Chatting With the Round-4 Winner of Chopped Champions
by Maria Russo in Shows, February 5th, 2013
In an all-new season of Chopped Champions, 16 chefs, each with a previous Chopped win under his or her belt, are returning to the kitchen to face off for a second time in the ultimate multicourse cook-off. Although they’re no strangers to mystery baskets, these chefs are under more pressure than ever, as they’re competing not just for Chopped glory but also a spot in the finale where they can ultimately claim a $50,000 prize and the coveted title of Grand Champion.
Each week, four chefs will take their places in the kitchen and battle it out in the hopes of outlasting the chopping block once again. While three will crumble beneath the demands of Champions cooking, one will prove his or her culinary chops for a second time. Check in with FN Dish every Tuesday night after the episode to hear from the latest winner.
In a battle to claim the fourth and final spot in the Chopped Champions Grand Finale, Chefs Helen Park, Jean-Louis Gerin, Rob Evans and Kris Wessel faced off with appetizer baskets of sour apple martini mix, fennel, mortadella and white asparagus. Despite preparing properly cooked poached eggs, Chef Kris didn’t continue to the entree round on account of a too-rich sauce that lacked “brightness,” according to Judge Aarón Sanchez. The other competitors advanced to make an entree incorporating calf’s liver, fava greens, honey wine and haloumi cheese. For Chef Helen, this course gave her the opportunity to show off her creativity after she narrowly avoided the appetizer-round chopping block with a simple green salad. Although Judge Alex Guarnaschelli praised her for cooking fideo, a meal “that really resonated with her own style,” the dish was deemed “greasy” and she was ultimately chopped. With only 30 minutes to cook, Chefs Jean-Louis and Rob battled over dessert baskets featuring maraschino cherries, Greek yogurt, canned espresso and corn nuts. Chef Jean-Louis’ cherry crumble received praise for its “complexity” from Judge Alex, but it couldn’t beat Chef Rob’s espresso trifle topped with a smoked cream and corn nut crumble. Throughout the competition, Chef Rob demonstrated advanced preparations like gastriques and gelees and worked with machines including the smoking gun, which showed off his range of skill and deeply creative thinking; in the end, the judges rewarded him for that with a win.
How was your experience in the Champions battle different from the last time you were on Chopped? Had you changed your strategy coming into the competition for a second time?
RE: I took more chances since I knew the format of the show and the kitchen.
Creativity seemed to be your strong suit in this round. Were you concerned that cooking outside the box, so to speak, would sacrifice the flavor of your dishes?
RE: I was more aggressive this time with creativity — being a Chopped Championship, I felt that using creativity might be necessary for a win, and I had a lot of fun pushing the envelope. In hindsight, it definitely sacrificed some flavor though.
You and your dessert-round competitor, Chef Jean-Louis Gerin, are both James Beard Award winners and you both run your own restaurants with your wives, but you’re a modernist chef and he’s very classical. Do you find it easier or more difficult competing against someone with a different approach to food? Why?
RE: I don’t think it matters, modernist or classical. It’s the end product that matters. Although modernist helps on the show because you need to think outside the box (it’s why I enjoy doing the show).
Visit Food Network’s Chopped Champions headquarters for more insider coverage.
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More posts from Maria Russo.
In an all-new season of Chopped Champions, 16 chefs, each with a previous Chopped win under his or her belt, are returning to the kitchen to face off for a second time in the ultimate multicourse cook-off. Although they’re no strangers to mystery baskets, these chefs are under more pressure than ever, as they’re competing not just for Chopped glory but also a spot in the finale where they can ultimately claim a $50,000 prize and the coveted title of Grand Champion.
Each week, four chefs will take their places in the kitchen and battle it out in the hopes of outlasting the chopping block once again. While three will crumble beneath the demands of Champions cooking, one will prove his or her culinary chops for a second time. Check in with FN Dish every Tuesday night after the episode to hear from the latest winner.
In a battle to claim the fourth and final spot in the Chopped Champions Grand Finale, Chefs Helen Park, Jean-Louis Gerin, Rob Evans and Kris Wessel faced off with appetizer baskets of sour apple martini mix, fennel, mortadella and white asparagus. Despite preparing properly cooked poached eggs, Chef Kris didn’t continue to the entree round on account of a too-rich sauce that lacked “brightness,” according to Judge Aarón Sanchez. The other competitors advanced to make an entree incorporating calf’s liver, fava greens, honey wine and haloumi cheese. For Chef Helen, this course gave her the opportunity to show off her creativity after she narrowly avoided the appetizer-round chopping block with a simple green salad. Although Judge Alex Guarnaschelli praised her for cooking fideo, a meal “that really resonated with her own style,” the dish was deemed “greasy” and she was ultimately chopped. With only 30 minutes to cook, Chefs Jean-Louis and Rob battled over dessert baskets featuring maraschino cherries, Greek yogurt, canned espresso and corn nuts. Chef Jean-Louis’ cherry crumble received praise for its “complexity” from Judge Alex, but it couldn’t beat Chef Rob’s espresso trifle topped with a smoked cream and corn nut crumble. Throughout the competition, Chef Rob demonstrated advanced preparations like gastriques and gelees and worked with machines including the smoking gun, which showed off his range of skill and deeply creative thinking; in the end, the judges rewarded him for that with a win.
How was your experience in the Champions battle different from the last time you were on Chopped? Had you changed your strategy coming into the competition for a second time?
RE: I took more chances since I knew the format of the show and the kitchen.
Creativity seemed to be your strong suit in this round. Were you concerned that cooking outside the box, so to speak, would sacrifice the flavor of your dishes?
RE: I was more aggressive this time with creativity — being a Chopped Championship, I felt that using creativity might be necessary for a win, and I had a lot of fun pushing the envelope. In hindsight, it definitely sacrificed some flavor though.
You and your dessert-round competitor, Chef Jean-Louis Gerin, are both James Beard Award winners and you both run your own restaurants with your wives, but you’re a modernist chef and he’s very classical. Do you find it easier or more difficult competing against someone with a different approach to food? Why?
RE: I don’t think it matters, modernist or classical. It’s the end product that matters. Although modernist helps on the show because you need to think outside the box (it’s why I enjoy doing the show).
Visit Food Network’s Chopped Champions headquarters for more insider coverage.
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More posts from Maria Russo.
Rob should not have won with dry tough liver. Something is wrong with that picture'!! The best chef did not win!
Jazz
I agree 100%! When you have dry tough liver HOW can you possibility win? The Best chef did not win! That is so wrong! I will not be watching the program any longer it is so unfair. If the have a chef and a person who is not a real chef, you can bet it will be the chef that wins in the end.
Ugh, first they sent "poached egg" Kris home (in favor of a salad! And I'm wondering if that was just an attempt to correct the imbalance of men to women, letting Helen go through). Then they favored dry liver with too little sauce over a flawless entree. The winner seems creative and worthy of accolades, but the classicly trained guy appeared to have served a better meal.
Helen should have been chopped after the 1st round. It's Chopped Champions and she made a simple green salad. I didn't watch the rest of the show and won't be tuning in anymore.
More and more, the judges play fast and loose with their idea of creativity and transformation. Give them a pretty plate, don't question their authority and they will ignore a missing item.
Helen should not have been chopped after the first round. look at the crap her competitors made.there has never been a female in the final four of chopped champions grand finale, and because of chauvinists
both male and female like you,there never will be.Helen was chopped because she was a woman.[period]].They do not want a woman in the grand finale.
There were two females in the championship last time, a white girl named Lauren and a black girl named Danielle Saunders. Danielle won the whole thing.
completly agreed upon that
How is pasta made from scratch in 6 minutes?
I believe Rob out performed the others.
I was rooting for the Frenchman, but fell alseep before the end of the show…(sigh).
The Judges seem to be biast and somehow out of synch.To be honest a person that has been working for such a long time and to serve a dish raww??? One might not have the pallets of the fine judges but still at that level to accept something like that??
Second, the dessert was just a one man run from the beggining. The french chef dessert was by a mile more complex and still simple while the other seemed to be just a dollar value dessert.Not to forget the underusage of a main ingredient the maraschino cherries -only the juice was used and as stated only in a modest ammount- and still…. overall with a raw dish and a substandard show on the dessert one might win.
Since I watched all Iron chef america and the very intense process that one has to go thru to earn such a title one might expect a little bit more of a ballanced decision from a winner of the Iron chef, a runner up and a famous restaurateur.
I am just in awe for the way sometimes the decisons are beeing passed thru and to be honest since raw food is accepted at such a high level makes me wonder what other compromises this fine judges might accept in their establishments.
Nothing drives me more bonkers than when they go to commercial, as Ted is lifting the lid to see who is chopped. I understand the "keep em guessing" factor, but it's really tired & old. I wish they would come up with a new creative ploy and be as creative as the contestants have to be.