Lisa Fernandes
Toronto native Lisa Fernandes currently resides in New York City, one of the
most culinary-rich cities in the world. She began her formal training at the
age of 17, and after working at several well-known Manhattan restaurants, now hopes to open an
Asian-influenced eatery that reflects her own tastes. When asked about being a
female chef, Fernandes said, "Women make better chefs because we're better
multi-taskers."
AfterEllen.com: Did
you like being on a reality show? Was Top
Chef your first time on television?
Lisa Fernandes: Definitely my first time on TV, yes. It's a reality
show, but it's different. It's not like Real
World. I feel strongly about my show and Project Runway, that they're in a completely different category. People
are like, "Oh, you're on a reality TV show," but that's not what it
is. It's not about finding out the gossip, or putting people in stupid situations
to see who sleeps with whom and who beats who up.
This is a career opportunity. People are obsessed with cooking now. The
Food Network is huge and cooking shows are huge and everyone wants to cook. It's
definitely been an experience, but I would never do it again.
AE: I imagine once is
enough for anybody. On Bravo's website, I noticed that you, Jennifer and Zoi
all chose lamb as your "Spring Recipe." What's that about?
LF: 'Cause there's a giant conspiracy.
AE: [laughs] The Great Lamb Conspiracy of
'08.
LF: No. I really don't know. Spring lamb was the first thing that came
to my mind.
AE: What's your
biggest crowd-pleasing dish?
LF: Definitely a favorite of all the restaurants that I've worked in,
and everybody that's ever had it, is snapper rolled in kataifi dough.
AE: I think I should
warn you I don't know anything about cooking.
LF: Kataifi is a kind of a shredded version of a phyllo, so essentially,
you wrap a piece of fish in it and fry it, and it looks like a giant piece of
shredded wheat.
AE: It sounds great,
even if I can't spell it.
LF: It's the best.
AE: Did everyone on
the show know that Jen and Zoi were a couple, or was it kept on the down low?
LF: We weren't told ahead of time
that they were a couple, that's for sure. But I could kind of tell just by
watching the way they were interacting.
AE: Asian cuisine is
one of your biggest influences. Do you have a favorite?
LF: I think it's probably a tie
between Thai and Vietnamese. There's a lot of spice, a lot of fish sauce, lime.
I like the balance when it's all done: sweet, salty, savory, spicy, all
together.
AE: Did you see the
recent article in The New York Times
about MSG? Chinese restaurants have gotten the brunt of its bad press for years
— they still make those "No MSG" disclaimers, but apparently, MSG is
everywhere.
LF: Yeah, MSG is in tons of stuff. People don't realize it's in Doritos.
AE: Do restaurants use
MSG?
LF: I worked in one restaurant that used MSG in very small amounts for
very specific things like marinades. But a lot of places will say that they
don't use it, but you can tell [they do]. For me, I kind of get a high off of
it. I get hyper and crazy, and then I crash. I get a headache.
AE: So, you're against
MSG?
LF: I think if you can't make a good chicken and broccoli without MSG,
then you shouldn't be making chicken and broccoli.
AE: If only we could
make that a law.
LF: [laughs]
AE: As a chef, do you
think vegetarians and vegans are missing out? So many dishes involve meat or
dairy.
LF: It's what [vegetarians and vegans] want to eat, but I could never do
it. Half of the dishes I love take pork and beef and lamb and all that. If I
couldn't eat meat, I don't think I'd be too happy about food.
AE: Would you ever
date a vegetarian?
LF: Definitely not.
AE: Have you ever
cooked for a woman as a way to impress her?
LF: Absolutely.
AE: But then you've
raised the bar and they'll expect something awesome every time.
LF: [laughs] That's fine. I can hold my own.
AE: When you get home,
though, aren't you sick of cooking?
LF: I can be. If I've worked a 10-hour
day and I'm exhausted [but] I meet up with my girlfriend, if I know that making
her a dish that she really likes is going to make her happy, then I will do it.
AE: You sound like a
catch.
LF: Making my girlfriend happy is up on my list.
AE: That's nice to
hear. Does your girlfriend cook for you?
LF: Occasionally.
AE: Is she a
professional chef, too?
LF: No, she's not a chef. She's looking at me really funny right now.
AE: What's your
favorite meal that she makes for you?
LF: I don't know. [speaks to girlfriend] What's my favorite meal that you
make for me? [pause] Yes you do, don't lie.
AE: Put her on the
phone.
LF: [speaks to girlfriend] She wants to talk to you. [laughs] She makes
awesome pasta. She has a very strange method to cooking. I watch her, and I
have to leave because I just can't watch it.
AE: How does one make
pasta a "strange" way?
LF: She puts vinegar in the water. And salt, which is normal, but she
puts vinegar in the water, which I've never seen before. And then sometimes
she'll throw the pasta in and the water's not even boiling yet, and I'm
expecting it to come out like a giant clump of starch. And it comes out
perfect.
AE: I guess there's
more than one "right" way. Do you ever make crazy things?
LF: Absolutely. I go into the kitchen and find a bunch of random things
and come out with a dessert or a dish. And that's the fun of cooking; you get
to play with food.
Go to interviews with Zoi Antonitsas and Jennifer Biesty.
