Throwdown Spoiler Debate, Day 2: Jerome Chang of Dessert Truck Weighs In

Two days ago, Bobby Flay and Jerome Chang taped an episode of Flay's Food Network Show, Throwdown, in Union Square. Yesterday, following the very public display on Tuesday, we debated running a spoiler for the show (it airs later this year). We even put the matter to a vote. 66% of voters said we should do the reveal, while one commenter pointed out that in doing so we ruin the show. (Note that this issue doesn't exist with, say, Top Chef, where the entire show is a glorious pigfuck and therefore entertaining all the way through. We are firmly committed to spoiling the daylights out of that show.)

Which brings us to today and gets casual readers of this space up to speed. We promise not to drag this out much longer, especially because it does seem that Eater readers want us to reveal the winner of the Throwdown. But before we do wrap this up, you should hear DessertTruck owner and Flay opponent Jerome Chang's opinion. Perhaps it will sway your vote. Dude emailed us this morning:

Dear Eater:

I'd like to put in my two cents - please do not reveal the winner of the DessertTruck edition of Throwdown with Bobby Flay. Of course, openly filming the Throwdown in Union Square Park virtually guaranteed any passerby or nearby tenant to view the winner of the Throwdown. Did the producers make a mistake? Maybe. While I have a legally-binding duty not to reveal the winner, this particular matter involving Eater is not a legal one. Rather, it's one of respect.

While I love to talk shop (I love sharing recipes and cooking techniques with anyone), there are small parts of my business I like to keep secret. Do I follow every step to keep those secrets a legally-protected trade secret? No. I don't have anywhere near the time or money to do that. Like virtually everyone in the food service industry, my team and I work/sacrifice like crazy just to meet the minimum to keep people happy. So I respect those who happen to know the unusual ingredient in dessert X or dessert Y but choose not to reveal it because by doing so, they respect our hard work. And I hope Eater does the same by respecting, arguably, the most generous food-related show on television and all their tremendous hard work. What other show is as effective as Throwdown in using the power of a well-known chef to celebrate the efforts of local chefs? By revealing the winner to a Throwdown, you eat their bread and butter.

I'm really really late for work now. Thank you for your consideration. I apologize for any grammatical mistakes...

Sincerely,

Jerome Chang
Chef/Owner
DessertTruck

· Special Emergency Vote: Should The Winner of Dessert Truck "Throwdown" Be Revealed? [~E~]