“Blind Kitchen” is a quirky food competition series, local chefs recreate each other’s signature dish, but they can only determine what the dish is using their senses of taste, touch and smell. Each chef is blindfolded during a down-and-dirty guessing phase and when the masks come off, the heat is on, with both chefs cooking what they believe is their opponent’s creation. The chefs are competing for bragging rights and a donation to their favorite charity.
In this episode, Klajdi Plaku, chef de cuisine of all three venues in the Lenox Hotel in Boston, and Patrick Shea, chef/owner of C.K. Pearl in Essex, face off to see who can recreate each other’s signature dish.
Each recreated meal will be judged on:
- Percentage of correct ingredients
- Similarities in flavor and plating
- Re-creation as a stand-alone dish
Chef Klajdi Plaku: Risotto Stuffed Squid
Chef De Cuisine for the three venues in the Lenox Hotel, Klajdi Plaku oversees all the preparation throughout the restaurants. Originally from Romania, he uses different techniques, along with a mixture of passion, hard work and creativity, which allows him to create a variety of dishes from different cuisines.
Mystery Dish: Squid
Squid, rice, garlic, shallot, tomatillo, poblano, cilantro, lime, parmesan, thyme
Chef’s Choice Charity: The Greater Boston Food Bank
The Greater Boston Food Bank is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England, distributing over 60 million lbs of food annually directly to those in need across 190 cities and towns.
Chef Patrick Shea: Seared Tuna
Born and raised in Essex, Massachusetts, Patrick Shea’s love for food started at a young age while growing up in the family restaurant. As the chef/owner of C.K. Pearl, which is located very close to his family’s restaurant, in his hometown of Essex, Patrick brings a fresh take to each meal he creates, using the various styles he’s learned from great mentors.
Mystery Dish: Seared Tuna
Tuna, zucchini, leeks, carrot, cucumber, miso mayo, lemongrass, honey, salmon roe, chilies
Chef’s Choice Charity: No Kid Hungry
No Kid Hungry is a national campaign run by Share Our Strength, a nonprofit working to solve problems of hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world was launched in 2010.
Meet The Judge: Todd Bennett
Todd is the director of operations of The Briar Group, Boston’s leading and longest-standing independently owned restaurant group for over 25 years.
Want to see who wins?
You can watch this episode, “Blind Kitchen: Chef Klajdi Plaku vs Chef Patrick Shea,” on the Very Local channel. You can stream all of the episodes of “Blind Kitchen” for free.
Looking for more Boston eats…
We’ve got more episodes of “Blind Kitchen” for you to stream on the Very Local channel.
Plus, check out our guide to the best international food stores in Boston and learn more about the history of America’s first chocolate mill in Lower Mills.
Stay Tuned
Our new show “Boston Rob Does Bean Town” is coming in April. Follow @verylocalboston on Instagram and Facebook for updates.