'Top Chef: Wisconsin's Soo Ahn Says His Historic Experience Was Like Transferring Schools

Soo Ahn

Soo Ahn is all about leading separate lives. The Chicago chef spent most of his life as a professional golfer before he decided to put down a club and pick up a cleaver. He started his time on Top Chef: Wisconsin in a very unique way, the only new contestant in the show's history to begin the season in Last Chance Kitchen. Soo fought hard through multiple culinary battles, earning a surprise spot on the main show. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to keep up his win record, as having more time to think for challenges actually impaired his gut-based cooking. Such was the case with the recent "fish boil" challenge. The looseness of the concept sent Soo in a bunch of different places at once, producing a plate that seemed disconnected. As a result, his dish shot way under par, cutting off his course for the Top Chef title.

Read on to hear Soo's thoughts on his time in the game.

Related: Everything You Need to Know About Top Chef Season 21

How did you end up getting onto Top Chef, and what was your preparation to get on, if any?
“Top Chef” Alum Joe Flamm posted on Instagram that the show was casting, and I decided to give it a shot. I didn’t get a chance to prepare for it at all. I got thrown into the deep end of the pool!!

What was your reaction to finding out you would be starting in Last Chance Kitchen and win your way into the game proper?
To be honest, I had no idea what was going to happen. I told myself, "Whatever challenge or challenges they throw at me, keep your cool and execute." When I got onto the show, I was surprised, tired, happy and had a million other emotions.

What's your personal highlight among your many victories in LCK?
I think the one-bite Caesar was my highlight. It was such a simple dish, yet I added a lot of unique twists to it. Also, it’s the dish that got me onto Top Chef!!

Talk to me about your reaction entering the main competition, and how everyone reacted to you being there.
I felt like a kid transferring to a new school in the middle of the year. Even though I stirred up the pot by coming in mid-season, all the chefs were super welcoming.

It seemed like Dan and you got on quickly, both being in the Chicago community. Talk to me about your relationship.
Dan and I know each other through many mutual friends and colleagues. We weren’t very close, but I feel like Top Chef made us super close.

You mentioned a couple of times that having more time in the main competition, unlike LCK, gave you decision paralysis. Talk to me more about that.
I think having more time did not work in my favor. With so much time, I tend to second-guess my decisions a lot more.

After your run on LCK, were you surprised you didn't win a challenge during your time in the main competition?
Not at all. All the chefs that are on the show are so talented. I had no expectations of winning anything. I just wanted to put my best foot forward and see how far I could go.

Let's get into the fish boil challenge. You clearly had trouble communicating what you were envisioning to Gregory. Did that shopping play into your elimination at all?
Chef Gregory did an amazing job with the nonsense concept I tried to explain to him.

You admitted there was no central theme to your dish, and Tom said that your elimination came down to a "misunderstanding" of the challenge. What was your line of thinking in conceptualizing your dish?
My dishes usually come to fruition at the last minute. Unfortunately, the dish/concept/menu never came to life this time. It was just a hot mess.

From an execution perspective, the judges compared your dish to a potluck and a "raw casserole," with Kristen even saying, "Nothing about it looks appetizing." What's your reaction to that feedback?
It’s a fair comment. I wouldn’t have eaten the “raw casserole." [Laughs.]

Were you surprised to be eliminated over Manny and Savannah, given your performance in the Quickfire?
Not at all.

You went back into LCK, only to get eliminated again. Were you surprised to have your Top Chef journey end that way?
Nope. The dish didn’t make much sense and I tried to do too much.

Next, check out our interview with Kévin D'Andrea, who was eliminated in Top Chef: Wisconsin Episode 9.