Host Noah Cappe samples Southern hospitality on fairgrounds across the county. The carnival treats he finds are all infused with a down-home goodness that makes each bite taste like Southern sugar and spice.
One of the first things Willie Degel discovers when he arrives at the Mt. Ivy Cafe in Pomona, N.Y., is that the problems of this restaurant may not be with the staff, but with the owner. She is nickel and diming her clients and this may mean certain death for the business unless Willie can find a manager and bring in a younger clientele.
Host Michael McKean shares the "hole" story of everyone's favorite middle-missing baked goods. See if donuts helped bring about the end of World War I, if the secret to New York bagels lies in the city's water and how bundt cakes went from headlining brunch to saving lives.
Host John Henson instructs the three remaining bakers to construct a "Ghostembouche," or ghostly version of a croquembouche tower. Then they face the final challenge of creating a bleeding zombie cake for judges Carla Hall, Katie Lee and Zac Young. When the bloodbath is over, the survivor is named Halloween Baking Champion!
Why should kids have all the fun on Halloween? Today, Giada De Laurentiis is celebrating Halloween complete with devilishly delicious Italian treats. There's Spaghetti topped with fall harvest flavors, sweet and tart Crostatas, Candied Orange Peel and a coffee drink that's definitely for adults only.
The meals are hand-held at these hot spots, but the unique flavors are the big attraction. Authentic Mexican cuisine pioneer Rick Bayless celebrates Mexico's most beloved street food and snacks, while two brothers bring decadent Italian toasts to one of New York's hippest neighborhoods. A Top Chef winner turns traditional Eastern-European cuisine on its head with inspirations from his own Scottish-Israeli heritage. And a former fine dining chef feeds the need for cheese on the streets of Los Angeles, one gourmet grilled cheese sandwich at a time.
The Pacific Northwest heats up as Michael Symon arrives at Washington's Spring Fair BBQ Playoffs, where over 30 pitmaster teams compete for a share of the $25,000 prize. Teams will compete in traditional categories like ribs, chicken, brisket and pork, as well as a new category this year: Anything Salmon. Seasoned pitmasters young and old throw their hat in the ring to see who will walk away with bragging rights and cash!
We're getting to the meat of the matter as we chow down on some powerhouse proteins! For starters, a spot in Portland, Maine, is making dreams come true with a dish called the Meat Coma packed with smoked beef brisket, pork ribs, pork shoulder and house-made chili. Next, a restaurant in New Orleans is transforming classic po'boys into sky-high meaty masterpieces and it's meat madness in Milwaukee at a place that's grilling up outrageous midwestern mainstays. They're creating mouthwatering meat monuments in Denver and Texas excess meets Cali cool in Huntington Park, California. A meatball shop in New York City has something truly meat-tacular for your bucket list while a nearby Lebanese restaurant has the shawarma to warm-a your heart. Finally, a butcher shop and steakhouse come together in Houston to create memorable meatiness.
It's time to learn how to build flavors. From a sweet skill drill making doughnuts to a savory main dish challenge making roulades, the recruits are asked to experiment for the first time in the kitchen and create their own take on these dishes to drastically unpredictable results.
Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman have fond memories of the lunches they took to school as kids, so they're challenging the six kid bakers to look at lunch in a new way. From a PBJ sandwich to chicken nuggets to a turkey wrap, the bakers have to turn common lunchbox foods into lookalike dessert masterpieces.