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Nick DiGiovanni in the finale. While it wasn’t a surprise that Dorian won after a Facebook post leaked before her win, it was still a thrilling finale to a rollercoaster of a season.
The Cartersville, Georgia, native won $250,000 for a three course menu including seared sea scallops with a corn-forward profile using cornmeal, corn puree and pickled Swiss chard, an entrée of braised Applewood smoked short rib with horseradish infused potato gratin and a new dessert Hunter came up with — a lemon blueberry tart with a blueberry and cream cheesecake filling.
In an interview with Parade, Dorian, explained her plans post win, which is to write a cookbook “My vision for my cookbook would be what I have been saying all season, elevated soul,” she says. “I don’t want to be too rustic, because I think that has already been done a lot, but I want to show soul food cooking done in a different way – in a beautiful way, not just in a homestyle way. Plated differently and presented in a different manner,” the Masterchef winner said.
Following her cookbook, the plan is to open her own restaurant with what’s left of the $250,000 after taxes, which will help her get a head start on this dream. “I don’t have to go to the table with nothing, so I am definitelygoing to have to get investors or some sort of a loan, or find the rest of the money somewhere else, but it is going to be a nice start. I always say that having the title is more than the money. I am hoping to be able to work the title to, ultimately, open up that restaurant,” Dorian said.
However, not everyone believed Dorian should have won. Some viewers believed it was a set up. One fan said “#MasterChef Eliminate the creative, young white male. Surprise….” A fan posted, “Key to winning MasterChef-don’t be white AND wealthy.”
Despite the criticism, Dorian is excited for this year because she will train in all three Masterchef judges restaurants.
“This year, with everything they are giving out to the person who wins, it outweighs the money. You can’t put a price on the training you are going to get out of each of these chefs’ restaurants.”