(Above) Chef Stephen Wambach (left) and television host Ted Allen on a recent episode of Food Network’s Chopped. Photo by Susan Magnano. (Click on image to view larger version.)

21-Jul-15 – He came so close, but the executive chef of Mag Mile’s Four Seasons Hotel lost to a Florida food truck owner on an episode of Chopped that aired recently on Food Network.

Stephen Wambach competed against Robyn Almodovar of Palate Party Mobile Café in Hollywood, Florida, and Oscar Toro, executive sous chef at Buddakan in New York.

The episode was taped on January 29, 2015, and aired on July 7.

Chefs are tasked with preparing meals from baskets containing surprise ingredients. At the end of each round, one chef is eliminated – or “chopped.”

Wambach prepared braised beef tendon balls in the first round, gnocchi with trash fish in the second, and for dessert, coffee tequila egg custard sponge cakes with chocolate and raspberries.

Almodovar prepared beef ball and purslane wontons with mushrooms, fish fry with warm vermicelli salad, and for dessert, fried bread pudding balls with ice cream, pullman loaf, and strawberries. In addition to beating three seasoned chefs, she won $10,000.