Yonkers restaurateur is new "Food Network Star"

  • 2018-08-19
Two chefs from the Yonkers area made history at the beginning of August.

For the first time in the history of the cooking competition, two winners were crowned the next "Food Network Star."

One of the winners, Christian Pertroni, co-owns a chain of restaurants, named Fortina. The establishment has locations in Yonkers, Rye Brook, Stamford, Brooklyn and Armonk. Pertroni lives in Rye Brook.

Although he's one of the new "stars" of the Food Network, he's no stranger to the channel. He won "Chopped" during season 4 and served as a judge on the show "Beat Bobby Flay."

The other winner, Jessica Tom, is also a native of the area and attended Pleasantville High School. Her future as the next "Food Network Star" looked shaky at first, as she was eliminated at one point and had to fight her way back into the contest through "Star Salvation."

People who win major cooking contests can use flyer printing to spread the news and to advertise watching parties when their episodes air.

Petroni ended up watching the finale of the show at his restaurant in Armonk. The episode aired on August 5.

During the competition, the cooks spent nine weeks battling it out, demonstrating their skills and ability to perform under pressure. The announcement that there were two winners this season came as a surprise to all.