By STU CLAMPITT
MasterChef Legends Season 11 winner Kelsey Murphy officially opened her new food concept, Inspo, inside the Fishers Test Kitchen in late March. Inspo features food and flavors that have inspired Murphy throughout her culinary journey thus far.
Now MasterChef winners and Grubhub are partnering to launch MasterChef Table, a premium delivery-only restaurant concept featuring dishes created by Murphy and other winners. The MasterChef Table menu features 11 gourmet dishes that embody comfort foods, expertly crafted by MasterChef alumni, including Murphy.
“We started making these dishes about a year ago,” Murphy told The Reporter. “These are things that I love to eat, things that I felt the vast majority of people around the country would like to eat, then I put my MasterChef elevated spin on it. Then again, this same kind of food I serve at Inspo. This is my modern American cuisine. These are things that I love, and I think the majority of people love.”
Chef Kelsey created the Spicy Maple Bacon Fried Chicken Sandwich and Skewered Shrimp Elotes on the menu.
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“The bacon chicken sandwich – you’ve heard of it all the time, but it really comes down to the spices that are used and the flavors that are used to combine everything together,” Murphy said. “Everything is in layers. The bacon has a maple and Italian pepper on it. The chicken sandwich isn’t just fried. It also has a bunch of spices and then it is drizzled in hot honey. The slaw has lots of pepper in it, hot jalapeños, lots of cilantro. Its thing is to make it stand out and make it be super flavorful, compared to just a chicken sandwich that you see at the store or a fast-food restaurant.”
Murphy said that is how she approaches everything she cooks: she tries to elevate it. She strives to make things that look familiar but surprise you when you get a taste.
The MasterChef Table dining experience is now available in over 20 markets across the nation – including New York City, Chicago, Boston, and Washington, D.C. – accessible only via the Grubhub app or at Grubhub.com. These items will be coming to the Indianapolis metro area later this year.
Keep checking the Grubhub app and the pages of Hamilton County’s Hometown Newspaper to find out when these items become available locally.
Until then, you can enjoy some of Doctor Chef Kelsey Murphy’s masterful creations at Inspo, 9713 District North Drive, Suite #1210, Fishers.
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“I am going to be at Inspo for the foreseeable future,” Murphy told The Reporter. “It has been so great to get my food out to people here in Indy. These two things pair really well together. I have Inspo so I can feed people here locally who want to taste my food, and not with MasterChef Table to be able to feed people nationally.”
If Inspo becomes a national food line, then Kelsey Murphy’s food will be available to everybody everywhere.
In earlier interviews with The Reporter, Murphy talked about the challenges of shifting careers, raising a family and becoming one of the nation’s premier chefs.
“It continues to be a juggling act, but it’s fun,” Murphy said. “I think my number one priority is bringing my family and my kids along for the ride. I try to involve them in any and all of my endeavors. I bring my kids to Inspo all the time not only to eat, but I bring them back to the kitchen so they can watch what mom’s doing. I am currently writing a book so they are helping me with recipe testing. I try to involve them as much as possible to make is seem like it’s not going to be a time burden or such a separate thing. It’s just shifting all of our lives into our new normal.”
She called this journey both busy and exciting, as well as an adventure she embraces.
“I’m loving all aspects of it,” Murphy said. “It’s exciting. This has been a long time coming. We are exciting to see the MasterChef brand continuing to expand. Diners can finally get food that they have watched us make on TV for almost 12 seasons. It is a fun idea that I was so excited to be a part of.”
To find out when Murphy’s dishes will be available for home delivery in our area, keep checking grubhub.com/mastercheftable or the Grubhub app.
For more information about Inspo by Chef Kelsey Murphy, visit fisherstestkitchen.com. Follow Fishers Test Kitchen on Facebook and Instagram, and follow Inspo on Instagram @Inspo_ChefKelseyMurphy.
Photo provided