If you want to see local chef Orchid Paulmeier in action, you could visit her restaurants in Hilton Head Island and Bluffton, or simply switch on Food Network.
“Mama” Orchid Paulmeier, founder, executive chef and managing partner of the One Hot Mama’s chain, is competing against other culinary and grilling experts this season on Food Network’s BBQ Brawl.
Hilton Head Island’s own Paulmeier will compete alongside 11 other barbecue “brawlers” in a weekly series that will keep your appetites and your interests smoking all summer.
BBQ Brawl: Flay V. Chauhan V. Lofaso premiered Sunday, June 1, and will air each Sunday for a total of ten weeks at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network, and stream on Max the following day.
The heat is on as top chefs and their teams battle for grilling glory
Barbecue is all about the wood, the fire, the smoke, and of course, the competition. If you can imagine it, they can grill it on BBQ Brawl, and the format is simple.
Celebrity chef Bobby Flay is back at the Star Hill Ranch in Austin, Texas, and is ready to defend his title against the two new captains coming to town hoping to take him down, Maneet Chauhan and Antonia Lofaso.
The three culinary heavyweights will mentor teams of the country’s most respected barbeque pitmasters, including the S.C. Lowcountry’s own Paulmeier, as they go “head-to-head in a series of expert grilling challenges,” teases Food Network, adding, “It is the most primal season yet, with everything from live fire cooking to an all-night cook and shocking surprises around every corner.”
Beginning June 1 and over 10 episodes, the Brawlers battle it out to impress returning judges Carson Kressley, Brooke Williamson, and Rodney Scott (also of S.C. fame) who will determine which pitmaster will be crowned the “Master of ‘Cue” and have their barbecue skills featured on Food Network social platforms.
“This season has something for everyone, whether you are a professional grill master, a weekend warrior or simply love the smokey char of barbecue done right,” said Flay in the Food Network teaser. “Summertime heralds outdoor cooking, and BBQ Brawl celebrates all that entails with a healthy dose of competition to keep it exciting.”
Who is Chef Orchid, the inspiration for One Hot Mama’s?
Born in Chicago the daughter of Filipino immigrants, Paulmeier learned to love the wonders of food early and picked up the fundamentals of Filipino cooking from her mother, grandmother, and large extended family.
“It was really great to grow up in Chicago but be immersed in Filipino culture,” said Paulmeier. “I had a large family on both sides, and we always cooked good food.”
After working her way through the restaurant business all the way up from the hostess stand, Paulmeier took an internship in Hilton Head Island in 1993 and fell in love with the soulful, Southern Lowcountry, the place where she and her husband Mike now reside with their three children.
“It was definitely a culture change,” recalls Paulmeier. “The food here was very exciting and completely different from my upbringing in Chicago. But I just fell in love with the South. The pace is so much better. We moved here permanently in 1994 and never looked back.”
After laying down roots along South Carolina’s coast, and embracing the deep, colorful cooking traditions of the region, she describes her cooking as an inspired, but down-home blend of the best of Filipino and Southern influences.
Owning a restaurant was always part of “Mama” Orchid’s American Dream, she tells customers on her restaurant’s webpage. The restaurant’s name was inspired by an offhand, affectionate remark from her husband, who came home from work one day and said, “Hey, one hot mama.”
“I said right away, ‘Oh, my God, that’s going to be the name of my restaurant’,” laughs Paulmeier. “Later, another chef told me that might be the best barbecue name they ever heard.”
At One Hot Mama’s, this Lowcountry chef blends time-tested Southern favorites like collards, cornbread and slow-cooked barbecue and ribs with her own home-spun recipes that feature a hint of worldly, exotic flavors.
Paulmeier opened One Hot Mama’s in 2003, handpicking the menu and mixing up all of the signature sauces herself, she says, adding that she runs her kitchen like she lives her life—”surrounded by family, friends and feel-good food.”
Chef Paulmeier tells newcomers to her dining establishments that, if you can only try one or two of her signature dishes, she highly recommends the baby back ribs with smoked, fried chicken, dirty rice and collard greens. If you have room, throw in her world-class mac and cheese.
“Every single recipe is mine, completely from scratch (with the exception of the French fries),” she is proud to tell her diners. “They are truly recipes from my experiences in life, mixing both Filipino and Southern. Truly my heart is in every one of these recipes.”
A journey from Hilton Head to the Food Network
How did a local chef and mother of three find her way to our TV screens?
It’s been quite an adventuresome journey, says Paulmeier, who admits that she has always been competitive and enjoyed watching cooking competition shows with her family, saying to herself, “I can do that.”
After being named a 2016 South Carolina Chef Ambassador and one of the Featured Chefs at a James Beard House Dinner, she auditioned for and, after several attempts, won a slot on season seven of The Next Food Network Star.
From there, Chef Paulmeier found herself on other shows, including Food Truck Race and Best Bites. When the opportunity to compete on BBQ Brawl came along, she knew it would be perfect for her.
This season of BBQ Brawl was filmed in February and March of this year, but with the competition over Paulmeier is not giving up any spoilers or inside secrets – you’ll have to watch for yourself.
“I know what happens, but even my children don’t know how it ends or what I cooked,” she teases. “I just really want everyone to watch it.”
And it will be quite a show, Paulmeier promises.
“Once I got on, I saw there were some real heavy hitters, like James Beard Award winners who have beaten Bobby Flay,” she added. “My co-Brawlers are pretty impressive. When they say they brought the best of the barbecue world, they weren’t lying.”
What chefs are competing in this season of BBQ Brawl?
Brawlers this season include Paulmeier, Tyler Anderson, Kyle Bryner, Jason Dady, Alexandra Donnadio, Greg Gatlin, Brad Leighninger, Thyron Mathews, Rosalie Bradford Pareja, Tim Van Doren, Arturo Ramon and Aarthi Sampath.
“This season, the Brawl is wilder than ever, with never-before-seen twists and turns – from a first-time-ever Brawlers vs. Captains battle to a global grilling challenge using cooking apparatuses from around the world,” promises Food Network, adding that “The competition continues to heat up as the teams wage war with Old West live fire gear, push their smoker skills to the limit with a baking challenge followed by a meatless feast and attempt to master one of the most challenging techniques in grilling, cooking with the Argentinian Asado Iron Cross.”
In the end, a surprise elimination sends the remaining Brawlers straight into the finale, where an epic overnight challenge will decide which competitor is crowned this season’s “Master of Cue.”
“There are many challengers who would like a chance to beat Bobby Flay, and with all the victories under their respective belts, Maneet Chauhan and Antonia Lofaso have both shown they are contenders to take this season’s crown,” said Betsy Ayala, Head of Content Food, Warner Bros. Discovery. “It’s a game of skill and cooking acumen but also teamwork and trust, and this season’s challenges really put all that to the test for the mentors and their teams.”
For more on this season visit FoodNetwork.com and Food Network’s social platforms, where you can join the conversation all season using #BBQBrawl. BBQ Brawl is produced by Rock Shrimp Productions for Food Network
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