Coatesville native on 'Top Chef'

Top Chef's season 12 starts Wednesday, Oct. 15 (10 p.m., Bravo).

The cast usually has some sort of a Philly connection, and the Boston season is no different.

Joy Crump, 46, a 1986 graduate of Coatesville High, is executive chef and co-owner of Foode, a restaurant and catering service in Fredericksburg, Va.

Crump, one of five kids, says her parents divorced when she was 3. With her father in L.A. and later in Atlanta, "we spent our money on airfare getting together, so we didn’t go out to dinner. We stayed at home and we cooked. Cooking became an extension and an expression of love. It's the only thing I’ve ever known."

Why Fredericksburg? "When we started researching locations, my business partner wanted a good support system. For me, it was either Atlanta or Los Angeles. Then there was Virginia - Beth [Black] is from Manassas. Between the fierce competition and rents, we decided as first-timers to set ourselves up for success. It made sense."

The taping was "like this incredible concentrated time of super, super high highs and low lows," she said. "The competition is absolutely insane. People are trying their best, the stakes are really high, and Bravo changes the rules and does all these topsy-turvy things. I can tell you, in retrospect, you grow quickly. You have to."

One of her biggest challenges was leaving the business to do the filming. "Leaving my baby for even just two hours is painful," she said. "Just like this experience pushed myself to rise, it also allowed my team to rise without me on top of them. It was a stressful exercise. ... The restaurant is better for it, and I am better for it."