A Brooklyn-based chef is going up against some of the best of the best in Bravo’s new season of “Top Chef.”
Now in its 23rd season, “Top Chef” brings in 18 chefs into the competition, hosted by Kristen Kish. Each week, the head judge Tom Colicchio and perennial judge Gail Simmons will determine who will advance and who will be eliminated from the competition. The winner goes home with the grand prize of $250,000 provided by Graza Olive Oil, a feature in Food & Wine magazine, and an appearance at the annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. The winner will also headline their own exclusive dinner at the historic James Beard House in New York and have the opportunity to present at The James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards in Chicago, IL.
Joining the lineup of chefs is Brooklyn’s Sherry Cardoso, Chef/Partner at Cynthia.
As a child growing up in Brazil, Cardoso recalls her mother using food as a way to express her love rather than saying it out loud. At that time, being a chef never really crossed Cardoso’s mind because it wasn’t seen as a very good job to have.
“Not in a million years I thought I was going to be a chef because back in the 90s in Brazil, being a cook, it was very blue collar and you did that if you don’t want to go to university,” said Cardoso. “Back in the day, there was no Michelin guide, there was no prestige, there was no recognition in Brazil at the time.”
After moving to the United States at around 14 years old, Cardoso read New York Times restaurant critic Ruth Reichl’s memoir, “Garlic and Sapphires,” and it completely changed Cardoso’s perspective.
“It was the first time in my entire life that I read or I saw somebody talking about food like it was poetry, and that for me was like a big bang moment that my entire life just made so much sense. The fact that like my mom wouldn’t say I love you, but she would make me my favorite breakfast every morning, or we would come home and if she was home, she was always cooking,” said Cardoso. “She couldn’t express all these emotions, but she could cook for us, and that just made all the sense in the world. And then from that point on, I was like, that’s it. I want to make food that makes people feel like that.”
Cardoso has since made quite the name for herself throughout her career, having worked in restaurants such as Le Cirque, Anthos, and Brooklyn Fare before landing her first Executive Chef position at Café Cluny in the West Village. She has since served as Culinary Director of Baxtrom Hospitality, overseeing three major restaurant openings in NYC, and Executive Chef at Metropolis by Marcus.
Her current venture, Cynthia, is a fine-dining restaurant in the West Village that is expected to open this month.
“In New York, having that understanding of what it takes to plant a seed, to see it like grow, to harvest, and then to eat it, I think that’s such a deep appreciation for that entire process. And for me that was just the foundation, and that’s how I cook now, and that’s a big part of this project I’m currently working on,” said Cardoso. “I’m just like so excited to share that, you know, and that was a little bit of what I’ve tried to showcase in the show. It’s just like coming from this very humble beginning and really grinding my teeth in fine dining kitchens in New York City, trying to prove myself and trying to prove my worth.”
From executive chef to “Top Chef”
Cardoso told amNewYork that it was very exciting to be a part of “Top Chef.” She said it was particularly invigorating to be surrounded by such talented chefs she was competing against.
“It really lit up the spark of when I first started cooking in fine dining. I felt like I was surrounded by such amazing talent, and the fact that when you’re cooking in a restaurant, you have days sometimes before I even put a dish on the menu, it takes me like a whole month of R&D and trying and redoing it and figuring out the size and like how we’re going to serve it. In the show, you have 20 minutes,” said Cardoso. “And every single dish, if you don’t hit that nail on the head, you go home. And for me that was like such an incredible challenge, and I felt so energized by it.”
Cardoso noted that time in the “Top Chef” kitchen felt like it was moving faster than normal. She told amNewYork that 20 minutes felt like 20 seconds, a stark difference from working in restaurants.
“You have no idea how fast time goes by, you blink and 20 minutes are over. In restaurants, you spend 10 hours a day in the kitchen prepping and focusing on perfection. There, you’re just trying to get something that’s good enough to go on the plate,” said Cardoso.
As the new season of “Top Chef” continues to unfold, Cardoso says that viewers can look forward to seeing some incredible food.
“I think the talent is so high this season. [Even after] 20 years of cooking in three-star Michelin kitchens, I would look around and I’d be like ‘holy s–t,’ I’m doing that now!” said Cardoso. “The chefs’ [I competed with] food, it was phenomenal; I was blown away. I was so impressed.”
The new season of “Top Chef” premieres on Bravo at 9 p.m. ET.
