Top Chef Finale

Hi Folks,
Tonight will be the final Top Chef party at Hi-Life Cafe as this is the last episode! Our theme is Dress As A Cheftestant or Judge from either Season 1 or 2!

Many thanks to all of you who have joined and/or supported me and Hi-Life Cafe throughout this crazy roller coaster ride - both here at home, on the web and various blogs.

Special thanks to Java Junkie and Big Shamu for all of the photo-shops as well as the many mentions and support. Also much thanks to Charlus & Miss Xa-Xa (pics of her visit here will be posted soon) for finding out "Where the Boys Are" and the beautiful blown glass piece you gave us. And a shout out to Miss Place and the folks at Blogging Top Chef for your continued support.

Finally many thanks for all of you who have followed me and my blog. Love to hear from you fans and read your comments and thoughts. I hope you will continue to visit my blog as I will keep you up-to-date with what is going on here and in my life. Lots of press is coming my way as well as appearances at the South Beach Food & Wine Festival and much, much more!

Stay tuned.........

Top Chef 2 Finale - Dress As A Cheftestant...

For our last Top Chef party at Hi-Life, we are asking everyone to dress as either a contestant, judge or guest judge from either season 1 or 2. As for me, I will be coming as Suyai. Suyai didn't get much air time, but I think she deserves the love. Now that may be hard since, as you can see, shamu's work out has me beefier than ever, but I will do my best to fit into her chefs' jacket. Hope to see you here! Stay tuned........

Aloha...Mahalo!

First off, congrats Sam! You have always been one of my favorites. Your originality and style is evident in everything you create. Those that think you are an instigator and/or a bully don't know that you are one of the sweetest guys I've met.

Chef Tom - Gordon Ramsey called and he wants his schtick back! I can understand why the season went awry. While the judges comments can be understandably harsh sometimes, this season bordered on the rude. Constructive criticism is one thing...nasty nit-picking is another. "You didn't cook anything." Are you kidding?! Are you watching the same thing we are?! Sam applied heat to his sauce and the cookie that was on the dessert didn't just jump out of the oven by itself! And this isn't a "cooking show" as Tom stated, but rather a supposed competition to see who can be the Top Chef, which would imply skills both in the kitchen and on the plate. Several of us were disappointed that the judges never seemed to take into account the contestants conduct and professionalism in the kitchen, as that is so much of what being a chef is all about.

Still congratulations are due to Ilan & Marcel for making it to the final. They weathered the storms and have made it to the end. Good luck to both of you.

I cannot believe that Bravo seems to have copied my latest vacation with Chuck in Hawaii that we took in September! LOL We too went to the big island and went horse back riding in the Waipio Valley. (We didn't get the helicopter ride down the mountain, but details, details...) Above is a pic of our horseback riding adventure in Waipio Valley. The other shot is of me and Chuck dining at Alan Wong's restaurant in Honolulu. I thought it was kind of strange when I mentioned my vacation plans to the producers they looked at me kind of funny!

Stay well and stay tuned...

SHOW ME THE MONEY!!

Join us tonight at Hi-Life as we watch part 1 of the finale and see who starts the next fight..LOL

Seriously what we will be awaiting is the fan favorite winner. We are asking everyone to wear green and hopefully you will see me in the green!! So many thanks to all of you who have voiced your support for me during this competition - it means more than I can tell you. And thanks again to the gals at Top Chef 2 They Cook. We Dish. for the photo shopping they have done for us all season long.

Hope to see you tonight. Stay tuned......

OOPS!!

OK......you are all right. They were bad......really, really bad......but we all make mistakes...

Maybe next years' contract should stipulate California Penal Code!

How about we just talk about the food for a while.....hmmm...

Stay tuned...

No Means....No!

As far as the food, good show.......good show indeed! Congratulations to Sam on your quick fire (he was my roommate you know...yeah!!). And congrats to the team as a whole. The judges really had to nitpick to find anything wrong.

I have been receiving alot of questions about last nights' show. I'll try to answer them all. I truly don't believe that Elia was the instigator. Her idea was for her and the others to shave their heads and not Marcel's. The true instigators were probably Ilan and Cliff. You can hear her say "I can't" on the video which I interpretted that she would not participate in shaving Marcel's hair. (I still can't believe they video taped their own crime!)

Cliff - really sorry to see you go. You are a very talented chef, but Tom is right, the contract is very clear about physical violence. However, if you had beat Marcel with a bag of sugar, Tom may have let you stay!!LOL

If anyone wants to see more of Cliff and see his opinions, look at Andy's blog on BravoTV.com. If I had my choice for the finale, it would be three. Elia, Sam and myself. Good old-fashioned cookoff -- all about the food and the flavors and no drama.

Good job (food) fab four......see you next Wednesday when we see who will win the fan favorite! Stay tuned........

Cowboys & Indians

Hey folks.......Join us tonight at Hi-Life for our Wednesday Top Chef Party. Our theme this week is Cowboys & Indians cuz we have an inklin' that someone is gonna get scalped!

Belly on up to our bar for some BBQ popcorn and beer shots and we will all see who gets chopped tonight...

As you see, I have been bulking up and Chuck has been slimming down thanks to some great workout & diet tips from Java Junkie and Big Shamu! Thanks gals!!!

Stay tuned........

Somethings Coming, Something Good!

Got a nice write up in the February/March issue of City & Shore Magazine for you local Floridians to check out. Loved the picture of the Hi-Life but I wish everyone would stop using those awful publicity shots from Bravo! I'm a smiler at heart, not that serious competetor face they wanted to portray.

Looking forward to a visit at the end of the month with Miss XaXa from Amuse Biatch blog. Should be a hoot and a nanny! You can follow her trip south on the Dishndat weblog as well -- Ms. Place is doing a "Where The Boys Are" theme. It is so campy and I love it!

Also right around the corner on February 6th is a special dinner featuring the wines of Seghesio. We are thrilled to have family member Camille Seghesio on hand to talk about all of the wines and her infamous great grandfather who started the winery in the late 1800's. Their Zinfandels are amazing and this will truly be a special evening.

And then of course there is Valentine's Day, but I am getting a little ahead of myself. First is tomorrows Top Chef episode. And I promise you the show is as shocking as the commercials!

So Stay Tuned, Break an Egg and Stay Scandalicious....

New Year's Eve Pix

Thought you might enjoy seeing the Hi-Life as it looked just before our big NY Eve gala. Hope you enjoy!

Stay tuned...

Where Has The Time Gone - WELCOME BACK!

Glad to be back blogging. Been really busy at the Hi-Life, so I am glad I finally have a moment to put some thoughts down.

First--last weeks show. It was so nice to see my roommate Mikey win 2 challenges in a row! Mainly because people kept stopping me and asking "what the heck--how is Mike still on there?" This episode just proved that he did have the talent to be on there in the first place. If you go to chow.com, you will hear Mike's take on Chef Tom. I can't believe he said that Mike should have a tooth pulled every day. Would it have killed him to give Mike some props???

Finally--this weeks show. This Marcel bashing has just got to stop. Sure he is annoying as all hell, but there is no reason to be midieval l and start carrying torches down the street! LOL (Maybe he should audition for American Idol with his rap/poem!) And it was sad to see Mikey go.

Thanks for everyone who came to our parties these last two weeks. And don't forget to vote for your fan favorite (me I hope!) at www.bravotv.com/top_chef_2/index.shtml There is only one week to go.

Next weeks episode should really be a shocker! Five little indians, all in a row...Five little indians, one has to go...Stay tuned..................

Top Chef Parties Are Back

The Top Chef parties at Hi-Life will resume tonight with the newest installment of the season. Our theme is New Years Eve deja vu. Join us as we pass champagne and party favors and watch to see who must pack their knives tonight.

Tune in later in the week as I will be posting pix from our amazing New Years Eve party here! Thanks to those of you who joined us and made this the most special celebration we have ever had here.

And thanks again to "the gals" for the fun pic. Each one I think is funnier than the last!

Stay tuned........