Wright is an Asheville native and has been cooking for 13 years. He worked at Tupelo Honey Café for four years before taking over his own establishment. Wright is the owner and executive chef of Tomato Jam Café. He also enjoys brewing beer, and won first place in the Asheville home brewers Brew-off competition.

Q: What secret ingredient would you like to work with?
A: Sugar. I’ve done some crazy stuff with sugar—blown sugar and hard candies. It’s a lot of fun and people get a kick out of it.

Q: What edge do you have in this competition?
A: I have nothing to lose. I’m the smallest restaurant here, but maybe I can jump in, mix it up, and kick some butt. We might be the Cinderella story.

Q: If you could make one phone call during the competition, whom would you call?
A: My dad. Usually when I have a question, I call him. He may not have the answer, but he would tell me something.

Q: Favorite celebrity chef?
A: Alton Brown. He has a very scientific understanding of food. I’m fascinated with science and art.

http://www.tomatojamcafe.com/

Photograph by Matt Rose