Rocco's Dinner Party Coming to Bravo

by Michael D. Ayers, Posted May 28th 2010 @ 11:00AM

Photo: Vallery Jean / Getty Images

Set the table: Rocco Dispirito is planning a dinner party. The acclaimed chef is developing a new culinary competition series for Bravo called Rocco's Dinner Party, where contestants showcase their talents in cooking for -- yes, you guessed it -- a private dinner party.

The show will take a similar format to the Food Network's Chopped, where each episode starts off with four contestants and over the course of an hour, is whittled down to a final two.

And it's not just professional chefs who will be vying for the cash prize: restaurateurs, caterers and self-taught foodies will be added to the contestant pool.

In the first round, Rocco himself will judge the contestants, who are simply assigned to cook their favorite dish for him. After the first elimination, round two will begin with the announcement of the night's dinner party theme. Contestants will create an appetizer as well as come up with a proposed full menu. The last round will pit the final two food experts against each other, where they must create the full menu along with the evening's décor.

Dispirito is no stranger to television. He starred in his own NBC reality series called The Restaurant, set at the now-shuttered Rocco's on 22nd Street in Manhattan, he's appeared as a guest judge on Top Chef a handful of times and was a contestant himself on Dancing with the Stars.

According to an NBC spokesperson, there's no set time table for when Rocco's Dinner Party will begin airing. So for now, get your fix on A&E where, as the host of Rocco Gets Real, he solves culinary disasters for those who are having a bit of trouble in the kitchen.

Filed Under: Television/Film, Chefs
Tags: bravo, rocco dispirito, rocco gets real, RoccoGetsReal, roccos dinner party