Nofa Messner will compete for $10,000 on Chopped Canada Teen this Saturday, Jan. 28, at 9 p.m. on the Food Network.
The 18-year-old ACE-IT culinary arts student recently found his passion for cooking through the dual-credit course at Elphinstone Secondary School, which helped him land a cooking job at Sita’s Spag & Suds.
Wanting to flex his culinary muscles in another way, Nofa applied to Chopped Canada for the chance to appear on the show and several months later he was selected to fly to Toronto for a taping.
Although the show was pre-taped, Nofa was unable to speak to Coast Reporter this week and the show’s rules didn’t allow his mother Darla to disclose much.
“But we can say it was a great experience for him, just terrific. It was very positive,” she said.
Chopped Canada Teen 2017 premiered on Jan. 14. The five-part series features four teen chefs battling it out each week for a spot in the finale and the chance to win $10,000.
Chefs are pitted against each other in three rounds – appetizer, main course and dessert – and given mystery baskets to make the dishes from.
Each mystery basket contains an item that’s unusual or difficult to incorporate.
The episode featuring Nofa on Jan. 28 is titled Clammy Hands, Warm Heart. The Chopped Canada Teen website write-up gives some hint as to what’s in store.
“Stinky gorgonzola adds an extra obstacle right out of the gate. Hands get clammy in the entrée round. A fibrous fruit threatens the outcome of the dessert round,” the write-up states.
Tune in Saturday night to see how Nofa fares. He’ll be watching the show surrounded by family and friends who can’t wait to see him in action.
“We’re all very, very proud of him,” Darla said.
“We’re going to watch the show together and celebrate with him.”
