The Truth About Brianna Cooper From Chopped: Alton's Maniacal Baskets
The "Chopped: Alton's Maniacal Baskets" competitor lineup is intense. Participants range from restaurant owners and private chefs to award-winning cooks and previous Food Network show contestants, and they'll dream up dishes from the "zaniest and brainiest baskets ever" curated by Alton Brown for the chance to win a $50,000 prize (via Food Network). Along for the ride is competitor Brianna Cooper-Spruce of Brooklyn. Find her in her blue "Chopped" chef's coat when the show premieres on June 22 on Food Network.
Cooper-Spruce, who also goes by Chef Bee, spent much of her childhood cooking in her grandmother's kitchen. She enjoyed it so much that studied culinary arts at L'Academie de Cuisine and went on to work at several high-end restaurants in Washington, D.C., according to her website. After honing her skills as the head chef of La Jambe wine bar and at Centrolina Italian restaurant and French spot Convivial, Cooper-Spruce was selected to cook for the James Beard Foundation's 2020 International Women's Day dinner. Here's what else you need to know about Chef Bee.
You can learn to cook from Chef Cooper-Spruce online
Like many workers in the hospitality industry, Cooper-Spruce searched for new work during the pandemic. Her most recent restaurant job was at the Michelin-starred, seafood-focused restaurant Marea in New York City, according to her website. Post-pandemic, Cooper-Spruce is instead working as a private chef, cooking in people's homes, organizing special events, and filming cooking tutorials for social media.
Want to learn from Chef Bee yourself? If you're in New York, you can inquire about in-person lessons and events through her website. Otherwise, you can select a one-on-one virtual class with the chef through 100 Pleats, which organizes cooking lessons with chefs who have earned Michelin stars, James Beard awards, and other accolades. Chef Bee's profile allows you to select your class length and dish, which ranges from Aleppo pepper shrimp and burrata in 30 minutes to a 90-minute international culinary experience with truffle honey halibut, miso-sesame tuna, and more. One day soon, you just might be able to learn to make one of her mystery basket creations from "Chopped: Alton's Maniacal Baskets."