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Top Chef is premiering tonight on Bravo TV. You know what that means! Time to meet the contestants and make satirical comments based on their appearances!
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(2/25/09) Hey! I’m Jillian Madison, and I’ll be live-blogging tonight’s Top Chef New York finale for Pophangover. The finalists are Stefan, Carla, and Hosea. The winner gets a feature in Food & Wine, a showcase at the Food & Wine showcase in Aspen, a $100,000 cash prize, and the title of… TOP CHEF. LET’S DO IT.

10:00: Meeting with Padma and Tom in New Orleans. The final challenge is to cook the “best 3 course meal” of their lives. They’re getting some help from Richard, Casey, and Marcel, finalists from previous seasons of Top Chef.

10:05: Hosea chose Richard, Stefan chose Marcel, and Carla got Casey by default.

10:06: Hosea stole all the fois gras and all the caviar. Stefan is one pissed off European.

10:08: Raw fish flying around everywhere. I feel like I’m watching a “Behind The Scenes” episode of Deadliest Catch.

10:17: Wow. Really long commercial break. Ok, it’s the finale… there’s a twist. Tom is adding one more course. Each contestant has to make an appetizer using local New Orleans ingredients. Hosea had the baby in his King Cake, so he got to choose first. He picked redfish, and assigned the crab to Carla and the alligator to Stefan.

10:19: Quick question, why is the Top Chef NEW YORK finale in NEW ORLEANS?

10:20: Stefan just hacked the tail off of a whole crocodile. He’s making alligator soup.

THEIR MENUS:
Hosea is making a trio of sashimi, scallops & foie gras with pain perdu, and venison loin with wild mushrooms.

Stefan is making halibut & salmon carpaccio, squab with braised red cabbage & schupfnudeln, and ice cream & chocolate mousse with vanilla syrup and lollipops.

Carla is making seared snapper with saffron aioli & croutons, sous-vide New York strip steak with potato rod & merlot sauce, and cheese tart with apple coins & marmalade.

10:25: Carla’s giving herself a pep talk. “GIRL, YOU CAN DO IT.” Oh, look, more commercials.

10:31: Lots of stuffy people standing around in a stuffy room drinking champagne. Must be the judges.

10:32: Susan Spicer, John Besh, Rocco DiSpirito, Branford Marsalis, Fabio, Tory McPhail, Ti Martin, Gail Simmons, Toby Young, Tom Colicchio, Hubert Keller, and Padma are the judges. Ok… one of those things is not like the other. Why is FABIO there?

10:33: Hosea’s redfish appetizer is up first. One of the male judges is moaning. So either he liked it, or Monica Lewinsky is hiding under the table.

10:35: Things you notice when you’re bored: Padma’s dress matches the table perfectly.

10:36: The judges are tasting. They seemed to like Carla’s first course the best, but she overcooked her second course steak and no one enjoyed it. Fabio said, “zis wuz not-ahh hundred-ah granddeee deeeesh.”

10:39: DISASTER. Carla forgot to turn the oven down and her third course souffle bubbled and burned. And with that, Carla ruined her chances of winning this competition.

10:42: Carla admits this wasn’t the “meal of her life” but thinks the parts her “heart and soul were in were really good.”

10:45: God, this new Julia Roberts movie, Duplicity, looks really stupid. Comeback: FAIL.

10:46: This is it! Judges’ table! Stefan is standing there with his arms crossed, smug as usual. Carla’s getting hammered for her souffle-that-wasn’t, and Hosea is talking way too much.

10:52: Carla’s tearing up while giving reasons why she deserves to win Top Chef. And holy crap, Stefan saw her crying and actually started tearing up as well. The man is human. Who knew?

10:53: Padma just said, “We all can agree Carla is out of the running.” So it’s official – Carla is not the winner of Top Chef NY.

10:55: They’re only shooting Gail Simmons from the waist up. Girlfriend put on a few pounds.

11:00: AND THE WINNER OF TOP CHEF: NY IS… HOSEA.

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The whole announcement was really anticlimactic, don’t you think? There wasn’t any excitement in the air. It felt more like he just won a free taco or something.
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So there you have it! We’ll see you back here next season for more Top Chef goodness.

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Bright knives, big city! Top Chef is back and it’s headin’ to New York City for season 5. Padma Lakshmi returns as host, and Tom Colicchio is back as head judge. The new season kicks off on Wednesday, November 12 at 10 ET/PT.

There’s also some fresh meat heading to the dining table. Toby Young, food critic and best-selling author of the book “How to Lose Friends and Alienate People,” was signed on as a new judge. Also look for guest appearances from Martha Stewart, Foo Fighters, Jean-Georges, Eric Ripert, Rocco DiSpirito, Wylie Dufresne, Jean-Christophe Novelli, and Natasha Richardson.

Here’s your first look at the TOP CHEF NEW YORK cast. Click their name to see a photo, or just CLICK HERE to flipthrough our Top Chef Photo Gallery.

Alex, 33 – Alex currently serves as Executive Chef /Partner at a small boutique restaurant in Los Angeles, Calif., Restaurant 15. His culinary career is based primarily in small individually owned restaurants, which is fitting since he has a personal relationship with food and finds his creativity is best expressed in those intimate circumstances. Born in Madrid, raised in the Dominican Republic and then New York City, he has a very distinct cultural background that fuels his passion for cooking. Classically trained in French and Spanish cuisine, he often plays with Caribbean flair to add depth to his food. When not training for marathons, he enjoys making one of his favorite dishes, paella.

Ariane, 41 – Ariane is the chef/owner of CulinAriane, a four-star restaurant located in Montclair, N.J. She was inspired to cook at a young age by her grandmothers. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, she worked at some of the best restaurants in the country before she and her husband, Michael, opened CulinAriane. While much of her time is spent at her restaurant, she loves spending time with her daughters, especially at the beach. She also enjoys entertaining for family and friends. Her strong belief is that anything can be fixed and to keep smiling.

Carla, 44 – Carla is the chef and owner of Alchemy Caterers in Washington, D.C. Her food balances the heart and soul of the South and the refinement of her classic French training. She enjoys creating memorable comfort dishes with fresh, seasonal and local ingredients. Carla approaches each event as an opportunity to make a connection with the client and to change the way they experience food. She always has good European butter, Couverture chocolate, bacon, heavy cream, olive oil – pomace and extra virgin – on hand, and pies are one of her favorite things to make.

Danny, 26 – No bio was released for him for some reason. So here’s his favorite simple summer recipe instead: Fresh calamari salad with pepper, red onions, fresh garlic, lemon, lime, pepper, salt.

Fabio, 30 – Fabio is the Owner and Executive Chef of Café Firenze Italian Restaurant and Martini Bar, one of the most recognized restaurants in Ventura County. Born and raised in Florence, Italy, he has traveled across Europe and is trained in classic Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. He incorporates Italian, French and Spanish influences in his dishes and believes that cooking is a craft. He is currently working on opening the Firenze4Kids Foundation, which will emphasize the promotion of health and wellness for kids through good nutrition and will also launch kidshealthcafe.com, the largest informative resource library available online, designed to enhance a healthy and safe lifestyle for children. Additionally, Fabio also works as William Shatner’s private chef.

Gene, 33 – Gene is currently developing menus for major corporations and is the soon to be Executive Chef of a new concept for a major hotel and casino in Las Vegas. Born and raised in Hawaii, he relocated to Las Vegas and began his career as a dishwasher. Through hard work and dedication over the years, he has experienced all facets of life in the professional kitchen. He has gained wisdom and experience in management positions at various restaurants and has been blessed to work for and with some of the most extraordinary chefs in the world. His cooking philosophy has always been “think outside the box” and his love for pacific fusion compliments his cooking style. He is trained in basic French and Italian with an emphasis on Pacific Rim, Hawaiian fusion, and the art of sushi.

Hosea, 34 – Hosea has been the Executive Chef at Jax Fish House in Boulder for the past four and a half years. During his tenure at Jax, he has won numerous awards including Best Chef at the Denver International Wine Festival (2006, 2007) and is the seven-time, undefeated winner of the Flatiron Chef Competition. While pursuing his B.S. in engineering physics from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Hosea worked at a variety of restaurants from diners to fine dining establishments. It was only after he graduated in 1997 that he realized he wanted to change course and become a professional chef. In 1998, he began working for Wolfgang Puck and got his first job as head chef just three years later. When it comes to food, quality ingredients, integrity and focus are paramount to Hosea.

Jamie, 30 – Jamie works as the Executive Chef at Absinthe, one of the busiest restaurants in San Francisco. Born in New York City and trained in classic French technique, she believes in cooking from within. Jamie loves to work with local and seasonal ingredients and focuses most of her menu around organic foods. She enjoys participating in local charitable events and using her talent to support important causes. Her favorite thing to eat is Indian food, and she is obsessed with onions.

Jeff, 30 – Jeff got his culinary start at age 15 by cleaning local fish while working on Florida fishing boats and a year later began peeling shrimp, cleaning squid and cutting fish for The Marina Café. Jeff embarked on his professional career as a Sous Chef at Atlanticville Restaurant and Café outside of Charleston, S.C., while attending school at Johnson & Wales University. He went on to hone his culinary skills as a Sous Chef in San Francisco at Azie, an upscale Asian fusion restaurant, and later served as a Sous Chef at the Five Star Orient Express resort in Virginia where he expanded on his knowledge of French and American cuisines. Returning to his native Florida, Jeff worked directly under Chef Norman Van Aken and then joined The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach culinary team. He currently serves as Chef de Cuisine of The DiLido Beach Club. His recent sabbaticals include traveling to North Africa, Turkey, Italy, and the Greek Isles to discover new techniques which he uses daily at home with Florida ingredients.

Jill, 28 – Born in Latrobe, Pa., Jill’s culinary interests were sparked at an early age when she began helping on her uncle’s farm, picking berries and baking cookies to sell at the local farmer’s market. She didn’t plan on becoming a chef, but counts her decision to attend culinary school as one of her best moves. After moving to Baltimore, Jill studied under the celebrated chef and restaurateur Spike Gjerde. She loves to create imaginative sushi rolls and unique desserts, and the five ingredients she always keeps on hand are semi-sweet chocolate, sushi rice, micro-herbs, Banyuls vinegar and champagne. Her goal is to one day own a small resort that serves amazing food and features rides in her hot air balloon.

Lauren, 24 – Lauren works as the Tournant at Jag’s Steak and Seafood, the most luxurious and contemporary steakhouse in Cincinnati, Ohio. Sparked by an Easy Bake Oven as a little girl, Lauren’s passion for pastry and the culinary arts bloomed throughout her childhood and into her current career. While attending the prestigious CIA in Hyde Park, New York, Lauren met her husband, a USMA cadet. Together they have traveled the country, influencing Lauren’s eclectic and free-form culinary style. If she were a food, she says she would be a sweet and sassy box of chocolates because “you never know what you’re going to get, but its always going to be good!”

Leah, 27 – Leah currently works as a Sous Chef at Centro Vinoteca in New York City. Apart from the year and a half that she worked at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Italy, she has spent her entire life in New York and comes from a Filipino, Russian-Romanian Jewish background. Her favorite chef is Marco Pierre White, and she counts salt, olive oil, butter, garlic and any pork product as her must-have ingredients. She loves Italian, Filipino and Thai cuisine, but homemade pasta is what she enjoys making the most.

Melissa, 28 – Born in Maryland and raised on a horse farm, Melissa spent her youth surrounded by farm fresh produce and livestock. Her upbringing influenced her love of food and cooking from an early age. After receiving her culinary degree from Baltimore International College, Melissa relocated to Boulder, Colorado where she currently serves as a Sous Chef at Centro Latin Kitchen and Refreshment Palace. Dedicated to creating soulful Latin America cuisine, she says her favorite part of cooking is making people happy. Melissa’s goals and plans for the future include endless travel, culinary endeavors and continually expanding her food knowledge.

Patrick, 21 – Patrick is currently a student at the Culinary Institute of America. With an inherent love for cooking, he was inspired as a child by his mother and grandmother and today by food writer Michael Pollan. Patrick has always had a love for the arts, both performing and visual, and tries to incorporate them into every dish he creates. With ingredients as his medium of art, he is inspired by quality and freshness and enjoys making fresh vegetable dishes like succotash, pisto and ratatouille. He has a passion for sustainable agriculture and hopes to educate and promote support for local farmers and growers.

Radhika, 28 – Radhika currently works as the Executive Chef at Between Boutique Café & Lounge in Chicago. A first generation Indian American, Radhika was born in Ohio and raised in an eclectic Indian-tradition home. Trained in classic French and Indian cuisine, she has worked alongside notable chef Vikas Khanna and has staged at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai. She has traveled the world over learning new techniques and flavor profiles and brings spice and bold flavors to the table combined with grace and restraint. Her favorite dish to prepare is spicy chicken and potato curry with cumin scented rice with clarified butter and mint. She describes her cooking style as globally eclectic with a huge spoonful of love.

Richard, 27 – Richard is the Executive Sous Chef at Confidential Restaurant & Loft in the Gaslamp District of downtown San Diego. Richard grew up in food service. His father has served as a restaurant manager for years and his mother and stepfather have owned several bagel businesses in Long Island where Richard spent many summers during his youth. He’s been trained by world traveled chefs in classic French techniques and their modern applications. His motto in the kitchen is, “Keep it simple (stupid)” – and he likes to do just that by keeping his plates simple and infused with natural harmony versus chaotic noise. At Confidential, Richard likes to “play” with his food through the small plates style of dining, which allows him to create many new dishes for his guests to combine. On the side, he also works at the San Diego bar, Pecs.

Stefan, 35 – Stefan was born in Finland but spent the majority of his childhood in Germany, where he began culinary training in his early teens. He worked his way through various European kitchens, learning new techniques and collecting awards along the way. In 1998, he joined master chefs Grant McPherson, Sotta Kuhn, Jacques Torres, Jean Philip Maury and Marc Poidevin as part of the creative team for the opening of the Bellagio Hotel, Resort & Spa in Las Vegas. As Executive Sous-Chef, he created, developed and executed menus for the $25 million-dollar banquet kitchen. Since then, he has held a number of Executive Chef positions and most recently worked with Celestino Drago at Enoteca Drago before opening his own business, Stefan’s Catering in Santa Monica. Although he currently resides in Los Angeles, he spends his summer months hunting and fishing in his native Finland.