Best. Gay. Week. Ever. (August 15, 2008)

MY DINNER WITH DALE
You know that movie Pleasantville where Tobey Maguire travels into his favorite TV show? I had a recent Pleasantville experience myself, when my partner and I celebrated our anniversary (15 years, thank you very much) by attending an intimate cooking demonstration with former Top Chef contestant Dale Levitski.

For those of you who don’t follow Top Chef, the openly gay Dale came thisclose to winning Season 3 (and, IMO, he wuz robbed!). He also managed the remarkable feat of being on a reality show and not coming across like a total assh*le. In fact, his openness, humor, and talent won over many gay fans, including many at this very site, as well as yours truly.

Tom Colicchio, Padma Lakshmi, and Dale Levitski

When I heard that he was participating in a Top Chef series at New York City’s Culinary Institute of America, I knew there was no way I could pass up meeting the mohawked Chicago chef in the flesh. Long story short, he was as ingratiating and charming as he appeared on TV — but surprisingly big and beefy in all the right ways.

At the event, attended by a small group of about 25 dedicated foodies, Dale prepared several of the same dishes he cooked in the Top Chef finale. One of the biggest drawbacks of Top Chef is that viewers at home have no way of knowing how the food actually tastes, and if the judges’ gagging and/or orgasmic reactions are warranted. Now, having personally sampled Dale’s cooking, I can finally understand the intricate combination of flavors that led famed chef/judge/honorary bear Tom Colicchio to call Dale’s lamb dish a “triumph.”

Even better, the casual format enabled Dale to chat informally and respond to questions while he cooked. One of the most savvy queries came courtesy of my wise, wonderful partner Mark. Referencing all the attention this season’s Stephanie Izard received as the first female Top Chef winner, Mark asked Dale about his experience as a gay chef.

Dale said it’s never been a huge issue for him, that in his experience, he’s been judged primarily by his work in the kitchen and his ability to hold his own on the line. However, he did mention that he knows of several closeted chefs, and said that more than anything, he feels sorry for them, because he thinks it hinders them from being true to themselves.

The implication was that if you’re not true to yourself in such a fundamental way as with your sexuality, then you’re also not going to be true to yourself — and your tastes, your ideals, your instincts — as a chef. I thought this was an interesting argument about the negativity of the closet in the context of work that’s not often articulated.

Steven Frank, Dale Levitski, and Mark (Steven's partner)

That’s not to say that it’s never come up in Dale’s own career. He told one story about a head chef in one of the many restaurants where he’s worked asking him about that drink “you people” like so much. Dale immediately thought he was being asked to respond as the gay guy — “You mean cosmopolitans?” — when in reality the chef was asking about Dale’s Polish background.

Dale is currently preparing to open his own restaurant, an upscale diner called Town & Country in Chicago. I’m hoping it’s a huge success, so that I can check it out next time I’m there, and see for myself why Dale’s famous breakfasts made him the (French) toast of Chicago long before he faced the wrath of Padma and Tom.

Next page! The closets of Swingtown and Mad Men