Fang Cooks Her Last Dish on Fox’s ‘MasterChef’

Former Hilo resident Felix Fang finally had to turn in her apron Tuesday night on Fox Television’s “MasterChef” as she failed to make the cut into the show’s top six contenders.

It was a case of profiteroles gone bad, as Fang’s choice for a dessert did not go over well with the show’s judges.

Fang, a 2005 graduate of Waiakea High School, had chosen the classic French pastry with a twist, as the seven remaining chef-wannabes were required to incorporate corn into their dessert.

When it came time for Fang to present her dish, MasterChef judge Joe Bastianich looked at it with disdain, asking her if she cooked desserts often. When Fang said she often cooks them at home, Bastianich told her she “should keep it at home.”

Tearing up, Fang took her place back at the cooking stations where she was consoled by fellow contestants. She still maintained a semblance of hope as Bastianich panned the corn crème brulee submitted by the next contestant, Josh Mark, with a curt “that’s bad.”

However, the dishes proffered by Fang, Marks and David Martinez were deemed the worst of the seven, and, in the end, it was Fang who was dismissed.

“Your time is done on MasterChef,” head judge Gordon Ramsay told her.

She left with some kind words from Ramsay, who encouraged her to follow her culinary crafts.

Fang, a food runner in Hollywood, responded by saying that she “learned so much” during the show.

“It’s the end of one journey, but tomorrow’s another day,” Fang said.

Although she nearly made it into the final third of the 18 final contenders in the show’s third season, it was an up-and-down ride for the 25-year-old Fang, whose family once ran a small restaurant on Hilo’s Banyan Drive.

In mid-June, her breast of duck won her top honors for the night.

But in a later episode Fang overcooked her fish. On another night she struggled with tiramisu, prompting Ramsay to tell the teary-eyed Fang that her dish “looks as sad as you do.”

But she got kudos for her treatments of risotto in one episode and of spiny sea urchin in another.

The six contests are all that’s left from 30,000 aspiring amateur chefs who originally auditioned for the show and a chance at the $250,000 grand prize.