Jackson Kalb had his work cut out for him during the 19th season of “Top Chef.”
The Los Angeles-based chef and restaurateur competed on the popular cooking competition series while suffering from long-haul effects of COVID-19.
before the Emmy Award-winning show’s production ramped up.
Although the ailment didn’t cause him to miss out on the chance of a lifetime, he came to the table without necessities essential to any person making food: being able to taste and smell.
In an interview with People, Kalb described the minor handicap as a “one of the most stressful things” he ever encountered during the filming, which took place in Houston
“I could not think of a single thing that would make this advantageous,” he confessed in an interview published Wednesday.
The new season of the popular Bravo series, hosted by Padma Lakshmi, followed the COVID-19 protocols used for the previous “Top Chef: Portland,” which required frequent tests for the coronavirus and masks to be worn by production staff.
Kalb works as a chef and owner of two Los Angeles restaurants Jame Enoteca and Ospi, alongside his wife Melissa
It was his supportive spouse who helped him prepare to battle it out against 14 other “Top Chef” contestants and conduct flavor tastes before heading off to film the series in The Lone Star State.“I could feel some sort of tingling sensation on my tongue, based on the salinity level,” he shared. “When I would be able to feel that, it would be way over-salted. That’s how I would kind of piecemeal it in my head.
With dishes such as an “Everything But The Bagel” salmon tartar, and a scallion biscuit glazed in hot maple with ostrich sausage, Kalb marveled judges and fellow contestants by winning a couple of elimination challenges and rated high enough to survive throughout the season.
It was mind-bending and weird, and I still don’t really know what anything tasted like that I put up, but I guess my instincts were better than I thought they were, just for seasoning purposes,” he recalled.
The chef said he now fully has his sense of taste back, but there’s no telling if he was the grand prize winner of the $250,000 jackpot.