Master of the Kitchen: Douglas Keane

Acclaimed chef of recently closed, two Michelin Star restaurant, Cyrus, Douglas Keane is not shy about having an ego. Because of it, Keane, who became a cheftestant on this season's Top Chef Masters, struggled with the idea of joining the show. "I [was reluctant to join] because of ego," explains Keane. "I only had things to lose. I had a lot of [restaurant] stars and that meant a lot to me at that time. You have someone like that, with my stars and reputation, and I can always look bad if I don't do well. When I closed [my restaurant,] Cyrus, [I thought] I don't have any stars anymore; I've got no one expecting something."

In the end, Keane, a dog lover, felt compelled to join the cast as a means of spreading the word about his charity of choice, Green Dog Rescue, and ended up having a pretty good time, too. "Once I got over myself I started to have a lot of fun! It was a great group of chefs; a lot of fun people."

While Keane became closest with fellow cheftestant Sang Yoon on the show, he also had much to say about another castmember: David Burke. "He might be one of the funniest human beings on this earth," remarks Keane. "[He is] constantly entertaining. I always wanted to work for him and then [all of the sudden,] I was competing against him, so it was a little intimidating. [Still] it was a delight to hang out with him."

And hang out the cheftestants did--off-screen at a 24-hour burger joint. "I wish they had a camera on us at the bars where we were hanging out at one in the morning," he offers. "You take a bunch of people who are used to working their [butts] off and then having a few drinks and add the stress [of the show] and when you unwind, you are just a little looser and a little more sarcastic. Chefs have some pretty biting humor already, but add that extra stress [and it is amplified]."

With all the chefs on the show, Keane was most impressed by their intensity. "What was impressive to watch was everyone's focus and the different ways everyone would focus," he explains. "Some people would talk a lot and others would just be very zen-like." Through it all, Keane had just one mantra: "I just didn't want to go home first."

Now that you know a bit about the celebrity chef, Check out the slideshow above for some of his best tips for cooking this fall.