New Bravo Series, ‘Chef Academy’ Premieres November 16
Posted on 25. Oct, 2009 by CSS in Competition, Entertainment, Food, TV
Meet Jean Christophe Novelli, world renowned Michelin and 5AA Rosette award-winning chef with restaurants in London, France and South Africa, and voted “World’s Sexiest Chef” by The New York Times. Bravo’s Chef Academy chronicles Novelli’s move to Los Angeles as he opens a test program for a top-notch culinary institute and trains and transforms those who aspire to cook like professionals. First order of business: selecting nine students to be his test subjects for his first Academy across the pond, but is America ready for this French culinary genius? Find out on Bravo’s newest docu-series Chef Academy, premiering Monday, November 16 at 11 p.m. ET/PT.
Lets meet the nine contestants:
Kyle Daley, 29 – Salt Lake City, Utah and residing in San Diego, Calif.
Daley enrolled in the Novelli Academy as the only student with experience working in restaurants. He is currently the Chef de Cuisine at Island Prime Restaurant in San Diego, Calif. and has kitchen experience at the prestigious La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla, Calif. Daley loves creating flavors and learning something new everyday about his craft. He approaches all his dishes with the idea that he is an artist and the plate is his frame. His goal is to one day become the executive chef of his own restaurant. Currently, Kyle is cooking and tasting his way through Europe to further broaden his culinary skills and knowledge.
Emmanuel DelCour – Bordeaux, France and residing in Venice, Calif.
Born and raised in the South of France, DelCour moved to California four years ago. In his time in Los Angeles, he has acted in commercials and television series, competed as a body builder and worked as a personal trainer. Full of eclectic talents and hobbies besides cooking, he enjoys swimming cage free with Great White Sharks, drawing and graphic design. As a child in France, intricate delicacies and traditional dishes inspired a love of food and cooking. DelCour hopes to share this love as the host of his own food oriented television show.
Zoe Feigenbaum – New York, N.Y.
Feigenbaum exhibits a contagious passion for food. She has lived in New York for 26 years and has attended college and culinary school in the city. Before heading west to the Novelli Academy, Feigenbaum worked as a freelancer with the French Culinary Institute as well as a part time caterer. When she isn’t cooking, she enjoys a number of hobbies including horseback riding, scuba diving and charity work. Feigenbaum is drawn to food because it is incredibly inventive in a multitude of ways and many aspects of life revolve around food. While Chef Novelli instilled a great deal of technique and knowledge, her biggest lesson from the Academy was learning the confidence that comes from within and the importance of trusting and relying on personal instinct.
Leanard Goodloe, 28 – New York, N.Y.
For Goodloe, life is all about good food and good wine. Prior to attending the Novelli Academy, he attended to the Apicius School of Culinary Arts where he studied Italian cuisine. He also worked as a private chef in New York and for a sound design company before relocating to Venice Beach, Calif. to enroll in the Novelli Academy. Although he was born and raised in Texas, Goodloe considers New York home with Los Angeles holding a strong second place in his heart. Currently, he works as a private chef in Southern California and enjoys spending time with his family, volunteering and traveling.
Sarah Jacobsen, 29 – Chicago, Ill.
Born and raised in Chicago, Ill., Jacobsen has a passion for cooking, food and, most recently, tattoos. She is currently working on getting more tattoos and posing as a tattoo model. She also enjoys drawing and painting, and coins herself a modern day “renaissance chick.” In the culinary world, Jacobsen hopes to teach and show individuals that a formal culinary education is not necessary to be a good chef. She instills the idea of learning through practice and trial and error. Her key philosophy in the kitchen is “never stop trying, you can do anything if you try hard enough.” Prior to attending the academy, Jacobsen had vaguely heard of Chef Novelli, but after arriving she quickly realized his commitment towards his students on both a personal and culinary level.
Kyle Kupiszewski – Virginia Beach, Va.
Kyle Kupiszewski, known as “Kup” to his buddies, is a young navy chef residing in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
A cook aboard nuclear powered submarines, Kup is used to serving 150 helpings of hash browns and bacon in one sitting, so he isn’t fazed by pressure. However, he arrived at the Academy with a limited range of dishes and techniques and was therefore nervous about learning how to cook under the renowned Chef Novelli. He may look like a muscular sailor with attitude and tattoos, but Kup may have been the student who most desperately wanted to impress Novelli.
Toughened by years of Navy experience (he once spent 91 days underwater) nothing much fazes Kup. During the series, he shows he has a short fuse and doesn’t take kindly to childish behavior. He forms a close friendship with Kyle, the other alpha male type in the group, but clashes with some of his female classmates. Kup is now back on active duty with the Navy.
Carissa Loughead St. Aubin, 26 – Charlotte, N.C.
Recently married, Loughead St. Aubin and her husband live in Charlotte, North Carolina with their two dogs. Currently, her time is monopolized by her new business venture – opening an online vintage clothing boutique. While she loves cooking, for the time being she has decided to keep her hobby a hobby and pursue other dreams. Loughead St. Aubin loved learning under Chef Novelli because he provided a challenging learning environment, even though she found his tests to sometimes be stressful. Prior to attending the Academy, she worked as a special events planner in Charlotte.
Tracie Norfleet, 46 – Honolulu, Hawaii and residing in Venice, Calif.
Norfleet grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii and has always had an overwhelming attraction to food. After moving to California for college, she landed in Venice Beach and currently works in advertising for RSA Films. Norfleet took a break from her hectic life as an ad executive to attend the Novelli Academy. She loves the idea that food is innate, so it might as well be enjoyable. She was inspired a great deal by Chef Novelli, and felt his incredible culinary passion to truly be contagious.
Suzanne Winn, 47 – Mission Viejo, Calif.
A self-proclaimed “jack of all trades,” Winn considers herself a designer, entertainer, and problem solver. Born in the San Francisco Bay Area, she moved to the Orange County town of Mission Viejo 15 years ago and now considers it home. Growing up, her dad was an amazing chef, which is what first drew her to the culinary world. She approaches cooking with an open mind and with the philosophy “if you always succeed, you will never grow.” While many of the students entered the Academy with the goal of becoming a professional chef or of opening a restaurant, Winn simply wanted to learn and enhance her skills as a personal chef. She feels honored to have learned under a culinary genius such as Chef Novelli, although she will be the first to admit to their love/hate relationship.
