Tour Club 3, the ‘Bobby’s Triple Threat’ Set

One of the most common questions we get at Food Network (well, besides what we do with all the leftovers, which is share them with the crew and local food pantries) is “Are those sets real?!” Yes, they’re real — and they’re spectacular.

“We call this place ‘Club 3’ because it’s Triple Threat,” Bobby Flay said during his tour of every corner of the chic space.

Let’s look deeper inside the lounge where Bobby (who is also the show's producer) and his three Titans — Ayesha Nurdjaja, Michael Voltaggio and Brooke Williamson — try to conquer the competition.

That gold-framed blue-and-white piece of art might look like a painting. Shh … it’s actually a secret door. The hinge is on the right, and the frame opens on the left side.

To kick off the action, Bobby looks through a disguised peephole in the center of the frame and asks the competitor for the password. “Today’s password is … I can’t tell you,” Bobby teased. You’ll just have to tune into the next episode to find out.

Just steps from both the Titans’ couch and the door where the competitor enters, you’ll find the bar where all of the above can grab a drink before getting down to business. This isn’t just any drink, though. It’s a custom spirit-free creation dreamed up by Ginn Choe, a renowned bartender who invents new drinks each episode, inspired by the challenging chef's signature cuisine.

Although Ginn’s backbar is decked out with dozens of bottles of different liqueurs, gin, vodka, tequila, whiskey, rum and more, the recipes she shakes or stirs to share with the chefs pre-competition don’t contain alcohol. That way, the cooks can keep all of their senses sharp. Throughout the course of long filming days, Ginn has been known to share sips with the crew and audience members. Plus, the Titans, the competing chef and Bobby reconvene after the final plates are judged for one final round, so we bet those bottles do get occasional use.

Besides behind the bar, you’ll often spot Ginn weaving her way throughout Club 3, delivering plates of food to the judge, keeping score on a pegboard and handing over the leather duffel full of $25,000 if the competing chef tops the Titans.

To ensure that it’s a fair food fight, the set includes the exact same kitchen duplicated on opposite sides of the Club. “It’s a real working kitchen,” Bobby confirmed. “There’s nothing fake about any of this.”

The challenger and the Titan each have access to a large gas range, an oven, a set of sharp knives, a wood cutting board, a sous vide, countertop fryers, a blowtorch and a salamander (a powerful broiler that emits strong radiant or infrared heat from the top to help melt or toast foods rapidly).

At the start of each cook, Bobby introduces two ingredients that the visiting chef must celebrate in two distinct dishes. Based on those foods, they can choose their Titan accordingly.

As soon as the one-on-one battle has been determined, the timer begins, and the chefs are able to run to the pantry to gather any additional gear and goodies they might need to bring their best bites to the table.

The appliance collection continues behind each station. The chefs are mere steps away from a mortar and pestle, culinary siphon (aka whipped cream dispenser), food processor, pressure cooker, deep freezer, vacuum sealer, stand mixer, strainers, steamers, mixing bowls, waffle irons, skewers, box graters and more.

Wait, can we have a home kitchen that’s this well-stocked — and that comes with its own professional mixologist?

Of course, none of that gear is applicable if there aren’t any ingredients to play with. As you might guess, there’s plenty of those to go around too.

Stepping inside what Bobby called the “marketplace,” the cooks can take their pick from the cornucopia of supplemental foods to accentuate their two key ingredients. Each episode, the crew restocks this space with fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, eggs, cheeses and other dairy products.

Behind the beautifully stocked marketplace is the Triple Threat culinary department, who work backstage to "prep all the things that go into the pantry, all the secret ingredients — they make sure we have every single thing we could possibly need."

The dry goods portion of the pantry is also robust, with a rainbow array of dried spices, a world tour of condiments, oils, vinegars, flours, grains, beans, spirits, nuts and seeds.

The refrigerator to the left of those spices is fully loaded with cured meats, stocks, olives, poultry, fish and seafood. Across the way, plates and bowls are neatly stacked to allow the cooks to turn their meals into masterpieces that hopefully blow away the celebrity judge.

For the first two rounds, Bobby calls the shots, determining the two ingredients the guest chef and the Titan must make the headliners of their well-balanced, creative and delicious recipes. Come Round 3, the challenger takes control. They’ve already narrowed down which Titan they’ll face, and now, they’re able to name the two ingredients that both chefs will need to champion.

After each round, the judge rates the chef and the Titan, with the final round being worth double points. Ginn tracks the action on this handy scoreboard to help jog our memories — and so we can be the first to know who comes out victorious.