Sertoma Heroes Cook-off Chef’s Brush with Fame

Stickney firefighter Dominick Iovino appears on Food Network show

From the humble beginning as a First Responder Chef at Sertoma Centre’s annual Heroes Cook-Off event, Dominick Iovino can now add TV stardom to his accolades. He recently competed on an episode of the new Big Bad Budget Battle on the Food Network and agreed to tell us about this unique experience.

*Dominick Iovino on Food Network’s Big Bad Budget Battle, Season 1, Episode 3*

The Stickney Fire Department Lieutenant has been a cook at the firehouse for as long as he’s been there – almost 23 years. “My interest [in cooking] was immediate. We have a few really good cooks there, and I wanted to be in that club,” Dominick said. Laughingly adding, “My favorite dish to make is lasagna with its layers of ooey-gooey meaty goodness.”

Learning about the Food Network opportunity through a Facebook friend, Dominick decided to take a shot. “I would be lying if I said I never thought of becoming part of the food network family,” he admitted. Overall, he feels the audition was pretty easy, consisting of emails, pictures of his dishes, a video chat, and a few phone calls.

The premise of the Big Bad Budget Battle show is to transform everyday affordable ingredients into mouthwatering meals on a budget. Each episode features three home cooks in two rounds of judged challenges. Hosted by The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, the cook with the best-tasting and cost-saving dishes is named the episode winner.

“It is very different from cooking at the firehouse and the [Heroes Cook-off] event. It is fast-paced, and you need to know what you want to do and do it asap. At the firehouse and the event, I already have a plan and know what I want to do. On the show? You need your head on straight,” he recalls.

Despite the 8-10 hours of filming, he is glad to have done it and says he would do it again in a heartbeat. “It was not hard per se but challenging. There are a million different things going through your mind,” he said.

“You want everything to be just right; you have to think on your feet. I learned I need to be more mindful of spending!”

“Now I REALLY know why my wife doesn’t let me shop!”

exclaimed Dominick

*Dominick at Sertoma’s Hero’s Cook-off event, May 2022*

During the show, the cooks are tasked with shopping for the ingredients they need for their themed meals. In Dominick’s episode, the cooks had to make a day’s worth of meals on a $30 budget, including a brunch and enough leftovers to make dinner. Dominick ended up putting ingredients back to stay with the allowance, regretting the decision later during his meal prep, explaining, “I would only change one thing I did on the show…I would have kept the tortillas!”

He thanks the Food Network for giving him a chance to showcase his personality and cooking abilities, especially on camera. In the end, he was not selected as a winner on the Big Bad Budget Battle show, but he has won many times over at Sertoma’s Heroes Cook-off, and we are glad to welcome his talent back year after year.