Jewish Food Truck Owner, Michael Israel, on Food Network’s Chopped This Sunday

Top 20 Under 40 Los Angeles honoree, Michael Israel, joins three other food trucks owners on the upcoming Sunday, August 18^th episode of Food Network’s hit show, ‘Chopped’.

Israel is the chef/co-owner of Los Angeles’ M.O.E (Montreal Open-Ended Eggrolls) truck, creatively and tastefully blending traditional Jewish and Chinese cuisines with brisket, pastrami, and tongue eggrolls.

With a degree in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America, Israel is passionate about two things: food and his Jewish community.

“A food truck allows us to be part of the Jewish Community in many different ways. We can literally bring our kitchen to any Jewish event from Purim carnivals to fundraisers and serve delicious egg rolls,” Israel told us in August 2012.

“As the owner of a kosher business, I am able to connect with my Jewish heritage on a daily basis. Everyday I learn something new about Kashrut and living life Jewishly because of our Jewish business.”

On Sunday night, Israel will be joined by “four chefs with connections to the booming truck-food business”, according the Food Network website.

They will “motor into the Chopped Kitchen. And the first basket with two assertively-flavored meats makes for a challenging appetizer round. In the second round, the competitors must make dishes that include a sugary powder and a leafy vegetable. Then guanabana is going into the ice cream machine in the dessert round!”

Israel also founded the popular food blog “Kosher Bacon”, aiming to reinvent more than 600 recipes from Gil Marks’ “Encyclopedia of Jewish Food”.

Following the episode’s premiere on Sunday, Chef Michael Israel will be creating a ‘Chopped’ inspired dinner at his summer pop-up restaurant, Fress, using ingredients and preparations from his episode. The fun night will take place on Thursday, August 22^nd.

For more info on Chef Israel’s ‘Chopped’ episode, visit The Food Network.