If you’ve ever watched the Food Network’s fast-paced cooking competition "Chopped," you know the pressure is real.

The show pits chefs from around the country against one another in a three-round elimination challenge and makes them use a basket full of mystery ingredients in each round.

It’s no easy task, but Phoenix chef Nick LaRosa conquered it — taking home the top prize in an episode of the storied show this season.

LaRosa is the executive chef and part-owner of Blueprint Hospitality Group, where he runs two locations of Nook Kitchen and a few bars in town. But he said none of that made it any easier for him to conquer his nerves — and a bad cold — on the show.

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