Top Chef The Game
Dec 12
Ruth was born in Denver, Colorado. An only child of a welder and a teacher, Ruth’s father gave up his career as a teacher to be a stay at home father. She grew up without many of the luxuries the neighborhood kids enjoyed. Her first bike was a compilation of spare parts, and was named [...] [...more]
Posted by TC Junkie on December 12, 2008
Ruth was born in Denver, Colorado. An only child of a welder and a teacher, Ruth’s father gave up his career as a teacher to be a stay at home father. She grew up without many of the luxuries the neighborhood kids enjoyed. Her first bike was a compilation of spare parts, and was named The Johnny Cash in remembrance of his Cadillac from the song “One Piece at a Time.”
Ruth was home-schooled by her father, and they developed a very close relationship. He taught her both traditional and non-traditional material, and she became versed in Arithmetic, Chemistry and Renaissance Art. It was apparent early on that Ruth had an affinity for cooking, as she was giving her father lessons after only a few days of instruction. She learned much from her Cajun grandmother’s cookbooks that had been passed down to her.
As she aged, Ruth cooked mainly as a hobby. Her friends and family always thought she could be a chef, but when it came down to choosing a college, Ruth went traditional and attended the University of Colorado in Boulder. She studied business, and got a job at a logistics firm in Boston.
She stayed there for nearly two decades until returning home to help care for her aging father. She got a job for a catering service, and this rekindled her love for cooking. Shortly thereafter, Ruth decided to attend culinary school part time.
She excelled in spices, and developed a firm belief in the three C’s - Cajun, Cayenne and Curry. She graduated from culinary school in two years time, and was immediately hired by Tai’s Thai Gourmet Fry, a 4 star stir fry restaurant. She headed up the spice team, and rejuvenated the popularity of the restaurant.
She joined Top Chef as a challenge for herself to prove that she is amongst the ranks of the best chefs alive. She has developed a close relationship with Anna, and at times feels that she has become a type of mentor for her. She ultimately wants to prove that you do not need to come from a haughty downtown restaurant to be a great chef.
After the contest, Ruth plans to return home and continue her work at Tai’s Thai. She also had a cookbook in the works with a major publisher, but it has been blocked by Charles’ team of lawyers, as he is accusing her of stealing his recipes.
Five Questions with Ruth
Who are your inspirations in life?
R: I really can’t be sure. I never really looked up to anybody. I spent most of my time taking care of myself. My boss at my first job put it into my mind that maybe I should change careers, even this late in my life. I suppose I am thankful for that advice, as I am finally happy with what I do.
What’s your favorite dish to prepare?
R: Anything spicy, especially Thai food. I like to sweat when I eat, and being adventurous with the spice I add to my food. If I can create a dish that is delicious, and at the same time makes you drink a gallon of water while eating it, that’s real cooking.
What is one of your hidden indulgences when it comes to food?
R: I can never pass up a good clam bake. I love clams, I can eat dozens of them. They never grow old.
What is your favorite hobby outside of cooking?
R: Running. I have completed four marathons, and I am training for the Boston Marathon after the contest.
What is your dream life?
R: Well I am in my 50s, so I don’t think about that anymore. I suppose I wish I would have found my passion for cooking sooner, but better late than never. I wish I could’ve opened my own restaurant, but hey, who knows, maybe I can still make it happen.
Dec 12
Born and raised in Seattle, Charles developed his affinity for cooking from his mother’s lack of culinary capability. After an afternoon of bland macaroni, Charles decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. He became the head chef at his house, and has yet to relinquish this role in any facet of [...] [...more]
Posted by TC Junkie on
Born and raised in Seattle, Charles developed his affinity for cooking from his mother’s lack of culinary capability. After an afternoon of bland macaroni, Charles decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. He became the head chef at his house, and has yet to relinquish this role in any facet of his life. He lives by the mantra that the road less traveled is that way for a reason, and rarely experiments with his recipes.
He attended culinary school in Seattle, and after one semester and several crème brulee, he packed up and went to France to finish his training. His exceptional skill shined through as he quickly rose to the top of the class, and was chosen to study under the famous French Chef Johann Pierre Lafleur. He developed numerous recipes, (the total is unclear as he keeps them locked away in fear that someone will steal them) and graduated from L’Institut Français de Grands Aliments with the highest honors.
He returned to America looking to begin his career, and while waiting for a connecting flight to Seattle, he visited Le Domaine, a small French restaurant where Johann Pierre began his illustrious career. He fell in love with it immediately and was hired on the spot.
He has risen to the ranks of Sous Chef at Le Domaine, and is guaranteed the position of head chef when current chef, Pablo Caesar Crespo, steps down. Charles plans to move back to Seattle to open a small restaurant, Le Snob, after the contest. It is rumored that he has spoken to Anna about being his assistant when the restaurant opens.
Charles lives in a quaint cottage on a slate cliff overlooking the Atlantic in the town of Hancock. He lives alone except for his small Poodle Mitsy and his Basset Hound Jacque.
Five Questions with Charles
Who are your inspirations in life?
C: I would have to say that I inspire myself. I am probably the best French Chef alive, and well I think that would make the best chef. Everyone else, especially the critics, are all dregs trying to pull me down to their level. They just wish they could be at the level that I am.
What’s your favorite dish to prepare?
C: Moules à la crème Normande
What is one of your hidden indulgences when it comes to food?
C: I wouldn’t call it an indulgence, but chocolate covered cherries have added a few pounds to me over time.
What is your favorite hobby outside of cooking?
C: Counting my money. (Laughs out loud.) I am just kidding, even though that is really fun. I would have to say walking my dogs Mitsy and Jacque. They are the pride of Hancock.
What is your dream life?
C: Le Snob achieving 5 stars, moving it to Paris, France where it becomes the best restaurant in the
history of French cuisine, and receiving the notoriety I deserve as the greatest chef alive.
Dec 12
Growing up as a farmer’s son in Valle De Banderas, Mexico, Gabriel learned his most coveted lesson early in life - family first. The youngest of thirteen brothers, Gabriel spent much of his time with his mother and grandmother preparing food for his large family. He was a curious youth, and much to the disdain [...] [...more]
Posted by TC Junkie on
Growing up as a farmer’s son in Valle De Banderas, Mexico, Gabriel learned his most coveted lesson early in life - family first. The youngest of thirteen brothers, Gabriel spent much of his time with his mother and grandmother preparing food for his large family. He was a curious youth, and much to the disdain of his mother, experimented with many of his family’s age old recipes.
As did his brothers, he followed in the footsteps of his father, and studied Agricultural Science locally in Valle De Banderas. He found the classes to be restless, and decided a change was necessary to fill the void.
At the age of 20, in hopes of recapturing the spirit of his youth, Gabriel came to the United States as a student, and entered culinary school. He received high marks for ingenuity as he explored alternative styles of flavor for traditional dishes. He was the youngest chef to receive the Buttersmith Award for Cooking Style for his dish, Mexican Spaghetti. He does not seek fame, fortune, or notoriety through his cooking, only the satisfaction that his culinary capability delighted the recipient of the dish.
He came to Top Chef in hopes of developing his repertoire, and to learn from the many great chefs that join the show. He misses the “family first” appeal that he felt at many of the restaurants in which he worked prior to joining the show. He sometimes becomes lackadaisical while cooking on the show, and can be complacent. He has hinted to the other chefs that he has a great idea for a restaurant in his hometown of Deming, New Mexico, but says he is saving the details for a later time.
After the show, Gabriel plans to return to his home town of Deming. He will return to his position at Sous Chef at the four star restaurant El Regalo de Comida. He has a plan for a future restaurant, but as he says, “You have to play the game of life in the present before the secrets of the future will unfold themselves.” He resides in Deming with his brothers Renaldo, Javier, Juan, Samuel and Manuel.
Five Questions with Gabriel
Who are your inspirations in life?
G: Well that’s easy, my mother and father. It has always been family tradition for the men of my family to work as farmers, and seeing that my family consisted of 13 boys, I assumed that I would follow in those footsteps. But they preached education to my brothers and I, and achieving the ability to decide what to do for ourselves.
What’s your favorite dish to prepare?
G: Well, I have always enjoyed my five cheese jalapeño and scallops baked mac & cheese. It started out as a traditional mac and cheese, and I always add something new. I have had some failures, but whatever is in the name has been a success so far. I am thinking about adding potatoes next time around, I’ll have to let you know if the name changes.
What is one of your hidden indulgences when it comes to food?
G: I am obsessed with Chex Mix. I always have a bag near by, and I can never get enough.
What is your favorite hobby outside of cooking?
G: Gardening. My agricultural past has not completely left me.
What is your dream life?
G: I am living it. I am surrounded by my family. I love what I do, and I wouldn’t change anything. The only thing I can say is that I want to continue to grow as not only a chef, but as a person. I also would like to start a family of my own some day.
Dec 12
Growing up in Attica, Kansas leaves many young youths plenty of time to experiment with many hobbies. For Anna, that hobby was cooking. Growing up in a working class family, Anna was mainly raised by her Nana, as both her father and mother worked 60 plus hours a week in a local cheese factory. Nana [...] [...more]
Posted by TC Junkie on
Growing up in Attica, Kansas leaves many young youths plenty of time to experiment with many hobbies. For Anna, that hobby was cooking. Growing up in a working class family, Anna was mainly raised by her Nana, as both her father and mother worked 60 plus hours a week in a local cheese factory. Nana loved to cook, and Anna quickly fell in love with this infatuation, and together they created several tasty concoctions. Anna dreamed of becoming a world class chef, and spent much of her time with friends playing restaurant, and she was always the head chef preparing dishes for the most famous people in the world.
When Anna graduated from high school, she immediately applied to The Art Institute of Kansas, and entered the Culinary Arts School. She excelled in many of her classes, and her teachers applauded her for her ability to make intricate meals out of simple ingredients.
Even through her great success at the University level, Anna stayed grounded as she would visit her Nana every day, and together they would create new dishes that they would donate to the local shelter.
Anna graduated at the top of her class and entered the job market with fervor. She wished to stay close to home, as she did not want to leave her aging Nana. Due to the struggling economy in Kansas, Anna struggled to find work. When she learned of her acceptance for Top Chef, she was unprepared to leave home for the first time. Through the support of her Nana, she has dedicated her effort in the contest to her family, and is hoping to learn much from the show.
She has developed a close relationship with all of the contestants. She believes Charles’ Sautéed Snapper with Truffle White Asparagus is the best dish she has ever tasted. She is able to reconnect with home by sharing stories of her Nana with Gabriel, and she has developed a great respect for the path Ruth has taken to reach this point in her life. Winning the contest would only be an added bonus in comparison to the relationships she has developed thus far.
Upon completing the contest, Anna hopes to return home and cook for a living. She has heard rumors that Charles wants her to join in his Le Snob restaurant venture, but is unsure if she wishes to move that far from home, and whether working with Charles will allow her to cultivate her own dishes. She only hopes to continue building upon her experiences, and takes steps toward being the best chef she can be.
Five Questions with Anna
Who are your inspirations in life?
A: My Nana and John Lennon. Nana is my true hero, she raised me and helped develop my love for cooking, and if it weren’t for her, I might never have found my passion for cooking. John Lennon is an inspiration for his voice during turbulent times. He showed me that it is important to always stay true to what you believe, regardless of the surrounding situation.
What’s your favorite dish to prepare?
A: Well as a young girl, I always loved making beef stew with my Nana. We always tried different mixes to see what would come out and it was so much fun.
What is the one of your hidden indulgences when it comes to food?
A: I love truffles. I could eat them all day.
What is your favorite hobby outside of cooking?
A: I loved the zoo as a little girl. My Nana would take me there once a month, and we always had such a great time.
What is your dream life?
A: Falling in love, cooking somewhere that I can have control over the recipes, and raising a family in Kansas. It is that simple.
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