Chef Frank Terzoli's Cajun Cooking

We dropped by to thank Chef Frank Terzoli for his help with our film and deliver the official DVD. Frank was busy in the kitchen of his new restaurant in Hillcrest, The Big Easy.

We rolled home after an incredible Cajun dinner of fried green tomatoes, crab bisque, steak Diane (the knife went through my filet like it was butter), alligator, and peach cobbler for dessert. Yum!

Wrapping at Scalini

This morning Frank gave us the green light on six dishes we brought for our first shots. We will miss seeing Frank work his magic in this beautiful kitchen, but he's preparing for the flood of patrons who will come when the Del Mar Races begin in a few days. Good luck, Frankie! Thanks again to everyone at Scalini for allowing us to shoot at your beautiful restaurant!

Arms Race

This is our last weekend at Scalini, and we started shooting the "preparing for battle" sequence. We arrived in the morning with ideas for an arsenal composed of kitchen items, which was augmented by some brilliant suggestions from Chef Frank Terzoli. We had been advised early in pre-production that food props involved more work. A hypothetical scene involving a few creme brulees would need to be shot from various angles; multiply that by a few takes, and there's suddenly a need to have a lot of creme brulee. We brought over twenty ramekins for Lindsey to work with in her scenes with Rodrick and Paul. Having edible props came in handy.

Fresh Fruit

In addition to teaching knife skills, Chef Greg Spencer also provided us with a beautiful shipment of fresh figs for this weekend's scene at Scalini. We are so grateful to have an insider who can get us a steady supply. Having edible props was a big plus today! The figs were enjoyed by cast and crew including Nancy Linstead, who was on hand to dress a cake prop and help Rodrick with his icing technique.

Several people have asked us for the recipe we used in this scene. It's super-easy to make (we pop them in our toaster oven, and they're done in minutes). Enjoy! Honey Baked Figs with Goat Cheese Garnish Fresh figs, washed and quartered Honey Cinnamon Water Fresh Goat Cheese Preheat Toaster Oven to 325 degrees. Place figs in a ramekin (we used 4 oz. ramekins and put 4-6 pieces in each, depending on the size of the fig). Mix honey and water in a 1:1 mixture and add ground cinnamon according to taste. Drizzle mixture over fresh figs (there should be at least 1/4 inch collected in the bottom and the top sides of the figs should be coated). Cook for about 10 minutes at 325 degrees (the figs "juice" as they cook). Garnish with fresh goat cheese and serve warm.

Greg Spencer's Wicked Knife Skills

Chef Greg Spencer worked with Rodrick Hersh and Lindsey McCrumb on their knife skills (we must admit,
we got a lot better using knives in the kitchen after Greg's visit).

In addition to chopping bags of celery in record time, Greg carved and rolled a Roma tomato to form a rose garnish (see Greg's beautiful flower below with basil leaves for some green). We used the rose garnish in today's scene.

We learned that one of Greg's passions is healthful, organic food, and we wish Greg lived closer (he's in L.A.).

Update: Greg is now serving delectable cart fare in Denver, Colorado. We'll be eating his Whiskey Braised Beef Sammy the next time we're in the Mile-High City!

Fiery Frankie!

Our first weekend of shooting
was spent in the beautiful
kitchen of Del Mar's Scalini
Italian Restarant.

Chef Frank Terzoli, (Top Chef,
Season 2), spent some
time helping us with a few fiery
stunts in the kitchen. Key
ingredients included sauteed
celery, vodka and cinnamon!

The images below chronicle
the process from rehearsal to
final frame. Thanks to Producer
Christine Spritke for catching
several of these "behind-the-
scenes" moments on camera
throughout the weeks of shooting
(photo on the left was taken a few weeks
later by Michael J. Kacmarcik).

Frankie the Bull or Uncle Hector?

We fell in love with the kitchen at
Scalini at first sight, but it was the
generous hospitality of Frank Terzoli
that sealed the deal. In addition to
sharing his experience as a chef,
Frankie agreed to fill the cameo role
of Uncle Hector.

Here's one of the images from our
shoot. Look for the others when you
see the film!

Progressive Dinner for Well Done

We were so thrilled to have Cafe Luna's proprieter, Nicole Gangale, give us permission to film there. We love this restaurant, and it is our dream location for this project. The kitchen is a bit tight for a film crew, and we have been looking for another location that will blend with Cafe Luna's ambiance.

Lucky for us, Noah Henry suggested we contact Top Chef's "Frankie the Bull," who is now executive chef at Scalini Italian Restaurant in Del Mar. The kitchen is stunning, and Frank is a gracious host. Thank you for making us feel at home, Frankie!