The contest celebrates National Breakfast Month in September, with 135 chefs from across the country submitting a recipe that puts a hometown spin on basic breakfast sandwiches. The bracket-style competition will span 6 weeks, allowing foodies to vote for their favorite dishes online starting Monday, September 14. The battle features a $10,000 grand prize and allows the public to vote daily.

Acconcia, best known for former stints as executive chef of Bookmaker’s Cocktail Club and Le Garage, says that she took a seasonal approach to creating her signature morning meal, which she dubbed “The Baltimore Bay B.L.T.” As the name suggests, Acconcia’s creation puts a local spin on the traditional B.L.T. using ingredients like Bibb lettuce, ripe heirloom tomatoes, jumbo lump crab meat, and Old Bay.

“We had to decide between using a bagel or an English muffin, and I thought the English muffin would work as a good base—sometimes bagel sandwiches get too messy,” she notes. “And, in thinking about the late-summer timing, I wanted to use heirloom tomatoes and Bibb lettuce. Those are two things Maryland produces really well and are most gorgeous in the late summer.”

In addition to incorporating the local produce, Acconcia’s sandwich also layers spoonfuls of crab imperial and a fried egg basted in Old Bay butter.

“I’m hoping people see my recipe as a representation of Baltimore not only because it has crab and Old Bay, but also because it showcases the cheeky fun way that we make sandwiches,” she says. “Baltimore food is fun.”

Since resigning from her post at Bookmaker’s in July, Acconcia started her own catering and event-planning business, Wild Thyme Event Studio, which she says allows her to stay connected to the local food scene while having more flexible work hours.

“The contest isn’t as much about me as it is about Baltimore,” Acconcia says. “Each chef is making something that represents the food and the vibe of their city, and we could really use some national love.”

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Our own Sarah Acconcia—executive chef at Bookmakers Cocktail Club—will be featured on tonight’s episode of Beat Bobby Flay, a weekly series that pits chefs from different cities against one another in hopes of going head-to-head with culinary all-star Bobby Flay.

Although the details of the chefs’ concoctions are under wraps until the episode airs, its synopsis reveals that Acconcia—whose resume includes stints at local hotspots like Woodberry Kitchen, Maggie’s Farm, and Le Garage—will compete against Dallas-based Top Chef alum Tre Wilcox in the first round.

Acconcia, who says that Food Network initially approached her about being on the show, first familiarized herself with Beat Bobby Flay prior to when filming began in March.

“I don’t really watch that much TV, but I liked [Beat Bobby Flay] more than other food shows because it was more of a professional competition than a reality TV show,” she says. “Even with the people who lose, they don’t make them look bad, it’s still more about being a good cook and not so much about the drama.”

The guest judges for tonight’s showdown include Food Network veterans Sunny Anderson and Giada De Laurentiis.

“It was really cool to have such well-respected chefs taste my food,” Acconcia says.

She also notes that an added perk of the “fun and challenging” experience included a meet-and-greet with Michelin star holder chef April Bloomfield.

Beat Bobby Flay airs tonight at 10 p.m. on Food Network.

If you find yourself strolling around Federal Hill, be sure to stop into Bookmakers and watch the competition unfold on two screens with sound in the downstairs bar. Acconcia will be whipping up some surprise dishes for tonight’s menu, as well.

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The
restaurant, which will offer “approachable French cuisine,” is set to
open in early April. The menu will include savory frites with a variety
of dipping sauces—including Old Bay ketchup, bacon horseradish, and
rosemary garlic—as well as entrees in the $16-21 price range and other
dishes.

Most recently, Sarah was a sous chef at Maggie’s Farm in
Lauraville. Previously, she created an assortment of impressive small
plates at 13.5% Wine Bar, up the street from the new restaurant.

Le
Garage, in the lower level of the space, will have an 18-seat bar with
high-top tables, along with a 60-seat dining area. The upper room,
fronting 36th Street, will house a small Belgian-style frites shop.

The
restaurant’s menu will also include 14 hand-selected drafts focusing on
Belgian, French, and local craft breweries, as well as wine offerings.
The beverage program will be handled by Brendan Kirlin, a partner on the
project who will also run the front of the house. He’s a former beer
buyer at the Wine Market.

The restaurant will be located at 911 W. 36th Street.

Hampden is certainly becoming a restaurant hub!

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