A local chef will compete on Monday night's premier episode of TLC's "Chocolate Wars."

Todd Owen is a pastry chef at L'Auberge Provencale in White Post. After a last-minute drop-out in the show, a culinary friend of Owen's called and invited him to compete on the show.

Monday's challenge was in celebration of the Santa Barbara Zoo and required the competitors to make a zoo animal. Co-workers at L'Auberge Provencale say Owen made an edible giraffe -- made entirely from chocolate.

"He's pretty young so he hasn't done a whole lot of traveling around for food and what not so it was kind of a good experience to get out there and see part of the country and to work with some really good people. He was pretty excited about it," said Scott Myers, Chef de Cuisine at L'Auberge Provencale.

Chocolate Wars premiers Monday night on TLC at 10:00 pm and re-airs again Tuesday morning at 1:00 am.

The winner of the challenge will get $5,000.

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