The co-owner and chef of a Chapel Hill restaurant will soon be featured on national television, as she competes in a cooking competition.
Sera Cuni, who runs The Root Cellar Cafe & Catering, will be making an appearance on the Food Network show “Guy’s Grocery Games” next week. She’ll be competing against three other chefs to complete cooking challenges featuring specific ingredients, which will then be eaten by a panel of judges. The show, which is hosted by Guy Fieri and has run since 2013, awards the winner of each episode $20,000.
The Root Cellar’s social media page announced this week Cuni filmed an episode with the Food Network back in March, before the coronavirus pandemic halted much television production and restaurant business. According to the post, it will be Cuni’s national television debut.
The Root Cellar has locations in Chapel Hill off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and in Pittsboro on Suttles Road, where it serves made-from-scratch meals.
Cuni’s appearance on “Guy’s Grocery Games” will premiere at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, August 19.
Photo via The Root Cellar Cafe & Catering.
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