Top Chef 3 finale - Who'd you pick for sous chef?

[MaspethMaven]

No idea if they're doing this again, but if you were in the finale and had to pick your team from the eliminees, who'd you match with who?

I'm hoping to see more of what Tre can do.

[Bunson]

I'd probably take Howie as a sous chef - he's fast and focused, the time issues he had were mostly because he made his dishes too complex for the time given.

For the pro sous chef I'd take Todd English in a heartbeat.

[Chew on That]

I think the pairings:
Hung-Sara, Dale-CJ, Casey-Howie could not have worked out any better if they chose themselves instead of drawing knives.

While Howie wasn't the best help for Casey (put more fish roe on the second dish!) she was the only one that could have probably tolerated him.

In terms of the celebrity sous chefs, what a surprise that was! Oh Top Chef never ceases to amaze...

[Xericx]

Eliminated- I'd probably choose Lia since she worked at Jean-Georges and probably could prep real well and work under intense pressure in a high end environment.

I'd probably choose Bernstein....she killed it on Iron Chef.....

[ChefJune]

...and if you ever get to Miami, don't miss the opportunity to dine at Michy's! Her food rocks.

[Alex318]

Second that. I ate at Azul when she was there and took my mother and father to Michy's earlier this year. Its a must dine when in Miami.

[ChefJune]

I would have picked Todd English, but then, I've already cooked with him.

[KTinNYC]

Can Todd English really cook? This is a serious question because his forays into Manhattan are really pretty mediocre. Olives is never ever mentioned as a top tier restaurant and English is Italian was universally panned. His PBS cooking show also fails to impress.

[porkbutt03]

Im a newbie at this...what does three star michelin mean?

[KTinNYC]

The Michelin Guide is probably the most highly regarded food guide in Europe and 3 stars is the it's highest rating.

[kenito799]

Rocco (or maybe it was Ted) point out that there are only three restaurants in the whole UK with three Michelin stars. Only the most ultra-elite European restaurants have three stars, and they usually have impeccable service as well as perfect food. Even one Michelin star is an enormous accomplishment.

[MaspethMaven]

Exactly, and no one should ever forget the tragedy of Bernard Loiseau.

[Jeserf]

Olives (in DC) was one of the best meals I ever had...and Figs in Wellesley, MA, was incredible when I was up there a few times.

I'd cook with him any day....but I gather he doesn't do much chefin' on a daily basis.

[ChefJune]

Todd English can seriously cook. I just think he doesn't do it too often any more. Like many other celebrity chefs who own multiple restaurants on several continents, he is spread too thin. I never went to English is Italian, but I don't think HE personally ever cooked there beyond the opening days. That is no excuse, imho...

I lived in Boston when he was getting started at Michela's, and his Italian food was sublime. When Olives first opened, it was among the top tables in Boston, and for quite some time.

When he did a series of cooking classes for the Boston Center for Adult Education (where I taught cooking for 10 years), he didn't want a student assistant, so I assisted him in his classes. I learned a lot from him, and we cooperated collegially. He has no problem with women in the kitchen. and his food was fabulous.

A few friends who still venture over the Charlestown Bridge to Olives say that on the rare occasions when he is in the kitchen, there are still glimmers of what it once was.

[momjamin]

What a great solution to keeping former competitors from sabotaging someone (inadvertently or not).

[AMFM]

although from casey's conversations - didn't work...

[jnstarla]

I would probably have picked Tre.

Of the three that ended up being the sous chefs - Todd English, hands down.

[strephking]

CJ or Tre for sure.

today - Rocco