Chatting with the Latest 'Top Chef All-Stars' Exile

by Nichol Nelson, Posted Mar 18th 2011 @ 11:00AM

Top Chef elimination interview Photo: Virginia Sherwood / Bravo

Here's this week's installment of Slashfood's exclusive exit interviews with the latest "Top Chef All-Stars" contestant to get the boot. In an effort to prevent spoilers, we've included the text after the jump.

After the grueling run of back-to-back seasons, our favorite Beaumont, Texas native finally fell victim to the judging panel after serving a cold conch chowder. After an elimination challenge that required the cheftestants to collect their own live conch and cook it on the beach, Tiffany plated too early and watched Mike Isabella take home the win. Find out what she thought about her losing dish, and why she says Richard Blais makes her nervous.

Was the temperature of that soup its only problem?
I thought the flavor of the soup was good. Most of the judges enjoyed the flavor -- there was one particular judge [Tom] who had a problem with the sweetness. It's a preference. There are some people who can't deal with the sweetness. I think the biggest flaw is that it was cold. That wasn't the way it was supposed to be eaten. It wasn't seasoned as a cold soup. Your taste buds deaden with cold items. But flavor-wise it was everything I wanted it to be.

How did the All-Stars season compare with the D.C. crew?
My season, Season 7, was so much fun. The people were great. We even cooked at home -- some people would set the table, some people would pour the drinks -- we just had a really family style feeling, with no drama. It wasn't like season 8. This was intense from day one, with people staring me up and down.

Who were you the most surprised to see cut during the season?
I was more of a fan of everybody. I'd never met any of them other than Angelo, I didn't know them. I remember watching them and thinking each of them did something pretty awesome in their seasons. So I had respect for all of them. But yeah, when Jen went home, I was like "dang, like whoa!"

Tell the truth: Does Richard really hate everything he cooks?
I don't know if 'hate' is the right word, but I know that he over-analyzes the dishes that he does. And by over-analyzing them, he finds fault. I mean, if you broke down any dish you could find fault, and that's what he does. You can even see it in his eyes -- they're like twitching and going back and forth. He makes me nervous, he really does. If I have to stand next to him when we're about to be judged, it makes me crazy.

What was your favorite challenge of the season?
I had to go home on it, but this last one was my favorite challenge. I love the water and I love the idea of cooking what you're given and not going to the grocery store. It was just the perfect day before the very end.

Read Bikinis, Banana Leaves and Butter -- the latest "Top Chef All-Stars" recap.

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Filed Under: Television/Film, Chefs
Tags: tiffany derry, top chef, top chef all stars