Henry Chopped Jr. Champion

Made a short video teaching about how to make Arancini di Riso. Great for an end of summer snack!

Untitled video - Create and share your videos with Clipchamp Watch videos made with Clipchamp, the best video maker for everyone.

My friend Malek invited me to his family's farm to help do the annual killing of the pheasants, squab, and some of the chickens they raised. I learned a lot and then made my family two of the pheasants I killed for the holidays. That is true farm-to-table my friends!

Colder nights have brought some new experiments in the kitchen. Learning how to master the perfect Lechon pork belly, try my hand at Peking Duck, make traditional French asparagus tarts, and my mom taught me to make a perfect apple tart.

Picking apples with my best friend. Adding fresh fall ingredients into my dinners this week!

Henry Chopped Jr. Champion updated their information in their About section.

Part two of Smoked Venison Tartare!

A New quarantine video instruction for how to make Smoked Venison Tartare (yum--raw deer with a raw egg on top

During this quarantined time, we all are thinking of the chefs, bartenders, waitresses, dishwashers, valet parkers, managers, and everyone that is suffering from lost tips and wages. We want to encourage everyone to support those in the food service industry around you. Order meals for pick-up, treat delivery folks well, and when places re-open remember to tip big!!

Winter has found us slow roasting a lot of lamb and tomahawk steaks alongside heirloom tomato and dark green salads. We gathered close and stayed warm with good meals together.

I work at an award winning (and featured on Chef's Table) Mexican restaurant in the morning. I go to work at 5:30 am and then walk to school from there at 8 am. It is hard work prepping in the morning, but I love it and am learning a lot and practicing my Spanish. Here is a little story about how we prepare each day to sell tons of tacos!

https://philly.eater.com/2019/4/15/18282518/south-philly-barbacoa-cristina-martinez-mexican-restaurant-philadelphia

How South Philly Barbacoa Gets Ready to Sell Thousands of Tacos in One Day In the kitchen with Cristina Martinez, the chef at the city’s hottest Mexican restaurant

Tossing up some shish*to peppers as a side for the roast tonight...

Thanks to Chef Kurt Evans for inviting me to help cook, serve, and clean for the great EMI (End Mass Incarceration) Dinners and Lectures. Amazing dishes followed by a stimulating conversation on mental health, prison, race, and economics. I had worked the night before for a Caterer (Provecho Catering -- Amazing Spanish/Cuban Cuisine) and then the next day at my regular job at El Compadre. It was a great weekend of cooking! Great experiences, and thanks to Chef Kurt, great causes.

Congratulations to my bosses at El Compadre and South Philly Barbacoa! Christina Martinez and Ben Miller were featured on the latest episode of Chef's Table (https://www.netflix.com/title/80007945 -- check it out, it is an inspiring story of immigration, diligence, and love of community and cuisine). I have gotten such a wonderful experience cooking and prepping there and I am sure I will learn a lot more with them as I goes through high school. These are photos from the viewing party of the episode and the feast afterwards. I love you Christina and Ben!!

I went all out to cook for a fundraiser for Shakespeare in the Park that a party of six bid on. I made the theatre group a ton of cash! The menu was: 1) Smoked Wild Elk Tartare with Vietnamese Black Garlic, Sardinian Capers, Grated Tumeric Root, Duck Egg, Ramps, and Cipollini Onions; 2) Second Course: Sunflower and Cannellini Bean Hummus with White Miso and Berbere served with Cucumbers and Sunflower Greens in a Persian Lime Vinaigrette; 3) Third Course Goat Cheese with a candied Cashew, Sardinian Cheese with Vindaloo Chutney, Rogue River Blue Cheese with Clover Honey and Black Sea Salt, and Aged Gouda with Chokecherry Jam; 4) Fourth Course: Sweet Potato and Saffron Arancini di Riso with a Roasted Tomatillo Drizzle; 5) Fifth Course: Anjou Pear poached in Silvio Carta Sardinian Vermouth and Calvados with Black Walnut Balsamic and Fresh Mint; 6) Sixth Course: Black Truffle and Ricotta Cheese Gnocchi in a Beurre Blanc with Shaved Bottarga; 7) Seventh Course:
Roasted Beef Cheeks in a Mirto and Cannonau Reduction, Espresso, Glazed Carrots, over Manchego Parsnip Puree with Oyster Mushrooms and Fried Shallots; 8) Dessert:
Sweet Pea. Persimmon, and Sorrel infused Buttermilk Panna Cotta. Thank you to Viviana and David for bringing me key ingredients from Sardinia which I used in every dish (it was a Sardinian themed menu)! Thank you Mary-Knight for organizing the event!

I cooked for a fundraiser a couple weeks ago and he cooked brunch for 30 peole. On the menu: Cointreau and Smoked Maple Syrup French Toast, Brie, Truffle, and Sh*take Mushroom Strata, Roasted Tomatillo Salsa with Jalapeno Cornbread, Bourbon and Pecan Bread Pudding, and the most amazing Cannoli Stuffed French Toast you have ever tasted! One of my favorite dishes to make for sure. Freakin Michael Phelps would have shuttered at the number of calories!

Making slow-cooked carnitas today. It takes about 25 hours to cook very slowly with cinnamon, orange peels, poblanos, seranos, anchos, onions, and a variety of spices, but is worth the wait -- trust me. When they are done, just had some pickled nopales (cactus), a little cohita, lime, and some spiced vinegar and cilantro on a grilled corn tortilla and you have the perfect taco (a bit of pickled onion never hurts).

Made my homemade duck liver pate with sour cherries, armagnac, and pistachio. Takes over 4 days to make, but really worth it. Simple country French food can often take a lot of time!

Lemongrass and shallots stuffed inside salt baked fish. Takes a long time, but the salt-baked method makes the fish taste perfect!

I am experimenting again, this time -- "Les Recettes de Rillettes et Lapin" or as I calls it "Rabbit Scrapple" (a French twist on a Philly food staple). It involves an entire rabbit and a ton of fatback and takes three days to make, but that is what the summer is for...slow cooking.

I cooked a special meal for my mom for her birthday -- all of her favorites -- homemade lemon and smoked mozzarella pizza, a deconstructed Caesar, a tiger shrimp ceviche, an antipasto array, and a key lime panna cotta with coconut crema. Happy Birthday Mom!

Challenged to cook a seven course vegan meal! It was hard to do, but I think the crowd liked it. I made a Five Mushroom Veloute, Coffee Roasted Carrot Chutney over a White Miso, Avacado Canelli Bean Hummus, Spicy Carrot Chinese Pepper Berry and Shallot Salad, Vegan Roasted Eggplant Pate over Sprouted Seen Bread topped with Roasted Corn and Pickled Beets, Persian Sumac Kale Caulifour and Chick Pea Curry, Red Lentil Pasta with Fresh Basil and Tomato, and a Lao Black Sticky Rice with Coconut Cream and Mango dessert.

Last month I had the great opportunity to assist my mentors Kurt Evans, Christina Martinez, and Ben Miller at El Compadre (where I work before school a few days a week). They hosted a dinner and lecture about Mass Incarceration and Race in America. Great cause and great food!

Great Cambodian food in South Philly! Khmer Sweet Basil!

I wanted to cook a very nice meal for my best friend before his lenten fast and really went all out -- House smoked bison tartare with grated tumeric and watercress and a homemade asparagus mayo, Wild boar marmalade with cipollini onions and maple syrup, Porcini crusted Turbot with a Champagne vinegar and blueberry compote, Chantarelle, Morel and Hedgehog Mushroom veloute, and finished with a Homemade fresh lemon curd with blackberry. Manny came over and helped with some pretty creative plating of the fish -- he is like the Jackson Po***ck of sauce (in a good way!). Such a wonderful earthly meal.

Helping set up for a big fundraiser. I prepared some homemade hors d'oeuvres (stilton and almond stuffed dates wrapped with smoked paprika and soy parsnip ribbons/pomelo som tam salad/northern bean, rosemary, and tuna pate/burrata and chantarelle mushroom flatbread).