Call me old fashioned, but I have always been a strong believer that you shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds you, especially the one that makes you a pseudo-celeb and a household name, something few chefs are able to attain these days. But that didn’t stop Ilan Hall, Cliff Crooks and Sam Talbot from making not-so-nice remarks about Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi.

Asked if he trusted Lakshmi’s culinary taste, Ilan Hall, a line cook at Casa Mono, asked a Bravo flack, “Um, are we allowed to say disparaging things about Padma?” No. “She’s beautiful,” Hall offered. “Mostly, she just explained things, and she did a good job at that.” Cliff Crooks, executive chef at Salute!, said, “Nothing she said really made a difference in my cooking.”

Sam Talbot refused to even answer the question.

And then there’s the matter of her stomach-baring, kitchen-unfriendly attire. “Some of the things she wore, I wouldn’t suggest anyone wear around a working kitchen,” said Crooks. “Either she’d be a fire hazard or she’d get hurt.”

Except, hello, this is television. Since Top Chef wants to nab some male audience members, covering up Padma with a chef’s jacket would kinda defeat the purpose when guys would much rather see her in something sexy. And so what if she isn’t a trained chef herself? Most reality show hosts these days are not trained in whatever the show is about, so give her a freaking break. I hope Top Chef drops those three chefs from any future endorsements.

Source

If you can’t make it to one of the Top Chef open calls, you can submit your application to BRAVO TV to be the next Top Chef. There are some pretty detailed requirements (no singing or music!) if you are not able to go to one of the cook-offs for potential contestants, but overall, worth it if you get picked! And surprisingly, you don’t need to video yourself cooking or even submit a recipe!

Click here to get details on how to apply and to download the application.

Want to be the next Top Chef for the third season of the Bravo show? Top Chef has now announced the dates for the cook-off auditions to be a part of the show. There are still a few more cities that will be holding auditions, but dates have not yet been announced.

DALLAS

OPEN CALL: Saturday January 13th / 12pm to 2pm

The Chef’s Gallery at The Art Institute of Dallas
8080 Park Lane
Dallas, TX 75231

- OR -

OPEN CALL: Sunday January 14th / 12pm to 4pm

Hard Rock Cafe Dallas
2601 McKinney Avenue
Dallas, TX 75204

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MIAMI

OPEN CALL: Sunday January 21st / 12pm to 4pm

Johnson & Wales University - Florida Campus
1701 NE 127th Street
North Miami, FL 33181

University Center Building

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NEW YORK

OPEN CALL: Sunday January 28th / 12pm to 4pm

The French Culinary Institute
462 Broadway at the corner of Grand Street
New York, NY 10013

The International Culinary Theater
2nd floor
Please enter through the 462 Broadway entrance and proceed up the stairs to the 2nd floor

For more information regarding the school and directions, please visit www.frenchculinary.com

You also need to grab an application here.

Good luck to those who apply.

If you catch tonights episode of Top Chef, you will be treated to three special guests making appearances on the show. Ted Allen from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Debi Mazar from HBO’s Entourage and chef Robert Ivan. They will all appear on the January 3rd episode of Top Chef at 10pm. And don’t forget, this is an extended episode and will run 70 minutes in length.

Season two hasn’t wrapped up yet, but Top Chef has been picked up for a third season by Bravo. Since ratings have gone up considerably this season over their first season, Bravo has announced plans for contestant cookoffs to pick chefs who will appear on the third installment of the series.

No word yet on what dates the cookoffs will take place, but they are planned for this month in Dallas, Las Vegas, Miami, New York and San Francisco.

Top Chef is hosted by Padma Lakshmi and judged by Tom Colicchio. It airs Wednesday at 10pm on Bravo TV.