Government Lawyer Makes It All The Way To The Finale On 'MasterChef: Generations'
Watch MasterChef tonight to see if this talented attorney is able to win the competition!
Kamay Lafalaise (courtesy photo)
Here at Above the Law, we frequently write about lawyers and law students who have put their legal careers on hold to compete on reality television shows. The latest lawyer turned reality competitor actually is an attorney chef — one who’s been featured on the new season of MasterChef: Generations.
Our would-be MasterChef is Kamay Lafalaise, who is representing the Millennials in the show. According to her LinkedIn profile, Lafalaise is a privacy and data security attorney with the Federal Trade Commission, where she’s worked since 2017. We first detailed her star turn on the show back in June, and we’re happy to report that Lafalaise is such a talented chef that she’s made it all the way to the finale.
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I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Lafalaise before the finale airs, to get her thoughts on her reality TV journey. Here is a write-up of our lively conversation.
Staci Zaretsky (SZ): What does it feel like to have made it so far in the competition?
Kamay Lafalaise (KL): To have made it to the MasterChef: Generations finale as one of the top 3 home cooks in the country feels timely and incredibly meaningful. I applied to be on the show with the goals of sharing my family’s legacy and encouraging people to embrace different sides of themselves. We are all multidimensional and nuanced, but sometimes we forget that we are more than our job titles. This is particularly the case with attorneys, given the time commitment, stress, and challenges we face on a regular basis at work. Making it to the finale feels timely because I am a first-generation Haitian-American and the harmful false narratives currently being perpetuated about Haitian immigrants is disheartening, to say the least. As a child of immigrants, I am proud to represent grit and dedication — both pillars of the American dream — in one of the biggest culinary competitions in the world.
SZ: How do your deadlines in the MasterChef kitchen stack up against your deadlines as a lawyer?
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KL: Every lawyer understands the pressure that comes with meeting deadlines, and my experience as an attorney helped me develop time management skills that absolutely helped me in the MasterChef kitchen. The time constraints are real, and the clock waits for no one!
In the semi-final round, the skills I’ve honed as an attorney were essential to my success. Following Gordon Ramsay as he cooked a complex, multi-part dish in real time is one of the hardest challenges I’ve ever faced in the kitchen. I was able to leverage my ability to quickly take in, analyze, and remember multiple steps to keep on track even when I was a few seconds behind Chef Ramsay.
SZ: Would you encourage other lawyers who may be hesitant to do so to get involved in a reality competition show?
KL: This question demands the ultimate lawyer response: “It depends!” I can understand why many people would not be inclined to compete on a reality TV show — it is extraordinarily difficult, you cannot control how you are portrayed after editing cuts are made, and doing well in a skills competition show requires months of serious preparation and time. With that said, I had reasons far greater than myself for applying to MasterChef, which you can learn more about on my recent podcast interview with LawHer. So, if you are an attorney considering getting involved with a reality competition show, I’d encourage you to take the leap, but make sure you are prepared to handle the heat.
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We wish Kamay Lafalaise the very best of luck and hope that the final verdict on the show comes out in her favor. You can catch her on the season finale of MasterChef: Generations tonight at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. The season is also available to stream on Hulu.
Earlier: ‘Seasoned’ Government Lawyer Roasts The Competition On ‘MasterChef: Generations’
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on X/Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.
