Carol Scott

2nd Place Entrée:

Crispy Asian Pork Belly, with vanilla-scented celeriac, parsnip purée and Asian slaw.

2nd Place Dessert:

Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding, with vanilla crème anglaise and a spiced rum sauce.

For Carol Scott, the performative aspect of cooking is one of the things that got her into the industry. “I think I started to love this business watching the Food Network,” she says. “I got into it with Emeril Lagasse and his ‘BAM!’” Though she’s comfortable with and experienced at competition, she doesn’t see Top Chefs that way: “being able to work side-by-side with some of the other best chefs in the city doesn’t feel like a competition; it felt like a really cool fundraiser I got to be a part of. It’s one of the most enjoyable times I have had in years.”

Favorite Food to Eat: “Buffalo chicken wings with some macaroni and cheese and a cold beer. That is the perfect meal.”

Favorite Food to Prepare: “Gnocchi. It’s so very rarely done right. It’s one of my favorite things—kind of like a potato dumpling, like a cross between mashed potatoes and pasta. I make it all kinds of different ways. If you do it right, it’s fantastic.”