Season 13 of "Top Chef" to Include Two Contestants from the Boston Area

A popular food-based reality show is getting ready for a brand new season, and this year, a couple of locals will be included among the contestants.

Eater Boston is reporting that Karen Akunowicz, who is executive chef of Myers + Chang in the South End, and Carl Dooley, who is a former chef de cuisine at Craigie on Main in Cambridge (and soon opening a new North Cambridge spot called The Table), will be competing in Season 13 of Bravo's "Top Chef," which will take place in a number of cities along the California coast rather than being in just one city. According to EB, this year's judges will be Richard Blais, Tom Colicchio, Emeril Lagasse, Padma Lakshmi, and Gail Simmons, while the contestants will be cooking for celebrities such as rapper MC Hammer and supermodel Chrissy Teigen.

"Top Chef" has featured several Boston-area folks on the show in the past, including Tiffani Faison of Sweet Cheeks, Michael Schlow of Tico, Alta Strada, and Doretta Tavern. Stephanie Cmar of Stacked Donuts and Kristen Kish (formerly of Menton).

For more information on Season 13 of "Top Chef"--which premiers on December 2--please go to the link below:

Top Chef Season 13 Kicks Off in December with Cameos from Chrissy Teigen and MC Hammer

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Sam Monsour (jm Curley Alum, Co-Founder of The Future of Junk Food) Moving to Los Angeles

One of the rising stars on the Boston restaurant scene is going to be moving to the West Coast.

Boston Magazine is reporting that Sam Monsour is planning to relocate to Los Angeles this fall, with his plans being to take the Future of Junk Food series national, and to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant. The article says that Monsour, who is known in part for his stint as chef at jm Curley in Boston's Downtown Crossing, will host a fifth pop-up of the Future of Junk Food series in L.A. with co-founder Mark O'Leary, followed by events in other cities around the country and beyond, including in New York, Chicago, Seattle, and other places. Monsour will also be putting the final touches of his hamburger cookbook with Richard Chudy of the Boston Burger Blog, and he will starting a Project Hunger line of aprons, according to Boston Magazine.

The article mentions Monsour will be involved with the "Biggie Brunch" at Alden & Harlow's in Cambridge on August 24 before getting ready for his move.

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Massachusetts Chefs Share Hopes for the Fight Against Breast Cancer

Six local chefs have banded together to help support a foundation dedicated to help fight breast cancer.

As part of an awareness campaign, chefs Joanne Chang of Flour and Meyers + Chang; Jose Duarte of Taranta; Richard Garcia of 606 Congress; Nicole Coady of Finale; Brian Reyelt of Citizen Public House; and Benjamin Lacy of Tastings Wine Bar & Bistro have shared their accounts (via YouTube videos) on what the Massachusetts Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure (Komen MA) means to them. Each 30-second video focuses on the chefs answering the question, "What Does Komen MA Mean to Me?" with the videos being accessed via the Komen MA YouTube page. (Kennedy of Mix 104.1 FM also has a video posted.)

If you would like to see the chefs' videos, please go to the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/KomenfortheCureMA

Thanks to Regan Communications for bringing this to our attention.


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Eight Food Trends for 2012, As Seen by Boston-Area Chefs

The Boston Globe recently talked with eight local chefs about possible upcoming restaurant and food trends for 2012, and some of the answers that the newspaper received are rather interesting.

The article, which was written by Devra First, includes predictions from such chefs as Tim Maslow of Strip-T's in Watertown (who sees comfort food as being a 2012 trend), Evan Deluty of Stella's in the South End (who predicts affordable burgers being hot), and Mary Dumont of Harvest in Cambridge (who sees personality-driven, chef-driven restaurants being big). A couple of other picks are from Jose Duarte of Taranta in the North End, who thinks that Peruvian cuisine could become popular this year, and Carolyn Johnson of 80 Thoreau in Concord, who sees a possible rise in seafood charcuterie.

If you would like to see the complete list of food trends for 2012 as picked by Boston-area chefs, please go to the Boston Globe link below.

8 hot restaurant trends for 2012 from Boston-area chefs

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Chefs in Shorts Coming to Boston's Seaport District, June 24, 2011

A barbecue-based culinary event returns to Boston in June, and as always, it will feature a number of Boston's most well-known chefs.

An email received from Regan Communications Group indicates that the 14th annual Chefs in Shorts is coming to Seaport Boston on Friday, June 24, from 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM. The outdoor barbecue will feature such chefs as Jay Silva (Bambara), Peter Tartsinis (Blue on Highland), Charles Draghi (Erbaluce), Alex Aratake (Haru Sushi), Harjit Singh (Kashmir), Nicholas Dixon (Lucky's Lounge), Marc Orfaly (Pigalle), Amin Belkadi (Stanhope Grille), Todd Hall (Temazcal Cantina), and many others.

Tickets to the 2011 Chefs in Shorts cost $60, the price of which includes beer, wine, and tastings. Proceeds once again will go to the Greater Boston Food Bank.

For more information on the 14th annual Chefs in Shorts event, please go to the Seaport Boston link below:

http://www.seaportboston.com/

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The Beehive's Rebecca Newell to Be on the Food Network's Chopped

Yet another Boston chef is going to be on a popular food-based show, with this one being aired next week. An email sent to us by Image Unlimited Communications indicates that Rebecca Newell of The Beehive, an eclectic restaurant on Tremont Street in the South End, will be one of four female chefs competing on next week's episode of "Chopped," which airs at 10:00 PM on Tuesday, August 10. [August 11 update: Rebecca Newell was the winner in "Chopped" last night, being awarded $10,000 in the process. If you'd like to learn more about the winner, please go to this interview with Rebecca Newell on The Passionate Foodie blog.]

Raised in Glens Falls, NY, Rebecca Newell attended the New England Culinary Institute before moving to Naples, FL, working at a couple of dining spots in the area. Once back in New England, she worked at Coriander Bistro in Sharon, Union Bar and Grille in the South End, and Aquitaine Bis in Chestnut Hill before becoming Executive Chef at The Beehive in the fall of 2007. (Information via the BostonChefs.com site.)

"Chopped," which is hosted by writer and TV personality Ted Allen, is a reality-based television show that focuses on chefs using ingredients chosen by the show to make a three-course meal. Each week, the winner (as decided by the culinary judges on "Chopped") is awarded $10,000. A web link for the show can be found at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/chopped/

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Michael Schlow Picked As 2010 Chef of the Year

The Massachusetts Restaurant Association has made their "best of" picks for 2010, with chef Michael Schlow being picked as Chef of the Year. An email sent to us by The Brooks Group mentioned that the executive chef and co-owner of Radius and Via Matta in Boston and Alta Strada in Wellesley will be honored at the MRA's annual awards dinner on Monday, March 15th. The dinner is being held at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel on Congress Street in Boston.

The Brooks Group website mentions that Michael Schlow, who moved to Boston from New York City about 15 years ago, has received a number of awards and accolades in the past, including the James Beard Award of Excellence.

For more information on the Massachusetts Restaurant Association awards dinner, please go to the following link:

http://www.marestaurantassoc.org/AnnualAwardsDinner10.html

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A Burger Bash to Benefit Autism Speaks Is Being Held February 1, 2010

[Update: This event is SOLD OUT. Thanks to the Food Monkey site and one of our Twitter followers for this information.]

A food-based event to benefit the country's largest autism science and advocacy organization is coming to Boston at the beginning of February.

According to the Tripvine site, the KO Prime All Star Burger Bash will be held in the Nine Zero Hotel on Tremont Street in downtown Boston on Monday, February 1. The event, which will benefit Autism Speaks, is a burger contest between some of the Boston area's top chefs, including Ken Oringer and Josh Buehler (KO Prime), Andy Husbands (Tremont 647), Jamie Bissonette (Toro and Coppa), Michael Schlow (Radius and Via Matta), and several others.

Tripvine mentions that the judging of the burgers will be done by event guests as well as culinary writers/authors Andrew Rimas and J. Kenji Lopez-Alt.

Tickets to the KO Prime All Star Burger Bash are $25 (update--as stated above, this event is SOLD OUT). The event will take place from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

For more information on the KO Prime All Star Burger Bash, please go to the following Tripvine link:

Another Chance to Vote: Boston's All Star Burger Bash for Autism Speaks

And to learn more about Autism Speaks, please go to the website below:

http://www.autismspeaks.org/

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