Google HQ just played host to a conversation between New York Times columnist and past restaurant critic Frank Bruni (asking the questions) and Top Chef judge and author Gail Simmons (answering). The occasion was the release of Simmons’ book, Talking with My Mouth Full, which drops today.
How she ended up on Top Chef: The duo discussed Simmons’ early career: she initially wanted to be a food writer and was advised to go to culinary school in order to gain the requisite chops. After graduation, she worked in the kitchen at Le Cirque and the now-defunct Vong before landing an assistant job with noted food writer Jeffrey Steingarten (the interview lasted three hours; she was required to translate recipes from Ferran Adria and taste wines). P.S. (post Steingarten), she worked for Daniel Boulud before finally landing at Food & Wine magazine where she still works today. Top Chef came out of a partnership between the show and Food & Wine and Gail was given less than a day’s notice to prepare for a screen test. The bottom line: she is more than qualified to be in that judging chair.
Top Chef gossip: Simmons also talked everything Top Chef and fans of the current season will be interested to learn the judges got into a big, er, spirited discussion over who should win season 9 (finale airing tomorrow). She also said she has become friendly with many of the cheftestants post-show including Harold Dieterle, Stephanie Izard, the Voltaggio brothers, Carla Hall and Spike Mendelsohn. And she delicately sidestepped the question of how the food on season one compares to the food today. Read into that what you will.
Food industry stuff: Simmons talked about why she thinks there are fewer female chefs in the world (job is very physically demanding), which food scenes excite her (New Orleans, Chicago, Singapore) and which food she doesn’t care for (black beans). She also mentioned Aldea and Parm when asked which NYC restaurants she currently likes.
What she watches: And lastly, Gail revealed which TV shows she watches. Blah blah - Anthony Bourdain, Alton Brown, BUT she is also currently watching Friday Night Lights (season four, to be exact), the best show in the history of the universe. We knew we liked that Gail Simmons.
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