Louisville favorite Super Chef is hosting his own show on the Food Network.

You may know Darnell Ferguson from Chopped, the Cooking Channel, Rachael Ray, or even The Today Show.

Now he's the host of his own show.

But as Kelsey Starks finds out, his real success is inspiring others to be super, too.

Well, here in Louisville, we know chef Darnell Ferguson as the super chef, culinary creative master behind super chefs and the dip in crab.

And now most of America knows him, though, as the super chef and host of Super Chef Grudge Match on the Food Network.

Are you ready for a grudge match?

Thanks so much for being here.

Oh, no place like home.

You know, there's no place like home.

We love having you home.

And your show was just renewed for a second season.

Congratulations.

Yes.

I think I like to think it was the third in a fourth, which hasn't happened yet.

I mean, the hardest one is the first time.

Oh, my goodness.

They listen.

80% of shows get renewed for a second season.

So it's a small amount.

So it was so big.

Okay.

Tell us about Super Chef Grudge match.

What's it all.

About?

The Superdome grudge match is where people in the culinary industry and beyond can come in, settle score.

It's like I don't think people understand how many rivalries and grudges there are just on a basic employee employee level.

Forget the employee, the boss, the men sort of see.

You know, like there's so many grudges that people would love to settle.

We'll see who's the better.

So this is a space for people to come on and, like, settle that score and really see who's the better chef.

Yeah.

And chefs are pretty competitive.

Oh, they are.

But you couldn't just come on and win money on my show.

You know, we make them put a knife up.

So the losing chef has to give the winning chef their most prized possession.

And that's like.

That's a lot.

You watch the show like people go about how they would rather give the money away than give the knife away.

Like, it's just so big.

That's for sure.

Okay.

So this season, you brought on a couple of Louisville based chefs.

Is that something you want to do more of in the future?

Of course that has to happen.

I mean, it just has to, because being from here now, me being a path to being able to get on Food Network, which is hard for people, really, how do I go about getting Food Network?

Now we have a path that you can go on long as you have good.

You know, I can help you.

Have a good night.

So I hope that I hope to highlight Louisville in so many ways on a national level.

But you've already done such a great job with that, because a lot of people may not know your story.

You know, you came from a culinary background at Sullivan here in Louisville, but then kind of found yourself homeless, unemployed in and out of jail, and then you've just turned things around here, superstar now.

Why do you think that story so inspiring for people?

I say Inspire because I was like, I was in a donut shop the other day, right?

And this lady was like talking to me.

She watched the show.

She loves me.

She's like, Oh, I wish I could talk to my boys a day.

And they try and get together.

So he doing this just guy, just like, you know, I was in jail for a while, getting in and out.

She's like, You are.

I would never think like, Yeah, people change.

Yeah.

You know, So I think it just gives hope to so many in the city who need it.

Like they need to see someone who people in this city remember me from the Gyro restaurant.

They were a memory from the Christmas store.

Like they don't remember me just from nice restaurants.

They remember me from the bottom, working my way up to this overtime.

So just gives people that hope they need.

And you're always giving back.

And tell us what you're doing with kids right now at Fort Knox.

Yes.

So with Bluegrass Harvest Academy in Fort Knox, like that place has my heart right now.

Met them with the governor's prayer breakfast.

And now I'm like, that's my investment right now.

All my time is going out there with those boys who really need that mentorship.

We really need to hear the words of what's going to make it.

But then what if they listen?

That's the best part.

It's like they listen to me.

And that's just a beautiful place out there.

And I feel like I see myself as a young kid there.

So I'm just attached is just wonderful.

We are attached to you here in the city of Louisville.

So you got to tell us real quick, are your new restaurants going to open back up?

So we're chefs will open one day.

We don't know when that day is coming.

Yeah, but we know it has to happen again.

And I wouldn't I This is my baby.

It's like super chef Grudge match.

It's my baby.

Super chefs, the restaurant is my baby.

And, like, they're both.

They're both the first for me.

Yeah.

So therefore, that will be coming one day.

Okay, well, we will look forward to that.

And if you do, miss Darnell's unique food, you can get a taste of it on Derby weekend.

He's going to have a pop up restaurant at the Muhammad Ali Center on Derby weekend so you can make your reservations for that now.

Sounds like a plan calls a super chef grudge match.

The show has three more episodes and season one and season two starts filming this summer.

Good luck to him.