That \u201chopscotching\u201d will surely entail a holiday feast \u2014 and that\u2019ll likely involve a go-to dinner for the James Beard-nominated cookbook author and TV personality.<\/p>\n
\u201cI usually will make a roast,\u201d says Blais, co-host of Fox\u2019s Next Level Chef<\/a> and winner of Bravo\u2019s inaugural Top Chef All-Stars<\/a>. \u201cOne year it might be prime rib, the next some duck or a pork shoulder. Recently we started building on the traditional roast dinner, getting the whole family involved the following day in turning the leftover duck into some hand-pressed, homemade tacos.\u201d<\/p>\n Another of Blais\u2019s holiday dining traditions is perhaps less, um, traditional: mashed rutabaga.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s incredibly simple,\u201d says Blais, who trained at The French Laundry<\/a>, Daniel<\/a> and other culinary epicenters. \u201cBoil chopped and peeled rutabaga in salted water and then crush it with a potato masher. Add some white pepper and salt and that\u2019s it! You can certainly add a little butter, but I\u2019ve found that, with an assortment of other creamy and buttery things on the holiday table, the rutabaga fills a better role without the added butter.\u201d<\/p>\n He has the restaurants, cookbooks and TV shows, but the chef has his fingers in lots of other pies as well: Trail Blais, his culinary consulting group; the Food Court<\/a> and Starving for Attention<\/a> podcasts, which he hosts; and his brand of \u201cStand-Up Cooking\u201d performances, which draw enthusiastic audiences across the country.<\/p>\n \u201cChefs can be too serious sometimes,\u201d Blais says. \u201cI like studying stand-up and I enjoy having fun, so I like to showcase a bit more of my \u2018whole human\u2019 side. Nate Bargatze is a favorite and I\u2019ve been a fan well before he popped. I think it probably started because my dad loved Steve Martin and I grew up listening to his albums. So there is probably some deep-rooted reasoning to why I enjoy comedy writing so much.\u201d<\/p>\n South Florida Sun Sentinel<\/p>\n People gather at the Grand Tasting for Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival at Las Olas Oceanside Park on Saturday January 18, 2025. (Mike Stocker\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\n Expect a few punchlines when Blais performs his cooking demonstration at VLFWF<\/a>\u2019s Grand Tasting event, which he says will offer a taste of his two Florida restaurants.<\/p>\n Of course, he\u2019ll have plenty of celebrity company at the Fort Lauderdale festival, held just as we get our post-holiday feasting second wind, Jan. 19-25. In tandem with such other national culinary stars as Eddie Jackson, Nancy Fuller, Jason Smith and more, the festival will celebrate the region\u2019s top chefs, restaurateurs, and food and beverage innovators, including Michelin-recognized restaurants and James Beard-nominated talent. The event will attract foodies and regular old food-lovers from throughout South Florida and across the country for a weeklong celebration of tastings, dining experiences and chef showdowns.<\/p>\n \u201cThis seventh-annual celebration is our biggest yet, highlighting the incredible talent, flavors and creativity that make the destination a premier culinary hub,\u201d said Stacy Ritter, president and CEO of Visit Lauderdale. \u201cAccompanied by national celebrity talent, the festival continues to showcase what makes Greater Fort Lauderdale unique.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/tfl-l-ftl-grand-tasting-0118-08.jpg\")
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