Allison Igwe ’12 realizes a dream on Food Network’s “Chopped Sweets”

TU alum appeared on "Tiny Treats" episode February 24

By Megan Bradshaw on March 6, 2020

Allison Igwe on "Chopped Sweets"

Cleaving her career track has led to success for Allison Igwe ’12. 

After graduating with a bachelor’s of science in English language and literature, she worked as a copywriter in Maryland and Florida before deciding her future lay in food. 

Igwe has under three years experience in the restaurant industry, but that didn't stop her from auditioning for "Chopped Sweets" in October 2019.

Igwe competed against Joe Murphy, William Ankeney and Claudia Martinez on the February 24 episode, “Tiny Treats.”

Murphy, a New York City-based pastry chef, has three Michelin stars. Ankeney has 30 years’ experience and works in a tiny pie bakery in Austin, Texas. Martinez is the executive pastry chef for three fine dining restaurants.  

In Round 1, the chefs had 30 minutes to make a chocolate dessert from spicy fish spread, mini chocolate champagne bottles, red currants and avocado chocolate bars. Igwe created mini churros with spicy fish spread red currant sauce with a hot chocolate drink. 

She ran into some trouble with burnt currants and dense pate choux but earned praise from judges Zac Young and Elizabeth Chambers for her currant coulis. Host Scott Conant singled out her hot chocolate, calling it “really well done.”

While Igwe did not advance, she acknowledges appearing on the show was a dream come true and told the Annapolis Patch, “The culinary world has taken me so many places in a very short time. This is only the beginning.”