in a positive way. I didn't like Toby Young. He was there to try and bring his English wit and I didn't get. I didn't think he was witty or funny. I respect Tom a lot. He obviously knows a lot about food. Padma is Padma. I don't have anything nice to say, so I'm not going to say anything at all. We had the most interaction with her. As far as caring about us as people, she didn't care. Whereas Tom and Gail looked at us as people, not as contestants. They were there to help us as chefs. Padma didn't invest any time in us, but that's not her job. She is the host. She is there to be pretty.

On who will win: Hosea or Stefan. Ah, Stefan. It's really funny because everyone thinks he is this arrogant asshole, but he has 23 years experience. He has a career. He's a very successful caterer in LA. He knows what he wants. He knows how to get it done. He is really a nice guy.

On her future: I wanted to move to Hong Kong. I wanted to move to Spain, but as far as right now, I am staying in New York at my restaurant. I would like to travel. It's the best way to grow as a chef and as a person, but I will be in New York for at least another year.

Source

Jamie: "I'm Kind of Over All the Scallop Talk"

partysugar — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 08:00:47 -0800

I was really disappointed with the outcome of Wednesday night's Top Chef. Jamie was my favorite cheftestant and I was certain she would make it to the final three. When I spoke with Jamie yesterday morning, I was surprised by her incredibly positive attitude. She's still hard at work at San Francisco's Absinthe, and fell asleep on the couch before she could catch her elimination on Top Chef.

To find out what she had to say about Stefan and scallops, read more.

On what she achieved by being on the show: I think for me going on the show and being on for the time I was, was a great achievement. I was able to showcase my talent. I showed I am a strong cook.

On her elimination: I screwed up and I had a pretty good idea that I was going to be the one going home. I had to accept my fate at that point and move forward. It's not the end of the world. For me it wasn't, at least. It was so long ago. It was six months ago. I've had enough time to let it marinate. I realize that being on the show itself is an amazing experience. I was kicked off over salted celery; I mean it's just not a big deal. If it had been my own food, my own creation, and my own intellectual property, I would have felt a lot worse. It was easier for me to go home because I cooked someone else's food badly.

On her obsession with scallops: I'm kind of over all the scallop talk. I didn't even realize it would turn into such a big deal! I think Fabio's comment sort of escalated it. But, I do like cooking scallops. Yeah, they are on my menu. I don't know. I think the whole thing is kind of silly.

On her relationship with Stefan: The whole romance was kind of fabricated for television. I think it was more of a crush in terms of admiration. Actually we have a lot of respect for each other as chefs. We both really admire each other. He's one of the people I talk to the most now. In terms of his personality, yes, he can be overbearing, especially when we were stuck in the stew room for hours and hours, but we have stayed in contact.

On the judges: Gail was my favorite of the judges. She was the most fair. When Gail would speak, I would really listen to what she had to say. I think Toby is there for the showmanship. I'm just going to stay mum about Tom and Padma.

On who should win: Anyone's game. Stefan is the most talented. But who knows? Any of them could win. A lot of people thought I was going to win and I'm not there anymore.

On what's next: I'm staying at Absinthe for awhile. I don't know what is going to happen. We'll have to wait and see. I would love to travel and experience a lot of different cultural foods. I don't know if I want to open my own restaurant. I've thought about pursuing more television, I've talked about opening a soup joint, but part of me really wants to go back to New York. Who knows?

Source

Jeff: "Nothing Is Too Surprising on the Show"

partysugar — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 08:00:12 -0800

On Top Chef, Jeff seemed like a pretty strong competitor. However, I wasn't surprised to watch Padma ask the blond to pack his knives and go. I spoke with Jeff yesterday, and he's still incredibly disappointed by his dismissal from the show. He spoke candidly about his relationship with Fabio and openly expressed his opinion of Toby Young. To find out what the chef, who's currently working at the Ritz Carlton in South Beach, had to say, read more.

On his elimination: Everyone is a little upset when they get kicked off. Watching it was just a reminder. It's definitely something I will remember for awhile.

I wouldn't change my cooking style, but I was pretty let down. I thought I would have at least made it to the finale. It was really hard. You're cooking, you're stressed out. You're away from home not using your own toothbrush. You're always on your feet. You're out of your element, then before you know it, you got kicked off before you were ready to go.

On Fabio's dish: I thought Fabio was going to go. I was surprised. The judges kept saying to him: You overcooked this. You over dressed that. Scott said something about cheddar cheese not working with the dish. There were four main points that they didn't like about Fabio's dish. They didn't really even critique my dish. They never said, "oh it had too much salt, or tasted to sweet." They said, "you gave me a watered down version of ceviche." I didn't even use water in the dish, so I didn't know how to take the response. I guess I thought I was going to scoot behind that one. There was a little feeling in the back of my throat that I might go home, but it was small.

On competing against the All-Stars from previous seasons: It was different. Nothing is too surprising on the show. They could tell you to run off into the forest and hunt a unicorn and cook it on a grill. And we would do it. It was good to work with them. It was fun to meet the people from the old show.

On the judges: I liked Toby Young. I thought he was very intelligent. I did some research on him after the show. He's a very smart guy. He pulled out the drama and had big character. He had some important, witty things to say. He's definitely quick. There was plenty of people who didn't like him. They were scared of him. He made a lot of harsh comments that those chefs will carry around for awhile. Tom and Gail give critiques: too much salt, did you taste this/not taste this? Toby is good TV. The things he said are funny - unless you are on the other end of it. Padma is very intelligent. She has a great palate. She serves her purpose. She always liked my food: the spices and different elements I brought to the table, the fact that I cook globally, that I do a lot of different cuisines.

On Fabio: Fabio is a good friend of mine. I just saw him recently. He's a good guy. He's hilarious. He just finished a book and so did I. He's been helping me with that, to get it to a publisher. He was a great roommate. Did you know he cuts his own hair?

On who should win: I think everyone has the potential to win. Hosea and I became good friends. Hosea is the underdog. He's lost his focus and I am pulling for him. I hope he gets his head back in the game. No one can be underestimated. Everyone is definitely talented.

On his future: I just bought a house. I'm cooking at the Ritz Carlton. Hopefully the book will do well. It's called The Natural Course. It comes out this June. It's about cooking with organics. Taking what the earth gives you to make food. There is a lot on savory sorbets. I plan on staying here and cooking. I'm not going to try and open my own restaurant right now. It's not the day. Today isn't the day. Miami just had a lot of new restaurants open. The economy isn't good. Maybe 4 to 5 years down the line. I definitely want to do TV again. I'm happy right now, but if something comes along, who knows?

Source

Radhika: "I Wasn't Mentally Prepared For Restaurant Wars"

partysugar — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:00:21 -0800

When I was watching this week's Top Chef, I knew from the get-go that Radhika was going home. You could tell her heart wasn't in the game. When I spoke with her over the phone, she was unenthusiastic about her experience and future. However, she's surprisingly "buddies with Stefan"! To find out what she had to say about her fellow contestants, restaurant wars, and the judges, read more.

On her tendency to cook Indian cuisine: I use Indian flavors in everything I do. I like combining the things from my background with what I learned at culinary school. I am proud of my culture. I want to show others that you can use flavors to express a culture.

On the romance between Leah and Hosea: Um, I don't think any of us were really affected by it. At least for me, I didn't see that happen. I knew they were friendly and attracted to each other and flirting, but I never saw them do anything physically.

On her role as chef/owner during restaurant wars: I took on the role as the leader. I was chosen. Ultimately it was up to me. If the restaurant is a failure, I'm responsible for it. Like Jamie said, she initially didn't want to win because the losing team's head chef usually gets sent home. I don't think anyone else deserved to go home. I was the leader of the team and the judges made the decision based on their own opinion. I would have been more comfortable back in the kitchen. It would have been smoother if Jeff had expedited and run things.

On feeling lost during the filming: I was really overwhelmed. It was a long couple of days. I wasn't mentally prepared for restaurant wars. Looking back, I would have been more aggressive. More assertive. I don't regret the way I acted or represented myself. It was my fault for being too timid and too polite.

On the judges: Um, I liked them all. They have their own qualities as far as criticism goes. Tom is straightforward and tells how it is. Padma is eloquent. Everything she says sounds pretty. I only had a couple of interactions with Toby, but he obviously tries to be clever and funny. Gail is genuine and the most honest of the judges.

On her future: I'm the executive chef at a restaurant in Chicago. Who knows? I might move, I don't have any ties in Chicago. I want to open something new here or on the West Coast. I'm writing a cookbook - which I have been doing for a few years. It's autobiographical.

On who should win: Everyone! They are all talented. Everyone is really talented in their own special way. Carla is a very talented chef. Hosea does really great flavors and simple, not complicated food. Every person has a quality that makes them a top chef.

Source

Ariane: "Leah Should Have Went Home"

partysugar — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:45:45 -0800

Over the past couple of weeks I grew to love Ariane on Top Chef, so when Padma asked her to "pack her knives and go," I was disappointed. The restaurant owner and mother got off to a rocky start in the first couple of episodes, but she hit her stride and took home several wins. I spoke with Ariane this morning and found out what she thought of the experience and what she's up to now, read more.

On going home: I worked hard and rose to the challenge. Maybe I relied too much on my teammates. I felt like Leah should have went home. I can say that now because I watched the show.

When it came to the lamb, I wanted to do it a certain way. I wanted to grill it. But they wanted to do all this stuff to it and I believed my teammates. It's hard when you are in a challenge. The time, the moment, the pressure, being the third wheel. I had such a good run. It was such a high. I had so many wins.

On Toby Young saying she can't cook: I was a little surprised by that. He's a little angry Englishman. Hearing what Padma said, on the other hand, was really really great. Maybe if Gail had been there it would have been different. Gail's tough, but she's not as verbal as Toby.

On working with Hosea and Leah: It was tough, being the third wheel. When there's three people on a team and two of them are in a relationship it's hard. One would say yes and the other would say yes. I had no say in any matter.

On watching herself: It was really tough to watch the first two episodes. I couldn't sleep. It was more sad than difficult. I wasn't ready to leave, but I have the love and support of my family. I stay true to myself. You really saw who I am. In the beginning it was hard because you get caught up. Your mind plays tricks on you. Time flies during the challenges; it's really like having an out of body experience. I just kept telling my family, "watch what happens!"

On who should win: I'm rooting for Jamie. I'm rooting for Carla. Those are my girls.

On what's next: We're extremely busy. I own a restaurant with my husband and we are looking to expand. It's here in Montclair. Maybe I'll write a cookbook. I have two daughters - one's 11 and the other is 13 - so I'm pretty busy.

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Eugene: "I Have No Complaints"

partysugar — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:00:48 -0800

Many of you were bummed to see Eugene go, and while I liked him as well, I knew he wouldn't be the next Top Chef.

His creativity couldn't cut it with the judges, but Eugene, who I spoke to yesterday on the phone with fellow booted contestant, Melissa, was optimistic about the experience.

Eugene is a unique guy: He worked his way up from dishwasher to executive chef with no classic culinary training, making him a role model for young chefs everywhere. To see what the inspiring chef had to say about the judges and daikon radishes, read more.

On the tomato, basil, and daikon combination: Well, first off, about the dish, I have to tell you: I agree with the judges as far as the fish went. It was overcooked. As for the daikon, a lot of people haven't been exposed to eating the daikon warm. Many Asian cuisines use it in soups and stews - I've eaten it warm. I just don't think they were used to eating it warm because the majority of the public has been exposed to only cold daikon. It's an acquired taste to eat it warm. Actually if you really work with it, there is no taste to it. I rinsed it well to get rid of the smell. Then you add seasoning to it to give it flavor.

On Toby Young: He adds another dimension to the show. People like to see controversy between the chefs and now it will be good to see controversy between the judges. As chefs we have to take criticism, but this time it was really different. He's very critical. Very, very critical. I was surprised he wanted me to stick around! So I guess he is all right.

On watching his peers critique his dish: For me it was kind of nerve-racking. I thought the other chefs were going to talk down and use it to their ability. It's a competition after all. I didn't know if they were going to be honest. Who knows if they were.

On thinking the competition is rigged: Well you know things were different in the beginning of the season. After watching someone spit out your food you know you got to go. It is what it is. We got voted off by the judges. But all I'm saying is if someone spits out your food, you should be sent home. No use in crying over spilled milk.

On Bravo's portrayal of his personality: I have no complaints. As long as they didn't make me look like an asshole, I'm fine. Everyone knew going into it, it was a cooking competition as well as a television show. I am fine with how they portrayed me because someone else took the asshole role.

On what's next: Well I've consulted and developed a menu concept for this restaurant here in Vegas. If things go well, I should be running a kitchen in March at a high-end resort here. I will be the executive chef at a tapas-style restaurant, I can't reveal anything else, but things look good.

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