
Over the weekend,
eight semi-finalists competed to see who would represent the United States at the
Bocuse d'Or, a prestigious international culinary competition. Timothy Hollingsworth, a sous chef at the
French Laundry, was selected as the winner. Hollingsworth now has three months to prepare for the French showdown in January.

Last week the world-renowned, award-winning chef
Thomas Keller left his Napa Valley restaurant,
The French Laundry, to speak at a panel discussion in San Francisco. The
symposium celebrated the 100-year anniversary of the discovery of the fifth taste, umami. After the day-long event, Keller took some time out to speak with us.

The eight semifinalists who will compete for the coveted chance to represent America at the culinary Olympics, the
Bocuse d'Or, have been announced. Among them are
Top Chef Season 3 winner
Hung Huynh. It's no surprise that Hung was chosen for the competition, when I spoke with him at the
Food and Wine Classic, he
mentioned his desire to participate.

Recently, I was treated to a box of
Bouchon Bakery goodies with a gigantic Nutter Butter cookie in the box. Everyone knows the famous peanut-stamped cookie with peanut-butter-cream filling from their childhood, and this homemade version was delightfully gourmet. While I remember that
Nutter Butters were delicious, these cookies, made by culinary legend
Thomas Keller, were absolutely heavenly!