Food Network Star

by Ian Jackman

  You were born and raised in Camden. There are some hard times there now.

  It’s been hard times since I was born. It has a cloud over it. I hope that me winning this competition is something to get other people in Camden to have hope. I think that what we lack in Camden is hope. We have good talent and we have great people but often the crime outweighs the good with people that don’t believe in themselves. Hopefully something will change.

  I started a foundation called Play to Win and dedicated my first cookbook to my son. He’s been getting a lot of help and prayer and I started this foundation to help people like him. It’s hopefully going to reach a lot of homes and people and it’s all about the kids.

  It still shocks me that I came out on top because the day I came into the competition was the day he ran away and so really during the competition and hearing people complain about their situations and I felt all their pain I really did and kept my mouth closed about my situation. My wife was at home with three kids and my son out there in the streets living homeless.

  Season FIVE

  Season Five finalists competed for his or her own series, an exclusive feature in Food Network Magazine, and a spot at the Food Network New York City Wine and Food Festival.

  “After Season Four we realized there were people who were really interesting personalities but they didn’t have a high enough level of technique to be in it for the long run. So we raised the culinary bar and started administering harder tests in the Food Network kitchens for the final twenty-five. If they make it in the food world and have cookbooks and products and appearances, they are going to be creating thousands of recipes in their lifetime, so they need to have a deep well of cooking knowledge.”

  —Bob Tuschman

  THE FINALISTS

  1. Jen Isham. Jen was a sales manager in a hotel. “I’m the modern housewife: Housewife version 2.0.” Jen said that she worked, then came home and cooked dinner for her husband, the most important person in her life.

  2. Jamika Pessoa. With a Jamaican dad and a Trinidadian mom, Jamika called herself a true Island girl. Her aim: to bring Caribbean cooking to the network.

  3. Katie Cavuto Boyle. Katie had watched the Food Network since she was a kid, and appearing on it had always been a dream for her. She worked as a dietician and personal chef, and her mantra was “Healthy, Healthy, Healthy.”

  4. Brett August. An executive sous-chef at a hotel restaurant, Brett described himself as full of energy and high-powered. “And when I get out in front of the cameras, it’s going to be even more.”

  5. Michael Proietti. “Food Network needs to pizzazz it up a bit, honey. I bring entertainment and fun and great food.” An executive chef at a hotel, Michael was living with his parents. He described his Point of View as “Global A Go-Go: from Bed Stuy to Bangkok, honey, we do it all.”

  6. Eddie Gilbert. Sous-chef Eddie said, “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail? For me the answer is ‘Being the next Food Network star.’ ” Eddie had stepped off the corporate route for a while. “You can’t really keep a tiger in its cage if it doesn’t want to be caged,” he said.

  7. Melissa d’Arabian. A stay-at-home mom, bringing up four girls, age three and under, Melissa described herself as the ultimate home cook—doing “home cooking at its best.” Melissa’s final Point of View: “Kitchen Survival Guide.”

  8. Teddy Folkman. Teddy, the executive chef at his own restaurant, said, “No matter what I set forth for myself, I succeed.” His style: Take dishes you find in a bar and bring them up to restaurant quality. His Point of View: “Gourmet Bar Food.”

  9. Debbie Lee. Debbie worked as a restaurant consultant. Her Point of View was southern cuisine kicked up with the spices and flavors of Korea: “Seoul to Soul.” “I think I’m going to win this competition by, number one, being myself.”

  10. Jeffrey Saad. Jeffrey had worked in restaurants from the age of thirteen to thirty-two. He owned a real estate firm and cooked at home, bringing the chile and the spice. His POV evolved into “Cooking Without Borders” and then “Ingredient Smuggler.”

  First Challenge: Sweet Sixteen

  Immediately, it was game on. The Selection Committee reminded the finalists what they were looking for. “We are inviting a new person to be part of our Food Network family,” said Susie. “Integrity really matters.” Then Bobby Flay set out the challenge: They would split into two teams and cater a party to celebrate the network’s sixteenth anniversary. The seventy-five guests would include a battery of stars: Ted Allen, Alton Brown, Anne Burrell, Giada De Laurentiis, Duff Goldman, “Big Daddy” Aaron McCargo, Jr., and Chef Morimoto.

  Brett took the lead on the Green Team with Teddy, Jamika, Jen, and Melissa. Debbie said she liked to lead and took on the Red Team: Eddie, Michael, Katie, and Jeffrey.

  “I think you are always putting yourself at risk when you choose to lead. Especially when it’s a cooking competition. I have no regrets and am glad I took the initiative first. It was a lot of fun!”

  —Debbie Lee

  Each team had twelve hundred dollars to shop with. At the register, Debbie and Michael were way over budget, so they removed bagloads of items. The ingredients weren’t there for Eddie’s beignets, so Debbie bought angel food cakes to make a dessert. Back at the kitchen, Jeffrey was missing the achiote, onions, and dried chiles for his Pepper-Grilled Zucchini. He also wondered if the angel food cake was going to cut it with the crowd they were cooking for. When Bobby Flay visited, he asked Jen if she thought her green bean dish was fancy enough. “You’ll see,” she said.

  On the Green Team, Brett organized with a lot of energy. Melissa was getting worried as she made trays of apple tarts. “I’m a home cook. I don’t make seventy-five tarts.”

  At the party held at chef Alex Guarnaschelli’s Butter restaurant, the finalists felt the heat of celebrity.

  “Cooking for the anniversary was great. I thought it would be my chance to shine! I wasn’t nervous at all.”

  —Brett August

  “It was very intimidating but more exciting than anything. Coming face-to-face with these food icons was one of the most memorable moments of my life.”

  —Teddy Folkman

  “It was my thirtieth birthday so, truthfully, my mind was elsewhere. I missed my girlfriend and my friends. I definitely wasn’t myself that day.”

  —Eddie Gilbert

  Alex Guarnaschelli asked Brett if he would have liked to serve his Butternut Squash Soup piping hot, and Brett said he would, but “We’re working with circumstances in the kitchen a little unique.”

  “I know,” said Alex. “I’m the chef here. Don’t talk smack about my kitchen.”

  Melissa’s tart, and her presentation, were favorites. Chef Morimoto said of Jen’s beans, “You can buy them round the corner at the grocery.” Duff said the mushrooms on Brett’s tenderloin were “like wet snails. . . . I felt like I was either in jail or in the army.”

  what is ACHIOTE?

  Achiote paste is used in Mexican cooking for flavor and color. It is derived from seeds of the achiote (or annatto) plant, which is a bright red and is used around the world to color cheese, smoked fish, and other foods. It has had hundreds of other uses, from sunscreen to war paint.

  Debbie, presenting the Red Team, said she wasn’t the normal Asian girl. She was raised southern. “My mom did not know how to make kimchee, and I don’t speak any Korean.” “She has a really great personality,” said Giada. But she didn’t take ownership of the dessert. When she saw Duff taste it, she said she should have thrown it into the garbage. “The cake was an embarrassment,” said Susie. “My daughter could have made that, and she’s three.”

  “Had I known that we wouldn’t have been penalized for not serving the dessert, I would have definitely forgone the angel cake debacle! I think it’s always better to serve nothing than a bad dish. Unless you have time to remake it!”

  —Debbie Lee

  In evaluation, Debbie was called out for saying
that her team came in under budget at the store (they hadn’t, at first) and that everyone had what they needed. Jeffrey said he missed his first-, second-, and third-choice ingredients. “I just want to emphasize,” said Bob, “character matters.” Debbie admitted she’d made the wrong decision about the cake and also won praise for her crab cake and for her storytelling. Jeffrey described his dish very well and won the challenge.

  Jen was the first to leave.

  GREEK SHRIMP SALAD

  Recipe courtesy Jen Isham

  Yield: 4 servings • Prep Time: 25 minutes • Cook Time: 5 minutes • Inactive Prep Time: 20 minutes • Ease of Preparation: easy

  16 large shrimp, shelled and deveined (about 12 ounces)

  1 small bunch oregano, leaves chopped (¼ cup), divided

  2 garlic cloves, chopped

  4 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil

  1 lemon, zested and juiced

  ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

  ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  1 (8-ounce) bag mixed greens

  1 pint grape tomatoes

  ½ red onion, sliced

  ½ cup pitted kalamata olives

  ½ cup crumbled feta cheese (2 ounces)

  1. In a medium-size bowl combine the shrimp, half the oregano, the garlic, and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Allow the shrimp to marinate, at room temperature, for up to 20 minutes. Remove from the marinade.

  2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a sauté pan and add the shrimp and the lemon zest. Season with the salt and pepper. Cook until the shrimp are just opaque, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a plate.

  3. In a large bowl, toss the mixed greens with 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the shrimp, tomatoes, onion, olives, and the remaining oregano and toss again. Serve on four individual plates, topped with the feta.

  Cooking for the Esquire Man

  In episode two, Bobby Flay and Ryan D’Agostino of Esquire challenged the chefs to make a sophisticated dish for the Esquire reader, who might be sipping a martini while grilling. “I can sleep at night knowing I’m not the Esquire man,” said Michael. Finalists received a hunk of meat with a sidekick: pistachios or whiskey, maple syrup or peanut butter. The winner’s recipe would be featured in the magazine.

  Michael’s presentation fell short, but his Coffee-Rubbed Pork Chops combined flavors well. Katie was almost apologetic for the healthiness of her Bran-Crusted Rack of Lamb, and the meat was too rare. Teddy (Rib Eye with Butternut Squash) was pumped up; and Brett’s dish (a Blue Cheese Burger with a Pickle) was coming from a place Bob described as “Planet Brett.”

  Eddie said his New York strip steak was “the perfect blend of fat and flavor for the sophisticated modern man.” “Using Brussels sprouts in a hash is a really innovative idea,” said Susie, and Ryan agreed—this was the winning dish: “The flavors are hearty, bold. This is something we could include.”

  “Winning the Esquire challenge was a huge thrill. I didn’t start off very strongly, so winning a challenge made me know I belonged in the competition. At the finale, Bob Tuschman told me it was his favorite dish of the whole competition, which was awesome to hear!

  “The hash was created one night with friends in college. We got back from a night of drinking, and we were all hungry. My friends always made me cook late night food and all we had in the fridge were Brussels sprouts, bacon, onions, mustard, beer, and a few steaks (it was a college fridge!). I went to school in the South and hash is such a staple of the regional cuisine but I wanted to put my own spin on it. Onions, mustard, and bacon are the key to making Brussels sprouts delicious!”

  —Eddie Gilbert

  GRILLED NEW YORK STRIP STEAK

  with Tennessee Drunken Braised Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Hash

  Recipe courtesy Eddie Gilbert

  Yield: 4 servings • Prep Time: 40 minutes • Cook Time: about 20 minutes • Inactive Prep Time: 10 minutes • Ease of Preparation: intermediate

  8 strips bacon, diced

  4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

  2 medium-size shallots, diced

  2 leeks, white and light green part only, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced into half circles, well cleaned

  4 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions, white part only

  2 pounds Brussels sprouts, outer peels removed, trimmed and chopped

  Kosher salt

  Freshly ground black pepper

  2 (11-ounce) bottles Jamaican lager, divided, plus more for serving

  1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

  2 New York strip steaks (about 16 ounces each)

  1. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  2. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.

  3. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and add to the pot, along with the shallots and leeks, and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the scallions and Brussels sprouts. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour in about 8 ounces of the lager, so that it covers half the hash mixture. Continue to cook, reducing until almost all the liquid is gone and the sprouts are tender, about 7 minutes. Stir in the mustard and bacon and remove from the heat.

  4. Smear about 1 tablespoon of the butter on each steak, then season with salt and pepper. Grill the steaks just to sear the outside, about 3 minutes per side, then place them on a baking sheet or in a pan large enough to fit. Brush with the rest of the lager and bake until they reach the desired doneness. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and let them rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

  5. Divide the hash among 4 plates. Cut each steak in half widthwise, and place one half on top of the hash. Serve with chilled glasses of lager.

  Good Housekeeping Holiday

  For the Main Challenge, at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute kitchen, Giada and Good Housekeeping editor-in-chief Rosemary Ellis wanted a holiday celebration dish. Eddie assigned the holidays. Some were easy: Mardi Gras for Debbie; Valentine’s Day for himself. On the other hand, Jeffrey was given Groundhog Day.

  “I remember thinking, ‘Groundhog Day!? This is going to be interesting.’ I can usually identify any holiday or event with a typical food, but Groundhog Day stumped me for sure!”

  —Jeffrey Saad

  Melissa, with Mother’s Day, made breakfast in bed: Oven Scrambled Eggs and Orange-Scented French Toast. Teddy and Brett offered to help her plate. “She’s great for cooking for her kids,” said Brett. “But she has no culinary background like we do.”

  “Melissa’s inexperience might eventually lead to her downfall,” said Teddy.

  Melissa was grateful for the assistance, but Jamika saw the guys giving her a hard time.

  “This is just aces,” said Bob of Melissa’s food. And Rosemary Ellis said approvingly, “The idea fell right out of Good Housekeeping.”

  Jamika took a risk by making two sides for her New Year’s Day dish but Bobby said it was “delicious. This is the kind of food I love to eat.”

  And Rosemary: “I’m southern. I hate collards but this is delicious.”

  Bob felt like a long-lost family member at Jamika’s New Year’s Day table. “To me it was the essence of a Food Network star.”

  New Year’s Day, said Jamika, is a time to be with family. In southern tradition, you eat certain foods to bring you good luck for the new year. “The spicier you make collard greens, that’s how spicy your sex life will be. . . . I got a little pepper for you, Bobby.” And the gold color of the corn bread symbolizes prosperity.

  “The first time I made collard greens was in culinary school. I was experimenting with different flavors, then added the corn bread for a magnificent blend of spicy and sweet. After an overwhelming response from my classmates, I began to perfect it to what it is now. I make collard greens for special family meals and holidays, especially for New Year’s, to bring good luck.”

  �
��Jamika Pessoa

  “I want food with flavor and I don’t want someone to get lucky feeding me something good. I want to know that the person who made this knew what they were doing and I can tell right away. It has depth and foundation and tells a story and is well seasoned and delicious. It doesn’t happen a lot but it did with Jamika’s dish.”

  —Bobby Flay

  SPICY SOUTHERN COLLARD GREENS

  with Sweet Maple Corn Bread

  Recipe courtesy Jamika Pessoa

  Yield: 6 to 8 servings • Prep Time: 10 minutes • Cook Time: about 1 hour 10 minutes • Ease of Preparation: easy

  2 tablespoons olive oil

  1- to 2-pound smoked salt pork, thickly sliced, or turkey wings

  1 onion, halved

  1 quart chicken broth

  1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

  1 teaspoon salt

  2 tablespoons white vinegar

  ½ teaspoon garlic powder