Latest news with #TopChef:DestinationCanada
Eater
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Eater
Filipino and Indian Flavors Merge at This ‘Top Chef' Star's New Wicker Park Cafe
Zubair Mohajir has helped redefine South Asian cuisine in Chicago, with the successes of Lilac Tiger and the Coach House in Wicker Park, and more recently, with the fusion of Mexican and Indian flavors at Mirra in Bucktown. Then, Mohajir leaped to the national stage earlier this year as part of the cast of Top Chef: Destination Canada. His colleagues say that Top Chef hasn't gone to Mohajir's head. He's remained grounded. He wants to elevate the people around him and push boundaries. But Coach House chef de cuisine Jacob Dela Cruz has seen one change. He's become a really good photographer, constantly snapping photos of his boss posing with star-struck customers. Jokes aside, Mohajir isn't resting. He's formed a new team, along with Dela Cruz and Salt Burger and Fries co-founder Hassan Jaffrani. Earlier this week, the trio unveiled Sarima Cafe, which shares a space with Salt's Wicker Park location at 1924 W. North Avenue. Jaffrani and Mohajir have known each other for years. When Jaffrani, who's also behind the IDOF brand (like Salt, a hit with young Muslims) decided to close the Wicker Park branch of Beard Papa's, Mohajir jumped at a chance to open a cafe. Like his other projects, this spot would infused dishes with South Asian flavors — this time blended with Dela Cruz's Filipino heritage. Sarima serves breakfast sandwiches and pastries. Eventually, they'll add small-batch ice cream in flavors like red mung bean to the menu. Mohajir is excited to brew the same masala chai he serves at his other restaurants (bartender David Mor has made creative use of the spiced tea at his bars Truce and Lilac Tiger). They also pour Dark Matter Coffee. Kim Kovacik Kim Kovacik Kim Kovacik Kim Kovacik Mohajir brought on local baker Reema Patel to fill the pastry case with delights like chai flan, an ube crinkle cookie stuffed with cream cheese, and calamansi shrikhand doughnut based on a Boston Creme. Patel, who's been working in Pilsen on the pastry team at Mariscos San Pedro, has created a unique lineup of cake doughnuts, cookies, and more. There's even a cashew cookie with a silver leaf based on the classic South Asian diamond-shaped sweet, kaju katli. The 'Food For the Gods' bar is made with dates and black tea. Patel also appeared on Season 2 of the reality cooking show Baking It. She teases upcoming treats like a gulab jamun banana pudding. 'A really cool part of creating a space and creating recipes is knowing that you can change things and still end up with something even better than what you thought,' Patel says. Sarima will also offer something that Mohajir has been reluctant to offer: dosa. Paper dosa is thin and crispy, and they'll stuff it with mushrooms and sweet potato. It's almost cliché for a South Indian chef to offer the iconic crepe-like item. They'll have other toppings available, too. Jaffrani says they need to offer a 'steak and eggs' like dosa option. Kim Kovacik Kim Kovacik Kim Kovacik Kim Kovacik The food at Sarima is halal, which means no pork. Diners who sink their teeth into the breakfast sandwich will taste tocino made of chicken. Mohajir says he 'gets a kick out of' serving halal versions of tocino and longganisa as the Muslim community doesn't typically eat pork: 'I think bacon smells amazing, but like, I've never eaten bacon, you know?' he says. So what's with the name? Dela Cruz explains it's from a legend that started on the Filipino island of Mindanao. It's derived from 'Sarimanok' a colorful bird meant to symbolize good fortune. The crew has seen Chicagoans wait in long lines for pastries at bakeries like Del Sur and Fat Peach. Mohajir hopes to see good fortune and long lines out the door on North Avenue and says they're concentrating on keeping up with supply and demand: 'We're here to sell food, we're here to sell pastries,' he says. 'If we don't make enough, then what's the point?' Sarima Cafe, 1924 W. North Avenue, open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday through Sunday, hours will be expanded later this summer Kim Kovacik Kim Kovacik Kim Kovacik Kim Kovacik
Eater
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Houston's ‘Top Chef' Winner Tristen Epps Is Taking His Afro-Caribbean Cuisine on the Road
Tristen Epps was already a rising force in Houston's culinary scene, and now the James Beard semifinalist has even more accolades under his belt. Judges of the reality television cooking competition Top Chef crowned Epps the winner of its 22nd season, Top Chef: Destination Canada , on Thursday, June 12, after an outstanding run that showcased his culinary prowess and deep-rooted passion for Afro-Caribbean cooking. The chef, who's previously worked under acclaimed chef Marcus Samuelsson, wowed the judges with his bold, inventive style, racking up two Quickfire wins and five elimination challenge victories. He also led his team to victory as executive chef during the show's pivotal Restaurant Wars episode, all while coping with personal hardship: His stepfather was critically ill back home. Midway through the season, Epps learned of his stepfather's passing. Rather than stepping away from the competition, he chose to stay, dedicating each dish to his stepfather's memory. Though Episode 10 brought his only real stumble — judges critiqued an imbalance in seasoning — Epps quickly bounced back. In the finale, he cemented his win with a four-course 'Meal of Your Life' menu, a fusion of Ethiopian cuisine and his Trinidadian roots that featured monkfish with baccala mbongo; pollo dorengo with injera shrimp toast; and an oxtail Milanese crepinette. The win is especially significant: In addition to $125,000 in Delta Airlines credit, invitations to some of the biggest food and dining events in the country, and $250,000 cash prize (reportedly the largest prize in Top Chef history), Epps is also the first Black chef to win Top Chef in 15 years. Until recently, the chef kept his victory under wraps while preparing for his next big move: the launch of Buboy, a fine-dining Afro-Caribbean tasting menu restaurant in Houston. Now, Epps is finally free to celebrate — and to reflect. Eater caught up with Epps to talk about his favorite and most challenging moments on Top Chef , and what's next for him professionally as he brings his vision to diners across the country. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Congratulations! How are you feeling? Tristen Epps: I'm still trying to get used to it, but a lot of people are really supportive. What was it like keeping your Top Chef win a secret? I mean, it wasn't so bad. I call the same people every day, like my mom, so she makes it easy to talk about, and then my core group of friends knew I made it. Did you have a strategy going into the competition? My strategy going in was to not make friends and stay focused, try to take it really easy in the beginning, and just try to pace myself for longevity: keep to my point of view, and then, really ramp things up later. It didn't go that way. I ended up liking everybody, and I ended up winning a lot in the beginning. I don't know if it was my competitiveness, but I didn't know how to take it easy — cooking and trying your hardest went hand in hand. But in the end, it was really cool. Like being in Canada, being in Italy — it was such a beautiful experience. Do you have a favorite moment? Being able to tell my mom at the end that I won was a magical moment for me, and also my first individual win. I went in with this point of view of cooking diaspora cuisine, and you know, people are having more success with it, but you never know for yourself, right? My whole point of wanting to do this is to put it out there at a really high level, and when people decide to give you a shot at it, they have a lot of expectations. It's like, 'Impress me or I'm going back to what I know,' so it's nerve-racking. The first day I did my cooking and won, it created this validation for me: 'Okay, this cuisine is enough, and it's enough to do in this format.' That was just an amazing feeling, especially on that platform. What was the most challenging part of the competition? Staying who you are can be challenging. People will think something is all you know or all you can do, and sometimes you just naturally pander to whatever's around you, you try to adapt, and you end up making others feel comfortable so you feel comfortable. I was trying to dictate what I felt and thought onto a plate, inaudibly to the people who don't know me. The mental toll of the competition was probably the biggest challenge. If you're not someone who can be alone or if you're not able to really be comfortable in your thoughts for periods, that can be challenging. You don't have the everyday things you can wind down with, right? There's no scrolling the internet. There's no talking to someone on the phone, and the person you might connect with might be gone the very next day. I'm still really soaking in the moment. I'm still planning on opening BuBoy at some point — finding a building and space that is important and meaningful to me is impactful. But right now, I think I'm just gonna take it on the road a little bit. I'll be announcing more soon about it, and I just want to bring what I'm gonna do to the country. Top Chef was one of, if not the greatest, experiences I've had professionally. It's such a rewarding feeling, even if I don't feel the full brunt of it right now. I've been walking around Chicago and, you know, different cities since it has aired, and the reception I have gotten has been so amazing. Even walking around with some of my castmates has been so amazing, because people tuned in to see the food they're making and the people they are. I would say this is a lesson to everyone: don't be afraid of who you are, especially cooks. If you are part of a culture, scream it to the rafters. Learn about others, because they're probably connected, talk to as many people as you can from other cultures, and always, always strive to learn more about yourself and where you come from, and how it connects to different people. Food naturally brings us together, so if I can understand more about your culture and food, other than just eating it, I think the world would be much more unified. I think that's kind of the platform that Top Chef gave me. I've shown everyone that I can connect to culture, and I'll also celebrate the hell out of it. See More:
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
After a ‘Chi-town throwdown,' just one Chicago chef remains on ‘Top Chef'
Warning: Spoilers ahead for all of 'Top Chef' Season 22, except the remaining finale episode. Only one Chicago competitor remains for the final episode of this season's 'Top Chef,' which airs Thursday evening. Chi-town could have another local Top Chef if they win, a coveted title that frequently propels cast members to successful restaurants, television spots and cookbooks. Bailey Sullivan, executive chef at Monteverde, qualified for the finale of 'Top Chef: Destination Canada' from a competitive pool of 15 chefs. 'Top Chef' Season 10 winner Kristen Kish hosted this season, joined by judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons. The other chefs who made it to the final episode are Shuai Wang, chef-owner of Jackrabbit Filly and King BBQ in North Charleston, South Carolina, and Tristen Epps, chef-owner of Epps & Flows Culinary in Houston. Earlier in the season, Sullivan was joined by Chicago peers Zubair Mohajir, the executive chef and founder of Lilac Tiger, Coach House and Mirra, and César Murillo, executive chef of North Pond. Sullivan's combination of compassionate competition and camaraderie was a consistent feature of this season, which was low on drama and high on quality cooking. Over the weekend, her Instagram account shared a photo of a group hug between her and the final four competitors, captioned 'Some of the best folks I know.' 'You grow so close with these people,' Sullivan said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune ahead of the finale. By her admission on the show, Sullivan's journey to the top of the competition was slow to start. She was initially eliminated in the second episode for her maple tart. 'I think I just attribute my struggles early on as being totally freaked out, 100%,' Sullivan told the Tribune. 'I had never been on TV before.' Meanwhile, Mohajir won that episode's elimination challenge with a variation on his signature tandoori fried chicken dish, which was eventually featured on the menu at Lilac Tiger. But in the fourth episode, the James Beard-nominated chef was eliminated, to the surprise of many — it was his only time at the bottom. Contestants are kept in the dark about some elements of the production, so it was bittersweet for Mohajir and Sullivan to find out they'd be facing off in 'Last Chance Kitchen,' a web series where eliminated chefs get a chance to return. 'I've been impressed by both of you,' said Colicchio as he was judging their showdown of savory and sweet. 'Zubair, I was quite frankly surprised to see you just this early here, based on some of the earlier challenges. And Bailey, in 'Last Chance Kitchen,' you've been cooking really well.' Eventually, he picked Sullivan's pork and panna cotta dishes over Mohajir's scallops and French toast to win, though it was close. Reflecting back on her cook in 'Last Chance Kitchen,' Sullivan said she was able to keep a positive attitude knowing that no matter what, someone from Chicago would go on to compete. 'I will cheer on Zubair on everything he does going forward,' Sullivan said. In Chicago, her love for the restaurant industry started with growing up at Goldyburgers in Forest Park, a restaurant her father bought. She became a 'Top Chef' fan watching the show with her mother and ended up training under another 'Top Chef' alumni, Beverly Kim of Parachute, as well as Sarah Grueneberg, Monteverde, head chef and owner. Sullivan rejoined the main competition in the fifth episode, where she and Epps won a team elimination challenge with fire-kissed grilled octopus with olives. Team Chicago would face one more loss in the penultimate episode. North Pond's Murillo had a strong showing all season, with Collichio calling his pickle-inspired dessert from Episode 9 one of the best dishes he'd ever had on the show. The finale is taking place in Milan, Italy, and fittingly, last week's elimination challenge was a head-to-head based on Italian ingredients. Wang and Epps had qualified for the finale by winning the polenta and beet rounds, respectively, which left one final spot for either Sullivan or Murillo. Sullivan called the gorgonzola round a 'Chi-town throwdown.' As they finished their dishes, the chefs hugged and said they loved each other. Sullivan had been critiqued for her usage of the cheese earlier in the season — in Milan, she took the opportunity to redeem her earlier failure. This time, she came out on top with a bruleed gorgonzola. The judges praised her quirky, endearing personality. 'Cesar, you put together a really great dish,' Collichio said after announcing Murillo's elimination for his butternut squash casserole. 'Bailey's was a little more focused on the gorgonzola. That's the only reason.' Sullivan couldn't share how she did in the finale, but if she won, she wouldn't be the first Chicago chef; Stephanie Izard and Joe Flamm were both crowned Top Chef of their seasons and Rick Bayless won the first season of 'Top Chef Masters.' Sullivan's Monterverde mentor, chef Sarah Grueneberg, made it to the top two of Season 9 of 'Top Chef.' 'I do kind of feel like I'm following in Sarah's footsteps, being on 'Top Chef,'' said Sullivan. 'I just celebrated nine years at Monteverde this June.' The Top Chef usually receives money, press and various perks but new this year, the winner will have the opportunity to present at the James Beard Awards in Chicago on June 16, a week after the finale airs. Win or lose, Bailey Sullivan has made it. 'Top Chef' Season 22 concludes on June 12. The final episode, along with the rest of the season, will be available to stream the next day on Peacock. Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here. This Chicago chef just won season two of Food Network's '24 in 24: Last Chef Standing'
Chicago Tribune
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
After a ‘Chi-town throwdown,' just one Chicago chef remains on ‘Top Chef'
Warning: Spoilers ahead for all of 'Top Chef' Season 22, except the remaining finale episode. Only one Chicago competitor remains for the final episode of this season's 'Top Chef,' which airs Thursday evening. Chi-town could have another local Top Chef if they win, a coveted title that frequently propels cast members to successful restaurants, television spots and cookbooks. Bailey Sullivan, executive chef at Monteverde, qualified for the finale of 'Top Chef: Destination Canada' from a competitive pool of 15 chefs. 'Top Chef' Season 10 winner Kristen Kish hosted this season, joined by judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons. The other chefs who made it to the final episode are Shuai Wang, chef-owner of Jackrabbit Filly and King BBQ in North Charleston, South Carolina, and Tristen Epps, chef-owner of Epps & Flows Culinary in Houston. Earlier in the season, Sullivan was joined by Chicago peers Zubair Mohajir, the executive chef and founder of Lilac Tiger, Coach House and Mirra, and César Murillo, executive chef of North Pond. Sullivan's combination of compassionate competition and camaraderie was a consistent feature of this season, which was low on drama and high on quality cooking. Over the weekend, her Instagram account shared a photo of a group hug between her and the final four competitors, captioned 'Some of the best folks I know.' 'You grow so close with these people,' Sullivan said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune ahead of the finale. By her admission on the show, Sullivan's journey to the top of the competition was slow to start. She was initially eliminated in the second episode for her maple tart. 'I think I just attribute my struggles early on as being totally freaked out, 100%,' Sullivan told the Tribune. 'I had never been on TV before.' Meanwhile, Mohajir won that episode's elimination challenge with a variation on his signature tandoori fried chicken dish, which was eventually featured on the menu at Lilac Tiger. But in the fourth episode, the James Beard-nominated chef was eliminated, to the surprise of many — it was his only time at the bottom. Contestants are kept in the dark about some elements of the production, so it was bittersweet for Mohajir and Sullivan to find out they'd be facing off in 'Last Chance Kitchen,' a web series where eliminated chefs get a chance to return. 'I've been impressed by both of you,' said Colicchio as he was judging their showdown of savory and sweet. 'Zubair, I was quite frankly surprised to see you just this early here, based on some of the earlier challenges. And Bailey, in 'Last Chance Kitchen,' you've been cooking really well.' Eventually, he picked Sullivan's pork and panna cotta dishes over Mohajir's scallops and French toast to win, though it was close. Reflecting back on her cook in 'Last Chance Kitchen,' Sullivan said she was able to keep a positive attitude knowing that no matter what, someone from Chicago would go on to compete. 'I will cheer on Zubair on everything he does going forward,' Sullivan said. In Chicago, her love for the restaurant industry started with growing up at Goldyburgers in Forest Park, a restaurant her father bought. She became a 'Top Chef' fan watching the show with her mother and ended up training under another 'Top Chef' alumni, Beverly Kim of Parachute, as well as Sarah Grueneberg, Monteverde, head chef and owner. Sullivan rejoined the main competition in the fifth episode, where she and Epps won a team elimination challenge with fire-kissed grilled octopus with olives. Team Chicago would face one more loss in the penultimate episode. North Pond's Murillo had a strong showing all season, with Collichio calling his pickle-inspired dessert from Episode 9 one of the best dishes he'd ever had on the show. The finale is taking place in Milan, Italy, and fittingly, last week's elimination challenge was a head-to-head based on Italian ingredients. Wang and Epps had qualified for the finale by winning the polenta and beet rounds, respectively, which left one final spot for either Sullivan or Murillo. Sullivan called the gorgonzola round a 'Chi-town throwdown.' As they finished their dishes, the chefs hugged and said they loved each other. Sullivan had been critiqued for her usage of the cheese earlier in the season — in Milan, she took the opportunity to redeem her earlier failure. This time, she came out on top with a bruleed gorgonzola. The judges praised her quirky, endearing personality. 'Cesar, you put together a really great dish,' Collichio said after announcing Murillo's elimination for his butternut squash casserole. 'Bailey's was a little more focused on the gorgonzola. That's the only reason.' Sullivan couldn't share how she did in the finale, but if she won, she wouldn't be the first Chicago chef; Stephanie Izard and Joe Flamm were both crowned Top Chef of their seasons and Rick Bayless won the first season of 'Top Chef Masters.' Sullivan's Monterverde mentor, chef Sarah Grueneberg, made it to the top two of Season 9 of 'Top Chef.' 'I do kind of feel like I'm following in Sarah's footsteps, being on 'Top Chef,'' said Sullivan. 'I just celebrated nine years at Monteverde this June.' The Top Chef usually receives money, press and various perks but new this year, the winner will have the opportunity to present at the James Beard Awards in Chicago on June 16, a week after the finale airs. Win or lose, Bailey Sullivan has made it. 'Top Chef' Season 22 concludes on June 12. The final episode, along with the rest of the season, will be available to stream the next day on Peacock. Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here. This Chicago chef just won season two of Food Network's '24 in 24: Last Chef Standing'
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.
