Who is Tiffany Derry? Meet 'Top Chef Amateurs' judge who celebrates 'modern' Southern food
For 24 amateur cooks, the race is on to see if they have what it takes to brave the high-intensity situations and challenges that come with any cutthroat cooking contest. Bravo's latest cooking show, 'Top Chef Amateurs', will see these chefs taking on some classic challenges. They will have some help from the show's alumni, who will be cooking alongside them, providing them with the support they need.
If you're looking for other culinary shows to check out, you might want to consider 'MasterChef Legends', 'The Chef Show', 'Chopped Junior' and 'BBQ Brawl'.
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Who is Chef Tiffany Derry?
Born on December 26, 1982, in Beaumont, Texas, Tiffany Derry is a chef and a TV personality. She graduated from The Art Institute of Houston with an Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts. She began her culinary journey by working at IHOP at the age of 15 and later took on a management position.
Derry was a part of season 7 of 'Top Chef', where she placed 5th and won fan-favourite of her season. She later competed in season 8 of 'Top Chef: All-Stars', where she was a finalist. Derry has appeared on other shows as well, such as 'Cutthroat Kitchen' and 'Hungry Investors'
All about southern cooking
Drawing from her childhood, Derry opened Roots Chicken Shak in Austin and Plano, Texas. Here, she has gone on to showcase southern cooking in a new light. "Roots Southern Table is a modern Southern approach," Derry explained while taking to Dallas Observer.
"The idea here is that we're using things from local from the gardens, things that are more Southern in my area. I'm from Louisiana, and so during the summer, it was beans, and corn and okra; great summer vegetables. So as you look at the menu, you'll see that influence." she added.
"At the time, it was just me wanting to get back to my roots, what I experienced growing up with food," she said in an interview "But now I look back, and I can say that our food is beautiful. Our food is one of the original foods of this country. Southern food was created here in America," she explained.
"We had the Africans coming in and the influences of all the different produce. Here in the South, it was created. How can you not be proud of it? How can you not be proud of one of the founding cuisines of this country?" she said, in heconversation with D Magazine.
On 'Top Chef Amateurs', Chef Tiffany Derry makes a comeback as part of the 'Top Chef' alum team who will help the amateur cooks as they race against the clock while tackling challenges.
She will also be a part of the judge's panel this season, alongside Eric Adjepong, Richard Blais, Shirley Chung, Stephanie Cmar, Jennifer Caroll, Joe Flamm, Gregory Gourdet, Melissa King, Kwame Onwuachi, Dale Talde and Isaac Toups.
Catch Bravo's 'Top Chef Amatuers' on July 1, 2021 at 9/8c.