Scores - better late than never ...

FINAL SCORES:

Noah: 810
Nikki: 730
Kristen:580
Mike:370
Brit:350
Tegan:110
Shyla:40
Shirley:-110


Episode 14:

Noah:820
Nikki:680
Kristen:530
Mike:390
Brit:300
Tegan:130
Shyla:50
Shirley: -90

Episode 13:

Noah: 760
Nikki:620
Kristen: 470
Mike: 390
Brit: 300
Tegan: 70
Shyla: 50
Shirley: -90

NIkki

Stephanie

picks

Brit = Stephanie

Mike= Rich

The Fan Favorite

Shyla declares it to be Antonia.

Kristen's pick for fan favorite

Stephanie

Noah's Fan Favorite

Richard

Nikki, where are you????

Kristen's pick

I pick Stephanie!!

Mike's pick

Mike is going with Richard.

But I suspect in his heart, he also wants Stephanie to win. How could you not? Stephanie is a goddess.

Final Picks

Shyla:
Quickfire-Richard
Winner-Richard

Shirley:
Quickfire-Richard
Winner-Richard

FINAL Pick

I feel self destructive today. I pick Lisa to win it all (including any quickfire if they have it).

To be clear, I am still rooting for Stephanie. I love Stephanie.

Noah's Final Pick

I feel pretty confident in saying that the winner is . . . Stephanie. And me.

Tegan's final pick

There is no way that Lisa is going to win Top Chef. I know that Richard has had some problems winning lately but I think he is renewed after the break. Richard is creative and can do a range of things. However, Stephanie can also do a range of different cooking and she has been the most consistant. I am going to have to go with Stephanie as the winner. Besides these thoughts, I have nothing to lose points wise. Noah, I hope you don't feel too much pressure to pick the winner! Go Stephanie!

Final Four

So what are we supposed to do now? I read over the rules and there is nothing there about the final four. Are we supposed to pick the winner and the loser? Let us know soon so we can get to thinking ( I am going to need all the time I can get)!

Tegan's picks

Quickfire: Richard
Elimination Winner: Richard
Elimination Loser: Lisa

Kristen's Picks

Quickfire: Richard
Elimination: Stephanie
Kicked Off: Lisa

Noah's Picks

Quickfire: Richard
Elimination Winner: Stephanie
Eliminated: Lisa

Nikki's picks

Quick Fire - Stephanie
Elimination - Stephanie
Loser - Lisa

mike's picks

Quickfire: Richard
Challenge Winner: Richard
Eliminated: Lisa

brit's picks

Quickfire Winner: Richard
Challenge Winner: Antonia
Eliminated: LISA

Picks from the Burdickans

Shyla:
Quickfire: Antonia
Elimination: Antonia
Eliminated: Lisa

Shirley:
Quickfire: Antonia
Elimination: Richard
Eliminated: Lisa

Scores Episode 12

Noah: 760
Nikki: 610
Kristen: 470
Mike: 390
Brittany: 330
Shyla: 80
Tegan:70
Shirley: -90

Scores Episode 11

Noah: 660
Nikki: 510
Kristen: 470
Mike: 430
Brittany: 370
Tegan:70
Shyla: -20
Shirley: -90

Lots of Picks

Noah's Picks:

Quickfire - Lisa
Winner - Stephanie
Loser - Spike

Nikki's Picks:

Quickfire - Stephanie
Winner - Stephanie
Loser - Spike

Shyla's Picks:

Quickfire - Richard
Winner - Stephanie
Loser - Spike

Kristen's Picks:

Quickfire - Richard
Winner - Richard
Loser - Lisa

Shirley's Picks

Quickfire - Antonia
Winner - Richard
Loser - Lisa

Tegan's Picks for Wednesday May 28

Quickfire: Richard
Elimination Winner: Richard
Elimination Loser: Lisa

Tegan's Picks

Quickfire: Stephanie
Elimination Winner: Richard
Elimination Loser: Lisa

Nikki's Picks

Quickfire Challenge Winner: Antonia
Elimination Challenge Winner: Antonia
Elimination Challenge Loser: Spike

brit's picks

Quickfire Winner: Dale
Challenge Winner: Stephanie
Eliminated: Stephanie

Shirley's Picks

Quickfire: Stephanie
Win: Richard
Eliminate: Lisa

Noah's Picks

Quickfire Challenge Winner: Lisa
Elimination Challenge Winner: Stephanie
Elimination Challenge Loser: Spike

Shyla's Picks

Quick Fire Winner: Dale
Elimination Challenge Winner: Richard
LOSER: Spike

Kristen's picks

Quick fire winner: Dale
Elimination winner: Stephanie
Sent packing: Lisa

Rule Proposal

On behalf of Nikki, I propose the following rule:

By 5 p.m. of the day on which the new episode will air, each participant must post on the blog with the name of the contestant the participant predicts will be eliminated. Once a name is given, there can be no changes. If the participant guesses correctly, the participant will win 50 points. If the contestant chosen by the participant to be eliminated wins the elimination challenge, the participant will lose 30 points. Failure to submit any name as the person who will be eliminated results in -20 points.

Scores Episode 10

Noah: 610
Nikki: 500
Mike: 470
Kristen: 420
Brittany: 320
Tegan:70
Shyla: -20
Shirley: -90

Scores Episode 9

Noah: 600
Nikki: 450
Mike: 420
Kristen: 370
Brittany: 310
Tegan: 80
Shyla: -30
Shirley: -50

Powerankings: Episode Ten

1. Dale - With good form in the quickfire and another elimination win, Dale nudges past Richard and Stephanie, who both wound up in the bottom of the quickfire. And, he's probably not the most hated remaining contestant.

2. Stephanie - Stephanie appears to be back. Perhaps she's starting to regain some confidence.

3. Richard - I'm chalking this weeks performance up to sleep deprivation.

4. Antonia - Safe, reliable, but unspectacular. She could be on the outside looking into the finals.

5. Spike - That was probably one of the weakest dishes ever. He gets the nod over Lisa because: (1) Lisa eats puppies and small children for fun ; (2) he didn't act like a four year old and claim that someone sabotaged his dish.

6. Lisa - I could see Lisa going to the finals. I could also see Lisa jumping over the table to strangle Padma.

Eliminated

Andrew - I heard the reason that Lisa is currently unemployed is that Andrew sabotaged a dish at her last restaurant. Apparently he threw the rice under a passing bus, then scraped it back into the pan before she noticed.

How many contestants left?

Everyone: 0

Its time to pick individual winners and losers.

For the record, this is how the teams panned out.

Noah: 3 - Poor Andrew, if he could have just made it one more week.
Nikki: 3
Mike: 3
Kristen:3
Brit: 3
Shyla: 1
Tegan: 1
Shirley: 0

A Joke

Knock Knock.
Who's there?
Noah.
Noah who?
Noah something? Andrew eats poo!

Now there's a culinary boner!

How many contestants left?

Noah: 4 - That's right folks, unscathed by elimination challenges, your clairvoyant frontrunner has four.
Nikki: 3
Mike: 3
Kristen:3
Brit: 3
Shyla: 1
Shirley: 1
Tegan: 1

Its Richard v. Antonia next week in the Freestone battle royal. Stay tuned, this is starting to get interesting.

Powerankings:Episode Nine

Top Chef Powerankings: Episode Nine

1. Richard - Another win for team Blais. You could say he's "blazing" the competition.

2. Antonia - Sitting pretty on team Blais. Lets see how she does on her own next week.

3. Stephanie - Turns out she's pretty handy with the cake. But not as handy as Lisa.

4. Dale - Classy, professional, sweet, what doesn't describe this lovable chef?

5. Lisa - She shows some skill making the German chocolate cake, and later gives the judges the look of death for not eliminating Dale.

6. Andrew - Sitting right where he needs to be to make the top six. Ha, Shyla.

7. Spike - Amus B. had it right on this one.

Eliminated

Nikki - If she were a batman villain, she would be "the Choker." Its about time. She should have been eliminated before Mark.

Consolation Prize

I found a great consolation prize for Kristen. They're not as cool as the sunglasses I'll be winning, but they will do.

Andrew is the new black

Two important comments, followed by some other random thoughts:
1. My team has scored the most points two weeks in a row because of Andrew. He's been the difference make both weeks for my team.

2. I can't help but notice that I am the only person remaining with four chefs on my team. Here's a tally of remaining team members for those of you keeping score at home:

Noah: 4
Nikki: 3
Mike: 3
Kristen:3
Brit: 3
Shyla: 2
Shirley: 2
Tegan: 1

Random Thoughts:
1. Its now impossible for Mike to gain ground on Nikki during the team portion of the competition. They have the same three chefs on their team.
2. Kristen needs Stephanie to do well and Andrew to do poorly to catch up to Noah. They share two of the same chefs on their teams.
3. Nikki and Mike can only gain ground on Noah during the team portion if Andrew does poorly. They each share three of the same chefs on their teams.
4. Although Shyla nearly pulled herself out of the negative this week, her magic number grew by 20 points to 520.
5. This seems to be shaping into a four-person race. However, if Stephanie returns to form, Brit could find herself in the mix.
6. The Tegan/Shyla battle is turning out to be interesting. Although Tegan only has one remaining chef, its Richard. Shyla does have Antonia, but she also has Nikki.

Scores - Fantasy Comunity Property Top Chef

Nikki and Noah: 910

Mike and Brittany: 550

A quote from Brittany:
"I am fine with you and Noah considering yourself Top Chef Spouses. [Mike and I] could still take you."

If by "take you" Brittany meant lose to you, then she is correct. Also, I would like to point out that although Noah is the dominate point contributor on our team I am only 110 points behind him. Brittany, on the other hand, is still riding Mikes "success" as she is 190 points behind him. It looks like if they ever want a chance at beating us she is going to have to start bringing something to the table.

Scores episode 8

Noah: 510
Nikki: 400
Mike: 370
Kristen: 320
Brittany: 180
Tegan: 30
Shyla: -10
Shirley: -30

Top Chef Powerankings: Episode Eight

This is a snapshot of how the contestants rank against each other after eight episodes.

1. Dale - Another solid performance from Dale. He's like a cooking machine with tons of attitude.

2. Richard - He needs a good week to wrestle the top spot from Dale, but he's been almost as consistent, except for that one salmon snafu.

3. Antonia - Finally, she fulfills some of the potential everyone saw in her. The question is whether we will see the Antonia from episode 8 down the stretch, or whether she will revert to her mediocre ways.

4. Andrew - With two good elimination challenge dishes in a row, Andrew is starting to break out of the middle of the pack.

5. Stephanie - How the mighty have fallen. She was so good until two weeks ago. Now her dishes are just pedestrian. Has she run out of creative ideas, was she just a flash in the pan, or is this just a temporary slump?

6. Spike - A middle of the pack performance from Spike, but the bottom chefs are starting to get weeded out. Maybe he should make a few more soup dishes.

7. Nikki - Her best performance since episode one. She could be the next chef kicked off, however. She's been the most consistent poor performer of all the remaining chefs. Some people may think she's turned the corner, but I wouldn't bet on it.

8. Lisa - Surprise, more attitude at the judges table. She's probably a better cook than Nikki, but she could be sent home first for running her mouth.

Eliminated

Mark - He had been on a downward spiral for a few weeks, so this wasn't unexpected. However, I thought he would pull it together for a little longer and at least outlast Nikki. He certainly didn't help himself when he called out Colicchio at the judges' table. The judges are probably happy they don't have to eat marmite anymore.

Perhaps these will work...

Scores Episode 7

Noah: 390
Kristen: 350
Mike: 340
Nikki: 300
Brittany: 140
Tegan: 90
Shirley: 0
Shyla: -110

Victory Prize

My vanquished competitors can buy my these awesome sunglasses when I win FTC. You know, as a prize.

Top Chef Powerankings: Episode Seven

This is a snapshot of how the contestants rank against each other after seven episodes.

1. Dale - Notching his second win in a row, Dale has more momentum than any other contestant right now.
2. Stephanie - This was a close call between Stephanie and Richard. Although Stephanie had been the best chef all season up until this week, she displayed some seriously flawed judgment on her last dish. Although Jennifer gets credit for the bread, the dish was pretty weak all around.
3. Richard - With two quickfires to his name to go along with one elimination challenge, Richard seems poised to jump into first place.
4. Spike - He came through like a champ with his butternut squash soup, much to Antonia's chagrin. Now if he could only ditch the hat . . .
5. Andrew - He probably rode Spike's coattails out of the middle of the pack where he's remained since his episode two win. Although, he doesn't seem to make very many mistakes, so he could stick around for a while, much to Shyla's chagrin.
6. Mark - After a strong start, Mark has fallen off dramatically. He needs to pull things together ASAP if he wants to stick around, or else his free fall could send him home soon.
7. Lisa - Take this down, chorizo is not the same thing as polish sausage. Lisa's attitude is going to get her axed at the judges table pretty soon if she doesn't pull it together.
8. Antonia - Almost lost it when Spike pulled off the butternut squash soup. Although she did win a quickfire in episode five, her performance has been pretty lackluster to date. Again, chorizo is not the same thing as polish sausage.
9. Nikki - Its like watching a car wreck in slow motion. She hasn't made that one mistake that warrants getting sent home, but she's been close on a few occasions. She hid out in the middle in episode seven, but she should keep her knives packed and ready to go.

Scores Episode 6

Noah: 300
Kristen: 300
Mike: 290
Nikki: 270
Brittany: 140
Tegan: 90
Shirley: 0
Shyla: -30

Stephanie is a better cook than you are.

=

=

There have been two standout performances this year in FTC. One for all the right reasons and one for all the wrong. Stephanie is destroying the competition. She's a machine and pretty much the LaDainian Tomlinson of Top Chef. Meanwhile, Nikki has struggled mightily, lending a comparison to Chicago's most inept quarterback, Rex Grossman. I realize these comparisons are lost on everyone but me, so the picture below pretty much sums up Nikki's performance to date. This picture came up when I googled Rex Grossman's name.

Scores Episode 5

Shyla: -30
Shirly: 60
Brittany: 80
Tegan: 80
Nikki: 190
Kristen: 210
Noah: 240
Mike: 250

Bowed?

I can't help but notice that we have ALL (including Shyla) been left speechless by the scores...

Scores Episode 4

Shyla: -60
Shirley: 60
Brittany: 70
Tegan:90
Nikki: 150
Kristen: 180
Noah: 210
Mike: 220

Bloody but Unbowed

Wow Noah. I never suspected you were the type of person to kick someone while they were down. Top Chef is revealing a disturbing new side to your personality.

I have no hesitation in admitting my choice of Erik was a mistake. I am not so prideful that I need to delude myself or pretend that all of my choices are flawless. For instance, if I had picked Andrew, I would freely admit his failure to present a dish that could be tasted and judged deserves a point deduction.

So, you raised the question that I am sure is on everyone’s mind. Do I now wish I had chosen Andrew? Answer: Hell no.

First, I would like to note Andrew did not singlehandedly outscore my team. He is only responsible for 10 of the 90 points you earned. What really made the difference is that you chose Richard and I chose Erik.

Second, I would like to note what Erik lacked in skill, he made up for in personality. He took the criticisms and his elimination with class. He also took the opportunity to stick up for another team member, Zoi. Contrarily, Andrew’s approach to the judging table was to repeatedly assert he didn’t think the other team should win and then to express his refusal to leave if eliminated. To be more specific, what he actually did was look Tom in the eyes and declare that this was his house and they would have to drag him out with security guards. I was just glad he didn’t look at the four judges and tell them he had won in his mind anyway.

As of yet, my prediction has not fully come true. But there is still plenty of time left for Andrew to destroy your team. As for embarrassing your team, if you don’t feel embarrassment over Andrew, your integrity is more questionable than I thought.

In conclusion, I am losing . . . by a lot. But I am a Freestone and it is still early in the game. More importantly, my integrity is intact. So beat me down all you want people (by people I mean Brittany and Noah). But don’t be surprised if sometime soon you are eating your words!

http://www.bartleby.com/103/7.html

What happened to Shyla's team?

Shyla mocked me for picking Andrew. She confidently declared that he would singlehandedly destroy and embarrass my team. Then, she docked Andrew 20 points for the challenge 2 quickfire for "failing to present a dish" when he used too many ingredients.

Apparently, there is justice in the world. With a 50 point stranglehold on last place, I feel confident in saying that Shyla secretly wishes she would have picked Andrew for her team. Even with the
shady 20 point deduction, Andrew has singlehandedly outscored Shyla's team.

Here's hoping the antipode starts to sink Mike's team soon, or we may all be playing for second place.

Scores after Episode 3

Shyla: -30
Brittany: 20
Shirley: 40
Tegan:40
Kristen: 60
Nikki: 70
Noah: 100
Mike: 140

Wowza

Coincidence???

Is it a coincidence Mark won the quickfire even though he left an ingredient at the market?
you decide...as for me I think there is a serious side burn conspiracy at work.

Scores after Episode 2

Thanks to Shyla for making this possible. Each week we will post your score.

Brittany: -40
Kristen: -30
Shyla: -30
Nikki: -10
Noah: 10
Tegan: 20
Mike: 30
Shirley: 30

Kristen's way more awesome picks than Noah's

1. Richard

2. Jennifer

3.Stephanie

4.Dale

The most dominant team . . . in the world . . . ever.

Has anyone else notice how dominant Kristen's team looks? I was thinking I might actively root against a few of her chef's, but I just don't know who to pick. I mean, did you see how well her first pick did at the episode one quickfire? And her second pick can only be described as pure genius. I thought her fourth pick was a bit of a reach. It may be her team's only weakness. At least she managed to not pick Antonia.

Noah's Team

Antonia - She's got the hottest photo, but I was a little disappointed that she didn't resemble the photo a little more closely on the actual show. She's no Padma, that's for sure.
Richard - Classically trained, but I could totally see him trying something crazy in three weeks and falling flat on his faux-hawk.
Andrew - He's got some $@&!ing classical training, which the judges love.
Dale - It was a tossup between him, Spike, and Manuel, but ultimately Dale has more upside, but less personality.

I'm pissed that everyone and their mom is picking Antonia. I never should have told Shyla she was one of my preseason favorites based off her picture alone. Cheers to Tegan for resisting her charm.

My Team

Richard
Erik
Mark
Jennifer

I am totally loyal to Mark and any chef on the show that is self taught. I am going for the underdogs this time! Except of course for Richard and Jennifer! Good luck everybody! I can't wait to watch the show tonight. I am so sad I missed the yummy food and fun at the kick off party. But don't worry Shyla, I took notes too!

Brit's Picks

Stephanie

Erik

Antonia

Richard

Nikki's Team

Richard
Dale
Jennifer
Antonia

Shyla's Team

Antonia
Erick
Jennifer
Nikki

Fabulous Kick-off Party Nikki!

Thank you Nikki for planning and executing the best kick-off party ever right down to the flowers and pink plates. This was the first time I actually watched Top Chef and felt sorry for Padma that she couldn't eat what I was eating. While she was eating pizza, pizza, more pizza, and poached eggs, I was snacking on stuffed jalapenos wrapped in ba-con (two words per Ted Allen), stuffed dates, delicious cheese, and chocolate covered strawberries.

Highlights of the episode included Nimma's pajama pants and the way Stephanie plated her duck dish. Among the more painful moments was watching Mark stand in front of the judge's table. I really felt for the guy. I adore him and I hope he will go far in the competition.

I couldn't help but observe I was the only Fanasty Top Chef participant taking notes during the show. Apparently the rest of you are relying on luck for picking your team. Let me tell you something people . . . this is TOP CHEF!!!! Going off the cuff and merely hoping for the best results in salty shrimp and cauliflower scramble. I am a serious competitor and if anyone wants to beat me they need a serious plan. Good luck to all (even Noah)! And thanks again Nikki!

My Picks

Thanks again to Nikki (and Noah) for the amazing food and drink and the inaugural Top Chef viewing. I'm pretty sure Nikki's food was better than the dishes prepared on the show.

My winning team: Richard, Mark, Antonia, Dale.

Rules

1. Each participant must create a team of four Top Chef cheftestants. This team must be submitted by posting no later than 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 18, 2008 (which is the date the second episode of Season 4 will air).

2. Points for your team will accrue as follows until only 6 cheftestants remain (once an episode begins with six contestants, Rule #3 will govern point accrual):

A. 20 points for each member of your team that is not the winner, but is one of the top 3 favorites of the elimination challenge.
B. 40 points any time a member of your team wins the elimination challenge.
C. 30 points any time a member of your team was on the winning team of a team elimination challenge. This is in lieu of the 20 points you get for A.
E. 10 points any time a member of your team wins an elimination challenge two times in a row and an additional 10 points for any consecutive wins thereafter.
F. 10 points anytime a member of your team wins a quick-fire and an elimination challenge in the same episode.
G. -20 points for each member of your team that is not eliminated, but falls in the bottom 3 of the challenge.
H. -40 points for any member of your team that is eliminated.
I. -10 points any time a member of your team is in the bottom three of an elimination challenge or quick fire 2 times in a row (this can occur if your member is in the bottom three of a quick fire and then an elimination challenge in the same episode or in the bottom three of an elimination challenge and then a quick fire in the next episode or is in the bottom three of an elimination two times in a row or is in the bottom three of a quick fire two times in a row).
Note: No additional deduction if your team member is in the bottom three 3 times in a row. So if your team member is in the bottom three for the first four episodes, you would lose 10 points based on episode 1-2, and another 10 points based on episode 3-4.
J. -20 points any time a member of your team fails to present a dish for any reason for any challenge elimination, quick fire, or otherwise.
K. 20 points any time a member of your team wins a quick-fire challenge.
L. 10 points any time a member of your team that is not the winner, but is in one of the top 3 favorites of the quick-fire
M. -20 points any time a member of your team loses a quick-fire challenge
N. -10 points any time a member of your team is not the loser of a quick-fire but is in the bottom 3
O. 30 points if your entire team makes it to the final six.

3. When there are only 6 contestants remaining, points will accrue as follows:

A. By 5 p.m. of the day on which the new episode will air, each participant must post on the blog with the name of the contestant the participant predicts will win the elimination challenge. Once a name is given, there can be no changes.
B. If the participant guessed correctly, the participant will win 50 points. If the participant guessed correctly for the final show, the participant will win an additional 10 points.
C. In addition to posting your selection for the elimination challenge winner – you may also select someone as the quick-fire challenge winner. If you select correctly you will win 10 additional points. There is no penalty for not selecting a quick-fire winner nor is there a penalty for guessing incorrectly.
D. If the contestant chosen by the participant to win the elimination challenge is eliminated, the participant will lose 30 points.
E. -20 points for failure to submit any name as the winner of the elimination challenge
F. 50 points for correctly selecting the fan favorite – not submitting a selection for fan favorite results in -20 points, -10 points if the person you selected is not the fan favorite (the reunion show where the fan favorite is selected will act as the challenge for that week).

4. If there is any dispute over whether points have been earned or lost, the grievance shall be aired by a post on the website which must be posted within 24 hours of the current points total posting. Other participants have 5 days from the date of the post to comment on what they believe the correct result is and why. The dispute will then be settled by the majority result of votes on the website from Katie, Shyla, and Nikki. This decision is final and cannot be challenged.

5. Any amendments or additions to the rules must be proposed by Nikki and accepted by a majority vote of the participants.

Is that a pepper mill in your Calvin Kliens or are you happy Top Chef is back?

I know Shyla thinks Tre is the hottest cheftestant to have ever been on Top Chef; however, I don't think you can argue with this:

Can't wait to see what yummy goodness season four has to offer!

In Anticipation of the Future: A Look at the Past

The new season of Top Chef starts tomorrow and I could not be more excited. Top Chef is more than just great food--it is damn good entertainment. Through past seasons we've seen shaved heads, the hottest guy ever doing push-ups, and a world famous chef dressed as Santa Claus. We've seen contestants cry (including big tough New Yorkers), rap, hiss, get beat up, yell at the judges, quit successfully, try to quit unsuccessfully, cook in high heels, and run around waving knives. The contestants have cooked for surfers, kids, drunk people, rich people, and gamblers. Contestants have cooked on bbqs, on camp stoves, in airplane ovens, and have even cooked without actually cooking.

Things I hope we won't see this season:

any contestant repeatedly talking about bowel movements

any contestant saying she lost because she misses her kid

any contestant saying they've never made a pie crust (this is top chef people, learn 2 dessert recipes)

annoying and excessive product placement

Top Chef has provided me with hours of entertainment
and I expect nothing less this season. In conclusion let me just say, Top Chef is what it is and believe you me, what it is, is fabulous! Also, I love you Tre!

Zoi

AGE: 30

HOMETOWN: Seattle, WA - currently resides in San Francisco, CA

PROFESSION: Chef/Restaurant Consultant

CULINARY EDUCATION: Self-Taught

FAVORITE SIMPLE SPRING RECIPE: Roasted baby California lamb with artichokes, spring onions, lemon and rosemary

BIO: A restaurant consultant living in San Francisco, Zoi began cooking at the age of 19 and has worked with some of the greatest chefs on the West Coast. After traveling extensively through Europe, she believes her food reflects her love of Greece and Italy. Zoi describes her cooking as simple and rustic and emphasizes the importance of using local, seasonal ingredients whenever possible.

Valerie

AGE: 32

HOMETOWN: Chicago, IL

PROFESSION: Personal Chef

CULINARY EDUCATION: Culinary Arts, Kendall College, Chicago

FAVORITE SIMPLE SPRING RECIPE: Pork pot stickers

BIO: Born and raised in Chicago, Valerie has worked her way around popular Chicago restaurants for the past nine years and is currently working as a personal chef in her native city. Valerie has a passion for traveling and loves to incorporate influences from all over the world in her cooking. She believes food is the most universal part of life and enjoys cooking cuisine with elegance and simplicity.

Stephanie

AGE: 31

HOMETOWN: Stamford, CT - currently resides in Chicago, IL

CULINARY EDUCATION: University of Michigan (undergrad); Scottsdale Culinary Institute

FAVORITE SIMPLE SPRING RECIPE: Anything with green garlic such as gnocchi with clams, white asparagus and green garlic

BIO: Until recently, Stephanie was the chef/owner of Scylla in Chicago. She is now enjoying traveling, both domestically and abroad, while planning her next exciting venture. Stephanie's biggest lure in cooking is seafood because the same fish can be cooked so many different ways - grilled, poached, cured, pan roasted - and this brings out different attributes, flavors and textures. Stephanie says in her cooking, contrasting and complementary elements are essential, but balance is non-negotiable. She has always been very driven and a bit of a risk-taker. "Once I set my mind to something, I follow through. It always has to be 110%.

Spike - also the name of my dead dog

AGE: 27

HOMETOWN: Clearwater Beach, FL - currently resides in Williamsburg, NY

PROFESSION: Chef de Cuisine, Mai House, Drew Nieporent

CULINARY EDUCATION: A.O.S Culinary Arts, C.I.A

FAVORITE SIMPLE SPRING RECIPE: Lamb or Pig. A good Greek SPOOL lamb (salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon) on a spit.

BIO: Spike works as the chef de cuisine at Tribeca's new hotspot restaurant, MAi-House, which was named as one of the New York Times' top ten best restaurants. Born in Montreal, Canada and trained in classic French cuisine in restaurants around the world, Spike has worked with Gerard Boyer at Les Crayeres, Thomas Keller at Bouchon and The Maccioni Family at Le Cirque and at Good Stuff Eatery in Washington D.C. Spike believes in learning the basics to become the best. His latest venture is opening a new chain, Good Stuff Eatery, with his family. The new restaurant features his weakness - hamburgers, hot dogs, fries and milkshakes.

Ryan - cute and he does charity work , now that is yummy!

AGE: 28

HOMETOWN: Los Banos, CA - currently resides in San Francisco, CA

PROFESSION: Chef, Myth Cafe

CULINARY EDUCATION: Associate of Arts, California Culinary Academy

FAVORITE SIMPLE SPRING RECIPE: Chilled spring pea soup with Strauss yogurt and dill cucumbers

BIO: Ryan zeroed in on his desire to be a chef at the early age of nine when the "toys" at the top of his Christmas list included kitchen utensils, a wok and food dehydrator. Growing up in the Central Valley of California he developed a passion for the culinary arts that has led to a very successful career spanning both coasts. His talent for creating simple, healthy and delicious Mediterranean and French-influenced cuisine draws long lines and wide acclaim at Myth CafŽ in San Francisco, where he has been chef since 2005. Ryan strongly believes in "giving back" as much as possible and works extensively with Bay Area community organizations. This fall, he led a team of over 30 volunteers in his first "Thanksgiving Bag Lunch Giveaway," which involved creating 1,000 bag lunches for people in need - from scratch.

Richard

AGE: 35

HOMETOWN: Uniondale, New York - currently resides in Atlanta, GA

PROFESSION: Chef, culinary designer, Trail-Blais

CULINARY EDUCATION: AOS Culinary Arts, CIA

FAVORITE SIMPLE SPRING RECIPE: Lamb meatballs with rhubarb & strawberry

BIO: Richard is not only a chef, but also a culinary designer, working all over the east coast. He and his wife reside in Atlanta, Georgia with their two weimaraners and are expecting their first child in the spring. He is known for his innovative and personal take on classical cuisine and has studied under luminaries such as Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud and Ferran Adria. Richard believes cooking is an art and a craft and food is meant to stimulate on many levels. He incorporates global ingredients, modern cooking methods, wit and a sense of humor to all his food. He says if he were a food he would be an artichoke. "It's tough, difficult to work with, even dangerous at its core; but when you come down to it, it's simple, beautiful and delicious."

Nimma

AGE: 26

HOMETOWN: Peachtree City, GA - currently resides in Atlanta, GA

PROFESSION: Cook at Repast

CULINARY EDUCATION: Culinary Institute Of America

FAVORITE SIMPLE SPRING RECIPE: Grilled freshly caught fish with some amazing olive oil and sea salt

BIO: A native of Peachtree City, GA., Nimma earned her culinary degree from the Culinary Institute of America and is currently working as a chef at Repast restaurant in Atlanta. Her favorite thing to cook is pasta and she says she always has salt, pepper, green tea, coffee, and butter on hand.

!!!! NIKKI !!!! (and she even spells it like I do)

AGE: 35

HOMETOWN: New York, New York

PROFESSION: Chef / co-owner - 24 Prince

CULINARY EDUCATION: A.O.S Culinary Arts, School of Culinary Arts

FAVORITE SIMPLE SPRING RECIPE: Fresh English peas with shallot, grape tomatoes, pecorino cheese and fresh mint

BIO: Nikki operates 24 Prince Restaurant in New York City as the chef and co-owner. Trained for many years in back of house and in front of house operations with great chefs like Jean-Georges, Shaun Doty and Anne Quatrano, Nikki believes a great chef must understand how to run a business as well as possess outstanding cooking skills. She is also a certified sommelier with extensive wine knowledge. Nikki loves not being restricted to any one particular cuisine and experiments with flavors and ingredients from all over the world. She considers growing up in New York to be the best culinary education one can obtain and says her family and friends constantly tease her about how passionate she is about food. Her future plans are to expand her restaurant group with several new concepts.

Mark

AGE: 29

HOMETOWN: Invercargill, New Zealand - currently resides in New York, NY

PROFESSION: Sous Chef at Public Restaurant in New York City

CULINARY EDUCATION: Self-Taught

FAVORITE SIMPLE SPRING RECIPE: Roast New Zealand venison, minted edamame, wee fella Yorkshire pudding and espresso hollandaise.

BIO: Born and raised on a sheep farm in New Zealand, Mark developed a great appreciation for cooking from scratch. After leaving school at the age of 16, he went to work at a slaughterhouse before leaving New Zealand to travel the world. Over the past eight years, Mark has worked his way up the kitchen ladder from dishwasher to sous chef and has worked in New Zealand, Melbourne, Tokyo, and New York.

Manuel

AGE: 33

HOMETOWN: Laredo, Texas - currently resides in New York, NY

PROFESSION: Executive Chef, Dos Caminos

CULINARY EDUCATION: B.A. in Business Administration from St. Mary's University of San Antonio, Texas; A.O.S, New England Culinary Institute, Montpelier, Vermont

FAVORITE SIMPLE SPRING RECIPE: Crispy soft shell crabs with charred ramp vinaigrette

BIO: As executive chef of Dos Caminos Third Avenue, Manuel brings authentic Mexican fare to the heart of Midtown in New York City. Growing up in the border town of Laredo, Texas and influenced by his Mexican heritage, Manuel began cooking at an early age and has never stopped. Manuel was classically French trained at the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont. After moving up the ranks from Garde Manger to Tournant at New York's Le Cirque 2000, he then worked with executive chef Mario Batali at Babbo Restaurant where he quickly rose to sous chef. Manuel believes that it is always good to inject new ideas and stir things up.

Lisa

AGE: 27

HOMETOWN: Toronto, Canada - currently resides in New York City

PROFESSION: Chef

CULINARY EDUCATION: A.A.S. culinary arts, B.S. food service management Johnson & Wales University

FAVORITE SIMPLE SPRING RECIPE: Chili rubbed lamb with strawberry-rhubarb jam, balsamic reduction and fresh mint

BIO: Being drawn to the flavors of Asian cuisine since a young age, Lisa moved to New York City where she decided food was her passion and career choice. At only 17, she attended Johnson & Wales University and received a B.S. in foodservice management. She moved to south Florida to diversify her cooking palette, absorbing the local flair of Latin food. With Asian cuisine still in her heart, Lisa moved back to New York to get involved with more Asian restaurants, working at Asia de Cuba, Rain and then Public. Lisa says she always exercises Asian flair in her dishes and has taught herself as much as she can about the cuisine. Lisa hopes to open an Asian influenced restaurant in New York in the years to come.

Jennifer

AGE: 35

HOMETOWN: Brooklyn, NY - currently resides in San Francisco, CA

PROFESSION: Executive Chef COCO500 Restaurant

CULINARY EDUCATION: A.O.S Culinary Arts, C.I.A

FAVORITE SIMPLE SPRING RECIPE: Spring Lamb's tongue salad, sauce Dragnocello, Mache, olive oil croutons, and mustard fruit

BIO: Born in Brooklyn, NY and trained in classic French and Mediterranean cuisine, Jennifer believes in cooking for the season and stimulating the palette. She has lived and worked in both Paris and London and always tries to incorporate French, Italian and Spanish influences in her cooking. Jennifer is currently working as an executive chef at the popular San Francisco restaurant, COCO500, but says if she could cook anywhere in the world it would be Cinque Terre, Italy.

Erick - my "bling" is better than yours

AGE: 38

HOMETOWN: Chappaqua, NY - currently resides in San Francisco, CA

PROFESSION: Executive Chef at Circa Restaurant

CULINARY EDUCATION: Self-Taught

FAVORITE SIMPLE SPRING RECIPE: Spring lamb with fresh spring garlic

BIO: A third generation chef, Erik gets his love of cooking from his grandfather and mother, who are both chefs. He worked his way through the ranks of several New York City restaurants before becoming sous chef at Eros and then Tapas Lounge. He eventually tired of the cold and decided to move to California, where he now works as executive chef at Circa Restaurant in San Francisco. He says his favorite thing to cook is Circa's popular pan-seared Chilean Sea Bass with wild chanterelle, truffles and caramelized leek ragout.

Dale, a.k.a. the new Hung

AGE: 29

HOMETOWN: Chicago, Il

PROFESSION: Sous Chef at Buddakan

CULINARY EDUCATION: Culinary Institute Of America

FAVORITE SIMPLE SPRING RECIPE: Grilled matsutake mushrooms, shaved myoga, spicy truffled ponzu

BIO: Dale, a sous chef at Buddakan, one of New York's hottest restaurants, was born and raised in Chicago, where he helped open the renowned restaurant Jean Georges Vong. In Chicago, Dale worked with distinguished chefs like Carrie Nahabedian and Shawn Mcclain. With his Filipino background, Dale focuses on Asian flavors. "I love the balance that Asian cuisine offers the salty, sweet, bitter and sour and the textures it provides for different experiences in every bite." One of Dale's kitchen favorites is a dry aged kobe rib eye. Dale says cooking meats is one of his favorite things to do in the kitchen and the technique that goes into properly searing and basting a rack of lamb or steak shows a lot of love. A motto that drives Dale is "expect perfection , because if you fall short your left with greatness."

Cannellini Mediterranee

This is a simple but delicious dish that is inspired by cassoulet. Katie asked me for the recipe so I am posting it here, but I highly recommend it to everyone.

Makes six servings:

1/2 pound fresh Italian sausage, or any fresh link sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 19-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 smoked turkey leg, skin removed and diced (available at most supermarket meat sections)

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 sprigs fresh sage

4 sprigs fresh thyme

1 sprig fresh rosemary

2 bay leaves

Healthy pinch of red pepper flakes

1 to 2 cups chicken broth

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Brown the Italian sausage in olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).

Add all remaining ingredients to the pot along with just enough chicken broth to bring the liquid level with the other ingredients.

Cover the pot and place it in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the cover and continue cooking for another hour until a few beans begin to split and release some starch into the broth for thickening.

I couldn't find a smoked turkey leg, so I used a smoked turkey breast instead. Also, my dutch oven is for camping and has legs, so I browned the sausage and cooked the onion and garlic in a cast iron skillet. I then transferred them to my dutch oven. I then added the chicken broth to the skillet, deglazed the pan, and then added that to the dutch oven.

For other great recipes, this blog is fantastic: Kitchen Window

Antonia

AGE: 31

HOMETOWN: Los Angeles, CA

PROFESSION: Executive Chef, Foxtail, SBE Restaurant Group

CULINARY EDUCATION: French Culinary Institute

FAVORITE SIMPLE SPRING RECIPE: Baby beets with bouchon goat cheese and marcona almonds

BIO: Antonia worked for executive chef Lee Hefter at Spago restaurant for six years and is now Executive Chef at the popular L.A. restaurant Foxtail. A single mother living in Los Angeles with her 7-year-old daughter, Antonia comes from an Italian background and says fresh linguine with white truffle is her favorite thing to cook. She always has aged balsamic and extra virgin olive oil on hand, and root beer floats with her daughter are her favorite indulgence.

Andrew

AGE: 30

HOMETOWN: Fort Lauderdale, FL - currently resides in New York City

PROFESSION: Sous Chef in NYC

CULINARY EDUCATION: A.S. Culinary Arts, Johnson & Wales, North Miami

FAVORITE SIMPLE SPRING RECIPE: Diced strawberries, mango, tomato, cucumber, and jicama. Thai dressing (sugar, lime juice, fish sauce and siracha). Thai basil and mint chiffonade.

BIO: For the past two years, Andrew has studied everything from the French cuisine of Raymond Blanc to the molecular gastronomy of Ferran Adria. With food influences that range from African, Spanish, French and Thai to Vietnamese, Japanese, Latino and Indian, Andrew prides himself on being diverse in the kitchen. When Andrew isn't working, you can find him researching cuisines at a bookstore or shopping for spices that are uncommon and of multicultural influences to adapt to his cuisine. He believes in translating the flavors and techniques from different cultures into innovative interpretations that do not stray far from their origins. His goal is to leave a legacy like the chefs before his time, which shaped him and his fellow chefs minds and refined their techniques. He says he doesn't make food for mere sustenance, but to create an experience that impacts the soul.

More excited for this than PR finale