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Local chefs eat up reality-TV fame: On Ramsay shows, ?Top Chef' spinoff
Aug 06, 2010 (Boston Herald - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
"Hell's Kitchen" comes to a head next week when Tuesday's finale pits Somerville chef Jay Santos of Gargoyles on the Square against California banquet chef Holli Ugalde for the prize of becoming head chef at Gordon Ramsay's Savoy Grill in London.
But fans of reality TV cooking shows who love following local contenders have more options coming their way.
First, there's Ramsay's new "MasterChef." After the first two episodes, three of the four amateur Bay State contestants won aprons for their signature dishes. South Ender Tony Carbone, Newton's David Miller and former Peabody homemaker Jennifer Thall compete for the top 14 on Tuesday.
Viewers can then switch to the Food Network to watch Rebecca Newell, head chef at The Beehive in the South End, vie in the first all-female matchup on "Chopped."
Up-and-coming chefs competing for $10,000 are challenged to turn baskets of everyday ingredients into a three-course meal. A contestant is "chopped" after each course by a rotating panel of judges.
Newell couldn't divulge the ingredients that she worked with, but an episode teaser notes one chef's dream is " 'squashed' by her kabocha and sardines appetizer."
Aside from picking up cooking tips during the taping in New York, Newell learned the benefits of Benadryl anti-itch cream.
"I broke out in hives," she said. "I've been thinking about it because I really don't get nervous. It might have been the detergent in the chef's coats they gave us."
The upstate New Yorker, 33, doesn't get on edge because she's very competitive by nature.
"I was a Division I swimmer for the University of Maine, so for me going into a competitive session, I was like, 'This is cool,' " she said. "It was exhilarating."
The best outcome from the show would be publicity for female chefs, according to Newell.
"I hope it promotes the career of being a chef for women," she said. "It was a good decision for me. And, of course, it always helps to get a little publicity for The Beehive."
As with any reality show, viewers can expect some drama.
"We weren't handing out roses or anything," Newell said. "But there's always a little drama because it's stressful, and people are going to freak out a bit."
--For "Top Chef" fans, Bravo has a new spinoff premiering Sept. 15 that features pastry chefs.
In "Top Chefs: Just Desserts," 12 contestants -- including Tania Peterson, executive pastry chef at Boston caterer Max Ultimate Food -- will compete for $100,000 and a feature in Food & Wine magazine.
A former food photographer, Peterson never went to culinary school, instead getting on-the-job training with an apprenticeship at Tremont 647 nine years ago.
"The first day I put on that chef coat, that was it -- I was hooked," Peterson said. After pastry jobs at Chez Henri and Bricco, she moved to Max Ultimate Food.
"I love doing the high-end, slightly avant-garde food," said Peterson, who sees parallels between photography and cooking and has had a number of photographers come through her kitchen.
"There's something about the exacting nature of photography in that it's very visual and also very scientific," she said. "You're working with chemical interactions, and once you have those technical things down, you can learn how to express yourself in a creative way. There's the balance of lighting and the balance of flavors."
A huge "Top Chef" fan, Peterson thought she'd have regrets if she didn't try out for the spinoff, whose judges include chef Hubert Keller and Johnny Iuzzini, executive pastry chef of Restaurant Jean Georges.
"What an amazing opportunity," she said. "It was very challenging. 'Top Chef' has always been a place where it's real chefs doing some very serious cooking."
Send restaurant business tips to dgoodison@bostonherald.com.
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