Top Chef Live! Well, Sort Of

The cooking competition show "Top Chef" has cemented its place as the official foodie water cooler topic. Whether the discussion is on the food or cooking, or one of the many dramas that occur when you place so many people, in such close quarters under so much pressure.  When I received an e-mail touting watching an episode of Top Chef with Tom Colicchio, Padma, Daniel Boulud, Alain Sailhac, Gavin Kaysen, plus Top Chef contestant Kevin I was so there.  Especially since it was a benefit for the American team competing in the Big Show culinary competition The Bocuse D'or.

The Bocuse D'or is best described as the food world's Olympics.  Teams from around the world compete under the intense scrutiny of the world's best chefs while screaming fans wave the flags of their favorite country.  Gavin Kaysen,  executive chef at Cafe Boulud, was a competitor in the Bocuse D'or and gave some insight into being through the culinary gauntlet.

I arrived a little early at the Astor Center where the event was being held.  I should just move into this place since I seem to be there like everyday.  There was a huge throng of people milling about outside waiting for the doors to open.  Then, as close to a red carpet moment as I will ever likely to experience, Chef Tom Colicchio arrived and bounded up the stairs.  Soon Daniel Boulud and Alain Sailhac joined him inside.  The doors were soon opened to the rest of us and the party began.

Given the nature of the event, the chefs preparing the food gave it their all.  All of the passed appetizers were on the north side of wonderful.  Some wonderful cocktails, wine and champagne rounded out the comestibles.

The event was pretty crowded so you soon made fast friends with the people next to you.  The people were in a very festive mood, probably brought on by the wonderful cocktails, wine and champagne mentioned above.  I was soon running into friends left and right, only to loose them again in a sea a food obsessed humanity.

A few minutes before the airing of "Top Chef" was to start, Tom Colicchio, Padma, and Kevin took the stage to say a few words.  Then the show began.  With all the people, chatter and other noise it was kind of hard to actually watch the show.  But was it better than sitting on my easy chair, eating chips and watching it at home?  Oh yeah!