No strangers to the uncommon, unusual ingredients that make their way into mystery baskets, Chopped judges have tasted myriad plates of eccentric eats after more than 14 seasons of competition, but they rarely are able to cook with those ingredients for themselves. That is, until now.
In Chopped After Hours, an all-new series on FoodNetwork.com, the panel is taking over the kitchen. For the first time, the judges are trying their hands at identical combinations of ingredients that have sent home chef competitors. They’ll cook against the clock in the same amount of time as traditional contestants, but among these friends and colleagues there will be as much eating, drinking and playful joking happening at each station as there is high-quality food preparation. None of the judges will settle for creating anything less than masterful meals, but they know well how to balance work and play — and will surely make time for a cocktail or two and even subject their fellow judges to a few hilariously timed interruptions.
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If you’ve ever written to Guy with suggestions for Triple D-worthy restaurants in your neighborhood, know that he’s been paying attention and wants to visit the area standbys that you love most.
During tonight’s marathon of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives episodes, Guy sets off to discover some of the local favorites that you, the fans, have recommended to him. He’s off to Eischen’s Bar & Grill in Oklahoma first to taste their decades-old fried chicken recipe, then travels to Kenny and Ziggy’s, a Houston deli that’s making corned beef and traditional Jewish comfort food just like they do in New York City.
Later, Guy finds the best of the best in Basque, Salvadorian and Spanish fare — all without leaving the country — with tastes of oxtail stew, tomato-chile pork and spiced tasso at spots from Florida all the way to California. He then sets off on a Hawaiian adventure to sample Windy City-style hot dogs on the island of Oahu before partaking in a luau that’s special to locals.
Join Guy on his coast-to-coast journey starting at 6pm/5c — follow along and bookmark the restaurants as he goes, and then try your hand at the recipes.
Go on set with Guy
FN Dish is counting down to the Season 3 premiere of Chopped All-Stars by introducing a competitor every day. Sixteen competitors including Food Network and Cooking Channel talent, renowned chefs, Chopped judges and celebrities are competing for a chance to win the title of All-Stars champion and a $50,000 donation to charity. Watch the premiere on Sunday, April 7, at 9pm/8c and keep coming back to FN Dish for exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes previews.
Scott Conant is well known for his Italian restaurant, Scarpetta, in New York City. In 2010 he opened additional locations in Toronto, Beverly Hills and Las Vegas. Many people know Scott as the finicky judge who hates onions on Chopped, but there’s more to this chef than meets the eye. Besides cooking professionally, Scott loves to cook with his 3-year-old daughter. If given the choice, he’d rather eat his mom’s cooking over a fancy meal for his last supper. Find out more about Scott in his Q&A below.
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Food fans will have a chance to chat with the people who are really in the hot seat on this season of Chopped All-Stars: the judges. Join us on the Chopped Facebook page and ask Alex (who will also be competing), Chris, Geoffrey, Marcus and even Ted the questions you’ve always wanted them to answer.
- Chris Santos will be chatting on Fri., April 5, at 12:30pm/11:30c
- Alex Guarnaschelli will be chatting on Tues., April 9, at 12pm/11c (Read highlights from Alex’s chat here)
- Aarón Sánchez will be chatting on Wed., April 24, at 11am/10c (Read highlight’s from Aarón’s chat here)
- Geoffrey Zakarian will be chatting on Tues., April 30, at 12pm/11c
- Ted Allen will be chatting on Fri., May 3, at 2pm/1c
After besting 12 rival recruits in a six-week Boot Camp, the top two Worst Cooks in America contestants took to the professional kitchen at New York City’s The Dutch restaurant for a finale cook-off to be judged by three no-nonsense culinary experts, Chefs Anita Lo, Frank Cardoz and Andrew Carmellini. The Red Team‘s Rasheeda Brown and the Blue Team‘s Alina Bolshakova relied on the teachings of their mentors to successfully compete against the clock and create not just everyday dishes but a restaurant-quality feast, complete with appetizer, entree and dessert courses.
SPOILER ALERT: Find out who won
After besting 12 rival recruits in a six-week Boot Camp, the top two Worst Cooks in America contestants took to the professional kitchen at New York City’s The Dutch restaurant for a finale cook-off to be judged by three no-nonsense culinary experts, Chefs Anita Lo, Frank Cardoz and Andrew Carmellini. The Red Team‘s Rasheeda Brown and the Blue Team‘s Alina Bolshakova relied on the teachings of their mentors to successfully compete against the clock and create not just everyday dishes but a restaurant-quality feast, complete with appetizer, entree and dessert courses.
SPOILER ALERT: Find out who went home
FN Dish is counting down to the season 3 premiere of Chopped All-Stars by introducing a competitor every day. Sixteen competitors including Food Network and Cooking Channel talent, renowned chefs, Chopped judges and celebrities are competing for a chance to win the title of All-Stars champion and a $50,000 donation to charity. Watch the premiere on Sunday, April 7, at 9pm/8c and keep coming back to FN Dish for exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes previews.
Marc Murphy is a regular judge on Chopped and has also appeared on Iron Chef America. Marc has logged more than 20 years in the restaurant business, and he is currently executive chef and owner of Benchmarc Restaurants (Landmarc and Ditch Plains in New York) and Benchmarc Events. But there a few things you might not know about Marc — for example, if he hadn’t gone into the culinary field, he might have become an architect. Find out more about Marc in his Q&A below.
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FN Dish is counting down to the season 3 premiere of Chopped All-Stars by introducing a competitor every day. Sixteen competitors including Food Network and Cooking Channel talent, renowned chefs, Chopped judges and celebrities are competing for a chance to win the title of All-Stars champion and a $50,000 donation to charity. Watch the premiere on Sunday, April 7, at 9pm/8c and keep coming back to FN Dish for exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes previews.
Amanda Freitag is a regular judge on Chopped. She recently competed in The Next Iron Chef: Redemption, coming in second place. Amanda has been cooking professionally for more than 20 years and has worked under a long list of chefs including Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Alain Passard, Diane Forley and Tom Valenti, to name a few, and it is with great excitement that Amanda is now working toward opening a restaurant of her own. But there are a few things you might not know about Amanda — for example, she loves comfort foods like burgers and pasta but hates certain foods that other chefs would consider favorite delicacies, like sea urchin and monkfish liver. Find out more about Amanda in her Q&A below.
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Justin Warner fans are in for a treat tonight (10pm/9c). The Rebel With a Culinary Cause is hitting the road in his new show and biggest challenge yet — finding the real culinary rebels of America on Rebel Eats. Armed with $300 (for gas), a car and a nose for good food and crazy characters, Justin will travel the back roads of the South to try everything from moonshine and bacon beer to deep-fried PB&J, jellyfish pasta and bowling alley barbecue served in a Mason jar. We recently caught up with Justin and asked him to dish a little on his special, catch us up on what he’s been eating and teach us how to be food rebels ourselves. Before tuning in tonight, read his interview below (and go behind-the-scenes with these photos).
How did your experience on Food Network Star prepare you for making Rebel Eats?
Given that I had no television experience prior to Star, I would say that every facet of the show helped me prepare for Rebel Eats. In Star, we were constantly fighting against the clock. It has made me much more concise and efficient when conveying ideas or developing dishes. In addition, having Alton as a mentor was really a life-changing experience. He taught me how to understand where the camera is, what it’s picking up and how to make it my best friend.
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FN Dish is counting down to the Season 3 premiere of Chopped All-Stars by introducing a competitor every day. Sixteen competitors including Food Network and Cooking Channel talent, renowned chefs, Chopped judges and celebrities are competing for a chance to win the title of All-Stars Champion and a $50,000 donation to charity. Watch the premiere on Sunday, April 7, at 9pm/8c and keep coming back to FN Dish for exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes previews.
Alex Guarnaschelli is a regular judge on Chopped and most recently won the title of Iron Chef on The Next Iron Chef: Redemption. She is also the executive chef of Butter restaurant and The Darby in New York City. Alex began her culinary career in France, studied at La Varenne Cooking School in Burgundy and worked under the tutelage of many French restaurateurs before moving to New York. Her first cookbook, Old School Comfort: The Way I Learned to Cook, will be released April 9. But did you know Alex has a special appreciation for the sea that goes beyond just eating seafood? In fact, if she hadn’t become a chef, she would have become a marine biologist. Find out more about Alex in her Q&A below.
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