Looks like Whole Foods is going to remain the gourmet grocery store of choice for the Top Chef production crew. A reader and Top Chef obsessive at the Bowery branch at 7:30 p.m. yesterday spotted the crew in addition to a sign announcing that anyone entering the store would automatically agree to being filmed for a production by 'Magical Elves.' Our spy followed the film crew around the corner to Chrystie Street and spotted all of the contestants loading their coolers of food into large white vans (they don't really drive around in Rav4s all day). Here are her descriptions of all of the contestants:
· 20-something Indian-American woman, on the short side and looking a bit bedraggled
· 40ish man, balding, gray hair, trim beard, smoking a cigarette and looking tough, black leather clogs.
· Late 30s man, tall, husky, like a mix between Season 3's Joey, Howie and Season' 4's Eric all rolled into one.
· Shorter Asian dude, wearing a wife beater, exceedingly tan, and covered with black tattoos.
· Tall, African-American woman with a bandanaNote, the descriptors were the spy's, not ours. According to the man behind the fish counter he sold over $600 worth of seafood to the contestants. Perhaps for a Ripert challenge? Anyone who can ID the cheftestants from the above descriptions, please share. To the rest of you aspiring spies, more Top Chef intel is always welcome.
· Late 20s dude, dark hair, with the soft paunch of a Williamsburg hipster.
·Tall, thin pretty/crunchy looking female, no makeup
· Another shorter, more non-descript female.
· There was another chick, tall, thin, blond, an indie pin-up, who might have been part of the crew.
· One of the coolers had the name "Gene" written on it
· All Top Chef Coverage [~E~]