HOUSTON — Seeing might be hard for Houstonian Christine Ha, but her taste for food remains strong.
Ha, a local celebrity chef, found a way to continue her passion when her vision went out.
"I had to re-teach myself how to cook, with less and less vision as I gradually lost in my 20s," she said.
Now, Ha's known as The Blind Goat. She's a University of Houston graduate who took her culinary skills to a national TV competition -- MasterChef -- where she captivated the audience and the judges. The victory catapulted her into celebrity chef status.
Ha's disability gave her a vision that most people with 20/20 vision would have a hard time seeing. She's the daughter of Vietnamese refugees. When she was in her 20s, she lost her eyesight due to a neurological disease.
"So I see some color contrast, some light, but everything is pretty washed out and very blurry," Ha said. "I really feel like if you lost a sense, you make up for it in some other way."
Her hands and tongue are on double duty when she's in the kitchen. She uses adaptive technologies to help her cook in the kitchen.
"I use my smartphone to list out everything I have in the pantry and in my spice rack, so I know where everything is," she said. "A lot of my research and development also happens at home where I'm most comfortable."
Ha has two restaurants in the same Spring Branch shopping center -- the well-known The Blind Goat and the newly opened Stuffed Belly, a drive-thru offering new takes on classic American sandwiches.
She also has a New York Times best-selling cookbook and has starred on other cooking shows.
Her advice for others who are taking a leap of faith?
"The chances are zero unless you try, and you just never know because I am the perfect example and testament to how you can follow something and the least expected path and doors can be open to you if you try taking that risk," she said. "I want my former little girl self to be able to see, like, hey, this person looks like me in the restaurant, on television, in movies, writing books. I think that's very important."
Despite the obstacles, The Blind Goat found a way to continue to serve great food.