By Mallory Gleich I f you’re at all familiar with the Food Network, chances are you’ve heard of the competitive cooking show Chopped . The show pits four chefs against each other. Each one has to create an appetizer, entrée and dessert within a time limit. The twist is the contestants don’t know which ingredients they will be using until they begin. Each dish is sampled by a panel of guest judges and contestants are eliminated or “chopped” after each round. The chefs are chosen from all around the country, so it is no surprise that a neighborhood as food-centric as Arcadia has had some competitors on the show. We talked with some familiar names about what it was like to put their creative culinary skills to the test. The contestants were chosen and flown to New York City for filming. Once at the studio, the day began with interviews, photos and b-roll shots. “We had to walk down the hall probably 25 times. It was hard not to laugh on camera,” said Ashley Goddard, chef at Wrigley Mansion. There are a lot of rules for the show and the crew is very serious about not having any communication devices while the contestants are on set. “There were a lot of people around making sure we never looked at the mystery ingredients,” Goddard said. In all, the show was filmed in about 14 hours. The contestants were given a tour of the set and the pantry area, then got their uniforms and their tools ready before heading to the main event. Once the contestants are introduced to the judges, they get settled in front of their cooking stations, where their baskets of ingredients await. Then, the craziness begins! “You do not get to look into the baskets until they film you doing so, which is right before the clock starts. Once it starts, it doesn’t stop until the countdown hits zero,” said Hinojosa. “I have a pretty good mental clock, but time in the chopped kitchen goes fast! Twenty minutes for an appetizer feels like 15 minutes.” The pressure is on, and each contestant has only a moment to view their secret ingredients and decide what to prepare. “I was really nervous so I felt like I was shaking like a leaf,” said Daniel. “It was so intense with the amount of people they have on set and telling you what to do on top of having no idea what’s going on because they keep you hidden so you don’t see a judge or ingredients.” Once the dishes are finished, a panel of judges tries each one and delivers their professional opinions. 26 JUNE 2018 LOCAL CHEFS FACE THE BLOCK “Once it starts, it doesn’t stop until the countdown hits zero.” Tandy Peterson works on her entree in the Chopped kitchen.

27 JUNE 2018 Rochelle Daniel Fat Ox Restaurant Judges: Scott Conant, Tiffani Faison, Marc Murphy Basket Ingredients: Appetizer: stuffed trotters, fennel, smoked water, razor clams Entrée: rabbit saddle, celery snowflake leaves, purple artichokes, pork belly Dessert: Bush’s Honey Chipotle Grillin’ Beans, red velvet whoopie pies, cape gooseberries, pig’s ear pastries Daniel was born and raised in Phoenix. She’s been cooking professionally for 18 years. For her episode, which was a special outdoors Grill Masters edition of Chopped , Daniel started things off with razor clams in a white wine broth with fennel and trotter for her appetizer. Pork belly stuffed rabbit with artichoke was her main course, and dessert was berry cobbler with red velvet whoopie pie, mascarpone and maple bean white chocolate. “Our episode was filmed outside and it was freezing all day. If I could change one thing, it would be to wear warmer clothes so that I could concentrate more,” Daniel said. Daniel lost in the last round to California chef Joseph Johnson but said she would go on Chopped again. Justin Beckett Beckett’s Table and Southern Rail Judges: Jeff Mauro, Alex Guarnaschelli, Geoffrey Zakarian Basket Ingredients: Appetizer: roast beef sandwich, rainbow fingerling potatoes, fresh wasabi, chile con queso Entrée: turducken, broccoli rabe, pickleback shots, deep-fried mayo Dessert: ham and cheese lunch kit, soursop, salt and vinegar potato chips, ice cream sandwich cake Beckett was born in San Francisco, and attended California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. For his episode, Beckett prepared dishes such as a roast beef and tomato sandwich, with smashed and fried fingerling potatoes, and peanut butter mousse and fry bread sandwich with chocolate covered salt and vinegar chips. “I felt pressure to do well on the show and represent Arizona and our restaurants well. I knew that if I focused and cooked well I would be fine,” Beckett said. Beckett made it to the last round but was Chopped and finished second. “My friends and family felt that I was robbed and that I should have won,” said Beckett with a smile. “Everyone felt that I did well and did a great job representing the restaurants and culinary scene in Arizona. I would love to work with the Food Network again, though.” Rich Hinojosa CRUjiente Tacos Judges: Scott Conant, Alex Guarnaschelli, Marcus Samuelsson Basket Ingredients: Appetizer: chicken parmesan, kale salad, brown avocado, leftover lo mein Entrée: leftover steak, veggie platter, flat cola, half of a bánh mì Dessert: leftover ice cream, concord grapes, cold coffee, lemon chess pie Hinojosa grew up in San Antonio and has been a chef for over 20 years. For his episode, Hinojosa prepared lo mein noodles with a gochujang- dashi broth, poached chicken and shaved vegetables to start. For his entrée, he went with a grilled Ribeye with Ranchero sauce, spiced polenta and escabeche, before finishing the dessert round with coffee ice cream with tempura concord grapes, a guajillo-lemon custard, cayenne dusted pistachios and a cherry cream-coffee- madeira anglaise. “I was excited and anxious to start cooking. It’s a very surreal feeling to have watched the competition on TV, then be standing in that kitchen listing to Ted Allen say ‘chefs, please open your baskets’.” Hinojosa said. “There is a lot of pressure, I am highly competitive, I want to win everything all the time, so I put a lot of pressure on myself to win.” Hinojosa lost in the last round to New Hampshire Chef Evan Hennessey. “The life of a chef is a tough one, but is it extremely rewarding and has been wonderful for me,” Hinojosa said. Ashley Goddard Wrigley Mansion Judges: Scott Conant, Alex Guarnaschelli, Marcus Samuelsson Basket Ingredients: Appetizer: chicken parmesan, kale salad, brown avocado, leftover lo mein Entrée: leftover steak, veggie platter, flat cola, half of a bánh mì Dessert: leftover ice cream, concord grapes, cold coffee, lemon chess pie Goddard grew up in Battle Creek, Michigan. For her episode, Goddard started with a warm noodle salad with fried leftover lo mein, with sweet chili chicken parmesan on top with sesame oil brown avocado and shaved Brussel sprouts. She later fixed steak and potatoes with a cola sauce, cauliflower red potato mash and sautéed fresh arugula. “It was a surreal experience to say the least. Seeing my face on TV and knowing all those other people out there watching too; some that know you and a lot more that have no clue who you are,” Goddard said. She shared a stage with Hinojosa, who was on the same episode. Goddard was eliminated after the entrée round. “Being a chef is really a labor of love and dedication, and this was a huge moment for me,” Goddard said. Tandy Peterson Mowry & Cotton Judges: Angie Mar, Marc Murphy, Marcus Samuelsson Basket Ingredients: Appetizer: rack of wild boar, alligator jerky, burgundy truffle, bison grass vodka Entrée: antelope strip loin, elk heart, bear claws, dandelion greens Dessert: venison sausage, moose milk cocktail, honeycomb, black forest cake Tandy grew up in a small town of about 2,000 people called Pinedale, Wyoming and has been cooking since she was little. She started her professional career around 2010 and even held a position at Spain’s Asador Etxebarri, one of the top 10 restaurants in the world. Tandy’s dishes included a marinated Boar Chop with mole and alligator jerky with an apple salad, a bear claw dessert-turned crouton, and a whole- roasted antelope sirloin. “There is a certain amount of pressure in cooking on such a tight timeline. As chefs, we’re trained to ‘roll with the punches’ and make changes on the fly when necessary, but on Chopped , there’s no time to change up your game plan. Once you devise a plan, you have to stick to it, period,” Tandy said. Tandy advanced to the second round but was eventually Chopped and Noam Blitzer took home the prize. “I met some incredibly talented people throughout the process, many of whom I’m sure I’ll see again; I would definitely consider a return to the show,” Tandy said. CHOPPED CONTESTANT CHEFS HAPPY HOUR ALL WEEKEND DAILY LUNCH SPECIALS • BRUNCH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY Remodeled | Reimagined KITCHE N 56 .COM • 56th AND INDIAN SCHOOL PRIVATE PARTIES DOG-FRIENDLY PATIO ARTFUL FOOD WALK-IN, BIKE-IN DISCOUNTS