How did you end up getting onto Top Chef, and what was your preparation to get on, if any?

A former cheftestant submitted my name to the powers that be, and I went through the application/interview process. My mind is still blown from being selected!! I tried to watch as many past seasons as possible to help me mentally get into competition mode. Oddly enough, I didn't do much cooking to get prepared. I didn't want to cram for this. I felt like that would make me tense and not allow pure creativity to flow.

You came into the first challenge with clear anxiety about making pasta. How surprised were you to be the best in your group, and how did that inform your confidence moving forward?

I was extremely surprised about being on top in that challenge. I hadn't made pasta in so many years and many of the other chefs were well versed in pasta making. To be honest, I just wanted to at least fall in the middle to survive the challenge. Being on top definitely let me know that I belong there and that winning this is truly in my reach. A much-needed boost to my confidence.

Talk me through your reaction to your first win during the cheese challenge.

My first win was incredible. The fact that the crowd had a hand in choosing the winner was the key. My goal was to make a dish that the majority of the crowd would love as well as the judges. I was able to do that and simply have some fun with it. Festivals are meant to be fun. And on that day, things were just clicking for me, and fun was being had.

You go from winning a Quickfire to hitting your low point in the competition during the "Chaos Cooking" challenge. Talk to me about how much that brush with elimination changed the way you cooked moving forward.

The Chaos Cooking challenge was a tough one for me. I had never heard of that term before then. Being on the bottom definitely makes you think about all the things. Am I going far enough in my ideas? Is my execution on point? It just really made me lock in and really swing for the fences with every challenge going forward.

That said, how did it then feel to bounce back and win the sausage race the very next episode?

That felt so amazing!! In a group of chefs that are so talented, to pull out a win at any point, is so incredible. That challenge was right up my alley. I had a clear idea and had fun executing that dish.