ELIZA GAVIN OF “221”: TOP CHEF? TEXT, TWEET NOW!!!!!!

19 Dec ELIZA GAVIN OF “221”: TOP CHEF? TEXT, TWEET NOW!!!!!!

Remember the moment in “Peter Pan” when Tinkerbell took the hit and swallowed the poison Captain Hook meant for Peter? A distraught Peter threw caution to the wind, broke the fourth wall, and begged the audience to clap hard to save his fairy friend’s life.

We applauded like crazy.

And ‘Tink” lived.

Well, this is another “Tink” moment.

Last Wednesday, the judges eliminated Eliza Gavin (of Telluride’s “221” South Oak) from the “Top Chef: Seattle” competition. But here’s the good news: they left the door open a crack. If all of us (and a small army of our friends we contact) ACT NOW and text the letter “A” or Eliza to 27286 or tweet #savechefeliza, Eliza could get back in the game.

By ACT NOW, we mean today and tomorrow.

The race to re-enter the heat ends 11 a.m. EST (that’s 9 a.m. MST), Thursday, December 20. Which is the day before the winter solstice – and, according to the 5,125-year-long Mayan calendar, perhaps the day before the end of the world as we know it.

Which would mean your efforts were in vain.

But let’s not count on that.

Let’s support Eliza.

Eliza trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, but loves cooking in “little ol’ Telluride” where she can be the boss. (And Telluride returns the love.)

A highly competitive chef, Eliza turns her nose up when chefs say that love is the primary ingredient in their food:

“It’s not love. It’s work.”

Eliza describes her cooking as modern bistro cuisine,  all about preparing fresh ingredients simply and bright flavors prepared with classic French techniques, then serving it up in an intimate atmosphere.

Eliza’s cuisine is a mash-up of influences: travels throughout Europe, the Caribbean, New Zealand, Australia and Southern United States.

Eliza began working at 221 South Oak Bistro in 1999. She bought the place one year later. Eliza has two published cookbooks: “Foreplay: A Book of Appeteasers” and “Recipes from 221 South Oak Bistro.”

Here’s the scoop on the show.

Bravo Media premiered “Top Chef: Seattle,” the tenth season of the Emmy- and James Beard Award-winning series, on Wednesday, November 7 at 10 p.m.  ET/PT. Famed chef and restaurant mogul Wolfgang Puck joined as a judge this season, alongside Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons, Hugh Acheson and Emeril Lagasse. Padma Lakshmi returned as host, as 21 chef’testants began competing for the top crown.

The Top Chef franchise has catapulted the careers of nine winners.This season the competition goes back to the basics, with culinary challenges that require a mastery of the primary skills of a chef.

Eliza’s favorite simple back-to-basics simple winter recipe: Flatiron Steak with Bleu d’Auvergne Mushroom Reduction.

Irresistible.

As is the thought of a homie in the Top Chef toque.

And a win for Eliza is a win for Telluride, one more positive reinforcement of the “brand.”

To learn more, click the play button and listen to my chat with Eliza Gavin.