Season 16, Episode 2
"Cleaver Fever"
Chopped Champion Nicole Mummolo
Episode theme: none
Original air date June 11, 2023
Image of spinach; entrée round ingredient.
Image by Clara Sander from Pixabay.
Meet the Chefs
Raquel "Roq" Jubran
Chef Raquel Jubran is familiar with stressful situations. She is an Air Force combat veteran who has worked in high-profile kitchens in Long Beach and Los Angeles. Chef Jubran has partnered multiple times with serial restauranteurs Ray and Lynn Lasher. Most recently she was the executive chef for their Lasher’s Kitchen concept, which sadly was only in business for two years (2017-2019). Currently, Chef Jubran is an event chef with the bi-coastal hospitality brand Patina Restaurant Group.
Sevan Abdessian
Early in his career, Chef Sevan Abdessian worked as a culinary instructor and private celebrity chef. Then in 2009, he opened his own restaurant, Recess Eatery, in Glendale, CA. After expanding Recess to a second location several miles away in 2016, things changed quickly. The original location of Recess closed, the new location was briefly rebranded as 51 Tavern, then it also closed in less than two years. Chef Sevan experimented with a cannabis-infused supper club called The Gathering, but that venture appears to be shuttered too. These days, Chef Abdessian is the executive chef and culinary director at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles.
Owen Clark
Chef Owen Clark attended Culinary School of the Rockies near his hometown in Colorado, then moved to New York City. He trained and worked his way up from a sous chef position at Michelin-starred Italian restaurant A Voce (closed 2017) to be the executive chef at the critically acclaimed Gywnett St. in Brooklyn (2011-2013). Unfortunately, Chef Clark’s time at that restaurant ended abruptly due to legal troubles facing the restaurant owner. After a chance meeting led to an offer to be the first chef de cuisine at Rolf and Daughters in Nashville, TN, Chef Owen relocated. He spent four years in the kitchen at Rolf before packing up his knives for good. Since 2018, this former chef is the owner, designer, and craftsman behind Heron Walk Custom Leather.
Nicole “Niki” Marchetti (Mummolo)
At the time of filming Chopped, Chef Nicole Marchetti (formerly Mummolo) was working at La Puerta Azul in New York State’s Hudson Valley. Specializing in gluten-free cooking, she decided to become a professional chef after being diagnosed with Celiac disease. Her current whereabouts are unknown.
Hungry for more?
Chef Sevan returned to cooking competition shows three more times after appearing on Chopped. You can stream his additional tv appearances on these shows.
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Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen (season 1, episode 3)
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ABC’s The Taste (season 2, episode 1)
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FYI’s Man vs. Child: Chef Showdown (season 2, episode 4)