1. One thing you don't know about me is that I was an All-American cheerleader. It's okay to laugh.

2. If I could trade places with one chef it would be Michael Carlson (of Schwa in Chicago). He's on the serious edge of doing what he wants every day, absolutely going for it with food and pushing the limits of the entire guest experience with 26 seats.

3. One of my most memorable meals was at Spices II in San Francisco. It's tiny, but the food is completely on point and I find that down-and-dirty leads to surprising, inspiration.

4. If there was no hot sauce I'd have no reason to live. I probably have more sambal and chili flake in my belly at any given time than anything else.

5. My go-to drink is Woodford Reserve on the rocks in the winter and Ketel One Citroen on the rocks in the summer.

6. If I were on death row my last meal would be my mom's fried chicken, mashed potatoes, fried okra, biscuits and collard greens and my girlfriend's black pepper fried rice. I'd also have a bowl of spicy tonkatsu ramen, tagliatelle with white truffles and a bottle of LP Rose. Food is so much about expressing love, soul and joy — all of those make me feel these emotions for different reasons.

7. My worst culinary creation was a fettuccini Alfredo my brother and I attempted to make for our parents when we were kids. The recipe called for heavy whipping cream, so naturally we used Cool Whip. The look on my mom's face was priceless. Pizza anyone?

8. If I could change one thing about me it wouldn't be much. I'm not saying I'm perfect; I'm not even close. The challenge in my life is to find a balance of respect and integrity. It's all a learning process and I'm enjoying the process. I would, however, give myself a back made of sturdy rubber and not bone.

9. I really don't eat much junk, but if I do it's Haribo Gummi Bears or Haribo Roulettes and Flaming Hot Cheetos. I'm not ashamed. I'm not Alice Waters.

10. If I wasn't a restaurant operator I'd love to be a criminal prosecutor.

Tiffani Faison was the runner-up on Season 1 of Top Chef and is now the executive chef at Rocca Kitchen & Bar in Boston.