MasterChef Contestant Michael Silverstein

Episodes
Written By

Cooking shows have been getting more and more popular, and one of the most popular has to be MasterChef. Today I’m meeting Michael Silverstein, a cook and contestant on the show.

He’s completely open with me, telling us how he got recognised because of his Instagram account, what the audition process is like, and how real the show actually is. 

He explains the difference between cooking on the show to cooking in real life and how to best prepare yourself if you think you might ever be a contestant. 

Michael also wrote his own cookbook of Keto meals. We talk about how he created the book, shot all the photos himself, and what the keto diet actually is. 

It’s always a pleasure talking to a someone who loves food as much as I do, and I hope to have Michael on the show again in the future...

“If you want something, keep going, put in the work. It is not going to happen overnight.” - Michael Silverstein  

Time Stamps:

01:02 - Michaels time in MasterChef and what we’re talking about today. 
08:55 - Our ‘Bet you didn’t know that’ section, looking at Guinness, the official bread of Texas and the speed of pigs. 
15:06 - Losing recordings and dealing with Zoom. 
17:43 - How Michael went from a hobby photographer to doing professional style photos for his cooking book.
23:14 - The importance of being multi-skilled and the difficulties of being self-employed. 
28:30 - How the food and health world changes over time. 
32:10 - How Michael ended up on MasterChef and what the auditions were like. 
37:55 - Making friends during the audition process and the difficulties that came with this. 
40:30 - How ‘real’ MasterChef actually is. 
42:06 - The importance of being prepared and busting some reality show myths. 
45:37 - The way the environment plays to some people strengths and others' weaknesses. 
50:13 - The importance of being comfortable on camera. 
53:36 - How far Michael got in the show and the lasting friendships he made with some of the other contestants.
56:48 - The importance of putting the work in and committing to the grind. 
1:03:14 - How much weight Michael lost when he started eating a keto diet. 
1:07:14 - Michael's favourite holiday recipes and the importance of recipes being easy to make. 
1:11:50 - The culinary lessons he’s secretly placed throughout the book. 
1:14:06 - The difficulties involved with making desserts from scratch. 
1:19:02 - The great food truck culture there is in Austin. 
1:21:07 - The amount of chefs who get burnt-out and what it’s like being a private chef. 
1:27:05 - What keto diet is. 
1:31:26 - How affordable Texas is compared to East Coastal states.
1:34:11 - Aid that is available for live music venues in Austin. 
1:36:22 - The ethical delivery app ‘Runner City’. 
1:43:35 - How to connect with Michael online. 

Previous

Phunware CEO and the Trump Campaign Mobile App
Next

Marketing Genius Noah Kagan on Social Media