Top Chef Final Three: Interview with Hung Huynh

Everyone who watches Top Chef knows that Hung Huynh is extremely passionate about his cooking. And while some may criticize him for not having a "Mr. Nice Guy" attitude, few know from where his passion derives.

"We were on welfare when my dad came here in '78," Hung explained. "We can't take advantage. We came from a very poor country after the war. My brothers and I were eating bread and sugar for meals..."

Hung also credits his mom with his success. "My mom is the greatest chef in the world. She taught me so much. She's my inspiration. That's why I'm working so hard - to be able to catch up to my mom... Four or five years ago she would run circles around me!... She'll outcook me any day." And, if his mom could ever compete on Top Chef? "She'll whip everybody's ass!" Hung insists.

"We came to America. This is the land of opportunity, and so we have to push and sacrifice," he continued. "My father risked his life... he came here on a 20 foot fishing boat being robbed by pirates... That's why I'm so hardcore and have such strong determination."

Hearing that makes you truly realize why Hung is so dedicated. And, to top it all off, if Hung does win Top Chef, he won't be using the $100,000 prize money to start a restaurant. "I plan to donate a huge chunk of it to Asia... to Vietnam... the Buddhist temples." The remaining money, which Hung says there won't be a lot of, he plans to use for his "own travels and personal growth" in Europe and Asia, where he'd like to work for free in order to learn more and refine his culinary talents.

Impressive much?

Hung's zeal more than came through in the kitchen. His techniques were always awe inspiring (you know that if you saw Tom Colicchio's face when Hung broke down a chicken in seconds during a quickfire challenge). Some chefs found it inappropriate, while others saw Hung as a threat in the competition.

Hung's response? "I didn't know this was a personality contest. I didn't know all chefs were supposed to be saints and angels. You're not going to find Thomas Keller in the kitchen patting you on the back saying do it better next time..."

This cheftestant is definitely a feisty one, causing me to ask him if he's ever seen Hell's Kitchen.

Hung laughed and then answered, "Look at Gordon Ramsay. He's one of the richest chefs in the world. Do you see him as mister nice guy whispering sweet nothings in his chefs' ears?"

Yet Hung does agree with some of the criticism he's received. Harold Dieterle, Top Chef season one winner, wrote in his Bravo TV blog: "How he runs around like a whirlwind in the kitchen is completely unacceptable."

Hung concurred, referring to his tumultuous behavior has "controlled chaos." He added, "I don't work like that in a professional kitchen... We're in a kitchen that's the size of a football stadium and I have to get from point A to point B in a limited amount of time... In my kitchen I don't run. I understand where Harold's coming from and I agree. I don't do that professionally."

What other people thought of Hung didn't really affect him. "I really separated myself from being close to anyone," he explained. "I tried to but I thought the majority of them were pretty fake. They'd be nice to you and then talk shit about you behind your back."

Hung's specifically referring to the private interviews -- "Lately you were seeing Dale talking crap about me." -- and time spent in the house -- "We had a great time partying at the house but most of it was two faced. This applies to everybody... Say Joey would be sitting with five other people talking, joking, and when he walks off, they're going to talk shit about him."

Though, Hung was on Top Chefto win, not to make friends, so he said the people whose opinions he does take into account are the chefs he respects, which includes most of the guest judges. Most, but not all.

"Maria Frumkin. Who the hell is she? I think her restaurant closed down... Who is she to criticize me?" Hung questioned. "Many of them [the guest judges] were unqualified. Michael Schwartz and Maria Frumkin to be exact."

Hung says he only feels that way about the "unqualified" guest judges. As for the others, he added, "I know they're better chefs than I am. I will respect them." But as for Frumkin and Schwartz? "They're nobody to me," he affirms.

The cheftestant that Tom Colicchio refers to as "the best technically," may or may not win Top Chef. Hung has been consistently good on the show, but as of late, Casey has been riding on his coattails. No matter how it turns out (although knowing Hung, he more than wants to win), he said, "I'm really glad I did the show... I exposed myself in a lot of positive and negative ways, but in the end it's going to show I am a great chef and I am passionate about what I do."