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Tune in starting 10 p.m. Nov. 12 for the fifth season of Bravo TV’s “Top Chef: New York.” The lone Bay Area contestant this time around is Jamie Lauren, 30, executive chef of San Francisco’s Absinthe Brasserie and Bar. Let’s hope she fares better than her Bay Area chef colleagues from last season.
She is one of 16 chefs competing this year for $100,000, a feature in Food & Wine magazine, and a showcase at the annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen.
Among the guest stars this year will be: Martha Stewart, Foo Fighters, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Eric Ripert, Rocco DiSpirito, Wylie Dufresne, Jean-Christophe Novelli, and Natasha Richardson. A new judge will be introduced, as well, to spice up the mix. He is Toby Young, food critic and author of the book, “How to Lose Friends and Alienate People” (Da Capo Press), which is the basis for an upcoming film.
Here is a complete list of this season’s “Top Chef” competitors:
In this struggling economy, who wouldn’t want to eat out for less?
During “Restaurant Week” (Nov. 2-9), participating restaurants in the Tri-Valley and East Bay will offer a special three-course, prix fixe lunch for $20 per person, and dinner for $30 per person.
Restuarants include: Amber Bistro in Danville, Bridges Restaurant & Bar in Danville, Esin Restaurant & Bar in Danville, the Peasant & the Pear in Danville, and the Restaurant at Wente Vineyards in Livermore.
The promotion is being presented by Diablo Magazine. Tonight, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m, the promotion kicks off at Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek with food and wine from more than 40 East Bay restaurants and local wineries, as well as a silent auction and live music.
Mark your calendars for Nov. 28 when Yountville’s 20th Annual Festival of Lights gets underway in the small town with the big-city palate (it boasts six Michelin stars and more than 20 wineries).
From Nov. 28 through the end of the year, the city will be a winter wonderland lit with twinkling lights. On Nov. 28, look for carolers, elves horse-drawn carriages, ice carving, and a visit from Santa.
The fun gets going at 2 p.m. with a block party. Local restaurants, including Redd, Bistro Jeanty, and Bouchon Bistro, will serve up tastes of their specialities. Tasting tickets for food and wine are $1 each. For more information closer to the date, click here.
For more star wattage, trek to Santana Row, 5 p.m. Nov. 8, when Food Network darling, Tyler Florence, stops by to do a holiday-themed cooking demo at Sur La Table. He’ll also sign copies of his new cookbooks, “Dinner At My Place” (Meredith) and “Stirring the Pot” (Meredith).
To purchase copies of the books, visit the store or call (408) 244-4749.
For a fix of Indian food, New Delhi Restaurant in San Francisco celebrates its 20th anniversary, 5 p.m. to midnight Nov. 16, with a gourmet buffet, libations, and dance performances.
Attendees are asked to make a donation of $40 per person for the event. Proceeds will go to the Tenderloin After-School Program and the Ghandi Ashram in New Delhi, both of which help underprivileged children.
Josiah Slone’s story is that of a local boy done good. Born in San Francisco, and raised on the Peninsula, he had a pretty good idea even as a child that he wanted to be a chef one day.
You see, while other kids were watching Looney Toons, he was tuning into the cooking shows of Julia Child, Jacques Pepin and Martin Yan.
After stints in Santa Monica and Jamaica, the 31-year-old chef opened his first restaurant, Saratoga’s Sent Sovi in 2003, realizing his dream of having his own place in his home area.
I sat down with him to chat about the cookbook that changed his life, studying electrical engineering in college, and how everyone else — except him — felt the pressure when he bought Chef David Kinch’s famed Sent Sovi restaurant.
Q: You actually read the “The Joy of Cooking (Scribner) when you were a kid?
A: I looked through it when I was a really little kid, before I could read very well. It was this big book, and it had two red ribbons in it to mark your place. The old one had menus for bridge parties and afternoon tea. It reminded me of going to my grandma’s house.
I remember cooking out of it when I was in the 6th grade. I made meatloaf out of it, and cookies. It was my Mom’s go-to cookbook. We still have a copy of the “Joy of Cooking” in the kitchen at Sent Sovi. I also took “Joy of Cooking” to Jamaica with me.
Q: Did your Mom inspire you to cook?
A: (laughs) My Mom did cook. She likes to say “I taught him everything I know about cooking. It wasn’t very much.”
Q: You’re a Bay Area native. Do you think that’s also a reason why you’re so into food?