If your culinary dreams have been flat of late with 'Top Chef,' get ready for your appetite to come back. 'Top Chef Masters,' essentially the same premise as the original 'Chef,' only with award-winning established chefs in place of fame-seeking ones, premieres on 6/10 and already has some serious buzz going for it. PopEater had a chance to chat with 'Masters' host and NYC foodie extraordinaire Kelly Choi about what to expect from the new form of one of our favorite reality shows. Kelly's Answers Below!
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 10: Chef Rick Moonen and TV host Kelly Choi arrive at a screening of Bravo's "Top Chef Masters" on June 10, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rick Moonen;Kelly Choi
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LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 10: TV host Kelly Choi arrives at a screening of Bravo's "Top Chef Masters" on June 10, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kelly Choi
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LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 10: TV host Kelly Choi arrives at a screening of Bravo's "Top Chef Masters" on June 10, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kelly Choi
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LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 10: Chef Rick Moonen and TV host Kelly Choi arrive at a screening of Bravo's "Top Chef Masters" on June 10, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rick Moonen;Kelly Choi
Getty Images
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 10: TV host Kelly Choi arrives at a screening of Bravo's "Top Chef Masters" on June 10, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kelly Choi
Getty Images
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 10: TV host Kelly Choi arrives at a screening of Bravo's "Top Chef Masters" on June 10, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kelly Choi
Getty Images
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 10: TV host Kelly Choi arrives at a screening of Bravo's "Top Chef Masters" on June 10, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kelly Choi
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Television personality Kelly Choi attends US Weekly
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NEW YORK - OCTOBER 05: Actress Donna Murphy (L) and Kelly Choi attend the New York Times fourth annual Great Children's Read at Columbia University on October 5, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Gabriela Maj/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kelly Choi;Donna Murphy
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NEW YORK - OCTOBER 05: Kelly Choi attends the New York Times fourth annual Great Children's Read at Columbia University on October 5, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Gabriela Maj/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kelly Choi
So what should 'Top Chef' fans expect? Is it essentially the same format, with Quickfire challenges to open and then an elimination challenge?
"Mostly. The first day is a Quickfire, and then there's an elimination challenge. 'Top Chef' fans will definitely love it because there's some familiar things, but there's lots of new stuff too. The chefs are major chefs with reputations, are celebrities in their own right. They have a lot riding on this. Tons of restaurants, fans. And they're doing it for charity, so they don't need to go out there and make a name for themselves. They want to make sure their pristine image stays that way. Really at the end of the day, yes it's about the food and that's a glorious thing, but it's so much bigger than that. These guys are magicians in a sense. The precision with which they do their craft, it's addicting to watch."
Because they're established, image-conscious chefs, will people be upset if there's no villain or backstabbing like on 'Top Chef'?
"I don't think it's presented in the same way. Each episode there's four master chefs and one moves on, and then it's four new ones the next week, so we don't get to see the same continuity that 'Top Chef' has. It's not the same group all throughout. Everyone has very distinct characters, and everything they cook translates to who they are. Viewers won't be disappointed, because what they see is a complete new ball of wax."
Can we expect Chef Tom (Colicchio) to be working the line at any point?"No, he's not cooking, but he does make some appearances. I can never get enough Tom Colicchio."
What is it about food on TV that can be so compelling?"Everyone has to eat, so that alone is a huge unifier. Food is everything: It's sexy, it's nourishing, it's fulfilling, it's comforting. There's so much emotion tied to it. For me, it's a total escapist thing. It's a source of inspiration. Especially in this economy, more people are cooking at home, so they can watch 'Top Chef Masters' to get inspired by ingredients and techniques."
What makes this different from 'Top Chef'?"The challenges themselves are very unique. There are a lot of twists, without revealing anything. These guys have seen it all. They cook day in and day out, so we have to throw them some crazy stuff to challenge them. We have to give them some demanding time constraints ... constantly being on your toes. That's what's really fun and ultimately what's going to be great fodder for the water cooler."
