Filmed around Boston during May and June, the 12th season of "Top Chef" premiered on Bravo last night.
And Atlanta’s Ron “The Angry Chef” Eyester was there, laughing, and appearing calm, cool and collected, while surviving packing his knives, at least until the next episode.
Eyester is the chef/owner of Rosebud, the Family Dog and Timone's in Morningside, and Diner, which is set to open at Atlantic Station soon. Last month, when word got out that he would be on "Top Chef" this season, he talked about his experience:
“One of the personal reasons I wanted to do it was that I’m I’m kind of at this crossroads in my career where that I know that I’m making the transition from chef to restaurateur,” Eyester said. “And there are elements of that that kind of scare me. With everything I have to deal with, I really miss being totally and directly connected to food.
“This was opportunity to rejuvenate my passion for food. This was an opportunity to have something like a retreat. Because my personality is so high-strung and intense, the idea of ‘Top Chef’ was a pretty cool idea of a retreat. You know, I went to the Citadel, for crying out loud, so I’m used to being told what to do, and I know how to handle it.”
On the the premiere, Eyester declares he will be a different kind of “Top Chef”: “I’m here to prove you don’t need to wear skinny jeans or have tattoos to win 'Top Chef.’”
Host Padma Lakshmi is back for Season 12, of course, along with sometimes Atlanta chef and “Top Chef All Stars” winner, Richard Blais, who has a lot to say. They join Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons at the judges table. And, though he's not on the first episode, Hugh Acheson will be back, too
The Quick Fire Challenge is a relay race, with four teams breaking down lobster, mackerel, oysters and clams, and one chef facing elimination from the start. But Eyester shows his skills, slicing through the mackerel like butter, and bringing his team back from the brink. And George is the guy who goes home.
In the main challenge, the chefs must do something new with the first recipe they ever learned to cook, then serve it to a crowd at the first Top Chef food festival. Padma spits out some pork belly, and declares Eyester’s shrimp too spicy. But in the end, she cooly asks Michael to pack his knives and go.
The closing montage previews the new season, and Eyester appears in several scenes, including a big moment at Fenway Park.
What does that mean? Only "The Angry Chef" knows for sure. And Bravo says he's not telling.
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