[Photos: © 2009 NBC Universal, Inc.]
Tonight’s reunion show for Top Chef: Las Vegas should be a very entertaining one. It was the most competitive season yet and it ended with a huge sibling rivalry. You’ll never guess which one of the finalists that Michael and Bryan’s mother was hoping would win! And Michael tells us what he has planned for the prize money. Here’s a short preview:

And poor Robin. None of the other chefs liked her or treated her very well during the competition. Here’s a compilation of what they had to say about her and her reaction:

Be sure to …read more

[Photos: © 2009 NBC Universal, Inc.]
After what must have been the toughest season ever on Top Chef, it all came down to Michael, Kevin and Bryan. Here’s what each of them had to say about the finale.
Michael was understandably excited, but he graciously still says that Bryan is his mentor. He thinks it must have been hard for their mother to be there, knowing she would have to console one or the other of her sons after the winner was announced. He seems excited, and a bit lost for words…something he rarely was during the season!

Here, Bryan tells us that …read more

[Photos: © 2009 NBC Universal, Inc.]

[Bravo Photo: Virginia Sherwood © 2009 NBC Universal, Inc.]

Last night on the Top Chef Las Vegas finale, the chefs were surprised when they all got a visit from their mothers. Poor Mrs. Voltaggio was there to support both of her sons as they went head-to-head in the finale. It was really touching that Bryan & Michael both said that they wanted to win, but if they didn’t, they wanted it to be the other brother.
Each of the three finalists was given two of the season’s eliminated chefs to act as their sous chefs and they …read more

[Photos: © 2009 NBC Universal, Inc.]
Tonight is the season finale of Top Chef Las Vegas and it’s sure to be a tough competition, right to the end. Top Chef’s first brother competitors, Michael & Brian have both made it to the finale and they both are awesome chefs. And the third finalist, Kevin is amazing too. This is one of the most exciting finales the show has ever had. You won’t want to miss it on Bravo tonight at 10/9c.
And if you missed any of the season so far, here’s a four minute clip to catch you up on everything …read more

Top Chef 7 is casting!
The original Top Chef is one of the most successful reality TV franchises on Bravo and now they are looking for the next group of amazing chefs to compete in season 7. If you think you have what it takes to be named the next Top Chef, here’s where you can find out more about how to apply.
Top Chef 7 Open Casting Calls:

WASHINGTON, DCWednesday, November 4th, 2009
10:00am – 2:00pm
OCCIDENTAL GRILL & SEAFOOD
@ Willard InterContinental Hotel
1475 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20004
BOSTON
Wednesday, November 4, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
The Westin Boston Waterfront

ATLANTA
Sunday, November 8, 10:00 AM – …read more

[Photos: © 2009 NBC Universal, Inc.]
On this week’s episode of Top Chef, the guest judge was Chef Tyler Florence. For the Quickfire Challenge, the cheftestants were each given three key words to use on the web site cookstr.com. They would find out which key words they would work with by taking spins on a slot machine.
These were the dishes they created:

Mike I. – Stressed, Umami, Asian
Raw Mushroom Salad with Yuzu Emulsion
Laurine – Tart, Romantic, Latin
Crushed Goat Cheese Salad with Orange Jalapeno Vinaigrette & Hibiscus Flowers
Ash – Tired, Tart, Italian
“Pantry” Pasta Puttanesca
Michael V. – Adventurous, …read more

[Photo: Bauer-Griffin]

First it was Heidi Klum from Project Runway who has been pregnant several times during the taping of the series, and Julie Chen who hosted this Summer’s Big Brother 11 while pregnant and now Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi has announced that she’s pregnant too. She sure looks amazing, so it must agree with her.
According to Us Magazine, Padma has had some health problems that made it questionable whether she could ever get pregnant at all. Now she’s being considered a small miracle:
“Model, author, and Emmy-nominated Padma Lakshmi confirms that she is carrying her first child after years of …read more

[Photos: © 2009 NBC Universal, Inc.]

[Bravo Photo: © 2009 NBC Universal, Inc.]

This week on Top Chef, the guest judge was Chef Tim Love. The cheftestants were told that they would have to make a dish using the secret ingredient, cactus. The winner of the challenge would get $15,000, making it a high-stakes Quickfire Challenge.
These were the dishes they created:

Laurine: Cactus Salsa with Achiote Glazed Pork Chop
Kevin: Pork Tenderloin with Cactus Marmalade
Michael V.: Avocado Roll with Cactus Coconut Ceviche & Red Cactus Coulis
Ashley: Cactus Jelly Donuts with Orange Crème Anglaise
Mike I.: Cactus & Tuna Ceviche with Pipian
Ron: Chipotle Swordfish with …read more

[Photos: © 2009 NBC Universal, Inc.]
This week, the guest judge is Chef Daniel Boulud. And the cheftestants found out that the Quickfire Challenge would involve using the snail, aka escargot. The winner of the Quickfire would get immunity, the loser would go home.
After 45 minutes of cooking time, these were the dishes:

Jennifer C.: Escargot with Grilled Ramps, Brussels Sprouts, Chanterelle Mushrooms & Yuzu
Jesse: “ELT” – Escargot, Mache & Fried Tomato
Laurine: Sautéed Escargot, Lemon Risotto, Spinach, Parsley Pesto & Garlic Butter
Hector: Caribbean Escargot with Pickled Mushrooms
Robin: “Bagels & Lox” – Poached Escargot Marmalade, Gooseberries & Rye Crostini
Mattin: Fava Bean Crostini with …read more

Hurray!! Summer is getting ready to heat up even more with Top Chef Las Vegas. I love Top Chef and I love Las Vegas, so how could it get any better? The sixth season of the series will premiere on Wednesday, August 26th at 9 p.m. ET/PT on BRAVO.
There are 17 new cheftestants ready to take on the crazy challenges in order to compete for the title of Top Chef. They vary in experience and age and if this season is a good as the first five, we are in for a real treat!
Here are the aspiring chefs:
[Bravo Photo: …read more