Top Chef Season 4: I’m A Little Sous Chef
Miracles of miracles, I actually was able to watch Top Chef in real time last night and I was glad I did. I thought it not only a fun challenge that in some cases taxed the cheftestants creativity, but also, “awwww” what is cuter then a little kid in a chef hat and apron?
First the Uncle Ben’s Quickfire. Has there been one challenge this episode without some sort of product placement? Did you notice the properly placed beer bottle that Dale was drinking at the end? Michelob label in full view, of course.
Now, full disclosure, I have used Uncle Ben’s microwavable rice. It is good, quick, easy, and I am lucky if I have 15 minutes to make a meal. That said, I can’t imagine what those professionals were thinking. I wonder what Sensei Chef Tom would say if he walked into a kitchen and was asked to zap some rice?
I would venture that most of those chefs were a little annoyed, until they were told that they only had 15 minutes. I really liked Andrew’s idea, but our guest judge, Art Smith was correct, he needed more time. Antonia ended up winning and I have to be honest, I was disappointed. I just don’t like here, but I think that is because I feel that she has escaped the chopping block a little to easily in the past.
On to the Elimination Challenge: cooking for a family of four for only $10. T-E-N Dollars!!??? These guys are shopping at Whole Foods. Again, $10????!!! That was definitely the hardest part for the challenge. You could tell the chefs who, in the past, had little money. They new how to make the best with what they had. Poor, poor Stephanie. Growing-up eating gourmet meals must have been difficult. Well, as far as this challenge goes, her life experience didn’t do much to help her. The whole idea of her meal was just beyond, “blah”.
Antonia pulled a rarity and won double this episode. I agree with her though, if she had loss this challenge she would have been embarrassed because as a chef who is a mom, it should have been easy. For her it was, but not so for our didgeridoo playing Kiwi, Mark who packed it up last night. I really thought it was a toss-up. I know that probably just about everyone was hoping to finally get rid of Lisa. Art Smith nailed it when he said that you have to be able to take criticism. Stephanie’s dish looked insanely unappetizing, but at least she took her criticism well and didn’t insult the judges or think that Tom had some vendetta against her.
In the end, the show’s highlight was that along with the absence of foul-mouthed chefs, we had the pleasure of watching them work with some young hopefuls. I give a ton of kudos to the cheftestants for how well they all worked with their young sous chefs. Not one of them complained and they all seemed to embrace this part of the challenge.
Art Smith was once the personal chef for Oprah Winfrey. He now has a restaurant and a cause. He is the co-founder for a non-profit organization called Common Threads. Their mission: “to educate children on the importance of nutrition and physical well-being and to foster an appreciation of cultural diversity through cooking.”
Common Threads helps bridge cultural boundaries and strengthens our global family by teaching children about their similarities and differences in the warm comfort of the kitchen: Through the simple process of preparing and sharing a nutritious meal, children who participate in our programs learn to connect with their bodies, their neighbors, and their world in bite-sized lessons.
Common Threads began out of our love of family and good food, two basic ingredients that link all people of this world together. Family nurtures us, protects us and connects us to a larger community. Food nourishes us, excites us and teaches us about the world around us.
Art Smith has an anthropology degree and a love for food, “Our world is a large quilt and it’s people are the fabric - colorful swatches of beautifully woven material - all joined together by these common threads: family and food.”
For more information about Common Threads, visit their website.
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