Plot Synopsis

Hosted by Ted Allen, CHOPPED: JULIA CHILD'S KITCHEN is a five-part CHOPPED tournament that celebrates Julia Child, with baskets inspired by Julia Child's recipes. The chefs must put their own innovative twist on Julia's recipes -- not just by using their culinary skills, but also their knowledge of what makes Julia Child so iconic. The chefs must live up to Julia Child's legacy while being judged by a rotating panel of judges including Scott Conant, Susan Feniger, Amanda Freitag, Alex Guarnaschelli, Nilou Motamed, Michael Voltaggio and, from the Max comedy series JULIA, actress and author Isabella Rossellini. With a $25,000 Julia Child-themed trip to France on the line, the 16 competitors vie for their chance advance to the finale, where they prove their French cuisine capabilities.

Throughout the tournament, inspired by clips from her groundbreaking television series, the chefs mesh their own unique culinary backgrounds with those of Julia Child, all while facing some of the most challenging baskets yet. In one battle, the competitors must use fish heads and brown butter macarons to emulate Julia's Trout Meuniere, and in another they must make a dessert with ramen noodles and French whisky. In the appetizer round during the premiere episode, four Julia Child fans must incorporate a blooming onion in an ode to Julia's French Onion Soup. And, in the final round, the two remaining chefs must make sweet desserts with a Bitter Frenchman cocktail. In the episode featuring Rossellini at the judges' table, stars from the Max series JULIA including, Brittany Bradford, David Hyde Pierce and Fran Kranz help present the mystery basket ingredients via special messages to the competitors.

The five episodes include:

Part 1 (Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at 8pm): Julia Child was a chef, instructor, author and legend! Even today she influences modern chefs to achieve greatness and push themselves to be their best. In this competition, four Julia Child fans compete in a preliminary battle with baskets inspired by Julia's recipes. Creativity will have to blossom when the chefs find a blooming onion in the first basket. A French pastry in the entree basket looks delicious, but the chefs will have to make it work with duck. Then for dessert, the two remaining competitors endeavor to make sweet desserts with a Bitter Frenchman cocktail. The winner will advance to the tournament's finale, where they'll fight for a $25,000 Julia Child-themed dream trip to France! Competing chefs are: Dan Fox (Madison, WI), Jenna Johansen (Boulder, CO), Janelle Pitterson (New York City, NY), and Victor Villarreal (Fort Worth, TX). Scott Conant, Amanda Freitag, and Nilou Motamed are judges.

Part 2 (Tuesday, November 21, 2023 at 8pm): Four chefs embrace their inner culinary idol as they compete in this preliminary battle of a special five-part tournament honoring Julia Child's life and legacy. With guest judge Isabella Rossellini on the panel, the competitors have extra incentive to do their very best! In the appetizer round, the chefs get an unusual piece of chicken and a potato product that would have made Julia cringe. The entree round features ingredients inspired by Julia's cassoulet recipe, and a big egg signals big trouble for the two chefs cooking dessert. Winner of this battle moves on to the tournament's finale! The competitors are: Dom Crisp (Los Angeles, CA), Javauneeka Jacobs (Chicago, IL), Al Smith (Mammoth Lakes, CA), and Sayeh Tavangar (Washington DC).

Part 3 (Tuesday, November 28, 2023 at 8pm): We heart Julia Child! Devotees of the cooking icon endeavor to make her proud in this preliminary battle of a five-part tournament event. Every basket will be inspired by a different Julia Child recipe, and every round will be a celebration of her extraordinary life and legacy. In the appetizer round, the competitors are challenged to riff on the idea of fish stew. Upon opening the entree basket, the chefs discover that their meal will include veal. Then, fruit and processed cheese make for an oddball combo in dessert. The winner advances to the tournament's finale! The chefs in this episode are: Briana DiTommaso (Chicago, IL), Joy Parham (Philadelphia, PA), Rachel Ponce (Paso Robles, CA), and Andrew Wagner (Jersey City, NJ)

Part 4 (Tuesday, December 5, 2023 at 8pm): Strive for excellence, just like Julia! Four chefs arrive to compete in a tournament that celebrates the major impact that Julia Child made on the culinary world. They'll have to be bold and creative as they take baskets inspired by Julia's recipes and make them uniquely their own. Some citrus and a salad are part of the puzzle in the appetizer round, and the three chefs who make it to the entree round must make use of some unusual powder and fancy mushrooms. Then, they'll do their best with beets in the dessert round. The winner of this battle will advance to the tournament's finale, where a $25,000 dream trip is at stake. Competitors include: Mike Andrzejewski (Orange Beach, AL), Natalie Blake (Cleveland, OH), Stanley Hagerman (San Francisco, CA), and Abbie Serbins (Berkeley, CA).

Finale (Tuesday, December 12, 2023 at 8pm): Four champions return to compete in the finale of a special tournament celebrating Julia Child's legacy. They should be warned that if they move at a snail's pace in the escargot-inspired appetizer round, they will never succeed! The judges think the entree basket, featuring an uncooked dough, seems very tricky, and the two champs who make it to the dessert round face a huge amount of pressure and some tiny frozen treats. The competitor whose meal is the best will become the grand champion and win a $25,000 dream trip to follow in Julia's footsteps in France!