NC chef to be featured in upcoming episode of Food Network’s ‘Chopped’
A Charlotte chef will soon be in the national spotlight on one of Food Network’s hit television shows.
Jamisen Booker of The Asbury, a Southern restaurant in uptown, will be featured on “Chopped” as he competes in an episode of “Trash into Treasure” premiering on Tuesday.
“The Chopped competitors take on ingredients that would usually be thrown away in hopes of turning edible trash into culinary treasures,” the show’s synopsis states.
“In the appetizer round, all four chefs have zero reservations about the zero-waste theme, and they have big plans for the shrimp-centric basket. Then, a leftover dish and ignored vegetable tops create a culinary puzzle in the entrée round, and the two finalists make wise use of expired milk before time expires in the dessert round.”
Booker, the only North Carolina native that’ll be featured in the episode, says he was recruited by the Food Network team before filming the show in January.
‘I started flipping burgers at the age of 18’
Though this will be his first time dishing it out amongst other cooks in a reality TV competition, he’s been sharpening his cooking skills since he was a teenager.
“It was an experience in itself. I never thought I’d be, you know, that far,” he told CharlotteFive. “I come from, you know, very humble beginnings. I started flipping burgers at the age of 18 and that’s really where I started. I didn’t go to culinary school or anything of that nature, so it was surreal to me.”
Booker, who was born and raised in Charlotte, says he developed a love for food from his father.
“He was the main cook in the house and he always loved cooking. My dad actually wanted to be a chef ... and he didn’t get to live out his dreams— something I guess I picked up the mantle for,” he said.
“It was more of the fact of like, I loved what food did for people. Food for me is love, and how can you show somebody love than taking time out of your day to make sure that they’re taken care of and that they’re fed properly ... It can be a great meal and then you have a great day right there.”
Before joining the team at The Asbury inside The Dunhill Hotel, he also spent time working at Leah & Louise, Weathered Souls Brewing Co. and Barrister’s at The Esquire Hotel in Gastonia.
Only time will tell if Booker was able to rise above the rest to turn trash into treasure. You can tune in for yourself Tuesday, April 9 on Food Network at 8 p.m. EST.
