Bryan Caswell on "Next Iron Chef": Food NetworkIt’s been difficult for Bryan Caswell to keep mum about his progress on Food Network’s Next Iron Chef, but especially vexing Sunday night when he knew going into the weekly viewing party at Stella Sola that he’d be packing his bags at the end of the show.

“People are cheering and I know I’m going home that episode,” he said Monday morning. “It was a cruel joke.”

And yet not. Caswell may have been chopped Sunday night but his long run on Next Iron Chef was a source of pride for Houston foodies and the city’s restaurant community which have been buoyed by the popular chef’s high-visibility star turn. It’s exactly what Caswell wanted from the gig: to shine the culinary light on Houston.

“I was proud to be on it, proud to get that far,” he said. “What’s been so overwhelming during this entire thing was how many people were watching and how supportive they were. I never thought it would be so popular with so many people. It’s very humbling.”

We talked to Caswell the day after his run on Next Iron Chef ended.

How do you think you came off on the show?
“I think it was OK. Everyone was worried that they’d be cast as the dick – the bad guy. When I start cooking, I get real serious. As I went on through the show I think I got more comfortable each time.” (Find an episode recap here at Tubular.

Did he make friends with other chefs?
“No doubt. Everyone there got along. Every night we got together. The guy I ended up enjoying the most was [Marc] Forgione. And [Marco] Canora. We were like three peas in a pod. They were friends and competitors. Ming [Tsai]? He’s so fast. He’s very, very talented. Everyone was. The ones at the end, I didn’t feel bad losing to those four. They’re all incredibly talented.”

Did you have fun?
“I enjoyed it. I’m not 100 percent sure TV is in my future. It gave me a great opportunity to show off what we’re about out here. That’s been one of my big deals.”

What now?
My main goal first and foremost is running restaurants. Reef is incredibly busy, and Stella is incredibly busy. We start construction this week on the new Tex-Mex place (El Real Tex-Mex Café, a new restaurant with partners Bill Floyd and Robb Walsh). We expect to be open by end of February or early March. I’m very excited. This is the food I grew up eating. That I eat once a week. It’s such a large part of our culture here in Houston. It’s going to be a lot of fun to build this place that was an old building that was a fixture of my childhood.”