'Top Chef: World All-Stars' Amar Santana Had 'Nothing Left in Him' By the Time He Was Eliminated

Top Chef is back in the kitchen! Every week, Parade’s Mike Bloom interviews the latest global all-star chef told to pack their knives and leave London.

Amar Santana has been through it all. The Top Chef U.S. runner-up was the only cheftestant entering the season to have had experience with Last Chance Kitchen, having already been eliminated before. He was one of the older chefs in the international group, unsure going in how much his age would hinder him. And after competing on Top Chef, he spent two seasons as a guest judge, now having to go to the other side of the table once more. Luckily, in Amar's case, his experience paid off in many ways.

In the first minutes of Top Chef: World All-Stars, Amar found Ali Ghzawi. Little did the two men know they would prove instrumental to each other's paths in the game, being teamed up together no less than five times. But Amar soon found he was able to stand on his own with success. He got his first win of the season during the vacation challenge, which started his momentum that propelled him through the rest of his run. Amar's most impressive performances came when he cooked outside of his roots and style, such as making a Thai papaya salad for Gaggan Anand. That came to a climax when he became the first chef to win both challenges in an episode, astounding with his Indian thali despite never making one before. Unfortunately, after Amar's high point in the game came the low point. He was given an arduous task with Sara Bradley, creating a three-course meal comprised of only Wellingtons. Perhaps it was the difficulty of the challenge, the technical errors along the way, or the fact that he was not with his magic partner in Ali. But everything culminated in undercooking the middle course. And like a lamb to the slaughter, Amar was eliminated. He was sent to Last Chance Kitchen, where unfortunately he couldn't repeat history and make another late return to competition.

Read on to hear Amar's thoughts on his time in the game.

Related: Everything You Need to Know About Top Chef Season 20

What made you decide to return for Top Chef: World All-Stars?
I couldn’t say no to the opportunity to compete on a world stage level, so it was an easy decision for me.

For the past two seasons, you had been on the other side of the judging panel. How difficult was it to transition back to cheftestant?
It was hard to go back to compete because I told myself I was done competing. But It doesn’t matter how old I get; I will always have the competitiveness in me.

You start the competition by pairing up with Ali, who became a consistent teammate of yours and one of your tightest friends in the season. Talk to me about how that relationship developed.
The relationship between Ali and I started from the very first episode, when we both had feta cheese in our basket not knowing who we were. And then after that, it was just meant to be. Most of the episodes, we were paired together without asking, Ali is just good person with a good heart .

That said, you got your first taste of the bottom when you and Ali were nearly sent home in the pub food challenge. How did that feel, especially knowing it was your batter that put you in the bottom?
Well being on the bottom early on in the competition was not fun. But right after that, it was a reality check for me, especially being one of the oldest competitors on this season. But right after making it out of the episode and not getting sent home,I was just ready not to be on the bottom again. So I started to get hot and winning.

How did it feel to then rally and win your first challenge two episodes later with the family dinner?
It was an amazing feeling. I didn't know I still had it in me, what it takes to even win a challenge against so many talented chefs. But after that, I gained confidence and started doing really well. Papi for the win!

You talk about being the "old man" in the competition, and how this season made you feel young again. Was there a certain point where you started to feel that you were surprising yourself with how much you could keep up?
Well, in the industry, when you are in your twenties, you are a young rising star chef. In your thirties, you should be an established executive chef. When you turn 40, you are no longer a young chef anymore. But I didn’t care about any of that. Once the clock starts, it's an open competition. That’s what drives me.

Several times this season, you decided to cook outside of your typical cuisine and was rewarded for it, such as your Thai papaya salad for Gaggan Anand and your challenge-winning thali. Was this something you consciously wanted to do, and how surprised were you that you did so well when not cooking what you're used to?
I am actually a well-rounded chef. I travel a lot around the world to try their cuisine and learn flavors profile that I never grew up using or eating. The first time I smelled fish sauce, I almost puked. Now I can drink fish sauce like I drink orange juice!

In Episode 10, you accomplished a rare feat in Top Chef, winning both challenges in one episode. How were you feeling about your momentum going into the challenge that ultimately eliminated you?
It was amazing to win both the Quickfire challenge and the Elimination challenge, especially cooking a cuisine I have never cooked before. But I love eating Indian food. I was feeling great until we got presented with doing Wellingtons.

Let's get into that battle of the Wellingtons. Talk to me about working with Sara. Were things as harmonious as we saw on TV?
What you saw on TV was just like that. We are both professionals and restaurant owners. It was a bad day for me from the Quickfire challenge going to the Elimination challenge. At that point I felt like I hit a wall and ran out of gas.

What seemed to really sink you in this challenge was undercooking the lamb. Talk to me about how that happened, and your back-and-forth with Sara about whether to put it in for longer.
We are not perfect. We were behind time from the moment we started the Wellington. I don’t think I have ever made a traditional one. That’s why we decided to be different, and it almost worked. But the lamb was undercooked.

Were you surprised to be eliminated over Tom and Ali, considering how much the judges seemed to like your adventurous approach?
It’s a fair competition. We knew we didn’t execute the challenge the right way. I was not surprised to get sent home given the fact the other two teams did amazing. Their food and techniques were on point that day.

You were the only person coming into this season who had experience with Last Chance Kitchen. Here, you are not able to make history repeat itself and return to the competition. How did it feel to be in the opposite outcome?
It is what it is. Like I said, at that point, I just had nothing left in me. Maybe my age did show. But I was tired being away from my son, my family, and my business.

Ultimately, what do you take away from your second time as a cheftestant?
It was the best experience in my cooking career. The fact I was able to compete against the world's best top chefs was an honor, being selected to compete and represent the United States on the world stage. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Next, read our interview with Victoire Goulabi, who was eliminated in Top Chef World All-Stars Episode 10.