{alltv} Top Chef's Marcel Talks All-Stars Finale and Cooking for Real Housewives

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

{alltv} Top Chef's Marcel Talks All-Stars Finale and Cooking for Real Housewives

Fans of Top Chef know that Marcel Vigneron is more than just a chef: he's a scientist. And now he's taking his molecular gastronomy to the party circuit with his new series, Marcel's Quantum Kitchen, airing Tuesdays on the Syfy channel.

Each episode revolves around a different event that Marcel and his company, Modern Global Tasting, is catering, from the brainstorming process to the finished food artistry. And unlike his "asshole edit" on Top Chef, Marcel mostly comes off as an entertaining magician. No wonder his unique talents are in high demand, from firefighters to the stars of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills...

"I'm going into the cougars' den," Marcel laughed about persuading the famous dames of the 90210 to hire him."We were all bowling together at the Roosevelt last week, and I said, 'You guys seem like you always have parties, I cater parties, you should let me cater a party for you.' So it looks like I'm going to be catering somebody's birthday party or something like that." (Well done, Marcel—those Housewives birthday parties pay well.)

But Marcel tell us he's also "itching to get back in the kitchen": "I might be losing my mind a little bit, not being in the kitchen and cooking every day. I'm looking for a space to call home." Meanwhile, he's collaborating with several local chefs, including his Top Chef castmate Fabio Viviani. Marcel enthuses about the "synergistic effect" of such collaborations, which he embraces in his new show. "Quantum Kitchen is all about teamwork and brainstorming, collaboration and creativity."

Marcel says that while we saw a lot of "drama" on Top Chef: All-Stars, actually "there is so much camaraderie—you never actually get to see any of it," he laughs.

That includes his relationship with All-Stars winner Richard Blais. "Richard and I have had our differences, but I'm actually a huge Blais fan," Marcel tell us. "I wish nothing but the best for him and I'm really happy for him."

See more happy from Marcel on Quantum Kitchen, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on Syfy.