Clear Path for Veterans’ Culinary Director Adam Coleman will compete against three chefs representing non-profit organizations when Food Network’s Chopped airs its special “Turkey Day Heroes” episode.
According to Food Network’s website: Chopped pits four chefs in competition before a panel of expert judges. The chefs are each given a basket of mystery ingredients to prepare into an extraordinary three-course meal. Course by course, the chefs are “chopped” from the competition until the winner remains.
During the Turkey Day Heroes episode, the chefs are given bread and orange sauce as key ingredients during the appetizer round. The entrée round features turkey, but the chefs “face an epic cake which defies description and is more than meets the eye!” according to the website.
Coleman, who is a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, studied at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts and Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, both in Austin, Texas.
Clear Path for Veterans, located in Chittenango, is Upstate New York’s Veteran Resource Center serving as a hub of information, programs and resources.
He said the experience of competing on Chopped was one he will never forget.
“Being able to represent Clear Path on such a huge national stage was the opportunity of a lifetime. The competition was intense; I’m hoping it results in support nationwide of our cause, and it inspires other veterans to get involved in their community,” Coleman said.
The four chefs each represented non-profit organizations, and Coleman is hopeful that some of the information he shared about Clear Path will make the final airing of the episode.
“Chef Adam is a great brand ambassador for Clear Path and he is a testament to what Clear Path offers our Veterans,” said Clear Path’s Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Melissa Spicer.
“I don’t think Adam would mind me sharing that when he came here he had been searching for a clear path to follow. He probably thought the chef training program he came to run would only last a month or two. But he came up on his first day — just him and his dog — and he has never looked back, becoming an integral part of our culinary success. You don’t serve a weekly Canteen to more than 7,000 veterans and their family without a talented and dedicated chef like Adam.”
While Coleman did not get to make his signature dish for the TV show, he is proud of what he was able to put together given the time constraint of the competition.
During a Canteen, Clear Path’s culinary team begin food prep at 6 a.m. for meal service starting at 11 a.m. On Chopped, Coleman only had 20 minutes in the first round to conceive his recipe, gather the ingredients, prepare the appetizer and plate four portions. Each subsequent round increases in time by just 10 minutes.
The episode will air on the network several times leading up to Thanksgiving: 8 p.m. Nov. 14, 3 a.m. Nov. 15, 10 p.m. Nov. 15, 1 a.m. Nov. 16, 11 a.m. Nov. 19, 2 a.m. Nov. 20.
Located 14 miles east of Syracuse,Clear Path for Veterans relies on partnerships and collaboration, allowing it to act as a single point of contact for active duty, Reserve, Guard, Veterans, and their families to connect them with what they need within 23 counties in New York. Visit its website at ClearPath4Vets.com.
For more information about the show Chopped, visit its website at foodnetwork.com/shows/chopped.html.
