Latest news with #GailSimmons
Eater
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
A Sold-Out NYC Jewish Food Mashup Event Is Releasing More Tickets Today
A new epic picnic-styled food event highlighting Jewish food mashups is happening later this summer. The Great Nosh will take place on Sunday, June 22 out on Governors Island. The event features collaborations between New York restaurants who will make special dishes. This includes matchups like Thai Diner and Katz's Deli (Thai with classic New York Jewish deli), Atoboy and Apollo Bagels (Korean with bagels), Gertrude and Dhamaka (Jewish-ish with Indian), and Tatiana and Dickson's (Caribbean with a butcher shop). Elsewhere, Williamsburg restaurant the Four Horseman is running a wine bar; celebrity chefs Gail Simmons and Pati Jinich are running what is being called the Grandmas Tent. Then there's a marketplace, arm wrestling, music, and art. While the tickets were previously sold out, the organization is releasing more today — it's $39.89 for adults and $20.74 for children between the ages of six and 12. The event is run by nonprofit the Jewish Food Society. Restaurant Row in the spotlight Hell's Kitchen's Restaurant Row is going to get its signs across West 46th Street across Eighth and Ninth avenues. 'We'd love to reimagine Restaurant Row and give it a distinctive identity,' said Times Square Alliance president Tom Harris. 'If other neighborhoods have signs, why not us?' Restaurant Row has been in existence since at least 1973, with 16 restaurants on the stretch when it started. Today, over 30 reside on the stretch. A Queens fan-favorite coffee shop opens in Soho A cult favorite Long Island City waterfront coffee cart started over a decade ago by two Navy vets, Jimmy Lai and his partner Danny Singh, is expanding to Soho. Deploy Coffee has opened at 120 Lafayette Street, at Canal Street. Sign up for our newsletter.
Time Out
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Governors Island announces 20th season of summer programming
Governors Island serves as a refuge in New York City. While the former private military base turned garden sanctuary is open year-round, it truly comes alive during the warmer months. Celebrating its 20th anniversary of being open to the public, the trust for the island just announced its list of summertime programming, just in time for Memorial Day weekend. Yesterday, the public park dropped its current lineup of programming, showcasing a range of cultural offerings, immersive public art installations, open-air concerts and food festivals. It all starts this weekend as Governors Island's summer hours will return beginning May 23 through September 14. If you missed the spring blooms this year, the lavender field on Governors Island is here for all those flower feels. On June 7 and June 8, the island will be hosting the NYC Lavender Festival. Put on by Earth Matter, the two-day, family-friendly festival will include demonstrations and workshops suitable for ages 12 and up. The festival will also include hands-on harvesting lessons so you can take home your very own bouquet. If you can't make it in June, worry not, the garden is always free to visit. One of the largest draws to the island is the annual Jazz Age Lawn Party. This year you have two chances to catch this 1920s-themed soiree: on June 14 and 15 and August 9 and 10. The afternoon party will include live music from Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra, fizzy G&T's and spritzes for sipping and tons of food vendors to tickle your tastebuds. New to the park this year is the Great Nosh Festival. Held on June 22, the picnic will feature a breadth of Jewish eateries alongside other heavy hitters in the scene (Atoboy and Apollo's Bagels collaboration, anyone?). The five-hour brunch will also feature Grandma's Tent, where you can witness culinary demos hosted by Gail Simmons and chef Pati Jinich, plus a wine bar put on by The Four Horsemen. Naturally, food and drink are a part of the equation. Popular eateries and bars will be making their return to the island, including Threes Brewing, La Newyorkina, Makina Café and more. Award-winning chef Missy Robbins will be taking over the island for a fifth season in a row for her pop-up: Misipasta x Governors Island. And following a successful eight-year run, Island Oyster will be returning for its last season. So we implore you to shuck and slurp accordingly. Looking to plan your summer season? Here is the full lineup of events with more to come. May 30: Governors Island Nature Insect Walk May 31-October 26: Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's River to River Festival June 7-8: Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix June 7-8: NYC Lavender Festival June 14-15: August 9-10: Jazz Age Lawn Party June 21: Porch Stomp folk music festival June 21-22, July 19-20 and August 16-17: FAD Market Governors Island pop-ups June 22: The Great Nosh NYC Picnic Festival Restaurants and Bars Brigs Sweet Shop Carreau Club Fauzia's Heavenly Delights Island Oyster Joe Coffee Company in the Battery Maritime Building ferry terminal Joe Coffee Company at Liggett Terrace La Newyorkina Little Eva's Makina Café On Tea Road Pizzeria Fantastica, formerly Pizza Yard Sea Biscuit Taco Vista Three Peaks Lodge at Collective Retreats Threes Brewing Tokyo Drumstick The Foodie Spot Starting May 23 to September 14, additional ferry service to Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 6 and Red Hook's Atlantic Basin will be available. So this summer, hop on a ferry to visit one of New York's greatest retreats.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Top Chef' Season 22: Channelling their inner Tom Cruise, chefs take on 'Mission Impossible' inspired stunts
Top Chef meets Mission Impossible on this week's episode of Season 22. But it all started with a surprise announcement from Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons, who told the seven remaining chefs that they'll be joining Kristen Kiss for the rest of the Quickfire Challenges, with all three judges considering both the Quickfire and Elimination Challenges to make their final cuts at each upcoming stage of the competition. The judges were joined by Ilona Daniel, chef instructor with The Culinary Institute of Canada, for this week's Quickfire, giving the chefs a lesson on Canada's "food island," referencing Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.), including famed P.E.I. mussels. For the challenge the chefs had to create a dish with P.E.I. mussels in just 20 minutes. There was $10,000 up for grabs for the Quickfire winner, which went to Lana for mussel Italian toast with garlic mussel juice aioli, coppa, mustard, olives and capers. Moving on to the Elimination Challenge, in honour of the upcoming Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning movie, actor Greg Tarzan Davis explained to the chefs that they had to present the judges with a dish that included a "stunt." But as an added bonus, two advantages were up for grabs. First, the chefs were tasked with completing the CN Tower EdgeWalk, and secondly they had to do the lean forward and lean back stunt over the edge of the building. There was also $10,000 up for grabs for the Elimination Challenge winner. All the chefs completed the EdgeWalk, receiving an addition $75 to buy ingredients. But Lana and Massimo couldn't lean over the edge, leaving the rest of the chefs with 30 additional minutes of cook time. The judges table this week included Binit Pandey, executive chef at Aera, Top Chef Houston and World All Stars winner Buddha Lo, chef and owner of Alo Food Group Patrick Kriss, Vinoteca Pompette chef and co-owner Martine Bauer, and actor Tarzan. The dishes each chef presented, and judges feedback, were as follows: Massimo — Pacific trout en croûte with sauce matelote, fondue de tomates Louis XIII, saffron emulsion — The stunt was the risk of cooking protein inside pastry in a short time — Buddha said it was fantastic and impressive that it was executed in two hours, Patrick echoed Buddha's comments saying that it was a big risk Lana — "Fried fish basket" torchon of fish with cornmeal crumble, cocktail and hot sauce with tartar hollandaise — The stunt was "illusion" and eating all the components together should taste like the fried fish Lana's mom makes — Tarzan said it didn't "hit the mark," Gail said the "fried pile of cornmeal" tasted raw Bailey — "Tiramisu fugazi" crepelle alla norcina — A savoury dish meant to resemble a tiramisu dessert — Patrick thought it was seasoned well and Gail said it was very satisfying, Tom liked the idea of a dish that loosed like dessert César — Arctic char tartare, turmeric custard, fish tuile and romaine lettuce jam — The mission for the judges was to break through the tuile, and the sauce was the "secret weapon" — Buddha identified that the fish was handled nicely, but it needed acidity to cut through the sweetness Vinny — Beef tartare with variations of beets, whipped foie gras and harissa — The judges were given a mission to extract the key through the smoke from under the "lasers" — The dry ice made the dish completely frozen, Tom was able to eat it before it froze and just said each component was "fine," but Buddha was impressed by the story Shuai — Turducken with potatoes and leek, buttered peas and carrots, gravy — Martine said it had a "nice crispy texture," but wanted more vegetables for the portion of the meat on the plate, Patrick, Tarzan and other judges highlighted that they didn't know what the stunt was Tristen — "Chicken impossible" king crab and sausage stuffed chicken wing with crab oil américaine — The judges had to pour the "antidote" on the chicken stuffed with a "virus," with 30 seconds to get the sauce out, otherwise it will be too cold — Patrick highlighted that the dish had a point of the view and the sauce was the best thing they ate all day, Tom highlighted that he couldn't pull off the trick with the sauce before it got too cold The favourite dishes of the day were from Massimo, Bailey and Tristen, with Massimo being named the ultimate winner. César, Lana and Vinny had the least favourite dishes, and César was ultimately eliminated, heading to Last Chance Kitchen.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gail Simmons can't find eggs right now either
For more than 20 seasons, Gail Simmons has been the resident Canadian on Top Chef. Now her home country is finally in the spotlight — both as the setting for the Top Chef: Destination Canada, the reality cooking competition's 22nd season, and as the target of new tariffs and threats to make it the '51st state.' (For the record, Simmons is thrilled about the show and less enthusiastic about the other two developments.) 'I didn't anticipate that it would be so meaningful,' the Toronto-born food writer, cookbook author and TV personality tells me over Zoom about releasing the current Canada-based season amid a trade war. 'None of us could have seen it coming, that the world would sort of turn on its axis and all of a sudden Canada was the one that was in the news and was the issue. Although I will say Canada's not the issue, but that's a whole other thing.' Simmons is creating her own buzz right now. In addition to being a judge on Top Chef — currently airing Thursday nights on Bravo — she has signed on to executive-produce the upcoming comedy series Taste, which stars Julie Bowen as a veteran food magazine editor (sound familiar?) who must find common ground with a TikTok chef influencer. Next fall she will release her book Guesting, a guide covering everything from entertaining tips to tipping etiquette. She'll also mark two big milestones in 2026: a major birthday — 'let's be clear,' Simmons interjects, she is still officially 48 — and 20 years since her first Top Chef episode aired. It's a pretty impressive new chapter she's embarking on — but fear not: Simmons assures me that she is, like so many of us, also just a mom trying to find eggs on supermarket shelves. Here's what she tells Yahoo Life's Unapologetically series about getting out of her comfort zone, taking care of herself ('I'm not gonna tell you that I love working out') and filling her plate, literally and metaphorically. What has it meant to be able to showcase Canada this season? It was thrilling. And I learned a lot, and I got to experience a lot of things about Canada — and reexperience a lot of things about Canada — that I love. And now the timing of the show airing just feels like it was meant to be. I promise I would ask [fellowjudge] Tom Colicchio about his hats and checked blazers if he were here, but let's talk about fashion. [Host] Kristen Kish makes a lot of jokes about eating in a corset or having to undo her pants. Is there anything you won't wear when you're sitting down to 30 courses? No. I just want to wear stuff that I like, that I'm comfortable in, that I feel great in. When you get dressed in the morning, is there anything you won't wear? You won't wear what doesn't feel good. You buy the things you like. I mean, certainly, our wardrobe department over the years has helped me come out of my comfort zone a little and try new styles. And some things work, some things don't. But ultimately, I just wear what makes me feel like my best self and comfortable. I'm always amazed when people online comment things like, 'Why did you let them put you in that?' Or, you know, 'Who told you to wear that?' No one forces me. It's a conversation. I'm a grown adult. I like wearing color. I like wearing things that are comfortable but that are kind of sleek and make me feel professional and dressed up. I love dressing up. And it is fun to play dress-up. … I make a point of not talking about the connection between what I wear and what I eat because I think that's just setting people up for having thoughts about body dysmorphia and that you can't do something because of how it makes you look. And I call bullshit on all that stuff. Well, you look great while you're eating. Thanks! I do my best. No one's perfect. I love the job, and I will do it regardless, you know? I would do it in sweatpants, and I'll do it in a power suit. Do you have any tips for getting through all those meals? I eat lunch and then I'm ready for a nap. We're not eating 30 plates of food; even if there are 30 dishes, we have two or three bites. No one says you have to finish your plate. We're not at the table with our parents saying we can't leave the table [until we've cleaned our plate]. We can't. And there's plenty of people who will have a bite of it. Our producers always want a taste after … And we're professionals. I know to eat something light, but that sustains me in the morning. I need to eat breakfast or else I'm not eating for five hours before we shoot. And then I come to the table too hungry, and then I eat too much of the beginning plates, and I want to spread it out. That's not to say that we aren't full sometimes, and there are definitely days when I want to take a nap, but it's not that hard. We're all good. We have a few bites. We go for a walk. There's usually a two-hour break between the challenge and judges' table. And then by the time we're halfway through judges' table, Kristen pulls out the candy. We all want snacks, or we're making plans for what's for dinner. We just keep moving. If anything, I just make sure to get a lot of exercise. I just want to keep it all moving. What is exercise like for you these days? It depends. I definitely try to be more conscious of my schedule and exercise when I'm shooting because I'm eating a lot, but also my schedule's not my own. I don't have as much control over my hours. So I do Pilates a few times a week right here near my home in Brooklyn. I cycle when I can. I run when I can. I find that I do a lot more running when I'm on location because we often shoot in the summertime, and I don't belong to a gym in every city we go to. So sometimes we'll find a trainer or classes to go to in every city. But that's when I run the most. I used to be a much more consistent runner, but since kids, I kind of stopped running. I find that I'm more responsible when I just go to a class, get it done and come home. But when I'm on location and I am in the outdoors more and I can just kind of run — when I don't have my kids and I'm not, you know, under the constraints of taking them to school and things like that — I have more freedom. And I do love running when I can. When I was in Toronto, I lived downtown in Little Italy, in a great neighborhood in the city. And I found the most perfect class. And I went to it three times a week and it just felt so great. It was like a combo Pilates and cardio studio. So you did half the class with Pilates and half the class was rowing or cycling. And I've never found a studio like that in the states — at least not that I'm aware of in New York or L.A., where I kind of am the most. And I miss it so much. I wish we could bring it here. I'm not gonna tell you that I love working out; I don't. I think anyone who does is lying. But I want to take care of myself and my body. I want to be around as long as possible for my family. I want to keep my heart healthy. I want to keep my joints able. And we're not getting younger, so I just try to keep active. And in summer when we shoot, that's easy to do because almost always we're shooting in great weather. You've got some big milestones and new projects like your TV show with Julie Bowen on the horizon. Your kids are getting older. How do you feel about this new chapter and shaking things up a little bit? I like that that's how it comes across. It's great. I'm excited for a bunch of projects coming up in 2026. We will make another Top Chef, and I'm excited how that will look because every year, the challenge becomes: What do we do next? Where do we go next that feels fresh? What do we do that's different than the year before? And I think for Season 23, that'll be really exciting. The show I'm working on with NBC and Julie is two years in the making — and it's not done yet. There's no guarantee that anyone will ever see it, but we are working hard with them on it. … [It's] obviously scripted, which is totally new for me. And that process has been really exciting because it is really far out of my comfort zone … The thing about food that I hope this show will be able to sort of bring to light is just that food kind of touches everything. And we talk about that a lot on Top Chef, right? The conversations we have on Top Chef are, yes, about food, but they are using food as the conduit to bigger conversations in the world: diversity, inclusion, immigration, sustainability and climate, hospitality and nourishment and who gets to sit at your table. And I think those are like really big conversations. And I think that doing it through scripted comedy will be really, really fun. And I feel like I am so out of my element when we are in meetings not having a clue how the process works. I'm just along for the ride — and I'm thrilled to be. I do feel like I'm out of the baby stage of my life with my children. And I do think it allows me a little more freedom to explore the things I've been wanting to do for a long time. But also, the last five years have been so complicated, you know, coming out of COVID and having small children. And so now I do feel like I can take on the bigger things. Finally, with grocery prices up, I have to ask: Is there anything you're cutting back on or a certain staple that is giving you pause? The things that I use as the barometer for cost are eggs. They're the things that I use the most in my house, that are always in my fridge no matter what. Eggs. Organic English cucumbers. … Where I live, almost all the organic English cucumbers come from Canada, so we'll see if that price is gonna go up. And cans of whole tomatoes for soups, tomato sauces, all that. Those are the three things that I'm always looking at that I see the fluctuation in the most. … Eggs [prices] obviously are just bananas. And it's not even about egg cost. The cost is one thing, but it's just that they're not even findable anymore in my neighborhood. We always buy them at the supermarket near our house, like the Whole Foods or the Trader Joe's near our house, or there's a butcher on our corner that has really great organic eggs. And we get them, and the prices have changed so much. And then half the time in the last month, they just have been completely sold out. So whenever I see a dozen eggs at a reasonable cost, I get them, even if I'm on the other side of town. It would be handy if you could take stuff home from the kitchen. We do when we're on location. … Our culinary producer, Jamie [Lauren], who was a contestant on Season 5 of the show, builds this enormous kitchen with all of the most beautiful produce ever, and every day has to make sure it looks great and is perfect. And they get so much [food]. They donate almost all of it in whatever city we're in to a local food bank if it hasn't been opened or touched. But I would be lying if I said that after work on several days, I don't go back there and stock the fridge at my Airbnb with whatever I need. Especially all the pantry staples that I feel like I don't want to buy because I'm only there for a couple of weeks. Often they can't use [any food] for the show if it's a couple of days old and the produce doesn't look perfect or something. And that's the stuff that she'll always set aside and tell us to just take. We go home and cook for each other, and that's how we stock our fridge. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gail Simmons can't find eggs right now either
For more than 20 seasons, Gail Simmons has been the resident Canadian on Top Chef. Now her home country is finally in the spotlight — both as the setting for the Top Chef: Destination Canada, the reality cooking competition's 22nd season, and as the target of new tariffs and threats to make it the '51st state.' (For the record, Simmons is thrilled about the show and less enthusiastic about the other two developments.) 'I didn't anticipate that it would be so meaningful,' the Toronto-born food writer, cookbook author and TV personality tells me over Zoom about releasing the current Canada-based season amid a trade war. 'None of us could have seen it coming, that the world would sort of turn on its axis and all of a sudden Canada was the one that was in the news and was the issue. Although I will say Canada's not the issue, but that's a whole other thing.' Simmons is creating her own buzz right now. In addition to being a judge on Top Chef — currently airing Thursday nights on Bravo — she has signed on to executive-produce the upcoming comedy series Taste, which stars Julie Bowen as a veteran food magazine editor (sound familiar?) who must find common ground with a TikTok chef influencer. Next fall she will release her book Guesting, a guide covering everything from entertaining tips to tipping etiquette. She'll also mark two big milestones in 2026: a major birthday — 'let's be clear,' Simmons interjects, she is still officially 48 — and 20 years since her first Top Chef episode aired. It's a pretty impressive new chapter she's embarking on — but fear not: Simmons assures me that she is, like so many of us, also just a mom trying to find eggs on supermarket shelves. Here's what she tells Yahoo Life's Unapologetically series about getting out of her comfort zone, taking care of herself ('I'm not gonna tell you that I love working out') and filling her plate, literally and metaphorically. What has it meant to be able to showcase Canada this season? It was thrilling. And I learned a lot, and I got to experience a lot of things about Canada — and reexperience a lot of things about Canada — that I love. And now the timing of the show airing just feels like it was meant to be. I promise I would ask [fellowjudge] Tom Colicchio about his hats and checked blazers if he were here, but let's talk about fashion. [Host] Kristen Kish makes a lot of jokes about eating in a corset or having to undo her pants. Is there anything you won't wear when you're sitting down to 30 courses? No. I just want to wear stuff that I like, that I'm comfortable in, that I feel great in. When you get dressed in the morning, is there anything you won't wear? You won't wear what doesn't feel good. You buy the things you like. I mean, certainly, our wardrobe department over the years has helped me come out of my comfort zone a little and try new styles. And some things work, some things don't. But ultimately, I just wear what makes me feel like my best self and comfortable. I'm always amazed when people online comment things like, 'Why did you let them put you in that?' Or, you know, 'Who told you to wear that?' No one forces me. It's a conversation. I'm a grown adult. I like wearing color. I like wearing things that are comfortable but that are kind of sleek and make me feel professional and dressed up. I love dressing up. And it is fun to play dress-up. … I make a point of not talking about the connection between what I wear and what I eat because I think that's just setting people up for having thoughts about body dysmorphia and that you can't do something because of how it makes you look. And I call bullshit on all that stuff. Well, you look great while you're eating. Thanks! I do my best. No one's perfect. I love the job, and I will do it regardless, you know? I would do it in sweatpants, and I'll do it in a power suit. Do you have any tips for getting through all those meals? I eat lunch and then I'm ready for a nap. We're not eating 30 plates of food; even if there are 30 dishes, we have two or three bites. No one says you have to finish your plate. We're not at the table with our parents saying we can't leave the table [until we've cleaned our plate]. We can't. And there's plenty of people who will have a bite of it. Our producers always want a taste after … And we're professionals. I know to eat something light, but that sustains me in the morning. I need to eat breakfast or else I'm not eating for five hours before we shoot. And then I come to the table too hungry, and then I eat too much of the beginning plates, and I want to spread it out. That's not to say that we aren't full sometimes, and there are definitely days when I want to take a nap, but it's not that hard. We're all good. We have a few bites. We go for a walk. There's usually a two-hour break between the challenge and judges' table. And then by the time we're halfway through judges' table, Kristen pulls out the candy. We all want snacks, or we're making plans for what's for dinner. We just keep moving. If anything, I just make sure to get a lot of exercise. I just want to keep it all moving. What is exercise like for you these days? It depends. I definitely try to be more conscious of my schedule and exercise when I'm shooting because I'm eating a lot, but also my schedule's not my own. I don't have as much control over my hours. So I do Pilates a few times a week right here near my home in Brooklyn. I cycle when I can. I run when I can. I find that I do a lot more running when I'm on location because we often shoot in the summertime, and I don't belong to a gym in every city we go to. So sometimes we'll find a trainer or classes to go to in every city. But that's when I run the most. I used to be a much more consistent runner, but since kids, I kind of stopped running. I find that I'm more responsible when I just go to a class, get it done and come home. But when I'm on location and I am in the outdoors more and I can just kind of run — when I don't have my kids and I'm not, you know, under the constraints of taking them to school and things like that — I have more freedom. And I do love running when I can. When I was in Toronto, I lived downtown in Little Italy, in a great neighborhood in the city. And I found the most perfect class. And I went to it three times a week and it just felt so great. It was like a combo Pilates and cardio studio. So you did half the class with Pilates and half the class was rowing or cycling. And I've never found a studio like that in the states — at least not that I'm aware of in New York or L.A., where I kind of am the most. And I miss it so much. I wish we could bring it here. I'm not gonna tell you that I love working out; I don't. I think anyone who does is lying. But I want to take care of myself and my body. I want to be around as long as possible for my family. I want to keep my heart healthy. I want to keep my joints able. And we're not getting younger, so I just try to keep active. And in summer when we shoot, that's easy to do because almost always we're shooting in great weather. You've got some big milestones and new projects like your TV show with Julie Bowen on the horizon. Your kids are getting older. How do you feel about this new chapter and shaking things up a little bit? I like that that's how it comes across. It's great. I'm excited for a bunch of projects coming up in 2026. We will make another Top Chef, and I'm excited how that will look because every year, the challenge becomes: What do we do next? Where do we go next that feels fresh? What do we do that's different than the year before? And I think for Season 23, that'll be really exciting. The show I'm working on with NBC and Julie is two years in the making — and it's not done yet. There's no guarantee that anyone will ever see it, but we are working hard with them on it. … [It's] obviously scripted, which is totally new for me. And that process has been really exciting because it is really far out of my comfort zone … The thing about food that I hope this show will be able to sort of bring to light is just that food kind of touches everything. And we talk about that a lot on Top Chef, right? The conversations we have on Top Chef are, yes, about food, but they are using food as the conduit to bigger conversations in the world: diversity, inclusion, immigration, sustainability and climate, hospitality and nourishment and who gets to sit at your table. And I think those are like really big conversations. And I think that doing it through scripted comedy will be really, really fun. And I feel like I am so out of my element when we are in meetings not having a clue how the process works. I'm just along for the ride — and I'm thrilled to be. I do feel like I'm out of the baby stage of my life with my children. And I do think it allows me a little more freedom to explore the things I've been wanting to do for a long time. But also, the last five years have been so complicated, you know, coming out of COVID and having small children. And so now I do feel like I can take on the bigger things. Finally, with grocery prices up, I have to ask: Is there anything you're cutting back on or a certain staple that is giving you pause? The things that I use as the barometer for cost are eggs. They're the things that I use the most in my house, that are always in my fridge no matter what. Eggs. Organic English cucumbers. … Where I live, almost all the organic English cucumbers come from Canada, so we'll see if that price is gonna go up. And cans of whole tomatoes for soups, tomato sauces, all that. Those are the three things that I'm always looking at that I see the fluctuation in the most. … Eggs [prices] obviously are just bananas. And it's not even about egg cost. The cost is one thing, but it's just that they're not even findable anymore in my neighborhood. We always buy them at the supermarket near our house, like the Whole Foods or the Trader Joe's near our house, or there's a butcher on our corner that has really great organic eggs. And we get them, and the prices have changed so much. And then half the time in the last month, they just have been completely sold out. So whenever I see a dozen eggs at a reasonable cost, I get them, even if I'm on the other side of town. It would be handy if you could take stuff home from the kitchen. We do when we're on location. … Our culinary producer, Jamie [Lauren], who was a contestant on Season 5 of the show, builds this enormous kitchen with all of the most beautiful produce ever, and every day has to make sure it looks great and is perfect. And they get so much [food]. They donate almost all of it in whatever city we're in to a local food bank if it hasn't been opened or touched. But I would be lying if I said that after work on several days, I don't go back there and stock the fridge at my Airbnb with whatever I need. Especially all the pantry staples that I feel like I don't want to buy because I'm only there for a couple of weeks. Often they can't use [any food] for the show if it's a couple of days old and the produce doesn't look perfect or something. And that's the stuff that she'll always set aside and tell us to just take. We go home and cook for each other, and that's how we stock our fridge. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
