Eric Williams of Momocho and El Carnicero (among others) will
test his luck and talent Sunday, January 17th on “Guy’s Grocery Games” which
airs on Sunday evenings at 8pm on the Food Network.
Guy Fieri chose 16 of his
favorite “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” (DDD) chefs to compete in a five-week
tournament with winnings to support local charity/charities, purchase new
equipment for their restaurants, pay off any debt or a family vacation.
The series began this past
Sunday, January 3rd and will conclude with the championship on January 31. The
tournament features four talented-chefs from DDD episodes. They compete
head-to-head each week at a chance to win 20,000 dollars while showcasing their
unique cuisines and personalities. The four winners meet in a final
championship round for an opportunity to win an additional 20,000 dollars and
the chance to be proclaimed “Champion of Guy’s Grocery Games.”
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| Eric Williams |
“It’s a mash-up of Grocery Games, Chopped and Guy’s huge, twisted
personality. I’m representing El Carnicero and Momocho. I was excited and
honored to participate. I understood I had the chance to gain more exposure for
the restaurants, shine the spotlight on Cleveland and possibly win some cash
for some charities. As a fan of the show, my goal was to showcase my
restaurants for as long as I could. Especially, since the first Chef was
eliminated in the first 15 minutes. Hopefully, I can make Cleveland proud and
bring home a winner.” Says, Eric Williams.
Fieri, for his part, does what he can
to increase the pressure and challenge of the competition through a series of
demands. He selects the entrée for each chef to prepare. Contestants are under
the gun to shop for their ingredients in an actual grocery store and to prepare
the dish in 30 minutes.
“Guy increases the pressure by throwing
in an ingredient from a claw machine, making a sandwich with ingredients not in
the dairy or bread aisle or rolling the dice to see what piece of kitchen
equipment we can use. It’s completely exhausting both physically and mentally!”
Says, Eric Williams.
Although, Williams could not discuss how he fared in the contest,
he did share how he intends to utilize his winnings.
“Recently Heather and I purchased a home and during some
remodeling this past spring the basement completely flooded. We had to start
all over and waterproof the house. Part of the money would help to offset that
debt. I also hope to upgrade some restaurant equipment. Momocho is nearly 10
years old and El Carnicero opened with a lot of used equipment. I also intend
to help those who really need help. We’ve often helped our local churches,
shelters and soup kitchens. Those efforts were always short term and limited by
what we could afford at the time. If given the opportunity, I can help a lot
more people.” Says, Eric Williams.
