Jason Zukas, executive chef of Bocca Fina in Forest Hills, god of bald men.

Last night, the Food Network rang in the new season of Chopped! with a bevy of sea beans, Thai chilies and according to their tease, “Mexican-inspired desserts” (which translated to ones that included pepitas and jicama). The chefs ran the gamut in terms of name recognition and included chocolatier Fritz Knipschildt, David Rotter, executive chef of Campo on the Upper West Side, Jason Zukas, executive chef of La Bocca Fina in Forest Hills (the self-described “Rocky Balboa of the competition”), and Cheryl Perry, an instructor at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts. Judges for the episode were Alex Guarnaschelli, Chris Santos and Marc Murphy. Read on for the blow-by-blow. Read more »

If Ted Allen’s fervent zeal on the Feed’s recent visit to the Chopped! set is any indicator, tonight’s second-season premiere of the Food Network’s competitive cooking show should be just as entertaining as the first. Slated for the inaugural episode are chocolatier Fritz Knipschildt, David Rotter of Campo, Jason Zukas of Bocca Fina and culinary-school instructor Cheryl Perry, all of whom are tasked with deftly handling mystery baskets filled with an “unusually salty vegetable,” Thai chilies and more. Grub Street reports that Rotter will be watching the show from Campo with specials, including $4 beers, $5 well drinks and $8 bar-menu items. We’ll be watching from the comfort of our worn-in couch, hopefully with a bag of $2.89 Giant Cheetos. Check back for the recap tomorrow!—Zachary Feldman