She food salad

The normally pristine Housewares section of Macy's was permeated with the smell of real cooking, and the hubbub of a genial gathering of foodies, as celebrity chefs Jen Biesty and Zoi Antonitsas gave a cooking demonstration sponsored by Boston Pride at the Downtown Crossing store on Tuesday afternoon. The duo's fifteen minutes of fame began on the current season of Bravo's Top Chef, an elimination style reality show in which professional chefs vie for prizes including a hundred grand. Although neither chef made it to the final round, they impressed viewers both with their cooking skills and openness about their lives. Not only are the duo a couple of lesbians, they're a lesbian couple.

The adorable twosome clearly made an impression on Boston-area viewers during their tenure on the tube. The small demo area was already filling up with fans twenty minutes before show time. The crowd was a mix of babydykes, suburban types, and random shoppers drawn by the prospect of a brush with celebrity and free food. Wistful staff hovered on the periphery; one sales associate swooped in to snap a quick photo before dashing back to Lady's Undergarments. The crowd slowly swelled to about 80 strong, and latecomers had to watch the proceedings through racks of marked down camisoles. (50% off!)

When the San Francisco chefs took the stage, it was easy to see how they had charmed Top Chef fans. Down to earth and slyly funny, the soft-spoken Antonitsas and brash Biesty seemed to enjoy the crowd as much as they enjoyed cooking together. The event soon felt more like a social gathering than a cooking lesson as the chefs chatted about the realities of reality TV and encouraged the crowd to call out questions. Even with a reporter's notebook at the ready, I didn't get the complete recipes for the two dishes they prepared, both featuring kona kampachi (It's the next tuna fish, says Biesty.)

But the celebuchefs did serve up some delicious dish about Top Chef, like the fact that when they applied, they assumed the show would never cast both of them. "We were competing before we were even on the show," smiled Antonitsas as she diced herbs. They speculated that Bravo expected that having coupled competitors would add some novelty value. "But we weren't making out and grabbing ass all the time," said Biesty, "though I think Bravo wanted that." Antonitsas added, "We're proud we did it," said. "Hopefully people look at us say it's fine to be gay, it's fine to be a professional woman. "

The pragmatic pair seemed neither dazzled by fame nor bitter about the experience. "It's TV, and it is what it is," Antonitsas said philosophically. "The producers do things purposefully. They create characters. They want you to love someone and hate someone. But I was just myself, so I'm happy with the editing." Bietsy agreed, adding that she's consider doing another reality show. "I want to go on Workout. " she quipped, " I just want to go drinking with Jackie Warner."

In no time, the two small dishes were complete. They looked tasty but tiny. But then, a TV miracle: staff from Gourmet Catering emerged from the depths of Macy's with sample plates for all. The woman next to me murmured "oh, wow" after sampling the grilled kona kampachi with fried chickpeas; approving noises and orgasmic eye rolls emanated from the folks enjoying a crudo of kona with fresno chiles and grains of paradise. The sated gathering was so happy that when the chefs asked where they should go out that night, one woman yelled out her home address. Another woman in the crowd looked like she wished she'd thought of that. They may have lost on Top Chef, but for at least this afternoon Biesty and Antonitsas weren't just winners; they were rock stars.