Chef

A new book features interviews with chefs who served Idi Amin, Fidel Castro and Saddam Hussein on how—and why—they cooked meals for a dictator

And find an underrated food wonderland

He found peace in the mountains, like his dad, who died when Nick was growing up

After closing his West Coast restaurants, acclaimed chef Daniel Boulud has a surprise for Canadians

Pawpaw fruit, sea asparagus, balsam jelly: Canadian chefs are crazy for ‘wildculture’

It seems every reality show has one contestant who gets very far, maybe even wins, even though a) the audience hates him/her and b) he/she doesn’t actually seem to be doing a very good job. On the current season of Top Chef, it’s Lisa Fernandes, who fits all the requirements: she displays a bad attitude, doesn’t come off as that good of a chef, is cited as the most-hated contestant in fan polls, and, oh, yeah, she made it to the finals. In interviews she comes off better than on the show, but that’s not unusual; the way people come off in the artificial environment of reality shows tends to be, well, artificial. And the environment turns normal people into heroes and villains.