One-on-One Interview with Loudoun County Football Player/Teen Chef Jake Somerfield

Dan Sousa and his family never miss an episode of "Top Chef" so of course he is going to cover a Loudoun County High School football player winning an award as Washington's Top Teen chef! Dan caught up with Jake Somerfield and filed this interview:

Q. When did you first start cooking?
A. When I was about 10 years old. I would be in the kitchen with my grandmother.

Q. When did you know you wanted to be a chef for a living?
A. When I was 10 or 12 I joked about it but really in the last year or two I have gotten serious about. I take culinary arts classes at the C.S. Monroe Technology Center and I work at the Cajun Experience.

Q. Cajun Experinece! Where is that restaurant located? (potential advertiser alert! Phone us!).
A. 14 Loudoun Street in downtown Leesburg. (Here is something on the restaurant from a posting by the owners: We are from Lafayette, LA and we moved to the Northern VA area from Europe (I worked as an Emerging Markets Consultant). We specialize in traditional cajun food. The food is made up of crawfish etouffee, seafood gumbo, chicken and sausage gumbo, poboys, beignets and chickory coffee just to name a few items. We are open Monday - Saturdays for Lunch and Dinner. Our prices are from $7-$16. Check out our menu's on the website www.cajunexperience.biz)

Q. Has has working at Cajun Experience helped you?
A. It has gotten me used to running a kitchen. It is a 1-to-2 person kitchen, sometimes three.

Q. What do you enjoy cooking most or what is your specialty?
A. I would have to say comfort food

Q. What did you win by being named the top teen chef in Washington?
A. A $15,000 scholarship and a trip to the national competition.

Q. What happens if you win in Houston at the nationals?
A. The winner gets a full ride scholarship and also I think an internship at the Food Network and gets to be interviewed on the Today Show.

Q. You played football for Loudoun County did your teammates ever give you a bad time about your culinary passion?
A. A couple of the players would mess with me about it but during the summer I had some of my teammates over and I made them dinner. They were my taste testers.

Well this interview has made me hungry ... for comfort food ... thanks Jake and good luck in Houston ... bring back the Gold!