gary e. wrote:

Hi Lee Anne. the quick fire was a great cooking test for the chefs, and very happy that Casey won, the show was the best of the season so far and thats what we have been waiting for. I hope that Casey wins this years top chef.....

posted on September 27, 2007 at 12:41 AM

Deborah R wrote:

I'm glad to read your positive comments about Brian--and to learn he just received a chef-of-the-year honor. For some reason, a lot of bloggers have been painting him as a dimwit and undeserving of a spot in the finals. I don't understand why people direct that kind of venom at someone just because their favorite has been eliminated. I have my favorites, too, but I think all the remaining contestants seem to be decent people and talented chefs--even Hung, though he's his own worst enemy. His cockiness in the culinary bee led to embarrassment when he named a seed without tasting it--and got it wrong. I was reminded of that incident when he rushed through the quickfire and later realized he'd forgotten the lemon juice. It's great to be fast. It's better to take your time and get it right.

I was thrilled to see Dale bring it in this challenge and to demonstrate that he's just as deserving of a spot in the finals as Hung and Casey. If they all perform up to their potential in the last challenge, it will be a tough call for the judges. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

posted on September 27, 2007 at 12:49 AM

John wrote:

Not bad for blogging by memory except for Casey's sauce which kept her in the competiion.

posted on September 27, 2007 at 1:03 AM

almost famous wrote:

Loved the episode, Lee Anne. I thought the name boards in rope was a nice touch. I got teary eyed when each gave their reason for wanting to go to the finale. (Although I though Hung was pandering a bit by using the term "soul" to describe himself -- the very word that Chef R used to describe Casey's dish in the Quickfire. And btw I am NOT a Hung Hater.) All was great...but serving Cooks champagne in the hot air balloon...c'mon Lee Anne, TC can spring for better than that!

posted on September 27, 2007 at 1:05 AM

Bilybob wrote:

I love it. Soft, but blunt. You hit it right on the nose. No wonder they tapped you to make the show what it is today. I still think you make it too easy for them sometimes.

posted on September 27, 2007 at 4:59 AM

Doug wrote:

All I could think of when seeing the quick fire was Dave's comment from season one about hiking out to the grand canyon, catching, killing and cooking something over a bunsen burner, and it has to be gourmet!

I was just laughing my way through it because we were sitting there swearing that the challenge had been lifted right off of Dave's comment. Talk about being prophetic.

posted on September 27, 2007 at 10:26 AM

S. wrote:

A question for the Top Chef production staff:

Were healthy trees cut down for the stumps?

To find 8 stumps arranged conveniently by a river...

posted on September 27, 2007 at 11:11 AM

LJ wrote:

Hey Lee Anne,

Thanks for posting in a timely manner! I just wanted to say I'm glad that someone like you is always there to see that things are equally fair (or in the case of the tree stumps, equally unfair). Why are there three cheftestants in the 2nd finale this year?

posted on September 27, 2007 at 11:34 AM

Suzanne wrote:

I love your blog, Leanne. Thanks for taking the time to give us your insight. How interesting that you thought Casey's sauce did nothing for the elk. Now that you've seen the episode, you know that Eric Ripert and the other judges felt otherwise! What do you make of that?

posted on September 27, 2007 at 12:14 PM

Shon wrote:

I don't know how good Brian's dish was (and I really want to know), but I agree that there are a lot of things in his dish (I like "was there anything in the pantry that you didn't put in your plate" part :D). Plus it took him too long to introduce his dish, he even looked like Stephen (or at least reminded him). To be honest, I really envy all those cowboys and cowgirls, since they had a chance to taste all those dishes and they didn't have to make any decisions :D, I wish I could.

posted on September 27, 2007 at 12:18 PM

julia wrote:

I think all three chefs are terrific and deserve to win.

posted on September 27, 2007 at 3:48 PM

David wrote:

Lee Anne--I hope you will consider speaking to Tom Colicchio about his racially/ethnically insensitive remarks to Hung during last night's episode. I expect that Tom will read the many comments on this topic on his blog and eventually respond to them, but a word from you, his colleague and friend, may open his eyes more than any number of anonymous blog comments could. And like it or not, as the most prominent Asian-American Top Chef alum, staffer, and blogger, you are in a perfect position to address this issue.

I expect that Tom and others will say, in his defense, that his advice to Hung that he draw on his Vietnamese heritage in planning his dishes for the final challenge was an innocent bit of coaching--an attempt to help Hung inject a heretofore missing element--"himself"--into his food. And indeed Hung may well have been planning to take this approach anyway, judging from the ingredients he brought with him to Aspen.

Certainly the cuisine of a chef's childhood and/or his/her forebears can be a source of culinary inspiration. But here we have the head judge of the competition, the night before the final test, instructing one contestant, alone among the group of them, that this is the route he should take. Would he have suggested that Dale draw on his Polish (?) background for inspiration? That Brian turn to Irish (?) food to find himself and his soul? Similarly, does Tom himself need to inject Italian influences into his dishes to reach his potential? (Consider, too, the thought of Tim Gunn suggesting that a Japanese-American Project Runway contestant start his/her designs with a kimono and work from there.) No, the assumption is that these chefs can do just fine, and "be themselves," operating squarely within the New American, French-based tradition.

While Tom surely directed his comment to Hung with the best of intentions, it reflected the ingrained feeling, common in America, that Asian-Americans are not quite as American as apple pie, that we (I am Chinese-American) are from somewhere else, still the other, foreign. Hung is a classically-trained chef with abundant skill and experience in French/New American cooking. He also, most likely, knows a lot about Vietnamese food. In the Top Chef competition, he should be free to deploy his skills and knowledge however he sees fit, unhampered by expectations and criteria imposed on him--and no one else--by the head judge.

As to the longer-running issue of the lack of "heart" or "soul" or "Hung" in Hung's cooking, I have been heartened to see that several of the chef bloggers on this site and chef judges on the show do not subscribe to this disturbing line of criticism. Hung's cooking on Top Chef (hallucinogenic cereal landscapes aside) has tended to be controlled and refined. The alacrity with which some have pointed to these qualities and deemed Hung a soulless wonder suggests the influence of that old standby, the pernicious stereotype of Asians and Asian-Americans as hardworking and able automatons--talented and successful, perhaps, but lacking the creativity, charisma, and compassion--the soul--that are the crucial ingredients in making a true American (or human, for that matter). This strain of criticism (among the many directed at Hung, some deservedly so) bears a noisome and familiar stench.

Tom Colicchio seems to be a thoughtful, generous, and considerate man. I assume he meant no offense by his comments to Hung. Indeed, I would guess that he would be very receptive to hearing feedback from others with a different perspective on these matters. If you share to any extent the sentiments that I and others here have expressed, I hope that you might bring those concerns to Tom. Thank you, Lee Anne, and keep up the great work on Season 4!

posted on September 27, 2007 at 7:14 PM

Meg wrote:

Great entry...gotta love the Dumb & Dumber reference!!!

posted on September 27, 2007 at 9:41 PM

eamn wrote:

I like reading your recollections of the episodes, but you never seem to remember what your recollections are. I know that your busy, but can't you spend fourty minutes to watch a tape, before posting? If there are only one or two things you can remember about an episode, why not just work them into your cook-esodes?

posted on September 27, 2007 at 11:48 PM

Joy wrote:

Can you clear something up for me? Why do the chefs drizzle sauce around the edges of the plate, nowhere near the actual dish? Is it a cooking school thing? Something like an artist filling up negative space? As a consumer, it just looks like a waste of delicious sauce.

posted on September 28, 2007 at 1:13 AM

tina wrote:

Chef LeAnn I enjoy your video demos of the recipes. What was the purpose of cooking the califlower and potatoes in milk? I hope that Casey wins!

posted on September 28, 2007 at 1:42 AM

FanFare wrote:

Lee Anne, Lee Anne, Lee Anne!!!

This finale was completely stupid and frustrating to watch. First the cooks arrive from sea level to high altitude without getting aclimated! That alone, could cause health problems for them. 11,000 feet (or 8,000 feet at base) is a huge difference from the island of Manhattan.

Then for the QF, they are asked to plan, & prepare a meal in 20 minutes on a tree stump. It seemed more like a fraternity prank than a serious test of cooking prowess.

The elimination was almost as silly. Cowpoke food is not rendolent of fine dining. It is chuckwagon chow. Brian's green topped shepard's pie had a better place here than at FCI. The progression of challenges from last week to this one tanked in what the viewers would have liked to see. This week's episode could have been switched with last week's sublime show.

Probably next week, the cooks will be expected to prepare a 4 course dinner while hanggliding or white water rafting down the Colorado river.

You producers blew it big time!!

posted on September 28, 2007 at 10:22 AM

Elizabeht wrote:

Hi LeeAnne,
I enjoy your "take" on it all, but Bourdain's blog sums up my feeling about the QF. Maybe the stump/propane trout challenge would be fun earlier in the season. But, now? And for Eric Ripert? The gimmick seemed like such a waste.

Definitely, imo, a huge step backward after FCI.

I'm surprised by your comments about Casey's elk. If the sauce did nothing for the elk--and the elk was grossly undercooked--then it really was more unsuccessful than we saw.

I love Hung's passion for food and technique. I was so disappointed he didn't win this (especially as I think Bravo's editing clearly foreshadows a Casey victory). Dale's already had his "win" in just getting this far and getting his mojo back.

But Hung would have walked away with something great, too, to be able to meet, cook, and learn with Eric Ripert. His disappointment was so sad (and Tom's comments to him at JT were completely out of line, imo. He looked so crushed--but handled it all very well, as usual. He seems, to me, like a great guy.)

So, Dale got a great EC reward. And Casey (with round trip tickets and a laptop) has done well, too. Did Hung get anything for his EC win? It sure didn't seem that he did, not even on the TC blogs.

All in all, I like the cheftestants--and it's nice that all three finalists deserve to be there (unlike S2's Ilan, whose memory still bugs).

posted on September 28, 2007 at 11:19 AM

Betsy wrote:

Hi Lee Ann,
In an early episode this season a reference was made to a "rockin' olive oil". What is the name of the oil? I'd love to know. Thanks so much! Betsy

posted on September 28, 2007 at 11:58 AM

Ashes wrote:

Thanks for all the blogs. It's nice to get not only an insider's view, but one that that is a chef as well.

It's interesting that you didn't like Casey's sauce, but 2 judges did. I wish I could taste if myself. Based on it's desciption, I have to admit while it sounds wonderful on it's own, I'm finding it hard to think of it with elk. I've eaten elk several times and a sauce that's fruit based rather then butter and tomato based sounds better to me.

Lee Anne, I do have a request to make of you, if you have the time. On one of your blogs quite a while ago, you had mentioned that you made chocolate cupcakes with bacon in them. I would love to try and make these. The combination of sweet and salty sounds very intriguing. Could you publish the recipe you used? Please? Thank you!

posted on September 28, 2007 at 2:50 PM

Tyler wrote:

Funny thing is even with Hung forgetting his acid (lemon juice) his trout was still 2nd best. So if he had add in the Lemon juice do you think it would have beaten Casey's dish on the quick fire?

posted on September 28, 2007 at 4:55 PM

swamp yankee wrote:

Ms Wong,

I'm actually surprised the Brian, who has done quite well with seafood for most of the show, foundered so badly with trout (yes, I know trout isn't seafood, as it's from fresh water, but trout has more in common* with sole than it does with duck)

I'm also very glad no one tried trout ceviche. Intestinal parasites are not fun. (Neither is cholera, which has been transmitted via ceviche; there was a very serious outbreak in Peru a few years back).

posted on September 28, 2007 at 11:52 PM

Susan wrote:

It would be nice if you could have some vegetarian (vegan would be best) challenges in the future. I apologize if you have done these in the past and I missed them. Thank you for your wonderful videos making the winning recipes. Very helpful!

posted on September 29, 2007 at 3:29 PM

Nick wrote:

Some people have wondered how Eric Ripert could like Casey's sauce and yu didn't, but to me it's simple: Eric liked the sauce and you didn't.

Alot of us like this show so much we convince ourselves we have some idea of what the food tastes like. I think your blog above all the others helps us with that. You taste the dishes and give us a concise flavor profile for them. Rabid fans of the show appreciate it. Just the way you describe food so clearly tells me what kind of a chef you are.

So this season the cheftestants were SO good they just had to expand the final episode to three chefs. I am not sure what motivated Bravo to do this, but I smell politics and manipulation. And I think I speak for many of us when I say that if there was ever a season for them to allow more than two chefs in the final episode, it was season one, and you should have been there. But hey, you seem to have gotten a pretty sweet job out of the deal anyway, I would think.

posted on September 29, 2007 at 11:54 PM

EC wrote:

Lee Anne -- I just saw you and said, "hi" here in Chicago. It was a great thrill to watch the show filming. I won't ruin it for anyone by giving details. We just happened onto the filming and were so excited as it's a regular, weekly stop for us -- blocks from home.

Welcome to Chicago. And thanks for being so kind to me, even though you were valiantly trying to keep the gawkers (like me) away from production.

By the way, my husband and I both said how beautiful you looked. Considering the pressure you seemed to be under, that really isn't fair! : )

Welcome again. I hope you love our city as much as we do!

posted on September 30, 2007 at 12:20 AM

Alex wrote:

I honestly did not like the QF and EC for this episode. I think any episode following the great challenges and heavyweight judges in NYC is going to be a let down.

You have three solid chefs. I hope we are done with the carnival cooking contests. Let the chefs cook and shine in the final episode.

posted on September 30, 2007 at 12:26 AM

susan s wrote:

I'm curious about this episode. You take your contestants, weary from a long, tiring plane ride from wherever (almost certainly a connection flight for most), put them in the highest altitude, take them on a hot air balloon ride (an even higher altitule), give them champagne (the effects of which are multiplied by the altitude) and then ask them to cook a gourmet meal on a stump by a river -- is nobody concerned for their health? The couple of times I've been in Colorado (Aspen, Breckenridge, Boulder, Steamboat Springs), it takes a couple of hours to acclamate to the altitude. And I wasn't under the pressure of trying to impress my idol and have the chance to win $100K. Thank God the contestants are young.
On the elimination challenge, I find it interesting that you compared Brian's dish to yours because I was thinking the same thing. When he started to read off his list of ingredients, I thought "too much going on on the plate". It's funny that so many of the competitors make similar mistakes to the competitors in Season One. I think when the contestants are beinning Season Four, they should be made to watch the entire Season One.

posted on September 30, 2007 at 12:41 AM

PeachPie wrote:

LeeAnn, I love you, but disagree. It's at this point in the competition that we SHOULDN'T be seeing silly stunts.

posted on September 30, 2007 at 7:18 PM

Rachelle Louise wrote:

Hi Lee Anne! I went to culinary school in Manhattan and one night I was working on my internship at James Beard and you were there to offer your services, this was about three years ago. Anyway, I was so happy to see that you were on Top Chef! I told my fiance, "Hey, that chel was in the kitchen at James Beard one night I was there!" Cheers!

posted on October 1, 2007 at 11:59 AM

Trevor wrote:

I agree with Bourdain that this contest was indeed a low blow coming on the heels of the Culinary Institute contest presided over by a great panel. Maybe the 2 contests should have exchanged places? After a semi-final like that, how can you have the contestants cooking Trout in a quickfire challenge near a stream? This is material fit for maybe a mid-season episode, not for the Finale. And then the elk thing. I shared Hung's disgust.
Lee Anne, you and others who thought out this contest could have done better. Hope the grand Finale compensates for it

posted on October 2, 2007 at 12:17 PM

Morgaine Swann wrote:

HI, Lee Anne-

Another informative post, as always. I have a question, though. How far in advance are the cooking challenges planned? Do you do the whole season up front, or is there some adaptation as the taping progresses?

The reason I ask is that I feel the show would be more enjoyable if the challenges were progressively harder. The challenges at Le Cirque and FCI were much harder and more indicative of skill than the Aspen challenges. Cooking on a stump just doesn't say "chef" to me. A real chef wouldn't touch elk under most circumstances. I don't like seeing so much of their improvisational skills. I want to see finesse, fine foods beautifully presented, and the comments here on the blogs seem to be mostly in agreement. So many of these tests seem to have the theme "how low can you go" when they ought to be challenging them to reach the heights.

I'd have been out as soon as I hit Aspen, though, because there's nothing in this world that would get me into a hot air balloon. I felt bad for Casey, who seemed to feel the same way.

posted on October 3, 2007 at 7:56 PM

Lynda I wrote:

Dear Lee Anne,

Whadayathink of the finale and winner chosen?
You must have an opinion on this. We want to hear from ya, soon!

Thanks -

posted on November 8, 2007 at 7:57 AM

Carol wrote:

I like you very much in Top Chef 1. You are kindly, friendly, smart, and diligent. I wish you are the top 3, not Tiffani. Do you have Chinese descent?

posted on November 10, 2007 at 9:24 AM

anna mae wrote:

I hope you have your own cooking show on TV. More power from all the way to the Philippines.

posted on January 11, 2008 at 1:03 PM

Glenn wrote:

Leeanne, i thought you were very attractive on your top chef season1... holy cow, you have been working out or summpin, you are a knockout... i'm glad they made use of your talent and winning personality...i hope you'll have a more on camera role...

posted on March 27, 2008 at 10:25 PM

Rich Awn wrote:

Lee Anne!!!

I'm opening a restaurant in Bushwick... I need advice!!!!

xoxo

R.

posted on October 23, 2008 at 5:48 PM