Jess Dang

Where are you living/working now?

I am still living in the Bay Area (Menlo Park, California) with a planned move to San Francisco this summer to be closer to all the amazing restaurants up in the city. I'm working part-time at Visa and trying to start up two food businesses on the side.

What have you been up to since NFNS?

I have kept myself busier than ever since the show. Being on NFNS was just a huge personal growth experience for me. While I still keep a day job, I'm trying to really figure out where the world of food fits into my life. I've been working on expanding "the petite pig" (www.thepetitepig.com), the food blog I started after filming the show and trying to start two food businesses on the side. One is a private dinner party/cooking instructor/just let me feed you business (Clementine Culinary Productions [www.clementineculinary.com]) and the other is a beverage line that I hope to launch in the next two years. I've also traveled to three new countries since the show aired - Holland, Sweden and Japan where I did a lot of great eating.

What did you enjoy most about being on NFNS?

I loved how much the show made me grow as a person. I was the youngest and least experienced of the Season Two contestants, which was incredibly intimidating. Even though I didn't get far, I came out of the experience much more confident about what I could tackle in life. It made me realize what I could do and forced me to work on areas that I'm weaker in. I think that if I did it all again now, I would be much better at rising to the challenges asked of us (though I'm not saying I'd look forward to that pressure cooker again).

Do you still keep in touch with other contestants?

Yes, we are big fans of the mass email. I think I am the worst, though, as I can be a bit of an email spammer. I must have been sending an email a day to the other seven saying how much I missed everyone in the month after filming. Even though it's been a year, every so often an email will appear in my inbox from someone in the group with a big, "I miss you" to everyone. It's wonderful and reminds me of what a unique experience we shared together. I am always excited to hear about the crazy antics everyone's up to now. Guid, Nathan and I just all saw each other at Beth's wedding back in September. Carissa's wedding is coming up in May. And I do hope to see Guid as soon as he gets back from being on the road - that man's schedule is booked these days.

Any behind-the-scene happenings from NFNS you can tell us?

Hmmm . . . if the camera didn't capture it, than it probably didn't happen as that camera was on us all the time.

How did being on NFNS affect your culinary career?

When I put together my audition tape for the NFNS, I was really your novice home cook. I still started every meal hoping I didn't start a fire and burn my small kitchen down. Since then, I've been really pushing myself to take more risks in the kitchen and have been really proud of the improvement I've made in my cooking skills. I am someone that appreciates a good challenge and the show made me realize what a beginner I was compared to everyone else. It pushed me to make myself a better chef. I'm considering pursuing food on a more professional level and I am looking into honing some of the more technical skills that I lack. I definitely hope that my elimination from the NFNS is not going to be the legacy I leave in the food world.

What advice would you offer the next round of contestants?

Five minutes is a lot, lot shorter than you think. Be very careful about time management. Oh, and breathe. Try to remember your name (I think that there were a few times I was so nervous I forgot mine)!

When you look back, would you have done anything differently?

I would have prepared a swap-out for my chicken (for those of you that don't remember, my chicken definitely did not finish cooking in the five minutes we had to do our demos)!

Are you recognized from your time on NFNS?

Yeah, I definitely do get recognized and acknowledged for being on the show. Sometimes it's a great feeling and other times it's just totally weird.

What was the greatest lesson you learned from your time on NFNS?

The greatest lesson I learned from the show is that I'm young and I've got many more experiences (and meals) ahead of me, lots more mistakes to make in life (and in the kitchen) and a lot of time to learn from them. I'll let you know how that all goes!