"Top Chef" in Columbus: "This is my backstage at the Stones"

As I was standing there alone in the room, watching my favorite contestant of all-time on one of my very favorite shows, he looked at me and said, “This is cool that we’re here doing this.”

Then Richard Blais of “Top Chef: Chicago” continued, “I mean it’s not as cool as being backstage at the Stones or anything.”

I smiled as he continued to chop the watermelon he planned to use to make a salad later, and responded, “This is my backstage at the Stones.”

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this morning I got to watch my guy Blais and season three winner Hung Huynh in action at the “Top Chef Tour” stop in Columbus. And it was awesome.

But before you start laughing at me, let me tell you that based on the reaction Richard and Hung received in the Buckeye capital today, I am not alone in my “Top Chef” worship…

In fact, I’d really like to see the numbers on this year’s fan favorite voting. I have to believe that Richard gave Stephanie a run for her money…

At one point before the actual demonstration began, Hung went outside the “Top Chef” truck just to smoke a cigarette and was greeted by enormous cheers. When the duo came outside to raffle off a signed “Top Chef” cookbook for the mass of people who didn’t get to come inside and watch the demonstration, an autograph line formed around the entire length of the bus.

One person had a sign that read “Columbus Loves Top Chef.” And yes, Richard and Hung both signed it. During the demonstration, a woman who had not eaten meat or seafood in 14 years ate Hung’s shrimp because he prepared it.

In fact, the whole experience reminded me a little of attending an “American Idol” concert. You have to give Bravo credit for coming up with the tour. I hope they decide to continue it again next season…

For those of you who are reading about this for the first time, let me give you some background. The “Top Chef Tour” is making stops in 20 different cities over the next several weeks. Chefs from each of the show’s seasons are giving cooking demonstrations in an impressive 48-foot trailer (Richard said it was once used for healthy food demonstrations.).

The Columbus stop was at the Food and Ohio Wine Festival at North Market and it was fortunate enough to get Hung and Richard as its chefs. Richard said he asked to come to Columbus because he had never been there before and because he’s a big football fan. To illustrate that, he told the demo audience that if anyone asked him what happened in the finale, he’d say that “he pulled a Troy Smith.”

Sorry, Buckeye fans, but that’s funny…

In fact, just about everything Richard had to say was funny. He and Hung were like a comedy team, bantering back and forth like they’d been doing it forever—even though this was Richard’s first tour stop.

And he wasn’t just like that during the demonstration. When it was just the three of us, he continually cracked jokes and did everything possible to make me feel comfortable. I think he actually asked me more questions than I asked him.

When I told him the paper is in Huntington, West Virginia, he told me that he had actually been in West Virginia, because he considered attending WVU…

However, if you ask Richard about being a nice guy, he’ll tell you he doesn’t know where that comes from. “My staff doesn’t think so,” he told me.

On the contrary, Hung was known as a bit of a jerk on the show, so when I tell him I’m sure he’s completely different in real life, he tells me that no, he really is a jerk. But he’s clearly kidding, because I saw absolutely no signs of the Hung we saw in season three. In fact, seeing Hung in person, I finally get it. He’s extremely passionate about his craft and sometimes that comes off wrong. But it was a lot of fun to watch him do what he loves and see how passionately he talks about it. There were times when he struggled to find the right word, but you could tell that it was because his mind was reeling so quickly that his mouth couldn’t catch up. You might recall that I gave Hung a pretty tough time during “Top Chef: Miami,” but the next time Bravo marathons it, I will definitely view it in a new light…

As I think will be the case for anyone who was at the tour stop today. For those of us who were there, it was a pretty awesome experience—for the audience and the chefs themselves.

When I asked Richard about all the fans outside, he flashed that smile at me one more time.

“It’s wild, isn’t it?”

For us too, Richard. For us too…