Tom Colicchio, head judge on Bravo's Top Chef, tells Rachael about someone he considers to be one of his top chefs -- his mother. "She made sure there was dinner on the table every night," he says, "and we had to show up for dinner -- it wasn't optional!" Tom explains that his mother also taught him some kitchen skills at a very young age. "I grew up in New Jersey and we used to go fishing and clamming in the summer. That was my early job as an apprentice -- I would come home after catching everything, and it was my job to clean the fish -- at three years old! They'd give me a little knife, and I would go to it and hack it up. It really taught me to appreciate food and appreciate the people who are out there fishing for it and growing our food."

Watch the video for Tom and Rachael's quick lesson for hosting the perfect panini party.

Tom's Panini Bar Tips:

"If you don't have a little fancy panini machine, you don't have to worry. You can actually make them in a cast iron skillet and just use a smaller one to weigh them down. If you don't have cast iron, you could still do it in a stainless steel pan and use something heavy to weigh the sandwich down."

"One thing about paninis is that they shouldn't be overstuffed. Typically, if you put too much in there, it starts to steam and you want paninis to be really crispy."

Related Links

Top Chef Cookbook