Connecticut Chef Takes the Crown on Food Network’s ‘Chopped’
We have been following Xavier Santiago's story from the start of his run on Chopped and we are happy to tell you that he won.
Just as the Hartford Courant put it, the road to victory would not be easy. The ingredients Xavier and the other contestants had to work with were; kibbeh nayeh, umeboshi and dragon-fruit. He used all of this to make a beef gyro tartar and a tzatziki sauce with the lemon meringue.
That is how Chopped on the Food Network works. Contestants are given a mystery basket of ingredients, a time limit and may the best man/woman win. Xavier did just that and it's a proud day for the CT fine dining community.
You can enjoy Xavier's delicious food at two locations in Connecticut. He is the chef at both David Burke Prime at Foxwoods, Barcelona in West Hartford or Rooftop 120 in Glastonbury. We are not done with Xavier Santiago just yet as Ethan and I have plans to have him back on the show very soon to congratulate him.
When we had Xavier on the Ethan and Lou Show just the other day he was really cool and answered a question most people would run and hide from.