New York's Arlen Gargagliano Battles Hostess Cupcake on Food Network TV Rewrapped Show & Wins
Online, May 7, 2014 (Newswire.com) - Tuckahoe's own Arlen Gargagliano, owner of Latin Caribbean fusion restaurant Mambo 64 wins Food Network's Rewrapped television competition show with a savory Hostess Cupcake Chicken Mole & delicious Cupcake Cream Coquito cocktail.
During the "Innovate round" Arlen won over the judges with her Hostess Cupcake Chicken Mole with Cupcake Cream Coquito cocktail, which is a traditional Puerto Rican egg nog. "I rimmed the glass with baked crumbed cupcake and garnished it with the cream from inside," says winning contestant Arlen Gargagliano. "Then the mole is a typical Mexican sauce. In Mexico they make it with chilies and chocolate, so I took the top part of the Hostess cupcakes and used that as my chocolate ."
"It may be the best mole sauce I've ever tasted!" says Mark Summers, head judge & host of Unwrapped.
"I am part Mexican and this is some good mole. What you did with that cupcake was super inventive. This is super smart ....this is good stuff! " says Rewrapped judge Jackie Sorkin, who is also a dessert and confections expert.
Nicole Lipari, manager of consumer affairs for Hostess says, "Love it. Everything about it is fantastic! "
On the all-new series Rewrapped, three contestants re-create and then reinvent some of America's sweet and savory treats with Joey Fatone hosting the fast-paced, "Chopped-like" series that is divided into two cooking segments. Rewrapped takes iconic brands and challenges contestants to "recreate and innovate" that signature food.
Arlen Gargagliano, a bestselling Latin style cookbook author and owner of Mambo 64 in Tuckahoe, New York, competed against food blogger Keisha Jenkins-Duffy and professional baker Ron Bzdewka. In The first "replicate round" the contestants had to create an exact copy of a hostess cupcake from scratch.
After some grappling in the kitchen with the mixer, Arlen gets off to a slower start with her replica Hostess cupcakes. Though she finishes in last place in the first round, she does so with a sprinkling of good humor and laughter. All three judges said her cupcakes tasted delicious & moist-- even though they didn't exactly look like the one and only Hostess cupcake.
"The flavor is off the charts. This is difficult for me because it doesn't look like a Hostess cupcake but it tastes spectacular! " says Mark Summers.
"It's not the doppelgänger, but it's delicious. Good job. " says Jackie Sorkin.
"The flavor of the cake is fantastic, just like the Hostess cupcake, " says Nicole Lipari.
ABOUT ARLEN GARGAGLIANO
Having lived in Spain, and later in Peru, greatly influenced chef and owner Arlen Gargagliano's life-so much so that this Italian and Jewish powerhouse completely immersed herself in the culture and styles of Latin living. For 20 plus years, she traveled the world, cooking with Latin cooks and then bringing those inspired recipes back to the United States, authoring two wildly popular cocktail and tapas books, Mambo Mixers and Calypso Coolers, while co-authoring more than 15 other Latin-inspired books.
Arlen pens her own blog, In the Kitchen with Arlen, where she shares her recipes and profiles of local foodies that inspire her, as well as contributing to the LoHud blog, Small Bites with her Latin Twist feature. As a cooking teacher, food writer and regular guest on the Spanish language network, Telemundo, Chef Gargagliano has shared her recipes and culinary adventures to the viewers of Buenos Dias Nueva York for many months. "Now, in Mambo 64, I am working to bring my restaurant guests what I offer my home guests: a menu designed to entice—and delight!" says Chef Arlen Gargagliano. "Thanks to the help of my Chef de Cuisine, Stephanie Landis, and the rest of my great staff, the Mambo 64 kitchen brings you an array of dishes from my books as well as my experiences here and abroad. ¡Buen provecho!"