A Wichita chef just got the chance to try to ‘Beat Bobby Flay’ on Food Network
A Wichita chef recently got his turn to try to “Beat Bobby Flay.”
But he can’t tell us yet whether he actually was able out-cook the celebrity chef, and we’ll have to wait until sometime next year to find out.
Bill Crites, who is now working as the head chef at an exclusive Kingman hunting resort called Hooray Ranch, recently flew to New York City to compete on the Food Network show, on which top chefs from across the country are invited to cook their signature dishes head-to-head with Flay, a well-known celebrity chef and Food Network star. A panel of celebrity judges decides whether the guest chef or Flay cooked it better.
Crites isn’t allowed to reveal what happened during filming, but he did say it was a nerve-wracking experience.
“It was fun,” he said. “But it was really overwhelming.”
During filming, Crites said, he got to meet Flay and the celebrity judges. But he also got to wait and wonder during a long day of filming. It was a bit awkward, he said, especially when he was asked to shoot and re-shoot things like his entrance into the cooking arena, or when crews kept adjusting his hair and makeup, something definitely not a part of his regular chef routine.
To get a chance to complete against Flay, the contestants on the show must survive a first round against another chef. Crites said he went head-to-head against a seasoned chef from the East Coast, someone he described as a “legit bad ass.” But that chef appeared to be even more nervous than he was.
Crites said he was told the episode will air sometime next year.
This isn’t the first time Crites, who got his start in Wichita as the executive chef at the Koch Industries’ 37 West cafe before leaving to run the kitchen for Dempsey’s, has been invited to appear on a Food Network show. But it is the first time he was able to accept the invitation.
He said he was cast to appear on “Guy’s Grocery Games” just as he was leaving Dempsey’s and taking over at Hooray Ranch. But the producers told him that he had to be working at a restaurant to be on the show, so his appearance was canceled.
Then, a few months ago, the network cast him to be on a new show called “Supermarket Stakeout,” and he was on a flight to Los Angeles when weather canceled his flight out of Dallas. The network had to film with an alternate chef.
Crites said his wife, Lee, submitted his name to “Beat Bobby Flay.”
As for Flay, a famously brash and cocky chef, Crites said he was nicer than he would have guessed.
“He kind of comes off a certain way on TV. He’s got a bit of a schmarmy personality,” Crites said. “But he was totally cool.”
I’ll let you know when Crites’ episode of “Beat Bobby Flay” gets an air date.
This story was originally published October 21, 2019 at 9:53 AM.
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