Southern University Alumna wins Food Network’s “Chopped” Grand Prize

Louisiana native and Southern University (SU) alumna, Chef Airis Johnson, was the grand prize winner of Food Network’s TV series Chopped during its 35th season.
The show is a reality based game show which features four chefs who compete for a $10,000 prize.
Premiering on the network on October 17, Johnson battled against two other executive chefs from New York and a restaurateur from Ohio in this season’s eighth episode.
Johnson was responsible for preparing an appetizer, an entree and a dessert with a combination of ingredients, all which were handpicked by the judges.
“Chopped was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life…It was fun, but it was really, really difficult, because you don’t know what is going to be in that basket until you open it … and those timers are real.”
With only 20 minutes to prepare an appetizer and 30 minutes to create both an entree and dessert, Johnson admitted that it was “a lot of pressure” to present to the judges.
Despite her newfound success, Johnson admits that her journey started from humble beginnings.
After graduating with a B.S. in Marketing from Southern University, she planned to attend culinary school in New York.
The professional chef recalls how her mother sent her to New York with only $300, and a one-way train ticket.
Johnson started working as a cashier in Virgin Megastore, only making $7.50 an hour.
“[I] did not have much of a plan in place. Except me, and my friend were going to be roommates…and I’ve been here for 17 years.”
In those 17 years, Johnson began working for the American Red Cross’s September 11th recovery program. “That was my real first salary job in New York, she said.” She worked there in the financial department in the day, and went to culinary school at night. From then on, she was employed at various restaurants, such as Whole Foods, Shake Shack, and Gordon Ramsay at the London, NYC. Her positions ranged from cook, to leadership roles as Head Chef, where she would be in charge of the crew and the menu.
Afterwards, she began working as a traveling chef, food blogger, and began her own business.
Like a seasoned pot of gumbo, Johnson was able to put her marketing, financing, leadership and cooking skills together. Her business originally called “ATC Spice Blends”, now changed to “Airis-Foods,” is where she sells spices, spicy pickles and candied pecans. Johnson stated, “I would take these trips out of the country, and come back dead broke. If I’m not working, I’m not getting paid…I created spices because I wanted to make money at all times.”
One advice the chef would give to students is, “If you have a dream in your heart… definitely follow through with it. Especially when you are young…you are more fearless.”
For more information on Chef Airis Johnson, please visit her website at airisfoods.com. Check out her social media: @airisthechef on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.