CHOPPED: August 9th appointment television not to be missed
By Francine Cohen

Just because you didn’t get a reservation for Chef Kelvin Fernandez’s Chopped Tasting Menu and Viewing Party tomorrow night but that doesn’t mean you can’t join in the fun and see this culinary whiz in action.

Vicariously…Catch him on The Food Network’s Chopped tomorrow night, August 9th, at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. Or set your DVR; this is a competition you’re not going to want to miss. (www.foodnetwork.com/chopped/my-way)

Within arm’s reach…get yourself to The Strand American Bistro at the Strand Hotel (www.thestrandnyc.com) and check out the on-the-plate moves of this young chef who started out his career at the age of 15 and, in roughly a decade has worked his way up to become an Executive Chef.

From his enrollment in a culinary class in Long Island City High school and then landing his first job working under Michelin star Chef Georges Masraff at the Waters Edge restaurant in Queens, New York, Fernandez has always been compelled to excel in the kitchen.

His dedication at school, and in Masraff’s restaurant, led him to get involved with C-CAP (Careers through Culinary Arts Program – a not-for-profit organization that promotes and provides foodserve career opportunities for disadvantaged youth through culinary arts education and employment. (www.ccapinc.org) and that involvement resulted in a $40,000 Scholarship to the Culinary Institute of America.

His CIA training provided a strong foundation that enabled him to succeed in such notable New York City kitchens as Aquavit (www.aquavit.org), Town, Gotham Bar and Grill (www.gothambarandgrill.com) and Café des Artistes. Fernandez notes, “Working under great chefs like Marcus Samulesson and Alfred Portale enabled me to develop the skills I needed to land a job as Executive Sous Chef at Café des Artistes at the young age of 21.”

Youthful passion breeds hard work and commitment for this chef who recently landed the role of Executive Chef. Fernandez says, “I’m excited to truly put my passion to work to create a great dining experience for each and everyone of our guest. And, I always will continue to find time to do charity events, cooking demos at my old high school, and encourage students how important education is.”

Delivering that education message may be just a little easier for this chef who recently presented a cooking demo at Macy’s (www.macys.com) and now will be seen by Food Network’s millions of viewers; even if he is chopped (we can’t reveal the outcome) the Chopped platform and exposure to input from host Ted Allen (www.tedallen.net) and the judges is invaluable.

Fernandez concludes, “Being on Chopped means letting the world see my passion for cooking and how dedicated and motivated I am to making all my dreams come true. I started here as Chef de Cuisine, and Now I’m the Executive Chef at the Strand.”