by Gina Scarpa

 

Last night, on Top Chef: Las Vegas, the chefs competed in a Pigs and Pinot challenge, courtesy of restaurateur Charlie Palmer.  Each chef drew a knife to see what part of the pig they would be working with.  Ash ended up making a chilled pork tenderloin that did not go over well with the judges.  They felt it lacked flavor and when he told them about his original idea for his dish, they couldn’t understand why he continued to second guess himself in the competition.  Ash was eliminated and today, he spoke to RealityWanted in an exclusive interview about his experiences on the show.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Have you watched previous seasons of Top Chef?
A. Ash:  Yeah, I was a fan of the show.  I watched the first two seasons and then I moved to New York and had no cable.  I’ve wanted to be on it for a while now and I thought to myself, “I could do that.”  I was out with some people and there was a bet or something made and I tried out.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: When you found out the show was set in Vegas this season, what was your reaction?
A. Ash: There are a lot of high caliber restaurants in Vegas but actually my first thought was, “Damn.  I wish it was in Portland or something.”  That’s more my style.  Everything in Vegas is trucked in from God knows where.  It’s a desert so there’s no local agriculture.  I was definitely excited about the restaurants out there, though.  I’m still working on my style but I really love to work with local produce.  The less hands that handle produce, the better that produce is.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How did you feel about the quality of the other chefs you were competing against?
A. Ash:  I gotta admit… when I first got there, I was just focused on me.  I realized quickly, though, who the top dogs were.  There were Michelin star winners, James Beard Award winners, Best Restaurant of the Year from Food and Wine magazine winners… I was like, “Wow!”  Of course, it was intimidating.  Plus, you’re in a television studio and it’s tough to cook with cameras in your face.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Do you feel like you had a dish where you were really able to show what you can do as a chef?
A. Ash: I feel like I was really only able to show my positive attitude.  Obviously, I didn’t win anything.  I think I was definitely racing with the clock a lot.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How did you feel about last night’s Pigs and Pinot challenge?
A. Ash:  My restaurant works with a lot of pork and it’s one of my favorite proteins.  Initially, I was very excited.  Obviously, my biggest mistake was trying to do a chilled pork tenderloin.  Had I executed it better, I probably wouldn’t have gone home.  It was a mistake to do a cold dish.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Were you feeling like you were in trouble when you headed into judging?
A. Ash: I was pretty sure this was it.  I had been in there a lot and Tom had basically given me a warning.  You can see on the episode, I definitely was very worried.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was the biggest lesson that you’ll take away from Top Chef and back into the kitchen when you’re cooking?
A. Ash: The biggest lesson, for me, is to do it fully and do it right.  You have to do with your instinct and what tastes great.  That goes for anybody.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Where are you cooking now and do you have any future plans?
A. Ash: I’m cooking at Trestle on Tenth.  I’m still there and I was there before the show.  They welcomed me back, thank God!   I’m working on my next step.  I’d like to have a place to call my own.

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

 

(Image courtesy of Bravo)

Follow Gina at twitter.com/ginascarpa

 

For more Top Chef Links visit Sirlinksalot.net