Chris Tzorin (‘Next Level Chef’) exit interview: ‘I was overconfident’ and that biscuit dough ‘threw me off’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
Chris Tzorin, the 37-year-old professional chef from Orange County, California was eliminated in 10th place on Thursday’s episode of “Next Level Chef.” Despite Team Gordon Ramsay cooking in the top kitchen, Chris struggled to find the ingredients for a Next Level pizza and found himself up for elimination against Team Nyesha Arrington‘s Mada Abdelhamid. Watch his exclusive video interview with Gold Derby above.
“O.M.G.!” Chis exclaims while recalling the excruciating pizza challenge. “I went in with full confidence, especially after the last two rounds. I was ready to go! Once I grabbed that dough, everything was going so quick, I think I was overconfident. Then Gordon Ramsay says, ‘Why did you grab biscuit dough?’ It threw me off. I have biscuit dough! I know you can’t make pizza with biscuit dough.”
Chris admits being Gordon’s top draft pick put a lot of pressure on him. “Gordon Ramsay is one of my culinary heroes,” he says. “To have him pick me first pick, I had a lot of pressure. I don’t think a lot of people understood that.”
Following the Italian parm elimination challenge against Mada, the score was tied after Gordon and Nyesha conducted their blind taste test. That left the final decision up to Richard Blais. “They needed to get rid of me,” Chris admits. “I’m really good at what I do. If I would have got through that challenge I think I would have went full speed through the next ones and I would have kicked some ass. I have chef’s pride, I’m the real deal. I’m dope! I’m the illest! If they would have kept me in I would have kicked some ass, so they had to get rid of me.”
Chef Chris has a lot in the works including his company Taste Collective. In addition to his food truck touring breweries, luxury apartments and private catering events, people can book Chris for their personal chef experience. He’s also teaming up with his Season 3 competitor Lauren Smith for different projects and he even launched a new energy drink.