Cristie Schoen, Food Network Star Season 8 Finalist

Cristie Schoen

Cristie, 35, grew up mostly in the South and often cooked Cajun cuisine with her dad. During college, she studied abroad in Germany and discovered a love for European cooking. Now living in New Orleans, Cristie aspires to open a cafe serving locally grown, nutritious cuisine.

Christie Schoen's Videos

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Ep. 1 Reaction: The First Exit 03:20

Casting: Cristie Schoen 03:31

Bio: Cristie Schoen 01:47

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First Farewell

Someone has to be the first to go, and this season it was Cristie Schoen. With her Mississippi roots, Team Alton's "Do South" restaurant seemed right up Cristie's alley, but her bland soup and disjointed presentation failed to impress Bob and Susie.

Inside Cristie's Journal

During her short stay in the competition, Cristie filled just a few pages of her journal with ideas and prep lists for the Restaurant: Impossible challenge.

Do South

Cristie's first thought for her contribution to Do South was a bread pudding. When the team decided she should make a soup, she ultimately chose a black-eyed pea puree that would be her downfall.

Making Friends

The finalists were given digital cameras to document life behind the scenes. Here, Cristie bonds with fellow finalist Linkie on a ride over to the set from the Star house.

Shopping

Team Alton split up to grocery shop at Restaurant Depot and Whole Foods. Cristie wrote out a meticulous ingredient list for each store, making sure she'd have everything she needed for her soup.

Taste Test

Cristie was concerned about her dish from the get-go — she felt that her original ideas were shot down and she was stuck with something she didn't really want to make. Here, she is unsure about her puree and asks Judson for his opinion.

Staying Focused

With the intense time constraint of opening a restaurant in 24 hours, staying organized was key. Cristie wrote out detailed prep lists for her dish to keep herself on track.

On the Bottom

In evaluation, Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson named Cristie and Josh the bottom two. That meant they would go head-to-head in the Producers' Challenge. Alton gave Cristie some last-minute coaching before she presented her Mother's Day dish to camera. She hoped her Scotch egg and personal story about her brother returning from Iraq would save her from elimination.

Go-To Recipes

Anticipating future challenges, Cristie jotted down recipes she wanted to keep in her back pocket. Unfortunately, she went home too soon and the judges never got a chance to sample her spaetzle, crepes or biscuits.

Pitch Room

Alton went to bat for Cristie in the pitch room, but the network executives ultimately decided that Josh should be the one to stay another week. Team Alton was the first team to lose a member.