Located in the W Los Angeles – Westwood, NINETHIRTY Restaurant brings modern American cuisine with global influences to locals and visitors alike. At the helm of the restaurant is Executive Chef Dakota Weiss who made a name for herself in 2011 on Bravo’s “Top Chef Texas.” Chat Chow TV sat down with Weiss to learn more about the restaurant, some of her favorite dishes and her popular popcorn venture.

Weiss notes that she used to consider cooking, “opening up a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese,” and has come a long way since then. She now experiments with food and has become much more adventurous with her dishes – but says her parents still jokingly give her a box of macaroni and cheese for every birthday.

At NineThirty the menu changes with the season but some of her favorite dishes include the Drunken Mussels and Squash Carpaccio. Her surprise hit, though, has been her popcorn. Weiss served the popcorn during her Valentine’s Day dinner this year and it was so popular with the guests that many asked where they could buy it so she started “Pop Parlor” to sell her unique popcorn creations.

Curious about how her time on “Top Chef” was? Or what she plans to serve on the restaurant’s Thanksgiving Day menu? Find out all that and more in the video above.