Last Monday, local chefs, foodies, sponsors and supporters packed into South Tampa’s Epicurean Theatre for the finale of Epic Chef 2025.
After a few weeks and several rounds of competing, two Tampa-based chefs faced off for the Epic Chef title and a grand prize of $10,000—representing the 10-year anniversary of Feeding Tampa Bay’s local cooking competition.
And for the first time in Epic Chef history, two female chefs—Executive Chef of Amalie Arena Marvilou Mapa and Rooster & the Till’s Angel Gaston—competed against each other in the finale.
Epic Chef is a “Chopped”-style competition where the contestants have to incorporate mystery ingredients into a well-composed dish that’s judged by three criteria: presentation, taste and creativity.
The final round of Epic Chef was split into two rounds of cooking with separate batches of mystery ingredients. For round one, Gaston and Mapa had to incorporate white chocolate and a whole duck into their dishes, while round two delivered the challenge of pairing canned peas with an entire tilapia.
While the two chefs prepared their dishes in two separate rounds of 30 minutes, hosts Chef Rachel Bennett, Feeding Tampa Bay president and CEO Thomas Mantz and ABC Action News’ Sean Daly introduced the judges, engaged in crowd work, and honored Epic Chef’s longtime sponsors.
Throughout the event, Mantz emphasized the mission of the local nonprofit, describing the importance of everyone in Tampa Bay having the right and access to healthy food and sustenance.
Bennett pointed out that Gaston may have been the underdog since she’s a line cook competing against an executive chef, but she proved to be a worthy contender that brought Rooster & the Till’s signature global influence to both of her dishes. During round one—despite never having broken down a whole duck before—Gaston delivered a garam masala-seasoned duck breast with carrot and white chocolate puree, mushrooms and a fennel salad, while Mapa also presented a seared duck breast with all-spice, celery root puree and a white chocolate and red wine reduction.
During round two, the chefs differentiated their approaches to the mystery ingredients, with Gaston choosing to sear the tilapia filet and serve it with a spicy romesco sauce and canned pea and caper topping. Mapa stuck to what she knew best by presenting a fried chunk of tilapia over a bed of cheesy polenta and a bright succotash of corn, bell peppers, tomato and canned peas.
Throughout the competition, Gaston and Mapa worked well together in the small space, often passing each other tools and ingredients to share.
This year’s judges—Mise en Place co-owner Maryann Ferenc, Tampa Bay Times food critic Helen Freund and “Dinner Deas” host Chef Jeff Philbin— deliberated after the second round of cooking.
They eventually deemed Chef Mapa as the winner of Epic Chef 2025—and she tearfully accepted the Marty Blitz award and a whopping $10,000. Gaston also received a $5,000 award for second place.
In a sentimental and touching acceptance speech, Chef Mapa spoke about her struggles as both an immigrant from the Philippines and as a single mother. With the prize money, she plans to book a ticket for her and her son to visit family in the Philippines.
For more information on the annual Epic Chef competition and the year-round work that Feeding Tampa Bay does to help end food insecurity, head to feedingtampabay.org.
