Top Chef is back in the kitchen! Every week, Parade’s Mike Bloom interviews the latest chef told to pack their knives and leave Colorado. Top Chef at its core highlights culinary creativity and the personalities that exist in kitchens across America. But it can sometimes be forgotten how much this show fundamentally changes people. It is a culinary boot camp, and running some “drills” often makes contestants come to epiphanies about not only what they want to cook, but who they are as chefs and even people. 

Joe Sasto entered the Colorado kitchen ready to leave an impression if his choice of facial hair was any indication. But it was the competition that in turn left an impression on him, as he underwent a series of highs and lows over the course of his time on the show that resulted in five challenge wins and several life lessons along the way, culminating in the honorary “bear” caving right before the final round in Aspen.