I'm obsessed with 'Top Chef'.
My chefs don't apply for 'Top Chef'. They all know that there is no way. At the end of the process I look at the resumes of the last 25 options just to make sure they've never worked for me before.
Many of them have accomplished a lot before they ever get to 'Top Chef' although they're not well known. The show just provides them with a platform. There's just one winner and on some seasons you can get numerous chefs that are really good. Even if they don't win, they're all talented.
I love 'Top Chef.' I think it rewrote the book on how food shows are presented on TV.
I became friends with a lot of chefs. I was a judge on 'Top Chef' last year. It was a dream come true.
It's an interesting thing, Top Chef. Some of the contestants will make you one great dish, and then make you something on the next show that will make you say, "Is that the same person?"
I'd like to see 'Top Chef: Amateur'. Sometimes we have an amateur chef on the show and they just can't cut it against the pros but there are some great stories there.
It is great to add some glamour to the food industry, like television shows have done for the food world and inspiring people to work in the industry. The flip side of that is unfortunately people think that after they get their qualifications, they get their invitation to compete on 'Top Chef.'
I've been nominated for 12 Emmys, and we won - for 'Top Chef' - the only time I didn't go.
During the course of filming 'Top Chef,' I gain 15 lbs., so I'm used to needing two dress sizes.
I spend so much time in Los Angeles and normally stay at a corporate apartment when shooting 'Top Chef: Just Desserts,' but when I have the chance to stay somewhere more luxurious, I love The Montage in Beverly Hills.
Chef Michel Richard is always at the top of his game.
I am so proud of 'Top Chef' - I think it's got great cred.
Now everybody thinks that once you do Top Chef, then 13 weeks later you're a chef. Nobody wants to learn to cook anymore.
'Top Chef' is always entertaining - it's hard to stop watching, like a good hockey fight, but no one gets hurt. It's great that the format is so inherently dramatic and can make cooking so entertaining to people who might not ordinarily be interested in a cooking show. Good for the industry all round.
There's the common misconception that restaurants make a lot of money. It's not true. If you look at maybe the top chef in the world, or at least monetarily, it's like Wolfgang Puck, but he makes as much money as an average crappy investment banker.
'Top Chef' is a very smooth-running machine. All the people working there are incredibly professional and absolutely at the top of their game.
I love 'Gossip Girl.' I used to hang out with Blake Lively and Jessica Szohr. I'm also addicted to Bravo and reality shows like 'Top Chef.'
Making ribs in Texas isn't that unusual a choice for 'Top Chef'. We played the stereotypes everywhere we go. It's not only in Texas. We do it in New York; we did it in San Francisco. Listen if we shoot it in Seattle you know we're going to be throwing salmon somewhere.
Bringing your kids into the kitchen doesn't require you to be a top chef; only time and maybe a willingness to get a little messy.
I watch a lot of shows on Bravo - I'm not just saying that. I love 'Top Chef.' I love 'Real Housewives of Atlanta.' That's my favorite.
We are not really privy to all that crazy stuff that goes on in the show. I go to work, eat, and talk about food. The wild things happen when we aren't around. I expected Top Chef to last three or four seasons and we are now shooting season ten.
