Survived 24 Hours on National TV (Barely)
Because cooking for 24 hours straight was exactly my kind of chaos
Hey y’all,
24 in 24: The Last Chef Standing may have been filmed a while back, but summer is officially in full swing here in New Orleans. Honestly, it feels the same. Sticky, chaotic, and filled with moments where I question my life choices in front of a gas stove.
If you watched the show, thank you for witnessing my 24-hour descent into culinary madness. If you missed it, picture me: sleep-deprived, covered in fish sauce, whispering affirmations to a Vitamix. By the end, I looked like someone who had been through both a kitchen battle and a minor weather event. And yes, I know my hair was everywhere. We didn’t have hair and makeup, so I styled it myself. Watching it back, even I was stressed. But I promise you, not a single strand made it into the food.
In other chaotic fun, I was recently a guest on Phoning It In with the Try Guys. Keith had to make tiramisu based only on my voice. No video, no lifeline, just vibes. It’s out now on the 2nd Try platform if you want to stream it with a free trial. It’ll also be on YouTube starting June 21. Highly recommend if you enjoy watching grown men panic while whipping cream.
Food-wise, I’ve been eating well in New Orleans. Rice Vice just opened in Algiers Point and it's a sweet neighborhood spot. Piehole is only open on Mondays, but it’s absolutely worth planning around. Their pizzas are, of course, amazing, but they also have a great wine list, plenty of pet-nats, and some vintage amaros that are definitely worth exploring. Southern’s in Metairie is now serving oxtail plates too. They’re only available on Saturdays and in limited quantities, so get there early. Totally worth it.
And! I’m heading to DC next month for a dinner collab at Dauphine’s on Sunday, July 13. We’re cooking a Vietnamese-New Orleans feast with some of my favorite recipes from Đặc Biệt. Check out the cookbook dinner menu here. Even I can’t wait! It’s going to be spicy, herby, and full of flavor.
One last thing. There’s a raffle happening right now to support Bonfolk and the Giving Good Foundation’s Back to School Program. The money goes toward getting essential items to students in need across Louisiana.
And what do you get out of it?
The chance to win a signed copy of my cookbook, Đặc Biệt, plus five exclusive on-demand cooking videos where I show you how to make dishes from the book. Honestly, that’s a steal.
The twist? No one has entered. Not a single person. Not even my own mother. Your odds are looking incredible.
You can enter the raffle here: https://givebutter.com/rPtMJV
Thanks for following along, for rooting for me, and for laughing with (and sometimes at) me. More soon. Hopefully involving less sleep deprivation..
