Morristown Chef Competes On Food Network's 'Chopped'

MORRISTOWN, NJ — A Morristown chef came in second place in a Food Network competition show that pitted chefs from different regions, all specializing in noodles, against one another until only one chef remained.

Chef AJ Sankofa of ESO Artisanal Pasta represented Morristown during the most recent episode of the Food Network competition show "Chopped."

The competition starts with four contestants and three rounds. Contestants use four mystery ingredients to create an appetizer, entree and dessert in a set amount of time. In each round, one chef is eliminated by the judges.

Sankofa made it to the final round, the dessert round, alongside Chef Suchanan Aksornnan from Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

"It was a good experience, but a really, really tough competition, so I'm just glad that I made it, you know, as far as I did," Sankofa said, recounting the experience. "When you watch from home, it seems, you know, TV shows, in general, in general, can seem cheesy and whatnot, but in real life, it really is a tough competition."

Sankofa, the executive chef at ESO Artisanal Pasta, has spent years in the restaurant industry, working his way up from back waiter to head of the pasta station at Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen to attending the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners.

The Morristown native worked as a full-time employee at La Rossa, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Turin, western Italy, before returning to the United States to work at Legacy Records, an Italian restaurant in Manhattan.

His most recent venture, ESO Artisanal Pasta, operates as a retail operation, providing everything needed for people to make their own Italian cuisine, including homemade pasta, sauces, pizzas and desserts.

"This year we actually want to start a subscription service so that we can actually have delivery. We already do the nationwide shipping, but we want to start doing delivery within Northern New Jersey and Central Jersey," Sankofa told Patch.

The future delivery service would include all of ESO's current menu products.

Sankofa's appearance on "Chopped" was not his first appearance on the Food Network. Earlier this year, ESO's chefs, Sankofa, Kristina Gambarian and Matt McFadden all traveled to Southern California for the new season of "The Great Food Truck Race."

Related articles:

• Chef's Journey Takes Authentic Flavor From Italy To Morristown
• Morristown Chefs Compete In Food Network's 'Great Food Truck Race'

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"You know, this is how we've been able to grow our business, you know, by taking these opportunities, whether it's TV-related or not, just taking any opportunity that comes our way and trying to make use of it and you know, also just try to gain the knowledge from experience, which is, in my opinion, life experience teacher," Sankofa said.

Sankofa and his wife, Kristina Gambarian, first started their company during the pandemic. Sankofa delivered and did marketing, while Gambarian made cakes and pies. They decided to add pasta to the mix after the business gained popularity.

Sankofa collaborated with friends to create ESO Artisinal Pasta, which debuted on July 1, 2020.

"We started out just selling the pasta and sauces and over time we added the desserts, then we added takeout and added events and shipping. We're continuously just trying to continue to grow and to build on top of the original idea in hopes that we can really solidify ourselves," Sankofa said.

In the coming years, Sankofa said he would also love to add a hot food aspect or a quick service aspect to the business.

"The most valuable thing that we receive is just the positive reinforcement from the people who believe in us, who enjoy our products, who have respect for what we do. That's really what keeps us going more than anything else," Sankofa said.

You can watch the full episode of "Chopped" on the streaming service Hulu or on the Food Network website.