Interactive NYC tour themed on ‘Top Chef’ show

“Someone’s telling you when to eat, when to go to the bathroom, you don’t know where you’re going or how much time you have,” she recalled. When the season was over, she kept having “nightmares about the clock.”

The tour itinerary may vary, but other stops include a Chinese bakery, a grand Beaux Arts building called Capitale where the show’s semifinal competitions were held, and a Little Italy store called Di Palo’s Fine Foods, where contestants shopped. Participants sampled three cheeses at Di Palo’s and especially liked cacio di bosco, a Tuscan pecorino with black truffles.

The tour starts outside the French Culinary Institute, where an event from the show was filmed and where Pepin is the dean. The takeaway tip here: The school restaurant, L’Ecole, offers elaborate meals at a discount, prepared by students and instructors.

There’s also a visit to Broadway Panhandler, a cooking supply store, for a workshop on knives where you learn the difference between honing steels, which are used to realign knives, and diamond steels, which are used to sharpen them.

Last stop on the tour: ‘wichcraft, a restaurant owned by Tom Colicchio, head judge of “Top Chef.” Sandwich samples are offered along with a tasting quiz to identify a powdery red spice, various seeds and dried beans. The top scorer wins a carrot peeler, and everyone goes home with a list of tips (heat your pan before adding oil, but not with butter), along with a packet of fancy gray Celtic sea salt.

The final tip from the tour guide: “Don’t waste the sea salt in water you’re boiling for pasta.”
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If You Go…

IN THE STEPS OF A TOP CHEF TOUR: Three-hour walking tour (with one short subway ride) in downtown Manhattan, inspired by the Bravo show “Top Chef.” Tour currently offered Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m., but schedule subject to change; details from City Food Tours, http://www.cityfoodtours.com or 212-535-8687. Tickets, $45 plus $2 online booking fee.

TOP CHEF SHOW: http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef

FRENCH CULINARY INSTITUTE: 462 Broadway at Grand Street, http://www.frenchculinary.com/lecole.htm. Prix fixe meals at reduced prices (five-course dinner, $42) at the school’s restaurant, L’Ecole, prepared by students and instructors. Reservations: 212-219-3300.

DI PALO’S FINE FOODS: 200 Grand St., http://store.dipaloselects.com/

24 PRINCE: 24 Prince St., http://www.24prince.com/

BROADWAY PANHANDLER: 65 E. 8th St., http://www.broadwaypanhandler.com/broadway/

‘WICHCRAFT: 12 locations in Manhattan, plus San Francisco and Las Vegas; http://wichcraftnyc.com.