Where Is Chopped Actually Filmed?
For 42 seasons, Chopped has brought you mystery baskets and culinary innovation on the Food Network. With a stunning array of guest judges and some of the most eclectic ingredients around, this three-round competition has been a long-watched culinary show for food lovers everywhere. Each basket of mystery ingredients is its own riddle waiting to be solved. But what do you actually know about the Chopped kitchen, besides the fact that there's only one ice cream machine? Where is the show filmed, and how?
The competition portion of the show is filmed at Food Network Studios in Chelsea Market, New York. Competitor and Chef Silvia Baldini explains to CheatSheet, "The actual episode takes a day. You meet the other chefs at 4 in the morning at the studios in Chelsea, and then you get in your chopped gear and you film." This is the set that holds your regular interview rooms, judges table, and the famous Chopped kitchen. Host Ted Allen explains that it's about a 12-hour day for a 46-minute show (via Business Insider).
No wonder the judges still have room to eat the dessert course!
Moving outside the Chopped kitchen
But the Chopped kitchen is only the final step for regular episodes. Baldini continues her interview explaining that filming the show actually begins at home for each contestant, long before they arrive in New York. "For a couple of months before the actual episode's made, a crew films the chefs at their home and in their kitchens for the bios and extras," she explains. And special episodes add even more twists to the filming schedule.
Chopped Grill Masters, which are special episodes, take the judges and contestants outside to different farm locations. For example, Food Network describes the location of season 2 as an outdoor film studio created at Queens County Farm, about 20 miles outside of Manhattan. Remembering the tiny details is a trademark of this culinary competition, so every location is painstakingly prepared for the chefs, all the way down to boiling water in advance to save the cooks time. So take a closer look at the set behind the scenes the next time you watch this high-speed competition, especially when they move beyond the Chopped kitchen.