P.E.I. chef Lucy Morrow makes it to final 3 episodes of Top Chef Canada

With just three episodes left, a P.E.I. chef is still in the running in the Food Network's show Top Chef Canada.

Island chef Lucy Morrow says the experience has been both an exciting and challenging learning experience. 

"You learn a lot along the way, I would say less about cooking and more about yourself because while you're there you're just trying to cook the best food you possibly can and let yourself go creatively," Morrow said.

"But you do learn a lot about yourself since you're the only person you can rely on there." 

Morrow, 26, graduated from the The Culinary Institute of Canada in 2014 and has worked on P.E.I. the last several years.

She was one of 12 contestants from across the country chosen for the show's eighth season. The show was already filmed and premiered in April. 

Top Chef Canada is a competition-style show. In each episode, participants first compete in a what's called a "quickfire challenge" in which they have 20-30 minutes to make a dish and are then judged to win prizes. 

The competitors then face an elimination challenge where they are give a set of rules and a timeline and then must cook a dish that fits the description in the prescribed time. The contestants are then judged and someone is eliminated from the show.  

It does come down ultimately to what your food tastes like.— Lucy Morrow

"You do have a little more time than they show, but you pretty much have to make up your mind right away and start planning so you can get rid of the bad ideas and choose the direction to go," she said. 

"My strategy was first thing that pops into your head — go with it, don't change your mind, just do it." 

In the next episode's elimination challenge the chefs will channel Canada's food island as they create dishes that highlight ingredients from P.E.I., according to the show's Twitter. 

Watching with friends

Morrow said she's been enjoying watching the pre-taped episodes virtually with her friends during the COVID-19 pandemic, while trying her best to avoid spoiling how it all turns out. 

"That's been really nice to be able to connect with friends every week at the same time. Watching myself on [television] is pretty nerve-racking," she said. 

When she looks back on the experience and how the competition played out, she said it all boils down to taste.

"Everything else matters, your food story matters, how organized you are matters ... but it does come down ultimately to what your food tastes like." 

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