Jenna Johansen talks frankly about her boot from Around the World in 80 Plates

Jenna Johansen talks frankly about her boot from Around the World in 80 Plates

By Lori Midson Thu., Jun. 21 2012 at 2:20 PM

What happened once you were voted off? I went to a hotel, sat up all night and thought about everything. I didn't talk to anyone.

Who's the best chef left? Avery. She's the strongest chef there. She has an excellent palate, great technique, she's very focused in the kitchen, and I respect her cooking a lot.

Are you going to continue to watch the remaining episodes, and if so, who are you rooting for? I'll continue to watch the show, because I want to see what everyone else has to go through, and I'm rooting for Nicole Lou, because she had my back during the elimination in Thailand. Voting for someone else was a vote to keep me around...and she never talked shit about me.

If you had to do it all over again, what, if anything, would you do differently? I would have brought sneakers instead of chef clogs. I thought I was just gonna be cooking, so I brought my cooking shoes. And I would have strategized a little better. I just wanted to move on to the next country and cook the best food. But there were alliances, and when I had the opportunity to vote people off in Tuscany, I voted for Gary Walker, who I love, only because he had mostly worked the front-of-the-house, but I should have voted for John, who had a lot of experience in the kitchen. I wasn't a good strategist.

Who from Denver would you nominate to compete on a future season of Around the World in 80 Plates? Brendon Doyle from City O' City. He thinks outside the box, and he's really mastered the technique of deconstructing flavors. He's producing a lot of dishes that are traditionally meat-based, and he's great at turning those into amazing vegan and vegetarian dishes. That would come in handy. He also has a great palate, and I love his food.

Had you won the $150,000, what would you have done with it? I would have paid off our house and taken the whole family on vacation to wherever they want to go.

What's in the pipeline? Mark and I have a blog called The Last Thing We Ate that we're working on, I'm doing the whole festival circuit thing, plus Denver FIVE events and special dinners, and I have my sights set on getting back in the kitchen sooner rather than later. I don't now when that will be, but I'm looking forward to it. And Mark and I are getting married, sometime within the next year for sure.

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Tags:

Around the World in 80 Plates, Bravo, exit interview, Jenna Johansen

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Sirloin3

Jenna is a sweetheart, and a friend as well. Anyone that loves to cook and eat the odd bits of an animal as much as she does, and does it well, is one cool person in my book. Yeah, reality TV is a strange creation, see Idiotcracy, the movie , a prophetic observation on the future. See ya soon Jenna! Kevin the meathead

Fran_Chesco

Who is this person? Why is she a celebrity? in Denver? What successful restaurant here has she run?

Eurythmic

Here here Mo! Perhaps it's just human nature for folks to think they are perfect, sit on their ass and bitch and criticize others while others bust their butts doing things they know nothing about - or maybe its just poor manners...

Ddigler

What kitchen is she running now? What investor has put their money on her?

Mo Smith

And I suppose your personality is perfect and if cameras were on you constantly in a heated competition they'd never see you getting annoyed with less capable people like Liz who could never effectively command a kitchen of a restaurant I'd want to dine in because she would be too busy collapsed in a ball whimpering in a corner about how unfair the world is? The next time you're dining in a restaurant wondering why the kitchen doesn't have its shit together and you're paying lots of money for poorly-paced and badly-executed dishes, you might realize you'd be well served to have a pro like Jenna in charge making sure things are done correctly, on time, and that the dishes are filled with heart and soul. As a paying customer, I like knowing someone is in charge who is going to bust someone for turning out an inferior plate or taking short-cuts. I definitely think the editing and questions for the other chefs were set up so they could have a "villain" because it makes for good TV. They didn't show near enough of the really great things about her personality that I've witnessed watching her work with a team during crunch-time.

Ddigler

She can say what she wants in this interview but she did say and do those things on the show. Yes, the editing highlights those unsavory parts of your personality but at the end of the day it's you.

Cap Hill Cowboy

Are you consulting someone about your condition?

Mick

We love Jenna and think she deserved to win due to her skill and leadership. I too am disappointed the show is more about ego, drama and strategy than food, and it's truly sad to see the 'game-players' come out ahead of the passionate cooks. Cooperation and teamwork are what make kitchens work (which is what Jenna displayed), not self preservation and backstabbing - I think ANY restaurant would be better off with Jenna in the kitchen and I would hire her in a nanosecond! We're so lucky to have her in town!

Mo Smith

Great interview, Lori, and great responses from the chef. These reality shows are definitely more about drama and games than true talent, and I'm sure there's creative editing. I have had the privilege of eating Chef Jenna's food many times and watched her work while sitting at the chef's counter while she was at Dish. Yes, she knows how to run a real kitchen and turn out exceptional food and can speak more languages than you, so deal with it. Why is it that strong, driven, and talented women are still labeled as "abrasive" (even by other women), but men with the same characteristics are "assertive?" (Note: By "you" I'm referring to the other back-stabby chefs on the show, not the author of this Q&A.)