“Chopped” Food Network’s ultimate chef challenge was won by a Seattle contestant. Chopped chefs had to prepare an appetizer, an entree and a dessert. At the start of each round, contestants were given several ingredients — including at least one stinker — along with the option to roll the dice: An even number gave them a more useful ingredient; an odd number might be something worse.
“At least they gave [the rattlesnake] to us in a can and we didn’t have to fabricate it,” Bliss Seattle winner said after her first episode of “Chopped” premiered in early January.”
“I feel like that confidence just comes out when I’m in the kitchen. … The most nerve-wracking parts were everything in between, actually; the easiest, most confident parts for me were when the clock started and you go and just do what you have to do.” Growing up in Vancouver, Washington, Bliss often watched PBS and Food Network cooking shows, particularly “Iron Chef,” with her parents. “I don’t know why but I always knew that I was going to be a chef,” she said. “I remember in high school when everyone around me is, like, ‘What am I going to go to college for?’ And I’m, like, ‘Oh, I’m just going to culinary school.’ ”
Bliss got a bachelor’s degree from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, majoring in culinary arts management, and returned to the Pacific Northwest to work in Portland before making her way up to the Puget Sound region, including a stint as sous chef. With more than 16 years of culinary experience across the Pacific Northwest, Chef Kaleena Bliss is passionate about fostering connection between diners and the great outdoors.
A Pacific Northwest native who grew up along the Columbia River north of Portland, Chef Bliss always knew she wanted to be a chef – her first word was “eat.” She has since developed her deep passion for cooking and food philosophy through an honest appreciation for simplicity. Her approach to creating and sharing food is rooted in the great bounty and remarkable ingredients of Washington state and the Pacific Northwest, from fresh Pacific seafood, to produce and proteins from local farms. The $40,000 grand prize and title of “Chopped” grand champion was awarded to Seattle chef Kaleena Bliss.
