Warren's Saly G's Chef Wins $10K On Food Network's 'Chopped'

WARREN, NJ — Joseph Gramaglia of Saly G's Restaurant & Tavern in Warren competed and won $10,000 on Food Network's show Chopped.

Gramaglia's episode "Pickle Panic" aired at 9 p.m. on Tuesday where he competed against three other chefs to see who will be the last one standing.

"It was a great experience, a very stressful experience," said Gramaglia. "There is a lot of pressure. This is definitely the real deal, there is no phony stuff on that show. The baskets are real. There is no time prior to filming to come up with the dish. And the clock is real. When it stops, that's it. There is no time for breaks in between."

Gramaglia initially was supposed to film his episode in March, but that was postponed until October due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In the fall he was flown out to Tennessee and underwent multiple COVID-19 tests before filming.

"It was really hard, there is no real preparation for this show," said Gramaglia. "The only thing you can practice is timing since you don't know what they will give you."

Gramaglia has worked at his family-owned restaurant at 169 Washington Valley Road since they opened.

"When we first opened I worked in the front of the house and then took over the kitchen in 2013," said Gramaglia. "It was just in our blood, just in the family to cook. I have been cooking since I was young."

Gramaglia, whose cuisine focuses on Neapolitan Italian with an American Modern Flare, had some ideas of dishes he wanted to prepare, but those didn't pan out when he saw the ingredients.

The first basket includes some beer-battered seafood and a bizarre bouquet of pickles. The second basket has a stinky surprise inside and the final basket has salty and sweet elements in the dessert round.

"I had a vision of what I wanted to do with certain dishes but once I saw the ingredients it went right out the window," said Gramaglia.

Even though his planned dishes didn't come to fruition, Gramaglia said he still created dishes inspired by his Italian heritage.

"I stuck to my traditions, to what I was comfortable with," said Gramaglia. "I stuck to my roots. I knew if I did that it would get me far."

For more information on Saly G's visit salygsrestaurant.com, facebook.com/salygsrestaurant or instagram.com/salygsrestaurant.

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