Chicken Little- Feet

Happy New Year!!

Yep, it happened. I can’t really believe it. (Laughing) I don’t even have that many words. I expressed just about as many sentiments as I have on the closing of the show. I have never been eliminated before! My current emotions are as fresh as the moment Padma said my name. I think the best words I can give you are here…

I do not regret going on the show. – I loved every minute of it. I created dishes for the challenge and to be very honest, never really got behind any of them. Looking at the pictures on the television, it is like they are someone else’s dishes. It is even hard for me to remember what I put in them! All except for the chicken feet. Isn’t that crazy?? For some reason, I remember everything. Maybe it is because I play it in my mind from time to time. Maybe it is because I was SO on board. I really WANTED to win! And by that I mean that I felt confident in my ability to impress the judges. I went for it on this challenge. What did I have to lose?! You either try, or you continue putting out dishes that you don’t remember. All around, I was happy on this season. I laughed HARD. I had a great time. I felt like a true alumni back in my alma mater with old professors and familiar school halls. I knew the way, if you will, I ate with the cool kids in the lunch room. Well, I never actually ate anything. The food they served us was pretty terrible. I think I lost 10 pounds while on TC! Sorry for the seg-way. There are lots of things that happen during the process of this show that you may not see. –It even happens to the best chefs on this show. If the judges felt I was the one to go home, then I am sure they made the right decision. I do know that since I did not pack my knives on Season 3, this was a surprise. More like a slap in the face. WAKE UP! Did he just say, “inedible”??!! I guess in my departure, I was okay because I was shocked. Let me quit rambling and get to it…

-Let us start at the beginning. When I woke up in the Top Chef house, it was as if it was any other day. SAME as any other. I woke up, and put my pants on one leg at a time. And then I put on one sock and then one shoe. One sock, and then one shoe. Don’t judge!! How do YOU do it?? Is that abnormal or something? Anyway, we then drove to the kitchen. Here is where my day took a different path. When we walked in, we found Padma standing alone. This is strange. Usually we would find an additional judge standing with her. There is definitely something up. When she announces (and this goes on a bit to long to be comfortable) that the judge has never before cooked in the Top Chef kitchen and that he is so fast ETC… we turn to find Tom Colicchio. To be honest, I expected Morimoto. I mean, don’t get me wrong… I love Tom! I have repeatedly said that he is my favorite judge (now Anthony Bourdain). But, I’m just sayin! And the other chefs are going around wheedling in their comments and the whole time I am thinking, what’s the catch? Am I missing something here? Did the chef judge for this episode get into an accident? Lock their keys in the their car? Did something fall through?? Other season saw the likes of Martha Stewart, Daniel Boulud, ROCK STARS for goodness sakes! Tom is supposed to walk around the kitchen in his blue chef smock and chef shoes -sans socks and critique us for ELIMINATIONS. He is now in the chef kitchen in his blue smock and chef shoes -sans socks cooking during a QUICKFIRE! What could he possibly have in store for us ladies and gentlemen??? Tom is going to create a dish using the Top Chef pantry. In the amount of time he can create a dish, we have the exact amount of time to do the same. Okay, let us all think about this. Did anyone else notice that Tom at his table had specific knives, a cutting board, certain pans, and AN OYSTER KNIFE? Do you know how many times we wished shellfish would be in those coolers with no luck!? This was not exactly random my friends…random in that there was no one else in the kitchen cooking with him! What was that last part, you ask? THERE WAS NO ONE ELSE IN THE KITCHEN COOKING WITH HIM! So, let me sum this up for anyone who has not caught on yet!

1. An oyster knife and a fridge stocked with shellfish

2. pans for the exact amount of ingredients

3. an empty kitchen to cook in

Now us contestants are sitting 14 deep at this point with a Toyota Prius at stake. We will be creating a dish in 8 some odd minutes- thank you for that Tom.

“And your time starts NOW!!” People are running, s— is flying everywhere! Ingredients are missing, pots and pans falling off of the burners… HOW does no one get burned!? When it is all over, and the kitchen has been destroyed once again, Tom has a lesson for us. Make sure to “grab everything you need in the pantry and have everything you need to cook on your station”. He even took his cutting board over to the burners to be able to “prep” (like that would ever happen!!). So, in a perfect situation, I would get my oyster knife out “in case” there are shellfish in the cooler and have everything I need down to the pan and have all of my tools out when the clock starts. Hello!? I could make anything in 8 minutes! I could make clam popsicles in 8 minutes for crying out loud! Let me give my opinion if I may, and I may, it’s my website… I have done a s#@*t ton of quick fires up to this point. Don’t you think I KNOW that if everything we needed for our dish was ready to go, I’d be able to make a dish in 8 minutes?! Especially with no one else in the kitchen but me?! Chef, you have schooled us none. And please, let me say…I appreciate your sage words of wisdom! Boy, I need to write a book… “How to cook in a Quick fire” (laughing again). But, let me give some props here to a very talented and successful chef. I have always looked up to Chef Tom. He did cook a great dish and we enjoyed every minute of it. But, did we believe this wasn’t planned? No.

So let’s get on to it, shall we? Elimination. It’s funny watching this time because I know the outcome. It’s painful, actually.

China town dim sum. We are shopping in an Asian market in China town. The kind that has the live turtles, pick your own perch and catfish out of the tank. The place that smells like the fermenting eggs and beans that line the shelves. A real Asian store. Antonia is trying to speak English to a stock person and she is asking for white bread. Gotta love that! The guy was clueless. I spent 10 minutes just looking for cornstarch. FOUND IT! Next to the pok pok in the basement. WHUT?! We will be serving guests at an authentic dim sum restaurant. One of the judges will be none other than Susar Lee. Have you seen this guy’s list of accomplishments?! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susur_Lee Chef Lee and I have cooked at an event together after the fact. He is a nice guy. That is after we straightened out that my name is CASEY, not STACY. To his defense David Burke started it.

Now, I love shopping in China town. I am living in San Francisco and Texas currently and if you want to know what my spare time is like in SF, you will find me in China town. I have been to Hong Kong and LOVE visiting China town in New York. There is something about the way the people move through these places. Picking through produce in order to find the perfect durian. The butchers are slangin’ pork pieces that are sticking to a mirrored wall and abalone is in the makeshift waterfall tank system. It is GENIUS. And might I say, one of my favorite place to get produce for a good price! One of the last places on earth! We have our ingredients, we are under budget. Let’s roll to the kitchen. And what a kitchen it is. About half of the kitchen equipment worked. There were a total of 6 burners in the whole place. What do they need burners for? All they serve is dim sum (first clue). I don’t know if you have had a chance, but go and read Anthony Bourdain’s blog on bravotv.com this morning. His summary of the behavior of our guests is dead on. These people were out of control! Or in control! They were grabbing food off of the carts, but apparently, this is what they do! Seriously! Service begins. We are truly set up for disaster. Let me explain…from the way this challenge was set up in the beginning, we did not have a chance. It is a TEAM challenge. That means we are all going to work for ourselves. You read that correctly. It doesn’t matter what the rules say, only one person can win this competition. What we should have done is have one person pick up all of the dim sum dishes off of the steamers. One person on the fryers. Two people on the woks and the rest of the people assembling the plates and getting the food out. So what happened? Each person cooked and assembled their own dish. How did we as chefs overlook these details to make service better? That is the beauty of the group challenge. People immediately think of themselves, not for the betterment of the group or more importantly, the restaurant! Why would they? They are there to win, right? Why would anyone in their right mind offer to put themselves up top to “serve” and do a dish cooked in the kitchen below (still figuring this one out)? Pretty ridiculous, right? I think Jenn Carroll pointed out to the group that it doesn’t matter what you cook for the people as long as the chefs are served the quality food. I guess the producer’s were listening. Bit us in the arse. My own mother pointed out to me that the front of the house people never really make it out okay. What are the producers going to do when no one volunteers for these positions? Are they snickering when those poor people raise their hands and offer up the second position and take on the additional challenge? Are they getting ready for those peoples eliminations at that very moment? So much to think about!

Enough about all of that. I went home. Bottom line. The feet just didn’t stand up! (sorry) I want to thank everyone for all of the kind words and thoughts regarding the show. And to Anthony Bourdain- I am going to send you a basket of something! I have always been your biggest fan!!! Remember the time I chased you down in Miami?! I have enjoyed coming into all of your homes and cooking for you. This isn’t the end! There will be more! Hopefully, I will be seeing all of you around the globe and please come up and say hello! I am already blown away by your kindness. Let’s cook together soon!

I’m out! Going to eat something… my stomach is growling!!!!! Maybe I will have dim sum in China Town!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBENjCPS8LI (cut and paste)

Muah!!!

C

  1. So how about a cookbook and a signing tour?? Come to Chicago and I’ll be first in line! Loved watching you cook on your two seasons! All of my favorite chefs have now gone home! You, Jen, and Elia. Totally bummed.

    Comment by Chris on January 6, 2011 at 4:05 pm

  2. Chef I think it is absolute crap that you got sent home! I love you on the show (I have watched both seasons) and have gotten the oppertunity to dine in Brownstone which was amazing. As a culinary student and aspiring chef I would liike to say that I admire your talent and hope to one day be able to cook with you really. You are a huge inspiration as a young female chef. Thanks for being a great role model to me and others!

    Comment by Ashley on January 6, 2011 at 4:35 pm

  3. Real bummer that you were eliminated. Going to be hard to watch the rest of this season.

    Comment by Brian on January 6, 2011 at 5:52 pm

  4. Good post and I agree that the episode set all of you up for failure. It was interesting to watch but the wrong chef was eliminated. You don’t need me or anyone else to tell you what you already know - you’re a great chef. I like the idea of the first post to do a cookbook and head over to Chicago where you’re appreciated.

    Comment by Marty on January 6, 2011 at 6:15 pm

  5. Casey, I would have eaten your chicken feet! The show won’t be the same without you!

    Comment by Dave on January 6, 2011 at 6:45 pm

  6. Casey- I was very sad to see you eliminated on last night’s episode, as you are my favorite Top Chef of all-time. Classy, charming and quite obviously a fantastic chef. Continued “good luck” as your career progresses.

    Comment by Don on January 6, 2011 at 7:22 pm

  7. Props to you for going down with chicken feet! That takes some cojones, girlfriend! ;-) You should be proud that you went out by taking a huge risk, instead of being sent home for something bland and safe (scallops in wonton wrappers - ahem). I can’t wait to see what you do next!

    Comment by Cristine on January 6, 2011 at 7:30 pm

  8. IT was a treat to see you again on Top Chef. I hope we see you again. Please let us know if you will be doing appearences.

    It was a shame to see you go. I don’t understand the logic of the decision, even putting aside that I am a Casey fan.

    Comment by James in Colorado on January 6, 2011 at 7:57 pm

  9. Well done, Casey! Style and grace as you exit the show, that’s how to do it… May everything you hope and dream and work for be yours.

    Comment by RIck on January 6, 2011 at 8:13 pm

  10. Casey,

    Your dad says hello and that I love you. You have accomplished a lot and I am so proud of you.

    Looking forward to seeing you soon.

    Love

    Dad

    Comment by linden thompson on January 6, 2011 at 8:15 pm

  11. casey, you were my favorite on your season and all stars as well. wish you would have won but regardless you are great! good luck in everything you do! (ps- jamie should have gone home lol)

    Comment by caesyfan on January 6, 2011 at 8:47 pm

  12. It took balls to cook chicken feet. I think it’s cool you embraced the show and didn’t bitch about the obvious flaws even after the fact. Cheers!

    Btw, Anthony Bourdain is the only chef whom I trust to give me an honest opinion about food and/or chefs. He has the gift of saying so much with such few words. Plus, he doesn’t bullshit anybody…

    Comment by Drew on January 6, 2011 at 9:25 pm

  13. Casey,

    My mom and I enjoyed your cooking at Shinsei, and we would love the opportunity to try out your new restaurant if we ever travel that way again. We really enjoyed your presence on Top Chef, and we wish you lots of luck in the future!

    Best wishes,
    Silvia

    Comment by Silvia on January 6, 2011 at 11:26 pm

  14. Casey - so sad to see you go!! I can’t believe the judge’s decision.. I for sure thought they would eliminate someone else that deserved it. You were great and it was awesome that you took so many chances in the challenges!! Best of luck to you!

    Comment by Angeline on January 6, 2011 at 11:29 pm

  15. chef casey, i’ve been a long time fan and was sorry to see you leave the competition last night. i’m chinese-american and a native californian (bay area to be exact). i grew up in a chinese household so naturally the dim sum challenge really piqued my interest.

    kudos for choosing to serve chicken feet, it is a beloved delicacy in the chinese culture. however, i want to ask you about your comment you made about chicken feet during your interview with mark malkin (eonline): http://eonli.ne/f9s98d.

    “But like they said, chicken feet is not dim sum.”

    quite the contrary — chicken feet is a staple menu item for all the popular, well established & regarded dim sum houses.

    wishing you all the best.

    p.s. i loved anthony bordain’s recent blog post (http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-8/blogs/anthony-bourdain/chinese-rock?page=0,2) and yes, chinese diners can be quite relentless when we’re hungry. the chinese culture is quite different

    Comment by y on January 6, 2011 at 11:40 pm

  16. Okay first of all, your my favorite;) I cried when I heard Padma say Casey. Hah. You did such a good job. I would’ve ate those chicken feet. Hah. I also don’t realize why you went home. It makes no sense at all. I’m like praying you’ll come back;) heh. Your great and keep up the great work;)

    P.S. I think you should come to Michigan;)

    Comment by Jake on January 7, 2011 at 12:23 am

  17. Congratulations on all your successes, we know you have many more to come.

    I’m glad to read your perspective on Chef Tom and his cooking. At this point it is pretty clear who the real good cooks are (Jen, you, Blais, Dale, Fabio, MikeI) and that you’re all p much top notch chefs… most judges tables seem a nitpick argument.

    I think Top Chef Masters was a good idea but they should do what naturally follows… they should have Tom, Padma, Tony Bourdain etc have a cook off with you guys as judges!

    You know something for charity or something.

    Good idea IMO!

    —————————————————————————————————-

    Anyways, just wanted to say that I’m sure this won’t be the last top chef “allstars” and for good reason… Bunim/Ellis realized finally that people don’t really care about real world 20 or road rules 33, but if you bring back CT and Adam and get them fighting over Johanna or Kenny etc people will tune in.

    Basically, Reality TV has evolved back onto like a regular programmed TV, we don’t want fresh new faces, we want to see Cute Casey or Ecletic Elia prevail, even if we have to watch the “bad guys” win a few battles (Hung isn’t evil per se, but outside of his own demographic I think mostly everyone else was rooting either for dale or for the best CASEY obviously… as evidenced by her winning the fan favorite award).

    —————————————————————————————-

    Great job, looking forward to seeing you on “top chef all stars, cutest nicest chefs ever just make good meals and enjoy them” season

    <3

    Comment by Puerto Rico fans LOVE Casey! on January 7, 2011 at 12:42 am

  18. Casey,

    Say it ain’t so! Dale, now you…oh the humanity!

    Enjoyed watching you on Top Chef and loved the grace and class you exhibited as you exited the competition.

    Hope 2011 has a lot of wonderful thing in store for you.

    Comment by PaddyCakes on January 7, 2011 at 1:12 am

  19. MUCH better to live large and try something brave like chicken feet, than some chicken $hit scallops or salad.

    Here’s to everybody’s favorite!

    Cali, Tejas, Puerto Rico and ALL love Chef Casey Thompson!

    Comment by MBoo on January 7, 2011 at 1:34 am

  20. I really enjoyed your dishes and was sad to see you leave Top Chef. The judges always punish those who volunteer for front of house. At least you were adventurous and anyone watching that episode knows another chef should have gone home. I don’t know if I can watch the rest of the series without you. Keeping doing what you do; you are awesome!

    Comment by Adam on January 7, 2011 at 1:59 am

  21. We only watched the show to see you - you were great - sorry to see it end - good luck on your next adventures

    Comment by Tricia on January 7, 2011 at 2:56 am

  22. Thought Jaime was going to be ousted…should have been…a few weeks ago…

    Your cool points just went up as I read “durian” in this blog. Near impossible to find here in Dallas. Closest is Chinatown in LA or SF.

    Hope Brownstone is treating you well, cheers!

    Comment by Anthony on January 7, 2011 at 4:28 am

  23. I could care less who wins, now that you are gone. I can’t help but feel you sabotage yourself, if not deliberately, then subconciously. First, chicken feet is an incredibly difficult ingredient to cook well. Even asian chefs have difficulty making good chicken feet. Second, chicken feet is not a kind of food you serve for dim sum. Third, why would you even entrust such a difficult dish to someone else to finish for you? As an experienced chef, you must have foresee these difficulties.
    Having said all that, I absoutely love you, the way you carry yourself, and I hope someday to taste your food.

    Comment by William Eng on January 7, 2011 at 5:05 am

  24. I loved seeing you on Top Chef this season and I was so sad they sent you home for the chicken feet. At least you tried to do something creative, I mean Tiffany basically did a salad, who serves salad at a dim sum place?

    Comment by Randy on January 7, 2011 at 12:42 pm

  25. I couldn’t believe you were sent home. I knew the quick-fire with Tom was a joke. He already knew what he was going to cook and right there takes a few minutes for a chef to decide what he is going to cook. I would love to see you make appearances. Good Luck in the future.

    Comment by Gail on January 7, 2011 at 12:58 pm

  26. Casey, you are a classy girl! I love that about you and you are funny too. Let me tell you, not for one minute did I believe that Tom cooked that dish impromtu. In his blog he said they informed him two days before the challange. Can you imagine what the rest of you chefs could do with two days planning? I do have to say that when Spike went home you said “you are in charge of your own dish, lesson of the day” (or something like that) so why would you let Antonia take over your dish? I know you had to work front of the house but still. It pains me! I hope it’s not the last we get to see of you!

    Comment by Tori on January 7, 2011 at 12:59 pm

  27. Hey Casey, LOVE all the way from Malaysia!!!
    was a HUGE fan since season 3

    well, sh*t happens.. n i bet this all star season will be so much lesser fun without u in it!
    anyhow, i will continue watching this n see who’s the TC this time…

    i really really really rooted for u, u know? *lol*

    Comment by MarvinC on January 7, 2011 at 1:32 pm

  28. casey, i love you and everything….but it was kind of ironic that you got sent home (seemingly) because antonia “lost control” of your dish, when Carla lost her season of top chef (seemingly) because YOU influenced her food way too much and caused her to lose control of her dishes….just thought that was an interesting thing to point out.

    Comment by Nicole on January 9, 2011 at 5:39 pm

  29. Valuable info. Lucky me I found your site by accident, I bookmarked it.

    Comment by Respiratory Therapist on January 10, 2011 at 6:31 pm

  30. My mum and I yelled at the TV screen when your name was called to go home. I’m from an Asian family and my mom was really impressed when you took on chicken feet. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of my family members or relatives ever cook chicken feet…so major props on taking that risk. I hope this isn’t the last I’ll see you on TV…maybe in an Iron Chef battle? Also, what places do you recommend in SF?

    Comment by Serena on January 11, 2011 at 3:30 am

  31. Casey man girl they did you wrong the girl who murdered your food should of been eliminated! I still think your a great chef and you will do well in all you do! You are far the best looking of all the seasons of top chef! Have a good one….

    Comment by Christopher on January 12, 2011 at 1:56 pm

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    Comment by nurse practitioner on January 12, 2011 at 2:37 pm

  33. Casey,
    I, too, commend you for choosing chicken feet, and am confident in your ability to prepare them in a delectable way. I also commend you for “taking one for the team” and representing the front of the house. I believe your folly was not in the unusual ingredient you chose, but not being able to personally oversee the execution of your dish from beginning to end. The show is inherently flawed in that way. Some of the most difficult challenges require chefs to take on roles beside executing their dish, which I think unevens the playing field. And, often times, contestants are crucified by the judges for it. But, I suppose it makes for good television.

    I also commented while watching the episode that Tom was obviously set up for success. The gimmick was transparent, but I did enjoy watching Tom cook (and sweat like Howie). So once again, entertaining television takes precedent over fair competition. In the world of “reality” tv, that fact merely has to be accepted.

    I have watched since Season 1, and you are definitley one of my favorites. Many of us thought you were a frontrunner to win Allstars, and that several of the stronger chefs have been eliminated too early. I wish you all the luck in the world, and hope one day to enjoy the privilege of tasting your food.

    Comment by Beth on January 12, 2011 at 5:21 pm

  34. Casey As a loyal top chef viewer of every season I have always thought you handled yourself with such grace and a “Top Chef.” I was appalled when your name was called for the chicken feet as you really didnot deserve to go home for that situation as a whole. What about helping to serve the front of the house, what about other chefs dishes. I just want you to know you have always been an inspiration to me as the “chef” of my family and this particular episode was very bothersome for those of us who feel you were unfairly judged. My family and I live in southern calif. and I have always watched what you have prepared and try to give it the casey touch for my family. You were such a good sport.

    Comment by Jane on January 12, 2011 at 10:27 pm

  35. chef casey thompson, you rock! i love the blog! now i’m extra sad you were eliminated. which was ridiculous, but i digress. you were a favorite of mine on your season and i was stoked to see you on all stars. i will miss your commentary! so with that i wish you continued success and hopefully they’ll let you judge one season. cheers!

    Comment by justjudith on January 12, 2011 at 11:18 pm

  36. Chef Casey,
    What a bummer! Loved watching you in Season 3 and I REJOICED when you got on All-Stars! You went too soon I have LOVED cooking and entertaining my entire life, and I’m pleased to say that after going all the way through college and graduating, I am reverting back to my love for ‘nourishing people’, and I will start culinary school in the fall in Kansas City. Top Chefs like you and Carla inspired me to love what I do and do what I love. You can really see the joy you get out of cooking and making people happy.
    As a Kansas girl, I love the fact that you stay true to your roots but aren’t afraid to integrate other cultures. This is what the world needs now! I can’t wait to make it down to Fort Worth and indulge in the Brownstone (maybe some chicken feet). I look forward to reading more.
    Thanks!
    -Leah

    Comment by Leah Stools on January 14, 2011 at 1:44 pm

  37. Casey,

    Missing you on the show. I spent many an evening rubbing truffle oil and saffron sauce all over my frisbee sized man nipples watching you. I get strange feelings in my bathing suit spot everytime I catch a glimpse of a chickens foot.

    Comment by Edwardo McDingleDorf on January 17, 2011 at 10:48 pm

  38. My cousin recommended this blog and she was totally right keep up the fantastic work!

    Comment by llc on January 19, 2011 at 4:47 pm

  39. This is tough. I’m not saying you are responsible, personally I think that its those that aren’t motivated to change.

    Comment by Harriette Abbate on January 23, 2011 at 7:59 am

  40. Hello Casey,

    You are definitely one of my favourites on the show. I was very disappointed when you were sent home. But I don’t I don’t feel as bad for you, because of what you have written in this post. I was actually disappointed to read that you didn’t stand behind most of your dishes. Nonetheless, you are a fantastic chef. I hope to try your food someday. Good luck!

    Yours truly,

    Rahim Merchant

    Comment by Rahim Merchant on February 13, 2011 at 4:51 pm

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