Connecticut chef to appear in back-to-back Food Network competitions
No, you're not watching the same competition, Food Network fans.
West Hartford chef Adam Greenberg is appearing in not one, but two different Food Network shows over the course of the next month. On March 8, Greenberg will be competing in the illustrious " Tournament of Champions VII ," where celebrity chef Guy Fieri will be pitting 16 chefs against one another for the chance to walk away with a championship title belt and a $150,000 cash prize.
Then on April 1, Greenberg will appear in " Flavortown Food Fight ," a new series that premiered this past weekend from Fieri that will drop competitors into Flavortown for a multi-round culinary competition.
"I've been doing Food Network for a while now and they just have me on file, essentially. I never say no, I love doing this stuff and am always down for a challenge," Greenberg wrote to CT Insider.
Greenberg said he was asked to film "Flavortown Food Fight" right after "Tournament of Champions." When describing "Tournament of Champions," Greenberg called it "very very intense" as he filmed in front of a live audience whereas "Flavortown Food Fight" was competitive, but had some "fun and whimsical" elements to it. Done in a bracket style, similar in style to the March Madness college basketball tournament, Greenberg is the No. 6-seed in the "Tournament of Champions," making him what he call an "underdog" in the competition.
On Food Network, Greenberg has also competed on "Guy's Grocery Games" and "Alex vs. America." However, one of his greatest feats is becoming a four-time " Chopped " champion and holder of the "Chopped" Grand Champion title.
"It's honestly a blur, but I've been cooking since I was 18, about 28 years, so experience and organizational skills always kick in," Greenberg said when talking about "Chopped." "There is no way to practice, you just open the baskets and go. I don't doubt had I competed when I had only been cooking for two years versus 20 (plus), it would have been a different story. I also have a good attitude about it all, it's never about the pressure of winning, I just love sharing my passion and competing."
Oh yes, and he's also beaten Bobby Flay on his own competition show, "Beat Bobby Flay."
"The best part of beating him with chicken (scarpariello) is that Bobby used to come to Barcelona in Fairfield to eat the chicken pimiento, which is basically that dish without sausage. It's a Barcelona mainstay, so it was really cool to beat him with a dish he loves so much," Greenberg said.
Locally, Greenberg is best known as the executive chef at Sparrow Pizza Bar in West Hartford and Tacobarn in Newtown - the latter of which opened back in November. Prior to opening Sparrow Pizza Bar, Greenberg operated the Coconut Club in Washington, D.C., which closed during the COVID19 pandemic. Greenberg moved back to his hometown of West Hartford and opened the Sparrow Pizza Bar in 2022 .
For anyone looking to compete in a Food Network show, Greenberg said persistence is key as well as showing your passion.
"It took me five years to get on Chopped from the first time we had ever met the producers. I kept in touch with the producers, kept asking, 'Do I need to lose weight? What can I do? I have so many friends appearing on it and I haven't gotten my chance, I promise I won't embarrass any of you," Greenberg saud. "Like anything, once you get that opportunity, make the best of it and leave it all out there."
"As Guy Fieri always says, 'Be memorable.' So I try to focus on that and put on a good show. I never take any appearance for granted because you never know when they'll stop calling, so I just do what I can and hope for the best," Greenberg added.
This article originally published at Connecticut chef to appear in back-to-back Food Network competitions .
