Hanover Executive Chef To Appear On Reality TV Show Chopped

HANOVER, MD -- Anne Arundel County's very own executive chef Ed Evans will be catapulted into culinary stardom with an upcoming appearance on Chopped, the American reality TV show that challenges chefs in unimaginable ways before a panel of judges and a live audience, not to mention fans watching back home.

Evans, who is the executive chef at Live! Casino & Hotel in Hanover, will appear on Chopped July 2. He and three other contestants will square off against each other preparing a judge-worthy three-course meal using crazy ingredients provided by the show. Some chefs are successful and win the big prize, while others go home empty-handed.

Evans spoke with Patch about the upcoming opportunity to appear on Chopped and cannot believe how blessed he is, considering how far he's come, he said. The Baltimore native spent his tender years learning to cook in his grandmomma's kitchen, prepping collard greens and peeling sweet potatoes.

"That's where my love for food began. Everything was made from scratch and with a hands-on approach in the kitchen," Evans said. "I quickly found out that it came naturally to me."

Because he wanted to stay close to home, Evans decided to attend a noteworthy culinary school at a local community college and gained valuable experience working in Baltimore restaurants.

"I have a knack for understanding how food impacts people and I enjoy making that impact. There's a certain joy that comes with pleasing people's palate. I enjoy bringing joy to people and seeing how they respond to what I do creatively in the kitchen," Evans told Patch.

While Evans might be fixing dishes on Chopped with gummie bears, sardines and other odd items, his personal favorite dish to whip up is anything that involves seafood.

"My go-to dish, being from Maryland, is seafood. I don't think there's a seafood dish I'm not going to nail. If you come to my house, there's going to be a seafood spread going on," Evans told Patch.

His first tip for others is to buy fresh seafood. His second tip is to KISS -- keep it simple stupid.

"A lot of people like to put heavy sauces on great fish. Fish is beautiful by itself. Use some good salt and pepper, cook it to perfection, then sit back and enjoy. The best thing about seafood is that the ocean did all of the work. Just don't mess it up," Evans said.

Even though he is thrilled to be appearing on Chopped, Evans admitted to being a bit nervous about it, too. There's a difference between running a busy commercial kitchen behind the scenes and appearing under the bright lights of a televised reality show with all eyes watching your every move.

"You have no idea the energy level, anxiety and happiness. I'm representing an entire city and kids that grew up like me. I love having that badge of honor, to be able to do that. To appear on Chopped is quite honestly very humbling," he told Patch. "I hope that everybody tunes in and supports me. My message is that win or lose, if I can impact one child watching this show and get them to understand my story and feel like I've made a difference in their lives, then at the end of the day I'm a winner."