Why these Arizona chefs and restaurants were on national TV this year

Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story gave incorrect information on Spooky's Swirls' Lola Forbes' appearance on "Halloween Baking Championship." She was a competitor on the Food Network show.

As many Arizona residents know, the Grand Canyon state is home to an array of restaurants worthy of the highest praise, not just locally, but on the national stage. In 2022, Arizona chefs were in the spotlight yet again, with hometown culinary pros making appearances on TV shows like Food Network's "Chopped" and "Top Chef" as well as Netflix's "Taco Chronicles" and "Chef's Table."

Here's a look at all the Arizona chefs who were on TV in 2022.

Bacanora dominated TV

Bacanora was named one of the best restaurants not just in Phoenix, but in the United States, according to Bon Appetit, Esquire and the James Beard Foundation. Many Arizonans agree — reservations for the buzzy Mexican restaurant typically fill up over a month in advance.

The chefs behind the scenes at the Grand Avenue hotspot made several TV appearances this year, starting with Rene Andrade's guest judge spot on the "Top Chef Houston" season finale, which was filmed in Tucson.

Grillmaster Roberto Centeno took home the grand prize on "Chopped" in November for his grilled top sirloin taco with grilled peach and tomatillo pico de gallo.

The restaurant itself had a few cameos. Bacanora was featured on Netflix in the third season of "Taco Chronicles," a show that dives into the flavorful history of the Mexican food staple.

It was also featured on the HBO Max series "Hard Knocks in Season" as a favorite restaurant of several Arizona Cardinals players including DeAndre Hopkins and Isaiah Simmons. The first episode of the show, which follows the football team's ups and downs during the NFL season, shows Hopkins and Simmons dining at the restaurant and speaking with chef Rene Andrade, a longtime friend of the team.

Other Arizonans on 'Chopped'

In February, football player turned chef Lawrence "L.T." Smith competed on a chocolate-themed episode of the long-running Food Network show. Smith is a co-owner of Chilte with Aseret Arroyo.

In May, another local chef took home first place in the cooking competition. Phoenix-based private chef Simona Lauren won over the judges with a papaya and rose petal parfait with ginger chocolate caramel. She created the dish after being provided a basket of rose petal pie, papaya, ginger and salted caramel.

Behind the scenes:Arizona 'Chopped' champions share secrets from the competition

Chris Bianco on 'Chef's Table: Pizza'

Chris Bianco has become a household name in the Valley. And this September, he was featured in his own episode of "Chef's Table." The award-winning series, created by David Gelb for Netflix, started its first season in 2015. This year, season seven spotlighted some of the world's best pizzerias, including Phoenix's own Pizzeria Bianco.

Brian McGinn, the show's Emmy-nominated producer and director, said the choice to kick off the season with the Phoenix hotspot was a no-brainer.

“The second we put Phoenix on our map, I knew we were going to Pizzeria Bianco,” he said. “I think it’s one of those destination bucket lists.”

Two Arizonans went head-to-head on 'Big Restaurant Bet'

This spring, two Arizona chefs competed against each other and six other chefs on the new Food Network show "Big Restaurant Bet."

Brett Vibber of WILD Arizona Cuisine said on his Instagram that he was excited to "get #arizonacuisine known to all!!!" after he participated in the competition. One of his opponents on the show was Demetrius Baxter, who runs the catering company Chef Demetrius LLC. Baxter wrote on his Instagram, "They found my Signature ‘Dashi Tuna Sashimi’ flawless and one of a kind!! You’ll have to catch me @bellyphx in Gilbert in about six weeks to try it yourselves -IT DOES NOT DISAPPOINT!!"

A Chandler baker made an impression on Food Network's 'Halloween Baking Championship'

Lola Forbes, one of the masterminds behind Spooky's Swirls gluten-free bakery and horror museum, brought her terrifying talents to Food Network in September when she competed on season eight of "Halloween Baking Championship." Forbes presented the judges with a terrifying toenail-shaped dessert.

"If you're going to go to Food Network, make sure you leave them with something really big," Forbes told The Arizona Republic in October. "I got these tall men like, cringing and cowering over my cake. I don't know if you can do much bigger than that."

'So good it's scary':This macabre metro Phoenix bakery is TV famous for gluten-free desserts 'so good it's scary'

'Top Chef Houston'... in Tucson

You might not have expected to see Arizona on "Top Chef Houston," but the Food Network show filmed its finale in Tucson earlier this year. Historic Tucson staple El Charro Cafe's chef Carlotta Flores was featured in episode 13, along with other notable Arizona chefs including Maria Mazon of Boca Tacos y Tequila, Don Guerra of Barrio Bread, Rene Andrade of Bacanora and Janos Wilder.

A budding chef:This Scottsdale teen competed on a James Beard Award-winning cooking show. Here's how to watch

Reach the reporter at endia.fontanez@gannett.com. Follow @EndiaFontanez on Twitter.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix restaurants and chefs made appearances on national TV in 2022