Food TV On The Radio

On this week's show, we look at the role food television plays in the lives of several chefs here in New Orleans. 

Isaac & Amanda Toups Watching Top Chef At Toups' Meatery

Credit Poppy Tooker / Louisiana Eats

We begin with one of the youngest stars of food TV, Kaj Hecht, the recent winner of Chopped Junior. To get an understanding of how the 10-year-old New Orleans local came to be a contestant on the program, we invited Kaj and his father Michael into our studio.

Next, we visit with Michael Gulotta, a chef who’s well-known for boldly taking on new challenges. The executive chef at MoPho and Maypop, Michael is now beginning a new endeavor — and this time, to a much larger audience — as a contestant on Iron Chef Gauntlet.

Chefs Aarón Sánchez and John Besh first became friends in a highly competitive atmosphere— on the set of The Next Iron Chef. Now close pals and co-owners of the modern Mexican eatery, Johnny Sánchez, Aaron and John reflect back on their early days on food TV.

Over the past year, we’ve had the great fortune of chronicling Chef Isaac Toups’ experiences on Top Chef. Now a year after his stint on the show, we spoke with Isaac about his celebrity transition.