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'Top Chef Masters' Judge Francis Lam Is Married!
PLUS: All the details on the Chinese- and Portugese-inspired menu prepared by all-star chefs.
While Americans were celebrating July 4th with BBQ and fireworks, Francis Lam was toasting another big event: marriage.
The Top Chef Masters judge wed Christine Gaspar on July 6th in New York City, the Dish confirms. Lam happily thanked scores of well-wishers on Twitter.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the chef had a celebratory dinner with dishes prepared by an A-list roster of celebrity cooks (and some past Top Chef guests), including Grant Achatz, Dave Beran, Eric Rivera, Andrew Carmellini, Zach Dunham, and others.
The dinner menu reflected Lam's Chinese ancestry and his bride's Portugese background and guests were served food Chinese take-out style. Among the culinary highlights: Oyster salad, braised seaweed with tofu and pumpkin, and grilled octopus with cauliflower.
The couple's "wedding cake" was also forward-thinking: they served guests dessert in white cartons containing a salted chocolate buckwheat cookie and an egg custard tart.
Lam's friend (and Masters judge) Ruth Reichl shared pictures and thoughts from the ceremony. One of her favorite dishes: Danny Bowien's pea shoots floating in a pumpkin broth. "I couldn't stop eating it," Reichl wrote on her blog.
Once the plates were cleared, the bride and groom gave guests an equally clever parting gift: a jar of pimento cheese with a note (modeled like a fortune cookie) that read, "Thank you for sharing this day with us!" Said Reichl of the morning-after treat: "It made for a fantastic breakfast."
(Photo courtesy of Ruth Reichl)
Send your mazels to the happy couple in the comments!
