It's the final four first-round battles as Guy Fieri welcomes culinary rockstar Chef Michael Voltaggio to face off against Chef Crista Luedtke, while New York newcomer Chef Dale Talde takes on battle-tested TOC all-star Karen Akunowicz. Then, Chef Carlos Anthony tries to continue his recent winning streak as he takes on three-time James Beard nominee Chef Shota Nakajima. In the final first round battle of the tournament, the East B qualifier winner will attempt to take down TOC Champion Chef Tiffani Faison.
In this first-of-its-kind Chopped tournament event, the competition goes west for a fierce five-part showdown, where the greatest griller of them all will walk away with $50,000. In the appetizer round, what will the first four grill masters make for the judges with cookies and yak steaks? A giant surprise awaits the competitors in the entree basket, as one chef must muster up the confidence to create a dish using an ingredient he has never prepared and another ingredient he cannot stand. Chocolate meets fruit in a desert dessert duel; will everything go peachy for the competitors?
Justin Warner is a self-taught chef, the winner of the eighth season of Food Network Star and the author of The Laws of Cooking: And How to Break Them (Flatiron Books, 2015). Warner was a waiter at Danny Meyer's acclaimed restaurant The Modern prior to starting his own career as a chef. He also served as chef/co-owner of Michelin-rated restaurant Do or Dine in Brooklyn. Justin continues to be a frequent guest on Food Network and hosts Foodie Call, an exclusive Web series on FoodNetwork.com.