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Best Episode of Top Chef All-Stars

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This might have been the best Top Chef All-Stars episode from the entire season. Episode 12, Give Me Your Huddled Masses, had the remaining five chefs creating Quick Fire dishes from a snack bar on-board a tour boat. Then for the main challenge, each chef prepared a dish representative of his family’s heritage. And every chef absolutely killed it. Carla, Antonia, Tiffany, Mike, and Richard cooked from their souls and gave the judges an impossible task of eliminating one more contender.

In the end, the judges simply couldn’t decide who to send packing. So instead of a Final Four, Top Chef has five finalists dueling for the All-Stars title.

Not only was the cooking great, but the reunion of chefs and their families was touching. But the best part of the show had to be the punking of Richard Blais. He got punk’d twice – once for his alright dish and secondly at Judges Table. Take a look…

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Read what Gail Simmons had to say about Richard’s reaction then keep up with Richard Blais on Twitter.

Best Lines from Top Chef “Meat Natalie”

Some risque lines from last night’s episode of Top Chef titled “Meat Natalie.” The Top Chef contestants took over Tom Colicchio’s craftsteak steak house in Las Vegas but was thrown a gigantic curve when they had to prepare a vegetarian meal for Natalie Portman.

Overheard at dinner…

Padma: “it’s like a little prick in my mouth at the tip of my tongue… then it got big in my mouth.”

Natalie, her friends, and Tom couldn’t stop laughing.

Spoiler Alert Below

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Disappointing Dessert Finishes Off Top Chef

Top Chef Season 5’s finale featured the trio of Stefan, Carla, and Hosea going head to head, simply creating their best meals for the panel of judges. Stefan dominated his way to the finals, Carla picked up serious momentum, and Hosea had been steady all season.

But to finish off this season of Top Chef, it came down to a disappointing dessert – not the ones Stefan and Carla created but Hosea’s victory. Yes, Hosea won the title of Top Chef, yet it feels anti-climatic. Going into the finals, it was Stefan’s title to lose, but Carla was definitely in her groove in New Orleans. It just never seemed like Hosea had a chance. But what’s that saying again? “That’s why you play the game.”

Carla was immediately out of the running as soon as her souffle fell apart. She didn’t stick to her cooking style of love and soul and let too much of her sous chef, Casey, influence her dishes. The judges immediately recognized the non-Carla-ness of her dishes.

Stefan was unflappable the entire season. Even getting stuck preparing a surprise alligator soup for the first time, he pulled it off. His dessert was welcomed but didn’t impress which is more or less telltale of Stefan. He executes to perfection, knows what to do, but his dishes are, well, too jaded. He’s been there, he’s done that. So he can kill all the elimination challenges, but when left to his own free choice and creativity, he admitted he has difficulty. As a well experienced, life-long chef, I think Stefan forgot his deep down passion for cooking.

Which is why Hosea won. He felt like he had something to prove. All finalists said that but Hosea (and Carla) really felt that. With Carla faltering and Stefan producing solid but not soulful enough dishes, Hosea managed to create a balanced menu showing off consistency along with his passion.

Congratulations are in order for Hosea, but I must admit that I am disappointed with this dessert.

Stefan is Unstoppable

With 8 Top Chef contestants remaining, it was time for the popular Restaurant Wars challenge. Sunset Lounge led by Leah up against Radhika’s Sahana.

top-chef-stefan-dessertBoth restaurants struggled, but in the end, the Europeans, Stefan and Fabio, saved the Sunset Lounge. Fabio worked the front of the restaurant as only he could while Stefan continued his dominance, creating two desserts that delivered his team to salvation. I thought Stefan’s culinary weakness would have been desserts, but I surely was wrong. Even though Stefan is portrayed as an arrogant, non-team player, that dude can cook and is the one to beat in Season 5.

As expected, losing team leader, Radhika, was sent home after her nerve-racking experience in Restaurant Wars. Did I mention Stefan was arrogant? Read his words about Radhika’s departure. True, but a little too blunt.

Respect Your Ingredients

Episode 8 of Top Chef was somewhat of a shocker. Lessons learned down on the farm, respect your ingredients (and proteins) and past performance means nothing.

top-chef-arianeFor these two reasons, Ariane was ousted after mangling her team’s lamb dish. Tom Colicchio presented his philosophy of cooking, stressing the respect chefs show their ingredients. Ariane, he felt, dishonored her lamb with her butchering. Even though Ariane has done well with lamb in past competitions, each elimination brings a clean slate, so Ariane was dismissed.

When the Booze is Gone, It’s Time to Move on, Gene

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Those were Gene Villiatora’s parting words on Top Chef as the Hawaii-raised chef didn’t make it past Week 7. Throughout the competition, Gene was a lucky survivor, advancing through each challenge doing it his way. And in Week 7, Gene, for better or for worse, stuck to his roots and made a questionable fish dish that didn’t completely win over the judges.

Gene almost made it through this week’s double elimination with the backing of new judge Toby Young who admired Gene’s wild creativity. Unfortunately, Gene’s visual whole fish dish with daikon, tomato, and basil didn’t have the flavorful punch the judges were looking for.

Here’s how it went down.

Gene, thanks for a showcasing Hawaii’s culinary talent and wish you much future success!

Gene Is a Lucky Top Chef Survivor

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What can I say, but Top Chef contestant Gene is lucky. For the past two weeks, the Hawaii-raised chef has been in the bottom three but has managed to fight off elimination.

In Episode 5, Gail’s Wedding Shower, Gene took the lead role for his “New-themed” team and went with a surf and turf sushi that bombed. But yet, Danny was sent packing for his undeniable belief that their team produced a dynamite dish. Just a side note, but it looks like the Top Chef judges no longer boot out the losing team’s leader. In the past, the leader of the losing team was an automatic out. This year, it looks like the judges are rewarding those that step up into the leadership role, failure or not.

In Episode 6, 12 Days of Christmas, Gene was fuming for being in the bottom three with his underwhelming dish. Fortunately, in the spirit of the Holidays and since all the chefs helped out Hosea and Radhika whose food had spoiled, no one was eliminated this week. Out of the bottom three, Gene was surely the one who would have gone home.

While I’m no food expert, Gene can cook otherwise he wouldn’t be on the show. Only thing is his dishes seem influenced too much by Las Vegas where he works. His creations would wow the hotel and casino guests but not the sophisticated palates of the Top Chef judges. This is where his lack of formal culinary training will hurt his chances of going all the way. But then again, Gene does have that drive, going from dish washer to executive chef, so he is a survivor. But how much luck does he have?

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Top Chef Gene is a Survivor

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After reading about Top Chef contestant Gene Villiatora’s self-taught cooking skills, I figured he wouldn’t last long in the fierce competition. To excel in Top Chef, you need skill, creativity, and a solid foundation in cooking. Unlike most of the other competing chefs, Gene has no formal culinary training. Something that will surely hinder this local boy’s quest to become Top Chef.


But what Gene doesn’t have in training, he makes up for with drive, determination, and a survivor’s mentality. Just check out his contribution to Team Cougar in Episode 3. In the Elimination Challenge of making a Thanksgiving meal for the Foo Fighters with a minimal kitchen, Gene makeshifts a Hawaiian style hibachi to smoke his pork.


Even though Gene didn’t get much air time this week, everyone noticed Gene’s hibachi, and Head Judge Tom Colicchio even called Gene’s pork dish one of his favorite dishes of this challenge.

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The New Face of Hawaiian Style Cooking

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Props out to Eugene “Gene” Villiatora for representing Hawaii in Season 5 of Top Chef. Although born and raised in Hawaii, the self-taught Gene is doing his thing in Vegas, the home away from home for Hawaii residents.


Just based purely on superficial looks, I woulda never thought Gene was a local boy but whatever. His first foray into Indian cuisine, and Gene unknowingly makes a classic Indian dish to Padma’s delight. Even though Gene was outdone by Stefan in the first elimination challenge, I hope Gene becomes the new face of Hawaiian style cooking on Top Chef.

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Top Chef Season 4 Covered

Pulpconnection coverage of Top Chef Chicago, Season 4.

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