Vegetarian Star

Top Chef Tre Wilcox

Tre Wilcox is a renown chef who appeared on Season 3 of Top Chef.

He’s worked as a private chef, appeared in Iron Chef America on The Food Network channel, competing with the Rathbun brothers against Bobby Flay as their only sous chef.

But one of his biggest challenges to date was making a meal for hip hop guru Russell Simmons.

“Russell Simmons was one of my favorites,” Wilcox told nbcdwf.com. “He came back for more. He’s vegan, so it was a challenge for me.

Did Russell request Tre make his favorite vegan risotto?

Tre is currently the Executive Chef at Loft 610 in Plano, TX.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Chrissy Teigen Failed Vegan Experiment
• Mia Evans Is A “Masterchef Junior” Vegetarian Star
• Holly Madison Enjoys Vegan Smoothie From M Cafe In Beverly Hills
• Controversy Over Pro-Vegeterian Curriculum In Schools
• Ellie Goulding Creates Protein Bar “Everlasting Joy” With GoMacro

Top Chef included a gender bending vegan challenge during a recent elimination.

The guys had to cook for the bride and the women had to cook for the groom.

The bride’s entourage required the cheftestants to cook for a vegetarian in the bunch.

Scott Tobias, at avclub.com, made light of this situation by poking fun of the pescatarian bride:

“Meanwhile, the bride is more troublesome: She’s a pescatarian (Swim, Nemo, swim! Faster! Faster!) and one of her friends is a vegan, so plenty of fish and at least one non-animal-based dish are an absolute must.”

In the end, the guys won and cheftestant Hector got praise for his tofu dish.

Which is nice, Tobias pointed out, since seitan got the ax last time.

We won’t ask what happened to Flipper. It might be too hard to handle.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Chrissy Teigen Failed Vegan Experiment
• Mia Evans Is A “Masterchef Junior” Vegetarian Star
• Holly Madison Enjoys Vegan Smoothie From M Cafe In Beverly Hills
• Controversy Over Pro-Vegeterian Curriculum In Schools
• Ellie Goulding Creates Protein Bar “Everlasting Joy” With GoMacro

Top Chef is not off to a good start.

On a recent episode, the cheftestants were asked to cook a dish based on one of their vices and Jen chose a hot and spicy dish because of her temper.

Oh, did we mention the dish was chile relleno stuffed with seitan?

Many of the other cheftestants and judges weren’t exactly thrilled with the vegetarian dish and in the end Jen got sent home.

Wonder if it had anything to do with that ex vegetarian now hamburger hussy Padma Lakshmi?

Watch the clip for a recap of the episode.

via Ecorazzi.com

Possibly Related Posts:

• Mia Evans Is A “Masterchef Junior” Vegetarian Star
• Meatless Monday Recipe–Waka Flocka Blueberry Vegan Muffins (Video)
• Jesse Einsenberg Celebrates “Thanksliving” During The Holidays (Video)
• Tal Ronnen Brings LA Restaurant To Everyone In “Crossroads” Cookbook
• Meatless Mouthful–Liam Hemsworth Gives Veggie Advice Like Dr. Spock (Video)

Tis the season for vegan on Top Chef.

Although that dreadful Hardee’s Thickburger commercial star Padma Lakshmi still hangs around cheering for steak, more vegan moments are occurring on the Bravo Network Reality TV series.

We already know vegan actress Natalie Portman will be popping in sometime.

And next week, actress and singer Zooey Deschanel will make an appearance.

The chef contestants will have the challenge of preparing a meal for Zooey and her friends.

Not only must the chefs make a vegan meal, it needs to fit Zooey’s dietary restrictions of gluten-intolerance and no soy.

Watch Zooey send a special message to the chefs, prepping them for the competition.

via Ecorazzi.com

Possibly Related Posts:

• Chrissy Teigen Failed Vegan Experiment
• Mia Evans Is A “Masterchef Junior” Vegetarian Star
• Holly Madison Enjoys Vegan Smoothie From M Cafe In Beverly Hills
• Controversy Over Pro-Vegeterian Curriculum In Schools
• Ellie Goulding Creates Protein Bar “Everlasting Joy” With GoMacro

Natalie Portman will be making a special guest appearance on Bravo’s Top Chef in the upcoming season six, which premiers Wednesday, August 26th at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Since Nat is a hard core vegan, the cheftestants will probably be given the challenge of whipping up something meatless, eggless, and dairyless for the actress.

Top Chef had a vegan experience last year, when the Food Fighters were invited during the Thanksgiving episode and requested the chefs cater for their crew of 60 people, some of which were vegetarian.

The vegan cornbread stole the show last year. Will another veg dish be a big hit?

Crossing our fingers none of the cheftestants “chicken” out like last year’s Carla and go with a meaty dish when they really wanted to make a vegetarian one.

via Ecorazzi.com

Possibly Related Posts:

• Chrissy Teigen Failed Vegan Experiment
• Mia Evans Is A “Masterchef Junior” Vegetarian Star
• Holly Madison Enjoys Vegan Smoothie From M Cafe In Beverly Hills
• Controversy Over Pro-Vegeterian Curriculum In Schools
• Ellie Goulding Creates Protein Bar “Everlasting Joy” With GoMacro

Several celebrity chefs will compete in a cookoff at the 7th annual Food & Wine Celebration to benefit Veggie U on July 18 at the Culinary Vegetable Institute, 12304 State Rt. 13 in Milan, Ohio

Executive chef James Briscione, winner of the Food Network’s Chopped competition; executive chef Paula DaSilva, finalist of Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen, and executive chef Lee Anne Wong, producer and former contestant of Bravo’s Top Chef will compete to raise funds to distribute Veggie U’s “Earth To Table” science kits provided to fourth-grade classrooms in Ohio and 23 other states.

Judges include foodie notables such as Michael Ruhlman, author and judge on the Food Network’s Next Iron Chef America; executive chef Alex Guarnaschelli of Butter restaurant in New York; Fred Griffith of Cleveland’s WKYC-TV, and Bruce Seidel of the Food Network.

According to its website, “The mission of Veggie U is to promote the well-being of children through a healthy lifestyle. Veggie U is dedicated to the creation and distribution of curricula nationally, with a focus on making wise food choices, combating adolescent and juvenile disease, and attaining an understanding of sustainable agriculture.”

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit veggieu.org.

via toledoblade.com

Possibly Related Posts:

• Chrissy Teigen Failed Vegan Experiment
• Mia Evans Is A “Masterchef Junior” Vegetarian Star
• Holly Madison Enjoys Vegan Smoothie From M Cafe In Beverly Hills
• Controversy Over Pro-Vegeterian Curriculum In Schools
• Ellie Goulding Creates Protein Bar “Everlasting Joy” With GoMacro

Ex vegetarian turned Hardee’s burger food porn star Padma Laskshmi recently discussed her earliest food memories of New York.

Apparently even when she was vegetarian, the Top Chef host wasn’t doing food right. Hot dog bun with relish anyone?

“Looking back, I’m amazed how much we ate street food. My perfect meal would be a pretzel with mustard and then an Italian ice. I was a vegetarian for a lot of my childhood, so I would order a hot dog but tell him to leave the hot dog out—just the bun and the fixings, like sauerkraut and mustard and relish.”

Um, a trip to the falafel cart for some high protein chickpeas stuffed in pita bread would have made for a more nutritious vegetarian meal. This is even worse than the vegetarians who just start eating cheese all day.

So now we know. Poor Padma just never learned what good vegetarian food was.

Even insects on hot dog bun sound more appetizing.

via nymag.com

Possibly Related Posts:

• Chrissy Teigen Failed Vegan Experiment
• Mia Evans Is A “Masterchef Junior” Vegetarian Star
• Holly Madison Enjoys Vegan Smoothie From M Cafe In Beverly Hills
• Controversy Over Pro-Vegeterian Curriculum In Schools
• Ellie Goulding Creates Protein Bar “Everlasting Joy” With GoMacro

Update: For full commerical video, go here.

She just had to do it.

Not only did Top Chef  host Padma Lakshmi pose for a Hardee’s Thickburger ad, she wrote her disgusting food porn graphic descriptions of her “experiences” as a teenager.

Seriously, this stuff should be R-rated.

“I…started wolfing down bacon Western cheeseburgers after school at Carl’s Jr. The sublimely pleasurable taste of bacon…was further enhanced by its mingling with the barbecue sauce, greedily licked off as it dripped down my teenage fingers,” Padma writes in her latest cookbook, “Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet.”

It was such graphic detail of cow and pig devouring that led Hardee’s officials to seek her out for the campaign.

“When we found out Padma was such a fan of the Carl’s Jr. Western Bacon Cheeseburger, she was a natural fit to star in the television campaign for Hardee’s new Western Bacon Thickburger,” said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. restaurants. “In many ways, she was the perfect choice for our ‘Young, Hungry, Guy’ customers because she’s beautiful, she’s a culinary expert, she’s beautiful, she’s very smart, and she’s beautiful.”

Wouldn’t it be funny to have a “Young, Hungry, Guy” campaign aimed at teaching about the risks of impotence from eating artery clogging meat?

On her experience doing the burger ad, Padma wrote:

“I think eating in itself is an act of great sensuality, so all you have to do is point the camera in the right direction. I was excited to be able to talk about a food item that I have fond, personal memories of. I grew up wolfing down Western Bacon Cheeseburgers at Carl’s Jr., as I said in my book. So, I was happy to be able to share that story with a whole new group of burger lovers.”

Hide the children, filter the television channel selections, as the ads start running at the end of the month.

via Earthtimes.org

Possibly Related Posts:

• Chrissy Teigen Failed Vegan Experiment
• Mia Evans Is A “Masterchef Junior” Vegetarian Star
• Holly Madison Enjoys Vegan Smoothie From M Cafe In Beverly Hills
• Controversy Over Pro-Vegeterian Curriculum In Schools
• Ellie Goulding Creates Protein Bar “Everlasting Joy” With GoMacro