Two New Mexico chefs compete on Food Network’s ‘Chopped’
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NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Two New Mexico chefs will soon star on the Food Network show “Chopped.” Each episode features a set of four chefs who compete and turn baskets of mystery ingredients into a three-course meal.
Anthony “Tony” Smith, the head chef of Sassella in Santa Fe, and Israel Rivera, head chef and owner of The Shop Breakfast and Lunch in Albuquerque, competed along with two other chefs on the “Chopped” episode titled “Southwestern Strength.”
“Competing on ‘Chopped’ was really fun. I mean, ‘Chopped’ is the gold standard of which all the other food competitions are based off of,” said Rivera.
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The chefs all traveled to New York to compete on the show in January. “It was an awesome experience. I’ve been watching Chopped since, God, maybe like 2008. Like I’d say, even before I knew I wanted to be a chef, it was just something I always watched. So it was really kind of surreal to be on the set and kind of just take it all in,” said Smith.
The two New Mexico chefs competed against chef Derek Christensen of Arizona and chef Ashley Brown of Colorado. The chefs were given the mystery ingredients of a “cactus product and a comfort food casserole” in the appetizer basket and a “spicy surprise” in the entrée round. Then, a “special flour” in the dessert basket, according to the episode description.
Both Smith and Rivera said they felt the pressure in the competition as they raced against each other and the clock to turn out dishes for judges Kelsey Barnard Clark, Eddie Jackson, and Chris Santos.
“It was honestly kind of a nerve-wracking experience. Like I said, I was the only one on the episode who wasn’t originally from the Southwest. Everyone else is from here, so I’m a transplant,” said Smith, who grew up on the east coast but has been involved in the Santa Fe culinary scene since moving to New Mexico in 2012.
“There is pressure and it’s just getting there is cool, and it’s fun. But it’s like anybody who’s a chef, and they have that competitive side to them, like nobody wants to lose. Nobody wants to go there just to get kicked out the first round,” said Rivera, a New Mexico native.
This was Smith’s and Rivera’s first time competing on “Chopped”; however, they are no strangers to the Food Network. The two chefs previously starred in episodes of “Beat Bobby Flay,” and Rivera also competed on “Supermarket Stakeout.”
The “Chopped” episode featuring Rivera and Smith will premiere on the Food Network on Tuesday, June 25 at 6 p.m. MT.
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