Suyai Steinhauer

Date of Birth: July 25. 1977
Astrological Sign: Leo
Current job: Chef/ Owner of meal delivery service in NYC: New York Fork
Cooking experience: macrobiotics, natural gourmet cooking school
Restaurants you have worked at: internships at Po in NYC and the River Café in London
Chef(s) you admire: Gabrielle Hamilton, Fergus Henderson, Jamie Olier's Career- what he is doing with food.
What cooking shows do you watch? Who wants to be the next food network star, Take Home Chef.
Your top three favorite cookbooks are: Moro Cookbook, Batali, Rick Stein
Your must-have kitchen accessory is: Baby Whisk, fine mesh sieve, blender.
What is your go-to ingredient? Maidon's sea salt
How many courses should a meal have? Not fixed, food is about life, love, celebration, it depends on the occasion and meal, that I am big on the French: Follow a meal with salad.
What famous person, living or dead, would you like to make a meal for? Mick Jagger
What nationality of food do you like the best? morrocan, Italian, tahi, all about the ingrediencts, to be honest, I love food, I like them all, especially street food around the world.
What's your favorite meal of the day to prepare? Any meal I'm making for friends. Love to be relaxed, cooking for friends of family. Good food should also make you feel good.
Where do you find inspiration when creating a new dish? My experiences traveling, food from other countries and cultures.
Who has been your greatest inspiration in the kitchen? Mum and Dad
What is your favorite comfort food? Chicken Soup
Do you ever eat fast food? If so, what? Not so much.
What restaurant do you want to eat at that you haven't eaten at yet? French Laundry, Moro
What's your favorite dessert? My grandmother's flan or strawberries and cream make me pretty happy.
Are there wines or liquors that you cook with? Mirin, red wine, white wine, vermouth, sake. It depends on the dish.
How much time do you spend cooking a meal just for yourself? Up to an hour.
What would be your dream job as a chef? Have my own cooking show
How do you react when a customer sends something back to the kitchen? Kind of different – I'm a private chef with a delivery service, people don't sent hings back!
Do you have a lucky charm of any kind during the competition? Goethe's "Begin it Now" poem. Pictures from home. Seart stone fomy my collection (I collect heart shaped stones) a postcard of people running a marathon.
How do you handle the pressure of competition? Breathe! Exercise.
Who was your favorite Chef from Season 1 of Top Chef, and why? Dave Martin
What scent in the kitchen do you love – what ingredient smells the best? Roasted Garlic – sautéing onionsa and garlic
What ingredient(s) do you avoid/dislike? American Cheese. Escargot
What's your secret splurge at the grocery store? No secrets
What's your favorite midnight snack? Toast with almond butter