Jersey City’s own Franco Robazetti — executive chef at both Zeppelin Hall Biergarten and Surf City — is a Food Network Chopped champion.
The Venezuelan-born chef recently competed in Chopped’s Surf & Turf episode, which proved to be the perfect fit for Robazetti, who has won multiple awards for his steak and seafood plates while working at The Palm in Texas.
Robazetti’s competitors included Alexis Trolf, executive chef and owner of Lost & Found in Long Beach, New York; Sasha Grumman, a Los Angeles-based freelance chef; and Jason Daly, executive chef at Salt in Vinalhaven, Maine.
Like most Chopped competitions, ingredients ran the gamut from gooseneck barnacles to candied crabs.
For his appetizer, Robazetti made beer-battered fried barnacles with beer-sautéed Korean short ribs. For his second course, Robazetti prepared a lobster thermidor — a classic French dish with brandy and lobster — which was accompanied by a pan-seared châteaubriand.
“This is the dish I that I served for my father on his last Christmas,” says Robazetti during the episode. “He always told me, put your heart on it and you will do right.”
Finally for dessert, Robazetti made spicy crab beignets with chocolate abuelita and batido sauce.
Not too many people know you can use the skin of a passion fruit, says Robazetti, who made a traditional Venezuelan batido sauce using bananas foster and passion fruit.
It was that personal and South American touch that ultimately led Robazetti to win the heated competition.
“I’m a Chopped champion,” says Robazetti. “I did it! This is a dream come true, it’s unbelievable.”
The Surf & Turf episode can be seen online at Food Network’s website (you’ll need to sign into your cable provider to view it) or it will re-air on the Food Network June 7 at 9pm and June 8 at 12am.
(Photos: Zeppelin Hall)
