The first episode of Bravo’s “Top Chef: Just Desserts,” featuring St. Croix native Orlando Santos, is complete – and Santos survived, leaving him and only 12 others to compete for the top prize of $100,000, as well as a feature article in Food & Wine magazine and a showcase at the Annual Food & Wine Cayman Cookout.
Viewers got a sense of Santos’ strong personality on the season premiere, which was broadcast Wednesday night at 10 p.m. Of the 14 contestants, he seemed to get the most air time, and his dramatic brashness made for a night of good reality television.
Right from the start, Santos, who now lives and works in Pittsburgh, Penn., lit up the show when he was the first one to get bleeped after his first paired-up competition ended in failure when the judges didn’t like their “boring banana split.”
When it was time for the first big team challenge of the season to create a “fantastic show piece” with a fairy tale-theme, Santos’ team got saddled with Goldilocks and the three bears, and his preference of working alone became clear as he battled with teammate Rebecca Masson over how to make porridge. She wanted to use rice pudding and he made fun of the notion because he felt that it’s only for old people.
When Santos was interviewed in the middle of the event, he said, “I’m a bitch in the kitchen,” explaining he loves the villains in stories.
“Screw the heroes,” he said.
Later, pastry chef Chris Hanmer said that he competed against Santos before and felt that he was the biggest competitor in the event, which makes him stand out for the next show.
Unfortunately, Hanmer’s team took the prize for best showpiece, but Santos vowed to do better and win the next event.
Friday afternoon the Source caught up with Santos via phone and discovered that he was happy with the way he was depicted even though his strong personality does seem to take over at times.
“My best friend said it perfect when he said, ‘It’s funny, people actually get to see what you’re like inside the kitchen, how you’re very focused and how you tend to take over to make sure the best product comes out,’” Santos said.
Later, he pointed out that he really does like the villains and the sinister aspect behind them, but he said he also likes the other characters in fairy tales.
“I didn’t get to wear a mask today by being soft,” he said laughing.
Santos also said that growing up in the Virgin Islands prepared him for his life as a chef. More specifically, he said that his time at the St. Croix Educational Complex gave him the foundation he needed to succeed.
“When I was in school, the one thing I hated was math on every angle. Going through the academic program at the St. Croix Educational Complex gave me that foundation,” adding “I use geometry every day in making desserts,” Santos said.
Despite stating on the show that Santos likes working alone, he was surprised at how much fun he had working with teams.
“When you’re put into tight quarters with individuals, you have no idea what they are doing, and so it’s the best way to understand their skill sets. I really met some amazing pastry chefs there, and it’s one way to see what they were capable of doing in the kitchen,” he said.
Although Santos doesn’t plan on moving back to St. Croix anytime soon, he did say that he will be coming to the island in December for a dinner event. He plans to be here to showcase his talent from Dec. 5 to Dec. 11, and will update the Source when more information is available.
To watch Santos, tune into Bravo on Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. or check out Source reporter John Baur’s running blog about the show at https://stcroixsource.com/blog/john-baur/2011/08/24/just-desserts-running-blog
