After an unfortunate plating incident at Plimouth Plantation, Stacy Cogswell (most recently of the Regal Beagle), the only local contestant on Top Chef Boston, was asked to pack her knives and leave. Tonight, with the epic two-part premiere of Last Chance Kitchen, she and her fellow eliminated chefs have a chance to cook their way back into the running for the title of Top Chef (à la Kristen Kish). Catch her in action – it might be your last chance – or click through to see what she made of the whole experience.
Boston Chefs: So, alright, how long have you been cooking?
Stacy Cogswell: I started cooking in my house, when I was like eight years old, but, professionally, I started working in restaurants when I was fifteen. It’s the only thing I know.
BC: What made you decide to go on Top Chef?
Cogswell: Well I never really thought about it until they called. (laughs) Then I thought it would be fun, you know? Something different to do and a different way to challenge myself.
BC: Had you watched the show?
Cogswell: Embarrassingly enough, I only watched season one because when season one was airing I was a young line cook so I had the time to watch TV. Once you get into management you don’t have time for TV.
BC: Why, at this point in your career, did you want to do Top Chef?
Cogswell: When the opportunity arose I just kind of took it. If the opportunity never came up I wouldn’t have given it a second thought because it’s not something I ever really focused on, like being on TV or being in the spotlight so to say. Every day I try to focus on my food so I don’t see all that other stuff, but then the opportunity came so I grabbed it.
BC: Did you know this season was going to be filmed in Boston when you signed on?
Cogswell: No, I was hoping I’d get to travel somewhere cool. Instead, I was home. (laughs) Everyone else had to fly in and I was like, “can someone pick me up?” I’ll just take the T. It’s fine. I have enough money on my pass.
BC: Do you think being from the area gave you a home field advantage?
Cogswell: The only advantage it may have given me was being more familiar with local ingredients. Other than that it was a kind of a disadvantage because I put a lot of pressure on myself, knowing that I was at home and I was the only one from Boston. In my head, it was a lot more pressure than being somewhere else. Everywhere you go you want to represent your city but if you’re in your city it’s like… oh shit… no mistakes.
BC: How has life changed since Top Chef?
Cogswell: The only thing that has really changed is that I absolutely hate my phone now. (Laughs) I hate it. My phone never stops. Ever since the cast list was released, people are calling and texting with support from all over the place, which is amazing, but when you have a restaurant to run and a thousand things to cook in a day, it’s just kind of a lot.
BC: What do you hope it will position you to do?
Cogswell: Well, I’m hoping to elevate the food at the Beagle from neighborhood place with comfort food to being more creative and adventurous. In the long term, in the very long term, I do want to own my own place but for now I’m very focused on the Beagle and I want to do what I can here.
BC: Has being on Top Chef has made you a better chef?
Cogswell: Absolutely. You know, watching Top Chef as a viewer you go, “that’s not that bad, I could do that” and then you go on it you’re like, “wow, this is the hardest thing I’ve ever done!” To take that sort of pressure and stress and then go back to your restaurant where you deal with pressure and stress everyday it really puts things into perspective. You’re under all these constrictions and time limits on the show and you’re doing that every day in your restaurant too but it’s not as amplified as Top Chef. So it definitely makes things seem a little easier being back to work.
BC: Would you do it again?
Cogswell: Not in the near future, but I might do it again after all this hype has died down. It was a really fun and interesting experience; the kind of experience that I’m very fortunate to have had.
