Blind Cook (Christine Ha) Competes for ‘Master Chef’

Houston's Christine Ha, the first blind contestant on Gordon Ramsay's "MasterChef" series, says she relies on organization and her other senses to guide her in the kitchen

*Whoa! Now here’s an inspiring story.

Christine Ha of Houston isn’t letting being blind stop her from competing on the Fox reality show “MasterChef” for the title of Master Chef and a grand prize of $250,000.

Ha has been blind from the age of 19

According to the Houston Chronicle, Ha, 33, lost her sight at 19 due to Neuromyelitis optica. According to the Mayo Clinic, Neuromyelitis optica is an autoimmune disease which, among other things, attacks the optic nerves and can, as it did in the case of Ha, cause blindness.

Ha won a place in the contest with a braised fish dish

Ha was able to gain entry to the top 100 chefs for the “MasterChef” competition with a braised castfish in a clay pot dish, a part of her ancestral Vietnamese comfort cuisine, according to the Houston Chronicle. In Vietnamese, this dish is called Ca Kho To.

Ha cooks by being organized

Ha is able to cook while blind by being organized, knowing in advance which ingredients and kitchen tools are in advance. She also has talking scales and thermometers as well as reliance on her other senses to aid her. The sound of a sizzling pan filed with water or the smell of cooking garlic provide clues for her during the cooking process.

Read/learn more at Yahoo News and the Houston Chronicle.