Marblehead Chef To Compete On Food Network's 'Chopped' Tournament

MARBLEHEAD, MA — Local foodies may notice a familiar face on the next episode of "Chopped" as The Landing of Marblehead's Alex Pineda competes for a chance to win $50,000 in Alton Brown's "Maniacal Baskets" contest.

Pineda is scheduled to appear in the fourth and final episode of the preliminary round in the contest where show host Alton Brown solicits social media contributions to come up with the "maniacal baskets" from which the competitors must make their dishes. (EDITOR'S NOTE: Pineda's episode did not air as scheduled on Tuesday night but will do so at a later date; now tentatively scheduled for July 13.)

The winners from each of the four preliminary restaurants go on to the finals for a chance to win $50,000.

According to the Food Network website, as part of the contest Brown "joins forces with his fans to come up with maniacal ingredients that are sure to have the competitors in disbelief."

"I can assure you these baskets are insane!" Pineda promised in a post on his Facebook page. "Let me know what you think after watching!"

The show airs at 9 p.m. on the Food Networks and can be streamed anytime on Discovery+.

Did you find this article useful? Invite a friend to subscribe to Patch.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)