Chefs

High-energy Amy Finley gave a fast-paced cooking demonstration Saturday at the Los Angeles Times Travel Show . (She returns at 11 a.m. Sunday (today) for a second demo.) Finley, a classically trained cook and the author of "How to Eat a Small Country," prepared lapin a la moutarde , or rabbit with mustard, a traditional Burgundian dish. She's an advocate for getting people to eat more rabbit but admitted that it's tricky thinking of a "fluffy bunny and what you're having for dinner.

Part 1 of the “Top Chef” finale reminded us what we knew all along: Roy Choi and Sang Yoon may be the coolest Asian chefs in L.A., but they're not as nice on the eyes as Kristen Kish. Kish received a much deserved finale spot on Wednesday's episode after successfully taking down her fellow eliminated contestants on the online series, “Top Chef Last Chance Kitchen.” Yet, Kish's momentous winning streak and Sheldon Simeon's chill island vibes were no match for L.A.'s own, Brooke Williamson.

Ricardo Zarate, the chef behind Peruvian restaurants Picca and Mo-Chica , will soon open Paiche (named for a giant Amazon river fish) in Marina del Rey. It's still under construction, but Zarate is now working on the menu, sketching dishes for his "Peruvian izakaya " in his notebook. Dishes start as drawings that include everything from a description of the tableware ("round plate" or maybe "short bowl") to placement of the micro cilantro flowers in a wild mushroom quinoa salad with rainbow quinoa, mushrooms, huacatay sponge cake and aerated mushroom sauce.

Indulge your inner chef on a sunny beach in Tulum, Mexico , this spring during a farm-to-table culinary seminar.  The Oh! Food Workshop May 24-29 at Casa de las Olas hotel is aimed at foodies, aspiring chefs and environmentalists. Cooking classes will offer a combination of strategies on sustainable cooking and development alternatives.  Participants will join Tulum chefs Eric Werner of  Hartwood Restaurant  and Claudia Perez of  Cetli Restaurant at a three-day Yucatan-inspired cooking seminar that includes five nights' beachfront accommodation at Casa de las Olas.

Chef Brian Malarkey , a judge on ABC's new cooking competition show "The Taste," has five restaurants in San Diego: Searsucker , Burlap , Gabardine , Gingham and Herringbone . Malarkey, who will lead a cooking demonstration Saturday at the Los Angeles Times Travel Show , shared his favorite food hangouts when he travels to these five cities: Portland, Ore.: Pok Pok and Clyde Common are two of my favorite...

When it comes to hot restaurants in Las Vegas , Gordon Ramsay Steak at Paris is one of the hottest. Diners may not see Chef Ramsay but they could see Christina Wilson, who won a year's contract as the steakhouse's head chef for her first-place finish on Season 10 of  “ Hell's Kitchen .” In honor of her victory over 18 other competitors, the restaurant is now serving what it calls the Hell's Kitchen Limited Edition Tasting Menu....

It was "Top Chef" extreme chef edition on Wednesday night's episode. There was a helicopter ride, racing around in the snow, dog-sledding and a baby was born! To start the quick-fire challenge, Sheldon Simeon, Josh Valentine (aka "The Stache") and L.A. girl Brooke Williamson boarded a helicopter en route to a dog sledding training camp. Williamson, who admitted she is afraid of heights and tight spaces, cried during the ride but eventually lightened up once she realized she was in a helicopter ... in Alaska ... on "Top Chef"!

This post has been corrected. See the note below for details. Here's one class you won't want to cut: Food University is scheduled for next month at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas , and the list of faculty reads like a who's who of culinary experts. The goal of the March 27-29 class is to turn foodies who are average cooks into superior home chefs. Nine hands-on cooking classes will be taught by well-known chefs, and  students will also attend three seminars (one is all about chocolate)

Things are finally heating up both in and out of the kitchen on ABC's "The Taste. " On Tuesday night's episode, personalities clashed and even the judges found themselves at each other's throats during judgment. For the team challenge, each contestant prepared a food and wine pairing with an Alamos Malbec from Argentina. Each team selects one spoonful to represent the team. If that spoonful is chosen as the best, the chef who prepared it gets immunity. Former sommelier at the French Laundry and former head sommelier at Per Se, André Hueston Mack , and David Kinch of Manresa Restaurant acted as guest judges and mentors.  The chefs turned into anxiety monsters while the mentors decided which spoon would represent the teams.

Oliveto restaurant in Oakland has been doing the whole animal thing practically since Animal chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo were in diapers. Headed up to the Bay Area next week? If you hurry up and reserve now, you can sit down to the 14th annual Whole Hog Menu at Oakland's Oliveto restaurant. From Feb. 19-23, the à la carte menu is full of porky goodness. Organized by parts of the pig, the menu is coded CA for cold antipasto, WA for warm antipasto, P for primi and S for secondi , to make ordering easier.