An Unforgiving Ending

Published on Thursday, June 12, 2008, by The CHOW Editorial Team / Edit Post

An Unforgiving Ending

Writer's block quashes the Top Chef meal of a lifetime

Richard Blais looked like he had it all wrapped up. He'd been the master of surprise, wowing the judges all season long with his inventive cuisine and gadget-heavy technique. But in the end, even with the help of Stone Barns chef Dan Barber, Richard reveals he was unable to wrap his mind around a concrete menu that would lead him to Top Chef–dom. (Note: Due to poor cell phone reception, parts of the interview are scratchy.)

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POST A COMMENT |5 Comments

COMMENT

  • he should have cleans the scales off of the salmon! rookie mistake

  • From what I understand, Molecular Gastronomy involves a huge support team and I think that, while Richard's concepts were great, sometimes he got overwhelmed having to execute a complete meal. I don't think he "choked" at the end, but realized that he probably needed a couple of sous chefs to pull off his meal. BTW- I've eaten at Stephanie's Scylla many times, and the meals were always...+READ

    From what I understand, Molecular Gastronomy involves a huge support team and I think that, while Richard's concepts were great, sometimes he got overwhelmed having to execute a complete meal. I don't think he "choked" at the end, but realized that he probably needed a couple of sous chefs to pull off his meal. BTW- I've eaten at Stephanie's Scylla many times, and the meals were always outstanding. She produced elegant dishes from a tiny kitchen.-COLLAPSE

  • Richard was an artist in the kitchen! His career will be worth following and I am personally sorry he didn't get the prize..would have loved to see what he could do with the money....still have not figured out how the judging works on this show.

  • Richard was a stand up competitor throughout the 4th season of Top Chef and I enjoyed learning about Molecular Gastronomy from his dishes. In the end, however, the right woman won the title of Top Chef. As a side note, can you clean up the reception on Richard's interview? I'd like to hear what he is saying.

  • I never really cared for Atlanta, been there once, hot and humid as hell. But now I have a reason to go...looking forward to your cooking.