We’re only a couple more episodes from finding out, and it’s still well within his grasp.

He had his toughest night yet on last week’s episode. We talked with him to get some insider information and discover if the challenges are really as stressful as they look…or perhaps even worse.

Maui Now: On Episode 13, you all go on a cruise from Seattle to Juneau, Alaska and Brooke immediately reveals she has a fear of boats. What’s your worst fear?

Sheldon Simeon: My worst fear is never seeing any of my girls again. They are my everything.

MN: In the Quick Fire challenge, you are required to work with iceberg lettuce, which you refer to as “boring.” If you could have picked your own green, what would you have chosen instead?

SS: I guess for that challenge it was fitting for “iceberg” lettuce since we were on a ship. Mustard greens would have been fun.

MN: You ended up winning the Quick Fire challenge with your Vietnamese Lettuce Wrap with pork, shrimp, and pickled iceberg lettuce hearts. Is that something you would ever make or serve again?

SS: It was actually a fun take of the Vietnamese Crepe that we serve at Star Noodle.

MN: Speaking of which, would you consider a special menu night at Star Noodle where you prepare and serve the food you made on Top Chef? (And if so, can we come?)

SS: You know, it would be fun to cook some of the dishes I made on Top Chef. I cooked some really cool dishes throughout the season and definitely could see a menu inspired by Top Chef. And of course you can come.

MN: The weather looked miserable and Padma was in a down vest, yet they kept showing you in just a t-shirt. How did you manage that? You spend a lot of time up on Haleakala or something?

SS: I guess my acting skills got better as I went through the season, because I was definitely freezing. I guess the cameras didn’t pick that up. When we were waiting on deck for the results of the quick fire I was shivering: very reminiscent of watching sunrise up on Haleakala.

MN: We learned on this episode that you love to get manicures. Any other secret hobbies or habits we might be surprised to hear about?

SS: I like keeping my hands and feet healthy. Haha! I always shampoo and condition my hair even when it’s buzzed down super short.

MN: Your prize for winning the Quick Fire was that you got to pick your proteins for the ‘re-imagine surf and turf’ challenge. Guest judge Curtis Stone specifically comments that “people put shrimp on a steak” as an example of the tried and true, and then you pick…steak and lobster. Were you thinking you were blocking the others from using the best ingredients or… ?

SS: I literally “froze up” on this challenge. It was my least inspiring dish of the season. What threw me off were the cooking vessels that we had to use.

MN: This episode we could really see the pressures of these challenges on all of you. I was a nervous wreck just watching this and having traumatic PTSD flashbacks to my own days behind the line. How difficult was it to make 200 dishes in two hours or be spontaneously “creative” knowing it was down to just five of you?

SS: It’s really difficult. By this time in the season, everyone is exhausted and tired. You want to always be creative, but sometimes the parameters of the challenge limits what you are actually able to do and execute within the allotted time. Cooking and plating 200 dishes in 2 hours, who does that? Haha!

MN: You commented that you “chose the worst proteins and executed it really badly.” If you had the challenge to do again, what surf and turf proteins would you pick instead?

SS: If I could go back I would of choose mussels and pork belly. Something like crisp pork belly with braised mussels

MN: With the advantage of hindsight and seeing the other “cheftestant” dishes, what might you make with the steak and lobster instead of the dish you prepared?

SS: Slow roasted filet mignon with tarragon crust, butter sous vide lobster with truffle sauce and truffle coulis, charred pearl onions, and masutake mushrooms.

MN: Yum. Speaking of the other “cheftestants,” which of their surf and turf creations would you most like to try?

SS: Most likely Brooke’s; her flavor profiles always amaze me.

MN: If you had any challenge in the show thus far to do again, which one would it be and what would you make?

SS: The roller derby challenge. It would just be executed better.

MN: In Stefan’s parting comments, he mentions that Top Chef teaches you to be creative and find inspiration. What is one thing you’ve learned from being on this show that has made you a better chef?

SS: Continue to push the envelope. You are much more capable then you think you are.

Chef Simeon continues to show us how capable he is week after week. Tune into Bravo tomorrow night at 10 p.m. as the four remaining chefs face off in Juneau, Alaska.

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Maui’s own Chef Sheldon Simeon of Star Noodle and Leoda’s Pie Shop continues to rock it on Bravo’s Top Chef, finishing in the top three on last week’s episode.

It’s now down to the last five “cheftestants,” and we caught up to Sheldon to ask some foodie insider questions and reconfirm that he’s quite possibly the sweetest guy to ever grace the Top Chef kitchen.

Maui Now: Were you intimidated by having to make sushi for Katsuya Uechi or did you feel like you had it under control?

Sheldon Simeon: It was definitely intimidating, yet a big honor to prepare something for Katsuya. I wasn’t about to do sushi for a sushi master; that’s why I decided to serve him sashimi instead!

MN: You prepared hamachi sashimi with fresh ponzu, mitsuba, and lemon charcoal. What’s lemon charcoal and where did you learn to make it?

SS: One day the bartenders juiced 30 pounds of lemons, and I saw the big pile peels on the table. I told one of the cooks, “Let’s roast it and see what happens.” I left the kitchen for a meeting and when I got back I saw that the lemons were still in the oven and they were burnt to charcoal. The weird thing about it was that it had a strong aroma of citrus, so we pulverized it into a powder and tasted it, and it was amazing: earthy and citrusy!

MN: Ultimately Stefan won with his yellowtail dish. Do you ever get to taste the other “cheftestants’” food and, if so, do you ever have a sense of who might win the challenge?

SS: You know, we rarely ever get to taste each other’s finished dishes. But everyone knows if they did well or not, and usually can call it on who will be on the top and who will be on the bottom.

MN: Outside of your food, which of the four remaining chefs would you most like to prepare you a big meal and why?

MN: I’d love to have Lizzie cook me a big meal. I love Italian food! Plus, she’s a sweetheart.

MN: The Star Noodle menu reminds me tremendously of the Momofuku Cookbook. Is it safe to say David Chang has been an influence on your own style and recipes? Were you excited or intimidated by his presence (or both)?

SS: David Chang definitely influenced the food at Star. It’s crazy that I got cook for the dude. The guy’s a badass!

MN: When it was announced that the challenge was fried chicken, several of your competitors looked happy whereas you looked a bit freaked out. Were you?

SS: Not really freaked out. Just knew that our chicken had to be super on point with David Chang judging us. He does fried chicken dinners at Momofuku.

MN:  You prepared “Umami Fried Chicken,” umami of course being one of the five tastes and which is described rounded, rich and savory. What is in umami fried chicken that earns it that name?

SS: I had to find a way to get as much flavor as I could in the short amount of time that we were going to be brining the chicken.  So basically what I did was go through the Top Chef pantry and grabbed anything and everything packed with umami: konbu, bonito, pancetta, shiitake, and sundried tomatoes.

MN: You made an inarguably bold move and decided to cook David Chang “Momofuku-style” chicken. Was it a literal translation or an interpretation? What made it Momofuku style?

SS: It was definitely an interpretation of it, but heavily inspired.  I just thought that would be hella funny to serve the dude his own recipe.  How can he not like it!? We all got a good laugh out of it.

MN:  When you watched the show what did you think of Emeril Lagasse’s (wildly positive) reaction to your chicken?

SS: It felt good. Emeril a really respected chef and it’s an honor to cook for him.

MN: Similarly, when you got to see the judges table determine the winning dish, do you think you would have won if you could have served all the Momofuku chicken or do you think Josh was unstoppable regardless?

SS: I may have had a better chance. Nonetheless, Josh’s fried chicken was the bomb, and it was a much-deserved win.

MN: What’s the last thing you cooked in the microwave?

SS: “Fried” parsley garnish.

MN: If you could eat a meal prepared by anyone (living or dead) who would it be and why?

SS: I would to have my mom’s Miki noodles just one more time. I miss her every day.

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Again, we are shamelessly rooting for Chef Simeon to win the whole enchilada and even considering getting our own little red knit hats and wearing them 24/7 until he does.

The show airs tonight at 10 p.m. on Bravo. ***fingers crossed***

The post Sheldon Simeon in Final Five on Top Chef (Maui Now) appeared first on Vanessa Wolf, MBA.

The season started on Nov. 7 with 24 hopeful “cheftestants” and is now down to just six chefs left competing.

Chef Simeon has held his own, even winning the difficult and oft-dreaded “Restaurant Wars” last week with his Filipino-themed offering, Urbano.

We caught up with him to ask some questions about the show thus far.

Maui Now: On the head to head berry challenge, you presented a dish of ahi summer rolls, ahi poke, fresh strawberries, and sweet chili sauce. Had you ever put fruit – let alone strawberries – into poke prior to this dish? Will we ever see this on one of your menus? 

Chef Sheldon Simeon: I’ve never done this before. I thought the tartness of the strawberry would go great with the salty creaminess of the poke. I guess it turned out good because it was well received from the judges. We get some awesome strawberries that are grown in Kula so maybe when the season comes around you’ll see it on the menu.

MN: Not knowing what’s going to happen – and acknowledging you do – at this point (episode 11) is there someone you were rooting for if YOU don’t win? 

SS: I wish everyone the best. It’s coming to the end and the competition is getting stiffer. Keep tuning in to Bravo and see!

MN: You made Beef Carpaccio with Poi Aioli, Mizuna and Mushroom Salad, and Silken Tofu Foam. Having spent many years vegan, I know Silken Tofu doesn’t actually taste like…anything. What were you thinking/going for there?  

SS: It wasn’t my best showing! I ran into some problems with the slicing and plating of the carpaccio and got into a time crunch: we had to plate up 75 portions all by ourselves and I just ran out of time to work on the Silken Tofu. I basically put it in a squeeze bottle and dotted it on the plates.

MN: The same carpaccio received some harsh criticism from the judges. Do you get this feedback at the time or only when you’re watching the show now?   

SS: Chefs are their own worst critics. We are cooking for some of the best chefs out there, and when you mess something up in a dish they are not gonna miss it.  It’s cool to see the judges’ first reaction when they taste your food. When the food is served we never get to see that; seeing their reaction is the best part I like about watching the show.

MN: Speaking of which, we know about the red hat you wear while competing. Do you have any traditions around watching the episodes as they air? 

SS: No big traditions. I have it DVR’ed because I’m usually working when it airs.

MN: You won the Restaurant Wars episode! Woot! Your restaurant concept was “Urbano,” but it turned out Josh and Stefan had never cooked Filipino food before. Josh seemed notably stressed/concerned; even saying “I think it’s a risk. It could fail miserably.” Were you aware of their concern and did it affect you?

SS: It didn’t concern me. Josh and Stefan are professional chefs with a ton of experience. If I could guide them with the right flavor profiles I knew that they were more than capable of creating this and that they could execute.

MN: For a brief moment there, it appeared you’d lost your mind and were going to serve an actual balut. How does it feel to have introduced the greater US to the (kinda gross) concept of the balut and how did Josh’s interpretation compare in your opinion?

SS: It was Josh’s idea from the get go to do a modern interpretation of balut, and he pulled it off. It was such an honor to represent and showcase my Filipino heritage.

MN: Were you aware of how much tension was in the women’s kitchen? 

SS: No, we had more than enough stuff to worry about in our own kitchen. We were FOCUSED!

MN: Stefan served the dishes, and the judges seemed to feel he treated them rudely. Did you know this while you were in back cooking? What did you think when you watched the episode and saw how he interacted with the judges? 

SS: I give Stefan a bunch of credit for taking on FOH (Front of the House). Neither Josh or I were willing to do it. Stefan had a big task and he rocked it out. He got through and we all survived in the end.

MN: Again and again, Josie was on the chopping block but other people – Bart, Micah, Kristen – get the axe. Do you get the feeling that Josie is “good TV” and that’s helping her out a bit?

SS: That’s how the cookie crumbles. The judges have a difficult task, as they don’t see all that goes on in the kitchen. They make their decision solely based on the food and whatever they discover through questions at judges’ table. Josie’s very good at playing the game and that’s it.

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With only four episodes to go, we will be talking to Chef Simeon each week until he wins the entire thing (or whatever happens. We think he’s going to win the entire thing and refuse to entertain any other possible outcomes).

Tune in and cheer him on when episode 12 airs tomorrow night at 10 p.m. on Bravo.

The post Sheldon Simeon Among Finalists in TV’s ‘Top Chef’ (Maui Now) appeared first on Vanessa Wolf, MBA.

We talked to Chef Simeon about the show, the experience, and that ubiquitous red hat.

Maui Now: For your first official quickfire on the second episode, your team prepared geoduck. You previously mentioned you’d never been to the Pacific Northwest. Had you ever seen/cleaned/cooked or eaten a geoduck before? What did you think?

Chef Sheldon Simeon: This was my first time actually preparing it. I order it when I go to the sushi bar, Mirugai, and used to see it in the fish market when I was younger. I was excited that we got to play with it right out the gate.

MN: How about this business with Stephan, CJ and Josie coming back? Several of your peers mentioned they found it completely unfair. How do you feel about competing against three people who have been on the show before?

SS: You know, at first reaction I also felt it was unfair. We all thought that they had an advantage by having already gone through it, however when they ended up on the bottom, that solidified that it didn’t matter; all that mattered was food on the plate.

MN: Are you watching the show as it airs, and – presuming you are – what do you think of the facial hair, comments, and swagger of your competition?

SS:  It’s all fun. What you see is what you get. I always wondered if I could rock a hipster mustache like Josh. Probably not. We all had swag on the show, and I’m glad that everyone is getting to see that.

MN: Speaking of distinguishing physical features, we appreciate the red “Where’s Waldo” hat when there’s a shot of everybody all at once, as it makes it easy to locate you. That aside, what’s up with the red hat: good luck charm? Fighting the sniffles? Nod to ‘The Life Aquatic”?

SS: Haha! Why yes, it is my nod to The Life Aquatic. Nah, I’m kidding. You know, I wore it in the first round at Chef Hugh’s kitchen and kinda just ran with it from there.  I guess you could call it a lucky charm.

MN: On episode two, you were at the judges’ table as a winner twice. Then on episode three, you stood before them again representing one of the lowest-ranked dishes. How have these two extremes impacted you and your “game”?

SS: It was actually a blessing to have that happened. It just goes to show that you have to bring it every single time. It doesn’t matter what you cooked in the past, every challenge is a new one and bottom line is you have to cook good food.

MN: On episode four, you are challenged to cook from the original 1950s Canlis menu, and a strange story is shared. Had you ever heard the legend ­– Pan Am stewardesses smuggling mahi-mahi in ice-filled suitcases – before being on Top Chef? If I gave you a Pan Am stewardess with a smuggler’s heart and an empty suitcase, what would you have her convey..and to where?

SS: I’d send her off with a couple gallons of Opihi and bags of Poi for my cousins on the mainland. They’d be stoked!

MN: You are now four shows in: what’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far?

SS: Cook the food that I want to cook. Don’t be swayed by the competition.

MN: We are developing a theory: win tonight, go home tomorrow, aka the “winners curse.” We are now two for two: Kuniko and Carla. Is anyone else seeing this trend?

SS: Tune in and “Watch What Happens”! Haha!

MN: Any other thoughts/comments you’d like to share?

SS: I’d like to thank all the fans. Everyone been so nice, and I met a lot of really cool people.

Episode Five of Top Chef Season 10: Seattle, airs Wednesday night (12/5) at 10 p.m. on Bravo. Tune in to cheer on Chef Simeon and hopefully watch as he continues to wow with his amazing food and aloha spirit. He’s the one in the red hat.

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His profile on the Bravo website reveals “Sheldon talks the Hawaiian talk and loves to cook with local island ingredients, but is confident when competing against mainland chefs. The Executive Chef of Star Noodle in Lahaina, Sheldon is a two-time James Beard semifinalist — for “Rising Star” and “Best New Restaurant,” both in 2011. Also in 2011, Maui Nokaoi Magazine named him “Chef of the Year.” Food & Wine Magazine named Sheldon “Best New Chef People’s Choice” nominee in 2012. He learned his basic culinary skills at Disneyworld, where he also met his wife, but his competitive nature has ensured his continued success that has landed him all of these accolades.”

Chef Sheldon spoke with us about how he became a “Cheftestant” on the popular Bravo series and what we can expect from the man who started out at Aloha Mixed Plate and now heads up Star Noodle in Lahaina.

MN: How did you end up on Top Chef?

SS: Shortly after receiving the nod for Food & Wine magazine’s “People’s Best New Chef” Pacific Northwest, I was contacted with the opportunity of trying out for Top Chef.  I was blessed to be chosen as one of the cheftestants for Season 10.

MN: Had you been a fan of the show and what were you anticipating beforehand?

SS: I’ve been a big fan for years.  I’ve watched it from the start and always joked with my wife Janice about trying out for the show. Never in my life did I think that it would actually happen. It was difficult dealing with the fact that I would be away from my family for some time, but this was an amazing opportunity that I couldn’t miss. It wouldn’t have been possible without the tremendous support from my wife.

3.  What do you hope your Maui friends, fans, and ohana will take away from watching you compete?

It is an honor to represent my family, the Star Noodle ohana, my hometown of Hilo, the island of Maui, and the state of Hawaii.  I hope you all get to see my character, personality, and how my cooking greatly reflects my upbringing in Hawaii. I hope I brought a sense of Aloha to Top Chef.

MN: With respect to the other 19 cheftestants, it seems you bring a unique cultural perspective, both Filipino and Hawaiian. Was that a good thing, a challenge, and why?

SS: Growing up in Hawaii, we are blessed with the bounty of mauka and makai, land and the ocean.  My parents are amazing cooks.  Luckily, growing up, I was exposed to all sorts of food.  It’s crazy to see how everyone is given the same set of rules for each challenge and the outcome of dishes are so diverse and a direct reflection of each chef’s background.

MN: Did you know ahead of time that the show would be filmed in Seattle? Had you ever been there before and what did you think of the city, climate and food?

SS: I did not know what city the 10th season was going to be filmed in. I have never been to the Pacific Northwest.

MN: Did your experience cooking at Disneyworld factor into competing on Top Chef and (if so) how?

SS: My stint in Disneyworld was my first time away from home (Hawaii). It was definitely an eye-opener for a kid from Hilo. What I learned the most during my time at Disney was learning to deal with different personalities from the people I met and encountered.  People who grew up in Hawaii always intrigue people, and I learned to open up and share our culture with others. It was a big “grow up session” part of my life.

MN: Is there anything those of us familiar with your food at Star Noodle can expect or expect to be shocked by?

SS: I put it all out there on the line and cooked from the heart. It was an experience that will forever influence my cooking.

MN: Watching the preview video, it appears you had to prepare geoduck (among other things). Did you bone up on Northwest cuisine in preparation?

SS: Tune in and “Watch What Happens”!

Top Chef Season Ten airs tomorrow, November 7th, at 10 p.m. on Bravo. Until then, the first ten minutes (and a whole bunch of very loud Carnival Cruise ads) can be enjoyed here.

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