In case you missed it, Chef Paula Endara, the culinary mind behind Granddam + Lost Palm, will appear on Season 22 of Bravo’s “Top Chef,” which premieres this Thursday, March 13 at 9 p.m.
To celebrate the start of the show + cheer on Chef Paula, you’re invited to a Watch Party in the Granddam Lounge on Thursday from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Before we get into the Q+A about her experience filming the show in Canada, here’s a little bit more about Chef Paula.
- Originally from Ecuador + just turned 32 last Saturday.
- Growing up she had plans to study music, but while on sabbatical started working in restaurants and realized cuisine is her passion.
- Her path to Lexington included opening a restaurant in Arkansas where she honed her Southern + Creole cooking skills.
- While she has dreams of one day opening a restaurant in Washington DC, she feels at home + thankful to be in Lexington.
If you were to gather all of your loved ones around at a table, what is the meal that you would prepare for them?
I miss so much the food from my country. The majority of my family still live in Ecuador, so I’m by myself. I would do seco, a stew, which we actually serve right now at Granddam, it’s the corn husk braised tri tip. That’s a very traditional dish from Ecuador and growing up I remember my mom and dad making it a lot. It’s a very comforting dish and it’s basically braised beef with beer and lots of vegetables on it. It’s something that always brings me joy and we all enjoy it.
Which local ingredient do you wish had been included as part of a challenge?
That’s a good question. I have completely fallen in love with sorghum. It’s something that I’ve been using a lot, and I would have loved to have had it there.
What is one ingredient that is not your strong suit?
Something that I hate to do is organs, I’m not a fan of liver and stuff like that, they are not my strong suit. I also cannot shuck a clam to save my life. I can shuck oysters all day, but that is a whole different experience.
Which ingredients do you always have in your kitchen at home?
Well, chili crunch for sure. Lots of soy sauce. Achiote, that is a condiment from Ecuador that is made out of seeds. It comes in a paste, but it gives you a lot of earthy flavor and is like the soul of Ecuadorian food. Oh, and cilantro + lemons, I need to have those for sure.
What is one kitchen gadget that you cannot live without?
Oh God, a zester. I love a zester. It works for everything. I eat a lot of pasta at home and I need to zest my cheese, otherwise how else am i going to do it?
What are you most excited for viewers to see?
What I can say is just expect the unexpected. The competition was very unique — I think nothing like any other season that has been aired before. It’s going to be very nice for people that haven’t been to Canada to explore Canada through the eyes of what we experience.
And that’s one of the huge takeaways from being on “Top Chef.” I got to know Canada in a way that I will never be able to repeat. It united me to people that I now consider kind of family and very close friends that were part of the competition.
We saw some scenes in the preview, and there were some emotions. Can you talk about that aspect?
Oh my God, I’m an emotional mess, so it was nice to think that we all were crying at some point. I think it’s going to be funny. I think people are going to laugh a lot, its going to be really fun, very emotional. But you never know, maybe you will be crying with us as well.
Hungry for more? Chef Paula will be featuring a dish inspired by each episode, which will be available at Granddam the Saturday + Sunday after the show airs.
