Posts Tagged ‘Reality TV’
Posted by Lynn Norusis / Tuesday, November 15th, 2011
Oprah looking for singles in Culpeper for reality TV show
VA process of assessing sexual offenders flawed
Dale City tries Winter farmer markets
Man accused of Pentagon shooting pleads guilty in unrelated case
MasterChef Auditions This Saturday!
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, November 8th, 2011
NoVA’ers, ever thought about bringing your culinary skills to the reality TV table? MasterChef is holding an open casting call this Saturday, November 12 (and yes, Gordon Ramsay himself will be there!).
In MasterChef’s upcoming third season, the legendary Gordon Ramsay and judges Joe Bastianich and Graham Elliot are, again, giving skilled chefs the chance to win a huge cash prize with the title of “MasterChef” through a series of crazy culinary challenges.
Past winners were Jennifer Behm, who’s now writing a cookbook and runs a successful private catering company, and Whitney Miller, who has already released her first cookbook. You could be the next!
All you have to do is go to the open casting in at Trinity Washington University in D.C. on Saturday, November 12, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. with one of your best homemade culinary creations to serve to the food judges.
The open casting call in D.C. is the only city where Gordon Ramsay will be there in person– so even if you’re not brave enough to audition, it might be a fun cheflebrity sight-seeing trip!
To audition, you must print out and bring an application with you and your food. For more details, visit the MasterChef casting website.
Good luck!
-Julia Harbo
Posted by Warren Rojas / Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011
What’s a reality TV-anointed cheflebrity to do once the camera’s glare has receded? Rahman “Rock” Harper now basks in the adoring gaze of aspiring culinary students:
(Image: Urszula Stern)
Having logged countless hours behind the burners at various high profile, local restaurants (B. Smith’s, Ben’s Next Door, The Carlyle Club), Harper now dedicates his time to academia–he currently shares his accrued hospitality knowledge with those enrolled at Stratford University–and his burgeoning cookbook catalog.
WR: Salt. Pepper. What other culinary elements could you not live without?
RH: Tough one but I would go with garlic. It is amazing in flavor and a little goes a long way so you don’t need much. I also love the fact that it is extremely healthy for you!
WR: What’s the very first dish you ever mastered? How long did it take? Do you still make it today?
RH: Don’t know if I have mastered anything, because it can all be improved. My fried chicken is pretty close to perfection though. Over 15 years I would guess. Absolutely!
WR: What seasonal ingredient(s) get your creative juices flowing?
RH: Peaches and tomatoes!
WR: My latest cookbook obsession is …
RH: “Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories with Recipes” from Dr. Maya Angelou. I’ve owned it for a while but after thumbing threw [sic] it the other day I am determined to cook everything in it! She speaks, teaches and writes with such passion and love; her cooking is just as amazing.
WR: What’s the most challenging dish you’ve ever attempted? Would you make it again?
RH: Foie gras torchon from Michael Mina’s book. Yes, I have and I got it, but it was challenging indeed.
WR: If I could the spend the day working alongside any local chef, I’d love to collaborate with …
RH: Wow, that’s tough. We’re a “top 5″ dining city in the country now! R.J. Cooper. I’ve had his amazing cooking before, but I would love to see how he executes Rogue24 from top to bottom.
WR: What’s the easiest/quickest–but still wholly satisfying–meal you make for yourself?
RH: Scrambled eggs, a sharp cheese, chives, summer tomatoes, on toasted wheat.
WR: In the next six months you won’t want to miss my …
RH: Next book! Rock Your Kitchen Rock Your Love Life: Building a Successful Relationship Through Passionate Cooking
WR: It’s quitting time. I’m pouring myself …
RH: Big and beautiful California cabernet
————————————————————————————————————————————————
Just so you know, chef, I’m totally stealing your breakfast of champions.
Come back next Tuesday for another helping of Red Meat.
–Warren
NoVa’s Matthew Petersen to Battle it Out on Top Chef Just Desserts
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, July 21st, 2011
Matthew Petersen (Image: Bravo TV)
His bio reads like a pastry student’s dream: graduate of Johnson & Wales University’s Providence campus; pastry chef at Morimoto and then Daniel Boulud’s Restaurant Daniel and db Bistro Moderne; Executive Pastry Chef of Miami’s Café Boulud; and currently, Executive Pastry Chef at the Mandarin Oriental’s CityZen and Sou’Wester, working alongside James Beard award-winning Chef Eric Ziebold.
And he’s only 32 years old!
Now Arlingtonian Matthew Petersen has chosen to jump from one of the area’s most acclaimed kitchens into the fray of Season 2 of Top Chef Just Desserts.
For those of you who haven’t watched the dessert spin off of Bravo’s highly successful Top Chef, I’ll clue you in. The basic format is the same–quick fires and elimination challenges—the main difference being that this is pastry geek central. And with a lot more back-biting, back-stabbing, and histrionics (two words: Seth Caro), giving the lie to the myth that pastry chefs are more easy going than their savory counterparts. Ha! Not so in the world of Extreme Pastry. This show should be called “Pastry Chefs Behaving Badly.”
Gail Simmons and a barely-recognizable (Who’s) Johnny Iuzzini (pompardourless and sideburnless this season) are back as host and head judge, alongside my favorite French man and judge Hubert Keller.
So what else has changed besides Iuzzini’s hairstyle?
This season’s 14 cheftestants are newly outfitted in pink-accented black chef jackets (no doubt Iuzzini-inspired). This crop of contenders is also considerably younger than the previous season’s. (Season 1 only had three contestants under the age of 35. Season 2, in contrast, only has two contestants over 35.) We also have a guest appearance by Beastie Boys’ Ad-Rock to look forward to (Petersen is particularly psyched from the clip below).
Top Chef Just Dessert’s second season premieres August 24 at 10 p.m. on Bravo. For more information on the show and its contestants, click here.
In the meantime, here’s a preview of what’s to come:
-Johnisha M. Levi
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, August 30th, 2010
(Image: Orange Juice Blog)
The Food Network wants your help selecting the next gang of roving restaurateurs to follow around on The Great Food Truck Race.
That is, assuming you are down with throwing your support behind food you’ll probably never taste.
Windy City Red Hots is the ONLY NoVA food truck that made it through to the round of public voting, where it must now compete with the 271 other contenders for the $10k cash prize and a shot at appearing on season 2 of the mobile vending-marathon.
A handful of other D.C.-Metro meal slingers–D.C. Slices (which is erroneously tethered to Alexandria, even though they’ve yet to serve even a slice on this side of the Potomac), Sauca, Fojol Bros. and Pedro & Vinny’s all got the nod–are also in the hunt.
Best of luck to Angel and Pia Miranda and their Chicago-style grub.
But methinks the Food Network could have picked up some other local superstars if they’d only done their homework…
–Warren
Local Sixfortyseven Nixes TV to Focus on Education
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
Derek Luhowiak maintains that he pulled the plug on tomorrow’s planned taping of “Eat St.” for Paperny Films (they’re rolling with Rebel Heroes today), not because business is flagging (as PF seemed to suggest) but because he’s reached a philosophical/professional crossroads.
“We were so busy that in fact our next step was to become a restaurant or grow to a large trailer. Neither of which we wanted,” Luhowiak informed us via email. “Knowing that, we did not feel right using airtime that could go to promote another local business so that they can succeed with their dream.”
So, what’s next for the seasonally-inspired-food-cart-cameras-evidently-adore?
That would roughly be teaching.
“Local Sixfortyseven will continue to operate as a private for hire catering focusing on small intimate parties where I can really focus on utilizing our food to its fullest,” Luhowiak pledged, adding that he’s hunting for more land to sustain additional crops, an expanded apiary and “a small flock of birds.”
Luhowiak also expects to up his hands-on instruction, mapping out plans to incorporate food preservation, home butchering and biodynamic horticulture classes into his forthcoming culinary curriculum.
“The one thing I have learned in the last five years working with the local food industry is that no one model fits and you have to be willing to improvise on a dime as the industry progresses,” he said of his still-evolving, education-first mission.
Oh, and don’t worry about the Paperny folks.
They’ve already made arrangements to stalk the D.C. Slices truck instead.
–Warren
Eye on NoVA: Food Shows Feast on Local Talent
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, July 12th, 2010
View NoVA Food Show Tapings in a larger map
Seems you can’t throw a rock these days without hitting a reality TV/cooking show camera.
Of course, if you’ve been dining at any of the buzzy eateries above–or now plan to hightail it out to one of the upcoming tapings–you’ll have no one to blame but yourself when Joel McHale gleefully mocks you on The Soup.
–Warren
Trump Taps First Cheflebrity for ‘Celebrity Apprentice 3′
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, January 4th, 2010
(Image: The Kitchn)
Aussie chef and Marco Pierre White protege (hope he fares better than The Chopping Block) Curtis Stone has made the cut for season 3 of NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice series, becoming the first food personality to vie for a chance to suckle at Trump’s proverbial teat.
Stone is a reality TV vet, having hosted cooking shows on at least three continents–Surfing the Menu and My Restaurant Rules in Australia, Dinner in a Box in the United Kingdom, and most recently, Take Home Chef here in the U.S.–so he should, at least, be a little more camera-savvy than competitors who’ve been out of the limelight for quite some time (Goldberg? Really?).
Good luck, Curtis.
And remember: never let them see you cry (unless the waterworks will guarantee you immunity/more rations/a shot at being the next Bachelor).
–Warren
Just Try and Ignore Tonight’s Top Chef Finale
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
You can’t.
Bravo is scheming to bring social media to its knees via their “Ultimate Virtual Viewing Party.”
Local fans will have the chance to live tweet (#TCParty) along with season six finalists Bryan Voltaggio and Kevin Gillespie, as well as judge Toby Young. West Coasters can trade cyber-barbs with finalist Michael Voltaggio and former competitors Ash Fulk and Robin Leventhal.
No time for Twitter?
Go here to RSVP for the Facebook version of the virtual viewing spectacle.
Done with season six but still pining for more Top Chef action?
Capital Spice is giving away a Top Chef season 5 DVD and Quickfire Challenge cookbook to any amateur producers with sure-shot plans to lure the Top Chef cameras to D.C. for a future cycle.
The most common themes to date include Jose Andres, Ben’s Chili Bowl or some sort of presidential tie-in. I’m digging the “toothpick rule” quickfire challenge, cook-off at the Maine Avenue fish market and Eden Center shopping ideas. Pitches will be accepted until 10 p.m. EST.
Prefer to do your Top Chef ogling in person?
The James Beard House has got you covered, beginning with a Tom Colicchio-led, all-things craft event on March 8 followed up by a Voltaggio brothers’ dinner (both Bryan and and Michael are confirmed) on March 9.
–Warren
Majestic’s Overmiller Ready for Her Close-Up
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, October 29th, 2009
Sounds like Bravo’s casting folks may have blown into town a bit early (open auditions are scheduled for next Wednesday at the Occidental) to chat up Majestic toque Shannon Overmiller. Gut Check blogger Amy Loeffler was dining there this evening when she spotted camera crews tracking the Maryland native’s every move. Her curiosity piqued, Loeffler flagged down a server and inquired why Overmiller seemed to be getting the Hollywood treatment. “She said Shannon was being interviewed for a possible spot on Top Chef,” Loeffler reports. No word from Overmiller’s bosses over at Restaurant Eve as to how far along their protege might be in the Top Chef vetting process. But confidence is high “Red” would add a terrific splash of local color to the Season 7 cast.
Yes, there were cameras rolling last night at The Majestic.
But management now insists the puzzling media display beheld by Gut Check blogger Amy Loeffler on Thursday night wasn’t for Bravo’s benefit.
“[Chef] Shannon [Overmiller] was being filmed, but, not by Top Chef,” Meshelle Armstrong assured us.
Both Overmiller and Armstrong remained mum on who was doing the filming.
Local toques looking to make the leap into reality TV should make their way down to the Occidental next Wednesday for the Top Chef Season 7 casting call.
–Warren
