Bravo/Michael LavineFormer Top Chef wannabe Jill Snyder likes to joke that she's going to buy an ostrich farm.
"I'm going to sell ostrich eggs," she cracks.
The 28-year-old chef from Baltimore was eliminated on last night's Top Chef: New York after her ostrich-egg quiche was trashed by diners and the judges. The dish, one diner said, "resembles dog food." And judge Gail Simmons griped, "It just didn’t taste good."
I caught up with Snyder earlier today as she surfed the web reading stories about her downfall. "I'm trying not to read them," she said, "but it's too tempting."
Keep reading for all the scoop…
Was last night the first time you saw the episode?
Yes, and it was kind of brutal. I laughed a lot. I pretty much laughed the whole time.
You said that you thought the creativity of using an ostrich egg was something that would impress the judges. Clearly, it didn't.
I thought it would at least give me a few points. It's a cooking show, and I actually cooked a lot for my dish. A lot of [other contestants] didn't too much cooking for theirs. The rice for my crust set up beautifully. The texture came out great…I put shiitake mushrooms, grilled asparagus and aged Gruyère cheese in it. That flavor combination goes well together, so I don't know.
Did you taste it before it was sent out of the kitchen?
I thought it was fine. All the plates that came back from the diners came back empty, so I knew everyone was eating it. So I wasn't too worried at that point.
When Padma said she spit out Ariane's dessert dish, I thought she'd be the one to be eliminated. I mean, she spit out her food!
I know. I was a little shocked when they called my name. They clearly didn't like either of them, but mine had more cooking involved and was more creative.
You said you regret not having the chance to prepare something you loved 100 percent for the judges. What would that be?
I would have made a dessert, a pomegranate cheesecake with a chocolate-covered pretzel crust. I've won an award for that one before.