Interview: Chef Lee Anne Wong Is the Last Chef Standing on '24 in 24' Season 3

It’s official: Chef Lee Anne Wong is the Last Chef Standing on 24 in 24 Season 3. After nearly 20 years on the culinary competition scene with no big wins under her belt, the talented chef said “aloha” to her family and restaurant, Koko Head Café, in Hawaii and flew across the Pacific to partake in the most challenging Food Network series to date. Now, we’re walking through the final hours of the season and sharing behind-the-scenes insights from no other than chef Lee Anne herself. Read on to get the scoop on how Lee Anne felt in the final moments, how many hours she abstained from caffeine and her top tips for bolstering creativity under pressure at home.

Victory! Lee Anne, exhausted though she may be, finds the energy to raise her arms in victory as she learns she’s cooked her way into the last shift with her Asparagus and Parmesan Risotto and Honey Crème Brûlée.

Of course, there’s a catch. Lee Anne and her fellow finalists face the most challenging Speed Obstacle Course in show history. Hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choi unveil that the finalists must complete Speed Obstacle Course tasks from the previous two seasons, combined, to choose their preferred protein before returning to their workstations for their final cook. Each chef must dice four onions, turn four artichokes, pit four avocados, tourne four potatoes, whip six eggs and juice eight ounces of lemon juice. The first chef to complete the obstacle course earns the final Golden Knife.

Lee Anne: I remember first hearing about 24 in 24 a few years ago, and thought to myself, “That’s nuts.” Understanding how culinary competition television production works, the idea of staying up for 24-plus hours and not stopping the clock or the cameras seemed Herculean. After watching the first two seasons on repeat on HBO Max, when [executive producer] Brian Lando offered me the opportunity, I jumped at the chance to compete.

Lee Anne: I didn’t have a ton of time to prepare. Sleep has eluded me for years now. I usually get around six hours on average. I’ve pulled a few 24-hour stretches cooking for a big event or holiday over the years. Motherhood means I can endure almost anything, including many sleepless nights tending to my family.

But I can confidently say now that nothing prepares you for staying up all night with that level of pressure and stress, with $100,000 on the line. The physical toll became obvious in the end. But mental determination, emotional food memories and instinct became my best friends in those last shifts.

Lee Anne: After almost being sent home in Shift 2, I realized I needed to stay focused and stick to what I know: recipes and techniques I use daily … simplicity and execution, but with big flavors.

Lee Anne finishes the Speed Obstacle Challenge in third place, coming in behind chefs Alex Stupak and Viet Pham. She chooses fish as her protein for the finale. “I love cooking seafood,” she says, picking up her tray. “I know I’m good at cooking seafood. It is versatile. I am satisfied.”

The challenge? Hosts Michael and Esther reveal that there are three varieties of proteins on each tray. One variety for each of the remaining challenges. It’s up to each chef to choose which cut of protein they use and when. For Challenge 22, the finalists have 30 minutes to prepare elevated street food. The twist? Only three chefs, chosen by Golden Knife holder chef Alex, will cook for this challenge. He chooses Lee Anne, Joe Isidori and Viet to participate.

Chef Lee Anne scans her protein tray. She has ahi tuna, sea bass and tilapia to choose from and lands on tilapia. “A lot of people have lots of thoughts about tilapia. Like, people rag on tilapia, but tilapia is actually a great fish for fish fry,” she says.

Her plan? Serving a Butter Makani Fish Fry Wrap with herb vita, tamarind, coriander and red onion.

“This shift is all about elevation. To elevate my fish fry, I got two different sauces. I’m going to do a little yogurt sauce. The other one is my makhani sauce, which is basically doing a very, very fast butter chicken sauce,” she explains.

The judges were impressed with her execution and made special note that her fish was “wildly perfect.” Chef Lee Anne learns that her fish fry edged out her competition. She bids farewell to chefs Viet and Joe and prepares herself to compete in Challenge 23 against Alex and Christina Miros.

For Challenge 23, chefs Lee Anne, Alex and Christina must turn a classic weeknight family meal into an elevated dining experience. This is an elimination challenge and requires the chefs to turn out four plates in 30 minutes. Lee Anne draws inspiration from her home life in Hawaii and prepares Steamed Hot Oil Sea Bass With Ginger, Maitake and Black Vinegar Broth.

Lee Anne: The steamed fish with ginger and hot oil, because of its nostalgic resonance and clean flavors.

Lee Anne: I’m pretty sure I waited at least 16 hours before engaging with coffee. I didn’t want to peak and crash early, or have to keep chugging coffee to stay up.

Lee Anne: I think I got to a point where I was like, “I’m still here. I can really do this.” And then I didn’t want to go home. But by that time, I wasn’t firing on all synapses, and trying to get that third wind physically and mentally was hard.

Despite a few pesky fishbones, Lee Anne’s sea bass impresses the judges and earns her a spot in the final two. Chef Christina clocks out, and chefs Alex and Lee Anne prepare to pour everything they have into the final cook. They move into Challenge 24 with a fifty-fifty chance of taking home $100,000.

Lee Anne: Honestly, I was just grateful to be there. I’ve known Alex for a long time and have always been a fan of his cooking. Since the moment we entered the kitchen at hour 00:00, I knew he would be the force to reckon with.

The final challenge of the season? Make a Michelin-worthy dish using the remaining protein on your tray. For Lee Anne, that’s ahi tuna. “Ahi tuna is something I use in my restaurant almost every day,” she shares. “Even though I can barely keep my eyes open, I can’t mess this up.

“I want to play into the tuna's natural ability to be served rare, but at the same time, I want to add glamour to it. So, for my elevated Michelin star dish, I'm making Nori and Feuilles de Brick Wrapped Tuna.”

Chef Alex prepares Ibérico Pork Steak With Carrot Argan Oil Coulis.

Lee Anne’s final dish is a Nori and Feuilles de Brick Wrapped Tuna With Caviar Beurre Blanc and Endive. The judges are blown away by her artful plating and composition. “The meticulousness of the roll, the level of searing from opaque into translucent, then the endive is still tender and sweet,” says judge Jet Tila. “Sometimes dishes look better than they taste in these very fine restaurants, but this tastes as good as it looks.”

Although chef Alex impresses the judges with his Ibérico Pork Steak, they feel his cut of meat is out of context and takes a back seat to the rest of the plate.

Chef Lee Anne is the named winner and last chef standing on 24 in 24 Season 3. She takes home $100,000 and bragging rights!

Lee Anne: I’m pretty sure I passed out on the couch during my judging, so it was a total surprise to me. I vaguely recall getting a positive review for the tuna dish.

Lee Anne: To be completely transparent, I couldn’t actually get to sleep after the competition, and I had been up for 36 hours at that point. My body ached so bad that I just flopped around in my hotel bed like a fish out of water. I had to fly to Houston right afterward for a food festival, so deep sleep didn’t happen until I got back to Maui five days later and hugged my family.

Lee Anne: I love thinking of all the ways to transform an ingredient, from both a chef’s perspective and also the diner’s experience. Texture and flavor are the end result of how you treat an ingredient, and there’s dozens of ways you can take something as simple as an onion or carrot and turn it into something extraordinary.

If you’ve got little to work with, remember: Seasoning properly goes a long way. Salt alone can highlight an ingredient’s natural taste. My pantry staples include a variety of citrus fruits, dried spices and different vinegars, oils and shelf-stable condiments, to add flavor to whatever I happen to have on hand.