Chopped Next Gen line-up revealed – meet Tiana, Demetrius and co! Tue 25 May 2021 15:16 Celine Byford
William Harris Chopped: Next Gen is officially on Discovery+, where rising young chefs cook their way towards a $10,000 prize. Who is in the 2021 line-up?
Spread across five episodes, the kitchen will be led by producer and actress Liza Koshy, as she sets challenges to a group of Gen Z chefs.
The young chefs are taken through three rounds, to solve the algorithm of required, mystery basket ingredients – and the winner is granted the cash.
For the first time, they will be using cannabis within their ingredients, much like in the spin-off Chopped 420. Let’s meet the chefs taking part.
Sergei Simonov
Sergei Simonov is an executive sous chef based in San Diego, California.
He currently works at Herb & Wood, where he recently began working in his role since May 2021.
The chef has worked for the same restaurant, as a sous chef, since 2019.
Before that, Sergei was a sous chef at The Lark Santa Barbara, following his previous job as a kitchen manager at Chipotle Mexican Grill.
@mnmlstme and I are so proud of our young chef @snsimonov!
— Marina Joseph (@majoko) May 25, 2021
Martel Stone
From Philadelphia, and now based in Washington D.C, Martel is a chef.
The contestant is an executive chef at private club DC Gathers.
He describes himself as a “conversational deep diver, funky sock rocker, ice cream addict in his Instagram bio.
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Demetrius Stone
Demetrius will be representing Heritage, a pop-up food store focused on Caribbean, Afro Latin-American, African, and African-American cuisines.
The chef recently got married to his now-wife Jasmine, who he currently has a baby on the way with!
He is also an alumni of Johnson & Wales University, on Rhode Island, and says he has “chef status activated” in his Instagram bio.
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Elise Landry
Elise is an owner and chef at Chicory Restaurant in Olympia, Washington.
Born and raised in Kansas City, with an upbringing that celebrates her Cajun heritage, she pursued her lifelong dream of opening a restaurant.
Growing up around barbecues, jambalaya, and crawfish boils, she has developed a love for cooking, and now co-owns Chicory Restaurant.
Her husband Adam Wagner also owns the eatery.
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Tiana Gee
Tiana, or “Tee”, based in Los Angeles, is a private chef and caterer.
Describing herself as a “foodie” and “chef bae”, has been working in the restaurant industry for six years.
She also creates content for her YouTube channel Cookin With Tee.
The contestant is currently raising funds to continue making content for her channel, which she hopes to lead to future opportunities.
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Alisha Elenz
Alisha is an award-winning chef, who is often recognised for her work.
She was the Jean Banchet Rising Chef of the Year 19’, as well as the James Beard Finalist Rising Chef of the Year 19’.
The executive chef of MFK restaurant, in Chicago, joined the eatery as a part-time prep cook in 2015, before getting promoted.
She originally comes from the Chicago area, and has been working in the restaurant industry since 2011.
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Jesse Kuykendall
Jesse Kuykendall, or “Chef Kirk” represents Laredo on Chopped: Next Gen.
She found success in San Antonio, after working in several restaurants in the area, and even opening up her own businesses.
Born and raised in Laredo, she is now the executive chef of Hotel Havana, and the chef and owner of Milpa at the Yard food truck.
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WATCH CHOPPED: NEXT GEN ON DISCOVERY+ FROM TUESDAY MAY 25
