Before appearing on the Food Network reality chef competition show, Chopped, Chef Luca Annunziata, executive chef at Charlotte’s Forchetta, had to immerse himself in the show.
“To prepare, I watched a lot of past episodes and tried to formulate a strategy in my head of keeping the dishes rustic Italian – something that is true to my heritage and roots,” explained Annunziata.
“This really paid off in the second round of the competition when I opened the entrée basket and saw the sweetbreads. My father’s side of the family are all butchers, so when I saw the sweetbreads, I knew exactly what to do with them.”
Chopped, the long-time hit show on Food Network, pits chefs from diverse backgrounds against each other in a competition to create dishes using only a secret basket of ingredients. In the episode titled "Time and Turmoil,” Annunziata bested chefs from California, New York, and New Jersey.
As the winner of the show, Annunziata won the respect of his fellow chefs – and a prize of $10,000. He was happy with both parts of the prize.
“The ability to compete on a Food Network show and push myself in such an intense competition amongst other talented Chef’s was so exciting. Winning the $10,000 wasn’t too bad, either. I loved being able to take my family to Italy to meet Nonno, my dad.”
So, what does a national cooking competition winner cook for his family at home? Chef Luca is happy to do the dishes while his talented wife does the cooking.
I am lucky to have married an amazing cook, Jessica. At home we do a lot of traditional Italian cooking, but we also love grilling and enjoying the beautiful Charlotte weather.
However, in his kitchen at Forchetta, the Italian restaurant at The Holiday Inn Charlotte City Center, Chef Luca is the master behind the menu that includes his personal favorite dishes such as Polpo Affogato (braised baby octopus, cherry tomato sugo, and grilled garlic gocaccia), and Midollo Osseo (baked bone marrow, bacon marmalade, shaved parmesan, sautéed shallots, warm pickled beech mushrooms).
His guests’ favorite dishes run towards the more traditional Italian fare, such as Lasagna All’ Amatriciana, Fagottini, and of course, Calamari.
Chef Luca loves chicken thighs and legs, which is why he recommends the Scarpariello dish at Forchetta. The dish features seared Springer Mountain Farms roasted chicken with sausage, shishito peppers, caramelized onion, fingerling potatoes, and white wine rosemary sauce.
Forchetta’s dining room is currently closed, but the restaurant offers curbside and take away orders daily from 3:00 to 11:00 p.m. You can order via the Forchetta website forchettacharlotte.com or by texting forchetta to 33733. Use the code CHOPPED for 10% off your first order.
You can follow Forchetta on Instagram and Facebook. You can also follow Chef Luca on Instagram.
You can watch the full Chopped episode “Time and Turmoil” here.
