Brooke Williamson Names The Top Chef Judge With The Toughest Feedback - Exclusive
Brooke Williamson is known for going head-to-head with competitors on not just one but two different seasons of "Top Chef." She ultimately came out victorious during her second round on the show, but she received a lot of feedback from the judges during that time that wasn't always easy to hear. While promoting the new Ziploc Endurables, she told Mashed in an exclusive interview that sometimes she didn't always see eye-to-eye with what Gail Simmons, Tom Colicchio, or Padma Lakshmi had to say about her dishes.
"Have I disagreed with a few things said here and there? Absolutely," she admitted. "It's inevitable to feel like you've poured your heart into something and not want to be criticized, especially on national TV."
However, Williamson said that ultimately, that type of criticism led to her being a better chef, so she looks at everything as a learning experience. She explained that also makes it challenging to pick the toughest judge overall because they were all hard in different ways.
"You could pick out any one of them and say that they've been harder on me at certain times," she revealed. "That has to do with a matter of preference. Tom likes certain things and doesn't like certain things, and Padma and Gail like certain things as well. They're professionals, and they have opinions that they deserve to have." But she noted that one judge's critical advice has stuck with her.
What Brooke Williamson thinks of Tom Colicchio's advice and how life has changed since her time on the series
While Tom Colicchio might come across as extra firm in his opinions on the show, Brooke Williamson said it's been invaluable for her. "He's not hard on people for the sake of being cruel," the restaurateur said. "He truly wants to see people succeed. And I think that's true across the board."
The celebrity chef said that she's ultimately just grateful to have been a part of the award-winning series and for all of the doors it's opened for her — like being able to compete on other shows like "Tournament of Champions" and "Guy's Grocery Games."
"I've been cooking professionally for about 25 years, but I think [what's changed is] the opportunities for travel and meeting inspiring people and getting to work with people and learning from people, making incredible friends all over the world, and the opportunities to get to see and learn more than I ever thought possible," Williamson said. "The TV work is a completely different line of work for me. It's a really fun creative outlet, but for me, food will always come first."
To learn more about Ziploc Endurables, you can visit Ziploc's website. The Food Network's "Bobby's Triple Threat" premieres on Tuesday, September 27.