TalkAboutTennis.com attended the 13^th Annual BNP Paribas Taste of Tennis, a charity event to benefit New York youth tennis that brings top chefs and tennis stars together every year Thursday night before the US Open.

Players, chefs and attending celebrities were eager to dive in and enjoy the food, but stopped to chat with us on the green carpet at the W New York to share their love for New York, food and the event. Here are a few excerpts from TAT’s interviews with the attendees, to accompany the photos below!

Gail Simmons, of the Top Chef TV franchise confessed:  “I love tennis and I love food.”  Who is she rooting for at the US Open? “I have to, tonight, favor the Bryan brothers, because I’m cooking with them, they’re my co-hosts. I hate to predict anyone, because I’m about to meet all of them and I don’t want them to know who I root for… yet.”