The restaurateur, businessman, celebrity chef and voice of Chef Smurf in an upcoming Smurfs movie was in the metro for the Walker's annual CuisineArt fundraiser. He also launched Wolfgang Puck's Open Bar & Grill, an outdoor addition to 20.21, because "people in Minnesota love to eat outside." And he signed copies of his latest cookbook, "Wolfgang Puck Makes It Easy," as you can see at startribune.com/video.

Our talk went from food to fashion when I gave Puck a couple of pieces of art inspired by First Lady Michelle Obama. I assumed that unlike his wife, Puck was a Republican, like his friend Kelsey Grammer. "Is Kelsey Grammer a Republican? I didn't know that," said Puck, who noted that politically, "I go both ways."

But he would not go the way of a man who would dare to wear one of my cheeky T-shirts. "I can't wear 'Sisters Are The New Black' [on a T-shirt], because I'm not a sister," Puck said in that charming Austrian accent.

But he's married to one -- Gelila Assefa Puck, a clothing designer and philanthropist. She'll instantly get the T's fashion joke, although Gelila doesn't look like a woman who ever wears T-shirts, as you can see: www.tinyurl.com/2dwx7xz .

Gelila has heightened Wolfgang's interest in fashion. "She always comments on the fashion," Puck said, sharing his wife's remarks about the blue, one-shoulder Peter Soronen gown the First Lady wore to the state dinner for Mexico's president.

"She didn't wear it right. This one was too tight up here [he gestures to the bodice and breast areas]," he said, paraphrasing his wife. "She wants to be her fashion consultant."

I thought the dress was fine and the hair much better -- I don't like the First Lady's forehead exposed -- but everybody's entitled to an opinion.

"Exactly," Puck said.

This should give them something to talk about when their worlds meet, as both Puck and Obama are on the same page of the cookbook these days with his emphasis on healthful, inexpensive dining and the First Lady's mission to fight childhood obesity.

Saints aim low -- again? "Brett has surgery on that ankle we got after in the championship game," Darren Sharper wrote on Twitter. "Come ... 1st game, X marks the spot."

Twitter has caused the former Viking -- who got his Super Bowl ring with the Saints after Winter Park cut him loose, thinking he had lost a step -- to be more than chatty and become downright churlish. I'm taken aback by his thuggish plans for Brett Favre. (Brace yourselves, Vikings fans: This season won't be like last, regardless of Favre's availability.)

In other tweets, Sharper reported: "What a relaxing day with my little one by the pool."

Little one? I don't suppose that's a reference to Dollicia Bryan, the "renowned video vixen," according to TMZ.com, which also described Sharper as "badass": www.tinyurl.com/y3n3pk4.

Been monitoring his Twitter account since the video of Sharper with Bryan broke in April, hoping to see a tidbit about them. Nada. Bet they haven't seen each other since.

More on Prince's move "Now Prince is digging up the trees and taking them, too. Bizarre," e-mailed my tipster who lives near Paisley Park Studios.

Could the removal of trees be a harbinger of a building demolition? Or has Symbolina bought another piece of property that's barren? Or is he selling his trees to make money?

We wait, we watch, we wonder if these are the last days of Paisley Park.

Musician and TV commercial producer Shaun LaBelle said he had been asked whether Prince was moving out of Paisley even before I raised the question in Sunday's column -- although my buddy never mentioned that to me!

"I'm surprised he didn't unload Paisley Park 10 years ago," LaBelle said. "When Pro-Tools became the format of today, there's really no necessity to have room studios. Half the big rooms I used to mix at in LA have gone under. To me it seems like a financial drain. If you need a sound stage, you can just rent a place in LA for two days rather than spend all this money on studios, facilities and buildings. That is probably just eating up all his cash."

"When I did some recording there, it was the groovy place to record. You had people flying in because it was hip to be affiliated with Prince and to come to Minnesota and get away from LA," LaBelle added.

Now, "You'd be better off unloading it and selling it to somebody who needs some commercial property. The other thing: I can maybe understand a house in Malibu overlooking the ocean as a source of inspiration, but I don't think looking [at all the new neighboring businesses around Paisley Park] would be very inspiring."

Paisley Park probably lost much of its appeal to Prince when the neighborhood became a lot less secluded as Chanhassen grew.

C.J. is at 612.332.TIPS or cj@startribune.com. E-mailers, please state a subject -- "Hello" doesn't count. More of her attitude can be seen on Fox 9 Thursday mornings.