SousChef Community

Stephanie Izard, a Chicago native, beat out 15 other talented young chefs earlier this year to win season 4 of Bravo's ''Top Chef'' competition. Along the way, she cooked some seriously delicious looking food, gained the respect of judges and viewers (who voted her fan favorite), and managed to keep on smiling under tremendous pressure. So what's ...

Many celebrity chefs are overexposed. Take Mario Batali. His furry legs do get an awful lot of air time, literally and figuratively, but he is one of the chefs I never tire of. Why? He's the real deal. The man can cook. And he knows how to run a good restaurant, well, actually 15 good restaurants, including the new Tarry Lodge in Port Chester, ...

People are cutting back in every way they can, yet the holiday season demands the costs of entertaining. A lot of people are finding that it's both fun and economical to get back to basics. Like baking their own bread. (I know I have.) And chefs are getting in on the action, offering up their own recipes for home bakers to try for the holidays. ...

Growing up Jewish in some parts of the country can be an object lesson in desire. You get the unleavened bread, a study in self-denial, while Tammy next door is plowing through her ode to self-indulgence, the Easter basket stuffed with chocolate bunnies and pastel-washed eggs. You watch the menorah candles sputter out, one by one, while everyone ...

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie made headlines around the world everytime she sneezes and he says ''Gesundheit,'' so it's no big surprise that people are a-twitter after Pitt started spilling details of the couple's personal life while promoting his new movie, based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story. But at least this time, there's a little meat ...

Jamie Oliver is launching his own lifestyle print magazine. Call him the naked ambition chef. (via Coldmud) A Cantonese restaurant in Hong Kong has earned three Michelin stars, the first time a Chinese eatery has achieved this distinction in the history of the 108-year old gourmet guide. About time. (via Yahoo!) Blackbook Magazine just launched an ...

There may be prettier towns in America but Santa Fe is probably the best smelling one. All the smoking kivas, burning pinon, send out a woody, perfumed scent, something an aromatherapist couldn't top, and in the evening the whole town smells like an open southwestern hearth. That may be reason enough to visit but there are other incentives. Now ...

During my visit to Boston last weekend a friend of mind took me to the Parish Café. The conditions weren't ideal: I had already indulged in brunch with my high school girlfriends and consumed a soft-serve ice cream J.P. Licks. But I took the liberty of checking out the menu selection. Then Joe (my friend) proceeded to point out what makes this ...

Local chef and restaurant owner Ranjan Dey will share the history and stories of curries from around the world, including the spread and cultural effect of curry in Southeast Asia. Learn about curry and get a chance to sample it as well at this presentation put on by the World Affairs Council Young Professionals International Forum.

So how bad is the economy getting in the U.K.? Television chefs like Gordon Ramsay have begun focusing on using budget meats like liver, kidney, tongue, heart and tripe in their on-air recipes. And Britons are picking up on their cue.