Mexican-American, Italian and Laotian families compete to prove their food is best and take the $10,000 prize home to their restaurant. In the first round, Valerie Bertinelli challenges them to make a spicy special without any of their usual spicy ingredients. Then the remaining two families have to create an upscale dinner that incorporates breakfast items and wows judges Clinton Kelly, Bricia Lopez and Jet Tila.
Willie helps first-time owner, Michael, fix his struggling Mexican restaurant, Taqueria Autentica, in Bloomfield, N.J. Opening just one year ago, Michael's restaurant has wrestled with novice mistakes, botched food orders and a young staff behaving inappropriately. Now, a wave of negative customer reviews is seriously threatening the restaurant's bottom line. If things don't change fast, the restaurant may have to close its doors for good.
Andrew Zimmern is in the sultry Southern city of Memphis, where the food truck scene has exploded. He sets his sights on international cuisine and finds Mexican street tacos with a Tennessee twist at El Mero. The owners married the food they grew up with and created offerings like Southern fried chicken tacos and braised brisket quesadillas. Andrew navigates a crowded food truck rally in Court Square to Soi Number 9, which serves Thai street food staples like spicy basil chicken and a variety of killer noodle bowls. Then he heads to an evening concert at the famed Levitt Shell, where the award-winning Stanley's Sweet Street Treats offers its famous soft-shell crab BLT. Finally, Andrew rewards one deserving culinary dreamer with a $10,000 tip and a Food Network seal of approval.