by TM Petaccia

Chef Chris Coleman bested chef Travis Myers on Food Network’s Superchef Grudge Match.

The last time chef Chris Coleman went head-to-head against chef Travis Myers, it was in the finals at the 2018 NCRLA NC Chef of the Year finals. Myers took the title by less than one point – and that fraction has been gnawing on Coleman for nearly five years.

Wednesday night was payback time on Food Network’s Superchef Grudge Match. In the second match of the evening, Coleman bested Myers in a battle of “Upscale Southern Dishes.”

Hosted by celebrity chef Darnell Furguson, the show pits two chefs against each other in a single elimination themed battle with two guest judges determining the winner. The judges on this episode were chef/author Catherine McCord and Michelin Bib Gourmand award-winner Adrienne Cheatham.

Each chef brings a “secret weapon” ingredient they think their opponent may have difficulty dealing with. Coleman brought NC oysters (in the shell). Myers brought hazelnuts. In addition, the show offers an ingredient of its own, in this case, pre-made sweet potato pie. The challenge was to use all three, plus anything else from the pantry to create their dishes – in 30 minutes.

At stake was a $10,000 cash prize, plus the losing chef’s favorite chef’s knife. Dishes are scored on taste, use of the secret ingredients, and presentation.

Coleman served fried oysters with vadouvan curry sweet potatoes and hazelnut dukkah. Myers countered with a baked oyster with a sweet potato hazelnut romesco and southern succotash.

While the judges praised both dishes, in the end Coleman got his revenge with a score of 44-39.

“The win was amazing, but honestly I was ecstatic to be able to compete and hang out with Travis,” Coleman says. “He’s such a great chef and an amazing guy.”

“I loved the event. Chris is an amazing chef and human,” Myers says. “He played the right card by keeping it simple. I chose to achieve a lot in 30 mins. It was hard and it was my demise.”

Coleman is executive chef and partner of The Goodyear House in NoDa as well as Old Town Kitchen & Cocktails in Rock Hill. Myers is executive chef and owner of Six Hundredº in Winston-Salem.

You can see the re-air schedule of the show (S1E10) on the Food Network website.

“We had dinner together the night before and had bourbons together the day we filmed, afterwards, of course,” Coleman says. “Travis is just an awesome dude.”

“I’m already thinking of a round three with him so we can completely smash this grudge,” Myers says. “Right now we are even, but our next match will determine this finally.”