This was one of those reality show competitions when I would have been happy if any of the finalists had won. It felt like such a tight contest where they all turned in excellent performances, that I actually thought that there would ultimately be a different outcome. In the end, the Sandwich King, Jeff Mauro, won the competition.
By the end, I did want Jeff to win. I found him exceedingly gracious and very funny. I thought he had a natural charm. He seemed like a kind person. He seemed real, someone who was spontanseous, which at times did not serve him well during the competition, but which always made it interesting. He seemed to work hard and he seemed to know a lot about how to cook and how to explain how to prepare meals.
It seemed to me watching this show this season that I often thought about the high caliber of people, albeit sometimes somewhat eccentric in their own way, of the Food Network stars. On this show, they seemed to be both nurturing and tough in their assessment of the contestants. When the candidates had been winnowed down to three, I felt that they had chosen finalists, Jeff Maury, Susie Jimenez, and Vic Moea,who "played well," who I think legitimately became friends and probably will remain friends. I felt that they had selected people who were skilled in the kitchen and also people that they would want as colleagues.
It ended up being a very sweet show to watch. We will set the DVR to record "The Sandwich King."
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