As someone who comes from the hospitality industry, I’m like, I’m doing great at my job. It’s weird, but you know what the best part of my day is? When a fan comes up and they’re like, Yo, can I take a picture? You know how hard I used to work in restaurants to make people happy? My industry is about giving people an experience, making their day better with good food, drinks, and service. You didn’t win Top Chef, but you were voted this season’s fan favorite. Next week, fellow Portland chefs Byron Gomez and Avishar Barua are flying out to Seattle to train Taku’s staff before the currently takeout-only bar reopens for indoor dining.ĭays before Taku’s soft reopening, Nakajima shared the best bite of the season, his Dragon Ball Z approach to life, and why he wants to pack his knives and go back to Top Chef. But what a difference eight months makes. Right before joining Top Chef, Nakajima shut down his first restaurant, Japanese comfort-food spot Adana, for good and temporarily closed Taku, his new bar, which had opened on Mafive days before the state of Washington halted dining-in. “We had very vulnerable, real conversations about what we were all going through,” he says, “the realities of ‘Hey, we all opened a restaurant, and we’re all struggling.’” Nakajima didn’t comment on the allegations against Erales but spoke of the bond that he and his fellow cheftestants formed while filming during a global pandemic that had ravaged the hospitality industry. His sunny disposition during a dark time earned him the title of Fan Favorite, which he sees as a win for anyone who believes “that you can laugh and have fun in a kitchen.” After months of bad news for the restaurant industry, watching him turn cheddar into a work of art and absolutely slay Restaurant Wars, all with a big smile, made it feel as if nature were finally healing. It’s a sour note to a season that was as feel-good as they come, and Nakajima and his infectious giggle were a big reason why. Top Chef host and judge Padma Lakshmi tweeted that those involved with the series were unaware of the allegations during filming, which took place from August to October of last year, but that “this should be investigated and the network should consider its best action.” Bravo has yet to comment on the allegations, but fans are currently debating whether Erales should be stripped of his title and the $250,000 prize that goes with it. “But it’s so overwhelming.” That may also be how fans of the Bravo series are feeling about this season’s surprisingly controversial end.Īfter Austin-based chef Gabe Erales was named the winner of season 18, beating out Nakajima and Houston chef and former Olympian Dawn Burrell, previous allegations of harassment that ultimately led to Erales’s being fired from his restaurant in December came to light. “I’m very grateful and humbled,” the Japanese American chef says over the phone from his home city of Seattle about making it into the final three. More info: picturesbygg.Photo: Stephanie Diani/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty ImagesĪ week after the Top Chef: Portland finale, runner-up Shota Nakajima is still in the processing phase. Some might find these interesting pictures raw, but that's how it is in real life. With the help of my mommy friends, I created this little intimate photography project just in time for Mother’s day, to remind everyone what motherhood really looks like. Having young kids and being a mom means being completely overwhelmed by love, joy, responsibility, and selflessness. But in the end, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Motherhood is not being able to call in sick because it’s a 24/7 job without a paycheck, and the list of everyday problems goes on. Motherhood is yoga pants and bad hair days. Motherhood is breastfeeding whenever, wherever. Motherhood is waking up with a bit of butt or foot in your face. Life with little children is learning how to do everything with one hand while carrying a baby in another. Motherhood is using your shirt to wipe runny noses and dirty faces. Raising kids is no longer having privacy, never peeing or showering in peace. Motherhood is not remembering what it’s like to get a whole night’s sleep and wiping more poop than you ever thought you’d see in your life.
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