MasterChef winner sets a ‘modern American table’
When Shaun O’Neale headed to his first casting call for “MasterChef,” it was with a big push from friends. It was only after he made it past the first round that he started getting serious.
Taking his “nerdy cookbook obsession” to new levels, he set about working his way through recipes well outside his comfort zone. All that effort paid off, when he was named winner of “MasterChef” season 7.
It’s meant a whirlwind year for the former deejay, who found inspiration from judges Gordon Ramsay, Aaron Sanchez and Christina Tosi. In May, O’Neale authored his first cookbook, “My Modern American Table” (Abrams, $24.95). He’s been nonstop ever since, traveling around the world connecting with fans of his straightforward approach.
Next up, the 35-yearold makes his first visit to Milwaukee for the Journal Sentinel’s Food & Wine Experience Nov. 4 and 5, with a cooking demonstration on Saturday and book signing Sunday.
Q. Where does your interest in cooking come from?
A. My mom always wanted us around the kitchen table, but she cooked like any ’80s and ’90s mom did. Lots of casseroles, Crock Pot stuff, always delicious, but I kind of took it to a whole new level in my style. We can’t pinpoint where that came from.
Q. Your background is as a deejay. How did “MasterChef” come about for you?
A. Honestly, it was my friends pushing me to do it. I’ve always been a reserved kind of guy, the way I always showed love was through food.
The DJ career had some crazy ups and downs, and I developed a nerdy obsession with cookbooks. My collection now is getting insane. Every time I go to another event I meet a chef and trade cookbooks.
I got this nerdy obsession and my friends pushed me to the open casting call in Las Vegas. Next thing I knew I was in Los Angeles filming a reality cooking show.
Q. Did you have a defined cooking style before “MasterChef” or did that evolve?
A. I’ve always wanted to play around with trends and new styles. I have always read a lot of cookbooks. That’s the best way to stay on top of things. My style is modern American. We are such a melting pot. We’re no longer just hamburgers and hot dogs, we’re so internationally influenced. You can’t just eat American food.
I like to stay playing around with new trends. I think the guys playing around with molecular gastronomy and trends can get carried away, but I like to try to bring some of that stuff in the house.
In my cookbook, “My Modern American Table” (Abrams), I try to simplify that stuff. You can make some foams and some techniques. It may not be in as grand a form as some of these restaurants, but you can pull them out when you really want to wow somebody.
I wanted to demystify some of those things and show people there is so much more that you are capable of doing at home, if you want to.
Q. What did being on “MasterChef” show you about cooking in America?
A. Nowadays with as many food shows as we have on TV, people, and especially kids, they’re emulating chefs. Chefs have become what sport stars were to me when I was a kid. People are getting more adventurous with their home cooking, and it’s bringing people back to the dinner table. It’s a cool time in food in America.
Q. Who is the “MasterChef” fan?
A. They are so diverse it is insane. It is really every single walk of life. “MasterChef America” is huge in the Philippines, and I have a huge Filipino following. That’s kind of cool, to watch it play around the world.
Q. Where do you find inspiration?
A. My TV is on Travel Channel, Food Network or “MasterChef,” “MasterChef Jr.” It’s a great starting point to get ideas. Now I’m looking at Michelin star cooking and cookbooks and doing more research on the fancier side to gain knowledge.
Q. What was the starting point of your cookbook collection?
A. It was Bobby Flay’s “Mesa Grill Cookbook.” Gordon Ramsay would probably kill me. I was in Vegas for my birthday about 15 years ago, and Bobby was there redesigning the menu at Mesa Grill. He cooked my steak and came out and signed the cookbook for me.
It was one of my first high-end entertaining menus. (When I was) growing up, my parents wanted to take me to Ruth Chris, top of the Space Needle. That was their idea and experience of fine dining.
Back in Florida, I cooked my way through that book, then Richard Blais’ first cookbook, “Try This At Home.” That one made me start thinking flavor forward about food.
If I had to save one now, I might burn up, they may have to drag me out of there. I’m kind of obsessed with foie gras, and I have a book based on just foie gras. There are not many copies out there. I think that one (I would save), because it is the shiniest, and it is right next to Gordon’s “Three Stars,” so it’s got a good place.
Q. What’s a dish that taught you something?
A. Within “MasterChef,” I struggled on a dish with venison. I really wanted to come back and overcome that. My finale entrée was (also) a venison dish. I didn’t do well at the beginning, but my finale was spectacular. Gordon Ramsay said he could take it from the kitchen to his restaurant, and it was the most artistic plate I’d ever created. That was huge.
Q. Being a part of “MasterChef” means having access to that amazing fully stocked pantry. What did you learn about stocking a pantry?
A. That’s the easy part. The worst part was having to do my own dishes again. Also, I don’t always use an apron when cooking at home, but I’d gotten so used to having the apron on and wiping my hands down in a hurry. For the first two months I destroyed a bunch of clothes wiping my hands real quick.
As far as a pantry, I say I’ve minimized, but standing here looking at it that may not be true. There are specific things I have to have.
I make a lot of my own spices. I grew a lot of my own peppers, and I dehydrate onion, garlic and do general dried herbs. Nothing too fancy unless I need it. Then I go buy it in super-small quantities so it is not sitting around.
I usually go more with fresh herbs. The biggest change is I have gotten away from the pantry. I go to the grocery store more now and buy as I need, rather than stocking up. It has made me a wiser shopper.
Q. Tips for aspiring cooking show contestants?
A. You have to be yourself, first off. It sounds cliché, but if they see you’re trying to put on a character, they’re going to boot you. Be a bigger version of yourself, and know any food at the drop of a dime.
When I found out I’d made it through the first levels of sending in recipes and the casting call, I just started baking and baking and baking, every day.
If you know you have a weak spot, home in on it and practice. If you’re vegan and scared of chicken or meat, swallow that fear, buy some chickens, learn to break them down and learn the anatomy. Get that fear out of the way.