Richard Blais will have an unusual way of staying cool when “Top Chef: The Tour” stops in the Valley Saturday.
“I did (a tour stop) in Columbus, Ohio, a few weeks back and this one’s gonna be even more amazing,” the 36-year-old Atlanta chef says. “We had a blast but I didn’t bring any of my toys with me.
“For the Phoenix one, I’m actually bringing one of my toys. It’s a big toy; it’s a 600-pound toy. I hear it’s pretty hot out there so I’m bringing the second-coldest substance on Earth with me.”
The substance is liquid nitrogen, one of the more unusual kitchen tools Blais (pictured at left) employed on the just-completed fourth season of the Bravo reality television show, “Top Chef.
“It’s one of those things not too many people have seen applied to food,” Blais says. “We’re definitely going to give the fans who come out to the show a good effort.”
The fauxhawk-sporting chef, who narrowly lost to Scottsdale Culinary Institute graduate Stephanie Izard in the show’s finale, became a fan favorite with his mad-scientist approach to cooking known as molecular gastronomy.
He joins Betty Fraser, a 45-year-old Los Angeles chef who competed on the second season of “Top Chef,” for the downtown Phoenix stop of the show’s 20-city tour.
The pair will give cooking demonstrations and share show secrets during three interactive shows Saturday. The action will take place in a 48-foot trailer (pictured below) outfitted with a state-of-the-art kitchen.
“We kinda take turns going back and forth,” Blais says. “She’ll do a recipe and then I’ll do a recipe. For me, the whole thing is very interactive.”
The trailer can accommodate an audience of 38 people. A live video feed will allow another 300 people to watch on big-screen TVs outside.
“As we’re cooking, I want people to throw questions at me and ask me what I’m doing,” Blais says. “Certainly it’s a mix of questions pertaining to the actual food we’re cooking and questions people have about the show. The more interactive the better.”
After Saturday’s shows, Blais will get back to a culinary career that’s taken off since his appearance of “Top Chef.” He’s pitching both a book and a TV show based on his creative cooking techniques.
And, of course, there’s actual cooking to do.
“I just opened a restaurant in Atlanta called Home,” Blais says. “It just got a four-star review.”
‘Top Chef: The Tour’
What: “Top Chef” contestants Betty Fraser (Season 2) and Richard Blais (Season 4) give interactive cooking demonstrations and share show secrets from a state-of-the-art kitchen in a 48-foot trailer.
When: One-hour shows at 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Saturday
Where: Downtown Phoenix Public Market, 721 N. Central Ave., Phoenix (between McKinley and Pierce)
How much: Free. Thirty-eight seats are available inside the trailer; another 300 seats are available outside. Seating is first come, first served.
Info: bravotv.com/thetour
• Read a (very) long Q&A with Richard Blais
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Where did you get this info? The website still says Casey Thompson and Betty. Just wondering…the details have been very sketchy. Thanks.
Azhotdish — I noticed that Bravo website says Casey instead of Richard. I got my info from Bravo Network and Cox Communications (which is the co-sponsor of the event). And, obviously, I talked to Richard on Wednesday and he was quite excited about coming to Phoenix this weekend. I’m guessing Casey originally was scheduled to appear with Betty but a scheduling conflict or something arose and Richard is stepping in.