NJ-born chef Britt Rescigno’s third run ends on Food Network’s ‘Tournament of Champions’

Show Caption

• Chef Rescigno made poached pompano escabeche style, a tostada, and purple cauliflower, carrots and cabbage.
• “Tournament of Champions” uses a spinning wheel called The Randomizer to determine the ingredients and style the contestants must use in their dishes.

For the third time in as many years, Jersey-born Chef Britt Rescigno cooked her way to the final four of Food Network’s “Tournament of Champions.”

But on Sunday night’s finale, one point sent her home.

Rescigno was up against Chef Antonia Lofaso after outcooking chefs Chris Oh, Michael Reed and Kaleena Bliss during the show’s sixth season. Her winning dishes were coffee-crusted top sirloin with braised and fried mustard greens, coffee-infused poutine gravy and whipped potatoes; country-style polenta with butter-poached lobster and peas; and farrotto with seared beef oyster steak with herb salad and a savory pizzelle.

“All other competitors that are in the top four have worked for Michelin star restaurants, have a James Beard (Foundation Award) or have been nominated for one and I haven’t,” Rescigno said. “But it doesn’t matter because I can cook just like anyone else.”

“Tournament of Champions” uses a spinning wheel called The Randomizer to determine the ingredients and style the contestants must use in their dishes. In the finale, Rescigno and Lofaso were challenged to use a fish called pompano and figs in a dish prepared escabeche style (an acidic and vinegary sauce).

They also needed to use lava rocks while cooking, and their finished dish had to be primarily purple in color.

Rescigno made poached pompano escabeche style, a tostada, and purple cauliflower, carrots and cabbage. Lofaso made a whole fried pompano with vegetable escabeche and purple cauliflower purée.

The dishes were judged by chefs Brooke Williamson, Maneet Chauhan and Mei Lin.

“There’s this tiny little bowl of perfection in so many ways here,” Williamson said of Rescigno’s dish. “There are some really incredible bites to be had.”

The judges score the dishes in three categories — taste, presentation and use of the Randomizer — and both chefs earned 82 points out of 100. The tie-breaker was their score in the taste category: Rescigno scored a 40 and Lofaso a 41.

“This is the hardest thing,” Rescigno said following the loss. “You put everything into it, and sometimes it doesn’t work out. It just felt like it this year, it really felt like it.”

Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to [email protected], follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to her weekly newsletter.