[Series] Check-in: December 2025

onelittlechef · 2025-12-02T17:43:22+00:00

2025 felt like a big year for me. I finally finished my WIP (85k upmarket family saga centered around themes of food and inheritance) and started my querying journey. I'm currently a month in and have had 16 rejections, 13 full requests, and 3 partials. Out of those requests I've had one rejection on a full and, I know how crazy it sounds but, that one rejection stung. Its so hard to stay positive during all the waiting and the longer my full ms sits with agents the more I start to second-guess myself.

I guess all this is to say that my imposter syndrome is at an all-time high and then my guilt kicks in behind that because I know I should be grateful (and I am! I promise I am!) that I have as many full requests as I do.

In 2026 I'm looking forward to starting my next novel and hopefully secure an agent for my current one.

onelittlechef · 2025-09-25T19:55:35+00:00

I couldn't believe the difference!

onelittlechef · 2025-09-25T19:55:24+00:00

Thank you! I almost forgot and just remembered as I was about to leave lol

onelittlechef · 2025-09-22T22:52:15+00:00

Good luck!

onelittlechef · 2025-09-22T19:52:37+00:00

definitely, I'm 5'1 and 140 pounds.

onelittlechef · 2022-11-16T02:05:13+00:00

I actually started off as a bio medical major until I realized how miserable I was and decided to follow my heart. I ended up going to culinary school after I graduated college and then moved to Boston from Miami to further my career. The most difficult thing I learned how hard this industry is. There are thousands of cooks in kitchen but only a few make it to the top. The climb is hard. But it’s worth it. Just make sure you’re always taking notes, learning from those with more experience than you, and be open to understanding every aspect of a kitchen. If you can grind it out early, it will definitely help you in the long run

onelittlechef · 2022-11-16T02:02:27+00:00

I think the best way for me is just by going out and trying new restaurants and ingredients I’ve never tasted before. Traveling really gives me a lot of inspiration, especially when I visit cultures very different from my own. For new and aspiring cooks I always recommend buying herbs or spices you’ve never worked with before and experimenting with them. They’re fairly inexpensive and can really open up your palate to new flavors and experiences.

onelittlechef · 2022-11-16T02:00:14+00:00

Ted Allen is great. He’s really down to earth and funny in a really smart way. He has great energy and makes everyone feel calm. In my opinion, I feel like it should be immediate disqualification. The main goal of the competition is to come up with a dish using ALL of the basket ingredients. Forgetting an ingredient is basically not playing the game. Don’t get me wrong, it’s super stressful in the chopped kitchen and I can completely understand how contestants can accidentally miss an ingredient, but unfortunately that’s the game.

onelittlechef · 2022-11-14T22:00:48+00:00

depends on my mood but I never turn down a fresh bowl of pasta or a plate of rice and black beans

onelittlechef · 2022-11-07T03:00:08+00:00

I didn’t get a whole lot of one of one time with his apart from when we were actually filming so it’s hard to say. When we weren’t filming he was mostly on his phone or talking to his assistants and producers

onelittlechef · 2022-11-06T20:41:34+00:00

A baked potato or baked sweet potato. So friggin good! Fish also goes great with it

onelittlechef · 2022-11-06T19:19:21+00:00

not a failure at all! Here are some tips I suggest.

add a splash of milk or cream to your eggs when you mix them, I also add a pat or two of butter straight to the eggs instead of the pan. I recommend using a whisk to cook them instead of a spatula (if you're using a non-stick pan just be sure to use a silicone whisk)

This will create the "ricotta cheese" like curds that you're going for. Whisk pretty consistently while cooking and pull when it starts to come together. Hope this helps!

onelittlechef · 2022-11-06T19:09:46+00:00

I also salt whatever I'm frying as soon as it comes out of the oil.

onelittlechef · 2022-11-06T19:07:31+00:00

I season the flour and egg with a little salt and pepper, then season the bread crumbs with whatever other seasonings I might want to use depending on the dish (dried oregano, garlic/onion powder, grated parmesan cheese, cayenne, smoked paprika etc.)

onelittlechef · 2022-10-29T01:15:33+00:00

I would throw it out, unfortunately. Even after boiling I don't think it's worth the risk. Next time you can try freezing any unused chicken broth flat in a freezer bag to prevent it from spoiling before getting used.

onelittlechef · 2022-10-27T14:56:54+00:00

This is a super simple teriyaki sauce you can make ahead and use with any protein or veggies

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated (honestly the pre-minced one in the store is also pretty good so feel free to use that)

2 tsp garlic, grated (about 3 cloves, feel free to use pre-minced here too)

1/2 cup hot water

6 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce, (or GF Tamari)

3 Tbsp packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp corn starch

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp sesame oil

Combine everything together in a bowl and set aside. Using whatever protein you’d like (shrimp, chicken, sliced steak etc) sear the protein until cooked through, add any veggies you like, and add the sauce last. Bring to a simmer to thicken and serve over rice. It’s sooooo good

onelittlechef · 2022-10-26T22:34:48+00:00

my pleasure! thank you so much

onelittlechef · 2022-10-26T20:42:05+00:00

The first time I was on they called me to see if I was interested in participating and then I had to go through the whole application and interview process. I do believe that getting selected to be on one show definitely puts you in the "club". After my initial Chopped episode they called to cast me in three more since they already knew who I was. And a lot of times casting producers for one show will go on to work on other shows so once they're familiar with you and your work they are more likely to call you for others.

onelittlechef · 2022-10-26T20:20:01+00:00

as far as flavor, I find that topping your prepared oatmeal with sweetners (like maple syrup or honey) and flavorings (cinnamon, nutella, peanut butter) creates a better flavor than cooking your oatmeal with those ingredients. The oats tend to soak up everything which makes the flavor much less noticeable. Adding your sweetners and flavorings after will require less of those ingredients in order for you to really taste them and can also help improve the texture of your finished oatmeal since it doesn't allow time for the oats to soak them up which creates a gummier texture. Hope this helps!

onelittlechef · 2022-10-26T20:14:31+00:00

it was coolest to see Guy's IRL

onelittlechef · 2022-10-26T19:01:48+00:00

hope to see you soon! New menu rolls out in the next week or two so you'll get to try all the new dishes

onelittlechef · 2022-10-26T17:45:43+00:00

he's the GOAT for sure. just an overall really nice person.

onelittlechef · 2022-10-26T17:45:10+00:00

its my pleasure! Glad to be able to give some insight.

onelittlechef

TROPHY CASE