Who is Antonia Lofaso? Celebrity chef is all set to host Food Network’s Beachside Brawl

Chef Antonia Lofaso to host Food Network’s Beachside Brawl airing on June 19 (Image via chefantonia/Instagram)
Chef Antonia Lofaso to host Food Network’s Beachside Brawl airing on June 19 (Image via chefantonia/Instagram)

Celebrity chef Antonia Lofaso is all set to host Beachside Brawl, which will premiere on June 19 at 10 PM ET on Food Network. The show will feature Tiffani Faison and Brooke Williamson along with their teams in the “coast vs. coast battle for the best beach eats.” The show will also welcome a few guest judges, namely Rashida Holmes, Sabin Lomac, Jeremy McBryde, Ben Robinson, Stephanie Boswell, Noah Cappe, and Tim Hollingsworth to judge the dishes on the show.

In Beachside Brawl, Lofaso will “challenge the foremost cooks from both coasts in the ultimate battle to determine which coast does summer food best. "


All about Beachside Brawl’s Antonia Lofaso

American chef Antonia Marie Lofaso, nicknamed The Warrior Princess and The Culinary Warrior, is also a cookbook author, TV personality, and a mother with Sicilian, Italian, and Jewish roots.

It was her father, Fred Lofaso, who inspired her love of cooking. Her father still helps her out occasionally. In 2020, Fred helped out her daughter in one of her restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Antonia attended the French Culinary Institute in New York City. While studying at the institute, she also worked as a manager at Sean Combs' restaurant, Justin, before working as a chef at the Los Angeles restaurants Spago and Foxtail.

To learn the nitty-gritty of the cooking world, Antonia apprenticed under various culinary legends and learned their sophisticated techniques. While working at the Wolfgang Puck’s Spago, she quickly rose through the ranks due to her culinary skills. She then moved on to work in various high-end restaurants while working with many renowned celebrities.

The chef is currently the co-owner and executive chef of the Los Angeles restaurants namely - Black Market Liquor Bar, DAMA, and Scopa Italian Roots.

The chef partnered with Sal Aurora and Mario Guddemi in 2011 to launch Black Market Liquor Bar in Studio City. She also opened Scopa Italian Roots in 2013 influenced by her Italian-American heritage. Her restaurants are popular with food enthusiasts since they serve old-school Italian cuisine.


Beachside Brawl host Antonia Lofaso's other ventures

Antonia appeared as a contestant in Top Chef season 4 in 2008, finishing in fourth place. She also appeared on Top Chef season 8, known as Top Chef: All-Stars, and ranked third. In 2014, the chef competed against Mike Isabella in an episode of Top Chef Duels and won the duel.

The chef also appeared on the short-lived Game Show Network show Beat the Chefs in 2012. As a judge, she has starred on CNBC’s Restaurant Startup, Cutthroat Kitchen, Man vs. Girl, ABC’s Real O’neals, and The Julia Child Challenge, among others.

She is also the author of the cookbook, The Busy Mom's Cookbook: 100 Recipes for Quick, Delicious, Home-Cooked Meals.

Antonia is also working towards revolutionizing the cooking industry’s aesthetic by redesigning chefwear with her brand Chefletics.

Antonia will now host the Food Network’s Beachside Brawl. Tune in on Sunday, June 19 to cheer for your favorite coastal food in the cooking competition. The show can also be watched on discovery +.

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Edited by Babylona Bora