Roberta Fahey

Is the third time the charm for Arlington Heights' Roberta Fahey? She had a such great experience during her previous challenges, and last year, she reached the finale. "My family and friends all came to support me and I just had so much fun with so many people cheering for me," the 62-year-old explained.

Since Fahey stays busy cooking and catering for others and keeping up with her tie-dye business, she tends to improvise dinner.

"Sometimes I won't decide what I'm making until late afternoon, so I do go to the store pretty often," she said. "I'm also able to throw a great meal together very fast. We eat a lot of salmon, salads and chicken."

Fahey's go-to ingredient is garlic. "I throw it into almost everything I make, and I don't mean a little bit. If I don't have it in the house, I feel like something is off."

Her culinary turn-offs are sardines, mackerel and curry. "I have never tasted Indian food. My kids say that I sheltered them from it!"

Fahey's favorite food memories from childhood are her mother's corn pancakes and salmon patties. "She used to make them from the can, and I still make salmon patties, but from fresh salmon," she said.

Today, Fahey's faves include garlicky shrimp Scampi, simple, flavorful skirt steak and creme brûlée with caramel sauce. Her own family adores Fahey's hearty beef barley soup, as well as overnight French toast stuffed with bananas and chocolate chips with a caramel top.

Is the pressure on for Fahey's third go-round at COTW? "Believe it or not, I'm not that competitive, but this time I really am determined. I also made some really good friends along the journey. I want to have fun and just see what kind of recipes I can come up with. I am very excited for the opportunity again."