RAYTOWN, Mo. — A Kansas City-based barbecue chef finished in second place during a Food Network episode pitting chefs from four regions famous for barbecue against one another.
Stephanie Wilson represented Kansas City in Tuesday night’s episode of Chopped. The show begins with four contestants and three rounds. Contestants make an appetizer, entree and dessert in a certain amount of time using four mystery ingredients. After each round, judges eliminate one chef. The winner receives $50,000.
Wilson made it to the final, dessert, round with a chef from Memphis. Judges eliminated the Texan chef after the first round, and the chef from North Carolina after the entree round. Ultimately, judges picked the Memphis chef as the winner.
“It was fun. And if nothing else, I’ve made pretty tight friends that got to experience the same thing that I got,” Wilson said. “We all experienced it together so it was really super cool just because it’s one of those things. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of deal and so there’s a special bond there between the four of us.”
Wilson held a watch party Tuesday night at Crane Brewery in Raytown. She said there is a good deal of second-guessing that takes place when watching the episode.
“I watched the show, enjoy the show. You know you aren’t sure why you’re using that ingredient, why didn’t you get this. When you’re there, it is a whole other animal, baby. The clock doesn’t stop,” she said.
Wilson won an episode of Chopped earlier in the year which featured four Kansas City chefs competing against one another. She said it was an honor to represent Kansas City in Tuesday’s barbecue finale.
Wilson made her mark in the barbecue world by entering and winning competitions. She now sells her rubs and sauces under The Slabs brand. Click here for more information.
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