by Gina Scarpa

Last night, on the premiere of Top Chef: Las Vegas, the chefs were asked to create a dish based on their biggest vices.  Jennifer Zavala’s dish, chile relleno stui and tomato salsa, failed to impress the judges and she landed in the bottom group.  Though she tried to defend her dish, mainly, the flavors she used, it wasn’t enough to save her and she became the first chef eliminated from the competition.  Today, Jen spoke to reporters in a press conference call about her experiences on Top Chef. 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What made you want to do Top Chef, as opposed to other reality cooking competitions?
A. Jen: I was approached in doing the show.  I was a little hesitant to do it because my restaurant had been open for such a short period of time.  We'd have to be away from the world for quite a little bit.  Over the last couple seasons of watching it, just the integrity of the show, and the respect
 
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Looking back on that first elimination challenge, is there anything you would've done differently that may have saved you?
A. Jen: I definitely would've done the same dish.  I would've plated it a lot better for sure and I would've sold it a lot better.  Other than my plating and maybe how I would have worded it to try to get the chefs to see where I'm coming from, I would've done a few things differently.
 
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Which contestants this season impressed you and who are you rooting for?
A. Jen: As far as impressing me, I would have to go with Mike Voltaggio.  He's ridiculously talented.  He won a Michelin star when he was young.  He was so quiet when I first met him that in my mind, I called him The Silent Assassin.  He's pretty lethal.  As far as who I'm rooting for, I'm rooting for Jen 100%.  She's got a great attitude about being in the kitchen.  She's from Philadelphia and she represents very well.  She can hold her own.  I'm her biggest cheerleader.
 
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Top Chef is known for bringing in some pretty amazing guest judges.  Is there anyone that you were hoping to be able to present your dishes to?
A. Jen: It would've been awesome to cook any dishes for Daniel Boulud or Thomas Keller.  That  would've been amazing.  I would love to hear their perspectives on my food.  It would've been a phenomenal opportunity and I was a little nervous about that, actually.  I wasn't nervous about any of the other judges.   I was prepared for that but those two chefs, for sure.  If I had to cook for any of the previous contestants, that would've been nervewracking, too.

Q. Is being on Top Chef a lot harder than you thought it would be?
A. Jen: Oh absolutely!  When you're sitting home and watching it, you're like, "I can do that!"  When you get there, it's not really like that.  It's a lot different than it looks.
 
Q. What is real life like in comparison to Top Chef?  Is it as cutthroat?
A. Jen: I would say that in some ways, I'm sure.  I really don't think so.  You can't make people say things.  People are going to say what they want.  In the culinary world, is it that backstabbing?  Yeah it is!  Anytime I would go to a job, you wanna work better, faster, and harder than the person next to you so you can take their job.  It's more business and it's all about moving up.  This is our corporate ladder, if you will, to be at the top.
 
Q. Why do you think that people are so addicted to food shows and cooking competitions?
A. Jen: I think that the reason why these shows do so well is because people love to eat and because everyone thinks they can do that.  Hell's Kitchen, I've worked for chefs like that.  Would I work for chefs like that again?  No.  Would I yell and scream like that?  No, but I'd watch it.  On Top Chef, you're put in the most unique situation and that, in itself, is fun because it's real. 
 
Q. What is your favorite ingredient to use?
A. Jen: My favorite ingredient is dried chiles.  It's definitely one of my favorite things to use.
 
Q. On the show, it seemed like your dish agreed with the judges.  After watching the show, did you understand where you were coming from?
A. Jen: I haven't watched it yet.  Unfortunately, I haven't watched it yet but I've definitely relived it many times.  I knew what my errors were - I didn't plate it well and I didn't sell it well.  I definitely disagreed with the chefs.  I believed in my dish, as far as the flavors and the move that I made.  I wanted to stand behind my dish and I felt I did.  I think, every season, when a chef gets eliminated, they stand behind what they did, even if they made an error.  You have to.
 
Q. You just left the restaurant you’ve been working with and are somewhere new now.  What’s in the future for you?
A. Jen: I've been with El Camino for over a year, developing and creating the menu.  It was a phenomenal experience.  I didn't know anything about those cuisines - Northern Mexican and smokehouse barbecue.  I felt like my time there was done and I wanted a different cuisine.  The new restaurant I'm at is Xochitl.  Latino food... and the uprising of it... I wanted to be a part of it.  This restaurant only seats 40 so I wanted a more concentrated environment.  It's been a pretty smooth transition so far.  As far as the future, I don’t know.  We'll have to see what happens.


Top Chef: Las Vegas airs Wednesday nights at 10pm ET on Bravo.

(Image courtesy of Bravo)

For more Top Chef Links visit Sirlinksalot.net