When Chef J.TG. Dunn got a call from the Food Network, he thought it was a joke.
“I thought I was being punked,” said Dunn, owner of Skratch Kitchen in Bradley Beach.
But it was no joke. A producer for “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” had dined at the Main Street restaurant and thought it would be a good fit for the long-running show hosted by Guy Fieri.
“They approached me; that was an honor in itself,” Dunn said. “Then I had to submit a bunch of recipes and was up against eight or 12 other restaurants, and out of that lot, they chose Skratch.”
The episode, “All Over the Plate,” airs at 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30.
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Skratch Kitchen is not the only local spot to earn an appearance on the show. Cavé Bistro in Avon was featured earlier this month in an episode titled “Fistful of Flavor,” and Seed to Sprout in Avon will appear in the Sept. 6 episode, “Grand Slam Sammy.”
In early May, Dunn said the network’s crew spent a full weekday shooting at Skratch, and Fieri visited the following Saturday.
“Guy is a nice guy. He’s funny, he’s very charismatic,” Dunn said. “His personality onscreen, that’s how he is off-screen.”
The featured dishes, which Fieri had a hand in choosing, Dunn said, are a Cajun clams appetizer with andouille sausage, cannellini beans and crostini, and his chicken Savoy, a dish of parmesan and oregano-crusted boneless chicken thighs with balsamic glaze and hot and sweet peppers.
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“The main reason why I was picked is because everything is made from scratch, and if it’s not made from scratch, it’s locally (sourced),” said Dunn, who makes half of his pasta, buys the rest from Semolina Pasta Shoppe in Red Bank, brings in fish from Point Pleasant Beach and uses produce from local farms.
“I try to keep it all within this area, that way I know everything is fresh,” he said.
When the episode airs, there won’t be time for a watch party, “being that it’s Friday night of Labor Day weekend,” Dunn said. “But the TV will be on in the kitchen.”
“Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” airs at 9 p.m. Fridays on Food Network.
Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to [email protected], follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to our Jersey Shore Eats newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Scratch Kitchen: ‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives’ visits Bradley Beach
