Liz was one of 86 people selected to go to Los Angeles out of 48,000 people vying to be on the show . From these contestants , 36 are chosen to cook for the White Apron . Then the top 20 are chosen to compete on the show . “ You fill out an application . Then you go to Chicago for casting . Then they do multiple phone interviews . I waited months to get the call when they said , ‘ Congratulations . We want to see you in L . A .’”
Liz cooked her signature dish on the train to casting — her grandmother ’ s Sarma . It ’ s a Croatian dish that consists of stuffed cabbage . Liz boarded the train with a cooler and crock pot and then proceeded to cook up the dish . “ You can imagine what the train smelled like ,” laughs Liz . “ It was quite hilarious and the story definitely caught the attention of the executive producer during my interview .”
Liz is happy to share some of her challenges during her time as a MasterChef contestant . One of those challenges came in the form of the oversized kitchen equipment used for the show . As a home cook , she was accustomed to normal-sized food processors and other home kitchen equipment .
She also recalls another challenging moment . “ They brought out this snapper that looked like it had been on steroids . It was so big ! Mind you , I grew up on a beef farm in the Midwest . Gordon Ramsey asked how I had learned to cook fish , and I responded , ‘ My mother used to feed us fish sticks .’ He laughed so hard !”
Liz is enjoying life and her many new friends at Latitude Margaritaville Daytona Beach . “ How do you end up with neighbors you feel like you ’ ve known for 50 plus years ? I feel like I went to school with them ,” she says with amazement and delight .
Liz is quickly becoming the talk of the town . In fact , she recently was featured in a story by reporter Clayton Park in the Daytona Beach News Journal .
From dinner parties to master cooking classes to weekly meal deliveries and catered affairs at the homes of her Latitude Margaritaville neighbors , Liz is definitely embracing the Latitude Margaritaville lifestyle of fun , food , music and friends !