Jamie: Top Scallop
The winning chef weighs in on her fellow chefs' performances and the new judge, Toby Young.
Bravotv.com: What did you think of the Quickfire Challenge? How much experience do you have making desserts?
I thought the Quickfire was fair. I knew a dessert challenge was inevitably going to make an appearance, so I was slightly mentally prepared. Desserts are not my strong suit, which I mentioned on the show. I really do not enjoy making them. My experience level in that arena is limited to what I learned in culinary school and making cookies at home when I was a kid.
Bravotv.com: Did you know who the guest judge was? What did you think of his critiques?
Nope ... I honestly had never heard of him before. All of us were kinda like "Who's he?" His critiques were hard to understand. He has a very heavy French accent and I couldn't really grasp what he was trying to say most of the time.
Bravotv.com: You've been criticized for making scallops, were you worried at all the chefs would criticize you rather than praise you for your dish because of it?
I wasn't worried about what the other chefs may have said. I was more concerned about the judges' perception. Plus, for me I knew it was a gamble to do the scallops again, but I really wanted to redeem myself. I knew that I could sear a scallop perfectly, and I wanted to showcase that. Since it was served family style, I thought it would be great for each guest to have their own scallop that was properly cooked, rather then breaking into a big piece of fish or meat.Bravotv.com: What were you thinking when you saw who the "culinary experts" were?
Oh shit. This is going to be interesting. I kind of expected them to rip us apart.
Bravotv.com: Were you worried at all that they would purposely lie to knock your dishes down?
Yes, of course ... it's a competition, right?
Bravotv.com: The new judge, Toby Young, had some fairly harsh comments for everyone else -- what did you think of his comments?
I thought his comments were slightly obnoxious. He seemed to be making ridiculous remarks just for television. I think he just really wanted to stand out and have his presence known.
Bravotv.com: Do you think the right people went home?
From what I heard about their food, yes, but I didn't taste either dish, so it's hard for me to say 100%.
Bravotv.com: What did you think of the other chefs' dishes overall?
I thought we all could have done better ... it was mostly uninspired or poorly executed.
