Amber Lancaster is an anomaly. Only 32, she is the rare millennial female chef running her own kitchen, Allegory restaurant at Montclair's MC Hotel. She earned the top toque spot with a degree from Paris' famed Le Cordon Bleu, followed by stints in three Michelin-starred restaurants there — Guy Savoy, Ho?tel de Crillon and Soho House —followed by Alinea and Moto in Chicago.
Her re?sume?, along with several appearances on "Guy's Grocery Games," scored her a spot on the 19th season of the reality cooking show "Hell's Kitchen" with Gordon Ramsay, airing now on Fox. To prevent spoilers, Lancaster can't reveal how she placed. Competitors vied for the top prize — $250,000 and the top chef spot at Ramsay's Lake Tahoe restaurant.
Still, she says she happy with her showing, pointing out that a reality cooking show isn't just about who's the best chef but the entertainment demands of the show, Ramsay's vision and who was best able to adapt to the intense environment.
"A lot of people on the show thought Gordon showed favoritism toward Declan," she said. "He was the first European on the show. He's older and his food was very 1990s, his plating was old-school," she said. "But Gordon loves that, it's very nostalgic for him."
"I had the best re?sume? and personally felt I was the strongest chef, but it wasn't just about that," Lancaster said.
During the competition, which took place in Las Vegas in 2019, 16 contestants were divided into two teams. As contestants were eliminated, the cooks began competing individually.
In the third episode, Lancaster provided some dramatic tension when she led her team in voting to eliminate a brain injury specialist turned novice chef named Nicole Hanna. In a heated exchange, Ramsay overruled the team. But Lancaster and Hanna eventually bonded; so much so that Hanna now works as a line cook at Allegory.
The two recap the most recent episode of "Hell's Kitchen" every Tuesday at 6 p.m. in "Thyme to Dish," a livestream on the MC Hotel's Facebook page that averages about 2,000 viewers a week, according to hotel officials.
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They also trade on the show's popularity every Thursday evening. While "Hell's Kitchen" plays on big-screen TVs above the bar in the hotel lobby, the two former contestants replicate the recipes they created on that night's show and serve them to customers who order the "Secret Menu."
Lancaster spoke about her background, her experience on the show, and being a woman in a male-dominated field.
When did you decide you wanted to be a chef?
My mom had me when she was still in high school, and my grandparents helped raise me. I loved to cook with my grandfather, who was a Vietnam vet. His militance and discipline, which drove me nuts as a child, is what makes me strong in the kitchen.
I went to the University of Arizona on a soccer scholarship and wanted to be a successful lawyer like my uncle. But when I came home after my first semester, he told me he didn't enjoy his work and asked me, "If money weren't an issue, what would you want to do every day?" I said I would cook.
I quit the university and enrolled in cooking school, ending up at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Cooking is definitely what I was made to do.
What was the most challenging part of being on "Hell's Kitchen?"
The grueling schedule. We filmed for 18 hours a day. We were up early, competing in a cooking challenge, then a reward or punishment, then dinner service until 10 or 11. After that you'd go back to your dorms, then they pulled you individually into interview rooms. I got about four hours of sleep a night.
How does it feel to watch yourself on the show?
It was humbling. I said things I didn't realize I'd said. But I was at the end of my rope, one hundred percent. There were cameras everywhere, even the bathrooms when you were doing your makeup.
I have a publicist friend who warned me to be careful what I said, because they would take it out of context. But two or three weeks in, all bets were off. I was exhausted. I didn't care.
Did the show typecast you? And if so, what role emerged for you?
Yes, everyone has to be painted as a character. I was the only chef who had worked at several Michelin-starred restaurants, so of course I was painted as the strong, stern female, the "b**ch." My mother warned me that they would do that and she was right.
What happened between you and Nikki on the show?
During the third and fourth episode there was a little beef between us. I pretty much told the world that she should go home. I put her up for elimination, said she's not ready for the head chef role.
Her coming to work with me is a beautiful irony. People who follow us on social media thought it was a joke, a scam. We didn't plan it.
I told her, "You know, Nikki, if you come here you'll have to call me chef." And she said, "Yes, chef."
She took a huge pay cut and drives an hour each way every day so she can learn from me. I'm lucky to have her and she feels very lucky to have me.
What are some of the challenges of being a female chef?
Female chefs are held to a different standard. It's hard. It's something I struggle with on a daily basis.
The majority of male executive chefs make over six figures; under two percent of female chefs do. It's so ridiculous.
In Chicago I was featured in a Tribune article with female chefs who were standing up to sexism. There was a big lawsuit. I had to decide if I would stand with these incredible women. It was scary. Afterward, it was a little rough for while, people were shook.
My outspokenness is what makes me a strong chef but it is also my Achilles' heel. In business meetings, I'll stand up for something I disagree with. I'm still figuring out how to harness that as a female. I'm trying to find that happy medium, to be honest.
What do you enjoy most about your role as a head chef?
I really enjoy teaching and guiding people. That's something I didn't get from my mentors, the majority of whom were male. They didn't teach me certain parts of the business. When I got my first executive chef role, I had to teach myself. I'm a firm believer that knowledge is power.
That's why Nikki is here. She worked for a male chef and she's very aggressive and wants to learn but he put a wall up and wouldn't teach her.
I want to teach each of my cooks, even the dishwashers, the financial part of the business.
My team in Chicago stuck with me for four years. My team in Montclair, they know I'm stern and have high expectations but they respect me.
What new food trends are you following in your cooking?
I was recently diagnosed with celiac disease. During the early months of the pandemic, when Allegory was closed, I educated myself about diet and lifestyle trends like gluten-free, vegan, paleo and keto. It was really rewarding and interesting. I myself went keto.
Many of the items on the Allegory menu are gluten free. Most are marked for different dietary restrictions. A lot of people don't realize that. I know I am doing a good job if they don't notice, if I can still make it taste good.
As a chef it is very hard to follow a strict keto diet. A lot of the things I have to taste in the kitchen include sugar and take my body out of ketosis.
What are your long-term career goals?
Down the road I would like to be the vice president of culinary for a company like HelloFresh and to run a nonprofit.
I am on the board of the Trotter Project, a Chicago-area nonprofit that reduces food insecurity through youth programs. It is my passion project. I would like to have a soup kitchen on my own in the near future; I am working on the logistics of that.
Julia Martin covers Montclair for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
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Twitter: @TheWriteJulia