When in a competition like Top Chef, where your culinary skills and stress management are pushed to their breaking points, attitude is critical. Jo Chan would be the first to admit that was one of the most challenging parts of her time in Houston. Despite being close to home, she struggled to keep a positive attitude, especially when her dishes peaked after the very first challenge. Luckily, she was able to find a support system and a reason to keep going. Unfortunately, her time on the show became suddenly extinct during a Jurassic Park-themed challenge. Jo was the biggest fan of the franchise out of her cast, even channeling a moment from the original film on her dish. But unfortunately, the concept did not come together when “screened” for the judges, eliminating her. Read on to hear Jo’s thoughts on her time in the game, and check out Last Chance Kitchen to watch Jo and other eliminated chefs fight for redemption and a chance to get back into the competition. What compelled you to apply for Top Chef? After the initial effects of the pandemic on my restaurant, I found myself reevaluating my goals as a chef. It is easy to get wrapped up in the larger vision and ambitions of a restaurant when you’re at its helm. When COVID stalled these group efforts, I began to focus on more personal goals. For me, as for so many chefs, Top Chef was the holy grail of cooking competitions. The opportunity to compete in Top Chef is a childhood dream come true. You were part of the team that won the season’s first challenge. How much did that change your outlook when you started? The one thing everyone tells you when they find out you’re going to Top Chef is, “Don’t go out first.” Winning immunity in the first Quickfire Challenge helped alleviate some of my anxiety and gave me a moment to settle into the competition. You spoke about how you were only recently getting to “merge your worlds” and cook your own food. How did that end up playing out with the Top Chef experience? You don’t often get much time to plan your dishes for the challenges, and often what you choose to cook is based on a snap decision or flash of inspiration. I was genuinely surprised that what came to mind during these quick moments of decision was food from my childhood. The familiar flavors that I grew up with carried me through the experience of Top Chef, even more than the foods I’ve been cooking my entire career. You got the opportunity to cook Filipino food during the Night Market challenge. What was that experience like, and were you surprised you didn’t end up at the top or bottom? It was incredible to cook Filipino food for the Night Market. I was disappointed we didn’t have more time. Looking back, I would have liked to make a more elaborate dish that better showcased true Filipino flavors. You became close with Evelyn and partnered with her on several challenges. Talk to me about your relationship. Evelyn and I became friends right away. The tremendous stress of being on the show affected people in different ways, but Evelyn and I kept it light, talking and joking through moments of stress. She kept me smiling and laughing, and I don’t know how I could have made it through the experience without her. You admit you can be a pessimist and “live on the dark side.” How difficult was it to not get too bogged down in negativity during such a stressful competition? Staying positive was perhaps the biggest challenge during the entire competition. At night, I’d agonize over every decision I’d made during the day, and beat myself up for everything I could have done better. Every morning, I’d have to pull myself together and prepare to do my best. It was incredibly difficult to be without my support system for the experience, but I kept reminding myself how lucky I was. Let’s get into the challenge that eliminated you. You were excited to embrace your “inner nerd” and love of Jurassic Park. But do you feel that ultimately translated to the plate? It absolutely did not translate to the plate! Loving dinosaur movies and making food inspired by dinosaurs are two very different things. Were you surprised at the judges’ comments about the quail being too tough and the carrots being an afterthought? No. The judges’ comments throughout the season were fair and thoughtful. I knew if there were any flaws in my dish, they’d find them. I wasn’t happy with how my dish turned out, so I was not surprised when they weren’t either. You wanted to go onto Top Chef for visibility, especially in light of recent events in Texas. What has the reception been like from your community from your time on the show? The reception has been mixed. On the one hand, my comments in light of recent events in Texas provoked a lot of anger—with some people going so far as to tell me to leave my state if I’m finding it difficult to live here. On the other hand, for every person who took issue with these comments, countless others have made a point of reaching out to me to tell me that my words and experiences resonated with them. And that’s what matters. I’m grateful for the community that continues to support me here. They’ve made a space for me, and for that, I am eternally grateful. You spoke about your struggle to get creative in the past year. How much did Top Chef allow you to get to express yourself again?Top Chef revived my creativity. The competition itself was so difficult, in part because I found myself struggling to balance what I wanted to do creatively with what I could achieve in the time provided with the ingredients I could acquire. Since leaving the competition, however, I’ve felt reinvigorated. I am excited by new techniques and ingredients and feel a deeper connection to the food I’m creating. Perhaps most importantly, I’ve found myself so inspired by the incredible group of chefs with whom I went on the show. I’ve lined up a few collaborations with many of my fellow contestants, and I cannot wait to cook with my friends again—albeit under less constrained and terrifying circumstances! Next, check out our interview with Monique Feybesse, who was eliminated in Top Chef Houston Episode 6.
