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00:00Alex is one of the greatest Iron Chefs that have ever been.
00:07Alex is very intimidating.
00:10Countless elite chefs from across America have taken on this culinary legend.
00:16She's defeated virtually everyone that's faced her.
00:21But all of that stops now.
00:24Alex, you know I love you.
00:27But you're going down.
00:28Challenge accepted.
00:29This season, I'm bringing in the most celebrated chefs.
00:32Today the gloves are off. It's on.
00:34The winningest champions.
00:35I've been avoiding her for years.
00:37They're all joining forces to take Alex down.
00:40Alex, your name's coming down.
00:43Are you kidding me?
00:44Tonight, Alex battles three of the best Mexican chefs in the country.
00:48I never make this food.
00:50Well, your worst nightmare is here today, Chef.
00:52Can she handle the heat?
00:54Spicy.
00:55Man, I love it!
00:56I love it!
00:57This is Alex vs. America.
00:59This is Alex vs. America.
01:03All right, we're all in here together.
01:05Yeah.
01:06Leads you open.
01:07I'm trying.
01:08Alex, you ready for another composition?
01:09I am.
01:10I love when the map is blank and ready for many, many victories.
01:14Does it help or hurt not knowing what's happening in the beginning?
01:17It's a little strange, but I like it.
01:18What I will tell you, Alex, the chefs that are offstage are some real powerhouses.
01:22Okay.
01:23Let's just say we're bringing some skill from the south.
01:25South?
01:26You'll see.
01:27Let's go ahead and meet the first chef.
01:29He won Star Chef Rising Star Award.
01:32His twist on iconic dishes has landed him on the Best New Restaurant list of the LA Times
01:36and Esquire Magazine's Chef of the Year.
01:39And he won the King of Pork at the annual Koshan 555 event.
01:43That is hard to do.
01:45I have competed on the Koshan 555 and I did not win.
01:48From Los Angeles, California, please welcome Chef Ray Garcia.
01:52I've never met Alex, but her reputation precedes her.
01:56It's a little terrifying, but Mexican food is rooted in culture.
02:00It's not just a recipe.
02:01So today I'm going to show Alex exactly what Mexican food should be.
02:05I know a lot about you.
02:06Good, I hope.
02:07Only good.
02:08Welcome.
02:10This next competitor spent eight years as a pastry chef before moving over to the savory side.
02:14She was named Chef of the Year by Eater San Diego.
02:17She was a James Beard semi-finalist for Best Chef West.
02:20And has twice earned a spot on Esquire's Best New Restaurant list.
02:24Just like Chef Ray, she defeated the Titans on Bobby's Triple Threat.
02:29And you know how hard that is.
02:31I do.
02:32I think I have an idea of who this is.
02:34From San Diego, California, please welcome Claudette Cepeda.
02:38Oh, Claudette.
02:39Oh, hi.
02:40What's going on, Claudette?
02:41Oh, hi. You were in the neighborhood.
02:42You both just dropped by.
02:43Just checking in on you.
02:44Just making sure everything's good.
02:45Oh, hey.
02:46I have had the pleasure of beating Five Iron Chefs.
02:49Why not add a six?
02:50After so many years of competing, titles don't scare me.
02:54I literally live, eat, breathe Mexico.
02:58And I'm here to take Alex down.
03:00Yeah, I'm getting a vibe.
03:01You're getting a vibe?
03:02Yeah, like I want to leave.
03:03Maybe you want to leave after meeting this next chef.
03:07Okay.
03:08He graduated from the Cordon Bleu, trained in Florence Illy.
03:11His James Beard-nominated Minneapolis restaurant was named one of New York Times' 50 favorite restaurants.
03:17And Bon Appetit's 20 new best restaurants of the year.
03:20Okay.
03:21So, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, please welcome Chef Gustavo Romero.
03:26Wow.
03:27Ooh, Gustavo.
03:28Hello, chefs.
03:29I've been able to travel all over the country and overseas, and now I'm back to my roots making Mexican food.
03:36To actually beat an Iron Chef, it would be one of those things that you can kind of scratch on your list of things that you want to do in life before you die.
03:45I'm sensing a theme.
03:46I thought I knew what was going on, and now I know for sure.
03:49Even though all these three chefs currently live in the States, their roots are in the states of our neighbor to the south.
03:55So, Alex, say hello to your next challenge.
03:57These are three American masters of Mexican cuisine.
04:01I don't cook it a lot myself, but I love eating it.
04:05When I worked in California, most of the food that the kitchen ate ourselves was Mexican.
04:10I'm so excited just to pick your brain, honestly.
04:12Me too.
04:13Yeah.
04:14Do you think we could do that now?
04:15Yeah, right now.
04:16Could a quick download before the competition starts?
04:17Yeah.
04:18No.
04:19How often do you get to walk into your office for the day and say, I'm going to see three people that are real experts in their craft?
04:26Sometimes I'm learning right along with the viewer.
04:28And that's beautiful, as long as I don't lose.
04:31All right, chefs, straight up.
04:33You guys are competing against Alex and each other in a two-round Mexican showdown.
04:37First up is the survival round.
04:38For me?
04:40Sorry, for you.
04:41Exactly.
04:42For us.
04:43The four of you will prepare your best Mexican-inspired dish.
04:45Our expert judges will come in and do a blind tasting to rank the results.
04:48The top three chefs move on to the money round.
04:50The chef that comes in fourth will be eliminated.
04:53Chefs, since you're here to beat Alex in our own house, I'm giving you an advantage to help you win this.
04:58You three chefs are going to pick all the ingredients for the first round.
05:01Chefs, are you ready to do this?
05:02Let's go.
05:03Yes.
05:04Yeah.
05:05Yes.
05:06Let's start with a quintessential staple.
05:08Tortillas.
05:09Yes.
05:10Okay.
05:11This is a choice where they're either pre-made for you or you're making your own.
05:13I've actually never used pre-made in competition, but time-wise, I'm leaning towards pre-made.
05:18I'm leaning towards pre-made, too.
05:19Wow.
05:20I wouldn't think that.
05:21I just don't know what's behind there.
05:22I know.
05:23And if that's going to take a lot of time to mess with.
05:25Yeah.
05:26Yeah.
05:27Let's do the pre-made.
05:28You're doing pre-made.
05:29All right.
05:30We're going pre-made.
05:31I am shocked that they are choosing the pre-made tortillas.
05:35The next up, under this close, chefs, chilies.
05:39We have a mild poblano.
05:40We get a little spicier with jalapeno.
05:43And we're bringing the heat with habanero.
05:44I don't love jalapenos.
05:45Why?
05:46Tell me why.
05:47Tell me why.
05:48I don't either.
05:49It's kind of like an in-between, sort of like a gateway chili.
05:50I agree.
05:51Right.
05:52Habanero is one of my favorites, because it's actually really floral when you know how
05:55to use it right.
05:56I agree.
05:57What do you use it for?
05:58We're going habanero?
05:59I like habaneros.
06:00Okay.
06:01Ooh.
06:02Let's go with the spice.
06:03Let's do it.
06:04Habaneros?
06:05Locked in.
06:06Let's move on to the last.
06:07Habanero.
06:08Oh, boy.
06:09So, now let's find out what you chefs will be making.
06:12Is it desaino, breakfast, or Santa, dinner?
06:17This is not what I thought.
06:19We're not a, like, pancake, French toast culture for breakfast.
06:22Sure, right.
06:23Absolutely.
06:24Our breakfast can absolutely be inexchangeable for dinner.
06:26I'm okay with both.
06:27I can't figure out either.
06:29I love breakfast, but the moon's telling me something, you know?
06:32Mm-hmm.
06:33I really want you to choose one of these.
06:35Like, I really.
06:36One is making me anxious, and one isn't.
06:39Let's go breakfast.
06:40Breakfast.
06:41Whoa, let's switch that up real quick.
06:42Wow.
06:43Okay.
06:44Alex.
06:45I saw it in her eyes.
06:46That's what she didn't want?
06:48We're going breakfast.
06:49I thought I was angry.
06:50I thought the moon looked good.
06:51Breakfast is, like, a serious expression of culture.
06:55When a breakfast is inauthentic, you feel it.
06:58I'm trying to blend in here with the crowd, Eric.
07:00One last thing to complete the board, chefs, is time.
07:03I'm going to give you anywhere between one minute and 40 minutes.
07:0630, 35 issues, kind of.
07:09I don't know.
07:10What do you guys think?
07:11I'm comfortable there.
07:12I like 35.
07:13Your favorite number is 37, right?
07:14Yeah.
07:15That's my lucky number, 37.
07:16That's your lucky number.
07:17Do you want to do 37?
07:1837.
07:1937?
07:20He's very accommodating.
07:21I want to come to the chef's restaurant here.
07:22Yeah.
07:23Mr. Sun Moon over here.
07:2437 minutes on the clock.
07:25All right.
07:26And the board is completely set.
07:28Chefs, the winner of this round will get total control of all the choices in the next round.
07:33The money round.
07:34And the chef that finishes fourth will say adios.
07:37Your time starts now.
07:38All right.
07:39We can hop into this table and talk about what we have here for the first round.
07:44Pre-made tortillas.
07:46So, in Mexico, the tortilla is somewhat like a blank slate.
07:49Habanero.
07:50So, just to give you context, a habanero is about 50 times hotter than a jalapeno.
07:55Ooh, the habaneros are hot.
07:56Cannot wait to see what they're going to make.
07:58I never make this food.
08:01That doesn't mean I don't know about it.
08:03That doesn't mean I don't understand how delicious it is or what I like about it.
08:07I'm going to definitely try to call upon the things that I've actually made at home.
08:13The problem is, that's like six recipes.
08:16So, let's see how this goes.
08:20Hola.
08:21Oh, yeah.
08:22Is it?
08:23Are we in Puerto Vallarta together right now, Eric?
08:25What are you thinking about doing?
08:26I'm going to fry some eggs.
08:28Yeah.
08:29And make some tostadas with gravy and a homemade habanero hot sauce.
08:33I'm going to put a little bit of myself into my dish or my heritage.
08:37So, I want to make a chorizo gravy, but I'm going to make it with a classic bachamel sauce.
08:42And I just literally am deep frying the tortillas and salting them as the base.
08:49This guy's fast.
08:53In central Mexico, we know for putting everything inside of a torta.
08:57So, I'm just going to follow what I know.
09:00Breakfast in egg and chorizo sandwich is perfect.
09:03But we also have this sandwich that is called guajolote.
09:06It has enchiladas inside.
09:08So, I put together these two concepts and I make an egg and chorizo guajolote.
09:14It is a traditional dish in my hometown.
09:16When I was on my way to school, I got this one all the time.
09:19I'm making salsa tatemada de habanero.
09:22Tatemada is the technique where you char the vegetables.
09:27Kind of like fire roasted.
09:29Tatemada is so big in our country.
09:31Yeah.
09:32I believe it's like an extra flavor that we have.
09:35Mexican cuisine to me is really undefinable.
09:39It's so big and so rich.
09:41I feel like I can beat Alex today because she doesn't have the background that I have.
09:45And she doesn't feel Mexican food as much as we feel.
09:50Careful, that's going to jump.
09:53Claudette, Claudette.
09:55Hi, Chef.
09:56Talk to me. What do you have in mind?
09:57I'm making my kids' favorite breakfast.
09:59Ooh. Talk to me.
10:00En fijoladas.
10:01Breakfast in Mexico, it's really open terms.
10:04It's really open to our interpretation, but I'm just cooking like if I were cooking for my family.
10:09The same way we talk about enchiladas, which is usually a chile-based sauce that you dip the tortillas in.
10:16Yep.
10:17En fijoladas, it's a bean-based sauce.
10:19Mmm.
10:20I don't know who the judges are, but they happen to be of Mexican descent.
10:23En fijoladas is something that, across the entire country, everyone's had at least one point in their childhood.
10:29I was raised to be incredibly proud of where we come from.
10:32I think that it's important for me to show kids that they can be proud of where they come from.
10:37And that's why I'm here to take down a formidable chef like Alex.
10:40Not because of pleasure, I promise.
10:42We're just cooking.
10:44I love breakfast, and I love spicy food, so habanero and breakfast is a great combination for me.
10:52Habanero is not a beginner's chili.
10:54You've got to wake them up a bit.
10:56For breakfast, we're going to make a guisado, which is like a little stew.
11:00So it's going to be the habanero salsa with tomatillos, and that's going to be the base of the guisado.
11:08I smell chiles.
11:13Smashing up my refried beans with a little bit of chorizo in them.
11:16I think refried beans are a quintessential element for a Mexican breakfast.
11:20I have to incorporate them.
11:22Breakfast is a huge representation of any culture.
11:26You know, it's how you start your day.
11:28It's, you know, most of the time consumed, you know, at home or with your family.
11:32It's very personal.
11:34It's very subjective.
11:36If you don't have insight into the culture, if you don't have those experiences yourself,
11:42then you're kind of on the outside looking in.
11:47Oh, on fire.
11:49You good, chef?
11:5121 minutes left in the Coke, chefs.
11:5421 minutes left.
11:55You cook your best when you feel good about what you're cooking.
11:58And generally, that means something familiar.
12:00I don't cook Mexican food.
12:01It's not my wheelhouse at all.
12:08We have two James Beard nominees and a pioneer of LA's Mexican scene here in the kitchen,
12:12going up against Alex, an Iron Chef.
12:14He does not hold the title of a Mexican chef.
12:17And that's something that's completely out of a wheelhouse.
12:20So how are you handling the habanero?
12:22Um, look.
12:23It's great.
12:24I love it.
12:25Your forced nightmare is here today, chef.
12:28I don't cook a lot with spice.
12:29It's not how I was trained to cook.
12:31It's not how I learned.
12:32You know, French cooking, Italian cooking, American cooking.
12:35Certainly mellower than in this part of the world.
12:38I'm gonna make a habanero carrot hot sauce from scratch.
12:41Sounds delicious.
12:42Juicing the carrots, adding habaneros in there?
12:44Very nice.
12:45Adding habanero.
12:46Singular.
12:47I'm just afraid because I don't want to ruin my dish with too much heat.
12:51I'm hoping the carrot gives like a sweetness to balance out some of that heat.
12:56I don't make hot sauce ever, but I love it.
12:59Chef Ray, how are you handling your eggs?
13:00Very carefully.
13:01Yes.
13:02It's a personal question there.
13:04It's a personal question.
13:06You just met.
13:07You just met.
13:08Yeah.
13:09Eighteen and a half minutes left in the cook.
13:11Chef, I'm gonna go ahead and let the judges know what you're up to.
13:13I'll be right back.
13:14Because we want our judges focused on the plates and not the personalities, we always do a blind tasting.
13:19And for this competition, I invited two authorities on Mexican cuisine.
13:22Garcia Lopez is an award-winning cookbook author and co-owner of LA's iconic Oaxacan restaurant, Gala Getza.
13:28Recognized as one of America's classic restaurants by the James Beard Foundation.
13:32Our other judge, Daniela Soto Inez, is a James Beard award-winning chef.
13:36Also named the world's best female chef in 2019.
13:39We have three Mexican chefs going up against Alex right now.
13:43Ooh, I'll be worried.
13:46What do you think of when you hear Mexican food?
13:49Flavor.
13:50100%.
13:51I don't want anything bland.
13:52I need layers.
13:53Yes.
13:54I need...
13:55Textures.
13:56Yes.
13:57I need everything.
13:58I take pork rinds and I throw them into the fryer so that they'll puff up.
14:02And I use those to stew down into the sauce.
14:07Tell me what tortilla you're choosing.
14:08Sope.
14:09So all that guisado is gonna sit into a sope, which is like a tortilla with a...
14:12Very cool.
14:13A thick tortilla with a rim to it.
14:14Very cool.
14:15I want to make kind of like an omelet with chorizo and eggs.
14:19How are you?
14:20I'm doing great, man.
14:21How are you?
14:22You're doing a torta, but inside of it is like almost an enchilada.
14:24Yeah.
14:25It's pretty close to that.
14:26Yeah?
14:27You know, I'm a little concerned that I have to use pre-made tortillas.
14:31At my shop, we make about 3,000 tortillas a day.
14:34So I was trying to figure out how I can use it, but I can kind of hide it in the dish that I was making.
14:39In my hometown enchiladas, there's just a tortilla that is refried with a little bit of salsa and cheese.
14:45That's home right there, baby.
14:46I got no Spanish in my bag, but I'm gonna ask and lean on these chefs as much as possible, especially for some of these dishes that, one, are a little bit foreign to me, but smells, sounds, looks delicious.
15:01All right, how are we doing?
15:03We're good, making my tortillas.
15:05Beautiful.
15:06Oh, you're still going fresh?
15:07Yeah.
15:08I like that.
15:09I love making enchiladas with fresh tortillas.
15:14And we have puffs.
15:16And we have puffs.
15:18But I have to use the pre-made because that's part of the challenge.
15:22So I fry the tortillas, I blend them, and then this is all gonna go into the bean sauce.
15:26For the garnish on my empty colada, I'm going to slice thinly a quarter cheek of habanero into the pickled red onions that I'm gonna prepare.
15:36And a perfect egg always hits.
15:39It's a perfect white with a runny yolk.
15:41Round one, the task is knock Alex out, or one of us three goes home.
15:45I don't want to go out with my food and my country's food on the first round.
15:50So, you know, do your freaking best.
15:56Chefs, five minutes, 20 seconds. Five minutes, 20 seconds.
15:59Okay.
16:00So I get all the eggs on all the tortillas.
16:03Underneath the eggs is a little bit of the chorizo and the gravy, and then I put more on top.
16:07Beautiful food right now.
16:08Then I put the hot sauce, cilantro, the cotija cheese, and a little bit of charred habanero.
16:14I wish my hot sauce was a little spicier.
16:17This is a first for me.
16:19I'm rubbing habaneros on my eggs right now.
16:21I'm gonna let that soak in a little bit more.
16:24On top of the sope, I have my refried beans with chorizo, guisado made of chicharron,
16:30and that beautiful sunny-side up egg.
16:33We add our egg.
16:35The bread, it has enchiladas with the habanero salsa.
16:39Then we finish it with a little bit of fresh avocado.
16:42I'm gonna grab some parchment paper, and I'm gonna use the parchment paper to kind of wrap the sandwich.
16:47Like, this is kind of like your street food.
16:51For plating, it's first going to be the bean dip tortilla.
16:56Fill it with potato, chorizo filling, my little nest of pickled onions, my egg.
17:02Five, four, three, two, one.
17:07That's about it, chefs.
17:08Well done.
17:12Hi, chef.
17:13Smells amazing in here.
17:14Touched my face too many times with habaneros, so I can't smell a lot.
17:17Right now, I'm like, oh, my lip, my nose, my lip.
17:19Chefs, well done.
17:20Do me a favor.
17:21Write down the description of your dish.
17:23Right after that, I'm gonna have to kindly ask you to leave the kitchen so we can bring in the judges.
17:27Well done.
17:30Thanks, chefs.
17:31All right, stand by for the cake.
17:33Let's do it.
17:34It looks amazing.
17:35It looks great.
17:36Wow.
17:37Oh, my God.
17:39Gorgeous.
17:40It's so elegant.
17:41Yeah, really well done.
17:42Mm-mm.
17:43Oh, my God.
17:44I'm gonna go home.
17:45All right, chef.
17:46You know the deal.
17:47See you later.
17:48I'll see you in a bit.
17:50That was fun.
17:51It was pretty fun.
17:52Time flew by pretty, uh...
17:54Yeah, I'm glad you gave her the extra two minutes.
17:56I think those two minutes were clutch.
17:59Let's go ahead and bring in the judges, please.
18:02Hola, judges.
18:03Hola.
18:04I'll go ahead and remind you of what the chefs decided to choose.
18:07So they used pre-made tortillas, habaneros, and they also chose to make breakfast in 37 minutes.
18:13So what we have in front of you is a fried egg tostada with chorizo gravy and a homemade habanero carrot hot sauce.
18:20Did you guys catch what Alex made?
18:22Definitely look, like, very satisfying.
18:24Like the orange, like, really bright color.
18:26I love the salsas.
18:27Yeah.
18:28I like that.
18:29The breakfast tostada is, like, more of a Mexican-American breakfast that I see.
18:31But I thought it looked delicious.
18:33Yeah.
18:34I love using huevo rancheros, like, the really crazy tortilla.
18:37So this is really giving that sort of familiarity to me when it comes to breakfast.
18:40I'm having trouble getting the habanero flavor, and I think that's getting lost in the chorizo.
18:44But the salsa's really great.
18:45It's sweet.
18:46It's bright.
18:47I think it's perfectly cooked.
18:49I love the colors.
18:50Mm-hmm.
18:51It's so beautiful.
18:52I do think a little bit more cotija would've, like, just brought everything together.
18:56All right, let's move on to the next dish, please.
18:59Did you get to eat this?
19:01No, nobody.
19:02This was delicious.
19:03Mm.
19:04A little sopes situation?
19:06So we have a breakfast sopes with chicharron and tortilla guisado.
19:10Ooh.
19:11Guisado, sorry.
19:12Guisado.
19:13Guisado.
19:14Guisado.
19:15Thank you so much, guisado.
19:16Breakfast sopes with chicharron and tortilla guisado.
19:19Refried greens, tomatillo and habanero salsa, habanero rubbed eggs.
19:23I'm sorry, habanero rubbed eggs?
19:24Habanero rubbed eggs.
19:25Wait, so you grab the chile?
19:27You grab the chile and you just rub the eggs?
19:30And then you rub the eggs?
19:31I just read what they wrote.
19:33Ray looks like, for a second I thought it was, like, a dessert or a sweet breakfast.
19:38Stunning.
19:39I love breakfast sopes.
19:41I love the use of chicharron.
19:43I think it's great.
19:44I can taste the tortillas.
19:45Mm-hmm.
19:46When I'm eating habanero, the egg I would fry it a little longer.
19:49In Mexican cooking, if you have a sunny-side-up egg, you want the crunchy edges.
19:54The crispy edge.
19:55Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
19:56When you're talking about breakfast, like she said, you need to have texture in the bites.
20:00Okay.
20:01Let's go ahead and move on to the third dish, please.
20:03Ooh, that looks good.
20:05What we have for the third dish is the enfrijoladas.
20:09Enfrijoladas.
20:10Okay, I was close.
20:11You were very close.
20:12Enfrijoladas de chorizo y papa.
20:14Perfect egg, pickled red onion with habanero, lime, and queso fresco.
20:18I love enfrijoladas.
20:19Let me just start by saying this.
20:20That's my favorite.
20:21That's my favorite breakfast.
20:22Is it really?
20:23Wow.
20:24Okay.
20:25I thought Claudette's was a study in elegance.
20:28The tortilla, the use of the beans, it really spoke to me.
20:33So this chef did make their own tortilla, but they also included the pre-made tortilla
20:37in the dish.
20:38I could totally tell the difference.
20:39That's what I was thinking.
20:40It does taste very different than the other one.
20:42Okay, that is so sweet.
20:43Mm-hmm.
20:44This is a beautiful, beautiful little egg here that we have here.
20:47I really love this dish.
20:49The sauce is perfectly balanced.
20:50The chorizo is so delicious.
20:52Just the egg is kind of a little soldier by herself or by himself over here.
20:58I haven't heard habanero yet, so are you guys picking that up?
21:01No.
21:02It was in the pickle, so I think the onions and the habanero should have been on top with
21:06the egg, so you could have gotten all the flavors together.
21:08Okay.
21:09Let's move on to the last dish, please.
21:10We're gonna use anything.
21:11Ooh.
21:12Ah, mira.
21:13I was just saying, I was like, I hope somebody gives me a breakfast.
21:17Oh, this looks good already.
21:19Look at this.
21:20So we have, okay, let me do my best.
21:22The guajolota.
21:23Guajolota.
21:24Guajolota.
21:25Like wow.
21:26Guajolota.
21:27Guajolota.
21:28There you go.
21:29Guajolota.
21:30I cannot believe that you're saying guajolota on American television.
21:33Isn't that pretty?
21:35Is that like a cool cultural moment?
21:36I think you're being really cool right now.
21:38Oh, well, thank you.
21:39Okay, so I think torta de guajolota, does that just mean like a freak?
21:42Guajolota.
21:43Yeah.
21:44Like a guajolota, you know?
21:45Yeah.
21:46Yeah.
21:47What's the, what's the, what was it?
21:48It's a turkey.
21:49It's basically called turkey torta, but it doesn't have a turkey.
21:52It's just like the essence of the turkey.
21:55You know, like crazy.
21:57Exactly.
21:59All right.
22:00Fried bolillo with habanero enchilada, chorizo and egg, salsa,
22:06tatamata, habanero, cured onion and crema.
22:10Whew.
22:11Holding my breath.
22:12What's so interesting is like the way Gustavo set the stage.
22:16Like he wrapped his, like it's a sandwich.
22:18It just looks so inviting.
22:19It's gorgeous.
22:20Another brilliant way of using a pre-made tortilla is by frying it.
22:24I think I said that earlier and that's what they did.
22:26I love omelets.
22:27For me, it's just a, just a tad bit overcooked if I wanted to be nitpicky.
22:30Sure.
22:31Is there habanero in this tatamata sauce?
22:32There is.
22:33Yes.
22:34They charred.
22:35They charred the habanero in there.
22:36Correct.
22:37You can really, it's beautiful.
22:38My father used to say, if you're having a Mexican breakfast and your nose is not running,
22:42it's not real.
22:43Yes.
22:44It's not real.
22:45This is...
22:46As you did.
22:48So it's validated.
22:49It's just checked, right?
22:50Yes, yes, yes.
22:51So we have to rank the dishes.
22:52One through four.
22:53What's the dish that maybe, uh, the dish that's going home?
22:57Uh...
23:05Let's go ahead and bring the chefs back in, please.
23:09Welcome back.
23:11The judges were so, so thrilled for all four dishes.
23:15Chef Ray, the judges loved the creative use of your tortillas, and they thought the flavor of your habanero came through.
23:20But they're looking for more texture.
23:23Chef Claudette, they really liked that you incorporate both store-bought and homemade tortillas.
23:28But they felt that your egg was disjointed from the rest of the dish, and they were missing some heat from the habanero.
23:35Let's move on to Chef Gustavo.
23:36The judges were wowed by your presentation and creativity.
23:39Yeah, me too.
23:40Yeah.
23:41Yeah.
23:42There was a lot of nostalgia in your dish, but they did say that the egg was a little overcooked.
23:47Isn't that nostalgia too?
23:49My mom used to overcook the eggs.
23:51Yeah, yeah, yeah.
23:53Let's move on to the most authentic chef here, Chef Alex.
23:56The imposter.
23:58The judges loved the presentation of your dish, and although they liked the habanero flavor with the carrot sauce, they did think that the heat got lost in the chorizo.
24:06Spot on.
24:07Okay.
24:08Just to reiterate, chefs, do remember the judges had no idea who cooked what.
24:12The judges ranked the dishes one through four, and the last chef, unfortunately, will be headed home.
24:16The top two dishes were made by Claudette and Chef Gustavo.
24:21Ugh.
24:23But the chef that won this round and gets full control of the next round is Chef Gustavo.
24:30Congratulations.
24:31Well done.
24:33I agree.
24:35Now, if I go home right now, though, I disagree.
24:38Yeah.
24:39So that means, unfortunately, either Alex or Ray will be going home and not moving on to the money route.
24:45So the chef that will not be with us in the next round is...
24:50Chef Ray.
24:51Sorry.
24:52Oh.
24:53Ugh.
24:54I'm sorry.
24:55No, don't be.
24:56So it ends up coming down to Alex and I.
24:58For somebody who didn't have a firm grasp on Mexican food, she did really well.
25:03You know, I feel bummed, but it was an honor being here.
25:09Alex, you surprised?
25:11Yeah, I'm hanging on by half a scallion right now.
25:14All right, chefs.
25:15With all that said, welcome to the money round.
25:17The rules are very simple.
25:19If you beat Alex, you can go home with $10,000 and $5,000, respectively.
25:24But if Alex outranks your dish, you're going home with nothing.
25:29Gustavo, you've earned yourself the exclusive picks to all of the cloches.
25:34First up, we have your choice of...
25:37Protein.
25:38Are we going land or are we going sea?
25:41Claudette is trying to talk to you telepathically right now.
25:45Yeah.
25:46Oh, my God.
25:47I want to get out of the way of the laser.
25:48I can feel the connection.
25:49You know, I actually don't know how to swim, so I think I'm going to go with land.
25:53I knew it.
25:54Oh.
25:55Claudette, how do you feel?
25:56I mean, I'm on the Pacific.
25:57Yeah, yeah, yeah.
25:58So I was going sea.
25:59You were going sea?
26:00All right, we're going land.
26:01Let's go to land.
26:02Land.
26:03Let's move on to the next cloche.
26:04Thanks for consulting us, by the way.
26:06So, Gustavo, decision number two is a uniquely Mexican ingredient.
26:11So I'm giving you four options.
26:13Huit lacoche, epazote, chapulinas, and nopales.
26:19They're all very emblematic items for Mexican cooking.
26:24I actually know what to do with this stuff.
26:26Okay.
26:27Yeah.
26:28Okay?
26:29I'm not as good as they are without a doubt, but I know because of all those years on Chopped.
26:32Claudette, what do you think?
26:33I love it.
26:34A huid lacoche.
26:35It's got an herbal note.
26:36It's got a floral note, epazote.
26:38This is one of our ancestral herbs.
26:40Okay.
26:41It's one of those, like, herbs that you can use too much of.
26:44Nopales?
26:45Nopales.
26:46It's like my spirit plant.
26:47It tastes like chlorophyll.
26:49If you were to say, like, what it tastes like, it tastes green.
26:51It tastes green.
26:52And chapulinas, it's...
26:53Grasshoppers.
26:54Grasshoppers, right?
26:55Chapulinas, yep.
26:56It's pure umami.
26:57One of my favorite things to eat is huit lacoche.
26:59Okay.
27:00Uh...
27:01Yeah, that's what I would pick.
27:03And I don't even know what's going on.
27:05Let's go with huit lacoche.
27:06All right.
27:07Land and huit lacoche.
27:10Chef Gustavo, we have one more close to go.
27:12Now I want to know what style of dish we'll be making.
27:16So, are we going with a five-star dinner?
27:19Or are we going with the street food?
27:21Oh, my God, this is so cute.
27:22Can I get these when they're done?
27:24Shout out to the art department.
27:25They're so cute.
27:26What's your style?
27:27You know, I grew up eating the street food,
27:29and it's very close to my heart.
27:32Mm-hmm.
27:33What do you think?
27:35Um, I was screwed somewhere back there.
27:38So...
27:39Knock yourself out.
27:40I think street food is sexy.
27:41I like it.
27:42Let's bring it back.
27:43Let's bring the sexy back.
27:44Let's go with street food.
27:45Sexy street food it is.
27:47And last but not least,
27:50between one and 40 minutes.
27:53What say you, my friend?
27:55Full 40.
27:56Full 40?
27:57Street food?
27:58You can do that a little bit faster, though, no?
28:00Put the timer down.
28:01So the board is set.
28:03Yes, Chef.
28:04Your time starts now.
28:05Yeah!
28:09Street food is humble in its nature,
28:11but that does not mean it's gonna lack in flavor or technique.
28:14You want any cooking tips or anything?
28:16I would love to.
28:18I'm here to talk.
28:20You know, street food is a very specific directive.
28:25You're on the street.
28:26You're eating with your hands.
28:27It's messy.
28:28You need a lot of napkins.
28:29You're rustling paper.
28:30I immediately think I'm gonna just grate all the cheese in the refrigerator
28:35and make a giant quesadilla.
28:37Hi.
28:38Authenticity just oozing from this station.
28:39You know what?
28:40I don't like your tone.
28:41I'm gonna make a quesadilla.
28:42Okay.
28:43Perfect.
28:44With a wheat le coche puree and grilled steak.
28:47I have a colleague who works with me at the restaurant, and I met her originally because
28:52I wanted some help with taking care of my mother when she had dementia.
28:55It was just hard.
28:56Like, I needed other people besides me and my mother because she was always yelling at me.
29:01And this woman, she made these quesadillas in this particular way, and there was so much cheese in the quesadilla originally.
29:06I don't know, it was a comfort.
29:09We would clutch it, warm cheese, smell of corn, the warmth of it.
29:15My mother would bite into this, and she wouldn't say a word.
29:19And for her to find that peace, I mean, I mean, I'd eat it every day.
29:27So, what's the plan?
29:29I'm making a sweet and savory picadillo tetela.
29:32A tetela is a hand pie of sorts.
29:35It's meant to travel good and to be eaten just with your hands, and it's always filled with something.
29:40Today, it's ground pork picadillo.
29:42How are you using the wheat le coche?
29:44Wheat le coche, I'm gonna add a little bit to the filling, and then I'm gonna make a sauté of it to, like, a salsa on top.
29:50Okay.
29:51Wheat le coche is a fungus that grows on the corn stalk, and the legend says man comes from corn.
29:57So, it is literally, like, our family member.
30:00And we treat it as such, and with the respect that it deserves.
30:06Save it so for myself.
30:08Something that I want people to learn is that Mexico has a lot more street food than tacos.
30:13So, I'm gonna make a huarache with grilled flank steak and wheat le coche and arbol salsa.
30:20The huarache is an oval-shaped masa cake.
30:24The name comes from a sendel.
30:26Kind of like the one that your mom throws at you when you do something wrong.
30:30That one.
30:32I need to work on the masa.
30:35So, I'm gonna put a little bit of the wheat le coche in the blender, working on the masa.
30:40And then I'm gonna let it sit for a little bit so it kind of comes together.
30:45Hey, Chef Alex.
30:47How do we do with the ingredients?
30:48Great, I love it.
30:49I'm just like my backyard, like my wheelhouse.
30:51Crazy.
30:52How'd you know?
30:53Alex is outside of her wheelhouse.
30:55She's not the expert of Mexican cuisine.
30:57She's leaving that title to these two chefs.
30:59Yeah, we heard you.
31:01She is an Iron Chef.
31:02No matter what the challenge is, let's not forget.
31:04This is her arena.
31:05She's not trying to go down.
31:10Yes, please.
31:11I'll take whatever piece falls on the floor, Chef.
31:13Mm-hmm.
31:15Chef, so we have 25 minutes and 30 seconds on the clock.
31:19I love wheat le coche.
31:20I'm familiar with it.
31:21It's like the equivalent of a mushroom.
31:23It's super earthy.
31:24In my head, wheat le coche steak is like steak and mushrooms.
31:28This is Oaxaca cheese.
31:30The quesadilla came from someone else and the salsa I made with the avocado and tomatillo is one that my daughter just makes casually in the kitchen when she wants some salsa.
31:40One of the things about being a great competitor is tearing pages from all the playbooks in your life.
31:45In fact, I have no hand in what I'm making tonight.
31:48I'm putting out my hands to the people in my life.
31:52And they are going to get me through this.
31:54Claudette's working on some tortillas right now.
31:57Give the people what they want.
31:58What it would mean to me to be Alex would just be validating like my food to like Mexico's food.
32:05I'm making that triangular shape.
32:07Right, because you talked about the volcano?
32:08Mm-hmm.
32:09Yep.
32:10And then this gets griddled.
32:11That's beautiful.
32:13Look at that.
32:14We are so underrepresented in media and food world and that makes me sad.
32:19So I'm here to show young Mexican cooks that making our food is worth it and it matters.
32:24Because our food is beautiful.
32:27This is going to be our salsa.
32:30We have a version of a tomatillo arbol salsa in our restaurant.
32:35So we're going to add a little bit of the Hidlacoche in there too.
32:40And my restaurant is all about corn and masa.
32:43This is going to be a little, like a little Hidlacoche hash.
32:47Winning would really help me for the new casual concept, which I want to go back into the basics of kind of street food utilizing our heirloom corn or tortillas.
32:56Chef Alex is really putting her heart into this dish.
33:07The attention to detail, the respect that she has for everything, it's all there.
33:12Finally, some respect around here.
33:15I don't think I have any place saying I make Mexican food. I don't.
33:19But it's funny how food has that way of traveling all over the world.
33:23It travels from person to person.
33:25And the way this woman, Lucia, came into my life.
33:29She made the last days of my mother's life amazing.
33:32And I know the power of this plate.
33:34And my mother's no longer with me.
33:36So I still eat those quesadillas.
33:45Sorry.
33:46Sorry, give me a tissue.
33:55Ugh.
33:56If they didn't think I was crazy in these first five seasons, I'm good to go.
34:01Chefs, this is your four-minute mark. Four minutes left in the cook.
34:05My guaraches, it's delicious, it's crispy, it's ready to go.
34:11I'm gonna add my little hash, salsa on the side.
34:15I put a couple pieces of steak on top.
34:18I feel like it's a good dish.
34:19I feel like something I would serve in my restaurant.
34:20Oh, that was hot.
34:21I'm gonna set the te-te-tela in the center of the plate.
34:23A spoonful of salsa on top of mi lacoche.
34:26It would be a street food where you pop a squat.
34:28But not necessarily a street food that you eat standing up.
34:30Which is fair, because they both count.
34:31Hopefully I'm one for one.
34:33And not, what is it, two and O?
34:35O and two?
34:37I don't know sports balls. I don't play sports ball.
34:47I do a little, like, play on an elote.
34:50Like, corn with the crema.
34:52Then cover it with cotija cheese, lime juice, and scallions.
34:57Quesadilla.
34:58Salsa next to it in a small little dish.
35:01And the street corn.
35:03Five, four, three, two, one.
35:09And that's about it, chefs. Well done.
35:11Yourself.
35:15Next time you come, we'll make souffles.
35:17I got you.
35:18My first pastry chef.
35:20Oh, yeah, wait. No souffles.
35:22You know what? You're not invited back.
35:25Bueno, chefs. Well done.
35:26Write the full description of your dish on your menu card.
35:29And I'm gonna ask you to kindly leave the kitchen
35:31so we can bring in the judges.
35:36Ooh.
35:37Beautiful.
35:38Flank steak.
35:39This is too elegant for street food, though.
35:42Chef Claudette.
35:43Everybody's so fancy pants.
35:44This is a lot of fancy pants.
35:46Maybe these chefs don't know how to cook on the street.
35:49This is where this scrappy girl
35:51from straight from the heart of Mexico and Manhattan
35:53is gonna come in and swoop in.
35:56Straight from the heart of Mexico and Manhattan?
35:58Yeah.
35:59Let's go ahead and bring in our judges, please.
36:03Ladies, I hope you are hungry.
36:04Very hungry.
36:05Yes, okay.
36:06Oh, yes.
36:07So between land and sea, they chose land.
36:09They chose to use huet lacoche,
36:11and they chose to make street food in 40 minutes.
36:13So the first dish that we have for you is...
36:16Huarache.
36:17Huarache.
36:18Corn masa with huet lacoche,
36:19a huet lacoche and mushroom relish,
36:21soy marinated flank steak,
36:23and a huet lacoche and arbol salsa.
36:25Please enjoy.
36:26Okay.
36:27I thought Gustavo's plate looked delicious.
36:30Authentic, amazing, inviting.
36:32I'm really happy that they did a huarache,
36:34and it's a super amazing street food,
36:37yellow corn and lacoche together.
36:40It's non-traditional, but it's nice.
36:42Sure.
36:43I really love the texture of the actual huarache,
36:46of the masa in the bottom.
36:47It's a little hard to eat with your hands.
36:51I don't think this is how someone on the street
36:53would actually present something like this.
36:55Okay.
36:56I don't know how I feel about the salsa.
36:58This is a little grainy.
37:00Okay.
37:01Let's go ahead and move on to the next dish, please.
37:02Free steak.
37:04Mmm.
37:05Mmm.
37:06Yes.
37:07And this is giving street food...
37:08We have a huet lacoche steak
37:09and a Oaxacan cheese quesadilla
37:11with green tomatoes, avocado salsa,
37:14street corn, cheese, lime, and scallion.
37:17This looks amazing.
37:18Mmm.
37:19Dude, she leaned in hard on the street.
37:20On the street, yeah.
37:21I mean, that's gonna hit the judges, too.
37:25I love newspaper and street food.
37:27And I actually love, like,
37:28I love borderline burned quesadillas.
37:30I'm with you.
37:31Mmm.
37:32I love the char on this.
37:33The steak is perfectly cooked.
37:35The corn is delicious.
37:36The salsa, I think,
37:37could have been a little bit spicier.
37:38There's nothing more than street food
37:40than corn on the cob
37:41and a quesadilla for Mexico.
37:43Of course, yeah.
37:44The avocado salsa I love
37:45is so beautiful and bright.
37:48For me, it seems like the meat
37:49is the star of the dish.
37:51The huet lacoche gets lost
37:52with the flavor of the meat.
37:53Oh.
37:54All right, let's move on
37:55to the last dish.
37:56Oh.
37:59So, we have a picadillo tutela
38:01with huet lacoche sauteed
38:03cured tomatillo slices and cotija.
38:05Colette's look like, um,
38:07street food if they rolled a street card
38:09into a three-star Michelin restaurant
38:10and wrapped everything in velvet.
38:12I think this is a very creative way
38:14of recreating atetela.
38:17The picadillo's really good.
38:18This looks like they pan-fried atetela,
38:20so it's kind of giving it a different texture,
38:22so I love the crunch that it's giving.
38:24The texture of it with lacoche,
38:25it's almost velvety and really nice.
38:27And then street food,
38:28it's kind of hard to grab this with your hand.
38:30Atetelas come from Oaxaca,
38:31and in Oaxaca, you don't really see atetelas
38:33in the streets.
38:34Okay.
38:35It's more in someone's home
38:36or at a restaurant.
38:37Okay.
38:38Let's go ahead and clear the plates.
38:40Blind tasting is a whole other level
38:42because you never meet the judge, right?
38:44You know, there's no saving that you can do
38:46of, like, ad-libbing.
38:48No, I meant to do that.
38:49Like, none of that comes into play.
38:51Right.
38:52No, I'm not going to win whatsoever.
38:53I'm just trying to hang with the big dogs
38:55and the tall grass.
38:56Go stand by for entrance.
38:58Let's go ahead and bring on the chefs, please.
39:01Okay.
39:02Hopefully we don't know anyone.
39:03Yeah, I'm like,
39:04I don't want to know anyone.
39:05I'm dead right now!
39:08Immediately to turn the corner
39:10and see the judges,
39:11and it's my friends.
39:12I've known Daniela since 2015.
39:15I've known Bricia since, like, 2018,
39:17I want to say.
39:18There's not that many of us,
39:19especially females in our world.
39:22Love it!
39:23You obviously know Alex Gornichelli.
39:25Of course!
39:26Hello, Miss.
39:27Hello.
39:28Claudette Sabera.
39:29Let me fix your crown.
39:32Judges, let me also introduce you to Gustavo Romero.
39:35Hola, Luis.
39:36Hi, Chef.
39:37Chef Gustavo won the first round.
39:39Ooh!
39:40Okay!
39:41Dang!
39:42Delicious!
39:44This round, he made the huarache.
39:46Estaba bueno!
39:47The judges love the texture of the masa
39:50and the onions in your dish.
39:51They did find it hard to eat with your hands
39:54as it's a street food challenge.
39:56Chef Claudette,
39:57she made the tatela.
39:58BuenÃsimo.
39:59The judges found your dish
40:00to be wildly creative and bold.
40:01However, I am sorry to say,
40:03they didn't feel like it quite hit the street food mark.
40:06So, judges, that obviously means Chef Alex made the quesadilla.
40:10Muchas gracias.
40:11Chef Alex, they loved your presentation
40:12and you really hit street food.
40:14Well, I mean, I had to hit the street.
40:16The quesadilla had a really nice char and your salsa was bright.
40:21However though, the huet lacoche got a little lost in the steak.
40:26Ladies, anything you want to say to the chefs?
40:28I want to say thank you.
40:29It was absolutely delicious.
40:30And to be able to really highlight great ingredients
40:33like huet lacoche on national television,
40:35I think it really elevates the beauty of Mexican cooking.
40:41Thank you for eating it.
40:42So chefs, the judges ranked the dishes and picked the winner.
40:45And obviously they had no idea who made what or who was here.
40:48So let me remind everyone what's at stake really quickly.
40:51Claudette, Gustavo,
40:52if you beat Alex and you win first place, you win $10,000.
40:55If you're in second place and beat Alex,
40:57you're going home with $5,000.
41:00But if Alex wins, unfortunately,
41:02you two are going home with nothing.
41:04So the winner of Alex versus Mexico is...
41:12She did it again.
41:13Iron Chef Alex won a shot.
41:15Oh, my God.
41:16Oh, come on.
41:17For real?
41:18For nice.
41:19Oh, my God.
41:20Well done, Alex.
41:21You are an honorary Mexicana now.
41:23Honorary.
41:24Honorary.
41:25Honorary Mexicana.
41:26Oh, my God, thanks.
41:27You're so sweet.
41:28Honestly, I was a little surprised that it was Alex
41:31because it was the most street food out of everything.
41:34You could pick it up with your hands.
41:36I think Alex just knows competition very, very well.
41:39And she hit the marks better than anyone.
41:41You know, I have mixed feelings about winning
41:44because I thought that Gustavo and Claudette were so amazing.
41:47It was an honor to cook with both of you.
41:50Felicidades.
41:52So I'm dedicating this win to my mom and this magical woman
41:57who means so much to us both, Lucia Vasquez.
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