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The wind whips through lower Manhattan, making it feel even colder than the 6 degrees registering on a January Saturday. In the chic restaurant Butter, it becomes so warm that during what feels like a cocktail party, people start shedding layers, even though it’s still morning.
Most gathered here, however, don’t mind the heat in the kitchen. Ten hopefuls vie to become “The Next Food Network Star,” which launches its fifth season Sunday.
Stakes are higher than the six-episode prize today as these chefs cook for Food Network’s stars. As people mill about, Ted Allen of “Chopped” says, “What they’re looking for is passion. It doesn’t matter if it’s a hot dog. What’s important in any kind of cooking is if they believe in it.”
Their credibility, appearance and everything else are secondary to Bobby Flay, host and a judge.
“As a chef, food is the most important thing to me,” he says. “How they move; anybody who makes their living in the kitchen can tell – how they touch food, how they turn a pan – I can tell when people are awkward.”
After observing them the night before, he shakes his head, and says, “Four of 10 cut themselves.”
An army of scruffy guys in jeans and black shirts lugs TV equipment as Food Network President Brooke Johnson says to the chefs, “If I were you, I’d be intimidated.”
At the table, Anne Burrell, Giada De Laurentiis, Alton Brown, Masaharu Morimoto and last season’s winner, Aaron McCargo Jr., are about to sample dishes representing the contestants’ first challenge – catering the network’s 16th anniversary party.
The chefs introduce themselves, explaining their food philosophies. Then they serve their food.
The dessert, in particular, looks and tastes as if kids made it.
Soon, an irate Brown is at the cooks’ table, asking, “Where did you get the biscuit?”
They admit it’s Pillsbury, and he testily explains that they should have made angel food cake. Burrell dismisses the food as “underseasoned, undressed and seasonally incorrect.”
The second team surfaces, and even though this group had more time, this meal has more problems. The butternut squash soup is cool, and cook Brett August blames the kitchen, which brings a rebuke from the restaurateur.
After, McCargo is upbeat. “My favorites were the fillet and the zucchini with mushrooms. I would have liked more seasoning, though.”
Despite the problems, Flay sees promise in these contestants.
“This group is going to have the best food chops,” he says.
