Who Won Season 19 of ‘The Great Food Truck Race’? Inside the Finale

On the record-breaking Season 19 finale of The Great Food Truck Race, Hele Rolls and Stuph’d first faced off outside the iconic Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, for a sales competition worthy of the city fittingly known as the City of Champions.

In seasons past, one team would walk away with the title of Great Food Truck Champion and $50,000 based on the final challenge sales totals. This time, however, sales wouldn’t be the deciding factor. Instead, the winner of the sales challenge would earn an advantage heading into the final round. After all, taste is what really matters, and one final cook-off would determine who took home the Season 19 crown.

Walking away $50,000 richer and earning the title of Season 19 Great Food Truck Champion, Stuph’d celebrated a true family victory, as the New Orleans-based team is made up of Duana, her daughter Dionne and Dionne’s father, Sherman.

After taking some time to let the moment sink in, Duana summed up how she was feeling: “I was in a moment of complete bliss, shock. I was speechless. I was speechless.”

But how did we get here? Keep reading to see how things went down in the Season 19 finale.

Thanks to their Pole Position finish at the end of the Top 3 competition, host Tyler Florence gave Hele Rolls a sweetheart of a gift, allowing them to keep their truck open for a full hour after Stuph’d finished the sales challenge.

And if that extra hour wasn’t enough, Team Hele Rolls had already finished prepping and was selling while Stuph’d was still getting set up. The burners weren’t ready, the menu wasn’t complete, the shrimp wasn’t finished and the orders were coming in fast and furious.

With the menu now settled, Stuph’d was ready to start mounting their comeback, armed with a lethal lineup of savory and sweet beignets:

• Creole Crawfish Beignet
• Grilled Shrimp Beignet
• Kentucky Hot Brown Beignet
• Traditional Beignet
• Cheesecake Beignet
• Big Easy Flight (with add-ons)
• New Item: Sweet Potato Pie Beignet

The new addition to the menu for the finale was the Sweet Potato Pie Beignet, a personal favorite of founder and head chef Duana.

And just as the teams were settling into their groove, Stuph’d and Hele Rolls were dealt a right hand out of nowhere. Right down the street at the Muhammad Ali Center, where another Louisville legend is celebrated, both teams had to channel their inner boxer and deliver a dish that really packed a punch for a chance to add $300 to their daily sales total.

Tyler gave them four fiery ingredients to choose from: wasabi, horseradish, kimchi and the habanero chili pepper.

Stuph’d chose the habanero and created the “Habanero 911” beignet.

“We’re called Stuph’d," Duana said. "Here’s the opportunity to stuff the peppers. So basically, I’m doing like a habanero popper with shrimp sauce drizzled on top.”

For Stuph’d’s “Habanero 911” beignet, Duana left a few seeds in for extra heat and stuffed the habanero pepper with shrimp, turkey, grilled onions, peppers and shredded cheese, then drizzled house-made shrimp sauce on top.

The Habanero 911 beignet packed a serious punch, earning Stuph’d another $300 for their till and moving them one step closer to the $50,000 grand prize with a win in the “Pack a Punch” Taste Challenge.

After tasting Stuph’d’s Habanero 911 beignet, host Tyler Florence had this to say: “Oh my God, it’s hot. It’s hot. It’s packing a punch. Do you see this tear on my face? But this is great, man. Oh my God, it’s a delicious flavor profile. It’s a shrimp dish, turkey dish, everything. The flavor is really nice. I love the shrimp sauce on top, it’s really good. I’m so glad you guys are here in the finale. You deserve to be here.”

But would it be enough to outsell Hele Rolls and take a five-vote lead into the final challenge?

Unfortunately for Stuph’d, even with the $300 Taste Challenge win added to their till, their $2,930 sales total still left them more than $600 behind Hele Rolls and now down five votes heading into the final showdown.

Welcome to the legendary Churchill Downs racetrack, best known as the iconic home of the Kentucky Derby, the longest continually held sporting event in America.

But for this final challenge, Churchill Downs played host to another exciting competition: the Season 19 final taste challenge that ultimately determined the season’s winner.

For the final challenge, a very special guest judge was brought in with five votes that could make a major difference in the outcome: renowned Southern comfort food chef, cookbook author and Food Network Star winner Damaris Phillips.

One $50,000 dish. That’s the order both teams were tasked with filling for the final taste challenge. With 500 locals coming to taste the dishes and cast their votes, plus five votes each from Damaris and Tyler, one team was just a few hours away from being crowned champion.

Stuph’d decided to create an all-new dish, the Creole Queen, inspired by the flavors of New Orleans.

After winning over both Tyler and guest judge Damaris Phillips, Stuph’d earned 10 votes and took their first lead of the afternoon. All that stood between them and the $50,000 grand prize were the remaining 500 ballots.

With the final tally decided by just 19 votes, Stuph’d Beignets & Burgers was crowned the winner. Tears of joy rolled down Duana’s face as she embraced her daughter, Dionne, and Dionne’s father, Sherman.

“I don't have any formal training," Duana said. "I didn't go to school for this. I just happened to grow up with women who cooked and loved to cook. My grandmother cooked, my mother cooked, my aunts cooked. Never in a million years did I think that people would be eating and enjoying the food that I've been cooking for my family for years.”