Chef Jared Bradley of The Famous Bistro has advanced to the top 10 of the national Favorite Chef competition, a contest that offers the winner a feature in Taste of Home magazine, a cooking experience with celebrity chef Carla Hall, and a $25,000 grand prize.
Bradley said he was surprised to find himself in the competition after initially dismissing the invitation as spam.
“I kind of thought it was spam,” Bradley said. “I don’t normally click stuff like that, but I finally looked into it, found the previous winners and realized it was legitimate. I filled out the profile, hit submit, and here we are.”
The competition, now in its third year, is based on public voting. Bradley said he has advanced through multiple rounds and currently sits first in his voting group while competing among thousands of chefs nationwide.
If selected as the overall winner, Bradley would travel to California to cook with Hall, appear in a feature story and photo shoot for Taste of Home magazine, and receive the $25,000 prize.
Bradley said the money would likely help launch a future business venture.
“I’d use it to fund my own venture of some kind,” he wrote in his competition profile. “Or maybe… just maybe… a vacation! Honestly, money comes, money goes. I love the journey of life, and a surprise every now and then keeps things interesting.”
When asked to describe his signature dish, Bradley offered an unexpected answer.
“Honestly… I don’t have one,” he wrote. “I’ve worked hard to not have one. I have always wanted my signature to be good, solid, honest food.”
He credits celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse as his biggest culinary influence.
“He made cooking fun. Cool,” Bradley wrote. “He paved the way for so many. He ignored a recipe or two and made it his.”
Bradley has spent approximately 14 years as executive chef at The Famous Bistro in downtown Owensboro. He said owner George Montgomery’s willingness to trust his chefs with creativity has been the biggest reason he’s remained at the restaurant.
“It’s rare that an owner wants your chef to sort of spread his food wings and play with it,” Bradley said. “George just gave me that trust, and in turn, I treat the place like it’s my own.”
That creative freedom allows Bradley and his team to experiment with specialty ingredients and small-batch menu items while maintaining the restaurant’s longtime favorites.
“We get to play with a lot of food that most cooks and chefs don’t even get to dream of doing,” he said.
Bradley said The Famous Bistro’s intimate dining room also helps create a unique experience.
“I want to cook really nice food, but not in a stuffy way,” he said. “Good food isn’t for the elite. Good food is for everybody.”
Originally moving to the area by way of Evansville, Bradley said he quickly fell in love with Owensboro after taking over the kitchen at The Famous Bistro.
“The people here are awesome,” he said. “I love what the town does downtown. There’s always something going on. It’s fun to be a part of.”
Voting in the Favorite Chef competition is open to the public here. Supporters can cast one free vote each day, while optional donation votes benefit the James Beard Foundation and its efforts to support chefs and the culinary industry.
