ATC: This is Laura Kluvo from All Top Chef and I'm on the phone with Top Chef Masters contestant, Lorena Garcia. Hi Lorena.
LG: Hi Laura.
ATC: Congratulations on your very strong finish. Your elimination was heartbreaking.
LG: I was very very sad.
ATC: Did you watch the episode last night?
LG: To be honest with you, I only saw bits and pieces because I was tweeting and live-chatting with the fans.
ATC: Well that is very important - to be there for your fans.
LG: Absolutely, that's what I tried to do.
ATC: I do not recall hearing anything in the instructions about creating a "restaurant" dish. I only heard "elevate the dish to a master level." Were you told to create a restaurant dish?
LG: No, really, to my recollection, we were told to "elevate the dish" to something that could be taught to the kids - something that they could learn and reproduce. It was lasagna, there was only so much we could do. It had to be something accessible and doable for them.
ATC: If you could go back, is there anything that you would do differently?
LG: In the process of making the dish, I learned things about the sudents, like Jojo had type 2 diabetes, and maybe if I had known that, I might have modified things a little, but honestly, I still would have presented the dish family-style and I am imagining that the kids will prepare this again for their families.
ATC: Which was your favorite challenge of the season?
LG: The Grand Canyon - WOW. That was just so amazing. To cook there in that majestic place, with Art....and whoever won or lost didn't matter, it was just so fantastic to be there...and every Quickfire was just so much fun, just the running around like crazy, and when I got it - like the dart hitting the bullseye, it was just great... And in the boxing ring with Sugar Ray, being able to come out a winner in that challenge was just great.
ATC: Did you know Art before you arrived for the competition?
LG: No no no no, we met on the show. Now we talk about every day, and we are developing some ideas together for pop-up restaurants around the country.
ATC: I've enjoyed the cantina bowl several times, will you be creating more original recipes for Taco Bell?
LG: Yes, I am continuing to help Taco Bell to introduce new ingredients to Taco Bell and to continue to develop the cantina menu. I am up to this challenge. We want to offer great choices on the menu at Taco Bell.
ATC: Tell us about your charity.
I started with something called "Big Chef Little Chef" about seven years ago, in the schools just teaching the kids about food and healthy cooking and eating. Even just the difference between onions and garlic. The kids and the parents learned together about making good choices.
About two years ago I joined The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, I have the opportunity to teach students how to make healthy food choices - of course all of this is with my latin-inspired ingredients and recipes.
This week, for instance, we are promoting "Healthy Breakfast Week" in the schools and I am having breakfast with the kids and learning what they really like to eat for breakfast.
ATC: Tell us about your restaurant.
I just opened about three weeks ago in the Atlanta airport. Of course I have one here in the Miami airport and soon we will open in Dallas/Ft. Worth.
It's very exciting. I am working very hard.
ATC: Chef Lorena, we are almost out of time, is there anything else you would like to say to your fans?
LG: Wow, I want to say that the support and the love that I have received from the fans of the show is fantastic and I am very grateful. What you see on the show is the real thing and I just can not wait to see what is there for me next - and again thank you so much to all of my fans for all of your love and your tremendous support.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment