The Kitchen

Ann Arbor's Eve Aronoff competes
on new season of Bravo's Top Chef.

Suzanne Chessler

Special to the Jewish News

Ann Arbor

E

ye Aronoff, whose Ann Arbor
restaurant, eve, offers dishes
of mixed cultural influ-
ences, knows how she placed on Top
Chef Las Vegas, the newest season of
Bravo's smash hit whose first episode
launches 9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19.
But she can't talk about it until the
season finale — or her final appear-
ance — is aired.
Aronoff, who in addition to owning
her own restaurant is the author of
her own cookbook, eve: Contemporary
Cuisine, Methode Traditionelle, corn-
peted with 16 other master chefs from
around the country.
The season opened with contestants
in a quick test of basic abilities and
a larger challenge of versatility and
inventiveness.
"I was flattered to be included:'
says Aronoff, 40, who grew up in East
Lansing, studied comparative litera-
ture at Brandeis University and decid-
ed to become a chef after taking food
service temp jobs while in college.
"The show was an interesting life
experience, totally different from
anything I've done. It wasn't nerve-
wracking, but it made me more self-
conscious to be in front of the camera
and competitive. I thought about
everything I was doing.
"In my own restaurant kitchen, I'm
super into the natural experience and
genuine relationships. I just do the
work freely"
Aronoff, who trained at Le Cordon
Bleu culinary school in Paris, was
contacted by a representative of the
show and invited to go through the
interview procedure. Her restaurant
— in business since 2003 — became
known to the Top Chef production
staff through satisfied patrons.
"I really like that cooking is mul-
tifaceted, and that's why I wanted to
open the restaurant;' says Aronoff,
who offers some innovations prepar-
ing her family's matzah ball soup and
potato latke recipes as holidays occur.

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Eve Aronoff

"I think being a chef is therapeutic
by allowing artistic expression in a
creative process, and I also wanted
to be part of the business and design
sides."
Through 20 years of restaurant
work, Aronoff has held the jobs of
prep cook, sous chef, chef de cuisine
and executive chef. She returned to
Michigan to be close to family.
"I'm very detail-oriented;' says
Aronoff, who has showcased a multi-
course dinner at the James Beard
Foundation in New York and served as
a delegate to a Slow Food Movement
meeting in Italy to promote working
with local farmers and artisans.
"I've come up with my own style
of cooking, using a lot of different
spices and ingredients from all over.
My restaurant is a place where special
requests will be filled."
Top Chef, in its sixth season of
unique cooking matches, also will
feature segments with Wolfgang Puck,
Natalie Portman, Penn & Teller and
Tyler Florence. Cookbook author,
actress and host Padma Lakshmi
presides over the judge's table with
prizes reaching $100,000 in cash and
$100,000 in merchandise.
"I'm not very competitive by
nature,' says Aronoff, whose elaborate
cooking and tasting activities at work
leave time only for simple meals at
home. "I am into what I do, and I want
to make food that's special." ❑

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Top Chef: Las Vegas premieres 9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19, on Bravo.

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August 6 2009

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