"Listen more": Yes, Chef! winner Emily Brubaker reflects on her learnings from the culinary competition

Yes, Chef! Season 1 finale concluded on June 30, 2025, after announcing Chef Emily Brubaker as the winner. In her recent interview with Cristine Struble from FlickDirect, she reflected on her journey.

Recalling how she grew and evolved throughout the Yes, Chef! Emily talked about patience and listening more. When asked about how she was growing, evolving and understanding her perception on the show, Chef Emily said:

"Throughout the show, what I learned was like, just stop, listen, take a breath, think a little bit more. As soon as I came back, it was just like, okay, listen, listen. Listen more before you speak. Because it's more impactful when you know what you're saying rather than fighting a battle that might not need to be fought."

Yes, Chef! winner Emily Brubaker opens up about her learnings, fellow cheftestants, and more

In her recent interview with FlickDirect, released on July 2, 2025, Chef Emily talked to show host Cristine Struble. They talked about Emily's time on the culinary competition and how she developed connections with fellow chefs.

Sharing about her time on the show, Chef Emily mentioned patience and how everyone struggles with it.

"Patience is the hard thing. I think we all deal with not having patience. And my stubbornness comes from maybe being the youngest, maybe being the Capricorn, maybe always being the female in the kitchen and not getting her voice heard," mentioned Emily.

Chef Emily also reflected on Yes, Chef! finale, where she was surprised to see her husband. She said it was a "blessing" seeing him and cooking with him.

Emily noted how they have been married for 14 years and her husband has an "incredible palette." Watching back the episode, Emily stated she felt she was "so awful" to her husband during the finale challenge. She recalled apologizing to him for that.

Calling her time on Yes, Chef! as an "absolutely positive experience," Chef Emily further said:

"Most of the contestants, we talk every day. We are very tight because you are looking at your most vulnerable aspects of your life, where you're saying I'm terrible at this or I am stubborn or I am angry....We really want to focus on fixing ourselves," she said.

Yes, Chef! winner also recalled how her nickname for some of the younger chefs was "mom." Being a nurturer, Emily said she took it in stride, and they wanted each other to succeed.

Recalling the sharing of ingredients during challenges, Chef Emily said she would always offer if she had something that someone else needed. Sometimes, when fellow chefs were surprised to see that Chef Emily was willing to share her ingredients, she mentioned:

"Like, you're trying to be the best of you, and I'm trying to be the best me. And the best me is not sabotaging you. It's actually watching you grow, too, because it pushes me to work harder," said Chef Emily.

Further in the interview, Chef Emily talked about her Top Chef experience, winning the finale, and more.

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Fans can witness Chef Emily's journey by streaming Yes, Chef! Season 1 episodes on Peacock.

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