View All PostsKelly Choi
Grand Slam
Kelly Choi wishes she had been able to taste the chefs' Quickfire creations.
April 7, 2010This first episode brought six wonderful Masters to the TCM Kitchen: Susan, Jimmy, Jerry, Ana, Govind, and Tony.
When I presented the first task of choosing a pot with a colored apron hidden inside to begin our Quickfire Challenge, I could sense the Master chefs' apprehensions right away. Pairing up with another executive chef to work as a team is no easy feat, and they knew it. Would they get along? Would their cooking techniques meld? Would they fight? And God forbid, would they bicker in front of the cameras for all of the world to see? I can only imagine what thoughts were coarsing through their minds before I told them to meet me in Chinatown.
And oh boy, I was cracking up at the fact that I was to meet them at a gas station (surprise!) to relay the gist of their Quickfire: Cook your creations with ingredients from a quick stop! Waiting for the chefs to pull up in their SUVs, I was surely salivating from sheer anticipation of seeing the expressions on their faces when they figured out what they really had to do.
But Master cooks these guys are, and tasty food was what they presented to the band members of The Bravery.
How I wish I could’ve tasted Susan and Tony’s maple bread pudding (looked unctuous), sampled Jimmy and Govind’s Cheetos mac ‘n' cheese with Slim Jims (its orange color was electric), and bit into Jerry and Ana’s crispy rice cake with Clamesco sauce (high-end gas grub). After The Bravery had said their peace, Susan and Tony were leading in the scores.
As an aside, it was intriguing to me that Susan and Tony were paired up and somehow won the Quickfire, because their cooking styles couldn’t be more different. Susan with her spunk, that giant smile, and creativity that she embodies, both in her sweet, quirky demeanor and full-bodied cooking method is the flip side of Tony’s approach. Tony is Mr. Elegance, refined yet unforced, never missing a nuance and putting out gorgeous and beautiful-tasting food every time — quietly. Grace under fire, absolutely; no wonder he’s President Obama’s favorite chef.
On to the Elimination Challenge of creating a harmonious duo dish for our first-time daters!
This was a particularly hard challenge. To cook for the couples but also balance your food with your partner’s creation must’ve been dually difficult. After the chefs' entrees were presented and the critics and I had sampled all of them, two extraordinary dishes, to this day, linger in my taste memory.
First, Tony’s pasta with taleggio, mushrooms, and truffles. His silky blond blankets of pasta that sat in between young, tender cheese and savory ‘shrooms were completely heaven sent. It was a mille feuille of dreamy deliciousness! And his divinely bitter arugula salad, perfectly dressed with tangy vinaigrette that he paired the pasta was a surprising knockout.
The second dish that blew me away was Jerry’s duck breast. His duck may very well be the best duck I’ve ever had. Crispy skin accented with a subtle lavender rub, cooked to pink, juicy perfection sitting atop crunchy red cabbage with sweet pomegranate sauce and golden beets was a taste that I cannot forget. Jerry’s dish exploded with flavor, and to top it off, even visually, his plate tantalized. This dish rocked da house.
But alas, it wasn’t enough to rock da vote, at least among our critics. The cooking duo of Tony and Susan wooed everyone’s taste buds to secure their places in the Champions Round.
Did any of our first-time couples make it to second base? I couldn’t tell you. Culinarily, though, our maestro chefs scored home runs with us. And if this was any indication of the food to come in the final rounds, then all bases were loaded, a Grand Slam in the making.
The earrings you were wearing during judges panel were so gorgeous! Is there any way to find out where you got them? Thanks!
Kelly,
What a delight to read a writer who writes for an audience! Bright and snappy writing.
Thanks~
Emily
I am wondering how long Carmen's stew was sitting out at the Top Chef Kitchen? If it was overnight that is just plain stupid to allow that to be served. Food Safety is such a big issue for all of us. Why would you want to let that slip by?
I'm such a fan of Top Chef Masters! I have to say Gail looked great tonight. I have such a girl crush! So glad Carmen won. I'm sure next week's episode will be just as good!
I'm not quite sure of the reasoning for pairing up the chefs. For the most part they prepared their dishes as individuals, presented the dishes as individuals and also seemed to be judged as such. The idea of teaming them up seems more of a hindrance than anything else.
Kelly, there is no way for me to communicate with the show's producers so I will do so through you.
I was soooo disappointed that the show provided the viewers a clip of each chef's charity in order for the chef to describe what the charity is about EXCEPT for Susan's charity, Scleroderma Foundation.
We have a family member recently diagnosed with Scleroderma; we had never HEARD of Sclero-what? It would have been nice if the show's first episode would have provided an explanation in order to provide awareness of this condition. Hopefully, viewers will have the opportunity to learn more as this season ensues. Thank you!
this season looks fantastic. I hate to go off-topic of the delicious food in this episode, but I must know who your earrings are by at the final judges table!! thanks :)
I loved season 1 of Top Chef Masters. Because of it, I bought a couple of Rick Bayliss cookbooks, and my Facebook page is rapidly filling up with pictures of the mexican food I'm cooking. I was never much of cook before, being a fast food/frozen food kind of guy.
If the first episode is any indication of how this season is going to turn out, I know I'll be equally entertained and influenced, although I was a little disappointed that the chefs worked in pairs. I hope we see individual effort in the future.
Hi, enjoyed the show but truly felt cheated that you teamed up the chefs twice was a disrespect to the masterchefs. They have earned better. I would have liked to see all six being able to truly express their cooking imagination and chops individually on each challenge. Couldn't you afford six stations? Traunfeld was obviously the best that day and goes home empty handed? very sad and unfair.
Kelly,
I'm not so sure that Mac and Cheese would have been that wonderful to taste. I think they may have been doing you a favor.
Loved the double-strand chain necklace Kelly wore on the first episode this season....Where is it from?
Hey Kelly, great having you back for Season 2. I could tell that the couples challenges really rocked the chef's a bit...but expect the unexpected, right?
Keep up the great work! Oh and my wife wants to know where you get all of you beautiful clothes.
Bill's girl, get a life. Who bothers creating conspiracy theories about a TV show? If you don't like the format of the challenges, don't watch. I'm happy to see Top Chef on the air again. I thought the first episode was great, and I look forward to seeing a fellow Houstonian compete this season.
So, how interesting is it that overly aggressive taleggio cheese and overcooked shrimp wins the day? How interesting is it that he just happens to be Obama's favorite chef? Should we bother to watch the rest of the competition, or is the dye cast? Changes in format are inevitable, but I don't like the "team" format and it looks like that's going to be it for the duration of TCM at least until the finals. Each chef should succeed or fail on his or her own and not be eliminated because his/her partner fails. We saw this last night and it just doesn't seem right. I'm a Top Chef/Top Chef Masters groupie and I'll tell you, I'm not liking this season so much.
I was worried that you were going to walk them up to a vending machine. This is a great placeholder show for the real Top Chef. I do hate how the chefs who cook the least favorite dishes are dismissed from the judges table to go back to the stew room. It disrespects their master status. I'm sure they respect the judges' decision, but there is no reason to make them leave their presence.
Kelly, why can't you taste the Quickfire dishes? I guess you're not supposed to judge but I feel like it's awkward to have you sitting there not eating while everyone else is.
Food? Is Top Chef about food? I do not give a hoop about food. All I watch for is to get to see Kelly Choi. Thus, why does Bravo TV scam us manly man males fans by having Kelly wear such frumpy clothing and worse just panning her face for a few seconds. I mean, does this show think it can last with only a female audience? Take a check-up from the neck-up producers and bring us a feast of Kelly Choi. Otherwise, I will go on a "Top Chef" diet. -Eric Fisk (50)
Well, it's clear we'll have to lobby the producers once again to get you some food in the quickfire round. I envy your ability to taste any of it, you lucky girl. What a great job you have.
We love the Top Chef Masters series. I am sure you are now working or planning season 3. We would love to be some of the diners involved in eating the food that these Chef's prepare. How can we become one of the "Diners" at one of the meals?
Off topic Kelly, WHERE did you get that gorgeous red leather jacket. I must have one.
So sorry to say that this first episode turned me off of the series. Taking some of the best chefs in America, then handcuffing them randomly meant that you clearly were more interested in the game than the best chefs advancing. Won't be watching another episode.
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