A Bucks County Chef Beat Bobby Flay In His TV Competition Debut

NEW HOPE, PA — A chef at a popular Bucks County restaurant has done something so difficult, there's a whole television show named after it — he beat Bobby Flay.

Michael O'Halloran is the executive chef at Stella of New Hope, an upscale restaurant on the Delaware River waterfront. His winning performance Thursday night was his TV debut, according to a news release from the restaurant's team.

“I didn’t get the chance to talk to Bobby much outside of when the cameras were rolling, but the small conversations I did have with him proved he’s actually a really nice guy," O'Halloran said in a statement shared with Patch. "I feel like his TV persona is, at times, crass and harsh, but he’s really the opposite in person.”

For those who haven't seen the show, "Beat Bobby Flay" is based around the celebrity chef's competitive streak and well-honed skills. A former Iron Chef star, Flay has been challenging fellow competitors since 2013 to stump him with a signature dish, seeing who can make the better version.

The Food Network favorite has had a whopping 29 seasons and counting. Flay loses only about a third of the time, according to a few reports from viewers — which makes it all the more impressive that O'Halloran scored his win by cooking a version of a dish on Stella's menu.

In O'Halloran's episode, "Fowl Shot," Flay "tries not to get dunked on by basketball legend Amar'e Stoudemire" and cookbook author Katie Lee Biegel, who judge his head to head challenge with O'Halloran and Chef Alex Stickland.

In the 20-minute first round, Flay surprised Stickland and O'Halloran with a secret ingredient of ricotta cheese — O'Halloran beat Stickland with a caramelized onion apple butternut squash bisque with rosemary ricotta cheese.

But then it was on to the 45-minute round, where O'Halloran chose to challenge Flay with his signature dish, smoked duck. He put up a Hay Smoked Duck with farro risotto, radicchio, and cherry gastrique.

"I’ve been cooking it for years and the Berks County Pekin Duck on the menu at Stella is a crowd favorite," O'Halloran said. "And, what do you know, it paid off!”

The judges found Flay's duck overcooked and lacking in smokiness by comparison, declaring O'Halloran the winner.

For those who'd like to sample the winning dish, a version is available on Stella's menu: it boasts farro risotto, tuscan kale, mascarpone, crispy maitake, roasted cherries, and duck jus.

O'Halloran also shared some insight on the environment of competing in a celebrity cooking show.

“You really don’t have much time behind the scenes," he said. "You don’t get to talk to Bobby or any of the guest judges beforehand. You show up and the producers are quickly shuffling you off on to the set. It was all over so quickly, but the energy on set was really fun.”

Chef O’Halloran’s episode will air again on Monday at 7:30 p.m. and March 31 at 3 p.m. Plus, his food is available close to home at Stella of New Hope.

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