Award-winning chef Gordon Ramsay, restaurateur Joe Bastianich and acclaimed chef Graham Elliot return for the culinary smash hit Masterchef Season 3. Nearly 30,000 hopefuls auditioned at MASTERCHEF’s open casting calls in Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; New York City, NY; San Francisco, CA; Savannah, GA; Seattle, WA; and Washington, DC. MASTERCHEF also hit the road for the first-ever food truck casting tour and made stops in cities throughout Arizona, Colorado and Utah. Only the best amateur cooks were flown to Los Angeles for a chance to compete for the coveted title of MASTERCHEF and the $250,000 grand prize. This season will feature contestants from all walks of life representing 23 states – including a stock broker, a professional opera singer, an emergency physician, a food photographer, a plastic surgeon, as well as the first blind cook to enter the competition – all with the hopes of turning their culinary dream into a reality. Among the Asian American contestants making it into the top 18 include Christine Ha, Felix Fang, and Michael Chen.
Who was your first cooking inspiration?
My mother was my cooking inspiration. She was a wonderful cook. When I was fourteen, before I’d had any interest in cooking, she passed away. She left no recipes. After I moved away for college, I had to learn to cook for myself. I realized that cooking required both scientific precision and artistic freedom; as someone who never backed down from a challenge, I thrived on this culinary complexity. I’ve since spent many hours in the kitchen using my childhood memories trying to recreate my mother’s dishes.
What is the first dish you ever mastered?
The first dish I learned to cook successfully and consistently is ginger-braised chicken.
What is your favorite thing to cook?
For a savory dish, I enjoy making Vietnamese eggrolls. My mom used to make them for special occasions, and they were my favorite thing to eat growing up. I’ve managed to figure out her recipe, and though it used to be an all-day affair before I had a food processor, the results were always worth the laborious wait. As for sweets, I love making ice cream. I’ve been experimenting with various creative flavors like honey lavender and browned butter. I hope to one day open a shop where all the ice cream is made from organic, locally sourced ingredients.
What did you learn as a contestant on MasterChef?
I learned not to worry about what anyone else was doing in the kitchen and to just focus on my own dish. It didn’t matter what others were cooking or which ingredients or techniques they used; all that mattered was that I do my very best, learn from past mistakes, take the judges’ culinary advice seriously, follow my gut instincts and make something I’d love to eat myself. Most of all, you must cook from the heart; make something you’d be proud to serve your friends; and create it with passion, love, and fervor.
Christine Ha on Masterchef Season 3
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Who was your first cooking inspiration?
My grandmama. When I was a toddler, I would visit her and she would make the BEST fried rice for me when I was hungry late at night because we stayed up late watching TV or reading the newspaper. Just the simplest of ingredients – day-old rice, eggs and sliced green onions. Sizzling oil in a wok, she made magic with just seasonings of salt and pepper. She was an extraordinary cook. She was that crazy lady who would bust into the kitchen at a restaurant to ask the chef how the dishes are prepared so she can recreate them for her banquets at home.
What is the first dish you ever mastered?
Hmm. Not to be cliched, but I would have to say Chinese pork dumplings! My mom would knead and roll her own dumpling wrappers. In years, I slowly perfected folding the intricate pleats that seal in the savory filling. Finally, by 16 or 17 I was able to complete the entire operation by myself for my friends!
What is your favorite thing to cook?
I don’t have a favorite thing to cook! A favorite thing to cook is silly to me, because who wants to make the same thing all the time?! That’s boring! I enjoy exploring new cuisines and trying unfamiliar techniques! I do make a lot of kettle corn at home because it’s a fast, cheap, and tasty treat that stifles both my sweet and savory cravings.
What did you learn as a contestant on MasterChef?
Oh my God, what didn’t I learn? I wish I could to it all over again with what I know now. My advice to future contestants would be play it smart! Stick with what you know and build on that. Trust your instincts and taste everything! Lastly, cook like no one is watching you!
Felix Fang on Masterchef Season 3
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Who was your first cooking inspiration?
My father, who was always the person that I would watch in the kitchen transform raw ingredients into delicious Chinese food. Unlike most households, he was the one that did most of the cooking in our home. Every little boy wants to grow up like his dad, so that’s what first spiked my interest.
What is the first dish you ever mastered?
Sauteed green beans. I remember pestering my dad to teach me how to cook something, and he would always turn me down. Finally, my mom decided that enough was enough and taught me how to stir fry green beans as the vegetable component of dinner. Heat the oil, add garlic, stir for a few seconds, add green beans, saute, a little salt and a little water to help them steam and cook through. Simple and delicious!
What is your favorite thing to cook?
My favorite thing to cook is probably my signature dish, dumplings! It’s such a simple concept using humble ingredients, extremely versatile, and I love how anybody can have a role in helping make them. I’ve made it with 70-year olds, I’ve made it with 5-year olds. Plus, the dish will always have a special place in my heart as the dish that earned me my MasterChef apron!
What did you learn as a contestant on MasterChef?
Being on MasterChef has taught me to be bold and come out of my shell. You can’t go through an experience like this and not come out a changed person. I’ve just been given more courage to pursue my dreams and to be completely honest about my beliefs and who I am. Already, I’ve approached two of the most acclaimed restaurants in Austin (Barley Swine and Uchiko) and have had chances to stage there. It’s really blown my mind how things have been falling into place, and I think I made the right decision to leave the realm of safety and other people’s expectations to pursue my dreams.
Michael Chen on Masterchef Season 3
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This was a great episode I watched and I think there is a great line up of Chef’s. I’m most impressed with Christine Ha, who has done an awesome job despite her blindness. I hope she makes it to be the one to win Master Chef. Only time will tell if she’s going to be in the winners circle or not. I’m going to keep my fingers crossed and pray she does. This is one show I never miss on my PrimeTime Anytime shows, which my Hopper always records. Now that the new Auto Hop feature is available, I can choose to skip my commercials on AGT and get back to my show. I was amazed at this feature, after my coworker at Dish showed me how it worked. This feature only works on primetime recorded shows a day after they’ve recorded. Now I won’t wear out my remote or batteries like I always tend to do.