A Knoxville chef's scallops wowed the judges on Food Network's 'Chopped'. But did she win?

A Knoxville chef showed off her culinary skills on Tuesday's episode of Food Network's "Chopped."

Chantiel Melson, owner of Yum Yum's Patisserie in South Knoxville, appeared on season 53, episode 11: "Gluten for Punishment."

Unfortunately, she was chopped in the first round.

Melson launched Yum Yum's in March 2020, a boutique bakery specializing in pastries, donuts, pies and other sweet treats. The Black-, LGBTQ- and female-owned bakery operates as a pop-up shop, and customers can place an order through social media or the website.

Here's what happened on "Chopped."

How Yum Yum's chef did on 'Chopped'

The appetizer round featured an interesting list of ingredients: fried gluten with peanuts, scallops, leeks and a chai tea latte.

Melson decided to make pan seared scallops with chai tea braised leeks and a deconstructed apple and peanut relish. Her additional ingredients included cinnamon, vanilla and brown sugar.

During the timed cooking event, she realized she didn't start cooking the leeks early enough and had to speed cook them.

The three judges on the episode were Marc Murphey, Tiffani Faison and Cliff Crooks.

The judges said her scallops were perfect, the leeks were surprisingly good despite how late she started, but the chai tea flavor was too pronounced. Faison suggested a different cut of apples would have worked better for the relish.

“Nine times out of 10, any kitchen I work in I'm the only female, the only lesbian or the only Black person. So for me, it would just represent that being this way you can literally accomplish any goal you set yourself out to do,” she said in response to a question of what a win would mean to her.

However, she wound up on the chopping block.

“Chantiel, the scallops you killed, the leeks you killed, but the fried gluten wasn't really transformed and the chai tea latte is too sweet. And so, we had to chop you,” judge Faison said.

“Just keep cooking and doing what you love. That's all you got to do,” Murphey said.

“I was hoping that it wouldn't be me, but I represented for the people and where I come from very well and I wouldn't change it. I'm walking out of here proud,” Melson said in her closing remarks.

The "Chopped" champion for the episode was chef Mamba Hamissi from Burundi, Africa, and based in Detroit, Michigan.

How the Knoxville chef was chosen for 'Chopped'

Melson got involved with "Chopped" when a casting director reached out to her last year. After confirming the director was with the show ("Am I being 'Punk'd'?" she thought), she agreed to be in the episode that premieres tonight.

Melson said during a phone interview with Knox News that filming the show was "an amazing experience that I wouldn't do again. Anxiety is a real thing. But it was an amazing experience and the three guys that I was on the show with, we still talk to this day and they're absolutely amazing."

Melson is in the process of updating Yum Yum's website and hopes to expand her business with a food truck sometime next year.

"I've been amazed by what we've been able to accomplish in the last two years of business and just in my career in general," Melson told Knox News. "There are times when I felt like I was shorted, but at the end of it I think, for me, it's always been about what did I learn and how can I continue to learn?"

Keenan Thomas reports for the Knox News business growth and development team. You can reach him by email at keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville restaurant Yum Yum's Patisserie chef featured on Chopped