Local chef to appear on Cutthroat Kitchen

Local restauranteur and chef Abby Houseworth Whitener recently had an experience that she says was in the top three of her life in the kitchen -- an appearance on The Food Network's competition show, "Cutthroat Kitchen," hosted by Alton Brown.

Whitener said that representatives from The Food Network contacted her after seeing the Welcome to Arkansas program's online video of her cooking and giving an interview in her Blytheville restaurant, Bistro Eleven21. She serves as Executive Chef for the Bistro and food and beverage director for Perkins and the Holiday Inn.

"I couldn't believe it when they called, and I hadn't even seen Cuttthroat Kitchen at that point at all," she said. "They were just airing the first season at that point, and technically I'm on season three, the last episode of the season. It filmed in Burbank, California, and I went a couple of weeks before Christmas."

Whitener, who was trained at the French Culinary Institute in New York, is pitted on the show against three other chefs. Due to confidentiality agreements, she could not discuss the details of the episode or how she fared in the competition before it airs this weekend, but said the whole experience was "out of this world."

"I was extremely nervous before I got there...you're up against three other very experienced chefs and there are cameras absolutely everywhere -- in the ceiling, on your face, on your cooking station, there's no escaping it," she said. "It was wild. My episode is called "A Tuna Frittata," because that's the first thing we were challenged to make."

Whitener spent one whole day filming, for 12 hours, then another day giving interviews which would later be spliced into the show.

"I won't see it until the public does, until it airs, so they could make me out to be anything, I don't know what kind of picture they'll paint or what spin they'll put on it, because you sign your rights away, it's television," she said, "but I would definitely be on another show if I was asked back. The competition was out of this world, it was really, really cool. Alton Brown was nice to me, but is very professional and stern, he definitely means business and runs a tight ship."

A bonus during her stay in Burbank was the opportunity to see all of the contestants of "The Voice," who were staying at her hotel for the filming of their show.

"Overall it was just a really great experience, and I'd love to do it again, I told them I'd love to do Chopped, and they sometimes ask you to appear on another show if your ratings are good," she said.

Whitener's episode of Cutthroat Kitchen will air on The Food Network Sunday night at 9 p.m.

sharris@blythevillecourier.com