Orlando-area chefs battle it out on new web series ‘Blind Kitchen’

Eight episodes, 16 Orlando chef competitors, one minute to figure out what’s cooking — blindfolded.

It’s the premise of “Blind Kitchen,” a quirky new weekly cooking competition series that starts streaming on the free Very Local app from Hearst Television (parent company of WESH 2 News) on Oct. 11. It’s quirky-fun host: Emily Ellyn, Retro Rad chef, culinary educator, a personality you’ve seen on Food Network’s “Food Network Star,” and “Cupcake Wars,” HGTV’s “Cutthroat Kitchen” and more.

Ellyn’s a TV veteran. “Blind Kitchen” competitor Jes Tantalo? Not so much.

“I am generally not a big camera person,” the Redlight, Redlight chef notes with a chuckle, “but Lexi asked me if I’d do it with her, and I said yes.”

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Tantalo’s talking about Swine & Sons‘ Alexia Gawlak, who’s something of a cooking competition vet, as well. In fact, back in 2020, she took home $25,000 on “Guy’s Grocery Games.” In the “Blind Kitchen” premiere, she’s pitted against good friend Tantalo, each of whom came to play with a planned recipe that could be prepared in 30 minutes.

“All our ingredients were kept separate, and one at a time, we went into the kitchen,” Tantalo explains. “I made my dish, and they blindfolded Lexie. She had a minute to smell, taste and touch it and then try to figure out what she thought was in the dish.”

Tantalo did the same with Gawlak’s.

“Can an elevated craft beer bar beat a Michelin-recognized restaurant?” reads the episode description. “In the battle that could ruin their friendship, chef Lexi Gawlak of Swine & Sons in Winter Park faces off with chef Jes Tantalo of Redlight Redlight in Audubon Park.”

Tantalo chuckles, but when the blindfolds came off, each had to attempt to recreate the other’s dish based on what they could glean sight unseen.

“It was a lot harder than I thought,” she says. “If I closed my eyes and you gave me a random ingredient, I feel really confident that I would get it. But everything mixed together, and only having a minute. It was weird … but it was fun.”

Other area chefs you’ll see on the show include Alexander Diaz of Alex’s Fresh Kitchen, Brandon Basista of The Bearded Chef, Liz Zucco of Winter Park’s Garp & Fuss and Se7enbites’ Trina Gregory.

Orlando joins New Orleans and Boston as the latest market featured. Streaming exclusively on the Very Local app, “Blind Kitchen” Orlando will be available on all mobile and connected TV devices, including Roku and Amazon Fire TV.

Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com, For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.