Ari (‘Next Level Chef’) exit interview: ‘Curry in a Hurry’ challenge was ‘so not in my nature’ [WATCH]

Denton Davidson
·2 min read
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Arceli “Ari” Pulido, the 31-year-old professional chef from San Diego, California was eliminated in 14th place on Thursday’s episode of “Next Level Chef.” Despite Team Nyesha Arrington cooking in the top kitchen, Ari struggled in the “Curry in a Hurry” challenge. “Curry is not usually in a hurry,” she tells Gold Derby senior editor Denton Davidson. Watch her exclusive video interview above.

Ari explains that being a professional chef may have actually worked against her in this specific challenge, where the cooks had just 30 minutes to prepare a dish. “It takes away from the art of it,” she says. “I cook very passionately. I like to do things the right way from scratch. I go against the grain when I’m like, ‘I’ll just whip something together.’ It’s so not in my nature.

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After her curry dish landed her in the bottom two, Ari faced off against home cook Lauren Smith from Team Richard Blais. Tasked with whipping up a delicious buttered chicken, Ari once again struggled against the clock and found herself eliminated from the competition. “I was definitely shocked,” she admits. “I thought I had it in the bag, but Lauren is such an amazing competitor. I was actually glad to go home to her, specifically. Her and I are both self-taught. I wasn’t too sad about it.”

Ari, who works as a private chef in California, says she has some exciting news about the future but she’s not ready to share it quite yet. For those who want to follow Ari’s food journey, she can be found by the handle @kitchenprodigy on all social media platforms. “Next Level Chef” airs Thursday nights on FOX at 8/7c.

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