News Article

The Food Network has announced the remaining contestants for Season Two of Chopped Canada and amongst those vying for a $10,000 cash prize is College of the North Atlantic’s (CNA) very own Chef Roger Andrews.
 
Andrews will go head to head with three other Canadian chefs for the cash prize. Cooking before a rotating panel of expert judges, the chefs put their skills and ingenuity to the test in an attempt to turn baskets of mystery ingredients into an extraordinary, three-course meal and all within a limited amount of time. Course by course, the judges chop the chefs from the competition until only one remains.
 
“It was very tough,” said Andrews from his office at the Prince Philip Drive campus in St. John’s. “There are a lot of unknowns involved in this show. You kind of have an idea of what you’re getting yourself into, but until you open up that box you have no idea whatsoever of the products you’re going to have to work with.”
 
Andrews will appear in Episode 22 Carnival: No Room for Seconds which will air June 6 on the Food Network. During this time the chefs will be challenged to create carnival inspired dishes. The chefs try to create a ‘ballyhoo” with an appetizer of waffle donuts and root beer floats. But will there be room for dessert after an entrée of chili fries and corn?

Andrews is the first to admit the carnival theme threw him for a loop.
 
“I didn’t expect a theme like that and it was quite interesting. You have to look at the products and you have to immediately decide what you are going to do. If you spend three or four minutes deciding what to prepare, it cuts your cooking time down and every second counts in this competition.”
 
Andrews has been a fan of Chopped since its debut in the United States in 2009 and is no stranger to working on television or competing in cooking competitions. He coached two students in two seasons of the television show The Next Great Chef, and has appeared on the local television programs One Chef One Critic, as well as Chef Roary’s Restaurant Showcase.
 
“The camera part didn’t bother me at all,” Andrews said of appearing on Chopped Canada. “You have the cameras around and people constantly around you, but you have to block that out and just cook. You have to pretend none of them are there.”
 
Andrews has been cooking for 20 years, but even with all that experience under his apron, and competing on national and international stages, he says this competition was still very difficult.
 
“It is definitely one of the most challenging things I’ve done because of the unknowns,” Andrews said. “You’re working in an unfamiliar kitchen so it’s challenging from that point because you’re not working in your regular every day kitchen. And with the time constraints the time goes by super-fast. Every competition is like that, but this one was highlighted more due to the fact it was 20 minutes, and 20 minutes only.”
 
So the question remains - was Andrews the one to come out on top? Tune into the Food Network on June 6 to find out. For more information about Chopped Canada visit www.choppedcanada.ca.
 
About Roger Andrews
Andrews first began his culinary training at Cabot College in 1994 (now known as CNA) where he received a diploma in Food administration. He then went on to the Culinary Institute of Canada in Prince Edward Island where he graduated with honours with a diploma in Culinary Arts. Andrews returned to his roots in 2006, but this time as an instructor at CNA’s Prince Philip Drive campus.
 
Andrews has lent his coaching skills to Skills Canada competitions and was a part of the Canadian Culinary Olympic Team for nearly a decade. During the Culinary Olympics in Germany 2012, he walked away with a bronze medal for the individual entry category; Team Canada placed fourth overall.
 
He is also a regular contributor to many provincial culinary events such as Shaun Majumder’s The Gathering.
 
 
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Media Contact:
 
Glenda McCarthy
Public Relations Specialist
College of the North Atlantic
709.643.6408
glenda.mccarthy@cna.nl.ca