Food Wars on Top Chef Masters

Food Wars on Bravo’s Top Master Chefs

Love a good food fight? Then you’ve got to watch Bravo’s Top Chef Masters which has a dozen award-winning chefs battling it out for the title of Top Chef Master and $100,000 for their favorite charity. This includes, for the first time probably, two noted Indian celebrity chefs – Floyd Cardoz and Suvir Saran.

In each episode the Lords of the Kitchen sharpen their knives for cooking encounters and dish out their specialties.  For celeb watchers it should be quite a treat – Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks, Pop/Rock Group Maroon 5 and Pop Star Kelis serve as Celebrity Guest Judges. Celebrity chef Curtis Stone hosts the series and judges include James Oseland and noted food critic Ruth Reichl. Celebrities and food – a potent mix!

The series premieres on April 6 at 11 pm ET/PT

A Chat with Floyd Cardoz

For all fans of ‘Tabla’ and of celebrity chef Floyd Cardoz, this should be a fun watch as Cardoz is one of the 12 chefs and he will be battling for his favorite charity, Young Scientist Cancer Research Fund. Of course, we’re going to be seeing a lot more of Cardoz. The former Executive Chef/Parnter of Tabla will soon be seen in a new avatar as the executive chef and partner at North End Grill, a brand new Danny Meyer restaurant.
Before embarking on this new restaurant, Cardoz was the executive chef of Tabla, a groundbreaking restaurant that introduced the concept of New Indian cuisine and introduced many to the spices of India. After a starry decade, Tabla closed its doors in December 2010. Cardoz, who is the author of ‘One Spice, Two Spice’, also launched a line of meals for the online grocer Fresh Direct. He added some great spices to Mexican food as consulting chef at El Verano Taqueria which is  located at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets.

5 Questions for Floyd Cardoz

1. Your thoughts on the upcoming show on Top Chef Masters and what can viewers expect to see?

Top Chef Masters is a very popular show. I cooked in my style with passion and care, for every episode I was in.  I did utilize ingredients that were from the Indian subcontinent. I also used ingredient and techniques that were not. I stayed true to who I am, by caring for the other chefs and the food I put up. The competition was very intense and required tremendous amount of concentration and agility. Ultimately it was me competing for my charity – Young Scientist Cancer Research Fund),  as it was for all the other chefs

2. Do you miss Tabla or do you think the time was now ripe to do something new?

I will always have Tabla be a part of who I am. The flavors and cuisine were a creation from my heart and are very dear to me. I never created anything for the shock value. That being said, I feel it is time for me to move onto new adventures. I would like to show New York that even though I have talent with spices, I am able to cook well without. We will be doing something out of the ordinary at North End Grill. I will stay true to my love of seasonal, local ingredients. Being from Goa, I will also showcase my love for seafood.

I hope someday I will be able to bring back the flavors of Tabla in a new venue

3. Tell us about the new upcoming restaurant and what eaters can expect?

North End Grill will be a neighborhood restaurant. We will feature the freshest seafood from the Atlantic. It will also feature many local fruits and vegetables. I will showcase the beauty of our ingredients. We are hoping to grill most of our food and do that with passion and love. This does not mean that there will be absolutely no spice; most of the best chefs in the world are using spices as flavorings. I will use them sparingly and with restraint. It will be a refreshing new restaurant.

We are also looking to have a roof top garden to supply the restaurant with the freshest vegetables.

4. Which is the one vegetable you will definitely want to grow there?

Heirloom Tomatoes!

5. Is Indian cuisine still going to be the inspiration behind what you cook?

I love Indian food and always will. I will continue to eat Indian food at home whenever I can. As far as it being an inspiration in NEG, certain techniques will be, but not the flavorings. There are very many techniques in Indian cuisine that are influenced from England, France and Portugal, those I will use to influence my technique.

A list of the 12 Competing Chefs on Top Chef Masters

Following are the 12 “Top Chef Masters” competing chefs:

– Hugh Acheson – Chef/ Partner: Five& Ten, The National, Gosford Wine – in Athens, GA and Empire State South, Atlanta, GA; Competing for Wholesome Wave Foundation

– Floyd Cardoz – Former Executive Chef/Partner- of Tabla and soon-to-be Executive Chef/Partner of a new Danny Meyer restaurant; Competing for Young Scientist Cancer Research Fund

– John Currence – City Grocery Restaurant Group, Oxford, MS Competing for No Kid Hungry

– Traci Des Jardins – Chef/Co-owner of Jardinière, Mijita Cocina Mexicana and Public House and Manzanita, San Francisco, CA; Competing for La Cocina

– George Mendes – Chef/Owner of ALDEA, Manhattan, NY; Competing for Charity: Water

– Mary Sue Milliken – Co-Chef/ Owner: Border Grill Restaurants and Truck, Los Angeles, CA; Competing for Share Our Strength

– Naomi Pomeroy – Chef/Owner: Beast in Portland, OR; Competing for Seed Savers Exchange

– Suvir Saran – Executive Chef: Dévi, New York, NY; Competing for Agricultural Stewardship Association

– John Rivera Sedlar – Owner: Playa, Los Angeles, CA; Competing for American Diabetes Association

– Alex Stratta – Executive Chef: Stratta, Las Vegas, NV; Competing for Faster Cures, part of the Milken Prostate Cancer Foundation

– Celina Tio – Chef/Owner: JULIAN Restaurant, Kansas City, MO, Competing for Harvesters

– Sue Zemanick – Executive Chef: Gautreau’s, New Orleans, LA; Competing for the Louisiana SPCA

Next: An interview with Suvir Saran