Charlotte Chef Competed on Food Network’s ‘Chopped’ Tuesday Night

Angelique Robinson, a Bermudian chef who owns Kuro Mama in Charlotte, appeared on the Food Network show Chopped on Tuesday at 9 p.m. The 32-year-old fought against three other chefs for a shot at winning $10,000.

The show throws competitors into a three-round contest. They must use four unusual ingredients in each dish. Appetizer, entrée, and dessert rounds make up the competition, and a panel of judges tastes everything before crowning a winner.

A producer reached out to Robinson last year after stumbling upon her Instagram page. She made it through multiple interviews and outlasted as many as 50 other contestants. Then she became one of four picked to join the show.

"All of my competitors were great chefs. There's no doubt that all of us can cook. It's about being thrown wrenches and producing a really good-quality show," said Robinson, according to The Royal Gazette.

The competitor runs Kuro Mama, a catering and pop-up venue in Charlotte that centers on Black American and Japanese fusion dishes. The restaurant name translates to "Black Mama" in Japanese.

Robinson started the business to showcase her shared experiences and interests in both cooking styles. She moved to the United States in 2016.

"I do visit Japan often and I just love the attention to nourishment without sacrificing quality and the unpretentiousness of how they present it," Robinson said.

This marks her second appearance on a Food Network cooking show. Robinson won Guy's Grocery Games in 2020. She was awarded $20,000.

Her time on Chopped was harder than her first appearance because she was in a different mindset. Robinson filmed Guy's Grocery Games before she had her daughter. Chopped was filmed after.

"I don't want to give anything away, but I just remember my head being 75% there because the other 25% was always thinking 'I wonder if my daughter has woken up for breakfast'," she said.

The moment was meaningful for Robinson, who shared the experience with her daughter Clementine. She hosted a live viewing party in Charlotte to celebrate the debut.