"wouldn't it be great if we could put all of America's problems into bread pudding"

Rebecca Newell, chef at the Boston restaurant The Beehive is also my best friend's boyfriend's sister (read it slowly--it's not that complicated).

What I know about Rebecca is second-hand and can be summed up as she's confident, has dry humor bordering on dismissive and obnoxious, and she's fun or funny to be around. I think that all of these things are fantastic and came out in hilarious ways on Food Network's Chopped through their deliberate editing that casted her as the 'bitch'. It turns out she was worried about being casted as the 'ditz', and several times alluded to this on the show saying something like, "For all those people who think I'm an airhead...Well I just won chopped!".


That's right, she won, because she's talented, worked extremely well under pressure, and was creative. This is what the show was about. There is no doubt that the lady judge--Alex Guarnaschelli--another strong, successful female chef--thought Rebecca was overbearing and inappropriate.

According to the editing of the show, Alex would give Rebecca blank stares anytime she said anything sarcastic (though interpreted as awkward and lame) like "wouldn't it be great if we could put all of America's problems into bread pudding".

The other contestants were sweet, driven, determined, had big dreams, and nervous. Rebecca, while I'm sure she was nervous, was composed, sarcastic, focused, competitive and funny. And she's getting a bad wrap for it. If you check out any comments on the Chowhound or Joonbug websites people are calling her obnoxious, off-putting, uncreative, etc.

Granted, she may be an acquired taste--but her food certainly was not and it never failed.

The ingredients the contestants had to use for each course were

Appetizer: banana chips, rice paper, kabocha squash, sardines
Entrée: beef shoulder, baby artichokes, blood oranges, cashew butter
Dessert: celery root, cinnamon candies, blackberries, marshmallow spread

For the entree, two of the four contestants went for the most unadventurous idea ever of making spring rolls; one girl (who I loved) forgot to use the banana chips in her final dish; while Rebecca made a crazy Caesar salad! The sardines simulated anchovies which are traditionally used. Banana chips were like croutons and I guess the summer role had some asiago cheese going for it. I don't know--but this is clever, sticks to her roots and apparently tasted great.

For the second course, she made a pan fried steak with potato hash. And finally, for dessert, a apple and celery root bread pudding with caramel sauce and marshmellow. She said something about marshmellow sauce being part of some childhood memory and she said something like, "And I was like 'Oh hello again!'"....[Blank stare from Alex]...Further enhanced by her comment about wishing we could put all of America's problems into bread pudding [growls and mouth foam from Alex].

I know it's nice to root for the people who are really trying to make it big, are humble, and are dreaming big. But it's also really fun to root for the person who is cool with themselves, sassy, and using the money to buy herself a Vera Wang dress for her wedding (fact.)