ATC Love to Chef Amanda Baumgarten

Chef Amanda seemed to be judged the one most likely not to succeed by her peers, but she went further in the competition than many who were thought to be better chefs. As she put it, "I was the only sous chef to make it this far."

Despite her determination, however, it seemed as though her lack of experience often sabotaged her terrific instincts. In the Quickfire, for example, making macaroni and cheese with bacon in response to the idiom "big cheese" looked like a sure bet. However, Rick Moonen described the end result as "a sledgehammer to the gut." Then in the Elimination Challenge, the idea of creating a tuna tartare as ballpark food was a gutsy move. If done perfectly, her creativity could have put her in the top, but by chopping the tuna the day before, the final presentation was a turn-off for the judges and got her eliminated.

It's clear that Chef Amanda has a great deal of drive and creativity, and we look forward to seeing more from her in the future.

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