Q&A with Jill Snyder

(Credit: Bravo)

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When it comes to good news, Baltimore is often overlooked. Mentions of our city in pop culture tend to be limited to tired jokes about drugs, gangs and corruption. (Thanks, Mr. Simon.) However, things are looking up.

Not too long ago "Rolling Stone" tapped Charm City's Wham City collective for its musical innovation, and now, it seems, the mainstream's come calling once again. Bravo's "Top Chef," premiering on Nov. 12, whisks away a local culinary grad and popular Red Maple chef to see how she handles the heat of New York's kitchens. Snyder, a Baltimore resident for close to a decade, chews the fat with Metromix about her hometown, eating local and her favorite guilty pleasure.

Read the Q&A below, and check out Jill Snyder's Baltimore favorites.

What insights did you gain studying in Baltimore?
I learned most of the things I know about professional cooking in Baltimore—I went to the culinary school here, Baltimore International College—and from the various jobs I held working for Spike Gjerde: Working in the bakery, learning pastries and desserts, ice creams and sorbets. I worked at the sushi bar at the Atlantic restaurant, too. That was a pretty cool job.

Anything you want to add, in terms of the impact Gjerde had?
Spike really cares about food, so I think I was lucky to work with him. It's not just putting a plate out. It's the source of the food, and making sure everything comes out just right. I think that's something he instilled in me, too.

How did access to your uncle's farm influence your choice of ingredients?
I think I took for granted...that everything was fresh out of the garden. Now it's a little more difficult. It takes more effort. We have the farmers' market in Baltimore, so that helps. I just think things taste better when they're local. You feel better eating something grown near here.

What are your biggest local influences?
Right now, one of my favorite restaurants is Jack's Bistro. I love what they're doing down there. I like that they keep their kitchen open late. If I get out of work, I can sometimes make it down there to get some food. I love what [chefs] Ted [Stelzenmuller], Keith [Curley] and Evan [Lavin] are doing. I think that place is awesome.

On my current menu, I'm using bison from Gunpowder Farms, which is a little bit outside of Baltimore. I have a bison filet satay, which I think is starting to become more popular.

What difficulties are there in running a popular kitchen?
Right now the difficulty is people not going out to eat as much, but I guess that's more of a broad thing. I have a new menu out. You have to make sure you have every ingredient, make sure everything goes out just right, make sure I'm training my staff correctly. Fridays and Saturdays have been getting busy. Just having everything ready to go, so that the night runs smoothly. We serve until midnight, so it's usually a long day, but I'm used to that.

You've got a taste for unique ingredients with the bison. Do you feel like you have to sell that to your guests?
A little bit. Hopefully the people who come in trust everything I put on the menu, because I think everything I put on is awesome. It's small plates, so I think part of the experience is that you come in to see people, and you can try different dishes. I think it's more fun to eat that way. You can have a couple vegetarian things, you could have the bison, you could have a smoked salmon spring roll. The variety makes it fun.

What complications come from running a kitchen when there are cameras and judges hounding you?
The comfort level is gone. You've got chefs looking at you. You're presented with a challenge. Of course, there are time constraints. It was pretty stressful for me, because I like to have an idea and be able to experiment. That's not the case on the show. If you're pausing and thinking, there's a camera filming you. Just the anxiety was the most difficult part for me, just knowing that everything you're doing is being filmed, and it's going to appear on national television.

What inspired you to try out for the show?
One of my best friends, her name is Dalia, she loves the show, and she would call me when she was watching and say, "What would you do, if you had to cook for a group of policemen?" She thought I'd be really great at it. I hadn't watched very many episodes. I sent a video and they liked it. I was totally surprised I got picked, because I know there are thousands of people who try out. I think it's a cool opportunity that I got selected. I'm anxious to see it when it comes out.

Are you nervous about how you're going to be portrayed?
A little bit, but I think that my character is gonna show just how I am. I'm a little eccentric. But yeah, I'm a little nervous.

The editing changes everything.
I know! I'm very anxious. I keep playing over in my head what I did, but who knows how they're going to edit it.