WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) – Food competition shows always seem to be a winning recipe for viewers, leaving us craving more. Participants travel worldwide, competing in cooking competitions, and a Wisconsin native just took home the top prize on the Food Network show, “Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out.”
The show hosted by Brian Malarkey is a spin-off of the original “Cutthroat Kitchen,” which debuted in 2013, lasting for 15 seasons. In “Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out”, 4 chefs are each given $25,000 and have the chance to spend that money either helping themselves in the competition or sabotaging their competitors. Chefs have opportunities to tamper with others’ ingredients as well as destroy any useful utensils while preparing their dishes in the allotted time, while having to outsmart their competitors. Milwaukee Chef Adam Pawlak knew just the right combination to win the whole competition.
Andrew Pawlak is the owner and head chef of “Egg & Flour Pasta Bar” in the Milwaukee Bay Views neighborhood. The show was taped 9 months before its viewing date on July 1st, and it was hard for Pawlak not to spoil the exciting outcome as he waited for the episode to air. The Tuesday evening the episode aired, Andrew held a private watch party for friends and family at his restaurant.
Andrew started the episode off by telling the judges and other chefs, ” I am going to do anything I need to do in that kitchen to win that $25,000. I will backstab. I will spend money. It does not matter.” When the competition began, the challenge was to cook their dishes only using a microwave. They had options to bid for additional heat sources, and despite facing additional sabotage, Andrew said that using only the microwave to cook was one of the craziest experiences. His winning dish was a mixed berry and brown butter crepe, complete with hazelnut, peanut crumble, and a cinnamon cream.
He won the episode taking home $14,500 and said he would use some of the money to take his mom, who had recent knee surgery, on vacation or help her and a friend embark on a trip once she’s fully recovered.
Andrew Pawlak’s episode is available for streaming on HBO Max and Discovery +.
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