Jenna Johansen, former exec chef of Dish, in Edwards, goes Around the World in 80 Plates on Bravo TV's new chef reality show

Jenna Johansen, the former exec chef -- and still part owner -- of Dish restaurant, in Edwards (she's now in Denver, engaged to Il Mondo Vecchio sausage king Mark DeNittis, who's involved with a new project, Salumeria Cansano in Wash Park), is strutting her culinary prowess on a new Bravo...

By Lori Midson

March 7, 2012

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Jenna Johansen, the former exec chef -- and still part owner -- of Dish restaurant, in Edwards (she's now in Denver, engaged to Il Mondo Vecchio sausage king Mark DeNittis, who's involved with a new project, Salumeria Cansano in Wash Park), is strutting her culinary prowess on a new Bravo TV show, Around the World in 80 Plates, which, according to producers, "takes culinary competition to the next level as twelve chefs travel across the globe testing their skills and determination."

The show, scheduled to air on May 9, is hosted by Cat Cora and Curtis Stone, and pits twelve chefs against one another in a forty-day race that journeys across ten countries, including China, Argentina, England, Italy, France, Morocco, Spain, Thailand, the United States and Uruguay. Big-name celeb chefs, including José Andrés, Wolfgang Puck and Nigella Lawson, make plenty of cameos as the show's "food ambassadors."

"Contestants will travel to a different international city where they will learn the local customs, cultures, and cuisines as they participate in a gauntlet of culinary challenges. Ultimately, they will face-off in a kitchen takeover where they will not only recreate, but reinvent the menus for world-renowned restaurants and their demanding owners," notes the Bravo website.

Johansen, whom I just spoke with on the phone, promises to give us her first interview -- just as soon as she's given the green light to divulge.

In the meantime, here's a sneak peek of the pilot: www.bravotv.com/around-the-world-in-80-plates/season-1/videos/a-new-culinary-adventure

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