Lots of tears last night at the Top Chef viewing party at 10 Arts, the restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton.
Finalist Jennifer Carroll, the Northeast Philly-bred chef de cuisine at the Eric Ripert-run restaurant, won't move on to next week's finale.
Judges grumbled about her oversalting a goat cheese dish.
Carroll, 34 and a graduate of Mount St. Joseph Academy in Flourtown and the Restaurant School in West Philly, told me that Ripert urged her to do the show.
Last night, she watched the episode from the kitchen. She emerged to see family and friends after being asked to do a curtain call, and fell into the arms of her mother, Joan, who was crying out of sheer pride for her middle daughter. (Jen said her own parents did not know the outcome.)
From a phone chat this morning:
Q. Why did you do it?
A. I did it basically so I could promote myself and my restaurant so the rest of the country could see my food and a personal side of myself. I did it for Philly. I wanted to win for myself and I wanted to win for the city.
Q. What did you get out of it?
A. Getting to meet all these people who come in and taste my food and experience what I love to do every day. I've made a lot of great friends.
Q. What are your short- and long-term plans?
A. I'm definitely not leaving the Ritz-Carlton and 10 Arts. I'm happy where I am. ... Long-term, I definitely want to have a restaurant of my own here in Philly, a small- to medium-size restaurant not only serving fish, which is my specialty from Le Bernadin, but modern American food. Not fine dining -- casual fine dining.
Q. What's the reaction been like at the restaurant?
A. [Top Chef] has created such a positive energy for all of us. The cooks sure are happy, and they're doing great food. The servers are happy [because of tips]. So many kids are coming in. I'm doing a lot of kitchen tours. People like to take pictures of me while I'm in the middle of working.
Q. What would you have done differently?
A. I think I was true to myself throughout the show [which was shot in May-June, with the eliminations done only a month ago]. Maybe not putting on that last piece of salt for garnish on the goat cheese...