top chef

Top Chef Winners: Where Are They Now?

1. The winner of the first season of Top Chef took the top prize in October, 2005. Before being on the Bravo show, he had trained at the Culinary Institute of America and in the kitchens of The Hamptons' Della Femina and NYC's The Harrison. He left The Harrison in 2006 and opened his own spot Perilla, named for an Asian mint-like herb. The Greenwich Village "neighborhood" restaurant opened to pretty good reviews and is still going strong today.

2.
  Ilan Hall took top honors in the show's second season. Previously, he had trained at Italy's Lorenzo de Medici School, the Culinary Institute of America, and at a laundry list of prestigious NYC kitchens, including Casa Mono. After winning the show, Hall opened his first restaurant, The Gorbals, in LA in 2009. After being shuttered by the health department due to an inadequate water heater, the restaurant, known most for its bacon-wrapped matzah balls, reopened.

3. 

The charasmatic Vietnamese-American chef was a favorite on the show's third season. Born in Vietnam, Huynh earned a degree from the Culinary Institute of America and served as sous chef at the ultra-luxe Vegas spot Guy Savoy. Since the show's finale in 2007, Huynh served as guest executive chef at NYC's Solo, competed in the Bocuse d'Or (where he won the Best Fish award), and is now cooking at NYC's Buddha Bar (despite some buzz that the chef was going to open his own kosher restaurant).

4.
The too-nice-for-reality-TV chef won the show's fourth season. After earning a sociology degree from the University of Michigan, Izard studied culinary arts at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute. Izard closed her own restaurant Scylla to compete in Top Chef, and has been busy since getting her second restaurant, "Girl & The Goat" (background on the name here), opened in Chicago's West Loop neighborhood. It will be opened by the end of the month. She recently shared her recipe for asparagus, rhubarb, and goat cheese salad with Time Out Chicago.

5.


The Colorado-based chef made odd use of his BA in Engineering Physics. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Boulder, Rosenberg worked in the kitchens of West Coast chefs like Wolfgang Puck. He became sous chef at Colorado's Jax Fish House in 2004 before going on Top Chef. Since the show, he's been traveling and helping to support sustainable agriculture.

6.

The sixth season winner has been working in restaurants since he was 15. After training in Europe, he moved back to the States to work in West Virginia's Greenbrier Hotel, Healdsburg's Charlie Palmer's Dry Creek Kitchen, and Jose Andres' Bazaar in LA. Since winning the show, he's served as Chef de Cuisine at The Dining Room at The Langham Hotel in Pasadena, California.

saints super bowl ring

Super Bowl ring day is coming up for the New Orleans Saints Saints. Several players who were released or signed elsewhere, free agent defensive end Charles Grant, have returned to New Orleans for the ceremony. New Orleans Saints players and coaches will receive their Super Bowl XLIV Championship rings in a ceremony Wednesday night.
Despite all the accomplishments they have racked up over a professional athlete’s career, the Saints said nothing compared to this. After the Lombardi Trophy, the Super Bowl ring is the one item the New Orleans Saints played their hearts out for. Team members have arrived in the team hotel here in down town New Orleans.
The New Orleans Saints aren’t finished celebrating last season’s Super Bowl title quite yet. Saints officials are keeping details about the ring secret until the ceremony. Created by Tiffany & Co, which also makes the Lombardi Trophy, the ring was designed by a committee representing players, coaches and ownership.

calista flockhart

Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart -- Married

We got the tip from Lisa Stanley at K-Earth 101 in L.A. and just confirmed it ourselves.

We're told the couple was married in the Governor's mansion in Santa Fe. Their marriage license was filed today in the County Clerk's Office.

Harrison and Calista have been together for almost 8 years, and got engaged over Valentine's weekend in 2009.

Harrison is filming "Cowboys and Aliens" in New Mexico right now.

miles austin

Is Miles Austin in relationship with Kim Kardashian?

It could be possible but we don’t now yet for sure. Miles Austin and Kim Kardashian were seen together a few times but they did not confirm their relationship yet.
Everybody knows that Kim Kardashian’s relationship with Reggie Bush is over, even if, in the past, they talked about marriage.
Sports by Brooks, the National Enquirer said that Miles Austin was invited by Kim at a game of the NBA Finals and that they had dinner after the game. The dinner or the game does not make them have a relationship but the idea is not excluded.
Kim Kardashian is 30 years old and rumors say that she is looking for a husband. Could Miles Austin be the match for Kim?

there will be blood

There Will Be Blood

The latest poll by National Public Radio is filled with very bleak news for Democrats.

NPR polled people who live in the 70 most competitive races in the House this year, 10 of which are Republican seats and 60 of which are Democratic seats. Overall, Republicans lead the generic ballot by eight points (49 v. 41) in these 70 districts. In the Democratic districts, Republicans lead by five points (47 v. 42). And in GOP districts Republicans lead by 16 points (53 v. 37). Those are awful numbers for Democrats — but they get worse.
While Republicans lead on the generic ballot 47 percent v. 42 percent in the 60 Democratic districts, among voters who rate their interest in the election as 8 or higher on a 10-point scale, the data shows a 14-point advantage for Republicans (53 percent v. 39 percent). Among independent voters in Democratic districts, the GOP has a lead of 21 points (50 v. 29). And nearly half of those in Democratic tiers self-identify as conservatives (see the full data set here).
It is hard to imagine the data being much worse for the Democrats at this stage. It is now to the point where even some of Obama’s courtiers in the press recognize that, “Yup, November Will Be a Bloodbath.”
Yup, it will.

Hitachi Consulting UK Helps JLT Further Extend the Benefits of BenPal via the iPhone Platform

Hitachi Consulting UK Helps JLT Further Extend the Benefits of BenPal via the iPhone Platform
LONDON, UK — 9 June, 2010 — Hitachi Consulting UK today announced the development and delivery of a standalone version of the BenPal pension modeller for use on the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch platforms for JLT Benefit Solutions Limited. The new modeller is a standalone version of the existing enterprise class integrated pension and benefits management system that HCUK originally designed and built with JLT, delivered as an iPhone application available for download free in the iTunes App Store from 7th June.

The BenPal modeller allows an employee to determine the projected value of their pension based upon a number of simple facts about themselves and their pension scheme and provides the employee with a rich, graphical interface which can be used to model the effect of changes in contribution, retirement age and other variables on the final value of their pension. The modeller can also be used to determine what the employee would need to contribute in order to retire with a pension of a certain value.

HCUK was appointed by JLT to scope, design and build an iPhone version of the original modeller, taking into account BenPal’s look and feel, to reflect the central branding and creative imagery. The project, adhering to Apple’s development and human interface guidelines, was completed within eight weeks, which included the design and build of a calculation engine and automated testing.

Charlie Carrick, solutions director at JLT Online Benefits, said, “The best way to encourage UK employees to engage with their pension is to make it simple to understand and easy to access. With the BenPal system already available to clients via iPhones, as well as PCs and laptops, the development of a modeller application is a natural progression for us. We hope it helps the wider community to appreciate that pensions planning in a defined contribution world means taking greater responsibility and personal control, and having a bit of fun at the same time.”

Mark Smith, Enterprise Solutions Operation Director, Hitachi Consulting UK, commented, “This was a great project to embark on with JLT which delivers real benefits in an intuitive way. This first version of the iPhone pension modeller provides a platform for possible next steps such as integration with the BenPal online system, modelling other benefits and of course an iPad version.”

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About JLT Group plc
Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc (JLT) is an international group of Risk Specialists and Employee Benefits Consultants and one of the largest companies of its type in the world. JLT offers a distinctive choice to clients and partners through our combination of independence, scale and specialism. Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc is quoted on the London Stock Exchange and employs 6000 people worldwide and through JLT NetworkTM provides services in more than 120 countries. http://www.jltgroup.com

About Hitachi Consulting Corporation
As Hitachi, Ltd.'s (NYSE: HIT) global consulting company, with operations in the United States, Europe and Asia, Hitachi Consulting is a recognized leader in delivering proven business and IT strategies and solutions to
 
Global 2000 companies across many industries. With a balanced view of strategy, people, process and technology, we work with companies to understand their unique business needs, and to develop and implement practical business strategies and technology solutions. From business strategy development through application deployment, our consultants are committed to helping clients quickly realize measurable business value and achieve sustainable ROI.
Hitachi Consulting's client base includes 25 percent of the Global 100 as well as many leading mid-market companies. We offer a client-focused, collaborative approach and transfer knowledge throughout each engagement. For more information visit www.hitachiconsulting.com

About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 360,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2009 (ended March 31, 2010) consolidated revenues totaled 8,968 billion yen ($96.4 billion). Hitachi will focus more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes information and telecommunication systems, power systems, environmental, industrial and transportation systems, and social and urban systems, as well as the sophisticated materials and key devices that support them. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.

derek fisher

Going into the fourth quarter, the Lakers only held a six point lead, a far cry from the 17-point lead that the Lakers held earlier in the game. With their new found momentum, the Celtics opened up the fourth with two Glen Davis layups followed by a Rajon Rondo lay up, cutting the Laker lead down to one.
With 8:56, the Lakers savvy veteran got to the rim to stop the bleeding. His layup pushed the lead back to three points. After a Kevin Garnett jumper and a Davis free throw, he went to work again, hitting a barrage of jumpers and leaners in the paint.
6:20 – 12 footer in the lane after creating space from Ray Allen
5:33 – 19 foot jumper to extend the lead to six points
4:33 – 15 footer following two straight Glen Davis buckets
We’ve become accustomed to scoring barrages like this since 1996. Kobe Bryant has always had the ability to light up the box score in short periods of time. Eight points in just over four minutes isn’t something we haven’t seen before – but this time it wasn’t from Kobe. It was Derek Fisher who almost single handedly kept the Lakers alive with the Celtics threatening to retake their first lead since just under five minutes left in the first quarter. And it would be Fisher who would ice the game. With just under a minute left to play, Fish grabbed a defensive rebound, pushed the ball and scored while getting fouled. His free throw moved the lead to seven and completely out of reach for the Celtics.
It’s always great to see a guy like Derek Fisher come through in the clutch. 11 points in the fourth quarter, closing the game for the Lakers much like his draft mate Kobe has done countless times over the years. It’s the ability to close games that gets you championships – the Glengarry Glen Ross principle as I like to call it:
To win championships, you have to know your ABCs. You have to Always Be Closing. In Game 2, the Lakers were given the conjectural Glengarry leads (a three-point lead with about five minutes left to play) and they couldn’t close the door. The leads were thrown away, allowing the Celtics to close and go back to Boston with home court advantage. Game 3, the opposite happened. The Celtics put them in a position to take another win from the Lakers and Derek Fisher came through for the Lakers despite the poor shooting from Kobe and huge game from Kevin Garnett. To further the GGR analogy, Game 3 can be broken down into four categories: AIDA (Attention, Interest, Decision and Action).
Attention: The Lakers really paid more attention to detail in Game 3, especially on the defensive end of the floor. I thought the Lakers did a fantastic job on Ray Allen. The Laker bigs were showing on screens, not allowing Allen to get off uncontested jumpers. They packed the paint when Paul Pierce had the ball, not allowing him to get going. He made three 3-pointers, but you can live with that when he isn’t able to get to the rim or knock down that shot he loves to take at the elbow. Keeping Pierce on the parameter also meant keeping him off of the free throw line. Rajon Rondo didn’t come anywhere near 10 rebounds this game and was held to 11 points. Kevin Garnett finally got going scoring 25, but he was making a lot of tough, contested shots. I can live with that if the Celtics, especially since the rest of the Celtics only scored 59 points.
Interest: One of the things about Lamar Odom is, on nights where he’s not playing well, he looks disinterested. Tonight was not one of those games. Odom came in right away and created a good look for Pau Gasol which led to two free throws. 12 points and five rebounds are a far cry from his most productive game of the season, but it was a huge improvement from his first two games. I also thought he made one of the biggest plays of the game that won’t be found on the box score. With about 1:45 left to play, Pau Gasol and Kobe had to switch on a Rondo-Garnett screen and roll. Kobe was on the block guarding a hot Kevin Garnett (he had just made two straight shots on Gasol) one-on-one. Lamar Odom rotated over from the right block to double-team Garnett, which ended in a Garnett turnover. (You also have to give some credit to Ron Artest for rotating down to a wide open Glen Davis, who was having a great quarter at that point, also. Garnett saw him as Artest rotated down, if not for Odom and Artest, the lead is cut to two, and the Fish three point play probably doesn’t happen.)
Decision: The Lakers offense in the first half was much improved from what it was in Game 2. The ball was constantly moving, guys were moving without the ball, and most importantly, they were making quick decisions. For much of Game 2, I wondered what happened to the crisp passing and quick, smart decisions that gave the Lakers the Game 1 win. Well, those offensive principles came back for Game 3. There were very few possessions in the first half where the ball was held for too long, there wasn’t any over dribbling and the Lakers were attacking the rim which gave them the 12 point edge going into the half. Those principles disappeared in the third quarter, allowing the Celtics to come roaring back into the game. The Lakers decisiveness is going to be key in Game 4.
Action: Action is simply the state of doing, and the Lakers had loads of action in Game 3. They were active on the boards (43 to 35 advantage), they were active defensively and they were active when their collective backs were against the wall. Before the game, I talked with a friend about how I’d like to see the Lakers win a tough one in Game 3. There is nothing that puts more confidence in a group of guys winning a tough playoff game on the road – especially when it’s the NBA Finals in the Boston Garden. The Lakers acted upon the Celtics initial run by closing out the 1st quarter on a 21 to five run. After a big lead, the Celtics made it much closer than it should have been, but he Lakers fought through the adversary and closed the game on an 8-2 run.
The Lakers are now in a great position as far as this series is concerned, but it’s not over. There are still two more games to be won before they can put up their 16th banner, but knowing that they’re only two games away from the title because of Derek Fisher’s clutch play down the stretch is a great feeling. Game 4 is on Thursday.