One of the Shore’s own is the newest “Chopped” Champion.
Chef Meg LaManna, owner of Mugsy’s Mercantile in Point Pleasant Beach, cooked her way to a win on the March 25 episode of the Food Network show.
The cooking competition features four chefs competing for $10,000 by using baskets of mystery ingredients in three rounds: appetizer, entrée and dessert.
“I’m ready for the next big thing,” said LaManna, who runs a catering business as well as her market and restaurant, on the show. “Becoming a ‘Chopped’ champion would give me notoriety that no one could take away from me.
“Too many people are rooting for me,” she said. “I’m not going (anywhere).”
In the appetizer round, the chefs were tasked with cooking with Italian long hots, pancetta, peaches and a pandan latte. LaManna made a ricotta-stuffed peach and a radicchio salad with a pandan latte vinaigrette and crispy pancetta.
“It’s a great plate,” judge Maneet Chauhan said. “There’s something creamy, and spicy, and the pancetta … I think it’s beautifully done. The crunch really adds to the overall dish.”
In the next round, the mystery basket held branzino, pork blood, purple spinach, and ice cream sandwiches made with a crispy, buttery pastry called Kouign-amann.
LaManna made pan-seared branzino with sautéed mushrooms and purple spinach, beurre rouge (a red wine butter sauce) using the pork blood, and Kouign-amann breadcrumbs.
Despite a delay after nicking her finger with a knife, LaManna completed her dish in 30 minutes.
“Although you ran out of time on the plating, there was something about the simplicity of it that I thought was really beautiful,” judge Ayesha Nurdgjaja said. “Overall, I think that you — dealing with a cut and pork blood — … did a nice job.”
For dessert, the basket included rainbow bagels, longan fruit, pistachio cream, and puppy chow (cereal coated with peanut butter, chocolate and powdered sugar).
“I’m from Jersey,” LaManna said. “Bagels (are) a huge part of what we do in the state.”
She baked a longan fruit and blueberry galette with pistachio and Greek yogurt topping, and a crumble made from the bagels and puppy chow.
Chef Meg LaManna opened Mugsy’s Mercantile on Arnold Avenue in Point Pleasant Beach.
With only a few minutes left in the final round, her cut required another visit with the first aid team.
“The pressure’s immense. You just have to go through it and stick with it because giving up is not an option,” LaManna said. “All three rounds, it was struggle after struggle, obstacle after obstacle. But nothing can stop me. I’m going to take it home to Point Pleasant Beach.”
The judges liked the flavors of her galette filling, the crumble, and that she made pastry from scratch — and they preferred her dessert over New York City Chef Phil Hua-Pham’s rainbow bagel and puppy chow tart with mascarpone-pistachio cream and longan gel.
“It feels amazing,” said LaManna, who plans to use her winnings to expand her business. “I had to bleed for this win, and boy, was it worth it.”
Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to sgriesemer@gannettnj.com, follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to her weekly newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Chopped: Shore Chef Meg LaManna cooks up a win on Food Network
