Utah's 'Extreme Chef' competes for $50,000 tonight

Bite by Bite by Kathy Stephenson

Published: September 13, 2012 12:10 pm
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Utah Chef Viet Pham, can't talk about who wins tonight's "Extreme Chef" finale.

"But it will be dramatic, so tune in," he said in a telephone interview with The Tribune on Thursday morning.

Pham, co-owner of Salt Lake City's Forage restaurant, is one of three finalists will compete in the remote jungles of Thailand for $50,000 and the title of Extreme Chef.

In the first part of the episode, which airs at 11 p.m. MST, Viet, Terry and Tiffany will work with elephants and a native hill tribe. In the final challenge, they will race up hundreds of stairs to create the perfect bite in front of a Buddhist temple. In fact the Food Network is calling the episode "The $50,000 Bite."

Pham said he is having a viewing party tonight for about 30 family and friends— including his parents who have flown in from San Jose.

While the ending of "Extreme Chef" means Pham can finally talk openly about the experience, he actually has mixed feelings about its conclusion.

"It's bittersweet," he said. "I've looked forward to Thursday nights because of the show."

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