Chef Richard Blais spoke to Enstars in an exclusive interview about his "friend" Anthony Bourdain and also had some advice for contestants of Top Chef: New Orleans about how to excel in the competition.

Blais won the eighth cycle of Top Chef: All Stars and was also the runner up in the fourth season of Top Chef. Instead of spouting general philosophical advice, like persevering, he had a very specific tip for contestants on the show -- be savvy while shopping for ingredients.

Blaise was whipping up a healthy "cook free" risotto using Benefiber while talking to Enstars, and used that as an example of being smart and going for time-saving dishes, which are also easy to shop for.

"Whether it's Top Chef, Chopped, or any of these shows, one thing that you can do, is that you can go to the market and you can practice," he said. "So, I am here today, cooking this recipe, talking about these ingredients and quite honestly all of them can be found at the local grocery store. Part of the competition is how you run to a market, how you pick out ingredients. How do you come up with recipes like this, basically, like the cook free risotto, that are going to save you time. For me, the thing that I would tell future contestants is go to the store and do some strategic shopping plans because that's going to be part of the process."

The season in which Blais was a contestant on Top Chef: All Stars was also Anthony Bourdain's first time as a judge on the show. Speaking about Bourdain's TV persona (he hosts No Reservations) and working with the rockstar chef, Blais said they are now good pals.

"Anthony Bourdain is a friend of mine, he gave me a beautiful blurb for my cook book, Try This At Home, and he is exactly like he is on TV," he said. "I think people should be the same way they are on TV, I am how I am, but he is a great guy, certainly he knows his food and he is a tough judge but personally he is everything that you see on TV."

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