by Chandra Clewley

You could hear the hearts collectively breaking across the United States on Sunday night when finalist and heartthrob Brad Sorenson was eliminated from The Next Food Network Star. The Austin based Culinary Institute of the Arts graduate was a huge fan favorite throughout this season, with his glowing personality and infectious smile that somehow managed to hide right under the surface for most of the challenges. When not “on” camera for a challenge, Brad was fun, light hearted and filled with life, but like so many of the other finalists, once the camera was pointed in his direction, the tension got the best of him. Brad sat down with Reality Wanted this week, and enlightened us on finding a point of view, his culinary idols and what advice he would give the next generation to experience being finalists on The Next Food Network Star.

Q. Chandra, Reality Wanted: What is your background and what led you to try out for The Next Food Network Star?

A. Brad Sorenson:  I started cooking at 17. I attended CIA at the Hyde Park Campus. From there I got an internship at the Ritz Carlton in Naples, Florida, which was a life changing cooking experience. After Florida, I moved to Columbus, Ohio and that is where I opened Black Creek Bistro. It was fantastic, I had the chance to be the executive chef, we did well. My brother and I moved to Austin, Texas. In the process of looking for a job, I ran across a posting for a casting call for the show. I got a little convincing from my mother and I auditioned and here I am.

Q. Chandra, Reality Wanted: It seemed like you had a hard time finding your Point of View and that was kind of your theme on the show. You seemed to find it this week. Did you go in to the show with a Point of View that just didn’t work, or did it really take you that long to find what you were looking for?

A. Brad Sorenson: The Point of View aspect of the show was probably one of the best things I got out of the entire experience. Going in, you know you are going to be on The Next Food Network Star, what is your point of view. I always took it literal, for the last nine years now I have just been trying to be a professional chef. I wanted to cook good food with good ingredients and I wanted to be able to share some of the stuff from working in some of the crazy kitchens I have worked in, with some of the people at home. The show was humbling to say the least, and it made me realize that instead of focusing so hard on that final result, I needed to focus more on everything it takes to get to that point. That is what people really can connect with, the trials, the tribulations, the learning experiences. The successes and the failures come along the way is what makes it a more interesting and compelling story. It changed my whole perspective on the way that I look at my own culinary career. The show had a big effect on me.

Q. Chandra, Reality Wanted: What did you think of your cast mates on the show?

A. Brad Sorenson: I think we had a fantastic group this season. We genuinely like each other and we all get along really well. Going into the situation you don’t know what you are walking into and I really couldn’t have been luckier.

Q. Chandra, Reality Wanted: You came up with “A Culinary Quest” as your Point of View. Are you moving forward with that?

A. Brad Sorenson: The actual name, I don’t know if that is the direction I am going to go, but the idea behind it very much so. One of the ways I have been trying to keep that going is by doing some cooking classes and demonstrations in Austin, and really trying to tell people that I have gone through some of the horrible restaurant experiences that you hear about, pans being thrown at you, and being yelled at by chefs, so I can cook perfect mashed potatoes but I can teach you guys all that without the pan throwing and the curse words. So the idea behind it is the same, but I want to teach people how to cook. I love food, it is the most important thing in my life, and if I can share that with people I think they will really enjoy it. 

Q. Chandra, Reality Wanted: You got to meet some really incredible people on the show. Who impressed you the most? 

A. Brad Sorenson: You know, we met some of the biggest people in the culinary world. The top five chefs would include both Wolfgang Puck and Bobby Flay, and I got a chance to be around both of them! The one I liked the best was Jonathan Waxman. We had a nice rapport and I felt like I was talking to a chef. He kind of gave me a little guff during my presentation and that is exactly what I would expect from a restaurant chef. He seems really relaxed, he asked me how long I had been cooking. I told him I had been cooking since I was 17 and immediately he said, “Well, you’re 18 now, so how is that working out?” With people that work in restaurants, you kind of give each other a lot of crap all the time, so I didn’t take it as offensive; I thought it was really cool.

 Q. Chandra, Reality Wanted:  Who would you say as a chef, are your mentors and idols in the culinary world?

A. Brad Sorenson: There have been a few chefs that personally have had a very positive effect on me. I worked for Michael Voltaggio at the Ritz Carlton, he was probably the biggest influence early in my career, just because of the level of perfection that he demanded, it was unlike anything I had been a part of. Out of the chefs that I admire, the two that came right to the top of my head are Eric Ripert and Charlie Trotter. I love what Eric Ripert does with fish and his attitude about food. He is one of those guys that, when he starts talking about food, you are drawn into listening. Charlie Trotter, what he does with vegetables and his relationships with farms, it’s really cool to see.

Q. Chandra, Reality Wanted: Tell me what is next for you?

A. Brad Sorenson:  I am going to keep on this crazy culinary adventure that I have been on, and see where the next step is. This isn’t the last you will see of me.

Q. Chandra, Reality Wanted: Was it a shock for you to be eliminated?

A. Brad Sorenson: What has been shocking about it is some of the viewer response. I knew this was the episode that I was going home, and at the time it was hard, but the four that went to New York, I would vote for any of those people to have their own show, they are fantastic and I love their food. I did really well, I was proud of what I had done, but the response to the show, there are some upset people out there, I appreciate that. If I am upset about anything it isn’t that someone is going forward ahead of me, it is that I didn’t turn it on a little bit sooner and maybe give them (the committee) a harder decision and maybe swing it in a different direction.

Q. Chandra, Reality Wanted: When Committee Judge and Senior VP of Marketing for The Food Network, Susie Fogelson was upset the camera showed her crying, was that a real moment?

A. Brad Sorenson: That elimination was unlike any of the others, I can tell you that. The deliberation took a very long time, and it seemed like it was going back and forth. Susie genuinely cares about me and see’s a little bit of the “the little brother” in me but I think she was right there as I went from having a really hard time to developing into being pretty good at it. She had to have Bob tell me that I was the one going home because she couldn’t do it. It WAS that emotional! The entire episode was emotional.

Q. Chandra, Reality Wanted: What advice would you give to the people appearing on the next season of The Next Food Network Star?

A. Brad Sorenson: I have been thinking about what I would have done to better prepare now after going through it. I would have put myself in front of a camera everyday in some sort of situation, every day until I went on the show. It took me six weeks to gain a level comfort and if I was a smart man I would have handled that a lot better. When I found out I was going to be on the show, I was so focused on how I wanted to present my point of view and figuring out all of the other stuff, you are dealing with financial stuff because you are going to be gone, and I don’t know if there is any way you can prepare or put yourself in front of a camera, because this time, the camera would be watched by millions of people and that is an intimidating thought to have to cook in front of. 

Brad Sorenson has a Facebook fan page you can find him at, which will let you know what he is up to these days. 

Catch the Final Four Finalists on an all new episode of The Next Food Network Star, Sunday 9/8c on Food Network.

(Image courtesy of Food Network)

Follow Chandra at https://twitter.com/ChandraClewley

For more Next Food Network Star links visit Sirlinksalot.net