1, delves into the personal and professional life of the tastemaker by day, single mom by night. Up next, they’re rolling out Kell on Earth, a docu-series on theĬable channel Bravo featuring fashion PR maven Kelly Cutrone. To share even a small bite of their stories through our show, it made me proud to do what I do.The pair's production company, The Magical Elves, has served up critical darlings like Project Greenlight, Project Runway and Top Chef. These hard-working people were the root of our Asian Night Market Challenge, giving our viewers a virtual taste of something you may not normally associate with Texas. It was extremely inspiring hearing from local chefs about their passion for food and especially their city. But coming back as a producer with the show and falling for a city through its culinary culture and overwhelmingly welcoming people was so unique. Producer Caitlyn Owens notes, “I will be honest, before Season 19 of ‘Top Chef,’ I had been to Houston twice, and I couldn’t tell you where I went or what I experienced. Though I’m not a chef, I try to always think of fun, unique challenges and locations that I would like to personally take part in or experience.” Ideas and inspiration for a challenge will pop into my head at random times: while driving, at the gym, or sometimes just what I’m hungry for in that moment! Taking a deep dive into the host city really helps to get the brain working to find some unique and little-known facts then figure out a creative way to relate it to food. Producer John Adams has worked with some of the best (“MasterChef Junior”) and the worst (“Nailed It! Mexico”), and says of the Quickfires: “I feel there’s a deep part of my brain that is always working and thinking of challenges. Whether they dive into a culture or use an ingredient they’ve never had to deal with, in the end watching their growth is the best part of the job!” It’s really about creating a meaningful hurdle for our chefs, not just to keep them busy on live TV, but one that allows for new learning experiences they couldn’t have gotten anywhere else. But I would say there is a little more to it than that. “One would think it’s as simple as testing the chef’s cooking abilities. “Many times I am asked about what it’s like coming up with challenges for a show as big as ‘Top Chef,’ a show that prides itself on testing the most talented chefs in the culinary world,” he says. (Photo by: David Moir/Bravo) David Moir/BravoĪnother producer with elite culinary show credentials is Justin Brooks, whose work on “MasterChef USA” paired him with world-class cooking talent. Nick Wallace under pressure in one of “Top Chef’s” Season 19 Quickfire Challenges. “I love exploring new cities but as a Southerner, I was patiently waiting to highlight my all-time favorite - queso! Houston became the perfect opportunity to ‘research’ my favorite food while also finding a way to turn this classic on its head, and find a new way to approach something I’ve known my entire life, which is exactly what we hope our chefs will do: Face an ingredient they may already know, and create something familiar in a completely new way.” Quickfires should be fun, exciting and work up not only a sweat, but give you a little fun history lesson.”įrank Crane, whose credits also include “MasterChef Junior” and “Below Deck,” says: “Everyone has their preferences, but the best part of ‘Top Chef’ is the ability to research a new city every year and find out what ingredients help establish a sense of place. At the end of the day, I look at how to build a challenge that tests them on their creativity, agility, and/or skills. “You break them up into groups by the swallow, have them pull from a knife draw and push them outside their comfort zone by introducing them to spices and ingredients that they may be unfamiliar with. “So how do you make this challenging?” Nguyen continues. “But we’re not asking the chefs to make their own swallow - we want them to experience this, take inspiration, and then turn it into their own interpretation. “Nigerian cuisine consists of swallows, and has so many rich spices and flavors,” Nguyen says. Nguyen offered a Quickfire example from the most recent season of the show, “Top Chef: Houston,” in which the chefs were asked to cook swallows, which are starches dipped into a stew or soup.
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