Ivy Stark has quit as executive chef at Amalia and may, in fact, return to the B.R. Guest group to spearhead plans for a Dos Caminos Las Vegas. [Foodservice Blog/Nation's Restaurant News]
Related: Will Ivy Stark Return to B.R. Guest?

Tom Colicchio doesn’t mind that people come to his restaurants for his celebrity, plus he ponders a showdown with Harold Dieterle and Ilan Hall in this Q&A. [Radar]

Caesars Palace is setting the odds to see who will be the Next Iron Chef. Our money’s on Aaron Sanchez. [CNN]

Eric Asimov praised the restaurant Paley’s Place in his Times piece, "In Portland, a Golden Age of Dining and Drinking," but didn’t disclose his close relationship to the owner. [Kevin Allman via eGullet]

Rocco DiSpirito is ranked at the top of this list of celebrities and the pizza they like. [NYDN]

You’ve gotta love Spain; the coach of champion soccer team Real Madrid is looking for a top chef to cook in their training facilities to lure the players to team meals. [Choptalk/Gourmet]

The culprit for terrorism alerts that spread through London yesterday was a Thai restaurant roasting a pot of bird’s-eye chili to make a traditional condiment. [NYT]