Meet The Team / Sarah De Heer

"Chopped," Food Network's reality series that pits four chefs against each other in a battle for supremacy, has always had a great gimmick: Each contestant has to create dishes using all of the ingredients provided in a "mystery basket." Squid, gummy bears, Nutella -- you name it, these chefs have seen it. But now the series has a new trick up its sleeve: Chopped All-Stars. For a limited five-episode run starting Sunday, March 13th, at 7 p.m. EST, the series will feature Food Network personalities competing head-to-head for a $50,000 cash prize for charity. Our own Sarah DeHeer caught up with host Ted Allen and judge Alex Guarnaschelli at the Food Network kitchens in Manhattan to find out more.

Several weeks ago, I attended a grilled cheese and wine pairing seminar hosted by Laura Werlin, the guru of grilled cheese. You know a person really has a passion about a subject when they've penned two books about it (her newest is Grilled Cheese, Please!).

First, we sat down to four glasses of wine and a cheese plate with six different cheeses (from soft to hard). Instead of digging straight into the sandwiches, Laura had everyone taste the wines, then taste the cheeses to understand the foundation of the sandwiches. All of the cheeses on our plates and in the sandwiches came from Wisconsin and ranged from Gouda to Gorgonzola. One of the most important tips Laura shared with us was about the color of cheese vs. the wine. According to Laura, "The whiter the cheese, the lighter the wine."

Each of the unique creations we tasted came from her two books. Below are three of the six creations we tried, along with the its paired wine.

Dutch Grilled Cheese made with Marieke's Gouda
This sandwich was just full of buttery goodness. The gouda, paired with caramelized onions, cumin and rye bread with caraway was a successful balance of sweet and savory. Sometimes caramelized onions overpower the other ingredients in a dish, they complemented this sandwich because they were combined with Gouda -- a strong, distinctive cheese. The Cotes du Rhote was complex but let all of the flavors of the sandwich come through.
Paired with: Jean Luc Columbo "La Redonne" 2007 Cotes de Rhone (Rhone, France)

Last week we caught up with New Orleans chef John Besh at Food Network's South Beach Food & Wine Festival. Since he's juggling so many projects -- a new cookbook coming out in the fall, a TV show starting in April, managing his six restaurants and focusing on his foundation -- we didn't know where to begin! So we reached out to our dedicated Slashfood Twitter followers and asked: "What would you like to know from John Besh?" The response was great, and we've got the answers to seven of his favorite questions.

@DrinkerX asked: What was his favorite dish to eat growing up as a kid?
JB: Speckled trout sautéed with brown butter -- I can still smell it. You could hear when mom squeezed the lemon over the fish and it sizzled. With toasted almonds -- [shakes his head] -- the whole thing is so good.

@kbGiltCity asked: I'm having my bachelor party in NoLA during Jazzfest. What's the BEST food at Jazzfest? I was told soft shell crab po boy?
JB: My favorite po' boys? That's a toss up between a fried oyster fully dressed or a fried soft shell crab fully dressed, both from Parkway Tavern.

@THeChefatSolago asked: Homegrown hot sauce or store-bought...and if store-bought what brand?
JB: Definitely Tabasco. It's my go-to hot sauce.

There's a lot on offer at the annual SoBe Food and Wine Festival, but Food Network's South Beach Burger Bash is always the must-see event. Food writers, bloggers and burger enthusiasts travel from around the globe to be among the thousands of spectators who get to watch their favorite chefs vie for the title of Best Burger. (And sample the burgers, of course.)

However, not many people understand what it takes to pull off an event of this size. After flying into town from New York City on Thursday afternoon, I headed over to the Burger Bash's 35,000-square-foot tent to meet with Jackie Sayet, Chef Michael Schwartz's (Michael's Genuine Food & Drink) brand manager. One the way inside, I was stopped by several people asking me if I had a ticket for sale. Others were scalping tickets -- the bash really is the Super Bowl of food events.

At last year's Burger Bash, Michael took home the Judge's Award. This year, he was determined to capture the People's Choice Award with his Bacon, Quail Egg and Cheeseburger with Fried Cheese Grits. Before arriving in Miami, I asked Jackie if I could follow Michael's journey through the night as he prepped and served 2,600 burgers to a very hungry crowd.