GAYOT's Blog

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by Sophie Gayot

Bubbles of Perrier-Jouët Champagne were floating in glasses during the 4th Annual Women in Film pre-Oscar reception hosted by Academy Award® Winners Halle Berry and Cathy Schulman. The star-studded event was held at the Soho House’s garden rooftop in West Hollywood on Friday, February 25th.

The few men who attended the party, including Halle’s new flame Olivier Martinez, were happy to mingle with Amy Adams, Kate Walsh, Gillian Jacobs, Melissa Leo, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, Jennifer Morrison, Hailee Steinfeld and Malika Sherawat, among others.

WIF President Cathy Schulman reiterated the night’s theme when she said, “This organization is about women supporting women.” Halle also briefly greeted the crowd, speaking about how, as women, it is important to support each other and lift each other up.

Continue reading “Women in Film & Champagne” »

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by Sophie Gayot

Two days ago, I finally got to spend quality time Nona Sivley, the winner of season 8 of Hell’s Kitchen, in person. The funny thing is that when I was on the show judging a challenge on episode 8, I had to compare her to another chef. And she won!

Sivley is as sweet as a person can be. She has such positive energy, you just want to be around her; her husband Curtis and son Jackson are very lucky. She has now arrived at Kerry Simon’s LA Market at the JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. Live to work as the chef de cuisine. She’s always pleasant, even though she gets in at 6 a.m. and leaves around 10 p.m. If you thought being a chef was an easy job, you are mistaken.

Continue reading “A Sweet Angel out of Hell” »

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Chef Suzanne Goin of Lucques restaurant in front of the CNN camera, discussing the dinner she will be serving at the 2011 SAG Awards

by: Sophie Gayot

Chef Suzanne Goin was the star yesterday at her restaurant Lucques in West Hollywood. More than fifteen television stations fought to get her to describe the menu that she will be serving at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, January 30th, at the Shrine Exposition Center for the A-list guests.

Ingredients for her antipasto plates include a whopping 150 pounds of Parmesan, 175 lemons, 1,900 dates, 8 pounds of Feta, 400 shallots, 4 gallons of yogurt, 120 pounds of salmon, and 140 pounds of lamb. I got to try four of her creations (see photos below), which was great because I unfortunately will not be attending the event. They were quite refreshing. There’s no movie magic needed to liven up Goin’s cooking!

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by: Sophie Gayot

 

There are many ways to buy products from Harry & David, the 75-year-old gourmet gift company. They have a website, a 24/7 call center (1-877-322-1200), catalogues and 126 retail stores throughout the country, making it one of the largest in the US. But this is a big country, so to make our lives even easier, they have decided to open 16 pop-up stores for the holidays to get closer to you.

  Continue reading “Harry & David & You” »

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by Sophie Gayot

For the third time, I was called by Gordon Ramsay to be a judge on his highly watched television show Hell’s Kitchen. Thank you, Gordon! When telling the story, I always get the question, “Is it fun?” Indeed, it is. And Ramsay can behave charmingly as much as he can talk very loud (or scream as some would say).

The challenge I had to judge (along with chef/owner Mark Peel of Campanile, Nobu West Hollywood‘s general manager Justin Wyborn, and food blogger Libby Rego) was part of the 100th milestone episode of the show; episode 8.8, which aired on October 13th. The red team (four women and one guy) was pitted against the blue team (four men), fighting for what I had to determine would be the most expensive dish. Continue reading “Judging (Again) on Hell’s Kitchen” »

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by Sophie Gayot

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What happens when ladies go to lunch together, especially if some of them are French? Chances are they will be talking about food, and how to stay thin.

 

This is what happened to me when Mireille Guiliano, the author of “French Women Don’t Get Fat,” was in Los Angeles to present her new book, “The French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook.” The book is, of course, a logical sequel to the first one. Guiliano tested all the recipes: 150 new ones and eight classics from the first book.
 

Continue reading “Ladies Who Lunch” »

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by Sophie Gayot 

  

If you missed my appearance last week on The Bikini Chef Susan Irby’s radio show on KFWB News Talk 980 in Los Angeles, here is another chance to hear us discuss the L.A. area restaurants that are perfect for outdoor dining during these summer days. (Click on The Bikini Chef Susan Irby link above.)

 

 

Readers can also consult our lists of the best outdoor dining in other parts of the country. Enjoy!

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by Sophie Gayot
 
We know we cannot see Olympic-gold-medal snowboarder Shaun White when he practices his routines. I can watch him while he competes, but with my job, the easiest way to see him live is to run into him at a restaurant. This happened at the famous steakhouse Mastro’s in Beverly Hills a few weeks ago. I am happy to report that he is as charming and nice as he comes across on camera.

But the next day, when I called the restaurant to ask what the champion had chosen from their menu, they refused to give me any information. Of course, the restaurant protects its celebrity clientele.

Continue reading “Hiding Celebrities In Plain Sight” »

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by Sophie Gayot

Some restaurants install large screen televisions for special sporting events, like the World Cup or the Super Bowl. But last Wednesday at Los Angeles’ Water Grill, the TVs were tuned to the premiere of season 7 of Top Chef in Washington D.C. Among the contestants was Amanda Baumgarten, who had been working at the downtown seafood restaurant as sous-chef under executive chef David LeFevre for just ten days.

As we dined on Thai snapper, soft-shell crab and Columbia River king salmon, we cheered Amanda on as she followed Tom Colicchio’s orders, and winced when she cut herself deeply while peeling potatoes.

Continue reading “Good Luck, Amanda” »

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