11 replies to this topic

[TWoP Nikita]

From the Bravo bio:

Known for his stylish, modern American cuisine prepared with classic European techniques, John has garnered much acclaim throughout his 20-plus years in the restaurant industry. He started his culinary career at Club Pierre in Westhampton, followed by stints at 13 Barrow Street, 44 & Hell’s Kitchen, Vine and The Supper Club in New York, where he cooked alongside Anthony Bourdain. He then moved to Las Vegas to work with Chef Rick Moonen at RM Seafood. In 2007, John moved to Dallas, where as Executive Chef of The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, he received five stars from both Modern Luxury and Dallas Morning News and was a James Beard semifinalist for “Best Chef Southwest.” During his tenure at The Cedars Social, Dallas Morning News voted it “Best New Restaurant.” John, who was proudly named the “Most Hated Chef in Dallas” by D Magazine in 2011, is currently gearing up for the opening of Spoon Bar & Kitchen, a seafood-focused fine dining restaurant set to open in Fall 2012.

[TudorQueen]

I'm beginning to see tiny sides of his 'hated chef' rep coming out, which disappoints me because I was completely liking him last week. While he may have been right in his critique of Kuniko, I thought it was ill-timed and even a little harsh, since part of her 'time management' problem was that she helped her teammates - including him.

[hatchetgirl]

This guy is douche squared! Do those glasses ever go over his eyes? I've never seen anyone wear their glasses like that. So lame.

[Rocky Monoxide]

Wouldn't his lenses be constantly dirty/greasy from having them up on his oily forehead all the time? It drives me crazy.

[VirginiBound]

Wouldn't his lenses be constantly dirty/greasy from having them up on his oily forehead all the time? It drives me crazy.

I would think no dirtier or greasier then all the cooking they do for each challenge.

[ElectricBoogalo]

I just stumbled upon D Magazine's article John Tesar: The Most Hated Chef in Dallas and it's quite an eye opener. Compared to the way he's portrayed in this interview, he's downright rational on Top Chef.

[discoprincess]

Check out this gem from the article linked above about one of the famous chefs he's worked with:

After my conversation with Bourdain, Tesar tells me that he sees Bourdain like Hunter S. Thompson, a self-destructive creative genius. He says, “Bourdain wishes he could be Hunter Thompson, but he doesn’t have the balls to off himself.”

Wow. Just...wow. Do you think this is an objective critique of Bourdain or is it just the rant of a major hater?

On a side note, I was shocked to learn he was 53 years old. He doesn't seem that old.

Edited by discoprincess, Jan 3, 2013 @ 4:05 PM.

[biakbiak]

They have mentioned his age a few times and I always marveled that he could have done so many drugs and held up fairly well.

[cooksdelight]

I teared up a couple of times reading the article. I am 53, I have had ups and downs in my life. Worked in a competitive field where you were judged by how many awards you had on your wall. Bourdain's comments showed they were partying buddies for a long time, so he gets John. I get him, too, moreso now than when I was watching him on TC.

[Dewie]

I just stumbled upon D Magazine's article John Tesar: The Most Hated Chef in Dallas and it's quite an eye opener. Compared to the way he's portrayed in this interview, he's downright rational on Top Chef.

Electric, I came over here to say the same thing! He actually seems very very unstable as depicted in that article. In comparison, his TC edit was almost sympathetic in contrast.

[discoprincess]

He actually seems very very unstable as depicted in that article. In comparison, his TC edit was almost sympathetic in contrast.

I find it interesting that his explanation of his behavior in the incident described in the beginning of the article was almost Zen-like because he didn't actually fight the dude; he just walked away. Yeah, walked away after taking pot shots.

The guy whose restaurant Tesar had insulted had ordered a lamb burger. Interesting; I'm trying to find the irony in that somewhere.

I wonder whether the producers will try to bring him back for another season. It's apparent that he is very talented in the kitchen; he just needs to learn how to play nice with others.

Edited by discoprincess, Jan 8, 2013 @ 2:45 PM.

[Fishhead]

I actually liked John up until the final episode- he seemed like someone who had a lot of experience and talent.

Then when he ended up competing with Lizzie, he...changed. I know he wasn't well liked by most during the season, but in the space of about 5 minutes I was fully in agreement with him.

I wonder if he just managed to choke down the rage and unpleasantness for the cameras, until it just became too much during the cook for your life segment. He became completely unsympathetic to me.