Lynn Chyi on MasterChef Season 4

Award-winning chef Gordon Ramsay, restaurateur Joe Bastianich and acclaimed chef Graham Elliot return for Season Four of the culinary smash hit MASTERCHEF. The three celebrated food experts will put the latest group of contestants through a series of exciting elimination rounds and turn one amateur cook into a culinary master. After conducting a nationwide search, the best home cooks in America will be flown to Los Angeles to present their signature dishes to the judges in hopes of earning a coveted MASTERCHEF apron. In the next round, the talented hopefuls who earned a white apron will be put to the ultimate test in an intense lamb challenge. Those who impress the judges with their dishes will earn spots in the MASTERCHEF kitchen and compete for the title of America’s next MASTERCHEF.

Once the auditions are over, the top home cooks will be put through their paces in a series of challenges designed to test their palates, food knowledge, passion and culinary skills. In the first field challenge, the home cooks will work in teams to prepare a healthy and balanced meal for more than 300 elementary school children. Later, the hopefuls will prepare a hearty meal for American heroes, travel to Las Vegas for the first time in MASTERCHEF history, cook for the cast and crew of GLEE, prepare beach-friendly fish tacos for 101 surfers, take command of a renowned fine dining restaurant and create a summer party menu for charity volunteers. As the competition intensifies, the pressure will mount as the home cooks compete for a large cash prize and, more importantly, the title of MASTERCHEF.

One contestant to keep you eyes on is Lynn Chyi. The 27 year old systems administrator from San Diego has high hopes on MasterChef Season 4

MasterChef Season 4

More about Lynn Chyi

Who is your primary cooking inspiration?

Thomas Keller has been one of my favorite culinary heroes. He is a respected mentor, author, and chef to everyone in his generation and I’ve had the privilege to eat his food. I am also a fan of delicious simplicity and I’m so fortunate to have Sam the Cooking Guy as my guide and friend.

What are your favorite food blogs (besides your own)?

Sam the Cooking Guy, Food 52, Smitten Kitchen, French Laundry at Home

What is your favorite/least favorite dish to eat?

I can’t ever get enough of Carne Asada Fries. I cannot stand bitter melon. Please, I beg you, no more.

What is your favorite/least favorite dish to cook?

My favorite dish to cook is roasted beets. I have a love/hate relationship with French macaroons.

What is your favorite go-to dish to bring to a potluck?

Dips of all kinds. Hummus I just learned from Sam the Cooking Guy that you can substitute sesame oil and olive oil for the tahini) and guacamole are my favorite.

What is your favorite/least favorite type of cuisine and why?

My favorite type of cuisine is French. Anything French-inspired gets me inspired too. I really don’t have a least favorite. I’m pretty much open to everything. I heard British food needed some work though, but I got to go there myself first.

What travel destinations have you either been to or want to travel to for food inspiration?

Oh wow, this isn’t a fair question, the list could go on. Outside of the United States: Scandinavia, Australia, Croatia, Spain, Mexico, Korea, Japan, Vancouver. Inside: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, & New York.

What are your top 3 songs to cook to?

I don’t really cook to music. But if I did: “Fly Me to the Moon” by Bart Howard/Frank Sinatra, “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin, Anything from Sigur Ros, so inspirational sometimes

Why did you want to be a contestant on MASTERCHEF?

Quite simply, I was blessed with an opportunity that I didn’t deserve. I knew I loved cooking and being creative in (and out of) the kitchen but what I really longed for was a chance to share it with people. This is why I wanted to get that white apron so badly. It was the catalyst I needed to jumpstart that chance.

What is your favorite comfort food and why?

In the end, it would have to be Asian cuisine as a whole. I grew up eating Taiwanese, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese food, and even the smells of an Asian kitchen can bring me back home.

Pick 3 words that define what meals with friends and family mean to you.

Service, Blessing, and Memories. Family meals (and I mean meals with close friends too) made me who I am today. There’s something enriching and satisfying about serving others and talking over a delicious plate of food. You bond, you laugh, and you cry. Life gets remembered at a dinner table and when it gets paired with amazing food, it’s almost magical.

Related posts:*Master Chef Season 3 : Asian American edition

*Recipes from My Home Kitchen cookbook by Christine Ha

*Master Chef Season 2 : Asian American edition