Diana Davila: Competing on Padma’s Cooking Show, Owning the Narrative & Making Mexican Food Her Own!!
The Chef's Cut - Level Media
Chef Diana Davila discusses her experience competing on Padma Lakshmi's new cooking competition show, America's Culinary Cup, reflecting on
Key takeaways
- Competing on a TV show requires surrendering control over one's narrative and accepting the unpredictability of production and editing.
- The anxiety of cooking under pressure is amplified by the fear of public judgment, even for accomplished chefs with strong reputations.
Main topics
- Competing on America's Culinary Cup
- The emotional toll of cooking under pressure
Notable quotes
"I had to literally kick him out. He wouldn't leave."
"It's like, you're not my friend. It's an interrogation, not therapy."
Conclusion
Diana Davila's journey on America's Culinary Cup reveals the profound personal and professional challenges of
Transcript preview
Speaker 2 (0:11) Today on The Chef's Cut, Joe and I are talking to a chef who's helping redefine what Mexican cuisine in America looks like on the plate, in the community, and on national television. We're joined by Chef Diana Davila, and we're talking about competing on Padma's new show. They had to, like, stop a couple times. I'm like, because my eye was, like, twitching. Innovating in Mexican cuisine while still honoring tradition. Because our preservers of the arts, and so that's the way I look at it. cooking and confronting sexism in the kitchen. I had to Speaker 3 (0:42) like literally Speaker 2 (0:42) kick him out like he wouldn't leave. But first, Chefs Cut Nation, we need 10 seconds of your time. Please take a moment to rate and review the show wherever you get your podcast. It really helps. So, Deanna, we had Gail Simmons on the show and Joe and I had an episode not that long before Gail came on where we talked about cooking competition shows. So. I have a couple of questions. Actually, I have lots of questions because you recently, you did America's Culinary Cup, which is Padma's show. And I have so many questions because we don't have as much of a scoop on that show because it's the first season. We don't know as many people who've been on it. We actually, we've talked about the show, but you're the first person who's been on the show that we're talking with. So I want to start from the beginning though. Have you done cooking competition shows before or was that your first? You Speaker 3 (1:39) know, I Speaker 2 (1:39) did Iron Chef Mexico. Speaker 3 (1:41) One, I always was like, no, I'm never going to do like TV or cooking competitions. You know, like I feel like I was like part of being young and like snooty, being like cooking's not a competition. It's an art. And then with Iron Chef Mexico, I was good enough. Like my CDC, they was just like, what? You heard like. This is like the second or third time that they called me and they're like, oh, you have to do it. You have to do it. You have to do it. We have to do it. I'm like, all right, yes, let's do it. And like I was I had like I lost, which I thought that I totally should have won. And I'm like, so I had something like in me that like I'm like, I have to do this again. You know, like it does light like a fire under your ass to be like, get in there and do it again. I Speaker 2 (2:29) mean, it's such a crazy thing like cooking. on a TV show is so different from cooking like in a restaurant. Like you have a controlled environment at your restaurant. Yeah. Cooking competition is different. So what was it like on America's Culinary Cup? Because Joe and I know what it was like on Top Chef. And you may have seen an episode or two of Top Chef in the 23 seasons that they have. I just saw your guys' Speaker 3 (2:54) season. Speaker 2 (2:54) Oh, and Speaker 3 (2:55) you know I should have won. Oh yeah, Speaker 2 (2:56) you were texting me. You were like, I'm watching your season. I just saw it. Speaker 3 (2:59) Yeah. You were like, yeah, Speaker 2 (3:00) yeah, she totally should have won, Joe. I would have started wearing Team Adrienne shirts. Yeah. I love it. So what surprised you the most about when you actually got there? Speaker 2 (3:18) Um, honestly, Speaker 3 (3:19) probably. I mean, I feel like you're you have a relatively good idea of what it's going to be like just from like production, like small production things. But it really is where you really don't have time and you don't know. Like they really do keep you in the dark for as long as it's like feasibly possible. Just like, OK, we're ready. Five more minutes. Five Speaker 2 (3:44) minutes Speaker 3 (3:44) turns into like two hours. And you're just like, it's just, yeah, the anxiety, I think, of wanting to be constantly prepared for what you have no idea. Speaker 1 (3:55) Well, and it was funny, like, you know, I went and I watched the second episode with you. I came up to meet Tokaya when you had the big party for it with you and Beverly. You were there. Beverly Kim, who's also on the show, was there. And then Sarah Grunberg was there, who wasn't on that show, but was on Top Chef. And like, age. you could feel the anxiety in the room of like Beverly, of Deanna, of Sarah, of like myself. Like I looked around at one point at like all four of us and all four of us are watching it. Like, yeah. Like, you would be like, like we're watching a cook on a station do something that like could not be more stressed out about. Yeah. It's so stressful. Like we were all like, like, oh, we're having a really fun time, but like couldn't have been. My Speaker 3 (4:42) eyes started twitching during like judgment. Like during judgment, they're like, yeah, are you okay? Like they had to like stop a couple of times. I'm like, there's my eye was like twitching. No, I'm just like really nervous. Speaker 1 (4:55) I was just watching it and I'm like, I'm not on the show. I have nothing to do with this show. And I would like hear myself like watching something happen to be like, and I'm like, what am I, what am I worried about? Like I'm not getting sent home no matter what. Right. Speaker 2 (5:11) That's so crazy. I just remember being so nervous. And I think you nailed it. Like that anxiety, that feeling. You're like, I want to be ready, but I don't know what to be ready for. And even when you do find out what the challenge is, I'm still like, I'm a, like Gail Simmons said, like there's some chefs are tinkerers. I'm a tinkerer. I like to. play around and I like to take my time with stuff. So for me, cooking competition, not my jam. It was not my, like I come up with a dish, but then I'm like, but what if I did this? But what if I did this? And so I spent so much time spinning out. It took me so long to Speaker 3 (5:46) come out. It also Speaker 2 (5:46) doesn't help too, Speaker 3 (5:47) as like Buddha was warming up to us. Cause at first I feel like he was traumatized from like past experiences. And he thought that like, he wouldn't like talk to anybody and just be like. You know, and then finally he started like warming up. But then I wish I was like, could you just shut up? You know, like you're getting inside of our heads now. Because he's like, yeah, this is just like this. And this is like, you just have, and like, he knows what's going on. You know, like, and for a lot of us that were like complete newbies, like we do not have that. You know, we're just like, oh, look at Buddha knowing exactly being cool as a cucumber. And just be like, yeah, this is like, this is just the name of the game, guys. Come on. Oh, Speaker 1 (6:26) God. It's like, all right. All right. All right. Yeah. But I think it's also like, you know, for you going on and, you know, I know you and I spoke a little bit before you went and it's like, I mean, you're such an accomplished chef, right? You know, you have one of the best restaurants in the city. You're a food and wine, best new chef, James Beard nominate. Like you, you've done from a chef perspective, I think as far as like, you know, accolades recognition, you know, and just like. the reputation of who you are in Chicago and, you know, what your restaurant is in Chicago is massive. Like, you know what I mean? There's no. Speaker 3 (7:02) That's the scariest part going in. That's what Speaker 1 (7:04) I'm saying. Yeah. It's like, it's not like you're some upstart. Right. Nobody heard of. Right. You're not somebody else's CDC. You're, you know what I mean? You're, you're a juggernaut of the city. You know what I mean? You're somebody that people look to. You're somebody who. And that's really like, I remember calling Speaker 3 (7:19) you about that for me, especially like, I feel like. I don't know if this is like part of like the woman experience of being like a chef, but like you, you work so incredibly hard to like build this reputation and to, you know, be taken seriously. And I feel like many times probably all chefs kind of feel like they have a chip on their shoulder of some sort. Right. And it's the hardest thing to be like, go in somewhere and like to give up that control and to give somebody like the control of your narrative, you know, or like how you're going to be portrayed or like editing and like. I still remember your advice, Joey, and like, you know, just go in there. Like if you're like in the back of a police car, you know, like just give them enough. Just give them enough. Speaker 1 (8:00) Oh, my God. I always say it's an interrogation. It's not therapy. You know what I mean? Yeah. It's like they're not your friends. Speaker 3 (8:07) I Speaker 1 (8:08) thought I said what you what you say will be used against you. Yeah. Like, you know, Speaker 3 (8:13) and Speaker 1 (8:13) I almost regret. Speaker 3 (8:14) how guarded I was. That is actually one of the things, I think that the only thing that I regret, and that's just because it's like the only thing that could have controlled more was actually being less guarded, you know, because I feel like I was so afraid of saying something wrong or like anything, you know, like not where like, I didn't fully feel like I like was able to kind of share myself, you know, and I feel like it would have made. it be a little bit more fun for me. But I think I didn't know that at the time, you know, like you never know what like the show is going to end up being, you know, like, and I feel like one of the things that I really loved about watching the show is actually seeing it really is about the cooking and they really do want the best representations of like the chefs and they're not there to like have any like sort of. fights or dramas kind of a thing like that it really does revolve around uh the challenges in the cooking you know and i think that that also like we're all um i don't know what's up like chat together like the the women all talk like pretty much every day which has been really really great yeah i Speaker 1 (9:23) was so happy you went and did it