The Unfiltered Ramblings of a DVR Addict

Being a Fort Worth, TX boy I’m very familiar with Chef Tim Love, his cooking, and his restaurants: Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, The Love Shack, and The White Elephant Saloon.  In a place known as Cowtown, Chef Love has proven that it’s ok to eat something other than beef, although he does make the best garlic-stuffed tenderloin I’ve ever eaten.  When he opened Lonesome Dove in 2000 Tim Love really started to make a name for himself in the culinary world as a great chef with a talent for creating classic southern dishes with a fine dining flare.  His motto: “Eat, Drink & Live Well” seems to fit in everything he does.

Chef Love really helped cement his reputation when he appeared on Iron Chef America in a victorious “Chile” battle against Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto.   He’s also appeared on numerous TV shows ranging from The Today Show to the Food Networks Challenge.  This summer Tim Love was a contestant on the premiere episode of Bravo’s new show Top Chef Masters (which we covered here), and last night he was the guest judge on Bravo’s Top Chef.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to get to talk with Chef Tim Love about his experience as a contestant on Top Chef Masters and as a judge on Top Chef.

JoeOnTheTube (JOTT):  First off Chef, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us.

Chef Tim Love (CTL): I’m happy to do it.

JOTT:  When you were contacted to be on Top Chef Masters and Top Chef, were you already a fan of the show?

CTL:  What I had seen of the show I liked.  I don’t get to watch it a lot since I’m working at my restaurants at night.  Of course I’m aware of TiVo, but I don’t watch a lot of TV.  My wife, Emilie is a big fan.

JOTT:  I want to talk a little about your experience on Top Chef Masters first.  On that premiere episode you spoke about that you didn’t go to culinary school and you never trained under any famous chefs.  What that a little intimidating walking into the room to see someone like Hubert Keller who’s won numerous Michelin Stars and is kind of a larger than life culinary rock star?

CTL: Well I’ve faced it my whole life.  I’d met Hubert Keller once before, and I know a lot of these great famous chefs so it wasn’t all that intimidating.  By the time we all went out for cocktails we were all getting along great and a lot of whatever intimidation was gone.

JOTT: Tell me a little about your challenge.

CTL: Our quickfire was a dessert challenge, and we were only given 30 minutes instead of the usual 45 so that was tough.  Our judges were a group of Girl Scouts.  For our elimination challenge we were asked to prepare a meal in a dorm room with only a hot plate.

JOTT: Which show was more challenging, Top Chef Masters or Iron Chef America?

CTL:  They were very different.  On Masters I felt like I never really got to cook.  On some of the later episodes they really got to cook.  It was more like a game show.  On Iron Chef America you don’t know what your ingredient is going to be, but you can be more prepared going in.  You have 40 or 50 dishes in your arsenal that you know you can pull from.  You also have everything you need in that kitchen.  Going against Morimoto was just awesome because that guy is amazing.

JOTT: Tell me a little bit about your episode on Top Chef that you were the judge.

CTL:  I was the only guest judge they had on the episode.  The quickfire was working with cactus, which none of the contestants had ever worked with it before.

JOTT:  I’m guessing you are familiar with it?

CTL:  I use cactus all the time.  The elimination challenge was cooking over an open flame, something else I do a lot.  I thought all these chefs were really good.

JOTT:  Who do you think will win it all, do you have any favorites?

CTL:  Like I said they are all good.  I think the brothers are great.  I like Kevin and Laurine too.  When I got to the site of the elimination challenge, Tom Colicchio, who I’ve known for a long time told me how good the chefs were this season and said, “You are going to taste some good food today.”

JOTT:  I follow you on Twitter (www.twitter.com/cheftimlove) and I saw that a month or two back you did a lamb burger cook off with Top Chef season 2 winner Ilan Hall and season 4 runner-up Richard Blais at your burger joint, The Love Shack.  How did you hook up with them?

CTL:  I met Ilan the year after he won Top Chef, and I’ve been out to LA to eat at his restaurant The Gorbles.  I met Richard last year at The Aspen Food & Wine Festival.  The cook-off was a good time.

JOTT:  Lastly, In recent seasons of Top Chef we’ve seen  a lot of Southern chefs and Southern cooking move to the forefront with chef’s like Tre Wilcox who’s from Dallas, Richard Blais, Carla Hall, and now Kevin Gillespe from this season.  Is the South getting more respect as a culinary region?

CTL:  We alienate ourselves a lot.  The South gets respect in the food world, but we have a chip on our shoulder because we aren’t New York.  Those chefs cook ‘technical comfort food’ and I see the industry going that way.  people want to go out and have bad ass food for $20 or $30 a person instead of $60 or $70.

JOTT:  Can you tell me who won and who went home on your episode of Top Chef?

CTL:  Of course not, you want to be able to keep getting interviews, right?

JOTT:  Just thought I’d try.  Chef, myself and the readers of JoeOnTheTube.com really appreciate it.

CTL:  Your welcome.  Thank you.