Top Chef JD goes to a world of pure imagination,True Blood mops up a few messes and the next Design Star is....

There was no Quickfire Challenge on Top Chef: Just Desserts this week,as all of the contenders were treated to a special theatrical viewing of the 1971 cult classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Once the film was over,Judge Gail appeared and called up four people from the audience to the stage to reveal that they were the original child cast members from the movie. The chefs were thrilled beyond belief to have been watching ,what was for many of them, their favorite film with the "real" Violet Beauregard,Veruca Salt,Mike TeeVee and Charlie Bucket.



The Elimination Challenge was to recreate Wonka Land,mainly the main chocolate woodland room that the kids get to visit first in the film. Homage to the movie was encouraged but so was adding your own creative twist to the treats.

The Wonka cast joined the judges for the grand display and tasting,along with a group of children and special guest judge Ron Ben-Israel,who will soon be starring in his own Food Network show entitled Sweet Genius(he does look like a mad scientist type,which makes me want to watch that series quite a bit!).



One of the chefs who did very well here was Carlos,for his peanut butter and jelly macaroons and meringue lollipops.

His crowning achievement was a recreation of the infamous "lickable wallpaper" from the film,which tasted much better than the kind the cast actually had to sample on screen.



The big success,however,was Katzie who made goodies that were in synch with the theme of the film yet her own inspiration. She made a "carrot patch" that allowed you to pull out of the ground a chocolate covered carrot cake. Charlie Bucket himself praised her for such a Wonka type of tasty notion.



She also made an edible bee hive that you could squirt honey out of and then spread on a little cake. Making her sweets interactive was a smart move there. The judges loved everything that Katzie did and gave her the win for this round.



On the bad side of the sugary spectrum,Megan was in trouble for her lavender shortbread served with orange cream. The lavender was nonexistent in terms of taste and the cream was cloyingly sweet. Part of her problem was in helping out too many other people with their projects and not taking enough time with hers.



Sally had that same issue,as her attention was turned towards assisting with the overall look of the room and not focused enough on the "dirt" she made from pistachio financier cakes and mousse. Most of the complaints had to do with how it was served because you pretty much had to take it off the ground with your hands. Since adults were present,adding a couple of garden style scoops to the offering might have made the difference.



Lucky for them both,this week's double elimination found two other folks who needed to leave more. Craig was handed his walking papers for the large sized gummy bears that he made(with a lot of help from Sally)that tasted terrible.

Craig was meant to go home long before this-not to be mean but he's been screwing up since day one on this show. He does seem like a nice guy,so I wish him well and hope that he improves his skills.



Joining Craig out the door was Melissa,whose duel desserts neatly displayed her on-again,off-again performance throughout the show so far. While her whoopie pie daisies were a delight,the green donuts that she made for a cactus stand were dry and just plain awful. She's had trouble since day one,too but I think her skill set is sharper than Craig's and that she'll do great wherever she goes.

Next week,the chefs have to take over an amusement park snack stand and it won't be a day at the beach for any of them-stay tuned for tasty treats,folks!



On the finale of Design Star, Karl and Meg had to film pilot episodes of their proposed shows as well as make over rooms for real families in neighboring brownstone apartments.

Each of them had a producer on hand,along with a carpenter and some of their former competitors to help out(no,Cathy was not one of them,thank goodness).



Karl's concept was "Inspired Design" and he choose to emulate the architecture of the building into the room he had to work with. I thought he did a good job of combining the tastes of the husband and wife who lived there with repainting a Tuscan style cabinet in a Brooklyn Bridge graffiti motif.



Meg's theme was "Design Crimes" and the first crime she spotted was a lovely Buddha head sculpture that was buried in a back window. She made that statue one of the strong focal points of the room and end result was a comfortable yet sophisticated space suitable for a growing family.



The winner for this season is Meg and I'm happy for her. She's had her share of highs and lows here but her concepts are solid,plus the idea of "Design Crimes" is a good one. She'll be seen on HGTV Great Rooms sometime soon but I truly hope that Design Crimes becomes an actual series,because plenty of people would love to watch that.

Congrats to Meg and kudos to David Bromstad as the mentor for this season. He did a picture perfect job and I hope he reprises that role next year as well:





True Blood wrapped up it's fourth season,leaving plenty of questions answered as well as opening up a few more plot doors for next time. As a number of unexpected guests showed up around Bon Temps on Halloween night,one of the most unwelcome was Marnie. In full control over Lafayette's body,she murdered Jesus in order to steal his magic and take full revenge on Eric and King Bill.

Sookie,Tara and Holly came to their rescue and with a circle of salt and the right incantation,the three of them were able to summon up spirits of the dead to take Marnie away.

One of them was Antonia,who no longer was driven to dwell on the horrors she faced in her life time and a very special surprise guest was Sookie's Gran. Gran took her usual no nonsense approach to the situation and even took a moment to offer Sookie a little advice before she departed once again:





Once that was cleared up,Sookie then turned her attention to Eric and Bill,both of whom were willing to be reasonable about whatever romantic relationship she wanted with either of them. She wisely chose to break up with them both and since she also turned down Alcide earlier that evening,Sookie is going solo again.

That couldn't have come at a better and/or worse time as Debbie Pelt popped in with a shotgun at Sookie's house to deliver some payback. Tara got the bad end of that deal and I sincerely hope that this is not the last we see of her. Well,that's one way to keep folks interested in the next season,I guess:



RANDOM NOTES:

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: Vampire fans can take heart in the reopening of the next chapter in this sinfully good supernatural soap opera. With Stefan being forced to indulge in his dark side and Damon having to restrain himself more than usual around Elena,this does seem like Opposite Day is the theme for this party:

My personal playlist for Ready Player One

Lately,I've been reading Ernest Cline's debut novel Ready Player One which is set in a futuristic world dominated by the ultimate in virtual reality games and the key to making high scores is in-depth knowledge of pop culture from the 1980s.

My full review of the book will be posted soon(as soon as I finish it,that is)but while you wait,I have assembled a set of music video clips that would serve as the most perfect soundtrack for this fantastically fun read.

While there are numerous pop culture riffs throughout the book that cut across all arenas of entertainment,the clips that were selected here reflect my favorite bit of cross promotion;tie-in movie theme songs:



First up is Cyndi Lauper's "Good Enough" from the cult classic The Goonies. This video was a major part of the studio's promotional campaign for the film,with the first half being released before the movie hit theaters.

One of the fun things about this is how jam packed with off beat celebs both parts are. In addition to Cyndi's regular crew of misfits(including Captain Lou Albano and her mother),most of the big league wrestlers from the WWF are on board as modern day villains and pirates with the actual kids from the movie allying themselves with Cyndi in her plight and yes,there is a Goonies based planet in the RPO universe:





Next,we have Huey Lewis and the News with "The Power of Love" from the original Back to the Future film.

The power of this tune lead it to becoming a Best Song nominee at the Oscars that year and despite the fact that Huey Lewis & company also contributed another song to the soundtrack(aptly named "Back in Time"),The Power of Love has persisted as the instant musical cue for the entire trilogy.

This movie certainly made an impact on the author of RPO,as one of the first things he bought with his advance money was an old school DeLorean,similar to the one Doc is driving in this video:





By an interesting coincidence,Huey Lewis was too busy working on the Back to the Future songs to take an offer to do the theme for Ghostbusters,which went to Ray Parker,Jr.

Some time later,Parker and Lewis were on opposite sides of a lawsuit claiming that the song bore a striking audio resemblance to an earlier HL&TN hit,"I Want a New Drug." Everyone wound up settling out of court and living somewhat happily ever,until Huey breached a confidentiality agreement about the whole thing on a VH1 special many years afterward.

None of this kerfuffle affected the popularity of the song itself,the celebrity cameo happy video or the film's influence on RPO:





Alas,it would not be right to end this play list without a mention of Highlander. That film does naturally get more than it's fair share of referencing in Ready Player One and for good reason. After all,the concept of "There can only be one!" does apply to the quest theme of the story.

The band Queen certainly weren't strangers to the notion of contributing their talents to fantasy films and having the movie's star Christopher Lambert join them on stage for "Princes of the Universe" was quite the camp coup here:



While you may be sick and tired of revisiting the 1980s,it is good to ponder about why this decade does seem to have a stronghold on certain segments of the pop culture audience today. Ready Player One does address that subject a bit as well as celebrate the wonderful wackiness that came from those days.

As the old saying somewhat goes,those who refuse to learn about the past are doomed to repeat it in more ways than one:

I don't know how come they keep turning Brit chick lit into American flicks

Opening up this week at a multiplex near you is I Don't Know How She Does It, starring Sarah Jessica Parker as Kate Reddy,a busy Boston business woman who finds juggling home and career a hard trick to manage on a daily basis. Amongst her many distractions are child care,competitive moms and the temptation to fool around with a handsome new client.

Some of the themes of this movie may sound a bit dated,partly due to it being based on a 2002 novel written by Alison Pearson. While that can be easily overlooked,the most striking change from page to screen is the nationality of the characters and setting. The source material is British and why the powers that be here felt the need to move the action to America is puzzling to me:





Perhaps in this case,it was to tailor the script as a SJP star vehicle but this isn't the first time that we've gotten Americanized versions of popular British chick lit stories. A couple of years ago,Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series was memorialized in film with a very Yank Isla Fisher playing the amiable addicted to spending leading lady.

While the movie was called Confessions of a Shopaholic,the first book in the series,the plot of the second book was merged into the script and considering that one was titled Shopaholic Takes Manhattan,that seemed to work out well there:





What gets me scratching my head over this is that part of the reason these books were optioned for the movies to start with is their popularity with readers and since the fans of the book like having their chick lit served up with English tea,so to speak,why not keep them Brit for the film adaptations?

Granted,some authors don't mind this at all such as Cecila Ahern,whose runaway bestselling novel P.S. I Love You was completely set in Ireland(and yes,I count that as British chick lit)but the movie started off in New York and worked a trip to Ireland into the film. Yet,I'm sure that this must perplex some of the UK readers as well as the US ones:





After all,it's not like a British version hasn't proven to be successful. Both of the Bridget Jones films stayed in England,with a fully British cast and even USA born lead Renee Zellweger took great pains to develop a proper accent for the part. She received a Best Actress nom at the Oscars that year and there's talk of a third film going around the campfire currently in Hollywood.

While the sequel didn't do as well with the critics and the movie going public as the original Bridget Jones' Diary did,it wasn't bad enough to scare away filmmakers from merry old England for good there.

A musical stage version is in the works on as we speak and not only is it in London but the likes of Lily Allen and Stephen Daldry are on board. An American Bridget just wouldn't do and I hope they never try it:



Perhaps I Don't Know How She Does It will do well,regardless of it's cultural transplant. Meanwhile,it would be nice for Hollywood to take a hint and realize that we in the States do enjoy British stories on screen that are not just set back in the past. Take a note,folks and do offer a spot of sweet English storytelling for the cinema which is in present day mode,won't you? You might be pleasantly shocked at how sweet a reception you'll be getting at the box office come Monday morning:

Are witches coming back in pop culture style?

In considering what to wear for Halloween this year, I found myself saying "Witches do seem to be in style this year" and in thinking that over,my quick assessment does hold a ring of truth to it.

Just look at season four of True Blood,which finished up it's run last night(more details to come later in the week)and how jam packed with witchy goodness it was. Fiona Shaw's performance as Marnie,a meek and mild medium who went buck wild with power brought back pleasant memories of Willow Rosenberg's magical emotional journey on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The mythology may be somewhat different but the character arcs were in many ways the same:





True Blood isn't the only spell casting stop in town for witches. The Vampire Diaries have been making more and more use of Bonnie and her powers during the second as well as the third season,setting her up as a major weapon in the battle to save Elena and friends from the forces of darkness.

Her personality has grown in leaps and bounds along with her sorcery skills,which keeps her story lines as fresh and as riveting as the lead characters on the series. Bonnie has come a long way from the sweet yet sensible best friend role she started out with and that's a good sign of strong writing and acting on any series:





The same network that gave life to the Vampire Diaries is now placing it's bets on an all witch show with the debut of The Secret Circle this fall. The show's premise is eerily similar to it's bloodsucking cousin;newcomer arrives in town and discovers a clique of supernaturally inclined folk eager to help or hinder her down the path of power.

It's also based on a series of teen themed books written by L.J.Smith(creator of Vampire Diaries)and whether or not lightning will strike twice on the CW with fans remains to be seen. However,it may be worth a look just to see more than mystical vibes humming along together:





The witch renaissance seems to be more of a small screen thing that a silver screen one at the moment. Granted,there are a handful of major Hollywood films in process that are tackling witches such as Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters and two live action productions of Snow White with the likes of Julia Roberts and Charlize Theron embodying the role of the Evil Queen.

I do believe that it is better in the long run for witches to build a stronghold on television rather the films these days. TV allows more time for character development and nuance while the demands of a big budget movie drives any magical persona right into the special effects section of the set and boxes them right in.

TV gives them some much needed breathing room,plus the f/x for many of these productions is at times right up there with the big boys in cinema:



While having witches strutting their mighty mojo on the fashionable streets on Pop Culture Lane is wonderful to see,there will be those anxious to have a more down to earth positive Wiccan approach taken instead of the traditional wicked witch motif.

There's room for both sides of that sinister coin to shine,in my opinion. After all,who better to defeat a bad witch than a good witch? Besides,part of the fun is in the reveling of evil and no one can touch a true mean queen witch on that:

Browsing thru some of the odds and ends at the book trailer park

Since we at LRG cover upcoming movie trailers on a regular basis,it only makes sense to include a book trailer round-up beyond our bimonthly book posts. As they say,so many books and so little time to catch up to them all but as they also say,nothing ventured,nothing gained.

First up is the highly anticipated new novel by Stephen King that has him taking on one of the most touched upon areas of American history over the past few decades. 11/22/63 is a time travel story,in which a high school teacher is clued in on a secret portal to the year 1958 within his small town.

Out of despair,he journeys back to that distant era and awaits his opportunity to prevent the JFK assassination. During those years,our hero takes on a new identity and meets what could be the true love of his life that could affect the course of more than just a nation's fate.

This isn't the first time that King has waxed nostalgic about the fifties/sixties and such a premise can be easily overwrought. However,if anyone can bring authentic emotion along with compelling twists of fantasy,it's Stephen King:





For something set in modern day but with a sinister kick as well,Bedbugs by Ben H. Winters promises to provide that special creepy-crawly feeling.

Susan and Alex Wendt decided to embrace their good fortune in life by moving their small family into a trendy new brownstone in Brooklyn. Everything seems to going great,with daughter Emma happy in her new school and father Alex's photography business gaining a nice batch of big name clients.

Mother Susan,however,keeps getting strange vibes about the place and insists that their apartment is infested with bedbugs,which the exterminator can't see and are only biting her. Sounds like a blend of Rosemary's Baby and Pacific Heights,which could make for some scary page turning fun:





Another eagerly awaited title due out this season is Erin Morganstern's debut novel,The Night Circus. The title is quite literal as the traveling performers at Le Cirque des Reves only entertain after dark.

One of their newest members,a young girl with psychic gifts named Celia,is pitted against Marco,another young protege,by their mentors with the intention of their student destroying the other.

However,as time goes on,Marco and Celia grow fond of each other and begin to fall in love. Advance word on this book makes it sounds like an instant must-read and hopefully,the story truly offers a display of literary wonders for the book loving audiences out here in the stacks:





Author Alice Hoffman is known for her mixture of fantasy within her works of women's fiction yet for her upcoming novel,The Dovekeepers,she plunges into the heady waters of historical fiction.

Her story is set in the year 70 C.E,as a group of women prepare for the worst at Masada where one of the most brutal battles against the Roman Empire was fought by an army of 900 Jews determined to outlast them. One is the daughter of an assassin,another was raised as a boy and taught to be a warrior.

With the limited protection that the dovecote they are assigned to tend barely holding out,these women must learn to trust each other in order to survive and save those who they can. This out of the box approach for Hoffman is rather ambitious and definitely worth checking out:



How much of an impact these book trailers will have upon the sales of their toted titles is uncertain but every little bit helps. With the release of any new book,there will always be those who are either quick to find fault or to see themselves in the work(especially if they personally know the author) yet it is encouraging to get some sort of reaction,even if it's not what you expected:

Top Chef JD gets pretty in pink,Design Star's final three and True Blood's witch war comes to an end..or does it?

In the guest judge spot this week on Top Chef:Just Desserts,we had a former Top Chef Masters contender,Hugh Acheson,start things off with a sticky Quickfire Challenge. The chefs had to create a new favor for Extra gum's line of Dessert Delights by whipping up a mini sweet treat that would fit into a tiny serving cup.



Much to his surprise,Craig won the challenge for his tiny pancakes with strawberry amaretto and mascarpone cream. Not only will his favors be added to a new pack of gum,he gets $25 grand and immunity for this round besides! Talk about cherry on top there,folks.



Craig also had the dubious honor of being a team leader for the Elimination Challenge,with Amanda heading up the other group. Each team has to create a special dessert table for Lisa Vanderpump,one of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,for the second anniversary of her restaurant Villa Rosa.

Her husband stopped in,with their little dog in tow, to give the teams helpful hints on what would be most appreciated. The color scheme is pink and a centerpiece is expected.



Team Amanda did very well,despite their initial confusion on what to do in the beginning. Their table layout was charming and they were smart enough to make a special treat for the couple's dog as well.

Amongst the stand out sweets were Katzie's macaroon with strawberry jam and a mint pipette,Melissa's white chocolate creme(which had melted a bit yet still tasted great)and Amanda's cava gelee with buttermilk foam. They were declared the winning team,much to their mutual joy and delight.



Team Craig crashed and burned,starting with Craig's sour tasting pink lemonade served in sugar rimmed glasses. He was called on the carpet during judging for not contributing anything else but Rebecca spoke up and said he spent most of his time helping everyone else with their food. He had immunity,anyway,but Craig has been screwing up since Day One here and he needs to get some game mighty quick.

Sent home was Nelson,for his passion fruit lollipops adorned with cotton candy. They were bland and so was the pink chocolate side dish he added on at the last minute. Orlando got nasty with everyone afterward,insisting that they keep their "sob stories" to themselves. Way to make enemies there,pal!

Next week's big challenge is candy land themed,as the child stars from the cult classic version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory show up and an edible recreation of the infamous sugary wonderland from the film is on deck. Should be scrumdiddlyumptous!



The Final Three contenders on Design Star were charged with designing a whole house,a rather small house as it turns out. A trio of "tiny houses" were set up in Battery Park for each one of them to furnish and have their assigned carpenter build such needed sections as the kitchen and living room.



Meg decided to go with a cottage theme,smart considering that each house had less than a hundred square feet of space.

She had her carpenter built a storage closet and bathroom,which was set by the front door in order to create the illusion of a foyer and that worked out great. Some of her furniture finds added a extra dose of coziness to each particular area of the home,like the pair of rustic chairs and table for the dining room.

While some of the judges thought her color choices for the trim were repetitive and the floating shelves by the back window not properly showcased for storage,Meg's overall look and feel for the place was very user friendly(along with both of her camera presentations)and she won a spot in the finale for it.



Karl will be joining her,due to the well balanced elements that he arranged for the house. His selection of pinkish red for the walls was pleasing to the eye and the library ladder that he had his carpenter build for the loft bed was a savvy move.

He also chose a number of household items that could easily be re-purposed,like small cutting boards as place mats and decanters that could be vases when needed. Karl has gained some more confidence in his camera challenges,too and is a strong competitor for Meg to be up against here.



That made Mark the odd man out and the one going home. His charm and styling selections were enticing but his weakness for overly focusing on art projects pulled the welcome mat out from under him at this crucial point in the game.

The argyle stripes and belts that Mark applied to the walls of his house made no sense either visually or practically. Sorry,dude,but that just won't fly here. The finale is next week and both contenders are at their wit's end with shooting pilot episodes for their possible shows. I'm rooting for Meg but would be happy with Karl winning as well,so good luck to them both!:





Things were strange as usual on True Blood as Alcide and Sam got some payback while Andy got some funky fairy sex out in the woods.

Meanwhile,the battle royale at the Moon Goddess Emporium began,as Marnie/Antonia's protection spell provided to be lethal for vampires since it was made from sun energy.

During a failed negotiation that had Pam firing a rocket launcher at the witches,Marnie again had a tussle with Antonia who wanted to leave her body due to the killing of one of their witch allies.

Marnie reined her back in and while Jesus and Lafayette went into the back to apply first aid,she forced the others to form a power circle. The spell being cast,however,was drawing the vampires outside into the path of the solar force field. Sookie heard her brother's mental plea for help and delivered it but not without cost:





As Sookie was surrounded by flames,Jesus was working on a spell to separate Antonia from Marnie. Lafayette urged him to hurry things up and finally,the connection between Marnie and her now reluctant spiritual mentor was severed. King Bill and his crew stormed in and took Marnie out,which seemed to end the witch war once and for all.

That may be speaking too soon,as Marnie's restless spirit managed to possess Lafayette later that night and judging by the previews for next Sunday's finale,she's not ready to call it quits just yet. Stay tuned,folks,because it's hard to tell what cliff hangers we're going to be teetering over the edge on for next year:



RANDOM NOTES:

THE SECRET CIRCLE: Following the proven Vampire Diaries formula,the CW is presenting another supernatural soap opera for teens based on a popular book series. This time out,witches are front and center of the drama and with any luck,the story lines and acting will be just as spell binding as the ones for the other magical show on that network are:

Reading between the lines of today's TV commercials

TV advertising these days is especially tricky,since the number of other channels to click over to during the breaks in regular programming is higher than it was,say,30 years ago.

Of course,many of the commercials are also shown online which increases the audience reach but adds on the pressure to quickly capture consumer interest. That need may account for some of the off the wall approaches given to certain products lately but what does it say about those products and/or the people they're being aimed at? Let's do a little compare and contrast to see what's really being said:



Nook Vs. Kindle

Recently,I was given a Nook by my family as a celebratory gift for publishing my first e-book and while my physical book piles are in no danger of being completely ignored,the Nook is a welcome addition to my home library.

Part of the reason why is how Barnes and Noble has gone about promoting it. Their best commercial shows a woman's reading life from girlhood to teens and now as a mother with books to guide her along the way. The Nook is shown towards the end as a natural evolution for a lifelong reader meant to be a helpful extension for leisurely reading in her busy life. Using this tact with reluctant literary lovers is smart and satisfying:



The Kindle,on the other hand,tends to be a bit more snarky in their sales pitch. Their recent set of ads features a Reader Girl who keeps running into a Techno Boy who gently but firmly points out the benefits of his e reader over doing things like reading a print book or going to an actual bookstore and even just carrying around actual books and magazines!

Yes,I know this is supposed to be funny but depicting people who like print books as peppy dimwits who need to be enlightened by sleek techno lovers is extremely off putting,to say the very least:



My Tide with new attitudes?

What's even more interesting is how mixed messages can be sent out for one product by their own company. Take Tide,for instance-their latest campaign is called "My Tide" which showcases individual perceptions regarding the use of the detergent. Some of the ads are amusing without ruffling too many feathers.

However,a couple are causing some concerns. One spot has a lady strongly proclaiming that she will wear white pants after Labor Day if she wants to,which some interpret as making her own fashion statement while a few feel that since the woman in question is African-American,her behavior is stereotypical. That's a debatable subject but one worth thinking about:



This ad,however,immediately rubbed me the wrong way. It shows a mom dressed in a rather 1950s style of wardrobe watching her little girl play with blocks and bemoaning the fact that her daughter prefers to wear "hoodies and cargo pants."

At one point,Fifties Mom talks about how Tide prevented her child's regular clothes from being ruined by crayons in the pocket and the wistful regret in her voice is beyond obvious about that. Say what you will here but the white pants Tide ad does seem to salute the lady in it for being an independent thinker while this one clearly has it in for tomboys and not in a good way:





Why is Jell-o so childish about adult desserts?


A few months,folks were in an uproar about the advertising campaign for Jell-o Temptations line of "adult only" mousses that insisted upon parents scaring kids away from them. The company pulled a couple of their more troublesome commercials off the air and have released one that proves they can promote this product in a enticingly mature way:



However,some of the "creep out the kiddies" ads are still around. While an Edward Gorey theme has been the underlying tone for two of them-one for Olive and the other for Benny-the parents subtly threatening their children vibe hasn't left the picture.

Just listen to this bedtime story where Mom dangles the dark promise of her daughter's favorite stuffed animal disappearing forever over taking one of those damn desserts. Don't give me the "it's only a joke!" argument,because losing a cherished toy like that is no laughing matter to a little kid:



Maybe I'm making too much of this yet what does it say about all of these ads when the automatic defense to them is that they aren't meant to be taken seriously. Making something a joke is not a free-for-all excuse,in my opinion,and while I and many others who are raising their eyebrows over some of these commercials do appreciate a good jest,there is a fine line between gentle mocking and meanness.

Then again,commercials are all about perception and what makes one person vow to avoid that product or place like the plague can easily make a dozen others rush out to shop. It's just harder to laugh it off when the joke is on you:

Lauren Shockey's Four Kitchens serves up a truly mouthwatering memoir

When Lauren Shockey finished up with school,she decided to go on stage starting in New York but not on Broadway. A stage in the culinary world is the term for an unpaid apprenticeship which can last for weeks or months and earns you some valuable experience as a restaurant chef.

The subtitle of Lauren's book, Four Kitchens, is "My Life Behind The Burner in New York,Hanoi,Tel Aviv and Paris" and the choice of these particular cities was not random. She not only wanted to learn more about different styles of cuisine,Lauren was eager to check out other ways of life as well.



Her first stop was at wd-50,a restaurant known to many Top Chef viewers as the NYC setting for Wylie Dufresne and his molecular gastronomy dishes.

Learning the ropes there gave Lauren some valuable tips on how to prep food in a manner more precise than what she had been taught in culinary school and insight into how the unique edible creations made by Wylie and his staff are conceived:





After that,Lauren then worked at La Verticle in Hanoi which is run by Didier Corlou,a master chef from France. The food is a blend of Vietnamese with French and the tone of the restaurant is a bit more laid back but sure handed skill is required to keep up in the kitchen.

While making some good friends both in and outside of the restaurant,Lauren also got the chance to explore the street markets of Hanoi and sample many of the local delicacies,some of which tasted better than what was offered up on the menu in most of the other high priced eateries around town:





Lauren's third leg of her kitchen tour was at Carmella Bistro in Tel Aviv,where she was one of the few women working behind the scenes,a standard norm that appears to be internationally known.

What she was happily surprised to discover during her time there was the amazing variety of food to be found not just at Carmella but in the city as well. A good number of influences from many parts of the world abound in Israeli cuisine and eateries both upscale and street stand style are embracing it with open arms.

Lauren was also able to share in the warm spirit of the community and redevelop her love of home cooking amongst her new friends. In a country that might not be readily associated with harmony,there was plenty to be found for Lauren both at work and leisure time:





Lauren's last stop was Senderens,a two star Michelin restaurant. This was not the first French restaurant she had worked in;in a previous stage,Lauren landed a spot at a small bistro that didn't do enough business to keep the regular staff busy,let alone a newcomer.

She had hoped to make up for that lost opportunity and while her work load was considerably more substantial,some of her dealings with the male chefs played a small part,in my opinion,in her ultimate decision as to what direction her career in the food world would be headed in.



Four Kitchens is an engaging read,full of true to life experiences and advice to those considering joining the ranks of restaurant chefs. The work is hard and the hours long yet it does have it's rewards. The question is whether or not those are the goals you wish to obtain at the end of the day.

Lauren is now a food writer and happy to be so,cherishing those memories of her restaurant stages as life experiences worth having. Her love of food shines off each page,especially amongst the various recipes that are placed at the end of certain chapters. She offers adaptable solutions that you can find in your local shopping area for a few of the more exotic items and if you're looking to liven up your home menu,they are worth a try.

Four Kitchens is now available at a bookseller near you and with the holiday season rolling around,this would be a deliciously perfect gift for any budding foodie on your list. For a taste of familiar as well as far away places,this book brews up a banquet of savory smart delights: