Charlotte chef Chris Coleman: ‘Chopped’ champion

Editor’s note: This story has been updated, at bottom, after the episode aired.

“Whose dish is on the chopping block?”

If you’re a fan of Food Network’s “Chopped” show, then you’re familiar with the anxiety these words induce.

Local chef and Charlottean Chris Coleman felt the stress firsthand. He recently competed on the show — you can watch the episode when it premieres Nov. 26 at 9 p.m.

A member of the “Chopped” casting team reached out to Coleman’s PR team last winter at Stoke, the restaurant located inside the Charlotte Marriott City Center.

“I’ve been a huge fan of “Chopped” since day one, as it is a very food-focused show that puts chefs in challenging situations, so I was thrilled at the idea,” Coleman shares.

Coleman shared that the vetting process included several Skype interviews, an application with photos of food and an interview with the show’s producer.

“I’m not sure exactly why I was chosen, but just tried to be upbeat and enthusiastic during my interviews,” Coleman said. “That’s one thing the casting team coaches you on beforehand.”

The show’s premise involves a face-off among four chefs who prepare a three-course meal including an appetizer, entree and dessert. Each round features a mystery basket of unusual food items the chefs must include in their dishes. Judges then select a winner based on taste, creativity and presentation. The only chef who doesn’t get “chopped” takes home $10,000.

How did Coleman, an alum of the culinary program at Central Piedmont Community College, prepare for the intense competition?

“I watched a lot of ‘Chopped,’” Coleman said. “I also practiced a few times at Stoke the week before by having one of my cooks put together mystery baskets and setting a timer.”

Coleman shared that the best part of being on the show was meeting the other chef contestants.

“I’ve stayed in close contact with one of them in particular, as we have both started new ventures recently and are bouncing ideas and information back and forth. He’s definitely become a professional friend.”

The new venture Coleman mentions is The Goodyear House, a NoDa restaurant opening in December where he leads the food program. Diners can expect casual and approachable food with “cheffy touches.” But will Coleman’s experience on the show inspire a menu of unusual ingredients?

“I don’t actively seek out unusual ingredients, however I have found out from my partners that ingredients [I use] may sound foreign to the average diner,” Coleman states.

Crab and soya oil paste, fermented elements sourced from Asian and Hispanic markets, and byproducts of “normal” food like shrimp heads, pig feet and chicken skins are among the ingredients that come to his mind.

“If you think about the game of ‘Chopped’ and its unusual ingredients, the most successful contestants usually find a way to hide the ingredient so it isn’t the star, but mainly a supporting character,” Coleman said. “In the same way, we use some of these unusual or foreign-sounding ingredients to intensify and fortify dishes.”

Find out if he takes home the prize during the public viewing party at Salud Cerveceria (3306-C N. Davidson St.) from 8-10:30 p.m. Nov. 26.

Update

CHOPPED CHAMPION: Chris Coleman came out on top Tuesday night in a battle to highlight beef on “Chopped.”

In the appetizer round, Coleman cut the beef off rib bones to serve an Korean short rib-inspired polenta dish that didn’t turn out quite as creamy as he wanted.

For the entree, contestants were given a porterhouse steak, which he used to serve an African-inspired stew the judges praised, along with the strip steak portion of the cut and a gremolata topping.

Coleman’s dessert round featured a praline-enhanced cut of dry aged beef he paired with a polenta ice cream — but disaster struck. A cut on his knuckles held him up at the medic’s station in the final minute as the clock wound down. “I banged it against a kitchen shelf and my knuckle split ... now I use lotion every day to avoid those durn dry knuckles,” he posted on Facebook on Wednesday.

His competitor, New York chef Mac Moran, stepped in to save the day and finished plating for him.

After the show, Coleman told CharlotteFive, “It was so much fun, and thank you Charlotte for supporting me — and thank you to Mac Moran for saving my butt.”

Coleman posted on Facebook: “Mac Moran is a total class act and stand-up guy, let alone a talented Chef. He’s not on FB, so I can’t tag him here, but go follow him on the Gram. He actually left his post after filming this episode to take a job as the East Coast Culinary Director for a vegan restaurant group, and is doing so much amazing plant-based food. Cheers Chef! I owe you many, many thanks.”

— Heidi White Finley

This story was originally published November 26, 2019 at 5:45 AM.