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Celebrities and Chefs Converge at New York Food Festival

YumSugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:40:43 -0700

This past weekend, Food Network's famous hosts, New York's foremost chefs, and other celebrated figures came together to attend the New York City Wine and Food Festival.

The four-day event was chock-full of demos, discussions, and, of course, parties. Food Network favorite Giada De Laurentiis and actress Alicia Silverstone signed copies of their books. Former President Bill Clinton, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and Rachael Ray talked about tackling childhood obesity. Everyone, including fellow network stars Guy Fieri and Giada De Laurentiis, turned out for the biggest event of the festival, Rachael Ray's Burger Bash.

Want to know who else was there - and who took top honors at the Burger Bash? Find out when you keep reading.

Kelsey and Spike Debut Their New Show on Food2

partysugar — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:05:28 -0700

During the last season of the Next Food Network Star, many of you thought perky blond Kelsey Nixon had serious star potential and were shocked when she got kicked off the show. But the spunky home chef assured readers she wouldn't be going anywhere when she announced she was getting her own show with Top Chef's Spike Mendelsohn on Food Network spinoff site Food2.

The enthusiastic contestant kept her word. Today, Kelsey & Spike Cook debuted on Food2's website with two episodes: one demo of easy-to-make steak and another featuring breakfast items. Unlike Food Network's other new show, 5 Ingredient Fix, I feel an instant connection with the duo - especially since we've gotten to know them on reality shows past.

They have a fun, lighthearted chemistry that holds my attention. Watch the video below and tell me what you think. Do you like the duo's dynamic? What do you think of the Food2 beta website and its other new shows?

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Kelsey Nixon to Star on Food Network's Web Show

partysugar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 03:00:52 -0800

Kelsey Nixon, the perky blonde contestant on the fourth season of the Next Food Network Star, is getting her own show. In the November issue of Utah Valley magazine, she discusses her new role at Food Network:

I've been approached by so many production companies, but I think Food Network is the route I should go. I'm working on a project with them right now - a web show about teaching cooking basics. . . My co-host on the show is Spike Mendelsohn from Top Chef and we have a great time. I'm the one to do the 'by-the-book' classic methods, and he uses crazy ingredients from all over the world.

The show will be a part of F2 a new website the Food Network is launching in early 09. According to Kelsey they plan to shoot 65 episodes and have wrapped filming on the first 13. This is an interesting move for Food Network and I definitely look forward to checking out the chemistry between bubbly Kelsey and spastic Spike. What do you think of the unlikely duo?

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Spike Mendelsohn Tips His Hat to Top Chef

YumSugar — Fri, 30 May 2008 08:00:23 -0700

Spike Mendelsohn showed off some seriously sharp butchering skills on this week's episode of Top Chef. But in the end, he failed to make the cut for the final four.

He's certainly been one of the more colorful chefs this season, so I was excited to chat with Spike yesterday about the whole frozen scallops incident, the recent rumors about his job, and his affinity for fedoras. Oh, and in case you're curious, the 27-year-old chef is currently single. For all the juicy details on Spike, read more.

YumSugar: What made you go out for Top Chef?
Spike Mendelsohn: I applied actually for season three. I had a lot of friends and family telling me I should do it. I was part of the final 30, in the final casting, and then they just decided not to use me. I was pretty much bummed out. I think I sent them some type of hate mail at some point. I guess they liked my spunk, and they reached out to me for season four.

YS: So you were pretty familiar with the show?
SM: I had definitely watched the show. I had a couple friends who were on the show. Marcel was a good friend of mine from culinary school, and Harold from season one I also got to know.

YS: Was it what you expected?
SM: You don’t know how well you’re going to react in front of the camera. You have pressure in the kitchen as it is, but being on camera and the competitiveness adds even more. I didn’t take it too seriously. Some people are all about the food and took it so seriously. I took more of the approach of showing who I was as a person and doing great food at the same time.

YS: Tell me about your decision to use the frozen scallops.

SM: To me, I felt like every ingredient in that walk-in should have been top notch. I heard there were scallops there, and I had conceived a scallop dish the night before. I think you could even see how nervous I was. I was like, I’m totally gonna go down for these frozen scallops. At the end of the day, I just screwed up. Normally, I would never use frozen scallops, but there’s ways of getting around things. I could have probably done something that called for wet ingredients, scallop ceviche or something that.

YS: In retrospect, how do you feel about what you said to Rick Tramonto about the scallops?

Maybe it was undeserved, but it was a point that I was trying to prove. He went after me a little bit, but I was like, the fact that you had frozen scallops, to me, was appalling. I was expecting the most beautiful diver scallops ever. I’d done so well in the quickfire, and I’d finally gained some momentum, so I was a little upset. I have a Greek temper, so I lashed out at him, and after I said that, I was appalled that I’d said that to him. I apologized to him three times. I think they showed me shaking his hand on the way out.

YS: What did you think about what went down at the judges' table?

This one really took awkwardly a long time. Hours and hours. They were really going back and forth with me and Lisa. I’m not quite sure what they based their decision on, even after watching the show. You think, OK, they thought her dish was the worst, so why am I being sent home? My other dish was really good, and I was proud of it. It was exactly what Rick Tramonto would have liked to serve at his steakhouse, and he said that. The only flaw for me was that I had to do tasting portions of that dish. My thinking was, I want to give them the whole chop, let them pick up a fork and knife and feel the texture of it. That’s the whole experience of that steak. If you ask me to do a tasting portion of a tomahawk chop, you lose the whole reason I want to cook it.

YS: What's next for you?
SM: Right now I have Lisa helping me at Mai House. I know there’s been a lot of rumors out there on the Internet that I got fired and she took over. But Drew [Nieporent] and I are very good partners, and I mentioned to Lisa if she was interested to come help me out, and she was. I’m gonna go launch my new concept, Good Stuff Eatery, towards the end of this month. Eventually, I want to open my own fine dining restaurant, but I don’t want to do that right now. There’s too much pressure and critics out there for a 27-year-old after doing the show. I wanted something simpler to capitalize on the publicity [from the show]. I came up with this great concept in DC, all organic food, and all I’ve got to perfect is burgers, fries, and milkshakes. And I’m bringing wedge salads back. It’s much more about being a restaurant chef than a kitchen chef on this one.

YS: Finally, I gotta ask about the hats. Are you just a hat guy?
SM: I wear hats. I’m a hat guy. I love my hats, I love the fedoras. I feel like I sport ‘em really well. I used to wear a couple hats here and there, but after being on the show and being the chef who wears hats, I gotta live up to it.

Photos courtesy of Bravo

Photo Gallery: 2009 New York City Wine and Food Festival

YumSugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:19:52 -0700

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Kelsey Nixon's Still Cooking Up a Storm

partysugar — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:23:17 -0700

When I first saw Kelsey Nixon compete on the Next Food Network Star last season, I knew there was something special about the perky blonde from Utah. Now, a year after she was kicked off the show, Kelsey is blazing a trail for herself in the food industry. Recently, I had the chance to chat with Kelsey and I was surprised to learn that while spirited, she's not overly hyper. Besides cooking with Spike Mendelsohn on her Food2 show, Kelsey's working as a kitchen consultant in New York City and is Pyrex's new spokeswoman. To find out what Kelsey thinks of Spike and see her impressions of the current cast of NFNS, keep reading

Top Chef Masters: Episode 8

partysugar — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:30:58 -0700

The second episode of the champions round aired last night on Bravo's Top Chef Masters. The chefs faced off in battle burger and the tables were turned when former cheftestant Spike Mendelsohn judged the burgers. Did you watch? Let's discuss after the break

Food Industry's Elite Party in South Beach

partysugar — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:50:20 -0800

While the entertainment industry turned to LA for the glitz and glamour of the 81st Academy Awards, the best and brightest stars of the culinary world gathered in Florida over the weekend for the South Beach Wine and Food Festival.

The four-day festival kicked off on Thursday night with the highly anticipated Burger Bash. Reigning Burger Bash queen, Katie Lee Joel, handed her crown over to the new king, Top Chef four's Spike Mendelsohn. His Coletti's Smokehouse burger (with Applewood bacon, sharp Vermont cheddar, fried Vidalia onion rings, and chipotle BBQ sauce) swept the competition.

Other highlights included a special dinner with the king and queen of Spain, a barbecue hosted by Tom Colicchio, a tribute to Emeril Lagasse, an Oscars viewing with Bobby Flay, several grand tastings, and countless demonstrations.

To check out a huge gallery of images of all your foodie favorites, read more.

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All the News That's Fit to Eat - Oct. 22, 2008

YumSugar — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:00:08 -0700

Making pasta at home is the perfect cooking project for kids. - Los Angeles Times
A New York judge awarded $4.6 million to 36 underpaid delivery workers. - New York Times
How are new restaurant projects preparing for hard times ahead? - Boston Globe
Spike Mendelsohn of Top Chef offers a primer on cooking Vietnamese. - Washington Post
The right tools and ingredients are the secret to making golden loaves at home. - Chicago Tribune
Which store-bought turkey bacon brand tastes the best? - San Francisco Chronicle
Ferment your own sauerkraut with this basic recipe.- The Oregonian
In response to overfishing, several conservation groups have worked together to produce sustainable sushi guides. Get your pocket sushi selector today. - Associated Press

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