Pack Your Knives S23 Ep 3: True Colors with Jamie Brown
Mar 25, 2026
Jamie Brown, Charlotte restaurateur and owner of Supperland, shares her firsthand account of hosting Top Chef judges at her place. She discusses production and service logistics, juggling filming constraints with kitchen layout, and what it felt like tasting at the judge’s table with Emeril Lagasse. Conversation touches on natural-color challenges, standout plated dishes, and local food context in Charlotte.
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Liver Mush Quickfire Divided Chefs On Technique
- The quickfire featured liver mush, a Western North Carolina staple with 30% pig liver and cornmeal; some chefs crisped it while others made pates.
- Sara said she'd have made chopped liver style preparations and favored crisping for texture contrast.
Natural Dyes Give Muted Color And Alter Flavor
- Natural food dyes rarely produce the bright, candy-like colors chefs expect in cooked dishes.
- Sara Bradley and Tom Haberstroh note that chlorophyll, beet, turmeric, spirulina and others give muted tones and also change flavor, so balance matters.
Three-Way Standard Makes Color Challenges Brutal
- Top Chef winners must hit three things: creativity with the brief, attractive presentation, and outstanding taste.
- Tom Haberstroh argues this color challenge made getting all three simultaneously unusually difficult.