Tonight, the Next Food Network Stars will take the Chopped Kitchen to find out who advances in the competition, but first, these four will show us how it's done.
 

Mogan Anthony Mt. Kisco, NY executive chef, Village Social

Roy Handler Los Angeles executive chef, Haute Mess Catering

Laura Paul Austin, TX executive chef, Rivals Steakhouse

Joseph Miller Venice Beach, CA chef/owner, Joe's Restaurant

Notes: Mogan's parents don't know he's a chef, and Roy's sister is famous comedian Chelsea Handler. Joseph is a stammerer.

Tonight on the panel.

- Master of the Harlem Renaissance Marcus Samuelsson
- Superstar Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli
- Latin expert Aaron Sanchez

Round 1: APPETIZER (20 minutes). First in the mystery baskets are... pickled sausage, mache, blood oranges, and southern cabbage.

... and you have 20 minutes... and they start now.

Mogan: Braised Southern Cabbage with Pickled Sausage & Sofrito
Roy: Pan-Seared Pickled Sausage over Roasted Red Wine Cabbage
Laura: Pickled Sausage & Sausage Cabbage Flatbread with Mache Salad
Joseph: Southern Choucroute

Mogan's made a good dish, with the egg bridging the gaps, but the pepper makes the dish not very pleasant. Roy's sausage has enough blood orange to carry through. But the plates are not consistent, nor is the cut on the sausage. Laura's dish has well-developed light flavors, but it doesn't translate to a light bread. Joseph was focused on the basket, but he could've treated the ingredient differently and made a smaller dish.

The first chef... to be chopped... is... ROY. The dish was very inconsistent.

Round 2: ENTREE (30 minutes). Three survive to cook another round, and in this one, we are left to deal with... lobster bisque, baby leeks, daikon, and squid.

Thirty minutes... Get to it!

Mogan: Japanese-Style Grilled Squid with Daikon
Laura: Caramelized Leek & Lobster Vermicelli with Sautéed Squid
Joseph: Stuffed Squid with Risotto

Laura cleaned the squid very well, but she didn't really cook it very well. Joseph's squid is the center of the plate, while the vegetables provide nuance. The downside: the lobster bisque. Mogan's squid blooms with character on the dish, but the dish overall did not harmonize, while he also needed to clean the squid more.

The next chef... to be chopped... is... LAURA. One of her larger choice was to recruit ingredients from the pantry, leaving the mystery ingredients to the wayside.

Round 3: DESSERT (30 minutes). So we have one chef whose parents don't know, and one chef whose kids don't really care that much. In the dessert, we have ... green cerignola olives, honey distilled liqueur, lady gala apples, and kaiserschmarrn.

We're half-an-hour away from a big money moment.

Mogan: Sable Breton
Joseph: Dutch Apple Pancake with Rosemary Ice Cream

Kaiserschmarrn is a thick Austrian pancake served with whipped cream.

The olives are too big on Joseph's dish, and Steve's dish is more buoyed by the pantry ingredients. Mogan's dish is a smart dish, but he has a lot of the cookie, and he needed a lot more of the cream or something not as dry.

The final chef... to be chopped... is... MOGAN. Ultimately, he made three good dishes, but they were hindered by some serious setbacks.

That leaves JOSEPH MILLER, whose first appearance on a cooking competition leaves him $10,000 richer as today's Chopped Champion.

Now our attention turns to the next battle. One player is going to be paid, and the other three are going to be CHOPPED.

To see extras from this episode, or to apply to be a contestant on "Chopped", visit the official website at www.foodnetwork.com/chopped.