WARNING: This post contains Top Chef spoilers, albeit from last week’s episode. Read no further if you are behind on this season.

Zaytinya’s Mike Isabella heard those fateful words, “please pack your knives and go” on last week’s episode of Top Chef. The chefs were brought to host Tom Colicchio’s Craftsteak kitchen to ogle and plan a dish using the choicest cuts of meat in Las Vegas, only to be told by guest judge Natalie Portman that she was a vegetarian. Isabella’s attempt at channeling scallops out of some boiled leeks did not win the judges over, and he was sent home.

It was an up and down run for Isabella, who made it to the show’s 10th week. The chef, through his confidence and competence, could certainly hang with the show’s top tier, but could not quite place himself in the upper echelon, middling in most of the challenges. But the most notable low was when he was derided as sexist and arrogant after some questionable statements he made during the show’s early episodes. Isabella had difficulty shedding that perception, but eventually showed himself to be one of the warmer and more interesting competitors.

The season continues tonight (against Game 6 of the World Series) with six contestants remaining. Among them are former D.C. and now Frederick, Md.-based chef Bryan Voltaggio, his brother and fellow culinary wizard Michael, and frontrunner Kevin Gillespie. We caught up with Isabella to talk about his approach to the season, his cooking, and why he won’t be reading this interview.