A Whitehall High School and Pennsylvania College of Technology graduate was named a “Chopped” champion after the popular television show’s judges deemed her dishes the most creative, tasty and well prepared.

Kristina Wisneski, executive chef of Amis Trattoria in Devon, a Philadelphia suburb, watched the show for years with her family before making her appearance in an episode titled “Wonton Wonder” that premiered on the Food Network Feb. 12.

“My dad and I always try to figure out what we would make if we were in the same situation,” said the Whitehall Township native, who graduated from WHS in 2007 and earned a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts and systems from Penn College in 2013.

On the show, chefs compete to prepare a three-course meal using all of the mystery ingredients the show provides them. After each course, one chef’s dish is “chopped” by the judges, eliminating the competitor from the remainder of the contest.

In the appetizer round of Wisneski’s competition, she and three other chefs tackled a mystery basket filled with scallions, water chestnuts, wonton wrappers and hot dog eclairs. Wisneski’s steamed wontons were praised for their flavor and texture. The judging panel was comprised of chefs Maneet Chauhan, Chris Santos and Geoffrey Zakarian.

In the entrée round, the three chefs opened their baskets to find pheasant, green tomatoes, tepache liqueur and trash can nachos. Judges praised Wisneski’s use of the loaded nachos, which she transformed into a flavorful crumble to accompany her roasted pheasant with green-tomato salsa verde.

In the dessert round, the final two contestants - Wisneski and chef Patrick Carter, of Indiana - were tasked with creating dishes from moon drop grapes, apricot paste, bagel chips and pickle cupcakes.

“I instantly thought of sweet and salty,” Wisneski said. “Who doesn’t like that?”

In her allotted 20 minutes, Wisneski whipped up port wine and moon drop grape mousse with an apricot and mint sauce.

She credits her ability to successfully combine such odd ingredients to her adventurous palate. Her ability to adapt quickly in a competitive environment, she said, was likewise influenced by experiences in college, including a Culinary Competition and Skills Assessment class she took.

Wisneski’s interest in becoming a chef is rooted in time spent cooking - and eating - with family.

“My family has always been the family that sat down and ate dinner together,” she said. “My earliest memory of cooking is with my great-grandmother in Iowa. My mom (Donna) was always the baker, and my dad (Steve) was always the savory chef of the family. I always helped him cook holiday dinners.”

Her interest was further nurtured at Penn College. After graduation, Wisneski moved to the Philadelphia area to begin her culinary career under fellow Penn College graduate Andrew Masciangelo, ’97, executive chef and co-owner of Savona in Gulph Mills. While at Savona, the Zagat restaurant guide included Wisneski in a roundup of “20 Sous-Chefs to Watch in Philly.”

“That was surreal!” she said.

She then joined the Zavino Hospitality group, where she was named executive chef of the group’s Enoteca Tredici in Bryn Mawr before taking on her current position at Amis, a Vetri family restaurant and part of the URBN portfolio of brands.