Nancy Pappas:
Good morning from Seoul, South Korea and good afternoon to everyone else. I'm Nancy Pappas. I'm the Art Director at Cherry Bombe and I welcome everyone to another Julia Jubilee event, where we've been celebrating the life and legacy of Julia Child. We kicked off last week with Stanley Tucci and Ina Garten. We've walked through Julia's kitchen with Paula J. Johnson and Priya Krishna. And we've watched demos like Zoe Francois' Baked Alaska demo. Thanks again to San Pellegrino for supporting Cherry Bombe and this Julia Jubilee event. We have free programming thanks to all our amazing sponsors.
Nancy Pappas:
So, tonight, I am especially excited to welcome all of the female winners of Top Chef. Pretty incredible. They're all here and I've watch Top Chef, I think, since with my older sister and I have to say, the seasons where the women have won are my favorites, of course. To get started, I'd like to introduce our moderator, Nilou Motamed, she's the former Editor in Chief of Food and Wine and you'll recognize her as a reoccurring judge on Top Chef. Hi Nilou. Thank you so much for being here and honestly, I'm stoked to meet all you guys and actually hear your voice. Unfortunately it's not in person.
Nilou Motamed:
I'm going to come to Seoul right away, ASAP.
Nancy Pappas:
Please. I will take all of you guys around and eat at all the best places. Coming up, we have Stephanie Izard. She's Executive Chef of four Chicago restaurants, Girl & the Goat, Little Goat, Duck Duck Goat and Cabra and the forthcoming Girl & the Goat in LA. She was the Season Four winner and the first women to win Top Chef, the first season I watched.
Nancy Pappas:
We also have Kristen Kish. Congrats to you and Bianca on your marriage. Kristin is Executive Chef at her Austin restaurant Arlo Grey and she was the Season 10 winner.
Nancy Pappas:
We have Mei Lin. She has this amazing new product called UMAMEI. Love the name. It's small batch XO sauce and she was the winner of Season 12.
Nancy Pappas:
Okay. So, Brooke Williamson, how to narrow her down. She's the youngest female chef to ever cook at the James Beard House and currently owns and operates several restaurants with her husband in LA, including Playa Provisions. She was the Season 14 winner.
Nancy Pappas:
We have Kelsey Barnard Clark. She stays busy with KBC, a local market, eatery and catering business and has a new cookbook coming out called Southern Grit, coming out in August. And she was the Season 16 winner.
Nancy Pappas:
And then finally, we have Melissa King. She's currently in San Francisco where she runs her own company focusing on partnerships and culinary experiences. She's our most recent Season 17 winner. I loved that season.
Nancy Pappas:
Now, I'll pass the baton over Nilou. You guys, I'm so tankful that you guys are here. I really can't believe we have all the female winner chefs because how can we celebrated Cherry Bombe better with all you guys here. With that, I'll see you guys at the end and wrap up.
Nilou Motamed:
Thank you, Nancy. Thank you so much to everyone at Cherry Bombe. Thank you to Kerry. And I can't even believe you ladies. It is too much. I'm looking at all of you and just totally fan girling. I know that there's so many people joining us that are such big fans of the show and such big fans of your talents and I just want to say before I do anything, I'm going to toast all you because you are epically talented and exquisite in every single way. You guys are all going to drink Pellegrino. I'm going to drink orange wine. Cheers to you. Cheers to everyone who's coming in.
Nilou Motamed:
I think the first thing I want to do, I want to do a speed round with you. Julia kind of changed food TV. For 10 seasons, the French Chef was on and during that time it really revolutionized how women were thought of as much more than behind the scenes, but in front of the camera. I think it also weaned an entire generation on the idea of boeuf bourguignon and this is just an excuse for me to use French. And, canard l'orange and every kind of flaming souffle you can imagine.
Nilou Motamed:
Fast forward and now we're in the 18th season of Top Chef and Top Chef has, in fact, done maybe even more for women and the idea that it's not just women, but we're actually impacting how any young person sees themselves and has the opportunity to grow as a chef. My first question in the speed round would be, "Did you watch TV growing up and what did you watch?" I'm going to start going chronologically through the seasons, so I'm going to start with Stephanie. Were you weaned on Julia Child or something else?
Stephanie Izard:
Yeah, Julia Child and Yan Can Cook, which I think this all was on TV before these guys were even watching TV. But that's okay. Yan Can Cook is the best.
Nilou Motamed:
No, I watched it. I totally watched it.
Melissa King:
Same here.
Stephanie Izard:
So good. And I got to meet him and it was amazing. I love it. He's so good.
Nilou Motamed:
Okay, that's incredible. Now, what about Kristen?
Kristen Kish:
Julia came much later on in my life, as I got early 20s. But, I grew up watching at five and six years old, Great Chefs of the World on Discovery Channel.
Stephanie Izard:
Good one.
Nilou Motamed:
What were you drawn to? What is the global aspect?
Kristen Kish:
I think it was the earliest of ASMR or something because all I could do was zero in on what it sounded like to cook and what it looked like with the movements and the sound. That's how I learned how to cook, ultimately, was by watching the process.
Nilou Motamed:
That's super interesting. Mei, you cooked with your family young, right? You grew up cooking in your parent's restaurant or at least being there after school all the time. Was there some TV watching too?
Mei Lin:
Yeah. I think my earliest memories of watching TV, we were only allowed to watch PBS, so definitely Jacques and Julia was always on my screen on Saturday mornings as well as Yan Can Cook. Those were the two shows that I grew up watching, 1000%.
Nilou Motamed:
Melissa's just really into Yan. Yan is really-
Melissa King:
I love Yan.
Nilou Motamed:
... fueling her fire.
Melissa King:
Yan was my idol when I was a kid because there was no one that was Asian on television cooking and then Julia as well. There was no other woman that was on TV doing that. To echo everyone else, I was watching PBS. I did not watch cartoons and I just had Jacques and Julia on in the background all the time. Mom mom will confirm that.
Nilou Motamed:
I have such a crush on your mom. I haven't forgotten about you Brooke, but it is really interesting the idea ... I'm Iranian and I grew up in Iran, moved to France, didn't speak a word of French and I learned to speak French from translating the recipes in real time on French cooking shows for my mom so she could make Crepe Suzette or whatever. It's amazing to me what we're drawn to. You can be drawn to watching Bob Ross or you can be drawn to watching Yan Can Cook and that's really where you're going to head. Brooke, were you a Bob Ross girl or were you a-
Brooke Williamson:
Oh, I, for sure was a Bob Ross girl. I was also a Galloping Gourmet girl. I, too, didn't watch cartoons unless it was like the Smurfs or Jem and the Holograms. Those were the two cartoons I watched as a kid. Aside from that, I watched cooking shows every Saturday morning. I watched PBS. I watched Julia. I grew up watching Julia. Julia and Jacques and the Galloping Gourmet were go-tos on the weekends. I would watch TV for a solid four hours in the morning and then I'd go in the kitchen and I'd experiment with stuff in the kitchen. This was starting at the age of, probably, six or seven.
Nilou Motamed:
I also want to know, did you start cooking ... Six or seven was when you, as a kid, were starting to look around and be like, I think I can do something with this.
Brooke Williamson:
Yeah, and I remember we had a Betty Crocker Cook ... My parents slept late. They were night owls and I would wake up in the morning and I would go experiment with pancake recipes. I'd go pick fruit outside and put different fruits in my pancakes. I was very, very young. And then, I actually realized that Julia Child and I shared a birthday and then I felt like I was destined to be her eventually.
Nilou Motamed:
Twinned at an early age with Julia.
Brooke Williamson:
August 15th.
Nilou Motamed:
Does your son also cook now?
Brooke Williamson:
He does. He just mastered the French omelet and he's very proud of himself because he only used chopsticks as his tools. And I'm very proud of him. He makes a much better omelet than I do.
Nilou Motamed:
Wow. I feel like Top Chef Junior has some contestants coming their way. Kelsey, you've got two little ones. Are they watching food TV?
Kelsey Barnard Clark:
They watch me a lot, let me just put it that way. I do a lot of cooking classes virtually now and Monroe has made himself my permanent sous chef, whether I like it or not, he's in there. He's incredibly infatuated with food and he's three. I think, that was definitely the way ... There was never a time I wasn't enthralled by the art of making food. I'll never forget, very young, I had to have been five or six, as early as I can remember. My sister and I were watching a Disney movie and she said something about how she loved their dresses. I was like, I don't even know what color the dresses were, but did you see the food they were making? That was just how I always thought from a very young age. Anything I watched ... I was obsessed with any females on TV. I was obsessed with Oprah. Anyone in a leading role, who was female on TV, I was really into. I watched a ton, a ton of cooking shows. If anyone was cooking on TV, I was watching it.
Nilou Motamed:
Since you mentioned Oprah, I'm just going to throw it out to Mei. How did that happen? It's a complete left field question, but I figure since we've got somebody that's connected to Oprah, we might as well ask.
Mei Lin:
One of my former chefs, he used to be her personal chef, so whenever they would have events, he would call me up since I live in LA and they're up in Montecito and it just became this permanent thing. I drove up all the time and I would go out of town with them and cook for them while my chef was on vacation. That's kind of how that happened. Melissa's come with me before to do a few of them.
Melissa King:
She dragged me in there.
Nilou Motamed:
What does O like to eat. I need a little more juice and then I'm going to find out what Stephanie's cat is doing with its tail.
Melissa King:
Truffles.
Nilou Motamed:
Truffles?
Mei Lin:
A lot of truffles, but she's definitely not afraid of trying new things, which I love about her. She's so adventurous and the nicest person ever. What you see on TV is how she is in real life. I really love that.
Stephanie Izard:
That's awesome.
Nilou Motamed:
I love hearing that. Stephanie, I'm coming back to you because I feel like, as I've said to you, you're the OG. You are the first female winner of Top Chef, very early on. Your season was 2008, right?
Stephanie Izard:
I know, I was 30 years old. I was 30 years old and I'll be 45 this year.
Nilou Motamed:
See, I told you I was older than you.
Stephanie Izard:
Crazy. But it's crazy just listening ... I was Season Four and now just listening to all the seasons and I, of course, watch as much as I can, but we all work a lot and have things going on, so it's always hard to catch all of them. But, how many seasons it's gone on and on and just continues to be as popular, if not growing in popularity over time. That's pretty amazing.
Nilou Motamed:
When you won, you won't maybe remember this quote, but you said to people that ... I'm going to read it because I love it. You said, "My life is about to change. This is what I'm meant to do." Do you think that, first of all, Top Chef changed your life and do you think that it set you on the path that you have now, basically an empire, a mini wonderful empire?
Stephanie Izard:
Yeah, definitely. I think in the beginning, I didn't want to credit everything to Top Chef. Not in any negative way, it was just sort of like, hey, I had a restaurant before and now I have another restaurant. But, I remember the day after I won, after that episode aired, I looked on my Facebook and it just started blowing up. And, this was a long time ago you guys, so there wasn't even Instagram.
Nilou Motamed:
I know.
Stephanie Izard:
That's how long ago it was. I turned off my Facebook. I was like, oh my gosh, all these people want to be my friend, I don't even know what to do. I didn't realize that it's so important to actually embrace that. Now everybody gets that, but, it of course changed my life. It started growing the Goat, and now, where I'm opening by 7th restaurant later this year. Life keeps going and it's like this roller coaster ride that started with getting on the show and all the momentum that comes with it and the eyes that get to be on you that never would've ... Who knows where my career would've been without it. I often think about that. I don't know if you guys think about that. How different would it be if you had just continued on your chef path without the show. I'm sure we all would've still done amazing things. But it jolts it and sends it into different directions and gives you so many opportunities, whether it's opening restaurants or doing some modeling stuff. I didn't get that offer. Getting to do all these different things.
Nilou Motamed:
Wow. That's a dig at Melissa maybe.
Stephanie Izard:
No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Only because you were talking about it. It highlights things that are about your cooking talent as well as all these other talents that it pulls out of you. Everybody doing different live things and other TV appearances and working with brands and all these really cool ... We all get to do such cool things and meet amazing people along the way and have these really unique lives thanks to something that, maybe at the time, you don't even realize how it's going to change so much.
Nilou Motamed:
At the time, I want to go back a little bit because I think you make a good point. 2008 feels like not that long ago, but also, in terms of media years, it's been forever. It's before Instagram. It's the nascent days even of competition shows on TV. When you decided to sign up for the show, obviously there had been previous winners and you had seen how their careers had been impacted. But, were you reticent to put your life on hold in the way that you did?
Stephanie Izard:
I had a strange story. I opened my first restaurant when I was 27 and I had literally just sold it to someone and was ready to go travel around Europe and find myself or something and Top Chef happened to call me at my restaurant and asked me if I wanted to go on the show. I don't know how that all happened and I'm very fortunate, so I didn't even really think about it. I didn't want to go on TV in front of millions of people. It scared the crap out of me, but I was like, hey, everything happens for a reason. This timing is so perfect and so I figured I couldn't pass it up. And, I'm obviously very happy that I didn't and I'm a sore loser, so it all worked out really well.
Nilou Motamed:
My God.
Stephanie Izard:
I even get upset when I lose Monopoly. It's terrible. I'm sure we're all very competitive.
Nilou Motamed:
We're all very pleased that you won. Kristen, what about you? You had now seen that Stephanie had won and you're Season 10, so were in 2012. What was your impetus to get on the show? Were you feeling like you could see the trajectory and that was interesting to you?
Kristen Kish:
Oh no, please. I did not have enough self-awareness or self-worth to understand that there's something bigger that I was capable of doing. So, because I wasn't able to see that in myself, my mentor, Barbara Lynch, who I think we all know is this female amazing bad ass force. She literally came back from guest cheffing on Paul's season where he won, on Season Nine and was like, hey, they asked me about some female chefs and I gave them your name. I said okay, sure. She was like, I think it's really important that you go on there. We need more women on TV and you're basically going. Your job will be here when you come back. And I-
Nilou Motamed:
That's an amazing opportunity.
Kristen Kish:
Yeah.
Nilou Motamed:
The idea of knowing that you have that security.
Kristen Kish:
Yeah. She was saying, go do this thing. I believe in you. I'm proud of you. You can do this. Whether you come back winning or not, it doesn't matter, I support you and you're going to have your job back, so why not go do it. She basically pushed me outside of my comfort zone and said, it's time now. Because, again, the worth and the trajectory to see it for myself, that I could be something more than what I was. She was able to see that and so she really gave me that swift kick in the butt there.
Nilou Motamed:
First of all, I feel like that's amazing because I think a lot of you guys would say that there haven't been a ton of female mentors who have been able to guide you, especially early on in your careers, so yea for Barbara on that. I do wonder how you get on national television and then get kicked off and then have the gumption to come back and then kick someone else's ass and win. Brooke, I'm looking at you.
Brooke Williamson:
Oh, I was like who are you talking to? There's a couple of us.
Nilou Motamed:
Yeah, I know. I'm still with Kristen ... I know there's a couple people who've come back, but I think that Kristen, since I have you and you're talking about the idea of self-worth. I do think it is worth us spending a little time on that.
Brooke Williamson:
Honestly, television is never anything that I foresaw my future to be growing up. Working in kitchens, performance was ... Not that this is performance, but being in front of a camera was never something that I had any interest of doing. It was the farthest thing from what I thought my job entailed. When I was approached by Top Chef, my instinct was to say absolutely not. There's no way that I would at competing in front of cameras. I have terrible stage fright. I do, I still do. I think the first time they called me, I was four months pregnant and passed on the opportunity. Then, I was opening a restaurant the second time, opening another restaurant the third time and then I finally decided to do it. I was like, you know what, how bad could this be? It was such an incredible experience. It ended up being something that opened up so many doors for me. Like Stephanie said, I didn't want to credit Top Chef for all that I had become because I had worked so hard for so many years. But, there's no denying what Top Chef does for your career.
Brooke Williamson:
When I was asked to come back, I was like, literally I can't do better than I did last time unless I win and that was a lot of pressure to put on myself. I immediately said no. The person who was asking me to do it, was like, give it a minute. Give it some thought. Then I stewed with it for a little while and then the thoughts wouldn't go away and I was just like, you know what, if I had been like this last time, half of my life ... My life would've gone in such a different direction and I'm so happy with the way that it did go. I obviously gained a lot from that first time. I felt like what's the harm in doing it again.
Nilou Motamed:
I'm blown away. The idea, you compete against Kristen, Kristen comes back and in that competition ends up beating you. And you do so, obviously, so, so well, Brooke. But, then, you come back and win and then now go on to win other competitions too against other incredibly talented chefs. For somebody who has stage fright, what's your secret?
Brooke Williamson:
My secret is working with my hands. Strangely, the only time that I am really comfortable, really in life, is when I'm in the kitchen working with my hands and creating with food. Somehow, when that is the case, all of that fear and anxiety dissolves. Me, sitting here talking to you knowing that there are over 1,000 people watching us right now, my heart is pounding. It terrifies me. Getting on a stage and talking in front of even 20 people terrifies me. But somehow, when I'm doing a demo, when I'm doing something that feels like I'm in my natural element, the only thing that I focus on is the task at hand.
Nilou Motamed:
I love that because it's truly, truly your passion. I want to go back to Kristen for a second and just touch on this same feeling. This feeling of not really deserving the attention. How did you get past that to crush it and how do you continue to do that. I learned that lesson. We all have a lot of doubts. We all go into a lot of situations feeling like we got there by a fluke and we maybe don't deserve to be where we are and maybe it was a mistake. How do you get past that?
Kristen Kish:
I personally don't. I think, for me, all the things that I work on and have dealt with and try to figure out about who I am and the things that are imperfect and 99% of them about myself are imperfect. It's not about trying to fix it, it's about trying to co-exist with that feeling. I'm not trying to make that feeling go away. I'm not trying to fix it to think differently. All I'm doing is trying to co-exist with those feelings and myself, whenever they come up. It's about teaching yourself the mechanisms of how to handle a thought or when imposter syndrome kicks in or when you're like the other shoe's going to drop any moment now and what am I going to do? When those feelings come up, because they're inevitable for every single one of us, regardless if we're on TV or we're not. My next door neighbor, I'm sure, has the same feelings. But, it's about how to learn how to manage them and understand that it is part of who we are and it doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing.
Nilou Motamed:
I love that. I think that that's really valuable for every single one of us, TV or not. Mei, I want to get to you because I feel like you had an interesting mentor in Michael Voltaggio, who obviously was very successful on the show. Was that part of the reason why you decided to compete?
Mei Lin:
Yes and no.
Nilou Motamed:
Tell me both things.
Mei Lin:
I never really wanted to do it, just, in a sense, go on TV. He always joked around on the line, hey, you're going to do Top Chef, blah, blah, blah. I'm like, no, I don't want to do TV. But, how it started was, he had signed me up to do Knife Fight, which was Ilan Hall's show on Esquire. And, literally two days before, he was like, you're going to do Knife Fight in two days. I'm like, wait, what? I'm like no. I'm not doing that. You're joking. He was like, no, you're going to do it and you're going to crush it. I'm like, okay, you're not joking. Great, I'm going to do this show, I have no idea what I'm doing. Literally, I'm just trying to not make an ass out of myself on national television. That's how that started.
Mei Lin:
When the opportunity of Season 12 of Top Chef came around, his publicist at the time had signed me up to do the show, or signed me up to do the interview. I had gone in for the interview. Didn't think anything of it. Didn't think I was going to get a call back. It got the ball rolling and I told Michael and he was very supportive and the rest is history.
Nilou Motamed:
The rest is history. Actually, I'm going to take a pause here and ask you ... I've never been in one of those interviews. I've never been in a casting for Top Chef. I actually have no idea what the process is for you guys getting chosen. So, Mei, give me a snapshot. What does that feel like? You go into a room, it's one person? It's five people? They make you cook something? They just ask you questions?
Mei Lin:
I think everybody's interview process is a little bit different. My experience, my first interview was along with three other people. It was at a hotel and we went in, just asked us some broad questions. Have you done any food TV? Have you done this? Have you done that? Just answer and they'll ask for another interview and another one. I do have to say that when I went into a boardroom filled with 20 Bravo execs, I totally bombed that interview because I had no idea what I was in for. I thought I was going into a room with maybe five people, but there was a long table with literally 15 to 20 people in front of me. I had no idea what to do, what to say. It was-
Nilou Motamed:
You may not have bombed it because you actually ended up on the show and then you ended up winning it. I feel like maybe that's a-
Mei Lin:
It's funny, because I did bomb it and one of the execs had come into dinner at Ink and I ended up cooking for her and I think that's how I ended up getting on the show.
Nilou Motamed:
I think it's all about the cooking. Kelsey, what about you? Do you remember what it was like to do your casting calls?
Kelsey Barnard Clark:
What Mei said, the casting for every single individual is wildly different. With my season alone, everyone had a different situation on how we got on the show. For me personally, I actually was asked to be on the season before that Joe Flamm won. They had literally ... I had six Facebook messages ... I don't really check my Facebook messages. Three emails, five voicemails and I looked at my phone and I was like, what is happening. They essentially, I guess, had just found me and she was like, can you fly out here to LA tomorrow for a final interview? We're going to skip the whole process for Top Chef. I was like, excuse me, who are you? Also, I'm pregnant, so I can't. That was when I was pregnant the first time. Actually, I was like, I can do this pregnant, sure, whatever, I cook pregnant all the time, whatever.
Stephanie Izard:
I cook pregnant all the time.
Kelsey Barnard Clark:
She was like, no, we'll catch you on the next season. So, they did. It was the same thing. I literally had a few conversations and then flew out for the final interview and it's the worst. That final ... You walk in you all. It's like being sent to the principal's office. I thought it was just one of you. I thought it was the casting director I've been talking to the whole time. You walk in and they're like this. No smiles, no like, welcome, hey. They just start attacking you with these really serious questions. I remember at point, I was like, if I throw up, is it going to be weird? Let's just get this out there. It's also like you sitting in the middle of the room with them all around you, so you're like, who do I look at. I don't know what's happening.
Melissa King:
They're lined up and there's one hot seat.
Nilou Motamed:
Wow. I guess that prepares you a tiny bit for judge's table. Maybe that's a little baby version of what it's like when Tom and Padma and Gail, et cetera get looking at you.
Kelsey Barnard Clark:
To me, honestly, that was worse than anything. Once you get on Top Chef and you start cooking, you're nervous, at least in my experience. I was nervous thinking about the challenges, but then once it got going, I was like whatever, I'm cooking. We're in a kitchen, I'm cooking. You're just doing what you do. It's the thinking. It's the mind game of it that really is the game.
Nilou Motamed:
Can I talk about your baby, though? Can we talk about ... You had the baby and then he was little and you left him, during the competition. I think, speaking of the mind game, it felt to me that that was really weighing on you, the idea of the duality of being a mom and having a career and wanting to pursue it.
Kelsey Barnard Clark:
It was horrible. It was truly just ... Looking back, that would not be a difficult decision now. I've got motherhood under my belt a few years. I was a brand new mom, that new nothing. I was 28. I was clueless about everything. Also, not nearly as confident in my position in my career as I am today. That just comes with age. That's it. I still have moments, but I'm actually really thankful for that because ... The part about Top Chef I think that, in my experience and I don't like to speak for other people, but what you don't see about the show is how much the show is almost like a mentorship. All the uplifting conversations you have with the judges. All of the side chats and side hugs and side motivational. They want you to be better. For me, I found that pretty profound as a woman, as a female, as a new mother. There were several conversations that Padma had with me of like, stop feeling guilty about having a career. And, I do not any longer.
Brooke Williamson:
When you hadn't decided yet, if you even wanted to leave or do the show because of that. Kelsey reached out to me, via Instagram or something and we had a couple of conversations before you even came to the decision that you were going to do it.
Kelsey Barnard Clark:
I Instagrammed her. Brooke was kind enough to respond and then call me and we talked on the phone for an hour. Brooke was a big part of my final decision of I can do this. Mind you, I had several panic attacks getting on that plane and getting there. But, the hardest part was getting there, truly, and getting ... Once the competition started, there were definitely some rough spots. I think whether you're a mother or whatever, I think all of us had a guilt ... I don't know if this is a female thing because we're very nurturing in nature and very thoughtful. Guilt for leaving your business and making your employees have to work more. Guilt for abandoning the things that you take of for eight weeks. All of the those things ... It was a lot. I'd never left ... I had a restaurant and I had never relinquished that much control in my life, where it was like, all right, you all got to figure this out. In so many ways, it was a beautiful experience because you grow by learning to give up that control, for sure, I've realized.
Nilou Motamed:
And, I think you give a gift to every single woman who's watching. Every single one of you. For whatever decisions that you made and the vulnerabilities that you showed, you allow someone else to say, well if you can do it, I can do it. Melissa, that brings me to you. I was lucky enough to be there when you won and your momma was just beaming. What has Top Chef meant for you. By the way, let's just pause and realize that you won Top Chef in the middle of a pandemic, on TV.
Melissa King:
It was through the pandemic, yeah.
Nilou Motamed:
You're coming out as a winner of Top Chef was during not the ideal time. But, maybe it was. I want to know.
Melissa King:
I guess, bringing it back to your question earlier of why did I apply and did I ever want to be on TV. The answer was no, not at all. I have also extreme stage fright and public speaking terrified me. The thought of cameras in my face. The whole thing. I just wanted to be in a kitchen and put my head down. I thought my life would be, one day I'll own a restaurant and I'll be happy with that. My life was very singular until going on the show. That was something that friends pushed the application in my face and they're like, you're applying for Top Chef. I think the application sat on my desk for two years and I was like, I'm not doing this show. I had zero interest in it.
Melissa King:
Once I did it and went through the motions of the interview process, which was excruciating. It was three months of back-to-back interviews. But that whole process, I started to learn a lot about myself and I started to feel more confident every day with, okay, maybe I can do this. It terrifies me and every step along the way I have butterflies, but I'm learning something about myself. I got onto Season 12. Flew out, was terrified the whole way through and even throughout that season competing, like Kelsey said, you learn so much about yourself as a chef through all the mentorship and the feedback and even with cooking with other chefs around you, like with Mei. That experience taught me a lot about, not just myself as a chef, but me as a person. I really blossomed into my confidence. I found my voice in food. I discovered this whole other side.
Melissa King:
Coming off of that first season, I remember getting messages from just people out there, on DMs saying, hey, I'm Asian, I'm gay and I want to come out to my parents, but I'm not sure how, but I saw you on Top Chef and now I want to do that. Hearing these stories is what really get me going and made me fee like, you know what, Top Chef's calling me to come back on All Stars, I'm going to say yes. I remember feeling a little scared again. I saw the phone light up and it said the producer's name and I'm like, oh God, what do they want? Leave me alone. I was stressed out enough the first time. But, the second time around, I really felt I had to do it for my community and for myself. It was no longer about my friends and my family pushing me or pressuring me to do something. It was a really different experience the second time around and I'm so proud of myself for doing it.
Nilou Motamed:
I'm very proud of you. What you're saying rings so true to me. I think we have all evolved in our thinking about what we do as something that we do to please others. And then, I think there's a moment where it clicks in how important it is to do something that feels like it nurtures you as well. Eating your food that season, I felt like you were really speaking your truth via these dishes that you were serving. I think the way that you were intermingling ... Where you were in Italy with Asian background was really breathtaking. Do you feel like a role model now because you are representing, as you said, your community?
Melissa King:
I feel everyone on this screen is, whether we want to or not, because we made the decision to go on TV. I can't speak for the rest of you, but for me, I feel there is that sense of responsibility to continue to use my voice, to continue to speak out, whether it's through social media or participating in events like this. I do think it is a responsibility to continue doing that.
Nilou Motamed:
Stephanie, I'm coming back to you because you have been doing this the longest. What do you see as the impact that seeing someone like you winning Top Chef, seeing someone like you being an entrepreneur ... I think it's also interesting to harken back to what Melissa said. Back in the day when you all went to culinary school, the goal was, you come out, you are a cook in the kitchen. Even Brooke said, I'm just happiest when I'm cooking. Now, it's being a business owner, being an entrepreneur, being a spokesperson, being a Gap supermodel. The list expands and expands and expands. I know if, Stephanie, when you started and you had your one restaurant, you were prepared or anyone told you or anyone guided you. Do you feel like you have this role as spirit animal for everyone else now?
Stephanie Izard:
I think it's amazing ... For me, I never know what's going to be coming up next and I'm just along for the ride, just as much as people that follow what it is I'm doing. Add to it, being a mom. I think listening to other moms on this talking about that ... I waited until I was 40 until I had Ernie, so I had so much going on in my career already until I had Ernie. He's almost five. It's amazing. I'm taking him now, along for the ride with me. Coming out to California to open a restaurant. I think, over the last year, I've learned even more about the responsibilities as chefs as people with voices, how important it is to speak up for different communities, to do what we can by, not just raising money, but also using our voices to share ideas. To listen, to participate. I think it's something that a lot of people that probably follow us on Instagram bring to our attention or are excited to join in the conversation with us along the way, along our career. It's really amazing to see. I think, not necessarily feeling a responsibility, but feeling very proud to me a mentor for young women or even just women that work in my restaurants.
Stephanie Izard:
Can you do it all and have work/life balance? Let's be real. It's really challenging. You can try to do it all. You can do all sorts of things and take opportunities. I never analyze situations as much as some people do and maybe I should analyze it more before jumping on to them. I just go for it all the time. It's a fun and stressful unique way to live. But, hopefully that inspires people to take a lot of risk and take chances and not be afraid. That's what I would hope for others. Everybody here is doing all these really cool things. I love following and seeing what everybody's up to and just being like, oh, that's awesome. You do that. It's just great to see.
Nilou Motamed:
Mei, you for a while, before you settled into the amazing restaurants you have in LA, did pop-ups. What was the reason why you were drawn to traveling and exploring? Did you feel like you weren't quite ready to anchor down?
Mei Lin:
I can definitely say that if I had opened up a restaurant right after Top Chef, it would've been a huge fail. I think I needed, me personally, I needed the time to go explore the world a little bit and see what's out there before I settled down and have this baby. I still have that travel bug and I think, for a lot of us, traveling, seeing the world, experiencing the cultures and eating the different food, inspires us to cook a lot better. But also, drives us to be better. I really took those years and did a bunch of events. Melissa and I cooked a bunch together, as well. Just traveled all over. We had the opportunity of doing that, coming right off of the show.
Nilou Motamed:
Do you feel like you ... Now that there's been a pandemic for the last year, what do you feel like you have ... Where's the ball of energy that you get from traveling? How are you getting that inspiration right now?
Mei Lin:
I think it's-
Nilou Motamed:
That's for Mei. Mei, continuing for Mei, sorry. I just wanted to follow up with that. We're all travelers. We're all deeply enthusiastic about enriching ourselves. How do you enrich yourself when you don't have access to that input?
Mei Lin:
I think it's talking to fellow chefs and really helping each other out in this time of need. Also, talking to a lot of different other people and inspiring others to cook in this difficult time because everybody needs to nourish themselves and we all need a little bit of uplifting. Teaching other people to cook and making basic things at home and really just providing comfort.
Nilou Motamed:
Comfort, oh my gosh, that's such a good word. Comfort is what we all found, I think, in ... It's amazing to me during this time, how we all, between the making of the bread and the taking classes from all of you and following everyone on Instagram, how this soulfulness of food has been so important to all of us. Brooke, I want to talk to you about that amazing thing that happened with your restaurant, where people were paying it forward on the checks. Can you talk about that in case anyone has not been following this?
Brooke Williamson:
Oh my God, it was incredible. Someone placed an order and wrote a little note one day, through our website. Through our website, you can write little personalized messages. Basically, it's for, leave the sauce off or I have a nut allergy. Modifiers like you would normally see in a restaurant. I think I posted a picture one day of this note that came in and said, like, you guys are doing such a great job. Honestly, in my entire career, this last year has been so trying in so many ways for so many people. But, this last year, I've worked really hard. Harder than I've worked in a very long time and just in my one restaurant that I have left. Notes like that just really meant the world, to not only myself, but the entire kitchen who was working really hard and still are.
Brooke Williamson:
So, I posted this picture on Instagram and suddenly, maybe the next day, someone placed an order from Texas. A couple placed an order and put in the modifier, we won't be picking this order up, please donate it to a frontline worker or anyone you feel like might need it, including a staff member. I was so blown away by this grand gesture of kindness. I took a picture of that and I posted it on Instagram and within a couple of hours, suddenly hundreds of orders started pouring in from, not only all over the country, but within the next couple of days all ... Sorry, my dog just fell off the couch. All over the world. There were orders coming in from Africa, from China, from literally everywhere you could imagine and kind, warm messages of, I won't be picking this order up, please donate it to anyone who you feel like might need it. It enabled us to put together orders for, not only, our staff, but for local hospitals, our local fire department we fed several times during the week. I think it was this really beautiful gesture that turned into this viral thing that made me feel like people out there were really craving to be part of something bigger and more thoughtful in their lives. It was something that I could've never anticipated or imagined. I've never seen anything like it.
Nilou Motamed:
Oh my gosh, it made me so emotional watching those in real time, but then for you to talk about how big a phenomenon it became, is really incredible. I think this last year, we all deserve a big hand, especially you guys. The talented, incredibly hard working people who feed people, who run restaurants, who have to pay to make sure that their staff are able to subsist. I know, Kelsey, you were able to use your PPP money to reopen after a really hard time with your catering business. How's it been going recently?
Kelsey Barnard Clark:
Most of us here own a restaurant and it was so unforeseen. You plan for things, you save for things like the oven going out, the hood going, all these things. But, you don't plan for pandemics and you don't ever ... Who would've ever thought that a pandemic would last this long and cause us to stay closed for this long and lose employees. I think the hardest ... I am not a person who, contrary to popular belief based on Top Chef, I'm typically not a person who cries and it's the first time, as an owner in my life that I truly ... It was the hardest thing to go in front of my whole staff and say, I'm sorry, I can not employ you all anymore. What people don't understand about owning restaurants, is it's such a soulful job. It's not just a job when you're a chef. It's not something that we just go to work, time clock, walk out the door. It's a very passionate driven career, especially when you are leading the kitchen and you're in charge of so many people's lives.
Kelsey Barnard Clark:
Closing the restaurant, we actually ... I said to my staff, I will stay open as long as you all want me to and we'll do the take-out. After two weeks, they came to me and said, this is just so depressing and so unfulfilling, we'd rather just close and get unemployment. That was one of the absolute hardest things of my career. Luckily, we were able to get the loan, re-open. Of course, we all lost money. I'll never forget during that few weeks period ... We luckily were not closed that long. But, I just remember thinking to myself, I will never complain about owning this restaurant again. Those words will never come out of my mouth. I will never, ever say it because I missed it tremendously in the time it was down and realized how much the restaurant was just ... We just talked about it earlier, what did you do to stay inspired during the pandemic. That place was what I found inspiring. Being around those people and feeling the responsibility.
Kelsey Barnard Clark:
For the first time, truly, I woke up and said, oh my gosh, wow, I'm responsible for people's lives, whether I know it or not. I'm responsible for them paying their bills and getting to buy uniforms for their kid's school, all those things. I never realized how big of a responsibility I had until now. Now, I have this tremendous responsibility again, to make sure these people stay employed, make as much money as they can and to do what I can to make them successful. That's truly my number one thought on a day-to-day basis. My new question to ask the staff when they say, well, what do you want to do. I always tell them, well, what do you want to do? Let's start with that and let's have a conversation.
Nilou Motamed:
Kristen, I'm going to ask you, taking straight from Kelsey, now that the pandemic has happened, what do you want to do? You just got hitched, you're in love.
Kristen Kish:
There's been a lot ... I've got to mirror what Kelsey was saying. Honestly, the day that we had to shut down and you have to look at everyone in the face and you have ... I literally walked away from that conversation and just ... I mean, emotions that I had no idea were in me, they just came flooding out. With that being said, when you look back on it and as we move forward now, yes, there's more projects happening and there's books and TV stuff working and all those things. At the core of what it is and the heart of where I like to place the most value on is not the things that are me, it's the stuff that are for my team.
Nilou Motamed:
Right.
Kristen Kish:
It's my restaurant. It is those people that are choosing to come to do work for you, that chose to come back after being shut down for eight months, that chose to come back at maybe a lower wage because they're like, chef, we just want to be here again. That is the thing that drives everything else. Yes, host a couple more TV shows means more money for the restaurant means potential more money for people. Everything you do, you always have the restaurant and those people as that driving force because you've got to keep that alive. Otherwise, really for me, the rest of it is more self-fulfilling and that holds less value than the restaurant does for me.
Nilou Motamed:
You guys haven't been able to see the comments that are pouring in. There's just ... I can't even express to you the kind of love that people have for you. The kind of gratitude people are expressing for you guys being so honest and candid and generous with your truths. I want to ask you guys ... There's no way for me to get through all these questions and they're so amazing. I'm going to ask you, across the board, a quickie speed round, why do you think Top Chef has had such a lasting influence? I'm going to start with you, Melissa.
Melissa King:
I would say it's not just a competition. It's not just a cooking competition. It actually is a show that tells the stories of the people behind the cooking. I think, as a viewer, people are obsessed with getting to know each of us on this screen. I think it's the diversity, it's the representation that this show carries and continues to carry through each season that I feel proud of, when it comes to Top Chef.
Nilou Motamed:
Mei, what do you think?
Mei Lin:
I think it's because Top Chef is purely based on merit. There's definitely an emphasis on personalities and what makes good TV. But, I think, at the end of the day, it's actually just the actual competition and the emphasis on the cooking. There aren't a lot of professional chefs out there, but watching some of the most country's talented compete is kind of like watching sports, in a sense.
Nilou Motamed:
But better?
Mei Lin:
Yeah, but better, for sure. More entertaining, I think. They've been on TV for so long. It's because of the show's ability to make it fun and interesting and it's definitely a sport, for sure.
Nilou Motamed:
Kelsey, what do you think? Why is Top Chef still crushing it after all these years?
Kelsey Barnard Clark:
I think it's the same reason people love the Olympics. Everyone loves to watch the Olympics. It's the diversity. You learn about normal people. We are normal people with an incredibly interesting career that probably work really weird hours as well. I think that's what it boils down to, is the relatability there, where we are the working class that has really worked hard to get where we are. That's how we got where we are. I think that's something that's always been very attractive to me about the show. And, it is all about merit. I think that their standards have been clear from day one, what the caliber is of who comes on the show and who wins the show. It's always been that. Last but not least, they do such a wonderful job of pulling at heart strings, getting our stories out there, making us cry. You've got that entertaining factor there as well. I think, at the end of the day, the relatability of us all because we are just normal working class people that have done whatever we can to get to the top like most people are doing in the world. I think that's something that people really love to watch.
Nilou Motamed:
I think regular, normal people who can make exquisite food in 30 minutes. But yes. Kristen, what do you say.
Kristen Kish:
I agree with what everyone has already said. I will ditto everything that Mei said. I think that there is a standard and an expectation and then there's the continuation of making sure that happens year after year after year and nothing fluctuates from that. I also think it's something that everyone that goes in is a relative underdog on day one. You get to watch the personal growth of where it comes to be and you get to cheer that person along or the people that you gravitate towards the most. I think always cheering for an underdog, which again, we are all going into the show, that's always an exciting thing.
Nilou Motamed:
The producers do a really nice job in the editing of maintaining that level playing field, so there's a lot of opportunity to root for a lot of different underdogs, all at the same time. Okay, we have kitties, we have dogs. Stephanie, what do you say?
Stephanie Izard:
My house has gone wild. My son just walked in the door with the dog and everything went crazy. I think it's ... Over the years, having come from so many years ago, it's the community that's been created around the show. At first, when I was on, I met all the people that were on Season one, two and three and then I was like, oh, my gosh, you guys are my new friends. Now it's like, all of you guys and whether ... I think I've met most everyone, but when you see another person you were on the show with, they're automatically your friend. You're in this weird fraternity or something because you all know the craziness of being on Top Chef. But not just for us, a community, but the people that watch the show get to see us on Instagram, go to all of our restaurants. It just creates this whole little fun world for people that are excited about it. I think that that's what's going to keep it going and keeps people excited for every new season that's coming out.
Nilou Motamed:
And Brooke, what do you say?
Melissa King:
It's like the Marvel universe.
Nilou Motamed:
Well, it's a comic con for chefs.
Melissa King:
They're like superheroes.
Nilou Motamed:
I mean, once you guys get costumes and leotards-
Brooke Williamson:
I have to agree with all of those things, the relatability and the stories that Top Chef finds a way to tell that are so true and honest. I think that also, just to add onto that, I think it's very much the relationship that we all have with each other and I think people understand that it's real and these aren't manufactured friendships. Some of the most incredible friendships that I have I my life stemmed from Top Chef. I think that people see that and people understand and want to be a part of that and they can be. There's someone that someone watching identifies with on every season.
Nilou Motamed:
Mm-hmm.
Brooke Williamson:
I think that that also has to do with representation as well. I think that as someone watching the show, you can find someone that you related to in every season. I feel like it's so real and it's so honest and it's so raw and it's based on talent and food and all of those things are so beautifully showcased.
Nilou Motamed:
I could you ladies all day, every day. Oh my gosh, look at that.
Brooke Williamson:
Melissa, that's-
Nilou Motamed:
That's so good. It's so good. It gives me the warm fuzzies just talking to you and I feel like ... I wish that you could see all the love that's pouring in from these questions. People are losing their minds. I feel like we decided that food superheroes should become a comic book. I see Nancy has popped back up which means that we're out of time. Although, maybe ... Do we have time for another question or no, Nancy.
Nancy Pappas:
I will ask the final question from an audience.
Nilou Motamed:
Oh. You've taken control.
Nancy Pappas:
I'm going to try out my moderator skills here. Nilou, please stay on screen.
Nilou Motamed:
Yeah, no, no. I'm just going to be here fangirling. It's fun.
Nancy Pappas:
That's what I've been doing the whole time. That was incredible. My mind's kind of blown. We'll wrap with one final question from an audience member, Chelsea Lancaster. What would you serve to Julia if she was on the judge's panel and Nilou, you can answer as well. We'll start with Stephanie. We'll go through from the first to the last. I'm sorry.
Stephanie Izard:
This is the hardest question.
Nilou Motamed:
I was not trying to stump them. Well done, Chelsea. Chelsea wins.
Stephanie Izard:
It's tricky. I guess I'm have French, but I also tend to, when I'm cooking French food, I always add in some Asian flair because I just love ... I could drink fish sauce. All the umami, all the different flavors, all of the spices, all of the chilies, all of these different things. It probably be taking something classic French and just showing the way that I like to eat it. Some comfort food, but then just like the way that I like to eat it at home.
Nilou Motamed:
That's a hard question.
Kristen Kish:
I'm going to go with the answer ... If another famous chef wanted to cook for me, I'd say make me chicken fingers. It's my favorite food. That's all I love. Chicken fingers, give me some french fries, chicken fingers, ranch dressing, throw a bottle of bourbon and tequila on the table and we are good to go.
Nilou Motamed:
I want to be invited to that party.
Kelsey Barnard Clark:
Me too.
Melissa King:
That's a good party.
Nancy Pappas:
Mei Lin.
Mei Lin:
I don't know. Congee's definitely the way to go.
Nancy Pappas:
Oh yeah, comfort. All in.
Mei Lin:
Just a warm comforting bowl of rice porridge for sure. Maybe add some smoked duck.
Kelsey Barnard Clark:
Yeah.
Nancy Pappas:
Brooke.
Brooke Williamson:
I have always had the same answer for this question and it's something that's been asked to me several times. I would want to celebrate my birthday with Julia a chocolate souffle and a glass of champagne.
Kelsey Barnard Clark:
Oh, I love that.
Nancy Pappas:
I like that. Kelsey.
Kelsey Barnard Clark:
Gumbo. I cook ... All of my training is French. I cook French, part French, but I'm obviously from the South and Cajun food is French food as well. Again, I think what I would really want is to just hear her talk in that voice and be like, oh, this is delicious. I think that soup is like a hug. There's nothing ... Anything hot and warm in a bowl and throw tons of fresh crab and seafood. It's rich and it's such a great comfortable dish and you get your hands dirty and you're eating crab and you're cracking. I would love to watch her eat it. That's why I would cook it. I want to watch her eat it. That-
Nancy Pappas:
And Melissa.
Melissa King:
I would do a Hainan chicken and rice. It's really comforting soulful.
Nilou Motamed:
Yes.
Melissa King:
Every culture has a chicken and rice dish. It's what I grew up eating. You've got that scallion relish on top. I think she'd like it. Yeah. If not, if we're going to do something more interactive, I'd make her do a hot pot experience with me and sit down and be a part of it.
Nilou Motamed:
I like that. I like that. Wait, can I go?
Nancy Pappas:
Yeah.
Nilou Motamed:
I'm a little overexcited about it because I feel like Julia missed out the crunchy rice on the Persian tahdig phenomemon that's been happening. I feel like I would make-
Melissa King:
You make a good one.
Nilou Motamed:
... her Persian tahdig and then I'd have her flip it and invariably it might fall on the ground and then she's pick it up. It's okay. I think the idea that we're all talking about ... It's funny, as a judge, sometimes on Top Chef, what we really love is when the chef's harken back to their traditions and show us that. I think it is interesting how we're all basically saying the same thing. We just want to feed someone the things that we love and to share with them our culture and break bread with them the way that, kind of to the simplest. Even though every single person here can make exquisite food, the point is, I want to make you the food that makes me feel comfortable. I feel like every single one of these ladies has excelled in so many different ways, but they excel the most, for me, as being really lovely humans. I'm so lucky to be in their company any time, all the time.
Nancy Pappas:
Me too. Me too. Those were all great answers. I'm starving because it's breakfast time for me right now. I wish I could stay and talk to you guys forever because you guys are all my ... I'm a huge fan. But, with that, we'll have to say good-bye. And, on behalf of Cherry Bombe and the Bombe Squad, we are just thrilled to have you guys here. Thank you so much.
Nilou Motamed:
Thank you, thank you, everyone.
Mei Lin:
Thank you, thanks for having us.
Stephanie Izard:
Ernie wanted to say hi and bye.
Nilou Motamed:
Hi Ernie.
Ernie:
Hi.
Nilou Motamed:
Future chef.
Nancy Pappas:
Guys, I will do a little last-minute stuff. Thank you again. Again, I really couldn't have asked for a better panel to introduce because everyone had incredible, thoughtful answers. The representation is so important to me and for so many other people. Thank you for joining.
Nancy Pappas:
Some last-minute things. We have incredible Julia issue out right now. So, pick it up if you haven't. It's incredible. Anyway, thank you San Pellegrino for sponsoring this event. Without them, like I said, we wouldn't be able to have the free programming throughout Julia Jubilee. And, with that, please head over to cherrybombe.com and check out our schedule because we have a couple more days of some amazing events. Thank you for watch. I'll talk to you guys soon.