Chef Ace Champion bringing the cheese to 'Today' show for Packers-Bears game-day cook-off

Chef Ace Champion is off to New York City this week to show a national TV audience how Wisconsin does game day food, and he’s not skimping on the cheese.

The Green Bay-based private chef and cooking instructor is scheduled to appear Thursday morning on NBC’s “Today” for a food segment that pits him against a Chicago chef for some friendly competition to promote the Green Bay Packers-Chicago Bears season opener airing on the network that night.

Each will have three minutes to make a dish that represents the flavor of their respective state, as the “Today” show hosts chat them up and then sample the finished products.

Champion is going with a proven winner: the Smokehouse Mac 'n' Cheese Grilled Cheese that earned him top honors at last year’s Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Championship in Dodgeville.

“It’s basically mac 'n' cheese in between two slices of bread,” Champion said, but think a smoked Gouda cream sauce and rigatoni, not elbow macaroni.

He’ll also get to display three other dishes for “beauty shots” during the segment. He plans to show off his Six-Cheese Creole Crab Dip with homemade pita chips, Cheesy Beef Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers with a raspberry brandy chipotle dipping sauce and Cajun Port Wine Cheese Curds, traditional curds marinated in wine, seasoned with Cajun spices and then battered like fried chicken. 

They’re recipes Champion developed for the recent cookbook he did with Shullsburg Creamery in the far southern part of the state, except for the poppers. He just came up with that one the other night.

The cheesy theme to his “Today” dishes is by design. Last year, when Jyll Everman, executive chef and co-founder of Gather on Broadway in the Broadway District, appeared on the program to promote a Packers-New England Patriots game, she showcased Wisconsin’s love of brats. Champion wanted to give this year’s audience a different taste.

“I didn’t want to come back and have them think, ‘Oh, Wisconsin is just all about brats.’ I wanted to do some cheese recipes, but nontraditional with my New Orleans background twist to them,” he said.

RELATED:Packers' TopGolf Restaurant, The Turn, opens in Titletown District

RELATED: Combining New Orleans, Wisconsin flavors is his recipe for success

Champion, who grew up in New Orleans and moved to the Green Bay area 13 years ago, will be putting his “New Orleans-Wisconsin fusion” up against the culinary creativity of Sarah Grueneberg. The Chicago chef was the runner-up on the second season of “Top Chef,” appeared on “Iron Chef Gauntlet” and owns her own Italian restaurant, Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio.

Champion has no idea what she’s making, but he thinks a Philly cheesesteak, Chicago dog or some kind of pizza could all be contenders. 

“From what they told me, she’s kind of a badass, so I have my work cut out for me,” he said.

While Champion doesn’t have reality TV appearances to his credit, he has done 54 episodes of his own “Cook Like a Champion” show, which is available in 16 states, 46 Caribbean islands and Canada, among other locations. It airs locally on CW 14 from his studio on Packerland Drive. He’s been a frequent guest on local TV shows, including WLUK’s “Living with Amy,” and he’s cooked for such former Packers players as Mike Daniels, Ahman Green and A.J. Hawk.

When he got the call from “Today” producers in late August inviting him to be on, he had to take a minute. It’s a big break for someone whose dream is to become a celebrity chef.

“I had to ground myself. I’m like, 'Ace, don’t come across desperate,' because I wanted to respond right away.”

The show is flying him out to New York City (his first time) on Wednesday. He expects his segment to air about 8:30 a.m. Thursday. He’s at home in front of the camera, so he doesn’t anticipate any nerves. He doesn't think the Packers have any reason to be nervous against the Bears, either.

“They call them the Bad News Bears for a reason,” he said. He also points out he has an awesome recipe for how to cook bear meat he would’ve been happy to share on the show.

“I’m trying to get my trash talkin’ together ... a little friendly trash talkin’.”

Contact Kendra Meinert at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KendraMeinert.