Meet the Chef Whose Southeast Asian Dishes Were No Match for Bobby Flay and His Team

Leah Cohen may be a familiar face on Food Network — dazzling audiences on popular shows, including Beat Bobby Flay, Guy's Grocery Games and Tournament of Champions — but she’s no stranger to rolling up her sleeves and sweating it out in the kitchen, dishing out acclaimed offerings in her New York City restaurant Pig & Khao. Leah is also the author of the cookbook Lemongrass & Lime: Southeast Asian Cooking at Home with Stephanie Banyas, Bobby Flay's longtime business assistant who also co-authored many of his own cookbooks.

In this episode of Bobby Flay’s The Line, Leah and her crew show who’s the boss when it comes to Southeast Asian fare in this spice-induced face-off. And with a $25,000 prize on the table, which Leah said she’d give to her team to split, the gloves were off in this battle.

Born to a Filipino mother and a Romanian-Jewish father, Leah worked her way up through kitchens, eventually earning her spot in top restaurants, working alongside the industry’s leading chefs. After achieving notoriety in New York’s famed Eleven Madison Park, Leah made a bold move to leave her position and tour the Philippines.

Longing to be closer to the flavors of her mother’s roots, she packed her bags with the goal of learning more about the region’s multifaceted cuisines and discovering new techniques to bring back home with her.

In 2012, Leah opened Pig & Khao in New York City's Lower West Side, an intimate 74-seat establishment that became a hit and garnered acclaim amongst critics and foodies alike. Leah would go on to open a second Pig & Khao location on the Upper West Side — which you can still visit today — plus Piggyback NYC, which offered Asian-inspired bar food.

Behind any successful restaurant, it takes a dedicated team of skilled and passionate cooks in the kitchen. Fortunately for Leah, she gets to share duties with her husband, Ben, whom she met on the line (literally!) at Pig & Khao. After spending over 100 hours a week at work together, their romance blossomed and the couple married in 2016.

“He’s kind of my rock, but also kind of like my punching bag,” joked Leah. “But he can prep his ass off; he can cook. He can fix the sink. He can do it all.”

“I’m like a fungus, I kind of, like, grow on you,” added Ben, as he reflects on 10 years of matrimony to Leah.

Also on the team are Leah and Ben’s trusted line wizards. Marissa, who was recently promoted to sous chef and is “killing it,” boasted Leah, plans to use the prize money to travel to Southeast Asia and learn more about the origin of the food she’s creating at Pig & Khao. And Matthew, who Leah described as the “heart of the team,” enters with his go-getter energy and team spirit.

With an impressive Home Team, consisting of Bobby Flay, Claudette Zepeda, Michael Jenkins and Antonia Lofaso, the Pig & Khao cohort was up against some stiff competition, yet the confident NYC crew didn’t seem worried in the least, with a menu consisting of fan favorites: Thai Mushroom Salad, Salmon Kinilaw Filipino Ceviche (pictured above), Khao Soi, Coconut Crab Curry, Lumpia Shanghai and Isaan Steak.

Meanwhile, Bobby’s talented team planned to offer a variety of exotic flavors with some spice mixed in: Fried Shrimp With Red Thai Curry, Pork Lumpia, Laksa Soup, Hainanese Chicken, Lemongrass Green Curry Mussels and Adobo-Glazed Pork Tenderloin.

While six dishes per team didn’t seem too difficult to handle for these seasoned pros, the competition quickly became nerve-racking when they found out they’d have to turn out each dish for 40 people with only 90 minutes to prep and plate, totaling 240 dishes in under two hours. The pressure was on.

From the start, Pig & Khao’s legendary Lumpia Shanghai was pitted against Antonia’s Pork Lumpia, and it became clear from the start which was favored. The challengers were off to a strong start. “I feel like our Lumpia has to be better, otherwise the Filipinos will come after me if she wins,” noted Leah. “I know our Lumpia will be better than Antonia’s,” added Ben, “and I don’t say that to be cocky, but Leah’s Lumpia is some of the best lumpia I’ve ever had.”

As each diner rated their dishes from one to five stars, Antonia saw her Lumpia quickly fall to a 3.4 compared to Pig & Khao’s 4.3. “I think I cursed it,” said a frustrated Antonia after hearing that one guest found hers to be a little greasy and thin. “This is like death by the other team’s Lumpia,” she remarked, realizing she was in over her head.

Dish after dish, the Home Team was getting hammered as guests gave low ratings to Claudette’s Hainanese Chicken, with one saying it “was really dry and it was drowning in the sauce,” while another said, “I gave it a two because I’m a softy, but it should have been a one.” Other guests found the sauce in Bobby’s Adobo-Glazed Pork Tenderloin to be a little too sweet, which landed him at 3, until he took the feedback and added more heat and acidity, which raised the rating to 3.5.

Pig & Khao also felt the stress as diners were displeased with Marissa’s Khao Soi — Thai-inspired curry noodles that are the restaurant’s most popular dish — complaining it needed more texture and flavor, and that it was a little watered down and bland. After adding more spice and thickening the soup, the score rose. “It’s making me feel very relieved and proud,” Marissa commented.

Bobby kicked up his game too with his Lemongrass Green Curry Mussels. “The spice levels are incredible,” noted one guest. “My entire mouth feels like fireworks. It’s definitely a 5 for me.”

“This is going to be a wild dance to the end here,” declared Bobby.

During the height of service, a surprise VIP guest walked in. Melissa Clark, acclaimed author and columnist for The New York Times, took a seat with her friend, while Laurence Kretchmer, Bobby’s longtime business partner of 35 years, who was the dining room’s host for the evening, headed back to the kitchen to fill in the teams of the news. Whichever team Melissa preferred would receive 10 extra stars.

Wanting to whip up something special, Michael personally made a Ginger Carrot Soup With Fried Shrimp, Shallots and Garlic. Although Melissa appreciated how the shrimp’s head was left on to eat, she explained that “the fried coating on the shrimp is a little soggy … the flavors are great, but I’m not so sure about the textures.”

Ben took the VIP reins and made Seared Scallops With Green Curry and Spring Vegetable Succotash. Melissa and her friend were quite impressed. “The green curry is so good,” declared Melissa. “They are not holding back on spice in that. I like it … I feel like I’m feeling it in my entire body. Like, I’m vibrating. Literally, I’m vibrating. And the scallop is perfectly cooked. That scallop is perfection.”

Melissa headed back to the kitchen to thank each team for their delicious offerings. In the end, however, she awarded Pig & Khao the extra 10 stars.

“That’s a punch to the gut,” commented Michael. “I think we’re in real trouble now…”