We chat with chef Stephen Coe who recently beat Bobby Flay on Chopped
If you are a Food Network fan, then you already know that shows like Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay can introduce us to some talented chefs, like Stephen Coe, a Chef who has in fact had the honor of beating Bobby Flay. And we had the privilege of speaking to Chef Coe about going against Chef Flay on Chopped: Beat Bobby Flay, what his guilty eat is, and what he has in the works for the future.
While Chef Stephen Coe is no stranger to the Food Network, his latest endeavor saw him beating out 15 other chefs in order to go head-to-head with Chef Bobby Flay. And once he won, Chef Flay was quick to say, “I don’t want a rematch.” If you watched the competition, then you totally understand where the chef is coming from, as it is clear that Chef Coe is a fierce competitor who knows how to handle a knife.
Chef Stephen Coe talks about his Food Network appearances and future plans
From the very beginning of our chat, Chef Coe makes it clear that his time on Chopped: Beat Bobby Flay was an amazing experience for him, as he went into things with what he calls a “different mindset.” According to the chef, “this one was different because the level of the playing field is stronger, so it’s almost like I had a different mindset, going into this one. I was dialed in, I was focused.”
While this is not the first time that Chef Stephen Coe has competed on the Food Network, as he pointed out, in the past he has “sabotaged myself.” And yet this time, it is clear that he went into this experience with a lot more focus, because it certainly does not seem like he sabotaged himself in any way (and that doesn’t even take into account the fact that he actually won the entire thing).
Beyond his time on the Food Network (there is definitely a possibility we will be seeing more of Chef Coe on shows like Chopped), the chef is also working on a project called Dangerous Eats, which is a unique concept that he explained as being a trip around the country to track down the perfect ingredients to create amazing dishes. Honestly, I will never be able to do justice to this project with my words, so we will have to wait until it comes to TV so we can watch this in action.
And it’s not just Dangerous Eats that we can be on the lookout for, as he is also working on a cookbook, and of course there is his work outside of competition which keeps him busy as well. (Seriously, this is not a chef who is just sitting around waiting for things to fall into his lap. Chef Coe is doing all the things!)
Obviously, when speaking to Chef Stephen Coe, there was no way we could get through an interview without asking one of the most important questions – what is his guilty eat? (We are called Guilty Eats after all.) And it turns out that the chef is a fan of, “buffalo tenders.” According to the chef, “I love buffalo wings. I was asked that the other day, like what would I do if I was stranded on an island? What is the one thing I would have to have and my answer is probably buffalo everything.”
And one of our final questions also revolved around his favorite ingredient to create a dish with, and perhaps unsurprisingly since he is a Massachusetts based chef, his answer revolved around seafood, specifically ingredients such as “lobster, because that’s my wheelhouse, scallops, and oysters. I have a lobster food truck, so it is definitely my thing.”
After speaking to Chef Stephen Coe, not only do we want lobster and oysters, along with some Buffalo tenders, but we also want his cookbook. Of course, we can’t wait to see him on our TV screens again, competing against other chefs and showing off the skills that have allowed him to Beat Bobby Flay!