2 weeks Ago
GREENVILLE — Austyn McGroarty's interest in "Chopped" started as a run-of-the-mill conversation with a co-worker, just a way to pass the time. Now, it’s real. McGroarty, a founder of West Greenville's Woodside Bistro and former chef at Curean , appeared on the 61st and newest season of the Food Network television show “ Chopped ” on Jan.
14. In this inaugural “ Name Your Price ” series, every contestant receives three pre-selected ingredients and the chance to bid in a live auction on a fourth ingredient. Then, they have 20 to 30 minutes to craft a fully cooked, beautifully decorated, complex meal — from scratch.
This auction series was described by host Ted Allen in the episode as “different than anything we’ve done here before.” “It was a lot,” McGroarty said. “That's why I say it was a blur.
I will be re-remembering things when I watch.” McGroarty is the most recent Greenville native to appear on Food Network, following another West Greenville chef and owner, Dayna Lee of Comal 864 , who went on “Beat Bobby Flay” in 2024. Although McGroarty always dreamed of being on food TV, he didn't have an elaborate plan to get on "Chopped.
" The one-off conversation with his colleague on a random day sparked his interest. That same night, he searched Google for how to join the long-running reality TV cooking competition. He found a website for JS Casting and the process was startlingly simple: He just had fill out a form.
“I didn't assume it was going to be that easy,” he said. Days later, he got a message from the producers. He did interviews, passed a background check, had his social media checked and signed a non-disclosure agreement.
By October, he was accepted. After arriving in New York City, he filmed b-roll and confessional-style interviews. Then came the big day.
The show picked him up in a van and drove him to a warehouse to meet the judges and other contestants. By this point, McGroarty’s nerves were boiling. He thought he had made a mistake.
“I was in my head with the fact that this is going to be edited, and I want to, hopefully, make myself not look like an idiot,” he said. “That was the biggest thing. I'm like, 'Oh, this is going to not be seen by just my buddies at home, but Sharon in San Francisco and Bob in Florida.
'” By then, though, McGroarty was all in. He was on set with the famed “Chopped” host Allen — and there was no turning back as the three-round competition began. In the first round, he opened up his surprise basket to find onigiri, chicory and aged balsamic vinegar.
Next, he had to bid on red shrimp, wagyu beef tenderloin, barbecue beef intestines or natto. The 20-minute timer began and, boom, he had to make a meal. Each round, one of the contestants was cut.
He had never cooked with some of the ingredients before, learning on the fly throughout the competition as he dueled with three other chefs, including James Beard-nominated Singaporean cook, Emily Lim of San Francisco. “They gave me certain ingredients that maybe I haven't even eaten or I haven't cooked with before,” he said. “(They) are just popping up in my face, and I got to figure out — how are we going to pull this together?” Cory Byers , a chef at the Farehouse in Taylors, wasn’t surprised to see his friend competing on a national cooking show.
“We have to do that in our world anyway," he said. "There is no slow ticket times.” Months later, McGroarty doesn’t remember very much from the 42-minute episode.
It was that intense. “I was completely mentally and physically exhausted,” he said after it ended. “I was to the point where I really just was barely getting through the final interviews.
Literally just shut down.” Since then, McGroarty has stepped away from the restaurant business to open up his own catering company and raise his kids. After he finished filming, he vowed that he would never return to reality TV again.
But his tone has changed. He’s learned the ropes, and he knows what to do now. “I would definitely do it again,” he said.
To watch McGroarty, stream the episode on Amazon ..
