The Town Broker

Bravo’s Top Chefs Make Westfield Their New Home

OK…it was only for a few hours. But those of you who know me know that outside of selling homes, cooking is my other real passion!The Top Chef team from Bavo TV’s show of the same name have hit the road again. And Westfield is their only NJ stop on the tour. So naturally, I took a break from my day to check this out!

Top Chefs Duarte and Merriman Give Demonstration & Answer Questions

Bravo TV set up their tent and stage in the Lord & Taylor parking lot on North Avenue, directly across the street from the store.  Chefs Ariane Duarte (Season 5) and Ashley Merriman  (Season 6) gave several cooking demonstrations throughout the day, and answered questions about their experience of being on the show.

I caught the 12 noon demonstration. The tent was packed and people seemed just as interested with the chef’s experiences on the show as they were with the recipe at hand.

Clearly, these were people who watched the show, and were very interested in the “drama” it offered week after week.

“Did you think the producers captured your personality accurately in the show, or was there too much left out in editing?”  “Did you get to try the other contestant’s dishes?”  “Did you agree with the judges decisions or do you think they had biases?” It was a really fun and interesting way to spend an hour on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Downtown Westfield. As I crossed the street and headed back to my car, I had a short interaction with the Westfield police office directing traffic. “You better make sure they send you some samples” I said. “The food is terrific”

If you hurry, you might still make the next demonstration at 3pm!

Tags: Bravo TV, Top Chef, Westfield