At the beginning of each show, Flay receives – via bicycle messenger – a package detailing the chef he is to compete against as well as the dish.
The content for the biography is actually collected as part of an elaborate ruse or setup, where the chef or cook is told that they are going to be featured on a fictitious Food Network show.
As part of the show, the featured chef (and their associated restaurant, if any) hosts a small party, which is then unexpectedly "crashed" by Bobby Flay.
Finally, the dishes are evaluated by one or more connoisseurs or notable veterans in that field (via a blind taste test), with the winner then being announced.
In other instances, he acknowledges the traditional approach to the dish but then explains how he will make it more modern or more his own style of cooking with various added ingredients.