Friday, June 13, 2008

My Weekend Crush

Women who kick ass in the kitchen have been on my mind of late. Stephanie’s triumph and Lisa’s vindication (yeah, I said vindication – I’m no hater) were exhilarating to watch on “Top Chef” this week. Sure, so was Padma, but that’s just a given. Another woman who has quietly, consistently, unquestionably kicked ass in the kitchen has been Cat Cora. She is so many things. The executive chef of Bon Appetit. The first (and still only) female Iron Chef. The author of two cookbooks. The founder of the philanthropic Chefs for Humanity. The mother of two. The partner of Jennifer. And, you know, a hottie. (Also, for the love of Pete, how cute is Cat posing with cats?)

I, as you all know by now, love me some cooking shows. And “Iron Chef America” is one of the best. I particularly love it when Cat competes against the boys. Sometimes she wins, sometimes she loses. But what she proves is that women can go toe-to-toe with the culinary elite. Good food knows no gender. It’s ironic, really, that the rarefied world of haute cuisine should be so dominated by men. Women are, after all, most associated with cooking. But, of course, that’s just home cooking so that doesn’t count. Well, screw that. A woman’s place doesn’t have to be in the kitchen. But that doesn’t mean she can’t run one and be damn good at it. Happy weekend, all.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Amen, sister! ;)
I'm with ya all the way. Women can be very talented everywhere. We just need to grab the chances we got to prove it! So why not in a kitchen...since we've been there since forever! "Yes we can" too! :D

TheWeyrd1 said...

Isn't hard to have a crush on a woman in a committed relationship? I'm just sayin'. Of course, she IS hot, cooks some fantastic food, and is...um...hot. Or maybe that's the purpose of having JUST a crush...for the weekend only.

linster said...

Cat was on GMA this morning -- nice way to start the day.

Big Shamu said...

Cat Cora, Elizabeth Falkner. Great Chefs, great women. Both who just happen to be hot. Ummm yummy. And their food is good too!

Anonymous said...

Lisa's vindication??? She was in the bottom two at least half of the season! Oh man, first time I've read a DS post and had to disagree with a part of it. I kind of feel like she gives us lezzers a bad name with her seemingly lack of showering ability and poo attitude...