'Hell's Kitchen' casting in Charlotte

• FOX's "Hell's Kitchen" will hold an open casting call in Charlotte Oct. 16. Says casting associate Brandon McCormick: "While it is true we are looking for the typical chef/restaurant owners for the upcoming season (as we have in seasons past), this season we are actively pursuing people who are culinarily skilled but who have not been able to pursue their passion for food for their livelihood. In other words, we are looking for culinarily skilled foodies who feel like they can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with professional chefs in a restaurant environment." Sound like you? (And you're 21 or older, "outspoken, competitive and can stand the HEAT in one of the MOST EXCLUSIVE and TOUGHEST kitchens in the world"? Show up at Johnson & Wales, 801 W. Trade St. uptown, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 16. Want more info? Go here.
  

• Ruth Reichl, editor of Gourmet (which reportedly will fold after the November issue) and former New York Times restaurant critic, comes to public TV beginning Oct. 17 with "Gourmet's Adventures with Ruth," a series on cooking vacations. Reichl will visit -- with celebrity guests -- cooking schools around the world, and sample local foods in the vicinity. Slated for the first season: Mexico, Italy, England, Morocco, Brazil, Laos, China and culinary resort Blackberry Farm in Tennessee for the premiere.