Monti from MasterChef Season 3 fame is at it again in the kitchen… this time she’s helping other home cooks, just like herself, to get their signature dishes be part of a Michelin-starred restaurant menu.
In the new show Make my Food Famous, Monti hosts and judges 3 home cooks get their food be part of the menu at David LeFavre restaurant, MB Post… in Manhattan Beach, California. This is a BIG DEAL… for Monti herself and the 3 home cooks participating.
Photos courtesy of MB Post Restaurant http://www.eatmbpost.com
Monti, a fellow Puerto Rican, a self-proclaimed home cook who made her living as a radio-show host came to fame because of her culinary talent in a TV show and now she gets to provide support and advice to these aspiring home cooks. “Working in a commercial kitchen is NOT the same as working in your own home space. I’m there to provide these people some support – because it can be really emotional and tough to be fighting for your dream.” candidly shares Monti.
According to Monti, “This is a very rewarding process for all these home cooks. Win it or not, all these people will have a much better idea of what they want and how to get there.” And Monti knows a little about how to fight for her dreams because after her participation on MasterChef Season 3, she came home to an eviction notice and little planning on what to do next. But the Universe works in mysterious ways and now she’s back on TV with a series on the FYI network.
I asked Monti if someone vegetarian competing with a vegetarian dish would have a chance to win in Make my Food Famous and she gave me a resounding YES!!!! Even though she’s not a vegetarian, she knows and believes a great dish can be vegetable-based. For the last few months, Monti has also worked at Roy Choi’s new roof-top greenhouse restaurant, Commisary. “If the work and thoughtfulness is put on a dish, any vegetable or fruit can certainly be the star.” says Monti with pride. This new vegetable and fruit based restaurant is so popular that recently well-known vegan Natalie Portman and also singer John Mayer have been among its celebrity guests.
Photo courtesy of Commissary Restaurant
Make My Food Famous premieres on the FYI network this Sunday, August 31 @ 10PM. Stay tuned to see if maybe one day I can try to make some of my signatures dishes into one of these vegetable-based restaurants too. I am throwing that out into the Universe…
In the meantime, I wish Monti all the success in the world and to celebrate her new show I asked her what was the foods she missed most from our Puerto Rico and she mentioned quenepas, dulces de coco, pan sobao and chicharrones. I am not sure if I support the chicharrones part, but Monti, stay tuned to the mailbox because you may receive a nice little surprise in the mail – a care package courtesy of KarmaFree Cooking.
KarmaFree Cooking 
This is awesome! Great post amiga!
Hay que apoyar la boricua entonces.