The 10 Best Lines from the Times' Sam Talbot Profile

Today, the Times ran a monster of a profile on chef Sam Talbot, he of Top Chef fame and most recently Imperial No. 9 at the new Mondrian Hotel in Soho. They talk about how handsome he is, the cool circles he runs in, how he cares so much about his food, his super cool clothes, how handsome he is. Read the whole thing—called, blandly enough, 'A Chef is Cooking'—if you have the spare time. Or just peruse the best 10 best lines.

1) "...his kitchen staff of 45 has been meticulously outfitted in Rogan’s Loomstate line and Native shoes, a cooler version of Crocs that Mr. Talbot discovered during a N.E.R.D concert at Art Basel Miami Beach, when reps were handing out free boxes."

2) "He lives alone in an industrial Williamsburg loft with his pit bull mix Tank, listens to soulful English folk rock and is usually in bed by 11."

3) Talbot, on the modern day chef: "You have to go to media training, you have to learn to be engaging, how to speak, and to have mass appeal."

4) "He showed up in his typical uniform: Rogan flannel and a pair of 1980s work boots that he bought on eBay for $6."

5) "'At the Mondrian,' he said, 'every fish I use, I know the name of the vessel, the captain’s name, the exact time it was caught and the ocean it was caught in.'"

6) On Top Chef types: "These new schoolers tend to have tattoos (Mr. Talbot has 10), use hair gel, wear man jewelry and sport gym-buffed physiques clad in tailored flannels, designer denim and $50 T-shirts."

7) On Talbot's turn on Top Chef: "Any nonculinary drama he created tended to be from his manly wardrobe choices: skullcaps, beaded necklaces, boxer shorts poking out of his jeans."

8) "Since his TV debut four years ago, he’s become a staple on the A-list party circuit, attending launchings at boutiques like Opening Ceremony, polo tournaments in the Hamptons, downtown fashion shows and Art Basel Miami Beach, where he exhibited his own nautical-themed paintings at a private dinner he hosted with the photographer Poppy de Villeneuve for the junior art set."

9) "Everyone talks about who I’m dating or not dating or married or not married. The stigma doesn’t hurt me in any way. Does it help me? I don’t know."

10) "After the show, he took a cross-country road trip to reflect. 'I rented a Dodge Durango and slept in the back seat.'"

· A Chef is Cooking [NYT]
· All Coverage of Sam Talbot [~ENY~]