by Gina Scarpa

 

This week on Rocco's Dinner Party, executive chefs Ryan Poli and Fabio Capparelli, and caterer Jennifer DePalma compete for the $20,000 prize. Things get started with the signature dish competition. Fabio makes sea bass, Ryan prepares fish tacos, and Jen goes with chicken with tomato cream sauce.

 

The guys seem overly confident in their abilities and calmly prepare their dishes. Jen, on the other hand, runs around, knocks things over, and sips wine while cooking. Rocco felt Fabio's broth had no flavor whatsoever and Ryan's dish was too salty (despite being warned about it). He told Jen that she was an absolute mess in the kitchen but fortunately, her dish was extremely tasty.

 

Jen ends up winning the signature dish challenge and faces off against Ryan. That means Fabio is out the door, bruised ego and all. Jen chooses the terrace and goes with a theme to help the guests feel like they're in Miami. Better than her original choice of tiki torches and palm trees. Ryan goes with the intimate dining room and his theme is "message in a bottle", which is smart because it sparks conversations.

 

This week's theme is "The Perfect Summer Party" and each course has to be under 350 calories and 10g of fat. That's gonna be tough when you're talking about barbecue food, beer, and the like! Never fear, Rocco is here to promote his healthy cookbook and give Ryan and Jen some tips.

 

In the kitchen, Jen and Ryan trash talk one another immaturely and should probably just focus on the food they're making. Thankfully, Rocco shows up to make that happen.

 

Once he checks in on them, it's time for him to greet his dinner guests. They are: Chazz Palminteri (actor), Betty Wong (editor-in-chief, Fitness Magazine), Joe Dowdell (celebrity physical trainer), Damaris Lewis (Sports Illustrated swimsuit model), Jung Lee (celebrity event planner), and Jeffrey Ross (comedian).

 

Jeffrey is totally unhappy about the healthy menu so he makes his way into the kitchen to demand chicken salad, potroast, matzo brei, and cheesecake. The cheftestants split them up evenly and get back to work. Way to throw a wrench into everyone's plan, Jeff!

 

Things start off at Ryan's dinner party and Jung was not a fan of the cluttered decor. Jeff likes his chicken salad and is surprised that there's no mayo in it, but yogurt instead. However, when he finds out that the next course is cod, he sends Rocco back to Ryan to serve him something different instead. Jeez, man. He gets shrimp instead, while the others aren't blown away by the cod they're served. Things finish up with a strawberry balsamic parfait, which gets mixed reviews.

 

Jen's dinner party immediately gets a positive reaction from the guests. Right before she serves her food, Jen feels her scallops taste like rubber so she quickly throws together a shrimp dish instead. Her strategy to combine Jeffrey's food needs with the rest of her menu so that everyone has the same dish is very smart. She turns Damaris into a shrimp lover and wins everyone over with her matzo brei. Betty thought the barbecue pork tasted more like ketchup and her passion fruit mousse trifle also gets mixed reviews. Jeff called it baby food. Ouch.

 

Behind the scenes, Jen is absolutely rude to her waitstaff who are trying to help her in the kitchen. Their job is to serve the guests, not prepare her dishes. A little appreciation would've been nice. Just sayin...

 

When all is said and done, Jen becomes the first female winner of the season.  The only person who looked more surprised than Ryan was Jen herself!

 

Rocco's Dinner Party airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Bravo.

 

(Image courtesy of Bravo)

 

Follow Gina @ginascarpa and "Like" her on Facebook!