Scarpetta's Scott Conant Takes the New Times' Chopped Challenge

Scott Conant is a celebrity chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author but he's best known for his judging role on Food Network's hit series, Chopped. The culinary competition show challenges four chefs to cook a cohesive and delicious meal incorporating three to five mystery items. The chef was in Miami Beach...

By Laine Doss

June 27, 2016

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Scott Conant is a celebrity chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author but he's best known for his judging role on Food Network's hit series, Chopped. The culinary competition show challenges four chefs to cook a cohesive and delicious meal incorporating three to five mystery items.

The chef was in Miami Beach to introduce some new summer additions to his menu at Scarpetta at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach and invited New Times into the kitchen for a chat.

This was the perfect opportunity to have a little fun, so we decided to surprise Conant with our own Chopped challenge.

We filled a mystery basket with a trio of Miami-centric items and presented them to the chef: Café Bustelo, guava paste, and a ripe mango. Conant seriously had no idea what was in the basket until he opened it up.

Once in the kitchen, Conant got down to business. The chef rolled up his sleeves and went to work. As his Scarpetta chefs filmed their boss working away, Conant prepared a chateaubriand with Café Bustello and five-spice rub served with a guava and bone marrow sauce, and potato mango latkes with horseradish.

Does Conant get "chopped" or does his meal work? Watch the video to find out!

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Laine Doss is the former food editor of Miami New Times. She has been featured on Cooking Channel's Eat Street and Food Network's Great Food Truck Race. She won an Alternative Weekly award for her feature about what it's like to wait tables.

Contact: Laine Doss

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