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Chopped for Charity 2023

Chopped for Charity 2023 was held on Friday, April 28, 2023.

Three amazing local chefs competed for the title of Top Chef! Each had 30 minutes to plan, prepare, and plate a beautiful and delicious main entree using pantry staples and a basket of mystery Ingredients. The resulting dishes were judged by three culinary professionals, an audience member judge, and the audience through donations!

Watch the full show below, hosted by the fabulous Joe Gatto, to learn who was crowned the Chopped for Charity Champion or read on!

Thank you to everyone who participated, attended, watched online, volunteered, and most importantly supported our mission to address hunger in our local community in ways that respect the dignity and diversity of those served.

And the Winner Is...

Chopped for Charity Chefs and Emcee — Chef Ben Elliott, Emcee Joe Gatto, Chef Kelcy Scolnik, and Chef Matt Kenah before the competition at Chopped for Charity 2023

The talented chefs were under pressure, with only 30 short minutes to plan, prepare, and plate an entrée-style meal for the judges using the staple ingredients and the contents of mystery baskets which included king oyster mushrooms, black garlic, fresh ricotta cheese, and sugar snap peas.

It was a tough decision for the judges with all the scores being very close. The judging panel included Andy Husbands, the author and pitmaster/owner of The Smoke Shop BBQ, commentator and Radio Boston host Tiziana Dearing, and Peter Malloy, Executive Chef at Nashawtuc Country Club. They were joined by Marc Herdegen, who won the fourth judging position in an auction prior to the start of the competition.

In the end, Chef Ben Elliot won the competition, impressing judges with his ability to fully cook chicken thighs using a small burner in a small amount of time, and creating braised chicken thighs in a black garlic & mushroom agrodolce sauce with fresh ricotta crostini topped with peas, lemon zest, pistachios, and mint. Chef Kelcy Scolnik won the audience voting with her black garlic ricotta gnocchi in roasted mushroom and basil brown butter sauce, and a spring pea salad with shallot mustard vinaigrette. Chef Matt Kenah busted out the creativity with a ricotta, chopped pea, black garlic, and ‘zatar spice donut in a yogurt sauce with peas and mint and a composed salad with roasted peas, shaved mushrooms, and chopped bacon, which he topped with toasted almonds in the “28 seconds” he had to spare. It was an amazing range of beautiful and tasty dishes which were all winners in our opinion!

Photo Gallery

Thanks to our fabulously talented photographer, Colin Valentine!
The photos are also available for viewing directly on the photographer’s website HERE.

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Thank You To Our Generous Sponsors

PLATINUM

The Gross Family

SILVER

BRONZE

Anonymous

Gloria and Charles Clough

Open Table Board of Directors

Open Table Investment Committee

SUSTAINER

Eric and Laurie Van Loon

Concord Lions Club

Honored Guests

Jill Block and Wade Rubinstein

Jill Block is a longtime volunteer and friend of Open Table. As a former President of the Board of Directors, she led the organization through the early days of the Covid pandemic and agreed to extend her term for one year during that turbulent time. Jill called on her deep experience in public health to work with the executive director and staff to craft policies to protect the health and safety of staff, volunteers, and guests while ensuring that Open Table never missed a day of food distribution.

Wade Rubinstein is a frequent volunteer at Open Table with Jill. In addition, he is deeply committed to serving communities within Open Table’s distribution area. As the Founder and President of The Bike Connector in Lowell, Wade designed solutions for high schoolers to access affordable transportation to school, work, and activities. Wade is leading The Bike Connector’s expansion to meet the transportation, recreation, and fitness needs in greater Lowell, supporting residents’ access to community resources, including food.

Debra Stark

1947-2022

Debra’s Natural Gourmet

At age 42, Deborah Stark (1947-2022) took a giant leap of faith and opened a health food store in Concord. Through sheer force of will, charisma, vision, and love, she built a destination, community, and business that was named Health Food Store of the Year nationally. Debra was a strong supporter of Open Table through generous donations of food—which Debra’s Natural Gourmet continues today—as well as a commitment to promote the organization’s efforts. For Debra Stark, it was always about community. And of course, good food.

Thank You To the Chopped for Charity Team

Chopped for Charity Chairs Norma Frye and Jonathan Magasanik

Committee Chairs

Norma Frye
Jonathan Magasanik

Planning Committee

Patsy Coffin
Christine Evans
Alannah Gustavson
Jessica Kirkwood
Renee Magasanik
Meredith Powell
Betsy Scheffel
Eric Schoen
Elizabeth Stasior

And special thanks to our wonderful volunteers for helping make this evening possible!

And Thank You To Our Donors and Supporters

Pitmaster, Owner, and Author
The Smoke Shop BBQ

Andy Husbands is the award-winning chef, author and Pitmaster behind the Smoke Shop BBQ, Boston’s acclaimed barbecue restaurants, and four-time winner of Boston Magazine’s “Best Barbecue” in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022, as well as The Improper Bostonian’s “Boston’s Best” Award for “Best Barbecue.” Currently with five locations in Cambridge’s Kendall Square & Harvard Square, Boston’s Seaport District, Somerville’s Assembly Row, and most recently Hub Hall at TD Garden. With a career spanning over 35 years in the restaurant industry, Husbands serves as one of the city’s most celebrated culinary leaders and a foremost authority on regional Barbecue and live-fire cooking in New England.

A long-time passion project for Husbands, the Smoke Shop is a culmination of his nearly two decades on the competitive barbecue circuit, showcasing his modern approach to slow-cooked, competition-style barbecue, which Husbands dubs as “City ‘Q”. Husbands is the co-founder of internationally recognized team, IQUE BBQ, which became the first Non-Southern BBQ Team to win the Grand Champion title at the Jack Daniel’s 2009 World Championship Invitational Barbecue in Tennessee. Husbands is also the co-author of six coveted cookbooks, including The Smoke Shop’s Backyard BBQ: How to Eat, Drink, and Party like a Pitmaster, Wicked Good Burgers, Wicked Good Barbecue, Grill to Perfection, The Fearless Chef, and Pitmaster: Recipes, Techniques & Barbecue Wisdom, awarded “Book of the Year” by National Barbecue News in 2017.

Deeply rooted in the community, Husbands passionately drives awareness for No Kid Hungry, the nation’s leading childhood hunger relief organization, serving as honorary chair of its annual Taste of the Nation fundraiser. He is also a Vice President of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, for which he was honored as MRA’s Chef of the Year in 2014, as well as works closely with the Rodman Celebration For Kids and avid volunteer at local women’s shelter, Rosie’s Place.