by Gina Scarpa

 

This week on Top Chef: Seattle, the contestants were asked to recreate the original menu from 1950 for famed Seattle restaurant Canlis. Chrissy was asked to make a salad, and was told the dressing was thick. Not only was the information incorrect, it backfired big time when the judges said they felt her salad was overdressed and soggy. She was sent to Last Chance Kitchen, where even though she redeemed herself, she was unable to defeat Kuniko and headed home to Chicago. We caught up with Chrissy today to talk drama, salads, and bouncing back.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How long were you thinking about trying out for Top Chef and made you finally decide to do it?

A. Chrissy: I had thought about it when it first came out. It was some of the pushing from friends that got me going. They thought I would win! They would say, "You're a great competitor, you're a great chef, you can win this!"

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: I often wonder if it's hard for people on Top Chef to cook at their best, given the fact that they're told what to make in a given amount of time...

A. Chrissy: It's interesting. The most difficult part is the time constraints. I do a lot of braising and roasting, which takes four times as long as they give us. I just made sure I picked meats and items that could be cooked properly in the time I was given.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: There's been quite a bit of drama, whether it be Carla in the kitchen or Josh and John almost coming to blows in the stew room. How do you maintain focus or stay away from the drama when it happens?

A. Chrissy: The focus thing comes easily. When we're in the challenges, I do one of those baseball things when it's like the ninth inning and there's a pitcher and the crowd is going and all of a sudden, it gets quiet and you focus. With the team challenges, that kind of threw me for a loop. I didn't realize that Carla is the way she is when she cooks so that was a little distracting.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How did you feel when you found out you were making salad for this week's challenge? Were you feeling it might not show enough about what you can do?

A. Chrissy: This week's challenge was the Canlis challenge and we had to remake the original menu. Like, maybe I zoned out that I didn't hear them say that it was on the menu since inception but I thought it sounded like a fun salad. It seemed very simple and all I needed to know was how it was plated and how it was dressed. They kept saying it was a thick sauce and I had that in my head and in my notes. It turns out that it's not a thick sauce and it's actually very light.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: In Last Chance Kitchen, you remade that salad to redeem yourself. Did you think about doing anything different, a dish that might stand out more as a winning one to keep you in the competition?

A. Chrissy: I saw the ingredients and I was completely excited about it because I knew I could make that salad with the right direction. I took everything the judges had said to me and was like, "I can make this salad."

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Was it difficult to be eliminated for a salad or were you able to bounce back quickly afterwards?

A. Chrissy: Oh no! It totally kind of destroyed me for a little bit. It's something as simple as a salad! I have friends and customers who love my salads and I was just upset because I knew I would've still been in the game if it wasn't emphasized that the sauce was thick.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What are you up to now?

A. Chrissy: I'm a chef at Bar Pastoral at Chicago. It's a cheese and wine bar. We have a huge cheese bar that displays everything.

 

Top Chef: Seattle airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Bravo.

 

(Image courtesy of Bravo)

 

 

Follow Gina @ginascarpa