New Hope chef smokes Bobby Flay in head-to-head TV battle

Chef Michael O’Halloran has all the confidence in the world when he’s working in the kitchen. But throw in the idea of cooking on television and he’s all nerves.

So, when O’Halloran, executive chef at Stella of New Hope, was invited to compete on Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay, he wasn’t immediately thrilled.

“I was more than a little nervous,” said O’Halloran. But his two daughters, ages 6 and 9 years old, believed their dad had the skills to take down the former Iron Chef star.

“The reason I did it was because my kids were excited. They were so excited at the thought that they’re dad was going to be on a cooking show. They had the chops that I did not for that whole thing,” said O’Halloran.

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Once he got the official green light to appear on the show, O’Halloran had about a week to prepare before taping. He decided he’d cook hay smoked duck breast with farro risotto, radicchio and a morello cherry gastrique.

It was a dish he’d been making for years using a unique technique inspired by French cuisine and the rural Bucks County landscape. But understanding the stress he’d be under — working in front of a camera with a 45-minute time limit in an unfamiliar kitchen — he knew he needed to practice. So, O’Halloran ran through it three different times, until he was sure he had his signature dish down perfectly.

His kids started preparing, too, coming up with clever burns, so their dad could properly put Flay in his place with some good old smack talk.

“Yeah, they really wanted a piece of him,” O’Halloran recalled with a laugh. “But I didn’t want to insult him too much because he’ll be really motivated to beat me.”

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In New York City, O’Halloran arrived on set, armed with talent, and more importantly, a list of crafty zingers courtesy of his girls.

Before coming up against Flay though, O’Halloran had to get past another contender in the first round, British chef Alex Stickland, a private chef based in Los Angeles. The winner, judged by basketball legend, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Food Network’s Katie Lee Biegel, would then move on to battle Flay.

Showcasing the farm-to-table style his restaurant is known for, O’Halloran made it past Stickland with a caramelized onion, apple and butternut squash bisque topped with rosemary ricotta cheese.

He worked smoothly on camera while maintaining an air of humility, prompting Beigel to call him “the humble chef.” The judges were clearly impressed by O’Halloran’s modest nature, playfully contrasted by the delivery of his daughters’ pun-filled retorts:

“Bobby stinks so bad, he should be called Bobby Filet O’Fish.”

“Don’t get too nervous, Bobby, cause you might quack up.”

Insults aside, O’Halloran’s hay smoke technique stood up against Flay’s combination of searing, smoking with cherry wood and deep frying. Thanks to his dish’s smokiness and overall flavor, O’Halloran came out on top as the winner.

He beat Bobby Flay.

“I’m really glad I did it, but I’m glad it’s over and I can get back to running the kitchen,” said O’Halloran.

For any other chefs going up against Flay, O’Halloran offers this bit of advice, “Prepare, prepare, prepare. So that when you’re up there, you can just enjoy yourself."

“My biggest fear was not finishing my dish in time,” he added. “Not finishing it means you didn’t plan. That’s an avoidable disaster.”

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Watch Stella's chef beat Bobby Flay

O’Halloran’s episode of Beat Bobby Flay, “Fowl Shot,” originally aired on March 17. However, it is scheduled to air again on March 31 on the Food Network and is currently streaming on Hulu.

Go:

Try Chef Michael O’Halloran’s dishes first-hand by visiting Stella of New Hope, located at 50 S. Main St. in New Hope. Phone: 267-740-2691. Website: stellanewhope.com.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bucks County chef beats Bobby Flay in Food Network TV cooking battle