Top Chef: Texas

[annabelle]

There are a lot of them NOW Old biker chicks with angel wing tats or some kind of ink on their calves or biceps. It's one thing Gramps has a tat he got in Vietnam, but Grandma? Yeesh.

I really hate to see pretty girls with half-sleeves, I don't care how cool to them it seem at the time. As much as I was pulling for Bev to win, I'd wince every time I saw her left arm.

[huiray]

Beverly Kim's Parachute has been nominated for "Restaurant of the Year" in the 2015 Jean Banchet Awards.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct-2015-jean-banchet-awards-chicago-food-nominees-20151102-story.html

 

After some unsettled time for a while after her TC appearance she appears to be doing well in the last few years and seems to have found her footing. She was also a 2015 James Beard finalist for "Best New Restaurant".

 

As for how she was treated during TC both in the regular competition and in LCK - here's an article with some relevant observations:

https://medium.com/culture-clash/i-know-a-perception-problem-when-i-see-one-b928757c1b8f

[gfweb]

Beverly Kim's Parachute has been nominated for "Restaurant of the Year" in the 2015 Jean Banchet Awards.

 

As for how she was treated during TC both in the regular competition and in LCK - here's an article with some relevant observations:

https://medium.com/culture-clash/i-know-a-perception-problem-when-i-see-one-b928757c1b8f

 

Good points in that article, but the author missed the overarching problem that Kim had.  It wasn't a "perception problem", it was that she failed to smack down the bullies who made her a scapegoat. I've been in similar situations, not culinary ones, but similar nonetheless.  The response to a workplace bully/rival has to be strong and unequivocal if one intends on staying there.  Grab 'em by the throat and take no shit.  Kim was too nice. I respected her for it, but she was a goner from early in the show. Not because she was ethnic and cooked from her soul, but because she allowed herself to be victimized.

[huiray]

Good points in that article, but the author missed the overarching problem that Kim had.  It wasn't a "perception problem", it was that she failed to smack down the bullies who made her a scapegoat. I've been in similar situations, not culinary ones, but similar nonetheless.  The response to a workplace bully/rival has to be strong and unequivocal if one intends on staying there.  Grab 'em by the throat and take no shit.  Kim was too nice. I respected her for it, but she was a goner from early in the show. Not because she was ethnic and cooked from her soul, but because she allowed herself to be victimized.

I disagree. Allowing herself to be bullied was one factor - partly because she was the quiet type, as you say --- but the article's author made points about the subconscious bias the others had about the cuisine styles of chefs which were valid considerations.  Elements of that have "played out", in fact, in other seasons of TC.

Edited November 18, 2015 by huiray (log)