Top Chef Dude Ilan (Sexy, or No?) Speaks

January 04, 2007

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Add to my list of things that confuse me (along with Hilary Swank's two Oscar wins) the fact that Ilan and everybody else on Top Chef seem to despise Marcel with great passion. A couple weeks ago I asked Marcel why he thought his fellow chefs weren't thrilled with him and, after last night's episode, I had to get Ilan on the horn and hear from him further what the problem is.

HELLO ILAN.
Hey.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING RIGHT NOW?
I just saw The Vertical Hour - the Julianne Moore play - with my sister and my grandma...

HOW WAS IT?
Really good..

OK SO I KEEP GETTING CUTS OF EPISODES AND BEGGING THE MAGICAL ELVES TO ADD AS MUCH EXPLANATION AS POSSIBLE THAT WILL ENLIGHTEN US ABOUT PEOPLE'S HATRED OF MARCEL... WHAT IN THE UNIVERSE IS GOING ON? WHAT ARE WE NOT SEEING THAT HAS GOT YOU AND THE OTHER CHEFTESTANTS SO TWISTED?
I think it's the way he approaches the challenges - I know it's a competition.. but it's his entire idea behind cooking. I think he doesn't care about the fundamentals of cooking and what our job is which is to feed people and make delicious food. He is so into concepts. That's not why we hate him though.... It's just under the competition he has this arrogant way of being - he thinks he is the ultimate in all he does. In interviews he'll contest that and make believe he is fair and understanding. He is rude and snide with his interactions. He is pompous and condescending and doesn't have grounds to be condescending. He's not Alain Ducasse. He's fine, he does a good job at what he does but he feels he is this incredible cook and so inventive and creative when really - I have repeated stuff that I know works and it's a balance between being adventurous and creative and using tried and true things that work - but he's repeated everything he does. I looked at his audition tape and he's doing things exactly that he did in the competition. He repeats himself ad nauseum. I feel he keeps doing that.

LIKE LAST NIGHT WITH THE FOAM?
Absolutely! Find a new sauce. I know we have limited resources but you gotta do something - do a reduction! Do a jeus. It's all foam foam foam foam and gelees. people have been making jello for 100 years. It's not innovative.

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