On last night’s episode of Top Chef, the refreshingly cliché-free Lia Bardeen packed up her knives.

She talks to Meredith Arthur about sweaty chefs, her fear of New York kitchens, and the transition from Olive Garden to Jean Georges. But don’t diss Olive Garden—it’s where she learned her fast sauté skills.

Listen to all of this season’s Top Chef podcasts:
Season 3 Round Table
Hung Huynh
Dale Levitski
Casey Thompson
Brian Malarkey
Sara Mair
CJ Jacobsen
Howie Kleinberg
Tre Wilcox
Sara Nguyen
Joey Paulino
Camille Becerra
Micah Edelstein
Sandee Birdsong
Clay Bowen