By Erin Chew
Bravo’s Top Chef recently ended its first season with season ten winner Kristen Kish taking the reigns as the host replacing Padma Lakshmi. In addition, a number of Asian Americans who competed left the show determined to hone their craft further despite not taking the top prize.
For executive chef Soo Ahn of Chicago’s Adalina, his time on the show exemplified his love and passion for food and brought back memories growing up seeing his grandmother, mother and aunts preparing Korean family style meals during major holiday periods.
“Food was like a huge part for my family, my Korean culture and everything I can remember growing up. During major holidays, I remember all the different generations of women in my home growing up preparing Korean food – the traditional way. They would always prepare a feast for a hundred people when there were just twenty of us to feed”, Soo discussed in a recent interview with AsAmNews.
The experience on Top Chef was a memorable one for him. He started his time on Top Chef: Wisconsin in a very unique way, the only new contestant in the show’s history to begin the season in Last Chance Kitchen segment. Soo fought hard through multiple culinary battles, earning a surprise spot on the main show.
Soo was the only chef to enter the competition late into the game and despite having been eliminated before the finale, his experience is one which will add to his lifelong learning as a chef.
“I know I came into the show late and in a unique way, but nothing can explain how much I have learned, which I will take back with me as an executive chef. Being someone who was a professional golfer for a decade, I decided to change careers and become a chef. This was not something I decided on a whim, but it was something which has been with me, my entire life. Growing up in and around food, watching cooking and food shows, and developing the love of hosting people is my motivation, and being on this show adds to that love and passion”.
Another contestant this season was Kaleena Bliss. Kaleena’s love for food started at age sixteen, where she was amazed by the abundant ingredients in the Pacific Northwest. During the season Kaleena was eliminated in week four but rejoined in week five in the Last Chance Kitchen segment. Coincidentally this was the same week where Soo was introduced as a new contestant.
For Kaleena, the pressure she experienced during the competition has given her a new perspective on food and how she sees her own career.
“As an afterthought, you always feel you can do better when you get eliminated from the competition. However, the pressure I felt has become motivation for me to push myself in my culinary career and has broadened my horizons on my creativity – in creating new and innovative recipes and dishes. All in all, I have never regretted entering the competition”, Kaleena expressed.
Kaleena is currently the Executive Chef at the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel, overseeing the acclaimed restaurant Cindy’s Rooftop and the hotel’s extensive banquet and events program. Her accomplishment in the culinary world is all thanks to watching her grandmother cook as a child. With her parents not being good cooks, without her grandmother’s cooking, Kaleena grew up on hamburgers and processed American food.
Kaleena is a Korean adoptee, and was adopted by her American parents when she was just four months old.
“Even though I am all Korean, being an adoptee, I had no exposure to Korean and Asian food. Though, my grandmother was an awesome cook, and I would always watch and assist her when she cooked for me. Her cooking was all about comfort food, and that is something I appreciate. As I entered culinary school and started working was when I found Korean food- its flavors and smells. It was such a new experience for me, and now I incorporate these flavors with my recipes”.
Finally, both Soo and Kaleena shared some of their thoughts and opinions about whether Asian American chefs are visible on mainstream television. For Soo, there are a few famous ones who are visible, but that is still a far cry from being represented.
His hope is that the numbers of famous television Asian American chefs and those entering competitions will significantly increase in the years to come.
“We definitely have ways to go. Like, we see a few visible Asian chefs, but we need to see more, and we need to see more diversity with the Asian chefs. Food is so central to being Asian and in our case being Asian American, so really cooking television and competitions should be saturated with Asian faces. I hope this is something I can see in my lifetime”, Soo discussed.
Kaleena is more hopeful and mentioned that there are many Asian faces on cooking television and competitions, but there should never be a limit, because it is more important to be limitless and see numerous Asian faces on the shows and in the competitions.
Kaleena feels television networks such as the Food Network have made efforts to showcase the skills and talents of Asian American cooks and chefs.
“I think we are at a great place at the moment, where many shows on the Food Network have Asian faces as hosts, judges, TV chefs, foodies, contestants etc. We are definitely making headway in this area. However, how do we measure enough? I feel this measure shouldn’t even exist and we should just continue to be represented and be visible”.
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