Top Chef has always been a dream to Jae Jung, ever since her nights watching it in her dorm room at culinary school. Having built a repertoire across Korea, New York, and New Orleans, she was looking forward to showcasing her experiences and how they built her as a chef. And she showed some success with that strategy, particularly when it came to tapping into memories of her family. Unfortunately, for all the global aspects Jae put into her dishes, something “out of this world” took her out. Tasked with cooking a meal that could be eaten in space, Jae did not feel as much inspiration. That put her one small step behind the other chefs, causing her to take one giant leap out of the competition.
Read on to hear Jae’s thoughts on her time in the game.
What compelled you to apply for Top Chef? When I first moved to the United States for culinary school, I would stay up late alone in my dorm watching Top Chef and thinking about the future. I always dreamed of competing on the show, so once I felt like I had the right experiences and abilities, I knew it was something I owed myself to try. I also wanted to challenge myself.
You started the season by cooking North Korean food, which you admitted you weren’t familiar with. How did landing in the bottom affect you? I decided before the competition that I wanted to do my best to cook dishes highlighting my Korean culture. For me, that also means trying to include North Korean cuisine. I didn’t have any experience with the dish, sadly, as North Korean food and social issues remain unknown to most people in the world because of war and politics. It is important to me that food and cooking build bridges between people. So while I was really disappointed that my dish didn’t turn out exactly as I wanted, I was proud of the message I sent and felt even stronger about my choice.
On the other side, you won the Night Market challenge with your Chinese dish. How did it feel to regain that confidence in the competition? I always had confidence in my cooking abilities. But I think at the beginning of the competition, I was a little off-rhythm and not completely comfortable. The Night Market Challenge was so fun. I believe that I cooked better when I saw many hungry diners who were excited to be there. I loved getting to build complex flavors in my dish with the wide diversity of ingredients available and had a lot of fun cooking something bright and bold that reminded me of my family and happy childhood memories.
You got the opportunity to honor Chef Leah Chase in your women’s history dish. What was it like to get to show that important person on the plate? My time in NOLA impacted me very greatly, and my relationship with Chef Leah was a big part of that. I learned what I consider the true spirit of Southern hospitality from her, and I am grateful for every day I got to cook with and learn from her. It was a huge honor to be able to pay tribute to Chef Leah in such an accomplished setting and with such a huge audience watching. It is very important for me to represent what kind of chef I am, where I came from, and who I am, and I am very happy that I accomplished that goal.
You said the Jurassic Park challenge was a huge moment for you to see things differently. What did you mean by that? I had a tough time during the challenge. I wasn’t familiar with the movie at all — it wasn’t popular in Korea! It was difficult to get inspired because I didn’t grow up watching that movie. I felt frustrated, and I think that was reflected in how I executed the dish. But during the judging afterward, I got a lot of very good constructive feedback from the judges. I realized that the competition aspect of the show wasn’t exactly what I expected, but that I was learning and growing in many different ways I hadn’t expected from a culinary competition.
You spoke about being receptive to all feedback, as you don’t get that in your day-to-day life. How tough was that to do, considering the comments were both positive and negative? Constructive criticism can always be a little difficult to hear, especially in such a high-pressure and tense environment. In my current role running my own business, I don’t always get accurate feedback. So getting it from the judges was really valuable to me. For the competition especially, I had very high expectations for myself, so I was very disappointed not to execute perfectly. But I don’t like to be too negative, especially in the kitchen. I try to improve a little every day and take every negative experience as a learning opportunity. For me, the positive reactions always outweigh the negative ones. Hearing and seeing how much happiness and satisfaction my food can bring to people makes it worth it.
Your second Elimination Challenge win came when you got to honor your childhood in Korea. What was it like to channel your history and to get the win for it? It meant everything to me to win that challenge because I cooked a dish so close to my heart. For me, food is a way of communicating memory and emotion. That dish contains so many strong memories related to my family that I was really proud to be able to cook it for the judges, and to show the audience a piece of my family history. It is a dish that brings me a lot of comfort to cook and serve, so it was really nice to hear that it brought similar emotions and good flavors to the judges. Recently when the show aired, I got to watch that episode with my mom while I served the same dish for a party, and it was a very meaningful moment for me and our relationship.
On the opposite side of that, let’s talk about the challenge that eliminated you. When you said you didn’t feel proud of your dish, was that due to concept, execution, or both? I think a little of both. For me, the hardest part of the whole competition was making sure I understood all of the complex rules and restrictions for each challenge and still building a cohesive dish that I felt reflected my life experiences and what I wanted to tell the audience. I didn’t feel creative or inspired during a few of the challenges, and in this one, in particular, I think that ended up being obvious to the judges. It was disappointing, but I am proud of how I cooked throughout the show and proud that I was able to represent myself, my family, and my community to the audience.
Were you surprised to get eliminated over Ashleigh and Damarr? No! I was sad and disappointed, but not surprised. Everyone at the competition had the skills and background to be a winner, and every chef knows that one minor mistake in planning or execution can throw off a dish or service. Ashley and Damarr cooked strong dishes throughout the competition, so I had to execute perfectly during every challenge if I wanted to stay in the competition. I was sad to go home, but also proud of how I competed and grateful for the opportunity.
You have a life that is full of places visited and experiences gained. What did you take away the most from the Houston leg of your journey while competing on Top Chef? I learned a lot from my time in Houston, and from all of the people that I met, cooked with, and cooked for during the competition. I have great food and a story to be shared with many. I also learned about myself by watching the premiere. I am proud that I was being myself. I have always believed that food is a way of communicating across cultures, languages, and geography. So I was grateful for the opportunity to share my food and story with so many great people in the community. Top Chef had a huge impact on me, and I hope that I impacted my peers, the show, and the community in a positive way.
Next, check out our interview with Jackson Kalb, who was eliminated in Top Chef Houston Episode 8.
