Food Network's 'Ultimate Recipe Showdown' Winner – Retired LAPD Officer Rick Massa

Retired SWAT Officer Rick Massa adds new weaponry to his arsenal – a whisk and a cheese grater!  From cop to cook, Massa showed the judges not only could he handle an assault rifle in the field, he was a master of the chef’s knife in the kitchen.   Massa’s Cheese Lover’s 5 Cheese Mac & Cheese received top honors in the Comfort Food category of the Food Network's "Ultimate Recipe Showdown" and will be featured at over 600 T.G.I. Friday restaurants across the nation.
A 35 year veteran of the LAPD, Massa served in the Department’s elite SWAT unit his last 25 years, taking part in several high profile events, including the North Hollywood shootout.  A self-proclaimed “backyard burger-flipper,” Massa took his love for food to the next level after befriending Matt Bencivenga, chef and partner of Wolfgang Puck Catering & Events.  Given the opportunity to join the Puck catering team in the kitchen, Massa didn’t want to disappoint and took several cooking courses prior to taking him up on his offer.  Once in, he became hooked and later opened his own catering and personal chef service, 1st Cut Cuisine.
In an interview with the Food Network, Massa spoke of his brothers and sisters in blue, “My fellow SWAT officers, they are family, and to be able to come back and still be a part of these guys and be a part of the team . . .  Even though I can’t do it as a SWAT team leader but, now, I’m their cook. That’s very cool.”