La Tasha McCutchen didn’t have to look far for inspiration to audition for “Hell’s Kitchen.” McCutchen, lead line cook at 3030 Ocean in Fort Lauderdale, works with executive chef Paula DaSilva, who came in second on the fifth season of the Fox reality competition. Three years ago, 3030 sous chef Adrienne Grenier won the $10,000 grand prize on Food Network’s “Chopped.”
It’s now McCutchen’s turn in the spotlight. She’s one of 18 contestants appearing on the 13th season of “Hell’s Kitchen,” which will premiere at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10.
“I’ve always wanted to compete on some level as far as cooking,” says McCutchen, 34. “I’ve always wanted to see myself on TV.”
While she has worked in professional kitchens for 12 years, McCutchen says her passion for cooking began back home in Lake City, S.C., where her late grandmother, Thelma Lou McCutchen, routinely prepared dinner for 15 people using ingredients from her backyard garden.
“Dinners were always centered around family,” she says. “Everyone came to one location, even if it was during the week. It was a big part of how we solved problems and celebrated. Food was always involved.”
After high school, McCutchen went off to college, where she tried computer science, math and nutrition majors. A job waitressing helped her recognize that food was her destiny. “I could make a career out of cooking,” she says.
McCutchen earned associate degrees from Horry Georgetown Technical College in Conway, S.C., and Johnson and Wales University in North Miami. She has worked in hotels and country clubs and, for the past six months, at 3030.
At heart, she’s very much a Southern chef, albeit one with a sophisticated edge. At the viewing party for the premiere from 7 to 10:30 p.m., she’ll be preparing grilled watermelon salad with pistachio pesto and goat-cheese mousse.
“When I decided to do that dish, I was trying to define myself as a chef and find my style of cooking,” she says. “The grilled watermelon was basically an ode to my background, my growing up. My grandfather loved watermelon almost more than he loved us. He got one half, and we split the other half.”
To make reservations for the “Hell’s Kitchen” viewing party at 3030 Ocean, call 954-765-3030. The party will be held in the restaurant, lounge, lobby and bar at Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Spa, 3030 Holiday Dr., Fort Lauderdale.
