Jet Tila Talks Food Network Competition Shows And Thai Food - Exclusive Interview

You're all over The Food Network. You've hosted, judged, competed on the full slate of shows. Let's just going to jump right in and start with "Chopped." You've been a guest judge on that show and competed on "Chopped All-Stars." What is the experience like?

I think "Chopped" is one of the most difficult and honest cooking shows out there. I walked in thinking, "All right, look. We're all buds," because I competed on "All-Stars" twice and I've judged a bunch. And I thought, "You know what? They're going to go way easier on us because we're all friends." And it was actually the opposite. They were actually meaner, the baskets were tougher. I've been joking because when you open the baskets up, there's a little black opaque towel on there. And I was pretending I was going to peak, and boom — I got my hands slapped for that.

So I love that show for a lot of reasons. There's a lot of really good programming out there, but I think that show really kind of stays popular because of the level of honesty about it. And I think people appreciate it.

When you're judging, how hard is it actually to decide who we chop?

I think the television audience gets one-20th, maybe one-50th, literally, of the actual deliberation.

Really?

I was just talking to Marc Summers — big name drop, right? But I literally had dinner with him last night. He has a hard time chopping people because he feels bad. I think from a cook's perspective, some of us — myself, Alex [Guarnaschelli], Geoffrey [Zakarian]. who've actually worked in restaurants for 20 years — it's not that hard because people make their own mistakes. And I think as a chef, our job is to not egregiously [say], "Hey, just get the hell out of here. You're chopped." It's more. What [the audience] might not see is, "Hey, this is what you really did wrong." And then, I always take the time to say, "Look, for all these reasons, you're chopped," but then while [the cameras are] rolling and I know they're not going to use it, I'd be like, "This execution or that execution just wasn't right. Do you agree?" And most of the time they'll know. It's not hard for a chef that has done this for a long time, whose job is to mentor and coach. Winners have got to win and unfortunately, people have to go home.

And obviously, as someone who's been on the other side and won "Chopped All-Stars" ... what is the trick to making it all the way?

Man, that win probably was my most intense win on Food Network ... until I win "Tournament of Champions" this next coming year. To beat Rocco DiSpirito, it just blew my mind. So what was it like? It was surreal, unexpected. So going into the deliberation and cooking, just cooking hard. When you're cooking at that caliber, there's just no way to know. So you'll watch the moment where I'm actually in disbelief for about 30 seconds and just not believing what's really happening.

You've also faced off in arguably the most intense competition kitchen out there, which is "Iron Chef America." What is it like to compete and what does it take to win in your mind?

My first time on "Iron Chef" was [nearly] a dozen years ago and I was a full-time cook at that point. Didn't do any television. And I faced the most intense ... I faced [Masaharu] Morimoto on Battle Seaweed and it was, I think, the most intimidated I've ever been.

What's it like and what does it take? A lot of the shows that you're bringing up are really intense cooking shows. And on top of that, you can't forget that you've got 20 cameras on you. We're never acting, but I think it's important to narrate to the audience all the feelings. A lot of chefs are stoic, so they might be feeling angry or excited or mad, but they're never showing it ... I think a good tip for people who are going to do television is let us know what's going on. And I think that's what makes chefs affable and likable because, you know oh my God, at this moment they're in trouble, or they're stoked, or you know what I mean? So on top of just having to cook your ass off, I think it's a nice little layer to kind of let the audience in a little bit on what's going on in your mind.

Do you think it comes more down to just technique or originality at the end of the day?

The shows that you've mentioned take both. It takes perfect technical execution, but it also takes creativity in dishes. Because if you're going to make meatloaf really well, you're probably going to go home. But if you're going to take something and make it something different that's unexpected, that takes another layer of experience and creativity.

Let's talk about one of your newer projects you're working on. You are a judge on "Ben and Jerry's: Clash of the Cones." So what is this experience like for you, kind of getting on the sweet side of things?

Yeah, that was a big fish out of water moment. So my wife [Ali Tila] was a preschool special-ed teacher for 15 years and then went to culinary pastry school, and then went head-on and cooked for some really great people.

Was that before she met you or did you get her into food?

We married and I was like, "If you don't want to teach anymore, I'll send you to pastry school to pursue your dreams." She loves to cook. I mean, she loves to cook more than I do ... I actually knew the least about pastry, but probably the most about food competition and what the contestants are going through. So I thank the powers that be for casting me because I wasn't the pastry guy, but I think I did bring something to it. So "Clash of the Cones" was really fun. And it was just a proud moment to watch my wife shine.

We've been married 10 years and she has been cooking pretty full-time seriously for five or six years now. And just to watch her own the moment. And then Chris, the ice cream guru ... I basically got paid to give commentary and just learn stuff. I mean, I don't know ice cream well. I don't know all the things it takes to make really great desserts. So it was a fantastic opportunity just to be there and be proud of [my] wife, learn about stuff, and learn about ice cream, and see how a sweets show goes because I've never done a sweets series.

A couple of years ago, you got a chance to film a "Parts Unknown" episode in Las Vegas with Anthony Bourdain. What it was like to work with him and are there any particular memories you can share with us?

I worked with Tony twice. What can I say that hasn't been said about him? I'm in Austin, Texas, and I got a call from his people and he's like, "Bro, we're going to do Lotus. You're the perfect person to take us to Lotus. Can you do it?" And I was on a three to four-day trip away from home. My wife's watching two little kids on her own. She's cool, and she's like, "It's Tony. You got to go."

I get to Vegas. I walk into Lotus and he's there. He has this ability to make it to where there's 300 people around us and everyone's clamoring for his attention, but he and I are just having an intimate conversation and he's like, "Hey, what's going on, bro?" Real talk. And I'm like, "Yo, man. I love you. You're the man. We haven't seen each other in a long time, but my wife's going to kick my ass because I haven't been home." He's like, "Give me your phone." And I'm like, "Okay." He sends a personal message to Ali and goes, "Ali, thanks for lending me Jet. I really needed him."

And you don't think a few years later, he's going to be gone. So to have that little piece of real Tony, intimate Tony, it gives me those feelings. You know what I mean? So that epitomizes who he is, as big as his world was.

Thanks for sharing that story.

Of course. There's one Bourdain. There will only ever be one.

Absolutely. And you're not the first person we've gotten the chance to ask that question to, and it feels like every single person ... they have some kind of nugget like that — of just that personal moment that he just kind of shrinks the world down right there for you.

Yeah. And just the life that I've lived to have time with Tony and Alton [Brown] and Bobby [Flay] and Guy [Fieri], and intimate time. Just to see these people in real life and to have those moments. Yeah. I don't know what I did in a past life, but I feel really grateful every single day. It's insane.

Thai food and Thai ingredients are getting more and more popular in the U.S., especially in recent years. What do you think is driving that?

I think there's two things. I think there's a very organic lovability about Thai flavors, right? We know Chinese food, we know Japanese food, and they have very specific rules to them. I think Thai food, unlike other Southeast Asian [cuisines], has the sweet and the salty and the spicy so in concert or in harmony, I think Thai food is naturally very different and it's very different from Vietnamese food, who's our cousin. So there's something about just the way Thai [food blends] hot, sour, salty, sweet, savory, that can hit most palettes.

And then we're also one of the cultures that encourages you to play with food. I have a Chinese grandmother and a Thai grandmother. If my Chinese grandmother served you a dish and you put soy sauce on it, she would chop your hand off, right? You're not allowed. This is how it's supposed to be. My Thai grandmother would be like, "Here's a dish. Here's a little fish sauce. Here's a little sugar. Here's a little chili. Play with it, enjoy it, make it how you want it."

And the honest truth is too, [within] the Thai government there's a concerted effort to promote Thai food around the world. And that's why there's a culinary ambassador and that's why we have projects globally to expose people to Thai food and help Thai entrepreneurs around the world open restaurants and markets and do promotions. So it's a two-pronged kind of situation.

You teamed up with Pei Wei last year to create some signature menu items. Can you talk about the inspiration behind some of those dishes?

Pei Wei, as a lot of people know, was originally started by PF Chang's many, many, many, many years ago, bought and sold twice. My team acquired it two years ago. And the whole idea was to blow it out and meet America's expectations. I think people are ready to move way beyond chow mein and orange chicken. So the goal for Pei Wei is to make it a Pan-Asian fast casual restaurant. So that's why you've got Thai curry now. I added Curry. I added gochujang, which is Korean. And I added drunken noodles immediately.

So those are my first three hitters where I'm bringing Thai food and bringing Korean flavors in. And then as we go, we're going to go Vietnamese, and then we're going to get deeper. But we're not going to try to do everything perfectly. It's never going to be a pho restaurant. All right? It's going to be stir fry-based, quick. You should be able to be in and out within a few minutes and it should taste authentic. So the whole goal is to go from a Chinese fast casual to a Pan-Asian fast casual all across the country.

You're very much in the fast casual game now, because you also have Dragon Tiger Noodle in Las Vegas.

For two reasons primarily. One is, I'm 46. My family had something like 12 mom and pop businesses at one point, and we never saw each other. They grew up never really getting along. It was fun and amazing, but it wasn't familial. At this phase of my life, fast casual fascinates me because I can feed a lot of people in a day and it's not fussy. That's how most people want to eat. And as an entrepreneur too, I know that's the only way I'm going to be able to kind of retire in a few years. So it hits all my needs. I get to see my family. I'm talking to you from home. I get to see my kids after this. I'm going to make dinner. So it really suits my wants and needs.

Prestige is nice, but it's not my goal. Television was a vehicle to communicate with people, to have a presence. But fast casual as an entrepreneur, it fascinates me and that's the reason I'm going into a noodle shop, which is Dragon Tiger Noodle. And that's why we're going into more of a wok shop, which is Pei Wei. So they're two different worlds.

What would you say is the first thing a new visitor to Dragon Tiger Noodle should try?

I want you to try our homemade ramen noodles because we make 80% of the noodles in-house, right? I've brought in a $30,000 noodle machine from Japan in each location. So we're making udon, we're making a ramen and soon we'll be making soba. And we make all our broths in-house and we created this technology where we actually have tapped 205 degree broths. I've got a Japanese tonkotsu broth, which is a rich pork broth. I've got a Thai broth. I've got my grandmother's Chinese chicken soup broth. So I want you to go in and try the ramen noodles with pork belly. And if you want something a little different, I want you to try my vegan hot Thai Yum, my Thai broth with the rice noodles.

You hold the Guinness world record for the largest stir fry. Can you tell us a little more about how that all happened?

I have six culinary world records right now. So stir fry, I broke twice. So the first time ... in 2000 and 2001, Thai Town was just being recognized in Hollywood. I was part of the group that kind of helped launch Thai Town and I wanted to do the world's largest Pad Thai. I went for 400 pounds of Pad Thai. I submitted it to Guinness, they kicked it back and said, "No, you don't get the world record because it's technically a stir fry." So I basically got pissed. I was like, "All right, screw it. What's the biggest stir fry? I'm going to break the biggest stir fry." So it was 800 pounds at that point. So during the planning of 800 pounds ... someone broke the 800-pound record. So I had to scramble and I had to do it at 1,100 pounds the first time. Someone came back and broke that record and we did 4,000 pounds the second time.

How long did that take?

To break a culinary world record, everything has to be cooked and prepped as it would be for one dish. So you had to take all the protein, all the vegetables, make all the sauce, and I had to design a wok big enough. It took about two hours. So I did it at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. My buddy is the director there. So every world record we've ever broken, we immediately had a place to feed the kids. It was always around an opening or a school event and it always had a charitable component ... Food waste was top of mind, so every record I broke in, the food was demolished within an hour.