Food Network Chopped

From LoveToKnow Reality-TV

Food Network Chopped pits chefs against each other in a fast paced cooking competition in which they have to devise a three course menu incorporating three mystery ingredients that are not revealed until just as the competition begins.

Ted Allen joins the growing ranks of cooking show hosts.

Food Network Chopped – Show Premise

The three ingredients in question do not have any obvious link to each other, and the chefs must use each ingredient in each course of the meal. The show premiered on Food Network in 2009 and is hosted by Ted Allen of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and Top Chef fame. There is a rotating panel of judges that includes some of the brightest culinary stars in the business.

Each episode of Food Network Chopped features four chefs. These chefs are usually just beginning to make a name for themselves in their careers. At the beginning of each episode, Allen reveals the three ingredients for the show. The chefs must devise a three course menu that incorporates each of the ingredients. There is a set time to cook each course, and each course represents a different round of the show.

In each round, a course of the meal is prepared and served up to the celebrity judging panel. The judges also get to watch the cooking process via camera in the kitchen. After tasting all of the food and evaluating the cooking process itself, the judges debate and pick and winner and loser for each round. The chef in last place leaves the competition. In the final round, only one chef is left standing and deemed the winner of the episode. The winning chef takes home a $10,000 prize.

The food combinations that have appeared in Chopped to date are:

Strawberries, Turkey and Gummi Bears
Chocolate, Mussels and Figs
Jumbo Shrimp, Pepperoni and Cereal
String Cheese, Jicama and Gingersnaps
Macaroni and Cheese, Cola and Bacon
Quail, Arctic Char and Beer
Coconut, Calamari and Doughnuts
Canned Peaches, Rice Cakes and Beets
Yucca, Watermelon and Tortillas
Banana, Collard Greens and Grits
Avocado, Tahini and Bran Flakes
Tofu, Blueberries and Oysters
Octopus, Duck and Animal Crackers

Unlike some other cooking based reality shows, the methods used in the kitchen have played a central role in several eliminations. Usually in these competitions, the final product of the food is the sole thing that the contestants are judged on. On this show, contestants who have made good food have been sent home for poor knife skills, tasting dishes without using a clean spoon and other cooking no-nos.

Chefs Who Have Appeared on Chopped

Here is a list of some of the chefs who have competed on Food Network Chopped:

Katie Rosenhouse - Executive Pastry Chef - Olana Restaurant, NYC
Perry Pollaci - Cook - Bar Blanc, NYC
Sandy Davis - Chef - Union Theological Seminary, NYC
Summer Kriegshauser - Private Chef and Nutrition Coach, NYC
Christopher Jackson - Executive Chef and Owner - Ted and Honey, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn
Klaus Kronsteine -, Chef de Cuisine - Liberty National Golf Course, New Jersey
Pippa Calland - Owner/Chef - Chef for Hire, Newville, Pa.
Raymond Jackson - Private Caterer and Instructor, Westchester County, NY
Andre Marrero - Chef Tournant - L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, NYC
Chris Burke, Private Chef - NYC
Margaritte Malfy - Executive Chef/Co-Owner - La Palapa, NYC
Rachelle Rodwel- Chef de Cuisine - Soho Grand Hotel, NYC
Einat Admony - Chef/Owner - Taim, NYC
Kyle Shadix - Chef, Registered Dietician & Culinary Consultant, NYC
Luis Gonzalez - Executive Chef - Knickerbocker Bar & Grill, NYC
Sean Chudoba - Executive Chef - Ayza Wine Bar, NYC
Andrea Bergquist, Ex-Executive Chef - Merkato 55, NYC
Ed Witt - Executive Chef - Bloomingdale Road and Wine Directory, NYC
John Keller – Ex-Executive Chef -Bruno Jamais NYC
Josh Emett, Chef de Cuisine - Gordon Ramsay at The London, NYC
Chris Coleman - Private Executive Chef, Long Island, N.Y.
Cindi Avila - Catering Manager/Chef at CRISP, NYC
Lucas Manteca - Chef and Owner – Sea Salt & Quahog's Restaurants, Stone Harbor, NJ
Robert Burmeister - Executive Chef / Owner – CHOW Gourmet Kitchen, Staten Island, NY
Abe Lopez - Chef de Cuisine - Pacifico, Center Valley, PA
Lior Lev Sercar - Chef and Owner of La Boite A Biscuits and La Boite A Epices, NYC
Melinda Dorn - Sous Chef and Instructor
Ralph Battista - Executive Chef – Butterfield 8, NYC
David Orgenage - Corporate Executive Chef - Ammos, NYC
Francesco Peluso - Owner – Peluso's Italian Specialties, Clifton, NJ
Gwenael LePage - Executive Chef – Frederick's (Upper East Side and Downtown), NYC
Mina Newman, Executive Chef – Christos Steak House, Queens
David Goldwhite - Personal Private Chef, NYC
Gypsy Gifford - Executive Chef - Café Pinot, Los Angeles
James Biscione - Chef Instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education, NYC
William Lustberg - Sous Chef - Waldorf Astoria Hotel, NYC