It’s no secret that celebrity chef Bobby Flay is a fan of Saratoga. The Food Network star is a Thoroughbred owner, who often visits Saratoga Race Course during the summer meet, and even brought one of his TV shows to the Spa City back in 2013 when he challenged Hattie’s chef Jasper Alexander to a fried chicken cook-off in an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay (spoiler alert: Alexander won).
Now, Flay is taking on two more Saratoga chefs in an episode of Beat Bobby Flay, entitled “The Battle for Saratoga,” which will air on the Food Network tonight at 8pm. First Jeanette Liebers of Sweet Mimi’s Café & Bakery will go up against Chris Bonnivier, formerly of The Adelphi Hotel’s Blue Hen, in a battle to create a tasty brunch-worthy dish using a secret ingredient. The winner will then be matched up against Flay to determine the ultimate Saratoga brunch champion.
The idea for the episode was hatched in August of 2019, when Flay dined at Sweet Mimi’s, Liebers told The Daily Gazette. When Liebers came out of the kitchen to meet him, she mentioned that some of her customers had told her she should try to get on the show. “[Flay] said, ‘Well, would you do that?’ And [Liebers] said, ‘Of course, I would love to come to New York and challenge you on Beat Bobby Flay.'” A week later, the chef got the call from the show’s production team and filming took place in October of that year.
In addition to Liebers and Bonnivier, tonight’s episode will also feature Food Network star and celebrity Italian chef Scott Conant, as well as golf phenom Michelle Wie. If you miss the 8pm showing, it will also air at midnight.
