See what the admittedly arrogant chef—with the fastest knife work we’ve seen in show history—had to say about his newfound culinary achievement. (Warning: Winning the competition did not change his man-of-very-few-words status.) He dished to us about his next steps, his recipe for success, that killer confidence that won him the title and rumors that he's a robot. Seriously.
How are you feeling this morning?
Very, very well. But I’m so exhausted—I’ve been up since 6:30 a.m. doing interviews.
But that’s a good thing, isn’t it?
Yes, it’s a very good thing.
You know, you’re allowed to get excited and jump up and down now…
Yep, I did. I was really, really excited.
So, what’s next?
Travel. That’s my main thing. Travel to Europe, Asia, take my mom on some vacations and then weigh my options for the future.
Any places you’re thinking of?
I’ve been to Spain and I definitely want to go back and learn more about their cuisine. I’d definitely work for free at El Bulli [in Catalonia] or Arzac [in San Sebastian].
So you’ll go to actually work? Not to relax?
Definitely for learning—this is my college tuition money.
Do you ever relax? It seems like you’re always going a million miles an hour!
To be successful, you’ve gotta keep on pushing. You can’t slow down!
When Todd English said that your duck dish was 3-Star Michelin, was that the moment you knew you had the competition in the bag?
Not really. I was really honored by that, but in the end, they were like, “Dale has two good dishes, Hung has two good dishes.” I was kind of worried, you know? I didn’t know what to expect.
Really? Were you really worried?
A little bit. [Laughs]
Yeah, you’ve been Mr. Confidence since day one…
I was, I am. I’m really confident.
In the last challenge, Tom Colicchio told you he didn’t see you in your food, and then you pulled out all the stops, with the stories about your mom, and all the Asian recipes…did hearing that light a fire under you?
It was because Chef Tom, but I was also waiting for the chance to do that.
Anything you’d go back and do differently?
No, I’m happy with everything I did. Even though some of the dishes weren’t successful, I did it. I can’t really go back in time, realistically. I’m happy with what I did, I won “Top Chef” and that’s it! [Laughs]
Did you have any words with the judges after your win?
I basically thanked them for realizing my talent and rewarding me with the Top Chef title. I’m really grateful for that.
Have you had any job offers yet?
No, I haven’t. I haven’t even had time to have coffee.
Which chefs were you most excited to cook for?
Definitely Daniel [Boulud], Rocco [DiSpirito], man, the list of them! Anthony Bourdain! All amazing.
It seems like you and Rocco go way back…
Yeah, it seems like that, but I guess we have some things in common. We’re both good looking, a little arrogant…but very confident.
So, any chance that his suggestion of starting a restaurant together might happen?
There could be—I’m open for everything! We’ll see.
Clear one more thing up for us: Is there any truth to the rumor that you are just a cooking robot that Marcel built to guarantee a “Top Chef” win?
[Laughs] That’s funny! [Laughs]
It makes sense though—I mean, I’ve never seen anyone chop that fast in my life!
[Still laughing] That’s funny! [Laughs] Speaking of Marcel, he’s calling me right now…
Of course he is! [Laughs] Well, tell him we said hi…
[Laughs] Oh, I will—thanks so much!
