Former Fresnan to compete on Food Network’s ‘Chopped’

Former Fresnan Alex Lawrence will appear on the popular Food Network show “Chopped.”

Lawrence, who is an administrator of a New York soup kitchen, will join three other representatives from different soup kitchens in an episode titled “Turkey Day Heroes.” The show will air at 8 p.m. Monday.

The competitors in this special competition will be create an appetizer, an entree with turkey and an “epic cake” challenge, according to the show’s website.

Lawrence says he was excited to be on the show.

“I’ve watched the show a million times and I love it,” he says. “I love the idea of not knowing what to cook and trying to figure it out. It was a lot of fun.”

Although he loves to cook now, Lawrence admits it wasn’t his thing growing up in Fresno. He wanted to be an actor. He attended Bullard TALENT, Roosevelt School of the Arts, Fresno City and Fresno State, where he performed in many productions.

It was only after working at the then-Fresno Surgery Center that he developed a love of cooking. He started out delivering meals but later joined the kitchen staff and was trained to be a cook.

“I was so lucky to learn from some really great cooks,” he says.

Lawrence moved to New York 10 years ago and has been working at the Trinity’s Services and Food for the Homeless , in the East Village for several years. The organization provides about 300 lunches a day to the homeless and its food pantry serves 30 to 50 families a day.

Lawrence says he is thankful for the show for helping to raise awareness about the work he and others do. And he won’t soon forget his experience on “Chopped.”

“It was very exciting,” Lawrence says. “And the coolest thing was getting to meet the people who do similar work all over the country. It was a very positive experience.”

For more information about Trinity’s Services and Food for the Homeless, visit its web site at, www.safhnyc.org.

This story was originally published November 9, 2016 at 12:04 PM with the headline "Former Fresnan to compete on Food Network’s ‘Chopped’."