GEARING UP FOR BOCUSE For all the ground American chefs have made up in the past two decades in an effort to establish cuisine worthy of mention alongside their European counterparts, they still have never won the Bocuse d'Or worldwide cooking competition. In fact, U.S. teams have never placed better than sixth in what has been described as a culinary Olympics. ...more

July 9, 2008

"Top Chef: Finale, Part 1," 10 tonight, Bravo Now that former Clearwater Beach resident Spike Mendelsohn is out of the way - see today's Stew column on Page 2 - the four finalists head south to Puerto Rico for the first episode of a two-part finale. Now the real cooking can begin. Curiously, the previews show Lisa without her iconic head scarf. Apparently the bandana was confiscated at customs for having soaked up too much antipathy. ...more

June 4, 2008

The dean of the University of Florida's College of Medicine has been relieved of his duties as dean. ...more

May 24, 2008

"Top Chef: Chicago," 10 p.m. today, Bravo A couple of dicey weeks had Clearwater Beach native Spike Mendelsohn on the chopping block, but he has been able to fly under the judges' radar in recent episodes. This week, he and the other remaining contestants have to complete a culinary relay race, then cater a high-pressure wedding at which pastry expert Gale Gand will be judging. If the promos for this are any indication, the show's editors are going to run out of bleeps for the censors. ...more

May 6, 2008