Post Top Chef success

[mcmuffin]

Harold is the only one to have opened his own place, right?

Hung's an executive sous chef in Las Vegase

Ilan has opened a taco cart (just read that on another thread... way to aim high)

Anyone had any of their food?

[The Chowfather AKA sobe]

Top Chef Follow-Up
Ever wonder what kind of career advancement offers come to Top Chef contestants who don't make it all the way to the top of the Bravo network TV show's competition? South Florida season two competitor Carlos Fernandez, who remains chef/owner of Hi-Life Café in Fort Lauderdale (as he was before the show), has just teamed up with Dr. Pepper/7Up Inc. to create recipes for healthy dishes using 7Up soda. Fernandez's recipes (including grilled mahi mahi flavored with the sugary/citrusy soda, as well as "lemon-lime" risotto, and 7Up-infused hummus with chorizo) are available online at www.receta7up.com. The 7Up hummus also currently appears as a menu special at Hi-Life. Doubtless not coincidentally, Fernandez, before being eliminated in episode six, won episode four's Quickfire Challenge by creating an amuse bouche dish (sunflower seed & carrot loaf) using $10 worth of vending machine products---one of them Squirt, a rival lemon-lime soda now also produced in the USA by Dr. Pepper/7Up Inc. Hi-Life Café, 3000 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale; 954-563-1395. Hi-Life Café, 3000 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306, 954-563-1395.

Top Chef Follow-Up: Take Two
Though Top Chef's top prize of $100,000 (to finance a restaurant for the winner) eluded Howie Kleinberg, the pugnacious season three Miami competitor, has announced he'll be opening his own joint anyway this fall. Named, aptly, Bulldog Barbecue, the place---located in an easy-to-miss space in a North Miami mini-mall, formerly occupied by Sun City Café---will offer what Kleinberg calls "New Barbecue." i.e. it'll be Klein's idea of how a ‘cue restaurant should be, which includes incorporation of some Latin flavors, plus some salads and other lighter food. Bulldog Barbecue, 15400 Biscayne Blvd., North Miami Beach, FL 33160, no phone available yet.

[Chew on That]

Haha did Ilan spend $100,000 to open that taco cart? He's so funny. I haven't tried any of their food in person unfortunately but I hope to one day!

[AMFM]

i am NOT an ilan fan, but post taxes $100,000 isn't going to go far in opening anything. probably not even a taco cart.

[Elyssa]

Wait----that's what Ilan has done? Opened a taco cart? That alone speaks for itself!! (Btw...nothing against taco carts...I love them. But COME ON!)

Anyone have an article or proof on said cart?

Also Spike is opening up a burger, fresh cut fries, and shake restaurant in Washington, DC on Capitol Hill. It's near my office and I'm actually pretty excited to check the place out. The menu sounds pretty good for burgers and fries.

[dave_c]

Spike? Burgers? Not an Asian inspired place?

Ilan in LA? Who's recipes did he steal this time?

[Elyssa]

I believe there is an Asian inspired burger on the menu though.

[Phaedrus]

How about a soup, a soupy hamburger or a hamburger soup.

[gyozagirl]

Free hat with purchase..hee hee.

[AMFM]

it actually does sound good - since he hopes to branch out, maybe they'll come to richmond. would do well here. :)

http://www.spikethechef.com/

[lesleyb]

The rumor was that Ilan was planning some sort of high-end mobile food cart in Los Angeles, but there's no proof of it yet. Not sure what the timeline is.

[Ruth Lafler]

Apparently true -- this site has "where are they now" for most of the major Top Chef contestants. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23583842/...

[attractivekid]

STORK REPORT - It's a girl!

Home executive chef and "Top Chef" contestant Richard Blais and his wife Jazmin Zepeda welcomed little Riley Maddox Thursday. We hear Riley weighed in at 7.9 pounds and was 21 inches. The Atlanta couple got engaged after Zepeda trained Blais for and he completed the Peachtree Road Race in 2005.

photos here:
http://www.ourblogoflove.com/index.cf...

[fooftales]

when I read that headline, I coulda swore it said "stork report - it's a grill"......

[note to self - stop spending so much time engrossed in foodstuffs....]

[Phaedrus]

Thanks ofr posting it. My favorite was when father and daughter were forehead to forehead. Faux hawk to barren forehead.

[LindaWhit]

The one that I enjoyed the most as well! Beautiful baby girl, and very proud parents!

[amanda3571]

absolutely beautiful pics!!!

[Withnail42]

Richard if you are reading this congratulations to you and you wife.

[Elyssa]

Ruth that link doesn't seem to have an article attached (just links to other unrelated stuff). I would love to read the full article though. Can you either repost and let me know the name of the article so I can do a google search? Thanks.

[AMFM]

it worked for me - but it's not an artile per se. you have to click on each name and then read about them. names are on left side running down.

[Elyssa]

Must have been my browser. I tried it in another browser and it worked fine. My bad.

I wish they would have listed every cast member though. Because a lot of these folks I knew about since they have stayed in the spot light more on reunion shows or media events etc.

[MeAndroo]

I thought Hung was already a sous chef at Guy Savoy in Vegas before the show. I looked into visiting, but I didn't do well enough at the tables to afford a visit.

[ChefJune]

I believe Hung is cooking in New York, but I can't remember where.

[KTinNYC]

Hung cooked at Solo but I don't know if he is still there.

[AMFM]

Hung was at a kosher restaurant for a while (is that the one) trying to learn more. i love him for that. There was a really interesting article on it, i'll see if i can find the link.

edit: that is the one - here's an article: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/...

[weinstein5]

he is still there and looks like through the summer - http://solonyc.com/

[Frodnesor]

Stephen Asprinio has a place in Palm Beach called Forte di Asprinio. There's a thread (with my comments) here ->
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/498143

[attractivekid]

I've eaten at Perilla, it's good simple stuff in a cute neighborhood

[marmite]

The risotto at Perilla is to DIE for. I could eat a bathtub full of it.

[Adrienne]

We had amazing cuttlefish with guanciale and duck meatball appetizers at Perilla. And my brother had spinach with the artichoke puree a la finale which he said was the best spinach he'd ever had. It was really good. My eggplant entree was a little disappointing -- the eggplant hadn't been salted and weighted enough, but everything else was delish and I'd definitely go back.

[Ruth Lafler]

Meanwhile, Tiffani doesn't seem to be working anywhere. She worked at Todd English's restaurant in New Orleans, but it's closed. The only recent info I could find was an article about her being a featured chef at a Gay/Lesbian event in Miami, along with Josie from season three.

[KTinNYC]

Tiffani is apparently very close to opening her own placed called Workshop.

[sibeats]

We saw Tiffani last night eating at O Ya in Boston. She was a couple of seats down from us at the counter. I have to say she looked great, but we didn't get a chance to ask what she's doing now!

[goodhealthgourmet]

dave martin also has a restaurant in manhattan called 'crave.' you'll get some feedback on it & perilla [harold's place] if you post on the NYC board.

[Miss Needle]

I don't think Crave is Dave Martin's restaurant. I think he just works there as an executive chef. But the owner is really milking Dave's 15 minutes of Top Chef glory.

And I've read conflicting reports about how Hung plans to open a place in NYC and/or the Berkshires.

And Lee Anne Wong, while she has no restaurant, has a great job as culinary producer of Bravo and was working on the set of the movie No Reservations as a culinary consultant.

[attractivekid]

she also works at the FCI (french culinary institute) and gives the students there tours around the city and the major food purveyors