Fort Worth chef’s fancy smoked dessert got her the win on Food Network’s ‘Chopped’
Cafe Modern chef Denise Shavandy won the Food Network show “Chopped” episode that aired Tuesday night, sealing her victory with a smoked-pineapple dessert.
Shavandy, in her fourth year as the chef at the cafe in the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, defeated chef Lance McWhorter of Culture ETX in Tyler to win an episode named “Smokin’ Skills.”
Cafe Modern, 3200 Darnell St., celebrated with a watch party.
“The dessert was definitely the winning dish,” Shavandy said Wednesday.
“I knew if I made it to the dessert round, I needed to be ready!”
She practiced crepes, shortbread and pound cake, just to be sure.
“As soon as I saw pineapple in my basket I knew it was going in the smoker,” she said.
A Modern cocktail featuring smoked pineapple juice was the inspiration, she said.
She’s considering doing a dinner with the “Chopped” dishes, she said.
Shavandy came to Fort Worth nearly 20 years ago, opening Pegasus, which was ranked the region’s No. 2 best restaurant behind Saint-Emilion (now Paris 7th).
She went on to Spice International Cuisine before taking a turn at Central Market.
With Shavandy, Cafe Modern’s brunch is ranked one of the top 100 in America by OpenTable.com.
Her Mediterranean and Asian cooking skills are a good match for Cafe Modern, where the menu has to serve a variety of international visitors.
Cafe Modern is open for lunch or brunch daily except Monday and for dinner Fridays; 817-840-2174, themodern.org/cafe.
This story was originally published February 5, 2020 at 5:09 PM.
