Ex-Alinea Group Chef Competing on New Food Network Show | Eater Chicago

"As a child she spent a lot of time at this Puerto Rico resort where her father served as director; she and the executive chef’s daughter would hide under the tablecloths in the hotel’s fanciest restaurant and play pranks until they were caught. To keep her out of trouble the chef would seat her in the kitchen, and watching him cook and plate both inspired her culinary curiosity and left lasting impressions — she even cried the first time she saw a lobster killed — later prompting her to experiment with herbs to liven up her mother’s leftovers." - Sam Nelson