Coast chef battled Bobby Flay. Here’s how he did, and what he said about it

Mississippi Coast chef Austin Sumrall recently appeared on Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay,” competing against Florida chef Alexia Gawlak before facing host Bobby Flay.

The episode, titled “Southern Comfort,” aired last week but was filmed two years ago in front of a live audience in New York. It was one of several cooking competition shows Sumrall has appeared on. He has also competed on “Chopped” and “Alex vs. America.”

In the first round, Sumrall and Gawlak were tasked with using bacon as the main ingredient. Sumrall prepared four dishes, including bacon and leek soubise, mustard greens with bacon, bacon lardon, and pangrattato with gremolata, while Gawlak made a bacon lettuce wrap. Celebrity hosts Jeff Mauro and Carson Kressley judged the dishes and declared Sumrall the winner.

Sumrall then faced Flay with competing versions of tomato pie. Sumrall prepared the version served at his Biloxi restaurant, White Pillars, featuring tomatoes, white cheddar, parmesan, aioli and herbs in a double-crust pie and topped with savory goat cheese ice cream made with liquid nitrogen. Flay made a tomato pie incorporating pimento cheese and served it with a tomato salad.

Flay was declared the winner by three New York chefs.

Sumrall’s appearance on “Beat Bobby Flay” puts the Mississippi Coast’s food scene further into the national spotlight after a decade of growth and diversification among its restaurants.

Its culinary profile has risen in recent months — a shift driven in part by Sumrall. He was one of two Gulf Coast chefs named semifinalists for Best Chef: South by the James Beard Foundation, his second nomination in the category. His Biloxi restaurant, White Pillars, and Siren Social Club in Gulfport were also recently recommended by the Michelin Guide as it began considering restaurants across the region.

Sumrall said in a phone interview Friday that Flay was “easy to talk to and super down to earth.”

“They were great and super fun to work with,” he said. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”