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Crystal Smith, pastry chef at Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit, recently came in first place and grabbed $10,000 prize on the Food Network show "Chopped."
Smith, 34, a single mother of three, has been passionate about cooking since she was a teen.
“For me, it’s actually my passion, not just a way to make money,” she tells Sarah Rahal of The Detroit News. “When I’m stressed, it’s a calming agent. It’s something I love.”
The show begins with four chefs. There are three rounds of meals and after each one, a contestant is eliminated by three judges who taste their food. Each round, the chefs get a basket of ingredients they must use in their dishes. They also have access to a pantry of ingredients.
Smith's main course basket was filled with kale, roasted mushrooms, chicken breast and crème puff dough, the News reports. She turned that into a pan-toasted chicken with a mushroom cream sauce and sautéd kale entree.
Her dessert was a mixed berry shortcake with oven-roasted grapes, marshmallow fluff and lemon balm.
