The Truth About Christina Coupet From Chopped: Alton's Maniacal Baskets

Alton Brown doesn't pull punches when it comes to judging food. The food expert, who has some very strong opinions about cooking, now has a new show coming to Food Network that plays on this unforgiving way of approaching food. Premiering on June 22, "Chopped: Alton's Maniacal Baskets" takes the "Chopped" premise to the extreme, forcing chefs to compete using mystery ingredients (via Foodsided). Sixteen challengers go head-to-head in the "Chopped" arena and hope to make it out on the other side as the ultimate winner (via Food Network). While each of these chefs have the guts, each contestant brings something unique to the table. Christina Coupet stands out among these individuals as someone that might just have what it takes to win it all in this diabolical new cooking show. 

Coupet started cooking at age 5 and fell in love with the sensory overload of cooking, saying, "I loved the sizzle of the meat as it hit the pan, the delicious smell of freshly baked bread, as well as the combination of the different spices" (via Larios On the Beach). She took her passion to the next level by enrolling in Johnson & Wales University, earning a Culinary B.S. and went on to start her career as the chef de cuisine at Fontaine Bleu in 2008 (via Linkedin). Coupet climbed the ladder, emerging as the executive sous chef at the Carillon Hotel in Miami, and went on to helm Estefan Kitchen Miami as their corporate executive chef.

Coupet helped establish Estefan Kitchen Miami into a destination restaurant that served up fine Cuban cuisine to patrons, who came in from all corners of South Florida (via Miami and Beaches). The menu consisted of time tested classics mixed in with updated fusion takes on Cuban flavors with items ranging from vegan ropa vieja all the way to Chino Cubano and Masitas de Puerco. While Coupet brought this establishment to life with her culinary creations, fate had other plans for the up and coming chef. Like many restaurants, Estefan Kitchen did not weather the pandemic and has since permanently shuttered. 

Now at the next junction of her career, Coupet stands ready to take on whatever Brown has in store. If you love the idea of watching some very accomplished chefs take on some wild challenges with ingredients that seem completely incompatible, make sure to tune in to the Food Network to catch the action (via Foodsided). If you can't get enough of the action, you can catch the episodes on discovery+. With so many surprises in store, you have to see just how the action unfolds and discover how Coupet holds her own against some very strange ingredients and challenges.