All Top Chef Interview with Ash Fulk - Continued

ATC: What is the most popular dish?

AF: For brunch it's the duck confit hash and for dinner it's probably the smoked and roasted pork loin with broccoli rabe and flageolet bean salad.

ATC: Mmmmmm.... Did Padma say something specific that caused you to respond that you wouldn't invite her to lunch?

AF: Like that my food was lacking flavor? Seriously Padma hated everything I made!

ATC: Did you ever create the dish you had envisioned as your "first instinct" for the challenge?

AF: Honestly, I'm over it, but I was thinking of a Cornish cherry salad with sage pork.

ATC: Do you believe that the "trained" chefs had any specific advantages over the "untrained" chefs?

AF: There were a couple of challenges that I had never even thought about. The first was cooking with cactus...but there were CIA-trained chefs who also had never cooked with cactus. The other challenge was the deconstruction. I had never done that before.

However, I have been working as a chef for ten years. In many ways, experience beats training.

ATC: Did you watch the episode last night?

AF: Yes, at home with friends and family.

ATC: Was there anything that surprised you?

AF: The cat food comment.

ATC: If you had the opportunity to partner in a restaurant with any of the chefs from your season who would it be?

AF: I suppose for sound business reasons I would have to go with one of the Voltaggio Brothers or with Kevin, but to really balance out my strengths and my personality I would go with Ashley. She is a very talented and graceful chef and we get along very well.

ATC: Which was your favorite challenge?

AF: For the Quickfire challenge it was the potato challenge [Ash created a sweet potato custard.] My least favorite challenge was the cactus. My favorite Elimination challenge was the Air Force Base. It seemed like everyone did a good job.

ATC: What was the most difficult thing about competing on the show?

AF: The clock. You don't have time to FIX anything. In the restaurant if something isn't right we can pour another half-glass of wine and take five minutes to fix it. On Top Chef there is no time to develop an idea. There is no second chance.

ATC: What was the best thing about competing on Top Chef?

AF: I learned a lot, I refined my cooking style and I made some great friends.

ATC: We're just about out of time, is there anything else you would like to say to your fans?

AF: Yes, thank you for the support. Everyone has been great.