Will Chef Pat Pascarella “chop” or be “chopped” later this month?
Viewers will find out the answer to that question on May 7, when the Atlanta chef and restaurateur competes on the Food Network cooking competition show, “Chopped Battle Italiano.”
Pascarella, the co-founder of the Porchetta Group, which has amongst its restaurants The White Bull, Alici Oyster Bar, Bastone, and two locations of Grana, will vie for the title of best Italian chef in a multi-round competition that highlights the food of four regions in Italy.
Tapped earlier this year in New York City, chefs Alex Guarnaschelli, Gabe Bertaccini, and Scott Conant will judge Pascarella and his competitors on their use of four pre-chosen surprise ingredients representing Italy’s Veneto region. Pascarella once worked for Conant, who owns The Americano in Buckhead. He referred to Conant as his mentor.
“There are a lot of twists in the competition, including the ingredients that don’t necessarily go together,” Pascarella said. “The shooting schedule was brutal, too. We reported to the set at 5:45 a.m. and finally wrapped up around 9:30 that night.”
Pascarella said he could not divulge how he fared in the competition but said he prepared fully to represent the food of the Veneto region and felt that his extensive research paid off. The Veneto region lies in northeastern Italy and borders the Adriatic Sea, with Venice as its capital city.
“It’s totally different than how I usually prepare a dish for my restaurant,” he said. “Usually, I spend a lot of time testing it multiple times, making sure it makes sense to put on a menu, but on the show, it’s 30 minutes, not 31, not 33, to get the dish on the plate.”
With a third location of Grana opening soon in Roswell, the chef hinted at the possibility of more chef television competition appearances and has plans to expand his reach in other ways. Those plans include a cookbook, tentatively entitled “Pastas of the Italian South” for home chefs that will mainly feature pasta recipes “that your grandma might have made.”
Publishing in mid-2025, the cookbook from Preserved Press will feature between three and four specialty ingredients easily ordered on Amazon.
Pascarella will host a watch party at Alici Oyster Bar in Midtown with appetizers and refreshments on the night the show airs, starting at 7 p.m. Those wishing to attend can email the chef for an invite at pat@the porchettagroup.com.
“Chopped Battle Italiano” will air on May 7 at 8 p.m. on the Food Network.