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The Stew

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By JEFF HOUCK

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 24, 2008

'TOP CHEF' STOP

I used to worry that I wrote too much about the Bravo show "Top Chef." Perhaps that worry was unnecessary.

Fans were in line at 7 a.m. Saturday when the show's tour made an appearance in Ybor City at the weekly Centennial Park fresh market. It would be another three hours before chefs Richard Blais and Carlos Fernandez would do their first cooking demonstration inside the huge "Top Chef" tractor-trailer, which was adorned with the faces of previous winners of the reality show, as well as judges Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio. Hundreds more turned out for the last two demos that day, as well as for autographs from Blais and Fernandez and a chance to buy gear from the show in the gift shop.

A tour organizer told me Tampa's response was strong among the 16 other cities the tour had visited. (Madison, Wis., lost its collective "Top Chef" mind, apparently.) Even Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio showed up for the first demonstration of the day.

Blais, who hails from Atlanta, was as kind and generous and as curious about food in person as he was on the show, suggesting at one point that crushing Captain Crunch cereal into powder for dusting fish is a fun way to add sweetness and texture. Fans raved about the lamb chops he made with a blowtorch on Saturday.

Fernandez was the real surprise for me. On the show, he came across as bitchy and unskilled. In person, he was lively, silly and a natural charmer with the crowd. It didn't hurt that his crab cakes with capers were delicious. His Hi Life Cafe in Fort Lauderdale, with its multi-ethnic menu, is about to celebrate its 14th anniversary. These days, that's an epic milestone in the restaurant business.

Blais and Fernandez told me they loved the meals they had at SideBern's in South Tampa on Friday night, especially the pork belly.

You can see a photo gallery from their appearance as well as video clips and a podcast I recorded with them on my food blog, The Stew, at www.tinyurl.com/TheStew.

MONDAY NIGHT WITH MARTY

In addition to the "NFL Gameday Cookbook" written by Lakeland's Ray Lampe that came out late this summer, NBC has also published the "NBC Sunday Night Football Cookbook."

Included in the NBC book are two recipes by Marty Blitz, chef at Mise en Place in Tampa. His recipes are for Asian Salmon Spread With Curried Apple Slaw and Sauteed Calimari in Yuzu Soy Glaze With Edamame.

The book, which sells for $27.95, benefits Taste of the NFL, a hunger charity that organizes events for the needy. Blitz volunteers his time and resources during Super Bowl every year to support the charity.

STEAK CHEF WINS AT N.C. FESTIVAL

At the end of July, I did a Flavor cover on how to get the most for your food dollar by learning how to correctly cook a steak. My guide for the story was Jonathan Luft, the executive chef at the InterContinental Tampa luxury hotel on Kennedy Boulevard in Tampa. (You might remember that the story generated some reader feedback protesting the depiction of meat on the cover.)

I just found out that Luft won a five-chef competition at the Pinehurst 20th Annual Food and Wine Festival Showdown in at the Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. Congrats, Jonathan.

TASTE OF TAMPA

Taste of Home, the magazine that highlights recipes of home cooks, has released the latest edition of its book "Everyday Slow Cooker & One Dish Recipes." The collection has more than 300 recipes from homemakers around the country, including 18 from Florida. Tribune reader Judy Batson's Banana Apple Sauce is the only recipe from Tampa. You can see the recipe on my blog, The Stew, at www.tinyurl.com/TheStew. It's nice to see a regular Recipes Lost & Found contributor getting some well-deserved recognition.

HYDE PARK KITCHEN TOUR

I'm endlessly fascinated by people's kitchens, which means I'm looking forward to crawling through people's homes during the Old Hyde Park Kitchen Tour on Nov. 8.

The tour will feature eight kitchens and gardens in homes built between 1915 and 1925 along Edison Avenue and Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa

Homeowners included are: John and Deana Buckley, Suzanne and Roger Perry, John Gold, Ashley and David Germain, Harvey Perry and Jeff Avery, Janie and Jim Stifler, Curt and Vivian Genders and Henderson and Ben Lee.

Ticket prices are $15 in advance and $20 on the day of the event.

To purchase advance tickets, send a check payable to Hyde Park Preservation Inc., c/o Deana Buckley, 709 South Blvd., Tampa FL 33606. On the day of the event, tickets will be sold at the Wilson Middle School parking lot on Swann Avenue.

For information, go online to www.oldhydeparkfl.org, or call (813) 787-6562.

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