Devon Chef Wins On Food Network's 'Chopped'

DEVON, PA — A local chef has some serious bragging rights, as she recently won on one of the most popular cooking competition shows in the nation.

Kristina Wisnewski, executive chef at Amis in Devon, was crowned the "Chopped" champion in her appearance on the long-running and continuously popular Food Network program.

Wisnewksi competed against Nicole Palazzolo of Malden, Massachussetts; Tarun Kapoor of Las Vegas, Nevada; and Patrick Carter of New Albany, Indiana.

Palazzolo was eliminated in the first round of appetizers, Kapoor in the second round of entrees, and Carted in the final round of desserts, making Wisnewski the champ.

"Chopped" tasks chefs with creating dishes for a three-course meal using specific ingredients. Those dishes are then judged by a panel of chefs.

For the appetizer round, chefs had to use scallions, water chestnuts, wonton wrappers, hot dog éclairs. Entrees required pheasant, green tomatoes, tepache liqueur, trash can nachos. And lastly, the desserts featured moon grapes, apricot paste, bagel chips, pickle cupcakes.

Wisneewksi and her competitors were judged by chefs Geoffrey Zakarian, Maneet Chauhan, and Chris Santos.

It was her dishes of steamed wonton with radicchio, cilantro, and scallion salad; seared pheasant with green tomato salsa verde; and port wine and moon drop grape mousse with an apricot and mint sauce.

Wisnewski graduated from Pennsylvania College of Technology in 2013 and began her culinary career at Savona in Gulph Mills.

She later joined the Zavino Hospitality Group, where she was named Executive Chef of the group’s Enoteca Tredici in Bryn Mawr before taking on her current position.

Wisnewski joined the Amis team in August 2018.

Image via Shutterstock