SUSHISAMBA’s Chef Cara Thompson Wins Food Network’s Chopped

Cara Thompson, sous-chef of Miami Beach’s incredible SUSHISAMBA, has just won Chopped, the nerve-wracking cooking competition television show on the Food Network. On Tuesday’s episode titled “Redemption Intention,” the four final chefs had to choose mystery ingredients from a picnic basket – Thompson created Kuromitsu Chicken make with enoki mushroom, pickled sea cucumber and soy paper; pork terrine with Peruvian corn, siracha gel, smoked pineapple sea salt and chicharrones. She then finished it off with mamaye sorbet, peanut crumble, anise catupiry crema and sugared squash blossoms

Thompson’s culinary creations Tuesday won her Chopped’s prize: $10,000. This is also not the first time she has been on the cooking competition. Thompson along with the other contestants had all previously competed on the show but did not win. “Chopped brings an element to cooking that cannot be replicated in the kitchen of a restaurant,” said Thompson. “I really enjoyed Chopped, because it is exactly what you see on TV. We have no idea what is in the mystery basket, no idea who our competitors are going to be, or the judges. The judges get a lot of hate or love depending on the episode, but I can tell you that they are very fair — and very honest — and I appreciate that.”