New Jersey chef Bruno Pascale, of Marley's Gotham Grill and the Shaker Cafe, took home the grand prize of $10,000 on Food Network's newest show "Cooks vs. Cons."
FLEMINGTON -- Facing off against a professional chef and two home cooks, Bruno Pascale, owner of Marley's Gotham Grill and the Shaker Cafe, took home the grand prize of $10,000 on Food Network's newest show "Cooks vs. Cons."
In the secret-ingredient cook-off show, hosted by Iron Chef and restaurateur Geoffrey Zakarian, judges try to discern which of the competing chefs are professionals and which are amateurs or "cons."
Pascale said his knife skills and simple addition of salt to pasta water ousted him as a trained chef to judges Daphne Oz of "The Chew" and chef Graham Elliot, but the competition itself was all about what dish tasted the best.
Two of these contestants are home cooks posing as pros. Find out who on a new #CooksVsCons at 9|8c. pic.twitter.com/mL1t0vqqIN
-- Food Network (@FoodNetwork) April 15, 2016
"The first round was a pasta dish, and I made a pappardelle pasta with a corn pesto. The corn was the mystery ingredient," Pascale said. "The second round you had to use candy, and I made a scallops brulee with a blood orange gastrique with a candy necklace with shaved licorice over it like Parmesan."
Ultimately the judges chose Pascale as the winner, earning him a grand prize of $10,000 which he plans to put toward his 4-year-old daughter's education and a family vacation.
"The competition was one of the best experiences of my life. It was on my bucket list to be on Food Network, and I worked hard to get there," he said mentioning the show's long audition process.
The episode will repeat on Sunday, May 15, at 11 p.m.
Pascale is known for his massive wings in more than 100 flavors that NJ.com named one of the 50 food items in N.J. to eat before you die. The full menu of wings can be found at Marley's Gotham Grill in Hackettstown, and after acquiring Flemington's Shaker Cafe in 2015, Pascale brought some of the most popular wing varieties to the menu.
Emily Cummins may be reached at ecummins@njadvancemedia.com Follow her on Twitter @EmilyACummins and Facebook.