13x60 College Cooking Competion
THE PREMISE
We’ve reached a boiling point. It’s time for cooking competitions to break away from the stuffy confines of the dark and sterile studios. Led by “Chopped” Champion Chef Eliza Martin, Alpha Pie pits co-ed against co-ed to recreate a favorite, local, university-inspired dish. With scholarship dough on the line, wild new methods of dorm-life cooking, grocery shopping, and teamwork are put to the test. Each episode will include 3 rounds as the teams work to learn cooking skills and refine their recipes. The final challenge will be recreating the legendary college dish for celebrity alumni judges. Every episode of Alpha Pie is a self contained competition taking place at a new college campus.
THE FORMAT
Alpha Pie kicks off every episode by barreling into a different college town, rolling up sleeves and sampling the best dishes on campus. Chef Eliza and friends (cameos featuring famous alumni from that specific University) chow down on the most memorable eats around. This is a chance to taste the best that every corner of the map has to offer and dish up what makes every town special. From jambalaya at LSU to clam chowder at Berklee, Chef Eliza takes the audience on a food-centric journey. Once she finds the “perfect dish”, she is ready to challenge the students to compete in 3 rounds of culinary fun.
THE LOCATION
Alpha Pie is not a closed set experience. Competitors navigate their bustling campus and the electric energy of their cafeteria, quad, and beyond. On one hand, colleges are full of this generation’s best and brightest. On the other hand, college is full of misguided mistakes and mayhem. It has some of the best eaters on the planet, iron-stomach warriors able to house overstuffed burritos and malted milkshakes at 3 AM. But as good as they are at eating, many of them couldn’t scramble an egg to save their life. For a $10,000 scholarship, they’ll certainly give it the “old college try”. The pressure builds as they eventually have to execute, using only dorm equipment, in front of the rowdiest tv audience imaginable, the entire student body cheering from the stands.
Episode Breakdown
ROUND 1: CAMPUS SCAVENGER HUNT
Four pairs of students are introduced (physics majors, athletes, etc) and are given a food-based knife skills challenge that sends them racing through the campus. Whichever team fails the exam is eliminated. Remaining teams graduate to the next level.
ROUND 2: GATHERING INGREDIENTS
The remaining teams are challenged to scour the campus in search of ingredients to replicate the “perfect dish.” It’s a mad dash through grocery stores, cafeterias, dormitories, and even unsuspecting family fridges.
ROUND 3: THE SHOWDOWN
The three teams must race back to the “Pressure Cooker” (IE the field house, the 50 yard line of the football stadium, etc.). Here they will have 2 hours to use their major’s unique POVs to replicate the “perfect dish.”
THE TWIST
The teams are surprised by an old foe when the losers of Round 1 come back for revenge. They sabotage teams by replacing their cooking equipment with dorm items; now teams may have to use an iron to make grilled cheese, or a coffee maker to steam veggies… but time is still ticking!
JUDGEMENT
The teams race to plate their dishes as the last few seconds expire, and a group of judges (including celebrity alumni) come out for the final taste test. Whichever team creates the most creative and delectable version of the “perfect dish” wins the scholarship.
CHEF ELIZA MARTIN
OUR HOST
Eliza is a Food Network "Chopped" Champion, a chef-entertainer, and a cheerleader for anyone who wants to learn how to feed themselves well. Her desire to perform pushed her to earn a B.A. in Musical Theater and Communication, but it was her love of food that unlocked her true calling.
Chef Eliza's culinary adventures began in New York City, where she studied at the Institute of Culinary Education, worked tirelessly at the Rachael Ray Show, Saveur Magazine, and multiple high end restaurants. After winning a cooking competition for the James Beard Foundation, she was sent to Chicago to serve as their first Woman in Culinary Leadership. Longing to educate, she next launched her own catering company and aquaponic farming company, while working for a children's cooking school.
She soon moved to San Francisco to work as the Executive Chef of a fine dining Italian restaurant in Union Square. Eliza moved to continue her mission to educate and now works as a San Diego cooking instructor and speaker for both children and adults.
