Palm Beach County chef triumphs on Guy Fieri's 'Grocery Games.' Where to find her desserts
It was a Palm Beach County pastry pro showdown as Blackbird Modern Asian’s Denise Elrod and Ganache Bakery-Café’s Jamal Lake went whisk-to-whisk on Guy’s Grocery Games Wednesday night, Aug. 13.
Elrod churned red wine vinegar into ice cream and turned teamwork into a $20,000 win on the national cooking show.
Forgetting a key acid for her dessert, she improvised with a pantry staple and the daring result sealed the victory.
How sweet met savory for the win on Food Network Guy Fieri's 'Grocery Games'
The episode, titled "Sweet & Savory Superstars," introduced a first-of-its-kind format: three dessert champions paired with three savory winners for a trio of culinary challenges.
Elrod, known for her artistic flair and fearless flavor combinations, first appeared on the show in 2019. That year, she wowed host Guy Fieri and the judging panel with her inventive take on holiday-inspired tiramisu and lava cake, earning the $20,000 grand prize and the title of Flavortown Market champion.
Lake, her competition for this episode, is a fellow Food Network winner who previously competed on "Holiday Baking Championship" and "Spring Baking Championship" where he brought his Caribbean-inspired flair to the show.
West Palm Beach pastry pro Jamal Lake, who owns Ganache in West Palm Beach, on set at Food Network's "Halloween Baking Championship" in 2018.
With both Lake and Elrod representing Palm Beach County, the episode spotlighted the region’s exceptional pastry talent on a national stage.
Teamwork with twists
This time, teams were paired by drawing utensils. Teams had one hour to create an appetizer, upscale entrée and dessert using a single basket of groceries.
Elrod's savory teammate Jacob Town is a fellow Food Network alum who has appeared on several Guy Fieri productions, including “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”
“We didn’t know each other beforehand, but we meshed really well,” Elrod said. “It was absolutely a team effort.”
She leaned into her strengths even when things didn’t go as planned, including the first few minutes when she forgot a key ingredient: berries for acidity in her chocolate cake and ice cream dessert.
Blackbird's executive pastry chef Denise Elrod hopes to leave the kitchen and watch her episode of "Guy's Grocery Games" with the restaurant's patrons.
“You only get one shot to grab your groceries, and if you forget something, you’re stuck with pantry staples like sugar, butter, vinegar, salt and pepper,” she said.
“I forgot an acid for my dessert, and a proper dessert needs balance of sweetness, texture and acidity. So I made vinegar ice cream. It sounds weird, but I thought it might be cool. Jacob tasted it and said, ‘That’s awesome, it’s going to work.’”
Both chefs had close calls during the competition, but they helped each other recover. “It was just great teamwork and a really solid partnership.”
She and Town will split the $20,000 prize.
Lake was paired with Kayla Robison, a previous two-time Food Network champ, whose savory scallop appetizer resulted in the lowest first-round score among the three teams, impacting their overall score for the competition.
Behind the scenes at Flavortown
“This taping was definitely different from my first visit to Flavortown,” Elrod said. “In some ways, it was more fine-tuned.”
Filming took place in Santa Rosa, California. Elrod flew into San Francisco and was driven to the hotel near the studio. Though she wasn’t jet-lagged, she went straight to bed, unsure of what to expect the next day.
She described the production as highly organized, with specific timelines. But like most reality shows, there was still plenty of waiting between scenes.
“You spend a lot of time in your trailer, chatting with other chefs you might be competing with. But no one really knows. It’s super hush-hush. You have absolutely no clue what’s happening until you’re in front of Guy. And at that point, you either know your stuff or you don’t.”
The reality of reality TV
Blackbird's Denise Elrod returns to "Guy's Grocery Games" on Aug. 13.
Elrod wants viewers to know the chaos is real.
“It’s not scripted. When you see me on screen with the wheels turning in my head, that’s exactly what’s happening,” she said.
“We had no idea what the challenges would be. As viewers are watching us discover the surprises, we’re genuinely finding out in real time. The reactions, the decisions, the stress. It’s all authentic.”
A sweet career milestone
Elrod’s victory adds another sweet chapter to her growing national profile and highlights the talent thriving in Palm Beach County’s dining scene.
Before joining Blackbird, she worked at Norman Love Confections in Fort Myers. In 2022, she took on the executive pastry chef role at Blackbird, where her desserts continue to enchant patrons.
Despite Palm Beach County’s share of Guy Fieri sightings and local "DDD" tapings, Elrod has seen him only in the studio.
“I don’t think he’s ever been to Blackbird, which is surprising given it’s one of the busiest restaurants in Palm Beach County!”
If you missed the show:
Food Network will repeat the episode on Aug. 17 at 2 p.m. and again on Aug. 20 at 2 p.m.
Diana Biederman is the Palm Beach Post's new-ish food & restaurant writer. Care to share news tips about the local dining scene? Please send them to [email protected]. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County chef triumphs on Guy Fieri's 'Grocery Games.' Where to find her desserts
