Four culinary heroes, who use their talents to do-good in their communities, arrive at the Chopped Kitchen to compete. In an impressive first round, the chefs pull from their varied skill sets to create four beautiful plates of food. Then in the entree round, something gamey and something fizzy make for an interesting mix of mystery ingredients. And when the final two chefs advance to the last round, they make desserts layered with sugary surprises. Which chef's final dish will complete the winning meal?
Rachael visits the gateway to the west to show us her top picks for St. Louis. She reveals the St. Louis original, toasted ravioli, at Cunetto House of Pasta. Then, she savors the mouthwatering fried chicken at Hodak's. After that, Rachael travels to Fitz's to watch the city's favorite root beer being bottled and, of course, enjoyed! And finally, Rachael ends her night high above the mighty Mississippi River at Top of the Riverfront, where the food is as good as the view!
This special episode dishes out real time trivia about Chef Robert Irvine and behind the scenes stories at the Coach Lamp Restaurant & Pub in Louisville, Ky. When Chef Robert arrives at the restaurant, he's baffled; the restaurant looks nice, the food tastes good and the owners are smart and knowledgeable. Robert has to sift through the puzzle pieces to discover why this restaurant is failing, and (over the owners' protests) come up with a completely outside-the-box plan to make the Coach Lamp shine.
Robert heads to Providence, R.I., to save Mainelli's, a former neighborhood-favorite Italian restaurant with bad service and an extensive menu of dishes the kitchen just can't get right. Upon discovering food safety issues, Robert closes down the restaurant until further notice. After attempting to teach the cooking staff basic techniques, Robert enlists design help for a much-needed interior renovation. With time ticking away, Robert needs to pull out all the stops to complete this mission and keep Mainelli's from closing for good.
Each Chef teaches their two recruits a complicated dessert. Then, to test their retention of the recipe, the recruits must teach the dish to someone who knows even less about cooking than they do: high school football players! The recruits will be judged on how well the football player's dish comes out. Then for their final Main Dish Challenge, each recruit must completely reinvent the terrible dish they cooked for the chefs on the very first day, using everything they've learned so far. The recruits cook in a private kitchen at Benoit restaurant, and in addition to the chefs, they each serve a surprise guest-a beloved family member. After tasting all the dishes, each Chef decides who will represent them in the final challenge, cooking for the food critics.
Pat and Gina put the remix on some of their favorites that turns a regular ole weeknight, into a wonderful one! Gina puts the Neely spin on her mom's Chicken Soup with Egg Noodles -it's sure to cure whatever you've got! Next up, they create a hearty Pecan Crusted Catfish Sandwich that packs flavor and crunch. Finally, your favorite cookie gets a makeover with Gina's Chocolate Cookie Surprise Sandwiches. And, what's good food, if it can't be shared? So, Spenser stops by to get her fill of this delicious fare.
This trip, Guy's visiting some families keeping it real in the kitchen. In Nashville, the husband/wife duo taking to the streets in their gourmet food truck with unique versions of the good ol' grilled cheese sammie. Around the corner in the Sylvan Park area of Nashville, a totally authentic Italian spot staying true to grandma's recipes with their namesake lasagna and lamb shanks. And in Kansas City, Mo., the sibling-owned Chinese joint sharing some of their family traditions with dishes like chili pepper wontons and firebird chicken.
Traveling back in time has never tasted so good! In this battle of the Chopped: Time Capsule series, the competing chefs have to cook with foods that were popular in the 1960s. A certain soda and some sweet meat are part of the appetizer basket, but the clock seems to be the most difficult aspect of the challenge. In the second round, a crazy casserole demands the chefs' attention, and in the dessert round, both chefs seem to have a clear plan, but will all of their ideas make it to the plate?
Marcela always includes her son in the kitchen, but today she's going out to teach other kids the importance of good food! At Olivewood Gardens, Marcela picks vegetables with the kids and prepares a healthy Bean, Cauliflower and Cheese Burrito that's sure get an A from the class. The base of these burritos are rich and lightly spiced Chorizo Refried Beans that kids will adore. Back in the kitchen, Marcella prepares simple and delicious Ground Beef Empanadas and Chicken Tostadas. Get the kids ready because they've got plenty of cooking to do!
The Kitchen hosts are sharing the local restaurants and food traditions they love. Jeff Mauro fires up an Old-World Chicago-Style Thin Crust Pizza. Alex Guarnaschelli shares one of her restaurant's special "family meals," Tomato and Coconut Chicken Over Spiced Rice Pilaf. Katie Lee Biegel remakes one of her favorite restaurant dishes: White Bean, Cherry Tomato and Sausage Orecchiette. Sunny Anderson channels a New Jersey favorite breakfast with Easy Raspberry and Strawberry Danishes, and Geoffrey Zakarian makes a Florida-Inspired Fried Fish Sandwich. Plus, they spotlight a local bakery doing good for the community!