Casey Shines On Top Chef

I’m holed up in East Texas writing a feature for the November issue of D. Besides the occasional catfish jump or rain shower there isn’t much to distract my creative juices. Well, there was the closet. But it’s clean now. And the hundred wasp nests? Gone. I turned off my pal Gateway around 8:45 last night and tuned in to watch Casey Thompson of Shinsei on Top Chef. (I prefer to watch the show in FFW so I don’t have to listen to that tall, skinny cold dish Padma Lakshmi. She is the wicked witch of the world and knows nothing about food and everything about her best angles. Lordy she makes my skin crawl.) Anywhoo, I had horrible flashbacks to my catering days as I watched the competition. The goal: the chefs had to work as a team and cater a party on a boat. I have catered too many parties on boats and let me tell you it is floating hell. If you forget one ingredient you are sunk. So naturally when they announced the scenario, I broke out in a cold sweat. A budget of $350 for 60 people? Six dollars a person? I knew Casey would win the “Elimination Challenge” the second she decided to prepare a bite that wasn’t on a toast point. I’d give you more details but I didn’t write them down and the Top Chef website is more aggravating than Padma. And Casey, I felt your pain on the chocolate mousse. I’ve been there. Next time beat a little cream of tartar with a few egg whites and fold it into the chocolate mush. Cream of tartar is Viagra for caterers. (Works on soufflés too!)