Tag: Amanda Freitag

5 questions with Amanda Freitag from “Chopped”

We have secured another interview with a judge from Food Network’s hit show, “Chopped.” Amanda Freitag, who is a frequent judge on the show, is one of the judges for the current round of “Chopped Champions,” which began last Tuesday. The show, which pits winners of the regular show from the past few seasons, continues tonight and the five-week event concludes September 28 with a finale of the previous four winners. Anyway, here is our chat with Amanda Freitag:

Premium Hollywood: So what did you notice about the level of skill from the chefs in the “Chopped Champions” round as opposed to just the show “Chopped?”

Amanda Freitag: I noticed that the food was much more complex and the flavors were at a higher level.

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The Next Iron Chef: how much can you gross us out?

Last night was the premiere of “The Next Iron Chef” on Food Network, the second such season that last year produced Cleveland’s Michael Symon and made fringe and now budding stars of Aron Sanchez and Chris Constantino. And just like last year, this season boasts ten very worth chefs. Here is the field:

Jehangir Mehta from New York City
Nate Appleman from San Francisco
Amanada Freitag from New York City (you may know her as an occasional judge on “Chopped”)
Seamus Mullen from New York City
Holly Smith from Seattle
Jose Garces from Philadelphia
Dominique Crenn from San Francisco
Roberto Trevino from San Juan
Eric Greenspan from Los Angeles
Brad Farmerie from New York City

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I have a question for the producers of Food Network’s “Chopped”….

And that is, do you instruct the judges to be so bitter and critical, or did you just choose judges that you thought would fit that bill? The show, in its second season, is becoming more unwatchable by the episode, and not because the tempo of the show creates pressure that occasionally causes a contestant to slice off a fingertip or serve raw poultry and fish bones. It’s because of those judges–the likes of Alex Guarnaschelli, Aaron Sanchez, Amanda Freitag, and Geoffrey Zakarian–who sit on their high horse and just rip these poor chefs to shreds.

If you haven’t seen the show, let me give you a brief synopsis. Host Ted Allen (who is the show’s lone bright spot) introduces four chefs, who are usually restaurant owners, head chefs, or seasoned sous chefs, who will go head-to-head in a competition of three rounds. Each round, they are given a basket of mystery ingredients–ingredients that usually do not go together, maybe like duck breast, avocado, maple syrup and passion fruit. They have to create an appetizer, main course and dessert–but after each round, one contestant is “chopped,” or eliminated, until the dessert round pits the two remaining chefs, who square off for a $10,000 prize.

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