Dothan blogger to appear on top Food Network competition

DOTHAN, Ala (WDHN) — A Dothan critic and home cook known for stressing the importance of eating local received the surprise of a lifetime when she was given a chance to appear on one of Food Network’s top competitive cooking shows.

Chelsea Gieselmann, known to many as the blogger of Southrngritskitchen, will appear in episode 12 of Outchef’d season 3.

In the episode titled “Seafood Smackdown,” we will see Gieselmann go head-to-head with Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli to see who can whip up the best seafood dish for a chance to win a $5,000 prize.

The Wiregrass native said this opportunity was presented to her in late 2023 when a producer from Food Network contacted her about a chance to audition for a new show they were casting. Ecstatic, she agreed and boarded a plane in March 2024 to New York City with her mother and best friend, Chef CJ, from the Barrell Room in Enterprise for what she believed was the audition.

However, when she arrived at the studio, things turned in an unexpected but exciting direction.

Gieselmann said out of nowhere, Food Network host Eddie Jackson walked out on stage and announced she would be competing on Outchef’d. The home cook was taken aback even more when it was revealed she would face Chef Guarnaschelli.

“When they opened those doors, and that woman (Chef Guarnaschelli) walked out, my heart dropped into my stomach,” Gieselmann said. “She is a pillar of the Food Network.”

Guarnaschelli has appeared on several Food Network shows as a host and competitor and is the executive chef at NYC’s Butter restaurant.

While Gieselmann could not release too much information before the episode airs, she told WDHN that in the “Seafood Smackdown,” she used her signature “southern flare” and took inspiration from her life near the Gulf Coast to make her dish.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Gieselmann.

Gieselmann says she hopes this opportunity will garner nationwide attention for her hometown, Wicksburg, and the region she has called home her entire life.

Gieselmann has become a staple in the Wiregrass foodie scene, reviewing and spotlighting restaurants, food trucks, and home cooks. She has also been an outspoken advocate for supporting local businesses and restaurants. This sentiment spread like wildfire throughout the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic when many locally owned enterprises were faced with the possibility of shuttering in the unstable economy.

Before leaping into the often turbulent world of the culinary arts, Gieselmann was a professional photographer, capturing people’s lives in still images.

However, feeling burnt out after years in the industry, Gieselmann says she wanted to explore other options and decided to look at her personal life for guidance. This was when she rediscovered her love of cooking and, combining this attraction with her skills behind the camera, Southrngritskitchen was born.

Now, you can often find Gieselmann traveling to different eateries around the region and sometimes even helping consult on what should go on the menus.

If you follow her social media pages, which receive around 3 million hits a month, you will see Gieselmann’s talent as a cook, often sighting her locally sourced ingredients.

Gieselmann also dabbles in community management, serving as the marketing manager for the Poplar Head Farmers Market.

The Outchef’d episode starring Gieselmann will air on Thursday, June 6, at 9:30 p.m. eastern/8:30 p.m. Central.

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