When asked during the show what she would do with her winnings of $10,000, Xenos said, “I’m scheduled to fly over to Greece to scout properties to open a Greek cooking school there. It’s been my dream to do that in Crete where my family’s from.”

As the showed aired, Xenos was in Greece meeting with producers and farmers in hopes of laying the ground work for her dream. She wants to focus on and honor the food heritage and culinary treasures of the island at her future school.

Xenos is a second generation Greek American whose grandparents immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s. Her parents grew up in Chicago and moved to the Dayton region in 1986.

The first round of the competition featured a mystery ingredient basket of evil eye cookies, baby zucchini, sea bream and Greek Salad. Chefs were tasked with making an appetizer in 20 minutes. Xenos made it through the first round with a pan-seared sea bream served with Greek gazpacho.

The next round was the entree round. Chefs had 30 minutes to make an entree using spanakopita spring rolls, escarole, a leg of lamb and Greek coffee. Xenos made a stuffed leg of lamb with sauteed escarole.

“To win this competition would mean so much to me,” Xenos said during the episode. “I’m competing for the honor of my family and it’s just an honor to represent my heritage on this stage.”

The last round, the final two chefs were given 30 minutes to make a dessert using baklava cheesecake, apricots, mosaiko and cherry spoon fruit. Xenos made a no-bake baklava cheesecake using the mystery ingredients and was crowned the overall winner.

Before filming the episode of “Chopped” in February, Xenos had been auditioning for several different shows over the last couple of years. She said a casting company had found her on Instagram and the rest is history. Xenos auditioned for “Chopped” in spring 2023 and didn’t find out she made the show until Jan. 2024.

“It was the most intense thing I’ve ever done,” Xenos said.

Xenos knew the episode was Greek-themed, so she brainstormed a list of dishes she could possibly make for each round. Her husband made her mystery ingredient baskets as practice to help prepare for the show.

The biggest challenge for Xenos during filming was the stove.

“I feel confident working in different kitchens,” Xenos said. “You never know what you are going to walk into, but for something very industrial like that, that was definitely a little curveball for me.”

Being on the show was a dream come true for Xenos.

“I just think people should know that they are more capable than even they know,” Xenos said. “It pays off to dream big and work hard to achieve your goals.”

MORE INFO

Xenos’ episode will re-air on Food Network at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29. For more information on the episode, visit foodnetwork.com/shows/chopped/episodes/big-fat-greek-kitchen.