A Maine woman who made her debut Wednesday night on Fox’s nationally televised show “MasterChef” will live to cook another day.

Nina Interlandi Bell’s fried codfish sandwich, complemented with a side of salt and vinegar potatoes and garlic, and lemon aioli, was selected by MasterChef’s panel of three judges as the best from her team’s region – the Northeast. Bell is a marketing manager who lives in Woolwich.

Four teams from the Northeast, South, Midwest and West competed in Fox’s first episode for an immunity pen that has the power to keep all team members safe from being eliminated in the next cooking challenge, which will feature dishes made with apples. Chefs on Thursday night were challenged to make an elevated version of a classic state fair food.

Had Bell’s dish been voted the best overall, her team would have been protected from elimination in the next round. A member of the West region team, who judges said failed miserably at making fish tacos, was sent home Thursday.

Bell and all the cooks had 60 minutes to prepare their dishes. At one point, Bell could be seen whispering to the fish, “Make momma proud. I love you very much.” Beer-battered lobster fries, a dish prepared by a chef from the Midwest, was named best dish of the night.

Bell received compliments from all three judges, including host Gordon Ramsay, but it was a remark from judge Joe Bastianich that stood out.

“It’s the kind of dish that I would pay $24 for,” Bastianich said.

Bell is a very vocal fan of wild food – weeds, mushrooms, game – and writes about her foraging and food adventures on social media. She’s also a rock singer and guitarist who blends music into her posts. The 20 contestants are competing for a chance to win the show’s $250,000 prize and the title of “MasterChef.”

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