Top Chef: Put your heart on a plate and serve it
July 16th, 2007 by Adina Fleming in Events, Food & Life, Food media“It’s all about passion, the challenge, creativity, you know, I’m just out there to put my heart on a plate and let people see it.” So spoke the anxious, sweating, “Top Chef” auditionee at Sunday’s casting call for Bravo’s reality show. Casting directors Randy and Danielle thank him, and the four minute interview he waited two-and-a-half hours for is over.
Outside, the line snakes down Peachtree Street from the Hard Rock Cafe. It is 1 p.m., and some of these nervous chefs have been here for hours, the earliest arriving at 6 a.m., for their chance to audition. Some have chef-wear on, chef pants, the names of their respective restaurants stitched on chests, clutching resumes and applications, and all are very anxious, very determined, and very sick of waiting in line.
Randy pops his head out to let the hordes know they will take a 10 minute break to eat. “That OK guys?”
“No, it’s not OK,” one surly woman toward the front of the line snaps back. Tensions are running high.
Inside, over their anger-inciting lunch, Randy and Danielle know just what they are looking for. “We want someone with passion, drive and talent who is able to articulate food and understand recipes and flavor profiles,” Randy says between bites of his hamburger. “Someone who knows what their style is and how they would articulate this on a plate. All our contestants are hand-picked by us. … We really like Atlanta so far, it’s a cool city.”
The next three applicants enter the dim room and sit across from Randy and Danielle. They are eager to pump hands and showcase resumes. Everyone is focused, no eyes wander to the rock ’n’ roll paraphernalia and television screens blanketing the walls. Contestants come through, representing all the top restaurants in the city, along with many well-established private chefs, including the personal chef to the Atlanta Hawks, a young guy who is refreshingly relaxed and comfortable in the audition process. One young woman hopes to “break the reality-series mold of the angry African-American female” with her calm demeanor, leaving her law firm job behind to pursue her love of cooking. A self-proclaimed “crazy” local executive chef with Baton Rouge roots catches Randy’s eye and he keeps him longer than the others to grill him on what specifically the “crazy” title means.
With a burst of chatter, in walks one woman lugging an armload of medals. “I brought all my cooking medals!” she gushes. Then addressing Danielle, she continues, “I went to a strip club last night! It was sooo fun, I’d never been before! If you’re in town you should go with your girlfriends!” She’s cut off by Danielle, who directs a question to the man next to the medal-winner. He instantly launches into a story about his nickname, “Sweetpea.”
Randy jumps in. “All right, thanks guys. If you don’t hear about call backs from us by 6, thanks anyways.”
Who were the favorites so far? Of course they’ll never tell … you’ll have to watch the show.
July 16th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
Y’know how your last posting on this said “Admission is free, and spectators over 21 are welcome to attend,” basically impying that it was an open audition in front of a crowd? Well, it wasn’t. On the bright side, I got to eat a nice sandwich at The Corner Bakery.
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