Batali won’t admit he’s been canned by the Food Network even though inside sources say he’s just trying to save face. [NYP]
Pinkberry Corporation issues an apology upon learning its N.Y. outlets pump hollow servings. [Eat for Victory/VV]
Tony Bourdain analyzes what made Howie tick: “When I look at Howie, short, bald, pants looking two sizes too big on him, built like a small tank and with an expression on his face like a closed fist, I sense the end product of a long line of tormentors.” Is Bourdain the best reality-show blogger ever, or what? [Bourdain’s Blog/Bravo]
Padma Lakshmi has dropped nearly 50 spots in Maxim’s “Hot 100 List” — and this after she stopped sleeping with Wild Salman. [Amuse Biatch]
Tyson and Kraft have more cause than ever to damn treehuggers: High demand for biofuels has increased grain prices for chicken feed, triggering the recent plummet in stock price for both companies.[NYT]
The Fontainebleau hotel forked over $336,000 worth of room and board for the Top Chef crew and cast…and all for the greater glory of Bravo. [Amuse Biatch]
Clearly not a candidate for the new Dirty Jobs-esque reality cooking show, a writer publishes a book about her dreadfully bloody experience at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris where “snooty French chefs made students dismember pigs, behead rabbits, and filet fish.” [NYP]
Angry fluke fishermen fought the Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner who cut their season short, and have scored a two-week extension. [NYDN]
