Wichita chef Katharine Elder of Elderslie Farm appeared on ‘Chopped.’ Here’s what happened.

If you were on a national television competition and given a pistachio croissant, razor clams, dandelion tea and garlic chives to cook, would you know what to do?

That was Katharine Elder’s challenge on a recent episode of “Chopped,” the Food Network’s culinary competition that pits four chefs against each other over three rounds, each featuring four mystery ingredients.

“I watched it all during college,” Elder said.

At the time, she was studying opera and chemistry, never dreaming she’d one day be a chef.

Elder and her husband, George, own Elderslie Farm in Kechi. In addition to running the dairy and goat farm, Elder said she started cooking there to showcase produce from a family member.

The show contacted her about appearing.

Elder said she feels like a lot of people have played their own version of the show at home when they say, “Well, this is what I have, so this is what I’m using.”

She herself is especially focused on local and seasonal ingredients.

“It’s interesting, too, just the way the show works resonates a lot with the way I like to cook with boundaries.”

The show called Elder in October 2022, right around the time she started talking to Bradley Fair about opening Everyday Elderslie.

She ended up opening the pop-up store, which is still there, on Dec. 2 that year and flew to New York City for the competition on Dec. 5.

“It was kind of whirlwind,” Elder said. “It was all such a blur. I was so nervous.”

Elder couldn’t tell anyone except her husband about her appearance.

Other than already being familiar with the show, Elder said there wasn’t much preparation she could do.

“I worried a lot.”

One worry about being on the show was how she would represent Kansas.

“Just being from Kansas, I think that we have a lot more to offer the general culinary scene than might be assumed.”

Elder was so nervous, she said, “It wasn’t like my stomach was in knots. It just didn’t exist.”

Walking onto the set and seeing “amazing powerhouses in the culinary world” such as Geoffrey Zakarian “was really bizarre and fun,” Elder said.

“It was probably one of the most surreal experiences I’ve ever had.”

Elder decided to make a tart and a salad with her ingredients. She makes tarts all the time.

“Here’s the really frustrating thing,” she said. “The scientist in me failed.”

Elder said she didn’t properly account for the amount of butter that already existed in the croissant.

“Never in a million years would I have let that dish out of my kitchen,” she said. “I felt frustrated because I know how to do what I set out to do, and I didn’t execute.”

The clam ingredient was a challenge, too.

“It was definitely a huge curve ball.”

Elder was the first chef eliminated.

She didn’t tout the show when it aired (which was Episode 10 of Season 57 and is available to stream).

“I didn’t win, so I thought it wasn’t a big deal.”

Elder did use it as a lesson for her two children, though — especially her daughter — “about doing hard things and stretching yourself.”

In addition to being able to lose well, Elder said it’s important to be “able to fail publicly well and move on . . . so you can continue to pursue your goals.”

“It’s really easy to not continue to push yourself because you might look bad.”

If you do push ahead, she said, “You can learn so much. You get to know so many amazing people.”

She and the other competitors went out to dinner together.

“That’s how you build community and really get somewhere.”

Elder said it was a great experience and one that she would do again.

“I would have loved to bring home a win for Kansas, but I’m also so glad to have gone at all.”

So, back to the original question: If you’d been on the show, what would you have cooked with those ingredients? This was the starter round, so think appetizers, salads and soups Also, as the show explains in each episode, each of the ingredients should be both highlighted and transformed — a tricky combination. Please e-mail the address below with your ideas, and we’ll share for a follow-up story.

This story was originally published February 20, 2024 at 11:52 AM.