Aiden Turner’s Dancing With the Stars days may be done, but this former chef wasn’t going without a bang — or a bash. So when Aiden offered to host a dinner on April 19 at the Andaz Hotel’s RH restaurant on LA’s Sunset Strip, his DWTS castmates turned out in force to sample their fallen comrade’s cuisine, prepared with the help of executive chef Sebastien Archambault, who won a prestigious Michelin Star. Kate Gosselin, Pamela Anderson, Nicole Scherzinger, Buzz Aldrin (with wife Lois) and Evan Lysacek partied alongside pro dancers Cheryl Burke, Edyta Sliwinska, Alec Mazo Damian Whitewood and Mark Ballas, who were all on hand to show their appreciation.
Aiden once lived at the Andaz, so he knows his way around its kitchen. “This place is my home away from home,” he tells In Touch. “When I first came to LA, our apartment wasn’t ready, so the landlord agreed to pay half of my hotel costs. It was originally only for five days, but the first ten days I paid for and he paid for five! Then there was a plumbing issue, so I had to move back — and here I am again.”
Aiden’s meal was cooked with the help of executive chef Sebastien Archambault, who won a prestigious Michelin Star. “He’s amazing. He cooks up a storm,“ Aiden says, and Sebastien returns the praise. “Aiden would make a great sous-chef,” says Sebastien. “He’s welcome back anytime.”
Though his pro-chef days are over, Aiden admits he still gets his kitchen hands dirty on a regular basis. “I always cook at home, usually four nights a week, and I do an amazing oatmeal in the morning. For dinner I’ll do steak or chicken and keep my knives sharp. I have a great set and sharpen them myself. My cookware is state of the art, too. I don’t want crap! I love to cook and doing it at home keeps my skills as sharp as my knives.”
And Aiden’s skills definitely showed in his menu, which
included:
- Green bean and frisée salad with shallots and parsley, red wine vinaigrette and walnuts;
- Charcuterie la quercia, Saucisson, duck prosciutto, chorizo, pork and foie gras terrine;
- Périgourdine poached egg, field mushrooms, foie gras and truffle butter crostini;
- Prince Edward Island mussels in a sauvignon blanc sauce with parsley and garlic field mushroom risotto Arborio in a parmesan cheese sauce;
- Braised niman ranch sweetbread and morels, macaroni and tome d’aquitaine cheese;
- Braised monk tail fish, white beans, chorizo la quercia and sautéed squid;
- Roasted niman ranch veal chops, artichoke hearts, green beans and garlic confit;
- Black angus filet mignon, roasted bone marrow in a shallot sauce with herb salad.
“Doing this for the cast was really important to me,” says Aiden. “As soon as I left the show, I cleaned out my trailer, did a load of press, went to New York and came back to LA. It was crazy. I miss cooking and I love everyone here. Not being with everyone this week has been weird for me, so I just wanted to do something nice and give them a parting gift.”
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by In Touch Weekly Magazine
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