Pensacola chef Ed Lordman cooks for life on 'Beachside Brawl,' named 'Ambassador to Corn'

In a fiery Fourth of July special of the Food Network's six-week summer series "Beachside Brawl," competitors were once again tasked to see which coast does summer food best: East vs. West.

In the latest episode, one competitor from each coast was chosen for a fatal face-off, with the loser forced to pack their suitcase and head home. Pensacola chef Ed Lordman was one of the two on the chopping block.

As weeks progress in Redondo Beach, California, the competition is getting stiffer and chefs are inching closer to earning the title of "Best of the Beach" along with a beach getaway worth up to $25,000.

Lordman has one of the four spots on the East Coast team captained by celebrity chef Tiffani Faison. The West Coast team, captained by culinary pro Brooke Williamson, has since dwindled down to a mere two competitors.

In the first team challenge of Sunday's episode, each coast was tasked to create the ultimate beach burger that would be sought after at a Fourth of July cookout.

Judging alongside "Beachside Brawl" host Antonia Lofaso was restaurateur Jeremy McBride, owner and head chef of Comfort LA based in California.

Lordman jumped on the beef burger bandwagon, hoping that his recipe's success in Pensacola would spill over to the Food Network critics.

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"Where I'm from in the dirty Southeast, we go big. So I went with a round ribeye, two patties smash-style, sharp cheddar on there," Lordman said, explaining his dish to the judges. "On the bottom we have a coleslaw with charred corn. Then, on top, we did a little bacon Vidalia onion marmalade and boom — big, sloppy Fourth of July burger."

Lordman received praise from McBride on his Dirty South Ribeye Burger, who claimed the sandwich was dictionary definition for burger expectations.

"Man, this is a burger, bro," McBride said, digging into his first bite. "In the dictionary, I want to see something like this. I love what you did with the corn and the onion jam. It's very necessary because this is such a meaty burger. It just accents the ribeye perfectly. The slaw kind of gets lost, just because it's such a big burger."

Lofanso, however, was a tougher critic.

"The meat is actually under-seasoned," she said.

Despite his efforts, Lordman was chosen from the East Coast crew to enter the survival cook-off.

Lordman enters the survival round

Lordman and the West Coast team's Newport Beach native Jessica Roy were tasked to put all of their skills out on the table and create a grilled family feast in only 45 minutes.

Chefs were tasked to include a grilled meat, grilled vegetable and grilled dessert in the feast, but were allowed mentorship from their coast captains.

Lordman decided to switch up his meats with a Creole-seasoned pork porterhouse, squash, corn and zucchini as sides and finish off the feast with a grilled peach cobbler.

Lordman said he felt "ready for this challenge," as the menu reflected his roots.

"My grandma made cobbler growing up. It speaks South, it speaks outdoor grilling. ... This is exactly like something my uncle growing up would do," Lordman said.

As Lordman put the finishing touches on the plate, dousing his dish in a Creole butter, seconds ticked on the clock before he would surrender his fate to the judge's hands.

"You definitely redeemed yourself," McBride said when tasting Lordman's dish. "The Cajun butter is beautiful. (I) kind of want to grab a straw, to be honest with you. ... Your ancestors are definitely talking to me through your food. That's a fact. Your granny, auntie, your granny's granny."

Lofanso added that not only the flavors were notable, but Lordman's culinary technique shined, especially on his main entrée.

"What I'm highly impressed with right now, like, as I devour, is the cook on the porterhouse. The cook on the porterhouse: not easy," Lofanso emphasized.

Lofanso also teased Lordman’s affection for corn.

"If someone doesn't give you like, 'Ambassador to Corn,' when you're done with this show … because I have never had corn given to me so many times in so many different ways by one person," she said. "All in all, really nice job."

Lordman clapped and batted tears from his eyes as he received word that he had won the challenge and would be cooking on the pier another week.

Tune in at 9 p.m. Sunday on the Food Network or discovery+ to watch the remainder of Lordman's journey unfold.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Food Network's Beachside Brawl: Pensacola Chef Ed Lordman advances