I Was A Reality TV Villain On 'Chopped.' Here's How It Affected My Life.

Lauren Von Der Pool reacts to the haters: "Either you’re going to love all of me or you’re not. That’s fine by me."

In 2014, vegan and raw food chef Lauren Von Der Pool, aka Queen of Green, appeared on two episodes of “Chopped.” (If you don’t remember her, click on the “True Feelings Come Out” video here.) Her first appearance, a drama-filled January 2014 episode called “Waste Not,” showcased her rivalry with chef Sarah Pouzar. Judges Aarón Sánchez and Marcus Samuelsson remarked on Von Der Pool’s eye-rolling and her tension with Pouzar, who stated Von Der Pool didn’t like her. Von Der Pool returned in February 2014 to appear on a redemption episode, but she was eliminated after the first round (albeit she got along with her fellow contestants). In the aftermath of Von Der Pool’s first “Chopped” episode, fans of the show left disparaging comments on YouTube and Reddit, calling her a “bitch” and saying she had a “nasty attitude.” But before appearing on “Chopped,” Von Der Pool had already established herself as personal chef to Venus and Serena Williams, was an executive chef for Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign and had published a cookbook. And after “Chopped,” she actually acquired more celebrity clients: Ky-Mani Marley asked her to appear in his music video and Cedric the Entertainer hired her to work on “Barbershop 3” and cater a golf tournament, based on seeing her on “Chopped.” In this edition of Voices In Food, Von Der Pool talks to Garin Pirnia about her experiences with Pouzar, how reality TV skews reality and her gratitude.