Las Vegas Weekly

June 15, 2010 · 2:33 PM

Rick Moonen fires back at TCM judge who cost him victory

By Robin Leach

Chef Rick Moonen.

Photo: TVT

It’s not an exaggeration to call it open warfare! Fans of star chef Rick Moonen have rallied to his support after a Top Chef Masters judge admitted that he marked down Rick on the final show by a half-star. That not only cost Rick the title, but also robbed our Three Square food bank of the $100,000 winning donation.

“I got kicked in the balls,” said a clearly upset and angry Rick when I told him he was robbed. “I have become an emotional mess over it.”

The kitchen knives were sharpened when Top Chef Masters judge Jay Rayner ’fessed up after the show that he’d deducted Rick’s score because of what he described as “Moonen’s craven attitude toward environmental issues and sustainability,” which surely has nothing to do with the food that was cooked.

Judges on the final episode, including Jay, a Simon Cowell-type food critic, told Rick he was a Top Chef master and that the venison in his entree was one of his best meals and one of the best they’d ever eaten. (Yet in the voting afterward, Jay used the word “craven” -- the dictionary defines that as “so lacking in courage as to be worthy of contempt.” Harsh words, and not only totally out of line, but also totally inaccurate if he knew the facts. I’m sad to say he’s English, and we aren’t exactly known for the world’s best cuisine!)

As you can read here at Mike Dobranski’s brilliant blog on the frying pan fight, Jay deliberately penalized Rick incorrectly.

Our Mandalay Bay chef told me: “It’s so outrageous. I have been preaching sustainability when it comes to food and the environment for 30 years. I didn’t just jump on that bandwagon, which he so rudely implied. I’ve been on more panels on this issue than I can count.

“I knew that my New Zealand venison was shipped by sea and farmed on natural pasture without hormones, steroids or antibiotics. All far less greenhouse gas emissions and less of a carbon footprint shipping the meat across the ocean to America from New Zealand than trucking it in from Texas!

“In 30 years, it was the very first time my integrity has ever been called into question. I’m not taking anything away from my friend Marcus Samuelsson who won, but I’m speaking out because I feel so strongly that our Three Square food bank lost the $100,000 because of one man being totally wrong about my beliefs.”

Foodies and fans have bombarded Bravo producers with stinging emails complaining about Rick’s loss. Others have blasted Jay via his Twitter account and his own blog.

Despite the controversy, the decision stands. Rick invited Marcus to RM Seafood on June 23 before the feud with Jay, as Rick and Marcus are the best of friends and professional buddies. They’ll do a side-by-side cooking demo, and then together prepare a five-course meal based on the final presentation to the TCM judges. My bet is as great as Marcus is -- and I’ve known him forever back in my Manhattan days -- you’ll find that Rick and he are equal in talent, skills and prowess.

I’ll drink a glass that night to toast the two Top Chef masters and suggest that just as casinos have a black book to ban bad gamblers here, we should have an olive oil-stained one with the names of critics who should be barred from our restaurants!

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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