Plainfield Native to Appear on 'MasterChef'

Photo: Diana Bilow

When a friend of Plainfield native Diana Bilow sent in an application on her behalf for the TV show "MasterChef," Bilow didn’t think much of it.

“She was literally sitting in front of me on the computer saying, ‘I’m signing you up for 'MasterChef,'” Bilow said.

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Bilow, 23, didn’t think it would go anywhere, but in mid-September she attended an audition in Chicago. While she was waiting in line, one of the production assistants came up to her and started talking. Before she knew it, she was moved to the front of the line.

She kept getting through to the next level and in January she was notified that she’d be competing on the show, which airs the first of its second-part premiere episode tonight on FOX.

“It was an incredible experience. So nerve-wracking and scary, you don’t really know what’s going to happen and you’re cooking for these world-renowned chefs,” Bilow said, adding that it was also the best experience she’s ever had.

Bilow’s talent is perhaps a mix of nature and nurture. She comes from a cooking family and says they never went out to eat while she was growing up.

“They were always cooking,” Bilow said. “I was always in the kitchen helping my mom. She’s the type of person who’s eating breakfast and planning lunch. I just developed that from her.”

Among her favorite dishes to cook is lamb, but when asked if she cooked it on the show, Bilow was unable to say, giving viewers a reason to tune in to find out.

And then there’s the revered Gordon Ramsay, famous for his Michelin star restaurants and foul-mouthed temper.

“He’s tough on us, for sure, but you can tell that he wants his next protege, he wants the next person to do really well,” Bilow said. “He’s tough on us, but from a nurturing standpoint.”

Bilow is employed by RPM Steak in Chicago and said everyone there is very excited and supportive. And her experience there, as well as on "MasterChef," will help her launch her own personal chef business sometime in the future.

“I can definitely see a Diana’s Kitchen on the horizon,” she said.

"MasterChef" airs Wednesdays at 7 p.m. central on FOX.