Food Network
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Guy Fieri debuts a new cooking competition show on Wednesday night on Food Network, and a Valley celebrity chef is one of the first to enter Fieri’s new oft-referenced, fictitious Flavortown.
Angelo Sosa is a “Top Chef” alum and the mastermind behind the acclaimed restaurants Tia Carmen and Kembara at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa. He will compete on the premiere episode of “Flavortown Food Fight.”
The show, helmed by the gregarious Fieri and his son Hunter, welcomes three chefs to face off in “the tastiest town on earth.” Sosa will compete against Florida James Beard nominee Kayla Pfeiffer and Michigan Marine-turned-chef Trimell Hawkins.
The chefs are first tasked with a skills challenge. Then, the winning cook chooses which of Flavortown’s kitchens to work from for “real-world menu-based” cooking challenges, such as “Mexican Street Food,” according to a press release. Chefs then cook from Flavortown’s fictional restaurants, which range from roadside carts to fine dining establishments.
“For the first time in television history, we’re opening the gates of Flavortown and inviting some of America’s most talented chefs to showcase their skills in a never-ending list of off-the-hook restaurants that you’ll only find here,” Fieri said in the press release. “We’ve been building out this universe for years and I’m stoked to finally invite everybody in!”
How to watch Sosa compete
During each episode, chefs fight to earn their “paycheck,” but only one chef will take home a cash prize. The winner can bank up to $20,000 and will get the opportunity to defend their title against two new chefs the following week.
Valley diners will recognize Sosa as the restaurateur behind the signature spots inside the north Valley resort. Tia Carmen is a tribute to Sosa’s aunt and Southwestern flavors, while Kembara is his homage to Asian street food and time spent working on the continent.
The chef features prominently in a teaser for the inaugural episode, which is judged by chefs Maneet Chauhan and Graham Elliot. Sosa can be seen hurriedly plating slices of lamb that he finishes with a generous spoonful of pan drippings and butter. He rushes three plates up toward Fieri, who yells, “We are done with service.”
You’ll have to tune in to find out Sosa’s fate. The episode airs at 7 p.m. Wednesday night on Food Network and will stream the next day on discovery+ and HBO Max.
