Editor’s note: Hilo’s Felix Fang is a contestant on the Fox TV show “MasterChef,” which airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on Oceanic Time Warner Cable channels 3 and 83. Her weekly blog about her experiences on the program
Editor’s note: Hilo’s Felix Fang is a contestant on the Fox TV show “MasterChef,” which airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on Oceanic Time Warner Cable channels 3 and 83. Her weekly blog about her experiences on the program will run each Friday in the Tribune-Herald.
It’s not just a white apron. It’s a dream!
Being given a white kitchen apron wouldn’t seem as a dream come true for most, but for aspiring “MasterChef” contestants it is the culinary El Dorado.
My signature dish was a crispy Champagne saffron risotto with yuzu steak tar tare and quail egg’s yolk. It is my take on “crispy rice and spicy tuna,” a generically popular dish in mainland Japanese restaurants. I hate it. In fact, the inspiration blossomed while sipping a shiso martini in Little Toyko, over a heated discussion as to why. It’s overpriced.
The sushi rice fried in clarified butter is bland and greasy. Spicy tuna doesn’t have enough “oomph” to hold over that rice. I don’t understand why people love it.
Wheels start spinning and — bam! Make a fragrant and bright risotto, and top it with an Asian-style tar tare using yuzu kosho, shichimi, wasabi and shiso leaves! After pricey experimentation, I put my small foot down on my MasterChef audition dish. A creative blending of East meets West, a colorful palette to paint, and a playful dish that screams me! Or so I thought.
The walk into the theatrically dark warehouse room felt like an eternity when it was really just seconds. I was scared as hell. Who wouldn’t be, with three culinary masters lit up like gods, ready to rule on your case?
Everybody handles fear differently. I tried my best to turn that energy into excitement. If you don’t feel confident about your signature dish, why should anyone like it? I know I had worked hard at it up to that very moment. One hour simply flies by when you’re cooking in a warehouse with nothing pre-prepped, and the cameras pouncing. Rejection was not an option!
When Chef (Gordon) Ramsay said no, I was dying on the inside. I was desperate for his approval. My steak tar tare was not bland, and I will fight that to the end! But my confident “bordering on arrogant” front was beginning to crumble. Perhaps that is exactly what Chef Ramsay wanted to see.
I have Joe (Bastianich) to thank for coming to my defense. Now my fate lies in the renowned chef hands of Graham (Elliot). He left me hanging a lot longer than was shown. Chef Elliot asked me what I would do if he told me to come back next year. With that, my tears became a waterfall, and I told him that it would not stop me from cooking and doing what I love and have a passion for.
Even though there was nothing more I have wanted this bad, I will not beg. Even if I am crying like a baby, I will stand proud. I walked out, a complete wreck with my tail between my legs, and extremely grateful to have a white apron around my neck.
And a little secret between you and me — when I told Joe that he will walk away with a culinary “bleep,” he asked me “and what do I get after that?”
I want to thank all my ‘aina friends and family for their love and support. And a special shout out to Aunty Phyllis Chong, my hanai family, for the years of culinary exploration she provided in her kitchen for me.
