Trail Blais

McCormick® Flavor Forecast™ 2010 Expert Panel Discussion | McCormick® Live deliciously™

2010-02-05T09:23:00.000-05:00

McCormick® Flavor Forecast™ 2010 Expert Panel Discussion McCormick® Live deliciously™

Postcards from Seattle...

2009-12-17T21:25:00.003-05:00

Me prepping for the Sous Vide Supreme infomercial. Care to guess how many pounds of makeup I have on for this?

Getting ready...

An army of Sous Vide Supremes.

Want your own? Use the promo code "blais" for $25 off. Go to www.sousvidesupreme.com for more info!

Happy Holidays!!

2009-11-11T16:56:00.000-05:00

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcwashington.com/video.

Sir Charles gets punk'd by FLiP

2009-11-09T09:25:00.001-05:00

2 DO

2009-09-01T09:07:00.000-04:00

2 eat : burgers (of course) and brasserie food. More to come, stand by.

2 cook: Rethinking tradition as usual, and I’m on a bolognese kick...carrot bolognese

2 drink: Mineral water... salty and effervescent

2 read: Botany of Desire (Pollan)

2 listen 2: The Cranes

2 play: Peek-a-boo and “Chase me” with Riley

2 watch: Top Chef 6 and EPL

2 travel: FLA, NYC & DC

2 invest: Veg concept and Modern Brasseries

2 exercise: Running outside in the rain & swimming laps

2 feed Riley: Lentils with mustard vinaigrette

2 network: Twitter @richardblais & @trail_blais

2 cheer: Florida Gators

2 write: Modern cuisine in the home...

Ashes to asses

2009-08-17T20:49:00.004-04:00

Working with Rick Bayless was inspiring. It’s a simple comment (but one that is important to make) considering the focus on drama from last week’s Top Chef Masters.

It’s worth mentioning, that I have very little experience cooking Mexican food. I have Mexican chefs on my staff. I eat Mexican food. But just haven’t made too many tamales in my day. But Chef Bayless was one of the first chefs I witnessed doing a demonstration when I was in culinary school. He prepared cactus that day. How neat is that ! And He struck me that day as admirable.
He’s such an intellect and one of the most thoughtful cooks I’ve ever worked with. His passion is obvious and contagious.

As we were cooking and discussing the dishes, it hit me that I was caught in a sheer moment of inspiration. It wasn’t that Rick was introducing me to new ingredients, like cactus for example, he wasn’t. He was showing me that burnt is relative. And I know that sounds weird. Just as some would say that liquid nitrogen awakens a new world of cold food techniques. With just a grill, or oven, Chef Bayless was taking me into a world of flavor that I, or any of my mentors don’t usually enter. Beyond burned.

In one of my interviews, I referred to his food as rustic. Wrong choice of words. His inspiration may be so, but his food is precise and technical. Often, when we say technical these days, the mind goes to gram scales and molecular gastronomy or The French Laundry and sauces strained a thousand times. Here however, Bayless takes common pieces of equipment, and ingredients, and really breaks them down. I mean, quite literally, breaks them down.

At one point Bayless was discussing a recipe that took him years to perfect. I don’t remember it specifically, but it involved charring to ash and developing flavor, at a point where most cuisines would consider the dish burned. Garbage. This conversation opened up a million new avenues for my own cuisine. We had honed in on the exact reason why I wanted to work with him.

As I was preparing the pork dish and it’s sauce/braising liquid, he asked me to sear the tomatillo puree in pork fat. We discussed the quality of pork fat he uses. I mentioned that we were in essence doing “pincage”, a classic French technique of roasting tomato paste before a braise. He didn’t know, or more likely, didn’t care what it was called in French. But it was a light bulb moment. A solid connection between his food and mine. Here was a precise classic technique I was familiar with and it was spun under the guise of simple Mexican food. With burnt onions and tomatillos. A lowly cut of pork. It was authentic, and Mexican, and new to me. It was also absurdly delicious. A goal, maybe THE goal, of technical precision in a kitchen that is sometimes overlooked.

People have been curious why Hubert Keller cleaned up with the judges, and why Bayless cleaned up with the guests and those two opinions could be (seemingly) so skewed. It comes down to flavor versus technique, pure and simple. Don’t get me wrong, Keller rocked it. He took a different route. Presenting tiny tastes. Beautifully plated. Absolutely killed it with technique. Obviously accomplished a lot of work. And the judges saw that. He deserved the win. But Bayless’ food was the exact opposite. It’s not apparent at first glance but there is so much technique and precision going into the food. He under promises, and over delivers.

Just like his personality. The gentle teddy bear of a chef you have seen on the TV screen, the one who at times reminded me of Ned Flanders from the Simpsons, is a tremendous leader. Call it democratic, or collaborative. The players coach, or leading by example, whatever. But throughout those few days he brought an oddball team (lets be honest) together to execute his food. He got us to understand his vision, and feel connected, as if we were all in it together. And for as much credit as I’d like to get for being a part of that cohesion, he would have done just fine with 3 monkeys helping.

Bayless runs a tight, authoratative, “ yes chef”, or maybe in this case, “Si, chef” ship. He’s the chef, it’s his show and don’t forget it. It’s clear from his movements and knowledge. And I’d take a guess that he’s boiled over once or twice. Just as any great chef has. Just as I have. And just as Michael Chiarello may have over those few days.

I don’t think there’s any need to detail the events of those few days in regards to my comments or Chef Chiarello’s actions. But I do think that there is a need to express a simple fact. Everyone has a personality. We all, 100%, talk smack in those interview rooms, or in our walk-ins, or on our couches watching “what happens now”. It’s human nature, and it’s quite unnatural to think that, for example, I’m a nice guy all the time. I’m not. Ask my staff, eek, ask my wife ?

Editing is a powerful tool but its not a mirror.

Why would you want there to only be Tim Tebows ( good guys ) and Mike Vicks ( bad guys )? Certainly there are people in the middle of that spectrum?

What struck me most, after this episode was when someone wrote on my Facebook wall, that my comments were very “UnRichard-like". Actually, they were very Richard like. Curt, an attempt, albeit an ill attempt at humor, and not at all very serious. But perhaps not very much like the edited Richard. The loveable loser, molecular gastronomist, faux hawked, give his prize away team player. That Richard has become, although it is me, and it is unscripted, my absolute character...

And with that being said, it’s unreasonable to think that Michael Chiarello, Hubert Keller, or Rick Bayless, aren’t jerks some times. Because although they may be master chefs all the time, I doubt they are flawless all the time.

Don't forget to check out my newest article coming out mid-week on Creative Loafing and I'll be blogging for the upcoming season of Top Chef starting on Wednesday!

TC Masters- Behind the Scenes

2009-08-17T17:09:00.003-04:00

No big drama here... just a bunch of us getting ready to head home after a long shoot!

Upcoming Schedule

2009-05-26T20:28:00.004-04:00

Upcoming Schedule for the next month! Come and say Hi! if you are around any of these events.

5/29 Baby Riley's 1st Bday!!

6/4 Top Chef Tour, Des Moines, Iowa

6/6 Top Chef Tour, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

6/8-6/10 LA Concept meetings

6/19-6/21 Aspen Food & Wine Festival

6/25 Gettysburg Festival Dinner

6/27 Variety Playhouse Show in Atlanta. Not just your usual cooking demo... Tickets here!

6/28 Career Builder Event @ SHRM, NOLA

Out take #1

2009-04-23T10:37:00.002-04:00

If you have been keeping up with my blog on Creative Loafing, the Knife's Edge, you'll recognize this piece as the precursor to last week's blog.

If not, then simply enjoy this little out take below....

It was a very random call. Someone who wants to meet about going on a television show focusing on competition cooking. They wanted to talk to me about it. They didn’t really say what they wanted to talk about. But they were in town and what the heck. Sure, I’ll swing by the hotel and chat for a few.

The show was Top Chef.

I was runinng the kitchen at a place in Midtown. We had just gotten our “tattoo’s”. Our reviews. So fresh were the reviews, that ever since I’ve made up a story of how the casting team must have been enjoying their continental breakfast. Slurping some coffee. When they stumbled upon a picture of me in goggles, surrounded by smoke, blasting a tomato with pressurized nitrogen. I still don’t know if that’s the truth. But it sounds good.

Of course, I thought they were just filming in Atlanta. Maybe they wanted to do some research on the area. Maybe even wanted a set of local hands to help with a challenge. Engulfed by my ego, they probably just wanted a guest chef, a judge perhaps.

I showed up in a Barcelona football shirt. Exhausted from the night before. Disheveled. Although, I guess my general look is disheveled. They told me I looked European. Compliment? And oh yeah, there was a camera on in this hotel room... with 2 strangers. The only stories I’ve seen like this usually ends up with the person on camera naked. Or in a bathtub minus a kidney. Where the hell am I? I do have a pair of surgical tweezers and a spoon, though. If these guys get freaky I’ll just quenelle my way out of here I guess!

But they don’t want a guest judge, or a local assistant. They want cast members.

I remember the first 10 seconds of this realization causing anger. I mean, I’ve already opened and closed a ton of restaurants. I’ve done Iron Chef America! Nailed a few reviews. Already started building a National reputation. Then the anger became more of a gut check.

No one knows anything about the Atlanta food scene. We are a small pond. And I’m a medium sized fish here. If I got a chance to participate in this. The only thing holding me back would be fear. I’d be such a punk to not to take this challenge. To rest on the laurels of my mid sized accomplishments, in our mid sized city.

From inside the fish bowl, things outside became clearer.

The worst that could happen. Personal embarrassment. What’s new about that?

The best. An amazing experience. Enormous national exposure for everything about me and my company and my team. A prize or two.

There are so many times, as a chef, we reach a level of our profession and decide we can’t go back. Sometimes it means we don’t want to take a sous chef position after being an Exec. We can’t go to hourly from salary. We don’t want to work in a place that can’t afford caviar and truffles. For me, it was going back to being one of a group of young chefs competing in front of millions of viewers day after day. Another face in the crowd. Cooking, by myself, under extreme conditions..

It was, and I know this will sound so cheesy and romantic, but it was a chance to fall in love again. Rediscover the things that got me to this point in the first place. I didn’t need any clipboards for this. I didn’t need to worry about P&L’s or how to keep an under funded restaurant open. It was me and my knives. Ok... and my pressure cooker, immersion circulator, and smoking gun.

Check out the next piece here

A postcard from Dallas...

2009-03-23T23:42:00.005-04:00

Upcoming Weekend Schedule

2009-03-05T11:00:00.004-05:00

3/6 Dallas RCA Conference/ "Applying Molecular Gastronomy to Creative Menu Development" 11AM

3/7 Charleston Food & Wine Fest/ Celebrity MC at Certified SC Grown Cooking Competitions 12pm-530pm

3/8 Charleston Food & Wine Fest/ Cooking Demo @ SCE&G Celebrity Kitchen Tent

Come and find me if you are around either of these great events!

Who is that shadowy figure?

2009-02-24T11:11:00.002-05:00

Tune into BRAVO for the Top Chef 5 finale to find out.....or come by Flip. I'll be hosting a viewing party on Wednesday. Come and say hello!

The Knife's Edge

2009-02-23T22:41:00.004-05:00

So, I'm really excited about this new opportunity. This week, my column "Knife's Edge", premiered in the Atlanta edition of Creative Loafing. I am shooting for this to be a weekly column, if I can keep up! Let me know what you think and if any of you have topic ideas!

Thanks for the support!

2009-02-14T14:32:00.003-05:00

Finally returning home after a long stretch on the road. Here's a few pics from my recent travels!

Golden Gate

Driving to Mendocino: In case you can't tell, that's a corkscrew symbol on that road sign.

Dinner menu

LA- West Hollywood

Superbowl!

2009-02-14T14:17:00.002-05:00

The "crew"

Jenna Wolfe from the Today Show

On set

Me, the "bus" and my autographed ball

To the victors go the spoils

Charting the course

2009-02-12T10:28:00.002-05:00

Greetings, from Delta flight 2079 to Los Angeles! The last few weeks have seen a return to a hectic travel schedule. I can’t really remember all the cities, or some of the details, but I’ve seen some neat stuff.

Last week I was on the local Atlanta FOX channel, Showtime and the NBC Super Bowl pregame show.

I’ve also filmed some stuff that I can’t discuss much, but will air soon. I shot an episode of Food Detectives with Ted Allen. I participated at NATPE in Las Vegas. My demonstration that day has led to a few opportunities, including reading for a bit as host of a new chef program.

On the cooking front, of course, I’m getting ready for Flip’s expansion. With three cities expected later this year, and up to 9 the following. I just wrapped a dinner at Stevenswood Spa in Mendocino, where chef Patrick Meany is doing some real progressive food. And I’m on my way to meet with two very different groups to discuss a Richard Blais project in Los Angeles.

All of this sounds good and fun. Even typing it is fun and exciting. But, it hit me at some point during this run, that I’m just lucky. And I’m mad about that.

These opportunities just sort of happen. I don’t pursue them. In talking with my wife, I used the analogy that I will share with you now. We don’t know how to fish. We eat plenty of fish. But the reality is that we have a bucket on a boat and every once in awhile a fish jumps in it and dinner is served.

For the most part, we don’t even choose what fish to eat. We don’t get a menu. And the anger sets in when I realize that there are certain fish that I really WANT to eat. But instead of charting a course to find bluefin tuna, we happily nosh on buckets of flounder and smelt. Maybe an occasional cod or striped bass… you kind of get where I’m going, I hope.

Man, some super, high-grade, bluefin sashimi sounds great, doesn’t it?

So here is, a very personal description of that tuna that I seek…

it’s a home in the Bay Area. And don’t read into that so much, people can have multiple homes.

it’s a restaurant concept that incorporates super creative food with the casualness and comfort of your favorite neighborhood spot. And of course I’d like to see that concept happen in San Fran, NYC, LA, or maybe even London.

it’s figuring out what this book is about. Truth be told there are a few people who want to do a book with me and I’m just frozen at the keyboard. I’m never frozen at the keyboard.

it’s a television show that promotes creative cooking to the masses.

it’s having FLIP become an iconic brand.

it’s having Trail Blais develop giant ideas for the way we eat today and finding the connections to make those ideas happen.

it’s a really big fish…

I know.

2 DO

2009-01-29T11:54:00.001-05:00

2 eat : burgers of course and brasserie food. More to come, stand by.

2 cook: Rethinking tradition as usual and I’m on a bolognese kick.

2 drink: Red wine and coffee.

2 read: Outliers and The Pirates Dilemma

2 listen 2: M.I.A and Vampire weekend

2 play: FIFA 09 ,

2 watch: Top Chef and Lost. Arsenal football, OK, any football.

2 travel: Park City and Italy

2 invest: Flip burger

2 exercise: Running outside in the rain

2 feed Riley: Apples with cardamom. Chick peas with cinnamon

2 network: Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace

My week in pictures

2009-01-20T10:53:00.002-05:00

Secret Agent Man

2009-01-13T22:56:00.002-05:00

So, I’m back on tour, so to speak, over the next few months. Flip is getting on its feet and busier every day. We also received a stellar review. So, the next few months will see me balancing the oversight of a popular new restaurant in Atlanta, securing new investment for future Flips, and demonstrating, filming, teaching, and brainstorming.

I have to say that I never thought Trail Blais would have so many active areas of interest…particularly in the fields of entertainment and ideation.

Although, I can’t speak in specifics yet, I’m fascinated that my work has been able to create and improve products for companies ranging from beverage importers to (possibly) even our government. It’s an exciting new world. One with a long leash from the stove. But a leash none-the-less.

At the Pennsylvania farm show this weekend, someone asked if I was happy that I don’t cook anymore? This was as I was cooking for them? But I understand the question and the perspective. People have a difficult time viewing a chef as anything but someone who relentlessly toils in a small, closed kitchen.

Some, including my chef at FLIP, like to poke fun at how exhausted I am when I return from my trips. The poor ol’ chef, exhausted from cooking on a stage in NYC for a few days. I get it. I’m still a hard core restaurant chef who understands that culture. But I’m now the darkside. A few lucky turns away from having my own television show, my own creative restaurant, and many burger boutiques.

Schedule

2009-01-04T14:12:00.006-05:00

Jan. 6-7 NYC Filming for Food Detective w/ Ted Allen

Jan. 8 ATL Watching the Mighty Gators beat up (CH)Oklahoma

Jan. 9-11 PA Harrisburg (more specifically) Pennsylvania Farm Show

Jan. 13-17 Undisclosed location for reasons I can't say....yet!

Jan. 27-29 Vegas NAPTE Convention

Jan. 30- TPA Taste of the NFL events w/ Tom, Antonia, Andrew and Spike
Feb 2.

Feb 6-8 CA Dinner retreat at Stevenswood Ranch in Mendocino, CA.

So that's the schedule for the next month or so. For all the time between, I will be splitting time between my family and Flip.

Happy New Year and here's to a great 2009

Happy New Year!!!

2008-12-31T22:38:00.003-05:00

Thanks for the ride 2008...See you all in 2009!!!!!

I smell like a hamburger

2008-12-17T16:36:00.004-05:00

I have officially been disciplined to head immediately to the shower when I arrive home from FLIP every night. I smell like hamburgers. Although Rudy the Dog, (she likes to be formally addressed as such) doesn’t seem to mind as much as my wife.

FLIP is now open, just about a week now. We went from first to 4th gear right away, and for our first weekend cooked for over 1200 people. Of course this is good news. And for those of you who know anything about opening a new restaurant, it means total chaos behind the scenes.

We actually have one kitchen member designated to solely prepare sweet potato tots, which has turned out to be a process, to say the least.

I will be at FLIP every day this week. So please stop by, grab a milkshake or a cocktail, and say hello at my personally designed “burger bar”. Here, you can sit upfront with me and chef Mark Nanna. Please come with an open mind for colorful language !

rB

Busy, busy, busy

2008-12-10T10:29:00.003-05:00

Wow! Been going non-stop since Thanksgiving. Flip opened to about 200 people last night for a cocktail party. Today is our first official day serving dinner. I'll post a new schedule soon. Come by Flip if you are in town!

Almost...

2008-11-24T18:00:00.005-05:00

Another few teasers from the Flip menu. It is looking like the second week of December. I will update later this week as to the firm opening date.

BEEF

BUTCHER + CARAMELIZED ONION + BLUE CHEESE + RED WINE JAM 8

COUNTRY FRIED + PIMENTO CHEESE + PICKLED OKRA 7

DELUXE + FOIE GRAS + WAGYU BEEF + SHAVED TRUFFLE 24

OTHER

BREAKFAST + PORK SAUSAGE + FRIED EGG + MAPLE 7

PATE MELT + VIETNAMESE SALAD + JALAPENO + SMOKED MAYONNAISE 8
(pictured)

MILKSHAKE

ROOTBEER + SPICED RUM ICE CREAM + TAMARIND

Sick & tired

2008-11-24T10:30:00.001-05:00

This was the most grueling week and a half since I’ve been traveling. I started the time in Kingston, Jamaica doing 8 demonstrations in 4 days for Red Stripe beer. I flew from there to Atlanta, picked up my family, and headed straight to San Diego for their Food & Wine Fest. Then back to Atlanta to drop off the family, and a turn around to San Francisco where I met with Tyler Florence about a possible collaboration out there. I, officially, got sick on that trip. Right back to Atlanta for a few hours, and then to New York for a Top Chef Beard dinner.

I’m literally sick and tired.

The Beard dinner was killer.

CJ kicked it off with some canapes. Antonia Lofaso followed with a lobster ravioli. Lee Anne Wong did a goat cheese and truffle salad, Hung did a cod dish, Stephanie Izard came next with a duo of pork belly and duck. Dale Levitski put out a venison dish and I attempted a dessert of parsley root and Dr. Pepper.

Really well done. Not a lot of ego and an overall great time.

It’s time to reflect and prepare for the New Year.

The next few weeks will see me focus on Flip and the family. But I’m looking to bear down in 09 and get a few serious cuisine projects going. News to come!

The other side of Green

2008-11-13T21:37:00.000-05:00

I’m totally stealing this blog title from a short film by my new friend Lisa Camille Robinson just gave me to view on my return trip from Jamaica. I’ll let you find it if you can, but it was the perfect reminder that happiness is usually a lot closer than you think. And that often the things we chase as symbols of happiness create problems that are hard to anticipate.

So thanks for reminding me that things are pretty good Lisa.

I’m traveling the country. Soon the world perhaps, growing a family, and doing what I love. Cooking, and OK, eating. I have people who love me around. And with dramatic ups and downs of this swaying branch of a career, I have a stout, strong foundation at it’s trunk.

So I’ve done a James Beard dinner in Philadelphia, and some work in Jamaica since we left off. And I’m heading to San Diego, San Francisco, and New York City all in the next 7 days.

Why ?

This is a question some people ask. So I’ll give it a shot.

As a working chef for the last 13 years, I’ve dreamt about some of the things I’m experiencing now. I get calls almost daily to do demonstrations, cook guest dinners, make appearances, help charities, lecture, provide culinary entertainment, help develop products, and speak.

I’m talking with investors, some who seem to share my vision. I’m meeting with restauranteurs who want me to design concepts. I’m pitching and working on making a few television shows happen.

All of this is very exciting. All of this is, at times, frustrating and like tonight, exhausting.

Honestly, some of it is to put bread on the table. But most of it is to learn, experience and grow as a chef/individual/business.

I’m sure there are a ton of chefs who have or are ready to call me a "sell-out" for working with big corporations, pursuing more TV and the like. I'll admit, a few years ago I may have been one of them.

But I can tell you, as with most things, cooking on the road and talking while doing it, presenting an idea or vision, and making it happen with the normalcy of things always going wrong, and constantly being in the public eye is, well, as tough as running a restaurant. Or writing a sentence thats not a run-on ( wink ).

I’ve traded in the challenges of cooking in 30 minutes, for those of sourcing liquid nitrogen in a country that has difficulty sourcing hot water. I’ve traded the bottom line driven restauranteur, for the bottom line driven event planner, and I’ve traded the chopping block for a room filled with not Padma and Tom, but network executives.

The grass is always greener...

rB

Closer and closer and closer

2008-11-06T10:20:00.004-05:00

The anticipation is killing me! As we get closer to Flip's opening, I will be releasing a few previews of my favorite menu items. We are shooting for opening the week before Thanksgiving. Let me know what you think.....

BEEF BURGERS

CORNED BEEF + CABBBAGE + POACHED EGG 7

SMOKED BEEF + COLE SLAW + RBQ SAUCE 7

PHILLY + CHEESE WHIZ FOAM + GREEN PEPPERS 7

BEEF TARTARE + CAPERS + AIOLI + CORNICHONS 11

OTHER BURGERS

TURKEY + MUSHROOM + POBLANO + AVOCADO PEPPER JACK 6

FAUX BURGER + FARM HOUSE CHEESE + SWEET SOY KETCHUP 7

FLIP SIDES 4

SWEET POTATO TOTS

FRENCH FRIES

TEMPURA RUTABAGA

VODKA BATTERED ONION RINGS

Rock the Vote

2008-10-26T22:56:00.001-04:00

Do I have douchebag hair?

Details magazine seems to think so....

Close Encounters

2008-10-26T22:29:00.000-04:00

I don’t think I’ve ever read about what happens to people after they appear on a major reality show. And I’m not quite sure if anyone really cares, but...

Recently, I entered the next phase of my post Top Chef existence.

There are still people who yell out “Top Chef”. There are encounters that start with, “Hey Richard”. There are frequently times people shout out “ you should have won”, or “ banana scallops”. There are, believe it or not, some who yell “ I love you”. For the record these tend to be slightly bearded and more than slightly overweight men. However now I get a lot more puzzled looks, and mostly this:

“Where do I know you from?”

If I was single and better looking, I’d think this was a sure pick up line, no ?

I do like this, as it’s presents an interesting engagement. Here are my personal rules for my behavior in such situations:

I’m not going to say that you know me from Top Chef or Iron chef or TV. It’s not going to happen. It’s a bad recipe. The first time I did this, the gentleman said, "no, I thought you were Craig Wilson from softball". So, I affectionately call this the Craig Wilson rule. You have to guess. I’m not going to be that douche bag that says, Oh, you probably know me from this television show, so you can then say that you thought we went to elementary school together. BTW, softball ?

I will say that I’m a chef. That's my only hint and of course I’ll introduce myself if it gets to that point. After that, you're on your own. There have been a few times that this triggers their memory a few yards after we disengage. Then, the inevitable shout across the airport is (my favorite), “oh yeah, Americas next Top Chef”. It is amusing.

I also will play for a bit if it seems we may actually know each other from some other encounter, you never know. So, there have been times where I’ve said, yes, I have been to Florida, I did live in New York, I did play little league baseball or no, I haven’t been on That Seventies Show. Yeah...that last one really threw me too!

And of course there are moments where people don’t say anything. That is how I would play it. In fact, that is how I have played it! I once followed Al Horford, one of my favorite basketball players for a few hundred yards not getting the nerve to say hello. For all of my friends, that's how I “know” Al Horford. I’d like to think that because Al Horford could palm my skull, that had to do with not pulling the trigger, nope. I did the same thing to Alton Brown once. Of course now I know Alton enough to walk up and say hello, so please don’t tell him that I stalked him at LaGuardia once.

BTW... If you are in NYC, I will be at Grand Central tomorrow from 12-2 for a charity event Bravo is hosting. Come say hello...

Updated Schedule

2008-10-17T21:54:00.000-04:00

10/22 Washington DC
10/24 NYC, Top Chef tour at Union Square
10/25 NYC, Top Chef tour at Union Square
10/27 NYC, a Bravo event for charity
10/31 Atlanta, Veuve Cliquot's Yelloween
11/6 Philadedlphia, Tangerine Restaurant for James Beard Foundation dinner
11/7 Hyde Park, CIA
11/8 Hyde Park, CIA
11/9-11/12 Kingston, Jamaica, Red Stripe
11/14-11/15 San Diego, Wine & Food Fest
11/19-11/21 NYC, details to follow
12/6 Perry, GA, iVillage prize dinner

We need a DJ!

2008-10-16T11:19:00.000-04:00

Just wrapped 2 events over the last 3 days. Taste of Atlanta and a demonstration for RCA (Research Chefs Association).

Taste of Atlanta was very impressive. I’ve been doing a lot of these types of food festivals lately and this one was very organized. A tip of the ol' dodgers cap to the people behind it... Good enough that I’d like to book for next year, wink, wink.

What came from the event, however, was what made it worth the time.

We need a DJ !

Not, literally, but I got to see G. Garvin go on stage after me, and he had the crowd amped with hip-hop mash ups and the sort. I think he even had a warm-up act!

Now for the record, I had no idea who G. Garvin was and I still don’t, but his show really inspired me.

If we are going to do demonstrations as regularly as we have; then we need to really think about the “show” not from just an informative stand point but as entertainment.

I’ll be turning this in the think tank for a few, and I’m sure we will figure out some neat ways to deliver better entertainment bang for the buck. If anyone wants to put together some intro music... hit me up!

Lot’s of fans at TOA, here are a few crazy groupies. Luckily, my wife was in the audience, as these girls were, well, all over me...

Two days later we trekked down I-75 and did an event at the Cryovac facility. We demonstrated some creative cooking techniques, mostly sous vide cooking.

Overall, a good show. A different crowd for sure, one that made for some great discussion , and intense ideating. I just like that word. Is it a word?

Catering. There’s a word I hate. Not the application, just the imagery of the word. Is there a better one ?

It is a strange juxtaposition. Many of these events and shows feature my demonstration and then catered food. For the large scale, this is neccessary. BUT....

I like "cocktail cuisine", passed food, and events. There’s something igniting here, even though it sounds common.

In other random news.

The dodgers suck, really blew it last night. neatest contact of the RCA night, and I say this with all due respect to all who I met. Meeting the wife of the guy who owns Distant Replays in Atlanta. The vintage sports clothing store.

Lenny Dykstra, away jersey, Mets, size 42 , I’m just sayin...

And I hope I’m not embarassing myself with my Housewives blog, just trying to keep it real! Check it out here.

Dinner @ Shaun's

2008-10-10T13:22:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday, Trail Blais participated in Shauns 2 year anniversary dinner. We rolled massive once again and brought 5 TB team members.

We did 2 courses.

hamachi with fried chicken feet and smoked mayonnaise ravioli ( my personal ode to both chicken of the sea and the chik-fil-A sandwich)

and

grilled cod with fried clams and apple cider.

it was a night of controlled chaos. Shaun Doty is one of my favorite chefs in Atlanta, and Shaun’s is one of my favorite restaurants.

The whole day made me so hungry for getting a chance to do our food in Atlanta. I am admittedly very jealous of what Shaun has there, in a good way.

I also was reminded again of how a chef needs to be in the kitchen.

In a very complimentary way, Shaun is a mean ol' dog in his kitchen.

Damn, I miss it, and it’s only been a few weeks.

Check us out today on WXIA for a quick promo piece for Taste of Atlanta. And of course catch us Sunday at noon on the main cooking stage in Atlantic Station.

Hamachi, fried chicken feet and smoked mayonnaise ravioli

2008-10-09T15:42:00.000-04:00

One of my dishes from a charity dinner last night at Shaun's in Inman Park. Thanks to all those that attended and team Trail Blais that rolled deep, as usual!

The other bio

2008-10-07T22:23:00.000-04:00

On the backside of my trip to LA, with some, well, silly, random thoughts.

Aroma. Why is the aroma industry, mainly soap, so avant garde. I mean, I cant remember the last time I came across a soap or shampoo, even candle, that was a simple flavor. I’ve personally washed my hands in Sicilian red orange, mallow and soy, and lemongrass wasabi here on my Delta flight. Maybe I’m in the wrong industry, Maybe I should just develop soap flavors...

Baseball.I’m rooting for the Dodgers in the Baseball playoffs. and the Rays in the AL. The Rays are easy, my wife’s from Tampa, and I also like their caps that read TB, for Trail Blais. But I’m a classicist at heart and since the Mets keep "pulling a Blais" at the end of the season (and since the Dodgers have great tradition) I’m pulling for Dodger Blue this fall. Also, there isn’t a cooler baseball player than Manny Ramirez. Any baseball player that dons Mark Gastineaus jersey number to play left field, not defensive end is just simply a bad ass.

Football. I have a field pass to see the Rambling Wreck Saturday. Should be fun, as I have a new friend who’s playing for Tech. Very much looking forward to seeing this game, versus Duke, who all of a sudden is winning games. I’m going to try and see if Spencer from ( http://www.edsbs.com/ ) will accompany me. Spencer BTW is a really great writer, and even if your not a college football fanatic, you should peep his site out, good stuff. Addicting.

Cocktails. They mostly suck everywhere. They may read interesting, they may try to use interesting “ kitchen” ingredients, but there just aren’t too many bars , especially restaurant bars, doing it right. I think there is a tremendous amount of impact to be made in this area of our cuisine. More to come on that.

Television. I will be blogging Real Housewives, ATL, so in preparation got hooked into a Top Design marathon. Well, not really a marathon, just Bravo’s standard scheduling. And at this point, I think Bravo should just open up a high end strip mall where you can shop for clothes, workout, get your hairs did, and eat a meal. I’m half serious with that idea. as for Top design, gotta love this guy Wisit, not only for his name but also his soft spoken Erkel demeanor.

Celebrity sighting. OK, I am so NOT LA. I was hanging at the bar next to Carlton from Fresh Prince last night. I mean, THE tap dance kid.... I thought it was cool, I’m a dork, and my wife confirmed this when I texted her.

Hotels. Mondrian in West Hollywood rocks, as well did Sky bar and Katana. Ate some black soy beans which tasted like the best popcorn, and a chicken heart which did not...

Religion. I wanted to be Jewish this week. a cool language, their own calendar, and brisket. Happy New Year! Can I work out an honorary membership ?

Fashion. I decided this week that I’m changing my image. Not sure exactly what changes will take place, but it involves easing up on the air force ones and getting some tailored garments.

Politics. Still can't stand Palin but I love Tina Fey! So I'm conflicted...

Economy. very much hoping I can get gas when I touchdown here in ATL. It’s gotta be over by now, no ?

Whiteboard 1.0

2008-10-03T14:18:00.000-04:00

invisible ketchup. Looks like Dep hair gel, tastes like, well, ketchup. All the flavor, none of the mess

fish sauce salt shakers. We are looking to design a fish sauce shaker. say that very fast a few times.

sweet potato tots. Why not, has anyone seen these anywhere ? you would think so.

smoked mayonnaise. Look for this available on our blog very soon.

edible bubble bath. sounds kinky I know

thermo stick. An immersion stick blender equipped to heat or chill whatever it is mixing.

flavor fumes. Non aerosol atomizers filled with edible flavored propellents. Think parmesan angel hair spray.

30,000 feet and climbing

2008-10-03T14:10:00.000-04:00

I’m on a plane heading to LA. In the spirit of full disclosure, something I hope rings through in this blog,
I’m on my way to speak to a company about running a new restaurant. I guess it’s not really full disclosure, as I am not going to mention the names behind it, but you get the point.

This is my 4th trip to LA for such a purpose. I find this interesting, in that it seems to be a hot city in the culinary market presently. I’m fielding offers and opportunities from other places as well, but LA seems to be calling much more frequently. We will see how it goes...

Last night I dreamed about FLIP, my new burger project opening in Atlanta in a few weeks.
It seems odd, not dreaming about hamburgers, although that is odd perhaps, but odd that this is in essence my simplest culinary endeavor, but the one I am most concerned and serious about.

It symbolizes a few career obstacles.

1. Overcoming the theory of a concept restaurant. It is, it’s a burger place. But I need to drive it with a chef's passion. It will be the only way to truly separate itself in the burger market. I’ve been to too many burger spots in preparing for FLIP, and none, even the ones with real chefs behind them, deliver a "chef driven" experience. Some are just "phoning it in."

2. Excelling in business operations. This thing needs to be tight, when you are talking about 200 units in the future, it must be tight. My staff has no idea how this opening could impact their lives. I do.

3. Not caring about critics ( and I use this title loosely). For as many people who are extremely excited about the opening of FLIP, there are a very small, passionate group of haters who also can’t wait. I’ll be ready for you.

So we are in the stretch run for FLIP, and I’m looking forward to being in that kitchen and experiencing what I think will be a very busy opening. Look for a creative and fun menu, at a low price point, with a modern design.

Also, please reserve a seat or two for my guest appearance cooking two courses at Shaun’s in Inman Park next Wednesday. Shaun Doty has long been a chef I have respected in Atlanta and I’m honored that he asked me to participate in his anniversary dinner.

Busy-ness

2008-09-28T22:03:00.000-04:00

So this week has been an absolute crush. I’ve been in three cities. I’ve been in a car, a train, a plane, and a boat. 7 demonstrations in 7 days. I am exhausted as I type this.

The week started in Tampa, where we were met by a serious group of fans. Most notably, a young culinary student, Kassandra, who was so eager to learn, that she came over to Orlando later in the week to help with our demo at Universal City Walk.

So, after spending some much appreciated family time in TB, ( it was Riley’s first plane trip), I headed over to Orlando for a few more classes. I stayed at Portofino, a hotel at Universal that was modeled after an italian port city. That was neat, until I facebooked, "in Italy", and felt bad as many of my friends were all excited for me. Not that Italy...

Ate at a few restaurants while in Florida.

Sideberns, Tampa. Really progressive menu and got a neat tour from Asbel.

restauarntBT, Tampa. Great Asian / French food. Riley's first fine dining experience, very cool

Emerils, Orlando. On the ol' corporate dollar, I ordered the biggest steak they had. Someone please buy new plates at Emerils. When china has so many scratches, that it looks grey, it’s time to reinvest...

Highlight of Orlando, having a small arsenal of stages to help. We are starting to roll deep!

Than, in a slight mix-up, I needed to drive back from Orlando to Tampa at night, and catch a 530 AM flight to

Atlanta to shoot an episode of Movie and a Makeover.

It is set to air the day after Thanksgiving. The holiday themed affair was awesome. I really enjoyed playing within the theme and want you to check it out if you can on that Friday.

And scripted television... a very good experience for me. It’s a different game and it’s the balancing of improv that makes it great. This was an awesome run for me and I’m hoping Turner, a local giant, invites me to do a bit more work. I was feeling it.

And without break, I was at it again for two separate days of shows in Atlanta, the last at Piedmont Park, where I received a much warmer welcome than I anticipated.

I did have to skip a dinner at Restaurant Eugene where I was supposed to meet the Real Housewives of Atlanta. I will be blogging the show so it would have been interesting to meet them off camera.

Tomorrow, finishing the week, I am at the Atlanta Home show at Cobb Galleria, before getting on a plane to LA for some private functions.

Prep work

2008-09-21T21:25:00.000-04:00

Preparation is everything. I think that was the motto of the Culinary Institute of America when I attended it. And in the kitchen, it’s absolute fact. A chef that is organized and well prepared, sets himself up for success. All too often, especially on the media circuit, inspiration seminar, product development, cooking class, public appearance set that I’m on currently it’s difficult to achieve.

You’re traveling from state to state, kitchen to kitchen, often working with new chefs, and people of varying degrees of both skill, passion, and drive. It’s tough, but I’m getting good. I’ve learned to get it all in writing, send recipes way in advance, be specific, overly specific, and like the famous line from Mick Jagger, “ you don’t always get what you want, but if you ask, you may get what you need.”

So, doing an event with 4 different companies involved can be tricky or in this case, very easy.

Bravo, the CIA, and the folks at Astor center know how to communicate. Everything I needed was there, everyone was hospitable, and the preparation showed in the results. It was a great class, and once again, the ultimate goal of any business, to procure more business, was achieved. Trail Blais will be heading back to Astor. Trail Blais will be appearing in Hyde Park. And as we wait to hear more concrete info, we will be doing more Bravo related work.

I know I haven’t been covering much about the food we have been producing, but at Astor we were asked to do 3 courses somewhat inspired from Top Chef.

A new Manhattan. a cocktail, we used Michter’s Rye whiskey ( go get some now ! ) smoked some cherries, and whipped up some bliss maple to create a pretty tasty molecular mixology version of my favorite drink.

Raw hamachi with fried chicken and smoked mayonnaise.
A dish I whipped up for Eli ( ENO restaurant ) one night. It’s just the ultimate, “you stuck your sashimi in my fried chicken” sort of thing. And the smoked mayo will soon be packaged and offered on our web site!

Tofu, with beef fat and green curry. This was the first time I revisited this dish and I’m very glad I did. Kevin, from CIA, did such a tight job on mincing the beef fat that we were left with some nice crispies of the fat that added a needed texture to the dish

Dry ice......... cream, with bacon flavor.

We couldn’t source nitrogen, and so I subbed some dry ice and demonstrated, quite honestly, a more applicable way to make creative, quick ice cream at home.

The crowd was awesome, especially a young inspired chef I met named Sam. I am looking forward to working with Sam in the future.

And, the most inspirational moment of the event for me was working with the CIA students. These guys made me very proud to be an Alum. Massive props to Max, Kevin, Patrick, and James. These guys will be my go to help in the NY area from now on...

The Dark Side

2008-09-15T18:31:00.000-04:00

Trail Blais was at MOSH in Jacksonville Florida on Friday night. We served as the special guest and caterer and I put on 3 demonstrations inside of their science theater.

This trip was full of behind the scenes drama. It actually would have been the perfect pilot for “Trail Blais” the TV show.

Hypothetically speaking….
Would you watch a show where a rising celebrity chef ( sorry, what else do I call it ) and his team of diverse culinary talent, travel to a Science museum, and work alongside a dysfunctional local caterer. Shot in two drastically different backdrops; a beautiful science and history museum and a 30 year old “catering facility” that I can best describe as a pirate ship, a sinking pirate ship. BTW, the pirates themselves were helpful, nice guys and in the spirit of international football, we traded our blue aprons for their eye patches.

Watch the drama unfold between the guest chef and the local restaurateur obnoxiously protecting his turf. Witness the palpable stress of the pretty PR rep trying to be the glue holding it all together.

Do you want to know what the oldest stock pot in the world looks like ?

Do you enjoy karaoke ?

Have an interest in molecular gastronomy ?

Feel at home with an escort of storm troopers ? (I do, in fact. Look for this. I may just start traveling with Vader’s 501st)

Then, perhaps you would have enjoyed this trip… as a television episode.

Of course, it wasn’t.

The event was a smashing success. MOSH got a great turn out. The guests were more than awesome and once again I feel like I made a few hundred new friends.

In fact, we have been invited back for next year, and I can guarantee it will be a killer show. Bigger, better and stronger.

Culinarily, it was a trip that reminded me of how important some basic things are in our kitchen. Deli containers, green tape (shit, any color tape) vacuum bags, 9 pans (hell, any pans ) and most importantly.... enthusiastic help. All of which were in demand at some point during the weekend.

The presentation, with a science lab as our stage ( how freaking cool is that ), was a good push. This was the first time where we demonstrated a wide array of techniques.

Too many people to thank individually, but thanks to all.

Looking forward to rolling deep at MOSH next year with an army of culinary students… and storm troopers.

Off to NYC, as soon as I clean up the glass from my broken car window. Who breaks into a car for sneakers?

File under... Obvious

2008-09-15T18:28:00.000-04:00

I’m not a professional writer.

This blog is a true journal and diary ( I carry a murse, it’s a diary )

I feel likes it’s important to note, that my personal feelings are being expressed here, without agenda, except to document my work and travels.

I don’t edit, obviously. I spell check, read it once, and post. I think it’s the only way for it to be, hold on....... real.

I’m keepin it real, son .( glaring mid-nineties hip hop reference)

HOME Free!

2008-09-08T13:35:00.000-04:00

So, I have resigned my position at Home as of yesterday. It certainly won’t come as a surprise to many, but for many good reasons I just can’t continue my position there.

As an artist, it’s all about creative control. It’s all that matters (at least when it can afford to be all that matters), and the constant struggle between an owner’s view, and a chef’s perspective, has strained me to the point of re-focusing my efforts elsewhere.

It’s time to work for myself, and it’s a liberating feeling.

I have my current commitments to Bravo/NBC, my creative consulting company Trail Blais and my young family to keep me more than busy.

What made my decision very easy were a few uncomfortable meetings, where it was obvious that ownership didn’t value what I brought to the table and were insistent on a very archaic outlook of my position. HOME valued my physical time only, of which at times was limited because of prior commitments. When entering into this partnership, I laid out my full slate of commitments and everything was checked off on and approved. But “in theory” and “in practice” are two different things, I guess.

For the record, HOME tallied a four star review, and drove business up from its previous concept by 67 %. It was the first time I achieved those 2 things together. It was the first 4 star restaurant in that company.... and most likely, no, certainly, the last...

Home has been full every night with not only people searching out a good meal, but people who were coming for me, whether personally, or creatively, it was pretty apparent that this was a successful concept. It was a chef’s restaurant, a rarity in our city. But it never was the chef’s restaurant, and from the beginning, my most loyal fans knew this.

For the first time, it is clear to me, that I am in the position where the guests’ threshold of creativity has reached a parallel with a successful business model. Meaning I think Atlanta is ready for a restaurant that stretches. I know that if it is going to happen in Atlanta, it’s going to happen soon...

I hope Home continues with my team in place, as they have been running the restaurant anyway with much of my time devoted to travel. But it was a very simple choice, and for the first time, a decision where money wasn’t an issue.

I couldn’t be more pleased and excited. I have FLIP ahead, a project where I am the creative vision, I am booked for 3 months out for appearances, and most importantly, can now take some serious time hanging out with Baby Riley and my wife, who has been working her cream puffs off.

As well, there is an interesting opportunity brewing that could mean true artistic freedom.

11 courses, 3 hours, 1331 plates...

2008-09-03T20:44:00.000-04:00

Our guest dinner with Sean Brock could have been a disaster. That's a lot of plates, a lot of service and a lot of room for error. Of course, I am never happy with my overall performance (See: "I choked..."), and there were a few things I wish I could change in retrospect. But, we had fun and the guests seem to genuinely enjoy the experience.

McCrady's run by Sean Brock is one of the most creative restaurants in the country. If you haven't heard of it, or Chef Brock, well, you will soon. Check out his blog at http://seanbrock.wordpress.com/

I have to give a huge shout out, yes I said shout out, to all that helped with the event. We brought 3 caravans of chefs with us and also had a good amount of stage support from the Charleston area.

Justin, Billy, Enrika, Jared, Jason and Andrea all came from Atlanta, on their own time, to work 3 monster days in the kitchen. When I see commitment and dedication like that, it

reminds me what it is all about.

Eli, Daniel, Ben and Jeremy came as well. These are guys I've worked with in the past, but have no obligation to me, and again, I am so grateful and humbled by the gesture. We really wouldn't have been able to pull it off without their support.

The crowd was pumped and we had a blast. I really enjoyed playing MC and communicating our vision and inspiration for each dish. This is something I'd like to continue and it even inspired some great ideas.... that I'm not quite ready to share!

I also feel like I have found my favorite city in the South. Charleston has that European feel, with great architecture, and a friendly vibe I haven't seen anywhere else. I truly feel like I made a few hundred new friends last weekend.

The best part of the trip, and I knew it would come from the outset, was the spark I got from working with Sean. As I build what everyone tells me is a "brand" (?!?), an event like this helps me tighten my grasp on our core values. I'm a decent public speaker. We are embarking on new television contracts. We are really doing a ton of "celebrity" chef work, but at the end of the day... I'm a chef that just loves sharing my passion with people, feeding them and making dining exciting. Sean is the same way. The guy is just about as humble and hospitable as you will ever meet... especially amongst chefs!

There was a moment at the end of the meal, you know the part where everyone involved gets acknowledged, when Sean spoke about his first experience eating my food he said he remembered how brave I was.

Brave isn't a word that gets tossed around for chefs. His words have impacted me greatly.

We also committed to doing another dinner at McCrady's in March around the same time as the Food & Wine fest! Reserve now!! http://www.mccradysrestaurant.com/

A Mighty Quest

2008-08-25T16:25:00.000-04:00

Recently, I had a young student tell me he wanted to be a molecular gastronomist. Now the problem was he was in culinary school and not Georgia Tech.

It’s tough to really express myself about this subject. I certainly get put in the molecular camp, and it’s true to a certain degree, but we now are exporting class after class of young chefs who may not understand that making hollandaise IS molecular gastronomy. Furthermore, that the science they are so eager to study is already being taught to them, and in the worst case, is being dismissed as traditional, boring, and well, not cool.

When I was a much younger cook, I just wanted to be French!

And in trying to be so, I stumbled upon things like chlorophyll, produced from juiced spinach. It’s these things, like the discovery of process during cooking that define what most so called “molecular gastronomists” are actually doing.

We’re being observant and curious cooks, in a pursuit of flavor...

Upcoming appearances

Aug 31st @ McCrady’s with chef Sean Brock, Charleston, SC

Sept 11-13 @ Museum of Science and Histroy, Jacksonville, FLA

Sept 14 @ Star Chefs Conference, NYC, NY

Sept 15 @ New York City, NY, Astor Center

Sept 20 @ Tampa, FLA, site TBD, Top Chef Tour

Sept 24 @ Orlando, FLA, Universal Studios. Top Chef Tour

Sept 27 @ Atlanta, GA, Top Chef Tour, site TBD

Sept 28 @ Atlanta, GA, Gwinett Center, Atlanta Home Show

Sept 29 @ Atlanta, GA, Top Chef Tour, site TBD

Sept 30 @ Los Angeles, CA, site TBD

Oct 1 @ Los Angeles, CA, site TBD

More Popcorn!

2008-08-21T16:03:00.000-04:00

Richard Blais on CW 11 Morning News

West Coast Stomping, Part 2

2008-08-21T09:43:00.000-04:00

Back from Los Angeles today and feeling quite exhausted from 2
consecutive tour stops, and a little too much entertaining.

But first, I was stopped in the airport in ATL. That happens, and it
seemed pretty standard…

Them: " I loved you on the show, you were great"

Me: “Thanks!”

Them: " I really loved you on American Idol"

Yikes !!!!! Of course I just said thanks, I mean it's a popular show.

I worked two tour days. The first day with Brian Malarkey from Season 3 and the second day with Antonia Lofaso, my cast mate in Season 4.
We batted it back and forth and really gave a good show on both days. This was the
first stop where I really brought out the toys. Equipped with a
little, OK, a lot of liquid nitrogen and immersion circulators, I
really ramped it up.... I mean it's Hollywood right?

Now here's the thing.... Being ON STAGE all the time is tough. I don't
mean physically on stage, but knowing that everyone you meet, or who
recognizes you walks away with an impression makes you really want to
validate yourself, your performance, your personal character. I've
never not given any supporter or fan everything I have even if it's
only for 2 minutes in passing. It's important. We (Top Chef, quasi
celebrity, e- listers, whatever ) really need to validate the
integrity of what we do. It's a responsibility. But this trip grinded
on me, and for the first time I just wanted to throw on a baseball cap
and some sun glasses, maybe even a fake beard, and just chill out for
a bit, alone...

But I was also doing some business in Laguna Beach, so for really 3
days straight I just really needed to push and be “on”. I love Laguna Beach, what
a place, really gorgeous, like post card beautiful. I got the tour
from my new friends Monica and Brad, had a great meal, even better
conversation, and I hope to be seeing a lot more of Orange County, and
next time with Jazmin and baby Riley.

I'm typing this on my flight back now, in a Dodgers cap.... no beard )

And I am exhausted.

West Coast Stomping, Part 1

2008-08-14T19:29:00.001-04:00

For Part One of my trip to LA hop over to Bravotv.com

http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/4/blogs/index.php?blog=top_chef_the_tour&article=2008/08/richard_blais_los_angeles

Oooo Buuurn!

2008-08-14T08:18:00.001-04:00

Antonia Lofaso's (http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/4/bios/index.php?cat=chef&p=antonia ) liquid nitrogen burn (on her foot) from our last tour stop in LA. I've seen better!

More to come on my trip to the West Coast.....

HOME

2008-08-07T10:59:00.000-04:00

Back HOME, literally, the restaurant is coasting at a good pace. My chef Jef Wright seems like he's starting to hit his stride, and the feedback, and business is very good. Unfortunately not good enough for all, as I can start to feel the slightest bit of pressure from my "touring" lately. We will try to ride it out and see if there really is an understanding in place, we'll see.

In other news, again literally, we shot 2 pieces for the local CBS affiliate that air this week http://www.cbs46.com/video/17108066/
http://www.cbs46.com/video/17066755/
we shot some video for a food website, www.Eatdrinkordie.com , and did a few print pieces and 1 radio show. It's crazytown son !!!

so I am off to LA for another tour stop, with a new Macbook, and the coolest gadget since the immersion circulator......... The I-phone....I have now joined the rest of humanity!

The Misadventures of Markus Cannon

2008-08-07T10:54:00.000-04:00

I'm back from Jamaica from my participation in RTI. RTI is similar to Spring Break in Jamaica. Although my spring break experience is limited, I don't think our version would stand a chance in a competition.

What a trip! Since I am from New York and have a best friend that is Jamaican, I'm into dancehall reggae music and I would say that is a prerequisite to have fun down there (at least it helps). I brought Mark Nanna, now officially recognized in the Jamaican media as Mark Cannon, and since renamed Markus Cannon by me (http://jahkno.com/party-reviews/daydreams-was-more-than-all-white-for-rti ). This is my second trip to JA with Marco, and my third trip in the calendar year working with Red Stripe beer on innovation and events.

Our work had us running a molecular mixology bar at 4 of the main parties over the weekend. We learned many lessons from cooking / mixing for thousands of people at a time.

Mainly, it's as close to chaos, a good chaos mind you, that you'll want to get to.

And we hope we get invited back next year!

“Big Up” to Donette for handling us, and Safia for putting up with my relentless e-mails and text messages.

One of the featured drinks...

"My Thai"
some good jamaican rum (Not Appleton, as they are Red Stripes mortal brand enemy!)
mashed up cilantro, thai basil, lemongrass, ginger, mint
double the rum with a lime punch
and finish by floating some red stripe beer, ginger beer, or citrus soda
and if you have it, a swirl of some liquid nitrogen

As I thought about the events on the trip home, and how many people were at each one, I was really left with a very cool feeling about Jamaican people. I mean I didn't see one fight, one almost fight, nothing. And I can't even imagine the last concert or house party I was at that didn't produce some drama. The closest thing to a fight was Mark and I arguing over whether or not to go to an after party....... I won....... we didn't.

And BTW, the resort we were booked at was a nude resort. However, I couldn't convince Mark to trot down to the beach in only flip flops. You don’t get to do that often, I thought it would be fun.

Items left at hotel : a tee shirt and a pair of grey socks.

A Reverend, an Ambassador and a bottle of soy sauce...

2008-07-28T21:33:00.000-04:00

So I’m back from Phoenix a few pounds lighter for sure and minus a few articles of clothing.

Kecap manis (a sweet, thick soy sauce) doesn’t do too well at 30,000 ft. As my parcel came out on the carousel, that beautiful aroma of the shiny condiment hit me and probably a few others as well. Back at the hotel, the cleaning person probably thought I murdered someone as I left more than half of my clothes drenched in a dark viscous liquid. Oddly enough, I usually leave an article of clothing behind in hotels, I’m not sure why, but I do. I left my pink crocs in Chicago for example.

Aside from the explosion, the trip went well. Betty Fraser was a trip, even though she kicked her fish back at the restaurant we went too! I’m looking forward to catching up with her again next week in LA.

The fans in Phoenix were awesome. As I was sweating my Parisian scoops off, the natives were perspiration free, and a lot of fun. Another super clean city, as I got a chance to jog both days around downtown, and see the baseball and basketball stadiums. I forgot my ipod, and so once again, I had to run w/o the influence of mid nineties hip-hop.

The next stop on the tour for me is LA next week and I’m looking forward to working again with Antonia Lofaso, my colleague from season 4.

So with the long flight back east, and a longer lay over at the airport ( something I don’t mind, as I get strange enjoyment from airports ), I really started thinking about how all of this traveling, presenting and demonstrating could really have an impact on the creative food movement. And that’s a new goal. I really want to turn as many people on to trying new things with their cooking, or better yet, their dining options. So, I hope I can become a good ambassador of my craft, a much misunderstood genre of food.

Which brings me to this….the day before I flew to Phoenix; I did a phone interview with a Phoenix journalist. (http://thedish.freedomblogging.com/2008/07/24/qa-richard-blais-talks-burgers-top-chef-and-31-course-menus/ ) and the guy, Jesse, really asked some of the best questions I’ve had thrown my way in a bit. I mean, I’m just tired of people asking me if Lisa was a bitch, or if Padma’s hot, like either of them needs my validation.

So then THE question comes, and it always comes…is Atlanta the city for me, or would I be better off in San Fran or NYC. So in answering I, and if you know me, make this long connection to the South being a conservative town and how it may take a bit for them to embrace creative cooking, because, hey, lets be honest, it took the South a long time to embrace civil rights…. And if you just winced, like my wife did, or like my friends at Amuse-Biatch did (http://amuse-biatch.blogspot.com/) then I get why. I guess I have a way of talking that does not drive a direct A to B line, my mind takes the scenic route and I go along for the ride. I certainly didn’t mean anything news worthy of it. However, ironically, on our night out in Phoenix we ran into Jesse Jackson… in Arizona… weird.

So the lesson of the day is to find out if I’m being quoted verbatim, or if the writer is going to write the piece and pepper in a few quotes. This one was verbatim, and inflection, tone and sarcasm just don’t come off well in print.

So it’s back to running a restaurant for a few days, and then, back to Jamaica doing more product development for the new launch of Red Stripe… speak soonest.

Postcards from Phoenix

2008-07-28T17:13:00.000-04:00

A recent interview...

2008-07-28T17:11:00.000-04:00

http://thedish.freedomblogging.com/2008/07/24/qa-richard-blais-talks-burgers-top-chef-and-31-course-menus/

Today Show

2008-07-23T21:44:00.000-04:00

Who freezes popcorn?

2008-07-23T21:42:00.000-04:00

Garrett Popcorn event in NYC

So I randomly got involved with Garrett popcorn. Garrett is a nostalgic gourmet popcorn company based out of Chicago, and recently just opened up a few shoppes in NYC. My mission was to help develop a summer time treat featuring their product, and with the request of using liquid nitrogen, we decided to develop “popcornsicles”

Now many people will think that dipping a popcorn ball on a stick in liquid nitrogen is crazy, and groundbreaking, and well, it is I guess, but it’s also something science teachers have been doing for years. I only address this, because someone, who has way too much time is going to find out that many creative chefs have played around with popcorn and liquid nitrogen, and then someone is going to say he stole that, she did that first, and here we go with the never ending shit storm that the haters bring to the table. Any time more than 1 chef has a similar idea that involves very creative cooking people rush to call him a thief. But no one does this for French fries ?

Off topic, I know.... but if you research some very old science material and work books, you will stumble across these things, like for example, Ferran Adria’s caviar. Now, of course these textbooks don’t have them flavored with apple, or packaged, but you get the point.

So during the 4 days in NYC this past week, a lot happened.

Me and Billy, one of my sous chefs served over 4,000 popcornsicles for free, to everyone ranging from media to, well, honestly, the homeless. It was a great undertaking, and a great experiment for me, as it proved that people easily embrace creative cooking when combined with a familiar flavor. It was very easy to give away a caramel and cheese popcorn ball, even though it was smoking and dipped in liquid nitrogen. Most people find liquid nitrogen scary and/or dangerous. But people know caramel and popcorn, and it made the risk of experiencing something new less intimidating. If we served the popcorn w/o the nitrogen but with an unusual flavor profile, it would not have been received as well. Just some thoughts, but useful ones to me, as I do feel super creative cooking will only grow if it can tip into the mainstream.
I met with a well known publishing house who contacted me in regards to putting together a book. This is crazy, I have always wanted to do this, and also just crazy that they contacted me.
I pitched a television show to a major executive for a major network. I can’t go into it much further, but I couldn’t scrape the Seinfeld episode out of my mind where they pitch what is basically the Seinfeld show to NBC. Also, while we were in Jamaica, Mark and I came up with a
television show based on our driver, called “Driving with Mr. Ricos” or the working title in Jamaica of course “ Soon come...” Even though I was pitching a food show, I figured if it wasn’t going well, that “ Soon come...” would be my last resort, and maybe a way to lighten up the pitch…..
We marched around NYC a lot. And I realized that I don’t just miss being in NYC, but that I need to be in NYC more often. I was literally just running into so many people who write for that magazine, or represent that company, or run those events, or operate those restaurants.
Bullfrog & Baum rock the house…
And we appeared on the TODAY show. Now I’ve done a bit of TV, Top chef, Iron chef, a lot of local stuff, but the TODAY show is like a pretty big deal to me. Needless to say, I was a touch intimidated, as the digital preview to the show read. Morgan Freeman, Meryl Streep, Heidi Klum, and Richard Blais... Richard who ?
I walked by Heidi, couldn’t get enough nerve to say hello, I bumped square into Matt Lauer, and then of course I did the bit with Hoda and Kathie Lee. I grew up with Kathie Lee man, that’s crazytown…

So the Garrett event went well. I hope they invite me to do more work with the brand, they are good people for sure.

Blais on Ice

2008-07-22T12:41:00.001-04:00

Top chef tour

So in a few days I head out to Phoenix for my second stop on the top chef tour. The tour brings top chef contestants from different seasons together for a day of demonstrations on a 48 foot bus equipped with a kitchen of course.

My first stop was Columbus Ohio, where I teamed up with Hung from season 3. And although I was a bit apprehensive of the tour in the beginning ( feeling like it had a bit of muppets on ice aspect to it ) now I’m pretty damn excited about it. See I’m a pretty big college football fan, and I like traveling in general, so visiting Columbus, a city I’ve never been to, and a college football Mecca, was pretty special. Unfortunately, I only glimpsed the Horseshoe as we flew over it on my why back to Atlanta.

I loved Columbus for a few reasons besides the football tradition. It was a really clean city, and when I checked in I immediately went for a run down what I think was actually “Main Street”. The air was fresh, that sounds silly maybe, but it just had a kind of happy quality to the place.

And the people were just amazing. A ton of fans showed up, waving banners, and cheering, and well, if you’re not a rock star, and I’m not, this was a small taste of what it must feel like. It’s pretty damn cool for sure.

Hung was a trip, we have met before, when out of no where he and Casey ( season 3) showed up in my restaurant, but we didn’t get a chance to hang out that night. I remember Hung got a lot of junk for being a jerk during his season, but his personality is pretty common in a professional kitchen. He’s just a confident guy, for good reason , and I’m glad I got a chance to work with him. I really think he’ll be someone I’ll stay in touch with. Hung, a few days later in NYC, returned volley on the meal I prepared for him in ATL, and it was excellent.

So, next on the tour is Phoenix, Arizona. Another place I’ve never been and another chef to work with that I don’t know much about. I’ll be working with Betty Fraser ( season 2) and I’ll be bringing some very cold ingredients to combat the desert heat!