‘Top Chef’ contestant Erik Hopfinger discusses history with Anthony Bourdain, Nacho Soufflé and the Lower Hudson Valley
-
- March
- 28
I laughed a lot yesterday during my phone interview with former Chappaqua resident Erik Hopfinger, who was kicked off “Top Chef” on Wednesday night’s episode due to corn dogs that he and the judges called “soggy.”
Here’s the article that appears in today’s edition of The Journal News. Interesting facts: He had a history with judge Anthony Bourdain before the show, he claimed to show up to his Putnam Northern-Westchester BOCES culinary arts classes “stoned” and has a fantastic answer for customers who dare to ask for the “Nacho Soufflé.”
But there’s so much more to say about the 38-year-old executive chef that can’t fit into an 800-word story.
He said the macaroni and cheese that competitor Nikki Cascone made tasted “terrible” and agreed with my theory that he may have been kicked off the show instead because two women and no men had been eliminated already in a competition that’s never awarded the title to a woman.
Standing behind his on-air statement that he didn’t think “fine dining and Mexican (food) go together,” Hopfinger wondered aloud if guest chef Rick Bayless even speaks Spanish and teased him for wearing “too much makeup.”
He also said he didn’t think he’d again venture into reality television, which results in “basically having your freedom taken away.” He added, “The ‘no sex’ thing kinda sucked.”
And when I asked him at the end of the interview if he’d like to add anything, he proclaimed the greatness of the Super Bowl champion New York Giants and said he was looking forward to Yankees baseball.
I knew I liked this guy.
(Photo by Chuck Hodes for NBC/Universal)
This entry was posted
on Friday, March 28th, 2008 at 8:58 am by Chris Serico.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Category: Chappaqua, Erik Hopfinger, Top Chef
Print
| 
Email
