Comeback Contender

Comeback Contender

Posted on May 22, 2018

Watch local chef Monterey Salka on the May 27 premier of Food Network Star: Comeback Kitchen, as she competes with seven former finalists for a spot on Food Network Star. “We were almost like war buddies,” says Salka of her fellow contestants with whom she competed on a series of crazy challenges. “It was fun catching up with each other and kicking each other’s butts!” Salka previously appeared on Season 12 of Food Network Staras well as Cutthroat Kitchen in 2015.

On this season’s Comeback Kitchen, hosts Valerie Bertinelli and Tyler Florence welcome the competitors back and challenge them with reinventing a TV dinner. Salka, who has collaborated with Andew Spurgin, has helped to open a dozen restaurants over the years in New York, Nashville, and Colorado. She returned to her culinary roots in San Diego a year and a half ago. While influenced by international flavors during her travels as a fashion model, Salka first developed her chef’s palate while attending Torrey Pines High School. She loves the diversity of food found in San Diego, whether Korean barbecue on Convoy or tacos in Barrio Logan. “I wanted to think about why I loved food and what inspired me in the first place, to bring it back to square one,” Salka says of her work on Comeback Kitchen. “It’s kind of an ode to San Diego.” She is cooking up some collaborations here in town, so stay tuned. foodnetwork.com    Andrea Naversen