4/2 Peach Buzz: Before win, chef helps out

It’s two days before the big “Top Chef All-Stars” ending airs on Bravo. You’re Richard Blais. Hardly anyone knows you’re about to claim the crown. So how do you spend your time in the 48 hours before you’re awarded the top toque and a $200,000 prize on national television? By lending your expertise to a charitable organization, of course. “I’m getting ready to do a demo for the Jewish Federation,” Blais told us during a quick phone interview on Monday to talk about the then-impending “Top Chef” finale. Indeed, Blais was the featured attraction at Monday’s “Blais-ing Through Passover” event for the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, held at the Selig Center. He demonstrated recipes such as a Mexican Pozole twist on matzo ball soup and beef cheeks with Asian pear puree and leek cannelloni for members of the Pomegranate Society, which is a group of women who donate at least $1,800 to the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s annual Community Campaign. Michal Ilai, Joanne Birnbrey and Hilly Panovka chaired the event. “We had a capacity crowd of 100 women,” Ilai told us. “Everyone was thrilled to have the opportunity to learn how a celebrity chef creates unforgettable kosher-for-Passover recipes.”

Atlanta ‘Star’ sighting

Well, it looks like Atlanta is big enough for Star Jones and NeNe Leakes after all. Jones was spotted Tuesday night at Spice Market, where she and a guest enjoyed the steamed lobster with butter, fried garlic, ginger and dried chili. She was in town for an appearance at Spelman College, where she signed her novel “Satan’s Sisters.” It’s a dishy page turner about the ladies on a popular daytime talk show that sounds not terribly unlike “The View,” although it’s billed as a work of fiction. Jones’ current television gig, of course, is her stint on “Celebrity Apprentice,” where she and the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” cast member have cultivated a well-publicized (or could that be merely well-hyped?) dislike of each other. Leakes called Jones “a disaster” during an appearance on Ellen DeGeneres’ show, while Jones has fired back at Leakes, telling Daytime Confidential the two are “not on the same level.” (Of course, if everyone got along, who would watch, right?) Jones headed out of town on Wednesday and sent us this sweet tweet on Thursday: “The ATL was on fire! I had a ball.”