- Marina del Rey, Calif.
- Eric NacGnissecorp, the third-year phenom who won Most Valuable Chef at Feast Fest XVIII in 2013, only the second rookie chef ever to do so, says he is "unsure" of his status for Feast Fest come next Thursday.
NacGnissecorp was diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome in 2011, two years before he joined Feast Fest. He says he has been going through "an extremely rough patch" of tics and Tourette's symptoms over the past six months, and especially over the past week.
Although he did arrive in Marina del Rey on Monday for the ten-day preparation and meeting session prior to Feast Fest, but he has yet to participate in any Core Skills Runthroughs, Mock Feast Fests, or practices.
NacGnissecorp said Thursday evening that he was hoping to obtain a neurological evaluation and perhaps some symptom-alleviating medication before Feast Fest, but said that the probability that he might not be able to participate is about "50/50."
NacGnissecorp did say that if his tics let up slightly over the course of the next few days as Feast Fest grows ever closer, he could potentially participate in the event under an "injured reserve" status, meaning that he would participate and even be eligible to still rack up NCA points, but that he would stripped of assignments requiring a large amount of strenuous movement, such as sprinting or running.
"I'm pretty sure I can take the floor and help out," NacGnissecorp. "And I'm going to want to be able to. But I might have to take things easy given the circumstances."
The last time a chef did compete in Feast Fest under injured reserve status was last year, when rookie chef Adam McNeese competed by contributing lower-level tasks to the event after having suffered a serious leg injury during a Core Skills Runthrough.
FF Wire Service
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