BRAVO TV
Chef Sheldon Simeon realized who he was cooking with in an episode of Bravo TV’s “Top Chef: Charleston.” Simeon knew pretty quick, by the sound of her voice, that his secret cooking companion was his wife, Janice.
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Maui chef and restaurateur Sheldon Simeon will realize a dream when he cooks for a sold-out crowd at the famed James Beard House next week. Also, he is among the top three finalists in Bravo TV’s “Top Chef: Charleston,” and he is in the lead for the show’s “Fan Favorite,” a title he won in Season 10.
“It was so exciting for all of us at the James Beard Foundation to watch Chef Sheldon compete for the prize of getting to cook at the Beard House!” said Susan Ungaro, foundation president. “We look forward to welcoming Chef (Simeon) to the Beard House for an experience he will always cherish — and so will we.”
His Carolina Gold rice chow fun with pork belly, okra, annatto seed and turkey broth was “my version of Hawaii and Carolina coming together,” he told the judges.
“Being a kid from Hawaii, my humble upbringing, it’s just awesome that I get to continue on this journey,” Simeon said, to which judge and chef-restaurateur Tom Colicchio replied, “Being humble is great, but at some point you’re going to take your place among some of America’s greatest chefs.”
“I get to cook at the James Beard House. I’m so stoked that I get to showcase the cuisine of Hawaii and my Filipino roots,” Simeon said.
Last week he cooked alongside his wife, Janice, coaching her to create a dish identical to one he was making, while separated by a barrier. For that challenge he won $10,000 and a sous vide machine.
