Restaurants & Bars
MetroWest Chef Wins Charity Cooking Competition
A Wayland chef won this year's Open Table "Chopped for Charity" contest.
WAYLAND, MA — A Wayland chef won this year’s Open Table Chopped for Charity cooking competition with a vegetarian dish built around two surprise ingredients.
Chef Erin Harleman, owner of The Saucy Plate, a Wayland-based personal chef company, won the competition at Open Table’s 2026 Chopped for Charity Gala at Nashawtuc Country Club in Concord on May 1, according to Open Table.
The gala featured three professional chefs competing in a 30-minute challenge while guests attended an auction and a dinner fundraiser for Open Table, a Maynard- and Concord-based nonprofit that works to address hunger locally. More than 200 people attended and the event raised more than $200,000 for Open Table and its programs, according to the Acton Exchange.
Harleman’s winning dish was shakshuka, a Middle Eastern vegetarian entrée with eggs, chickpeas and vegetables in a cumin-spiced tomato sauce. The dish incorporated the competition’s secret ingredients, chocolate and toasted pumpkin seed oil, which were provided by Debra’s Natural Gourmet, according to the nonprofit. The dish was plated with feta cheese and a slice of sourdough bread.
The other competitors were Chef Audley Mills, who made jerk-spiced salmon with cauliflower purée, vegetables and orzo, and Chef Joubert Amazan, who made salmon with cream sauce, vegetables, white beans and noodles.
Chef Jason Jernigan served as head judge. Renee Magasanik and Tim Sutton also judged after winning judge positions through an auction before the competition, according to Open Table.
Open Table’s pantry service is available to residents of 21 communities in central Middlesex County, including Wayland.
