What Top Chef Finalist Savannah Miller Loves About Durham

Cooking with no regrets, being starstruck by the judges, favorite challenges and how she prepared for appearing on Top Chef – chef Savannah Miller shares her experience. Plus, what’s next for M Tempura, the boutique Japanese omakase restaurant where she works as the Chef de Cuisine (if you haven’t heard, there’s a ridiculously good new brunch menu), where she likes to dine in Durham, and, in true North Carolina fashion, what she orders on her Cook Out tray.

Congratulations on your success so far. Was the experience what you expected? What were the judges like?

I don't really know if I can say it was what I expected or not, because I feel like I'm a big fan of the show itself, I've watched it for a really long time. So, I had expectations as far as that's concerned, but I think even just from watching the season, you can tell that things have been flipped on their head a little bit. While I think that was helpful [to be familiar with what to expect], I really had a goal to have fun and, you know, have no regrets and go full force.

As far as the judges, I mean, I'm a really starstruck type of person. Like I get really nervous, and I think it was pretty evident in the beginning, but they're so kind. And I don't know if people realize how much they truly, genuinely want to mentor you while you're there.

There are a lot of cooking shows and you wonder how real they are, and for me, I couldn't imagine a more real thing than my Top Chef experience. There's nothing froufrou behind the scenes. You're cooking the food, they're eating it immediately and they give you real, honest feedback. I think that was one of the biggest takeaways – regardless of whether it shows up on the screen or not, I learned so much just from that. It was incredible.

Are there things that you're particularly inspired by from your experience on the show that you want to apply to what you're doing now?

Yeah, I would say like the biggest thing would just be walking away with a bigger sense of self. You know, entering the kitchen where I have worked for Chef Mike [Lee] since 2018 when I joined his team, I had no prior experience in Japanese cooking. He was like okay, I'll teach you as we go. I was 23 years old. It's really easy to kind of get caught up, and I think coming into the competition, I felt very much like ‘this is the food that I want to represent’ and ‘this is what I feel really comfortable doing,’ and I naturally gravitate towards creating a menu that would fit in this type of M Tempura space here because this is what my job is.

But in reality, on the show, you don't have all the external factors and you don't have people who you're going to ask ‘hey, give me your opinion on this.’ You're not collaborating, for the most part. So having to trust my gut and really gain confidence in my decision making. I think that was a big thing I'm taking home.

With that, I think it really opened up my palette and the type of food that I imagine doing in the future and maybe even some things that we'll be offering here at M Tempura. I just think it's a little bit more expansive now and I don't feel like I'm so niche in this one type of cuisine. I really feel like I've let my own flavors shine and kind of find them that way.

I feel like if I were to go on a show like Top Chef, the thing that would be the most daunting to me would be that pressure. And as I've watched you on the show, you seem really energized and excited by it. Were you surprised by the way that you responded to that kind of pressure?

To be honest, it just felt like more of a relief when I realized that I could have fun. But I also think that going into it, I had a lot of insecurities. Just on paper as far as not having accolades and being one of the younger chefs that was competing. I think I let a lot of that get into my head, but the one thing that I felt like was my superpower was I genuinely do feel like, for the most part, I do really well under pressure.

I think a lot of that does come from working in an open-kitchen-style space. You always have to treat it like lights, camera, action. We kind of joke around (in the restaurant) as if we're on camera out there even though we weren't really being filmed. So going into the competition I was hoping that I was going to be able to let loose and relax enough that my comfort with that pressure would come through. I knew I cook the best food when I'm having fun, which I think is true for everybody, but definitely not super surprised by how it went. I wish that confidence would have come on a little sooner, maybe. I feel like I'm very deer in the headlights for the first two episodes.

Were there any challenges that you knew were coming and were looking forward to or loved taking on in the end, any favorites?

Man, I mean, I definitely had things I expected to happen just based on finding out the location. You know what the location is before you really know if you're going. So, for me, I decided I'm going to dive as deep as I can into all things Wisconsin. I did feel excited about the possibility of cheese and cherries and things that are a little bit more obvious. But, as far as walking away, my favorite thing that we did, my favorite challenge was when we cooked Indigenous cuisine. That was something I was hoping would happen.

I bought Sean [Sherman]'s cookbook [a guest judge on the episode with the Indigenous cuisine challenge] right before I got on the plane. The night before I left, it was my birthday, and I was cooking venison, and I was cooking rabbit, and just going through some recipes, and I remember thinking it would be really cool if we got to showcase this on such a big platform. And then when it happened, I think that challenge was specifically so much fun because it felt like regardless of whether I had my exact plan laid out and everything was going exactly how I wanted it to, I knew that what we were doing was very special. As long as I had fun, that was going to come through in the food. So that one's a really good memory.

I think that a lot of people might be surprised by how much deep knowledge and studying being a chef requires. Ambitious chefs are reading cookbooks every night. You have to be forward thinking and curious and smart in that way.

I totally agree. I think about any time in my career where I felt stagnant or like I wasn’t getting the recognition I wanted or anytime that I felt like I wasn't really making progress, I always kind of looped it back to, okay, what am I doing to chase this? I get paid for these hours, but if this is my dream, you don't clock out, you know, so I think that that's a huge thing. And early on, I just remember being like, I'm just going to get as many books as I can, and I'm going to try to immerse myself in the restaurants where I work and I'm going to try to go full force with it. So, I totally agree. It's definitely a personal commitment, but if you love it, it works out.

Tell us a little about your background and experience in Durham.

I first moved here at the end of 2017. I really credit M Tempura and working under Chef Mike Lee [of M Tempura, M Sushi, M Kokko and M Pocha restaurants in Durham]. I worked for Mike and then had the opportunity to open Glasshouse Kitchen in Research Triangle Park as the executive chef. And I loved it, I learned so much; it’s a beautiful space. I just ultimately found out that I really missed the boutique-style restaurant. M Tempura is very tiny, and it feels special in the way that you're getting to hand people their food and chat with them while they're eating it.

So yeah, I have a great relationship with the owners of Glasshouse and love everything they're doing there. They have a really great team. But yeah, that was about a little over a year, and then I got the opportunity for Top Chef. When I returned home, [coming back to M Tempura] just felt right. I knew that I wanted to feel like I was somewhere I could see myself for a very long period of time, whenever all of this was airing and coming out. And if people were going to get to know me, this was kind of the background that I wanted.

What are some of the places in Durham that you like to go or take your friends and family when they visit?

I love Durham. I feel like when I moved back to North Carolina, I was really trying to decide between Raleigh or Durham. And I just had this gut feeling that Durham felt more like home. I love Raleigh as well, but Durham had a communal feel to me. And I love the opportunity to showcase that to people who are visiting. As far as things to do, I mean, we always hit the farmers’ market.

And as far as restaurants, it's newer, but Little Bull has kind of been our spot. Super great. And then, I know it's a shameless plug, but all the M restaurants. Before I even took the job, I was a fan girl. I think Mike has done amazing things.

I'm gonna be honest, y 'all. I eat a lot of Cook Out. And I'm like …

Is this the way you reveal your tray?

I could totally reveal my tray. I get a big double burger tray with lettuce, onion and seasoning and I do like a corn dog or chicken nuggets and then a chicken quesadilla. And if I'm getting a shake, I get a peanut butter fudge banana or I do a huge sweet tea.

Incredible. I love it when people aren't familiar with Cook Out or they've heard of it and want to know more about it. I'm like, all you need to know is that you can get a corn dog as a side.

My fiancé and I joked because the year leading up to even being approached about Top Chef, I would... you know the little cheese bites they have now? For some reason, they're called like white cheddar cheese bites on the menu. But I would always walk up to order them, and I would say, "Can I have the Wisconsin cheddar cheese bites?" And he thought that was so funny. He would make fun of me. He's like, "That's not what they're called." And I was like, "It just sounds right." And then we found out it was Wisconsin. And I was like, did I manifest this? Do I have secret powers? But yeah, not to be like lame or anything, but it's really a treat when we get the chance to go out and have dinner as a chef.

There's a lot more places I could tell you I'm dying to go to. But in reality, it's a lot of local, downtown stuff like Cheeni. It’s super great having that right around the corner from M Tempura. And we're also big fans of Queeny’s, Kingfisher, all those fun things.

Speaking of Wisconsin cheese, what do you feel are the dishes or ingredients Durham and North Carolina should be known for?

I think the bigger thing is that people don't realize how much we have. It's kind of how I've always felt about North Carolina – we have the coast, and we have the mountains and all the agriculture. If I'm being specific, I think sweet potatoes come to mind. I think it's a little obvious, but for me, it's something that we've always tried to bridge the gap at M Tempura between some very authentic items that are authentic to Japanese cuisine, but also realizing where we are and that the best food that we're possibly going to make will be utilizing the closest ingredients to us.

I have a lot of personal ties to the farming community here. My fiancé, Justin, is a full-time farmer. We’re really trying to push the local produce and the work that people are doing because especially like at the Durham Farmers’ Market, plus the Raleigh Farmers’ Market, you could go up to Carrboro, Chapel Hill, we're just really lucky.

Do you have go-to dishes here in Durham, even if you're picking up a quick breakfast or lunch?

I have to go to NaanStop. So good. If I am having a long work week and it's finally my day off or it's, you know, after service and I actually got out at a reasonable time, the move is to get like $150 dollars of a spread from NaanStop and we bring the bench into the living room and we make a picnic and spread out.

Also, Isaac's Bagels, that's been a new favorite of ours. If we wake up in time on Saturday to go to the market and then also get a bagel, it's a good day.

So, a little high-brow, low-brow …

Yeah, and I feel like the other ones are obvious, right? I'm dying to go to the new Nanas. There are tons of places I would love to get out to, but there are things that are truly really accessible and the people who are making really good food that maybe don't get the shout-out so much.

What about non-food-related things to do? What do you do on your day off?

There haven't been too many lately, but I think trying to get a little bit of grounding and relaxation with the show and with the restaurant and everything happening it's hard for me to feel fine being present. Justin is very good at that so I think just spending time with him is really great. One of his plots of land is in our backyard, so sometimes I just like to put out a chair and sit in the sun while he does his stuff on Sundays, or we take our dog for a walk at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, which is really nice.

And then yeah, one of my favorite things is honestly just walking around downtown. I like the vibe of being in neighborhoods like the Trinity Park area or more toward Central Park or even actually downtown. Sometimes we just like grab a coffee and we'll go for a walk.

What are you dreaming up for M Tempura these days?

Oh my gosh, we have so much. We just started brunch, which is really exciting. We are doing it à la carte style and no reservations, it's walk-ins only. So, we're hoping it will build.

What we do at night is very dialed in, and we have pre-set menus that we update a lot, but as far as straying from that style, doing the à la carte service for brunch, it kind of marries our lunch menu from the past with some new ideas that we have going into the future.

The Velvet Hippo being right next door, I think has been really cool for our business. I think sometimes we can be labeled as like a special occasion-type restaurant, which I love. I think it's really special that people choose to celebrate milestones with us. But I also would love to kind of spread that out even more so we can we have offerings that people can come in multiple nights a week if they want and not necessarily be tied to a two-and-a-half-hour tasting menu. So yeah, we have a bunch of ideas kind of floating around, which we're excited about. But a lot of it is leaning into having more inclusive space where people can have all types of experiences.

I'm personally extremely lucky that I've been able to make connections with the community here even prior to the show and it felt like a homecoming, returning to this kitchen and this restaurant. I was lucky enough that, before we even aired anything, we picked up a little bit. I think it's just genuine connections with people. There will be people you haven't seen in years, and they're back, and it's like you haven't missed a beat. Besides that, obviously, the show has been incredible, too. We have a lot of people who are coming in for the first time and a lot of people who are just excited. They want to meet and say hi, and I love that. People will say ‘you must be so annoyed with people asking how your experience was.’ I'm never going to wish for something my entire life and then be annoyed when it happens.

To find out how to watch season 21 of Top Chef, visit BravoTV.com/Top-Chef.