So, last Thursday I was shopping at Sur la Table in Los Gatos for some soufflé cups for Friday night's dessert (a yummy Meyer Lemon Soufflé). So, while I was there, I looked down on the counter and uttered, "you've got to be kidding me." What did I see? A stack of little cards advertising open casting calls for Chef Gordon Ramsay's new TV show called MasterChef. If you want to see the details, follow this link: MasterChef auditions. Well, I immediately thought that I could try out to be on the show, seeing as how I love to cook and am always trying to improve my skills. Also, I have been considering going to culinary school to learn some professional skills and I thought being on the show might be like a crash course in culinary school. I picked up the card and checked out the details when I got home. The requirements were a bit daunting: Bring a dish to plate and serve to one taster, bring a photo of your dish, bring a photo of yourself, and bring the completed application (about 10 pages long). And the casting call was on Sunday in San Francisco.
David and I then rushed up to San Francisco in order to stand in line for a few hours in the cold. Luckily it wasn't raining. I finally made it to the front of the line and went along with my group to the "audition" area where I quickly plated my dish for the taster. He came around and asked me, "So, what do we have here?" "Spring Rolls made with shrimp, carrots, cucumber, and avocado. Served with a sauce made of mayonnaise, sesame oil, rice vinegar, wasabi paste, and chopped cilantro." Taster: "So, where did you get your shrimp?" Me: "I got it at 99 Ranch Market this morning." Taster: "How did you cook your shrimp?" Me: "I boiled the water, added the shrimp, turned it down to a simmer for a couple of minutes then took them out of the water. Then I tasted one to make sure it was done." The taster took a swipe of the sauce with his pinkie and took a bite of the Spring Roll and said, "Very fresh. Very good." Then walked away.
I mulled it over and decided on Spring Rolls because I felt they would hold and transport well in a cooler for several hours. I was more stressed about the answers to the questions. The hardest ones for me were how my friends would describe my personality, and what would they say are my best and worst qualities. I got some feedback that I'm a bit shy and reserved and sometimes don't know what to say. And this is true. Also, I guess one of my flaws is honesty because I think this is why I was passed up.
Sunday morning I got up and decided to do this for real, so while I went to the store to get the ingredients I needed, David went to Fry's to pick up a printer. Our photo printer had died a few weeks earlier. I rushed home and assembled the Spring Rolls (which, by the way, I had never made before.) :-O
David and I then rushed up to San Francisco in order to stand in line for a few hours in the cold. Luckily it wasn't raining. I finally made it to the front of the line and went along with my group to the "audition" area where I quickly plated my dish for the taster. He came around and asked me, "So, what do we have here?" "Spring Rolls made with shrimp, carrots, cucumber, and avocado. Served with a sauce made of mayonnaise, sesame oil, rice vinegar, wasabi paste, and chopped cilantro." Taster: "So, where did you get your shrimp?" Me: "I got it at 99 Ranch Market this morning." Taster: "How did you cook your shrimp?" Me: "I boiled the water, added the shrimp, turned it down to a simmer for a couple of minutes then took them out of the water. Then I tasted one to make sure it was done." The taster took a swipe of the sauce with his pinkie and took a bite of the Spring Roll and said, "Very fresh. Very good." Then walked away.After that, a lady whom I assume is a casting person came to ask me questions. That's where I blew it. She asked me why did I decide to come try out for the show, what are my culinary goals, and how would my friends describe my personality. I said I felt the show was made for me because I love to cook and am always trying to improve my skills and gain enough knowledge and experience to stray away from recipes. I said that I considered going to culinary school but not to be a professional chef. Instead I wanted to have professional chef skills when cooking for my family and friends. And I said my friends probably see me as shy and reserved. Hmmm... I guess they don't want shy and reserved people on TV.
Anyway, the taster liked my dish! I am glad that I was able to see a glimpse of the underbelly of a cooking TV show. If it comes around next year I think I'll be better prepared with my answers and tell them of the energetic, adventurous side of me as well.
