Lexington chef competes on Food Network show. ‘The toughest one of them all’
A popular Lexington chef is appearing in an intense Food Network cooking competition.
James Beard Award 2023 finalist Sam Fore is a contestant on “24 in 24: Last Chef Standing,” which will start to air its third season at 8 p.m. April 26 on Food Network, streaming the next day on HBO Max and Discovery+.
The TV show, hosted by chefs and Food Network personalities Michael Symon and Esther Choi, is part culinary marathon and part social experiment, featuring 24 chefs doing 24 cooking challenges over the course of 24 straight hours.
Shot in real time, the challenges are designed to reflect the intensity of a chef’s daily life.
Food Network says episodes of “24 in 24” test chef’s speed, resourcefulness, adaptability, teamwork, risk-taking, precision and elevation, according to a news release. The third season finale of the TV show will air May 31, with the winner taking home $100,000.
Fore said in a social media post that competing with the other contestants, which feature Michelin-starred chefs, James Beard Award nominees and Food Network favorites, was “an eye-opening experience.”
“I watched the Food Network rather constantly when I was growing up in North Carolina,” Fore wrote. “It’s where I learned how to make some of my favorite dishes, where I became a fan of so many amazing folks that I now have the privilege to call friends. And now I’m on a Food Network show and not just any show, but the toughest one of them all. One where I walked in, looked at the competition and went, ‘Welp. We aren’t in Kentucky anymore.’”
Fore operates Tuk Tuk Snack Shop, which had a brick-and-mortar restaurant for a little more than two years at 124 Malabu Drive Suite 110.
To celebrate 10 years of Tuk Tuk, Fore brought back her celebrated pop-ups on Saturdays in April at the Malabu Drive location.
Fore built a following through pop-ups and gaining national recognition for her fusion of Sri Lankan and Southern cuisine. Her curry tomato pie appeared on the cover of “Food & Wine” magazine, and she cooked for “Top Chef” host Padma Lakshmi when the show came to Lexington. Fore also made appearances on “Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street” and traveled around the country cooking in Michelin-starred and James Beard-recognized kitchens. In 2023 she was a James Beard Award nominee (finalist) for Best Chef Southeast.
In her social media post, Fore said she can’t say how she did on the TV show.
“I can’t tell you much about the whole thing (aside from the usual me having the best time), you’ll have to watch it, but I can definitely say the experience was unforgettable — and I made some solid friends along the way while seeing some beloved familiar faces (some after far too long).”
