Elizabeth Falkner, chef-owner of Citizen Cake and Orson in San Francisco, made it all the way to the Kitchen Stadium finale and lost a close one to Chef Zakarian.

Each Super Chef was given a red journal at the start of the competition to use for challenge-planning and reflection. Chef Falkner filled dozens of pages with notes, thoughts and a handful of sketches that show off her artistic side.

On day one, Chef Falkner checked out the Next Iron Chef kitchen's pantry to see what she was working with. She made a short list of ingredients she couldn't live without, including chocolate, butter, olive oil and eggs.

Although less of a "celebrity" than many of her rival chefs, Chef Falkner was determined the whole way through and let her cooking speak for itself.