Minuteman High School Graduate Chef Ed Cotton Beats Bobby Flay on The Food Network

By Judy Bass

Chef Ed Cotton, a graduate of Minuteman High School in Lexington, recently added another significant milestone to his resume by beating celebrity chef and restaurateur Bobby Flay in a one-on-one competition televised nationally on The Food Network.

Chef Cotton, 39, of Waltham, studied Culinary Arts at Minuteman, graduating in 1996. (He was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2014.) Now based in New York, he was the featured contestant on a show titled “Beat Bobby Flay.” The program’s concept is for professional chefs to vie in the kitchen with Chef Flay, a master who possesses, in Chef Cotton’s words, “a vast knowledge of different types of cuisine.”

Chef Cotton’s list of credentials helped him get selected by the “Beat Bobby Flay” casting company when they need someone experienced, unflappable and adventurous to go up against their star. Chef Cotton’s previous success on TV may have helped him land the gig – he was the runner-up on Season 7 of “Top Chef,” narrowly missing the chance to claim the $125,000 first prize. His rigorous education at Minuteman was a plus for him also. “Everything comes back to my original training,” he said.

Chef Cotton graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. While still at Minuteman, he worked under Chef Todd English at Olives in Charlestown honing his knife and pastry-making skills, then helping him open another eatery, Figs in Wellesley. Chef Cotton was asked to open yet another Olives at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, where he was sous chef.

He then spent several years working with Chef Barbara Lynch at the restaurant No. 9 Park on Boston’s Beacon Hill as executive sous chef. Beginning in 2003 and continuing for five years, Chef Cotton worked under Chef Daniel Boulud in New York at db Bistro Moderne and Restaurant Daniel. He also appeared on TV for six seasons on The Food Network as Chef Cat Cora’s sous chef on “Iron Chef America.”

Chef Cotton’s other positions include being executive chef at Plein Sud at the Smyth Hotel in New York; chef de cuisine at BLT Market at the Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park under Chef Laurent Tourondel; running

David Burke’s Fishtail and David Burke’s Townhouse, both in New York; and being executive chef at Sotto 13 in the West Village. In October 2016, Chef Cotton became executive chef at Tavern62 by David Burke, another New York establishment.

The format of “Beat Bobby Flay” consists of two segments on a 30-minute broadcast. In the first segment, two guest chefs have 20 minutes to prepare dishes that spotlight an ingredient chosen by Chef Flay. He selected butternut squash, which Chef Cotton and his opponent, Chef Omar Zerrai, had to transform into a succulent dish. Whoever created the best butternut squash palate-pleaser, in the opinion of the judges - one of whom was food expert Martha Stewart – would go on to the next round versus Chef Flay.

In keeping with the autumnal, Thanksgiving-based theme of the broadcast, Chef Cotton whipped up roasted butternut squash soup garnished with cinnamon-spiced cranberries. It edged out Chef Zerrai’s presentation, putting Chef Cotton in line to try to beat Bobby Flay.

Chef Cotton and Chef Flay were given 45 minutes to make Chef Cotton’s signature meal, turkey cacciatore. Each was allowed to craft it any way he chose. For Chef Cotton, that meant teaming it with creamy mascarpone polenta. As the two men worked feverishly over hot stoves, mindful of the relentlessly-ticking clock, Chef Cotton gently chided Chef Flay on the voiceover, “Head for the hills, Bobby, because I definitely know my way around a kitchen.”

That claim wasn’t just idle swagger. When the allotted time was up and they had to put down their cooking utensils, Martha Stewart dramatically announced that Chef Cotton was the victor. Although he only won “bragging rights” as he put it, rather than a hefty cash prize, he definitely felt that the experience was enjoyable and worthwhile. Chef Cotton believes his physical and mental agility made a crucial difference in his win. “You have to be as quick in your head as you are on your feet,” he explained.

He downplays the fame that has accompanied his stints on TV, saying the attention “just keeps me relevant.” For him, practicing the art of cooking is the real thrill, not seizing the limelight if it happens to come his way. As for what he thought about being on “Beat Bobby Flay,” Chef Cotton said with characteristic modesty, “It was a good time. I got to do what I love to do.”