Catching up with Jesse Sandlin
I just got off the phone with Baltimore's Jesse Sandlin, the Top Chef contestant who was the only one of the 17 who didn't make it to the reunion show that aired on Bravo last night.
I caught up with her at Sotto Sopra, where she's helping out her good friend, executive chef Bill Crouse, through the holidays.
There were burning questions to ask Jesse: Why weren't you on the Top Chef reunion show? What did you think of the show's finale? What kitchen will you be cooking in next? And what's with the bleached-blond hair?
It turns out Jesse was really ill, with kidney stones. Her appearance on the finale, which had been shot the day before, had been something of a triumph, so she was doubly disappointed not to be part of the reunion. ...
"I love Napa Valley," she said. "It was awesome they decided to shoot [the finale and reunion] there. Also I thought it was really cool past contestants get to be part of it."
The finalists drew knives to see which former cheftestants they would work with in the finale. Michael Voltaggio, the eventual winner, ended up with Jesse, and praised her as his sous chef on the show.
"I was superstoked to be able to come back and help Michael with the win," she said, "and proud to be part of the winning team from Maryland."
So was finalist Kevin Gillespie's support team, which he said he was disappointed in, a deciding factor in his loss?
Maybe, said Jesse, "but part of being a chef is managing whatever team you have to work with."
As for the blond hair, which made its first appearance on the finale, Jesse said she's a natural blond. Every time her mother watched her on Top Chef, she would call after the show and say, "You don't look like my daughter" because of the brown hair.
Before her mom came for a visit, Jesse decided to go back to being blond.
"I like to change my hair anyway," she said.
So what's next? Jesse isn't sure, but she feels her work on Top Chef was a good thing for her career.
"When I first got back, I was really depressed," she said. "I didn't do as well as I hoped. But I tried to take it a day at a time."
After a month in Australia visiting friends and traveling, Jesse is back and hopes to get a permanent job in the Baltimore area.
"I have a few irons in the fire," she said. "I have a young niece and two nephews here. I want to stick around and be Aunt Jess awhile longer."
Comments
So glad to have Jesse back in town!
Posted by: Amy | December 17, 2009 4:15 PM
There were just a few glimpses of Jesse in the finale, but we thought she looked beautiful. Best wishes to Jesse!
Posted by: Dahlink | December 18, 2009 6:19 AM
Is it my imagination or are chefs more likely to be tattoo'd than most members of society, with the possible exception of football plaeyers? Not just Jesse but Kevin Gillespie and several other Top Chef competitors were walking galleries of epidermal art. Anyone have an explanation?
Posted by: Michael A. Gray | December 18, 2009 7:22 AM
MAG, I've noticed the same thing about tatooed chefs. I think that cooking is an art, and that the people who dedicate their lives to it are often vibrantly creative artists who seek other visually dynamic methods of self expression. I would also guess it is because their work often does not require them to interact with their customers, and when they do, their nifty chef coats cover almost everything.
Posted by: GrayGirl | December 18, 2009 7:43 AM
Chefs can have visible tattoos. You might be surprised who has tattoos that are covered most of the time.
Posted by: Lissa | December 18, 2009 8:44 AM
I'm a "vibrantly creative artist" (graphics, jewelry design) and I love to cook, but I think tattoos are hideous. Can't wait until these people get old and wrinkly...::cackle:::
Posted by: theminx | December 18, 2009 8:45 AM
theminx, when I was a 22 year old punk working in a nursing home, I got decked by a 94 year old woman. Literally.
So you might want to be careful with that cackling.
Posted by: Lissa | December 18, 2009 9:24 AM
Lissa, what did you do, steal her tapioca? I used to work in a nursing home also, and some of them were quite fiesty!
Perfect captcha for a Friday where my office is closing early for holiday party, "work ending"!
Posted by: Trixie | December 18, 2009 10:48 AM
Trixie, it was over 90F inside, and she was wearing 5 dresses, 3 sweaters and 4 slips on top. Shoes on the wrong feet, too.
I tried to remove the slips. Saw her winding up to hit me, but I'd read her chart, knew she wasn't on any meds, figured she couldn't hurt me.
Wrong.
If I have to live that long, i want to be able to deck 22 year olds, too!
Posted by: Lissa | December 18, 2009 10:58 AM
Sad to hear about Jesse's illness, but happy to hear of her return. I certainly miss her when I visit Abacrombie.
Posted by: Maggi | December 18, 2009 12:07 PM
Thanks for following up on that. I was wondering why she was not in the reunion episode after such a strong showing in the finale. I'm glad she's feeling better and I can't wait to hear what she does next.
Posted by: renfield1969 | December 18, 2009 1:14 PM
she was at the reunion for a little while:
http://tinyurl.com/jesseTopChef
Posted by: Firas Khatib | December 19, 2009 3:24 AM