Robin Leventhal had no idea how hard it would be to compete on “Top Chef: Las Vegas.”
She thought running her own successful Capitol Hill bistro, Crave, for five years would easily set her apart from the competition on the Bravo TV show.
Plus, she had already won the toughest battle of her life, beating not one but two types of lymphoma.
“Top Chef,” which finished airing last month, was surprisingly grueling for Leventhal, however.
“You don’t know the pressure of the lights and the cameras and the exhaustion,” said Leventhal, who averaged only three hours of sleep a night during the show’s first 10 days. “It’s day in and day out.”
Leventhal, 43, set herself apart as an older-than-average underdog who talked too much when she was nervous. She placed higher than her competitors expected — sixth out of 17 contestants on the sixth season of the show, regarded by critics as the toughest, most competitive ever.
These days Leventhal, who lives in Ballard, is getting used to her newfound cult celebrity status, hosting dinners featuring her “Top Chef” creations and battle stories.
Thursday, she’ll teach a “Sexy Food” course at Culinary Events Northwest in Lynnwood with an eye toward romantic Valentine’s Day dinners. She’ll donate a percentage of the proceeds to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
Because Crave closed in October 2008 in the face of failed lease negotiations, Leventhal now is free to carve out a new career path.
“I am overwhelmed with the directions I can go right now,” she said, adding that she isn’t hoping for her own TV show.
Leventhal, who has taught at culinary arts venues around the country, is considering teaching again. She would also like to create her own signature product lines, such as her once-popular macaroni and cheese, and maybe even tableware.
“That is my fantasy,” she said. “I would like to do a percentage donation to the Hutch.”
Designing her own tableware would be a way for Leventhal to get back to her artistic roots.
Leventhal fell in love with the art of food as a career while earning her master’s degree in fine arts at the University of Michigan.
“I certainly feel this is an opportunity to change my life,” she said of her “Top Chef” fame. “I want more creativity in my life.”
Though Leventhal isn’t sure yet what she’ll end up doing to make a living, she knows she doesn’t want to open another restaurant.
Her cancer diagnoses came about eight months after she opened Crave, a fact she directly attributes to the stress and long hours of the fast-paced, competitive food industry.
Though chemotherapy treatments and a reduced work schedule helped her beat the diseases — Hodgkin’s lymphoma and a form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma — she must stay healthy and well-rested to prevent their return.
“Lack of sleep and stress are detrimental to your health,” Leventhal said. “I don’t want a business to control me. I want it to enrich me.”
Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037, sjackson@heraldnet.com.
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