The Scoop: Chef Eric Brenner races to the finish on Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games”

  St. Louis chef Eric Brenner shopped – and cooked –  'til he dropped during his appearance last night, Dec. 7, on “Guy’s Grocery Games,” a culinary competition hosted by Food Network personality Guy Fieri. Brenner beat out a three other chefs from across the country and won an $18,000 grand prize. Brenner, who will serve as executive chef and general manager of upcoming Lascelles Tap & Grill  in Granite City, Illinois, competed in three elimination challenges, preparing dishes such as French toast without bread (he substituted with a frozen English muffin) and a steak dinner prepared with only canned goods. “That was tough. I had to find a meat product that I could wipe the goo off and get a nice sear,” Brenner said. “With no herbs, no aromatics, it’s hard to know where to go with that. But your creative skills as a chef kick in, and I just went to work, thinking and tasting.” In the final round, Brenner turned to his hometown favorite, grilled cheese and tomato bisque. “When I got that challenge, I just thought about how everyone in St. Louis loves that dish, so I went for it,” he said. As the victor, Brenner competed in the final Shopping Spree competition, during which he had to find 10 grocery store items in 2 minutes. For each item he snagged, he earned $2,000; he grabbed all but one. Brenner said he will put his winnings toward home improvement at his house in the Central West End. Brenner joins a growing list of area chefs who emerged victorious on competitive cooking programs, including Vincent Van Doughnut’s Brian Marsden and Al Watson and Lia Weber on “The Next Great Baker.” Forgot to set your DVR? You can catch Brenner in action when the episode airs again at 6 p.m. Dec. 15 on the Food Network.