Four new highly-skilled grill masters take over an outdoor Chopped Kitchen in California's Napa Valley. Baked beans and lamb belly are two must-use ingredients in the first round, and in the entree round, the grill masters are given a seafood-heavy basket that requires a great deal of work and creative thinking. The two chefs who move on to dessert run into trouble when one of the mystery ingredients shows a tendency to char quickly.
A mom, dad, son and aunt who work in the same restaurant meet in the Chopped Kitchen, where it's every chef for themselves. In the first round, one family member's grill pan gets taken over by two relatives. In the entree round, chicken breasts seem like an easy protein to work with, but how will the chefs fare with the other mystery ingredients? The final two family members make desserts using dried fruit and a very sweet cake.
Hup, two, three ... four chefs who have served in the Army or Navy bring military precision to the Chopped Kitchen! In the appetizer round, a freeze-dried surprise in the basket has the chefs scrambling to add much-needed flavor to their plates. A large loaf, getting a perfectly grilled chop and a tough candy make for a challenging second round. The last two military chefs go head-to-head in the dessert round, both badly wanting the win.
A priest, a nun-in-training, a rabbi, and a pastor compete in the Chopped Kitchen! In the first round, the judges are surprised to find out that one of the cooks has never worked with fish before, but salmon is in the basket. Fruit and wine are two of the mystery basket items that must make it to the faithful cooks' entree dishes, then the two finalists draw on their heritage to make yummy fig desserts.
In a Chopped first, two pairs of brothers compete to see which chef family prevails. In the first round, the competitors must come up with oodles of ideas for falooda noodles. In the entree down, the judges watch eagerly to see how the three plates of steak and cinnamon rolls will turn out. With family pride and bragging rights looming large, the last two chefs must make desserts from a Greek pudding and a Japanese candy.
Waylynn Lucas is an award-winning pastry chef who takes joy in marrying the nostalgia of classic sweets with modern and exciting flavor profiles and techniques. She currently owns and operates Fonuts, a new spin on the traditional coffee-and-doughnut shop. Her doughnuts are baked, not fried, and she also offers a selection of gluten-free and vegan products. She's also a judge on the Food Network series Cake Wars. In 2013 Lucas appeared on Bravo's Eat. Drink. Love., which showcased the lives of five successful businesswomen in Los Angeles all working and making their way in the predominantly male-run food industry. She was a permanent adviser on the first season of CNBC's Restaurant Startup, consulting with new entrepreneurs who wanted to start their own business within the food world. She continues to expand and grow her business, spreading into other realms of the restaurant and food industry: teaching kids to bake, planning on opening multiple new businesses in Los Angeles, and consulting with local restaurants to develop and expand their dessert menus.
The Kitchen Academy is back in session with Sunny Anderson's easy as 1-2-3 Pizza, banana bread recipes from Marcela Valladolid and Katie Lee, and tips on how to make kids' lunch box foods into crafts. Then, Geoffrey Zakarian teaches Jungle Book star Neel Sethi how to make Burrata Ravioli with Fresh Tomato Sauce, Parmigianino and Basil and Food Network's Justin Warner stops by with easy food science projects for your kids. Finally, comedian Carey Reilly shares "Lunch Box Cocktail" ideas using foods your children bring home from school.