Well… I didn't bring home the Golden Spatula.
And you know what?
I'm completely okay with that.
Because when I look back at this year's Great Griddle Off, I realize I accomplished something I never really thought was possible. I went farther than I ever imagined I would, cooked food I was proud to put in front of people, and had one hell of a good time doing it.
From "I Was Just Hungry" to the Great Griddle Off
If you've followed Daddio on the Patio for any amount of time, you've probably heard me tell the story of how I started cooking on a Blackstone.
Someone asked me once, "How did you get started cooking on a Blackstone?"
My answer—in my best Forrest Gump voice—was simple: "I was just hungry."
That was pretty much it.
I wasn't trying to become a food creator. I wasn't trying to compete. I certainly wasn't thinking about standing alongside some seriously talented cooks and competing for a Golden Spatula.
I was just a guy who loved cooking.
Then one cook turned into another. Recipes turned into videos. Videos turned into followers. And somewhere along the way, cooking on the patio became Daddio on the Patio.
This year, that journey brought me to the Great Griddle Off.
The Road to the Golden Spatula
I went into the competition with one goal: bring home that Golden Spatula.
I wanted to make food that was more than just good. I wanted every entry to tell a story—to make somebody stop scrolling and say, "Wait… he made that on a Blackstone?"
That meant thinking about everything. The ingredients. The presentation. The story. The video. The plating. And, of course, whether people actually liked what I made.
There was preparation, filming, editing, second-guessing, and probably way too much talking to myself while standing in front of the griddle. But that is part of the fun. When you cook for a competition, every detail suddenly matters.
The Goodfellas Prison Dinner Came Close
The entry that really carried a piece of the journey for me was the Goodfellas Prison Dinner.
The inspiration came from that famous prison dinner scene: razor-thin garlic, steak, pasta, wine, and the kind of meal that makes you forget where you are for a minute. I rebuilt it on the Blackstone with a reverse-seared tomahawk steak finished in butter, rigatoni tossed in Rao's Homemade vodka sauce, garlic sliced paper-thin, and a little Sutter Home Merlot.
That cook had everything I love about griddle food. It had a story. It had a little theater. It had steak, pasta, garlic, and absolutely no reason to be boring.
And it came close.
It didn't bring home the Golden Spatula this time, but it gave me one of those moments where I looked at the finished plate and thought, "Yeah… this is exactly why I do this."
You can watch the original Goodfellas Prison Dinner reel on Instagram.
The Sinner's Sundae: No Such Thing as Too Much
Then there was The Sinner's Sundae, my guilty-pleasure entry.
This one started with thick-cut hickory-smoked bacon and a stick of butter on the hot steel. Then a Krispy Kreme Original Glazed doughnut went straight into that foaming butter, where the grill press smashed it flat and turned the glaze into a caramelized candy crust.
Hot doughnut. Cold vanilla ice cream. Candied bacon. Salted caramel. Fresh strawberry. Whipped cream. Powdered sugar.
Hot griddle, cold cream, crispy bacon, zero regrets.
It was ridiculous in the best possible way, and it reminded me that competition food does not always have to be serious. Sometimes the right move is to lean into the fun and make the dessert you would order after saying you were "just going to have one bite."
The original Sinner's Sundae reel is on Instagram.
A Childhood Favorite Gets a Blackstone Upgrade
The Fried Bologna Sandwich brought things back to the kind of food that makes you think about being a kid.
Bologna hit the griddle with a little honey rub. Brioche went down next to it. American and cheddar cheese melted into the toasted bread, then Kinzie Foods Pickle Flavored BBQ Sauce and crunchy chips brought the sweet, smoky, tangy, crispy finish.
It was familiar, but it did not taste ordinary anymore. That is what I love about the Blackstone. It can take a childhood favorite and give it enough crisp, heat, and personality to earn a spot in a competition.
You can watch the Fried Bologna Sandwich reel on Instagram.
Then Things Got Real
When I found out I was moving forward, it hit me:
Holy crap. I'm actually doing this.
This was not just another recipe for Instagram. I was competing in the Great Griddle Off—and I kept advancing. Round after round. Farther than I had ever imagined I would get.
At some point, I stopped thinking about whether I was going to win and started thinking, "Holy shit… how far can I actually take this?"
That was an incredible feeling.
It was not only about the competition. It was about seeing all the work behind Daddio on the Patio turn into something real: the late-night recipe ideas, the filming, the editing, the meals cooked on that griddle, and the people who followed along.
The people who shared the recipes. The people who voted. The people who sent messages telling me they were rooting for me.
That part means more than any trophy ever could.
The Golden Spatula Wasn't Mine This Time
Eventually, my run came to an end.
No Golden Spatula. No victory lap.
And for a few minutes, yeah… it stung.
I'm competitive. I wanted it. I wanted to be able to say, "I freaking won the Great Griddle Off."
But after the dust settled, I realized something: I had already won.
I made it farther than I thought I would. I got to compete against seriously talented cooks. I got to share my food with an audience that continues to grow. And most importantly, I had an absolute blast doing it.
That is something I do not want to lose sight of.
It's Bigger Than a Spatula
The Golden Spatula is an awesome prize. Of course I wanted it. And you better believe I will be coming for it again.
But the Great Griddle Off gave me something that does not fit inside a trophy case. It gave me memories. New friendships and connections. Another reason to push myself creatively. And a reminder of why I started cooking in the first place.
Cooking is supposed to be fun. It is supposed to bring people together. It is supposed to make you smile when you lift the dome and the steam rolls out. It is supposed to make you yell, "OH YEAH!" when you get that perfect sear.
And sometimes, it is supposed to make you chase a Golden Spatula.
What's Next?
I'm walking away from this year's Great Griddle Off more motivated than ever.
I did not get the Golden Spatula this time. But I got closer.
Next time, I'm coming back with more experience, more ideas, and probably a completely unreasonable amount of food on the griddle.
So thank you to everyone who watched, voted, shared, commented, encouraged me, or simply followed along for the ride. You are a huge part of this.
When I started cooking on the patio, I never imagined it would take me here. I never imagined I would be competing in the Great Griddle Off. And I definitely never imagined I would make it as far as I did.
But here we are.
And I'm damn proud of it.
The Golden Spatula wasn't mine this year.
But the journey was.
And I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Until next time… fire up the griddle.
— Daddio