Tournament of Champions S07E01 The Biggest Culinary Tournament Is Back

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00:00:01It's the event everyone has been waiting for.

00:00:06Whoa!

00:00:08The return of the greatest competition in the culinary universe.

00:00:13Whoa!

00:00:15Ladies and gentlemen, this is going to be epic.

00:00:20Let's go!

00:00:22Come on!

00:00:23Tournament of Champions keeps getting bigger and better.

00:00:26Woo!

00:00:2632 of the nation's best chefs, including proven warriors and fierce new challengers.

00:00:32But nothing can prepare them for the biggest surprise ever.

00:00:37The top-seeded chefs in every division are food world icons.

00:00:42No way!

00:00:45Four of the most powerful opponents ever to compete on TOC.

00:00:50Are you kidding me?

00:00:52But their identities will remain a secret until the moment they enter the arena.

00:00:57Whoa!

00:00:59Let's go!

00:01:00Let's go!

00:01:01Every battle is head-to-head.

00:01:03Every spin of the randomizer is the edge of your seat.

00:01:06Oh, no!

00:01:07Every dish is make or break.

00:01:10That's a lost opportunity.

00:01:11Ugh.

00:01:12It's over.

00:01:12This is a stunner.

00:01:14A master class in sauce.

00:01:16Who will win the title, the belt, and the $150,000?

00:01:20I can't wait!

00:01:22This is Tournament of Champions 7!

00:01:35All right, ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to experience the most exciting cooking competition of your life?

00:01:42Yes!

00:01:44Good!

00:01:46Good!

00:01:47Good!

00:01:47Because I have an amazing group of battle-tested ballers.

00:01:51Incredible new contenders and gourmet greats.

00:01:55And they can't wait to mix it up in the TOC arena.

00:01:59Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome...

00:02:02the chefs of T-O-C-7!

00:02:07T-O-C fan favorite...

00:02:10The one and only, Jatina!

00:02:13Tournament of champions has been the most impactful competition of my life.

00:02:18I meet thousands of people,

00:02:19and the number one comment I get was,

00:02:21you've got to win TOC.

00:02:23That's why I'm here, to finally finish this journey.

00:02:26Two winners of 24 and 24,

00:02:28Marcel Dean Rose and Jonathan Sawyer.

00:02:31TOC is the best of the best.

00:02:34Needy Wynn, Adam Sobel!

00:02:36You have chefs that have won every cooking competition

00:02:39known to mankind.

00:02:40Mustache Joe Sasko!

00:02:42And Chef Kevin Lee!

00:02:44Coming here to see whose cuisine reigns supreme.

00:02:47Very special moment for me.

00:02:50One of our favorite chefs, and she is back,

00:02:52and she is honestly a champion in life.

00:02:55Ready to rock and roll.

00:02:56Give it up!

00:02:58Chef Shirley Charles!

00:03:02In June 2024,

00:03:05I was diagnosed with stage four tongue cancer.

00:03:08So the past one and a half years,

00:03:11I took a break to focus on my tongue cancer treatment,

00:03:14and now I'm 11 months in remission.

00:03:17To be able to compete and be able to cook in this stage,

00:03:21it means so much for me.

00:03:23Carlos Anthony, Adam Greenberg,

00:03:25and Karen Akunowicz,

00:03:28Sarah Bradley,

00:03:29Brent Resigno,

00:03:31and Chef Liam Wong!

00:03:33Here comes our qualifying winners.

00:03:35This is a gnarly group.

00:03:37Qualifiers?

00:03:38That was tough,

00:03:39but the game has just begun.

00:03:42Polina Bliss,

00:03:43David Deanna,

00:03:44and Claudette Zepeda.

00:03:45No rest for the weary.

00:03:46It's actually go time.

00:03:47Ryan Mazzazio!

00:03:50The Huncho Chef Tobias Borza!

00:03:53I feel like my life has been something that only champions can survive.

00:03:58I was shot 11 times.

00:03:59I was told I wasn't going to be able to walk again.

00:04:02Having a chance to battle again is something I'm looking forward to.

00:04:06I'm ready to go.

00:04:07So who would like to see who's competing against you?

00:04:16First of all, I want to welcome you.

00:04:17You are the magnificent Chefs of Tournament of Champions 7.

00:04:23Welcome.

00:04:25This, as you know,

00:04:28this is the Mount Everest of culinary competitions.

00:04:31You reach the top,

00:04:32and you'll be rewarded with the glory you deserve.

00:04:35First and foremost,

00:04:37the most coveted title in food competition.

00:04:40The ultimate bling, of course.

00:04:43And then there's that one other thing.

00:04:46150,000 bucks!

00:04:55But you know what?

00:04:57You're going to have to earn it.

00:04:58You're going to have to earn it.

00:04:59I want you to look around you

00:05:00because you are going to be competing head-to-head

00:05:02against the best chefs in the world.

00:05:07And finally,

00:05:08you have to conquer this one other little thing.

00:05:11The TOC bracket.

00:05:18In a bracket competition,

00:05:21every battle is sudden death.

00:05:24You win,

00:05:26you move on.

00:05:28You lose,

00:05:29you're gone.

00:05:32Score five victories in a row,

00:05:34and you win it all.

00:05:37All right.

00:05:38As always,

00:05:39first-round matchup is determined by your ranking

00:05:42or your seed based on your accomplishments

00:05:44of your culinary wins, losses,

00:05:46and especially what you've done here in TOC.

00:05:49Let's start off with the number one-seeded chefs.

00:05:54This year,

00:05:56to make the tournament even more challenging,

00:05:58Uh-uh.

00:05:59All of the number one seeds

00:06:03are...

00:06:07culinary icons.

00:06:12Chefs who's award-winning restaurants,

00:06:15decades of experience

00:06:16and pioneering achievements

00:06:18have made a lasting impact on the food world.

00:06:22In fact,

00:06:22they are so iconic

00:06:23that I'm not going to even reveal who they are

00:06:26until the moment they enter the arena to do battle.

00:06:31No!

00:06:32It does now!

00:06:34No way!

00:06:35Oh, my God!

00:06:37That's vicious!

00:06:39I thought I was going to come in and be seed one.

00:06:41Looking around at the best chefs in the world on TOC,

00:06:43what do you have to do to be an icon in this arena?

00:06:47These four icons have done it all,

00:06:48except they've never competed in TOC.

00:06:54If you're able to out-cook any one of them,

00:06:57your victory will be iconic.

00:06:59So,

00:07:01now that we're past that,

00:07:03let's see who's lucky enough to be competing

00:07:05against our first icon in Division A.

00:07:09Our top-seeded A Division icon

00:07:12will compete against this year's first qualifying winner,

00:07:16Chef Artie Secreira!

00:07:19Of course.

00:07:20Yay!

00:07:21It would be me that's going up against the icon.

00:07:25Of course it would.

00:07:26But can I tell you honestly,

00:07:27I'm really excited,

00:07:29because why not?

00:07:31Why not take down the biggest, baddest giant first?

00:07:35Then we have the number two seed,

00:07:37the Jetsters.

00:07:38Chef Gentila will be taking on

00:07:39number seven seed,

00:07:40the qualifying winner,

00:07:41Chef Ashley Shanti!

00:07:44Next, the number three seed,

00:07:46the Huncho Chef Tobias Dorzon!

00:07:48Going up against the number six seed,

00:07:51Chef Claudette Cipada!

00:07:53And rounding out the A Division,

00:07:55number four seed,

00:07:5624 and 24's newest winner,

00:07:58Chef Jonathan Sawyer!

00:08:01Going to face off against the number five seed,

00:08:03Karen Okunowicz!

00:08:05Last season,

00:08:06I went out in the first round to Jonathan Sawyer,

00:08:09and that was a really hard loss.

00:08:11I'm ready to get that L off my boards,

00:08:14and I'm ready to come back with a W.

00:08:16The number one seed,

00:08:17our Division B icon,

00:08:19will take on the number eight seed,

00:08:21qualifying winner,

00:08:22Katsuchi Tanabe!

00:08:25Number two seed,

00:08:27four-time T.O.C. semi-finalist,

00:08:30the one and only Britt Rossigno!

00:08:33First is the number seven seed,

00:08:36Chef Giuseppe Tentori!

00:08:38Battle Italy.

00:08:39I came in to tournament champions,

00:08:41a number eight seed.

00:08:43I've hit the final four,

00:08:44three years in a row.

00:08:46I'm here to win it this year.

00:08:48Then we have the number three seed,

00:08:49Chef Kevin Lee.

00:08:52Going against number six seed,

00:08:54top grand champion,

00:08:56Chef Adam Greenberg!

00:08:57Oh, no!

00:08:59And finally,

00:09:00the number four seed,

00:09:01Martini Nini,

00:09:02Chef Nini, win!

00:09:05Against number five,

00:09:07Mustache Joe Sosco!

00:09:09There you go!

00:09:10There you go!

00:09:11Let's move on to C.

00:09:12Our C Division icon,

00:09:14they're going up against the number eight seed,

00:09:17the qualifying winner,

00:09:18Chef Viet!

00:09:19Ah!

00:09:20The number two seed,

00:09:22TOC 6 runner-up,

00:09:23Chef Sarah Bradley!

00:09:27Versus the number seven seed,

00:09:29Chef Dan Jacobs!

00:09:33Number three seed,

00:09:34the man who won TOC All-Star Christmas,

00:09:38Chef Brian Bottaggio!

00:09:39My brother and I,

00:09:40we've recently won TOC All-Star Christmas.

00:09:43It was a team competition.

00:09:44I've never really taken a major win on my own.

00:09:47I want that belt.

00:09:48I want that cash.

00:09:49I want the title of Tournament Champion 7 Chef.

00:09:52Going up against the number six seed,

00:09:53Chef Carlos Anthony.

00:09:57The number four seed,

00:09:58TOC All-Star Christmas semi-finalist,

00:10:02the one and only Chef Dale Talday!

00:10:05Versus the number five seed,

00:10:08Chef Shirley Charles!

00:10:12Finally the D division,

00:10:14the number one seed,

00:10:16our final culinary icon,

00:10:18will be going up against the number eight seed,

00:10:21qualifying winner,

00:10:21Chef Kenny Gilbert!

00:10:22Yeah!

00:10:24That's right.

00:10:25Number two seed,

00:10:26Chef Lee Edwin!

00:10:27Going up against the GOAT,

00:10:30Iron Chef Stephanie Izard!

00:10:33Yeah!

00:10:34Number three seed,

00:10:3624 and 24's first winner,

00:10:38Chef Marcel Vigneron!

00:10:41Who are you going against?

00:10:43The number six seed,

00:10:44Chef David Viana!

00:10:48And lastly,

00:10:49but definitely not least,

00:10:50Chef Kalina Bliss!

00:10:53Against the number five seed,

00:10:55Chef Adam Sobel!

00:10:58Let's kick things into high gear,

00:11:00and let's give the fans at home,

00:11:03and here in the arena,

00:11:05what they want.

00:11:06Let's give them

00:11:08the battle between

00:11:09Chef Jet Tila

00:11:11and Chef Ashley Shanti!

00:11:14Chef Jet,

00:11:15Cue that door!

00:11:16Chef Ashley Cue that door!

00:11:21And the rest of you,

00:11:22we'll see you soon!

00:11:27It's early in the game,

00:11:29so got some adrenaline pumping,

00:11:31got a one round under my belt

00:11:33from the qualifiers,

00:11:34feels good,

00:11:35I'm ready to go.

00:11:35We don't get to watch the play-ins,

00:11:37I have zero information,

00:11:39but she won to be here,

00:11:41and she cooked recently,

00:11:42so she's fresh and ready to go.

00:11:44He's gone so far in this competition,

00:11:47and not only that,

00:11:48he's got something to prove.

00:11:49In my mind,

00:11:50Chef Jet is a winner,

00:11:51so I've got to show him

00:11:52that I am too.

00:11:54That's my seventh year,

00:11:55and I don't think

00:11:56in the history of Food Network

00:11:57has someone been so close

00:11:59so many times to something.

00:12:00I'm the new kid in the arena,

00:12:02but I want Jeff to know

00:12:04that I've got accolades

00:12:05to brag about.

00:12:06I'm a James Beard award winner.

00:12:08I've beat some giants

00:12:09like Chef Michael Voltaggio

00:12:11and Chef Brooke Williamson.

00:12:13He is the one to beat,

00:12:14and to do that I think

00:12:16would earn me a reputation

00:12:18amongst these other chefs.

00:12:20Not to straddle the line between

00:12:22enough mental confidence to win,

00:12:24but not so much to get overconfident.

00:12:27Now it's time for Chef Jet

00:12:29to get cooked.

00:12:31All right, let's go.

00:12:36Are you ready for the first battle?

00:12:41Good, because here's something

00:12:42I've been waiting all year to say.

00:12:45Let's light it up!

00:12:49Chef is a 2025 James Beard

00:12:52award-winning author

00:12:53for her cookbook

00:12:55showcasing southern black cooking.

00:12:59In 2024,

00:13:01the New York Times named her

00:13:02Appalachian-inspired Good Hot Fish,

00:13:05one of America's best restaurants.

00:13:08She made Time Magazine's

00:13:112025 Time 100 Next List

00:13:14and defeated Next Level Chef winner

00:13:17Gabby Chappelle in the qualifiers

00:13:19to earn her spot in the tournament.

00:13:21Put your hands together

00:13:23for the Appalachian Assassin

00:13:26Chef Ashley Shanti!

00:13:38You're finally here,

00:13:39and you're going up against

00:13:41one of the most highly regarded

00:13:43TOC competitors.

00:13:44It's nerve-wracking,

00:13:45but this is what I'm here for.

00:13:46I'm ready to go.

00:13:47Let's meet your opponent.

00:13:50He went from a tireless worker

00:13:52in his family's pioneering Thai market

00:13:54and restaurant

00:13:54to a celebrated chef

00:13:58named Culinary Ambassador

00:13:59of Thai cuisine

00:14:00by the Royal Thai Council General.

00:14:03He's opened over

00:14:0520 restaurant concepts nationwide,

00:14:08and his series,

00:14:09Ready Jet Cook,

00:14:11has been nominated for

00:14:12three Emmys

00:14:13and a James Beard Award.

00:14:16Give it up for the Jetster,

00:14:18Chef Jet Tilo!

00:14:31You are a humble, generous, giving.

00:14:34You're a man of the people,

00:14:36but you are also the most winningest TOC chef

00:14:40Wow.

00:14:40that does not have a belt.

00:14:42Why do you keep coming back?

00:14:44Oh, God.

00:14:49You know what, guy?

00:14:51That's why I keep coming back.

00:14:52I get stopped on the streets.

00:14:54I get thousands of emails.

00:14:55It's for Team Tila,

00:14:57and it's to show my kids

00:14:58you can get beat down,

00:14:59but you can always come back

00:15:01and try your best,

00:15:01and that's all that matters.

00:15:05Because of you guys.

00:15:07Time to take it to the randomizer.

00:15:09Let's go, Chefs.

00:15:10Let's go to work.

00:15:12How you feeling, Chef?

00:15:13I feel great.

00:15:15For everybody at home,

00:15:16the randomizer is going to determine

00:15:18the mandatory details of your dish.

00:15:20The protein, the produce, the equipment,

00:15:22the style,

00:15:23and finally the wild card category,

00:15:26which this year in the first round,

00:15:28it's the wild card re-spin,

00:15:30which you would both have to agree on

00:15:32what would happen.

00:15:33Let's get this going, folks.

00:15:34Here we go.

00:15:34Protein.

00:15:36Here we go.

00:15:37Here we go.

00:15:37Let's go.

00:15:39Skirt.

00:15:40Pork.

00:15:40Chicken.

00:15:41Skirt.

00:15:42Pork.

00:15:43Pork loin.

00:15:45Bell peppers.

00:15:48Ricer.

00:15:49Charred.

00:15:50And move one up.

00:15:50Now you have to move one up.

00:15:53Wow.

00:15:54So you'd either move up to skirt steak,

00:15:56to broccoli rabe,

00:15:57to handheld grill basket,

00:15:59move up to pickled.

00:16:00You cannot move up to move one down.

00:16:02Darn.

00:16:04I would be fine with any of the first three.

00:16:08What would you want, Chef?

00:16:09I'm not loving the equipment.

00:16:11I would take grill basket over ricer, personally.

00:16:14Great.

00:16:14Let's do it.

00:16:14Are you down with that?

00:16:15Yes, absolutely.

00:16:16Final offer?

00:16:17Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:16:18Ladies and gentlemen, handheld grill basket.

00:16:21Wow.

00:16:23You have 30 minutes to shop.

00:16:25Prepare this and plate this.

00:16:27This is the kickoff of TOC 7.

00:16:29And your time starts now.

00:16:30Go.

00:16:40Welcome to TOC 7.

00:16:42Who's pumped?

00:16:45I think it's a good randomizer.

00:16:46Pork loin.

00:16:47This is one of the most versatile parts of pork.

00:16:49Bell peppers.

00:16:50We're giving them green, orange, red,

00:16:52which are all the same bell pepper, by the way.

00:16:54And handheld grill baskets are awesome,

00:16:56because you can do all the grilling that you want.

00:16:59Easy to turn, easy to clip,

00:17:00and it doesn't fall through the grates of the grill.

00:17:02Charred.

00:17:02They're really going to have to play into this.

00:17:04The judges have been hitting this style so hard.

00:17:07They'll just have to dominate the randomizer.

00:17:09Do not overthink it.

00:17:11Just make delicious food.

00:17:13TOC is at any given Sunday.

00:17:14Any chef can win if they just cook the best dish.

00:17:18My pressure comes from the ghosts of six seasons of losing.

00:17:22On top of that, battling a qualifier is always scary.

00:17:26They're here because they have a phenomenal repertoire.

00:17:29Losing TOC round one could be a measure of maybe it's time to quit.

00:17:34The randomizer has actually given us things that are fairly simple,

00:17:38but we're not in the qualifiers anymore.

00:17:41These judges want to see a dish that is elevated that wows them.

00:17:46You know, I don't have much of a reputation in the TOC kitchen.

00:17:49I'm the noob.

00:17:50That's cool because this will allow me to shake things up in the main bracket.

00:17:56I'm joined once again by my two incredible culinary commentators,

00:18:00Noted Food Authority and Michelin-recommended wildcard,

00:18:03Chef Justin Warner.

00:18:06And award-winning restaurateur and TOC3 champ,

00:18:10Chef Tiffany Faison.

00:18:12Now, Justin and Tiffany will closely follow the preparation of the dishes

00:18:16so they can accurately present them to the judges during the blind tasting.

00:18:19We're also joined by the culinary scholar, Simon Majundar,

00:18:23who will be talking to the judges about their thoughts on all the dishes.

00:18:27Chef, when you have a plan, let me know.

00:18:29We are going to do a pork and bell pepper waterfall salad.

00:18:34Got it.

00:18:34Char, pork, bell peppers.

00:18:37There's only one direction I'm going in.

00:18:38Waterfall, or what we call numptok salad in northern Thailand.

00:18:43It's a very common protein dish where you char the protein

00:18:46and you make a really delicious dressing with roasted rice,

00:18:50which I'm going to char.

00:18:52The hunger to win TOC only increases every year.

00:18:56This is my seventh go.

00:18:57I've been here for almost a decade chasing this belt.

00:19:00Every round is its own universe.

00:19:02Every battle is its own thing.

00:19:04Winning the first round is huge.

00:19:08When you have a plan, I have a pen, take your time.

00:19:10My goal is to char most everything.

00:19:13I am going to make a blackened pork loin with charred bell pepper sauce.

00:19:19That grill basket allows them to kind of set it and forget it on the grill and get nice char.

00:19:23My style of cuisine, I explore the micro regions of the south.

00:19:27For my pork loin, I'm going to do traditional blackened pork.

00:19:30We want to add the fat to not the pan, but the actual protein.

00:19:35I've got one shot.

00:19:37I know it's either Jet going home or myself.

00:19:42I've got to make sure that my flavors are there and that I just wow the judges today.

00:19:48Halfway point, 15 minutes, 15 to go.

00:19:55What's this?

00:19:56I'm making the dressing now.

00:19:58So it's going to be on the brighter side.

00:19:59It's going to be all the yum flavors, but I'm going to char everything.

00:20:02Char the bell peppers in here as well, so.

00:20:04At this level of cooking in TOC, I'm not just putting bell peppers and pork on a plate.

00:20:08I'm taking the bell peppers and I'm weaving it through the dressing.

00:20:11Smart moves by Chef Thiele here.

00:20:13He's rubbing off some of the char just to get the exact amount of char that he wants.

00:20:19Our judges are currently waiting in their trailers, so they have no idea what the chefs are cooking

00:20:24or who is even in the competition.

00:20:26They'll be scoring the dishes based on taste, use of the items on the randomizer, and presentation.

00:20:30The chef with the highest score, well, will head on to the next round.

00:20:33The other chef, they'll be heading home.

00:20:36This is an incredibly simple dish.

00:20:38I need to make sure this sauce knocks the judges' socks off.

00:20:42Add a little lime juice, charred red, orange, green bell peppers.

00:20:49Winning TOC would be so fulfilling.

00:20:52I've never won a competition before.

00:20:54I live in a small, small town.

00:20:57Asheville has experienced such trauma and devastation in the past year.

00:21:00And I've had this incredible, supportive community that I want to give back to.

00:21:05I want to bring home the bell.

00:21:07That's bell pepper.

00:21:09The first round has five minutes, five minutes left!

00:21:15Right now in the Wayfair screening room, Chef Tobias and Chef Claudette are anxiously spectating this battle.

00:21:21The winner of their battle will face the winner of this battle in the bracket.

00:21:26I check the porks.

00:21:27They're great.

00:21:27I let them rest.

00:21:28I take jasmine rice.

00:21:29I put some chilis in there.

00:21:31I want to char about 60 to 70% of that rice.

00:21:36When you say charred rice, Tila, you mean charred rice.

00:21:39It brings texture to this dish, and it's a very creative use.

00:21:42With three components on the plate, I have the pork, bell pepper sauce.

00:21:49In addition to that, I'm going to make a simple charred bell pepper medley.

00:21:53I am just feeding off of the crowd, watching the clock, and making sure that this dish is what I

00:22:00want it to be.

00:22:01I'm in the zone.

00:22:02I'm completely focused.

00:22:03Two minutes!

00:22:04Let's go.

00:22:05Let's go.

00:22:06Let's take it home.

00:22:06First, I plate the bell peppers and herbs as a base.

00:22:10I cut up the pork, apply that onto the vegetables.

00:22:13It is a privilege to compete on TOC.

00:22:16There's literally one more level that I've never experienced in this kitchen.

00:22:21That's why I belong here.

00:22:2390 seconds, Chef.

00:22:2490 to go.

00:22:25Come on, guys.

00:22:26Fight me up!

00:22:27I take my sauce, I put it in the bottom, and then I get the best slices of pork and

00:22:34shingle them onto the plate as well,

00:22:36and add that bell pepper medley.

00:22:38I may be seen as the underdog of this competition, but I made a plate that I'm really proud of.

00:22:44Five!

00:22:45Four!

00:22:46Three!

00:22:47Two!

00:22:48One!

00:22:49We're done!

00:22:50First round of PLC 7 is done!

00:22:53That was great, Chef.

00:22:55Oh.

00:22:56Club well done.

00:22:59You guys are going to have a tough one on this.

00:23:03Woo!

00:23:03It's nice to get one under my belt, um, in a way where I'm proud of the dish.

00:23:11Our TOC judges have been patiently waiting in their trailers for the first blind tasting in the evening.

00:23:17Now, they don't know what went down in this arena, but boy, do they know food.

00:23:22Let's meet them.

00:23:22Who do we have?

00:23:23First, renowned executive chef and a world-class culinary competitor, Iron Chef, Alex Guarnascioli!

00:23:34Woo!

00:23:36Alex, legend.

00:23:37Look out!

00:23:38I don't know what Alex likes.

00:23:41I have no idea.

00:23:42Thank you for being here.

00:23:43Next, celebrated chef, Michelin-recommended restaurateur, and winner of Tournament of Championship, Chef,

00:23:53Antonia Lafaso!

00:23:58No way.

00:23:59Is that what we're doing this season?

00:24:02I'm going to say she knows her stuff.

00:24:04Must be nice Antonia being on that side of it.

00:24:06And last, and definitely not least, James Beard award-winning restaurateur and the only female chef in the U.S.

00:24:12to receive three Michelin stars.

00:24:15Dominique Crenn?

00:24:17Chef, Dominique Crenn!

00:24:20Wow!

00:24:23I know her standards are very high.

00:24:27This is the tournament champs level, like, judge panel.

00:24:29The randomizer tonight, I think, was pretty generous.

00:24:32The protein was pork loin.

00:24:34The produce was bell peppers.

00:24:36The equipment was a handheld grill basket.

00:24:39The style was charred.

00:24:40And here to present Chef Tiffany Faison.

00:24:42I present to you Cajun charred pork loin with a sauce of charred bell peppers and charred ginger.

00:24:47Condiment of charred bell peppers, red onion, and charred jalapeno.

00:24:51All of these components met the blender and a little bit of olive oil, lime juice, and Cajun seasoning.

00:24:57The pork loin was fabricated, put into a bag with a little bit of butter and Cajun seasoning in the

00:25:02traditional style of blackening.

00:25:05Don't be too hard on me now.

00:25:06Pork loin, bell peppers, simple, straightforward ingredients that actually can take on so much flavor.

00:25:13The sauce does it for me tenfolds over.

00:25:16Thank you, Chef.

00:25:17I love, love, love that this chef went in a bell pepper sauce direction.

00:25:22That's good.

00:25:24Sauce, fantastic.

00:25:25And lime, what a restrained choice, right?

00:25:29You could have gone vinegar, fish sauce, go to, I mean, what could you not have put?

00:25:33And this chef was like, squeeze the lime, see you later.

00:25:36And it is paying off in spades.

00:25:38I agree.

00:25:39I love the char, therefore I understand the use of the grill basket.

00:25:44Then I tasted the pork.

00:25:45I love the spice rub on this.

00:25:48It is literally divine.

00:25:50I think Ashley hit the randomizer great.

00:25:51That said, this is not TOC level presentation.

00:25:55What?

00:25:55This is not enough.

00:25:57It's too simple.

00:25:58I'm the new kid, sorry.

00:25:59I mean, I agree with them, it should be more elevated.

00:26:03Yes.

00:26:03So they're gonna ding me big on plating.

00:26:06Also, it is missing some flour or some herb ambitious kind of taste to it.

00:26:12But, you know, overall, I think if I go to a restaurant, a bistro, I would love to have that

00:26:16dish.

00:26:16All right, your scorecards are in front of you.

00:26:1850 points available in the taste, 40 points in the use of the randomizer, and 10 for presentation.

00:26:25Like, I nailed it with that randomizer, and there was not a whole lot of mention on that.

00:26:32All right, judges, here we are to present the second chef's dish.

00:26:35Wild card, Justin Warner!

00:26:40I am just bracing myself.

00:26:43Judges, this is a waterfall salad of pork loin and bell pepper.

00:26:48The pork loin was marinated in a mixture of shallot, fish sauce, sugar, chili, and a little dashi.

00:26:54Then it was done in the grill basket.

00:26:56The bell pepper was done in the grill basket.

00:26:58It then found its way into the salad.

00:27:01From there, in the dressing, you'll find charred chilies, charred garlic, and charred shallot.

00:27:07First of all, this dish is incredible.

00:27:10Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:27:12Different technique, different texture.

00:27:14This is a balance of everything they've been asked.

00:27:18I'll tell you what it is for me.

00:27:20It's the juiciness of the lettuce and the herbs and the onions that add further juiciness to the peppers that

00:27:27they lose when they're charred.

00:27:29That is the complexity of having a series of ingredients that are threaded together into a composed plate.

00:27:37Okay.

00:27:38Oh, yes!

00:27:40I almost feel like the pork becomes like the backseat driver in the dish, which is really interesting.

00:27:45I'm like enjoying the vegetation more in there than I am the pork.

00:27:49I actually, the ratio for me is off a little bit.

00:27:52There is actually less pork.

00:27:54There just seems to be more vegetable than there is pork.

00:27:56I love the herbs through it, but really it's the char on that rice that I think tied this whole

00:28:01dish together that I think is brilliant.

00:28:03Oh!

00:28:04He knows how to cook.

00:28:06Great judges, thank you so much.

00:28:07It would mean so much to win.

00:28:11Affirmation, validation.

00:28:12I don't have a reputation, so obviously I want a good one.

00:28:15Ashley is a great cook, but I need to know that this first round is like one and done.

00:28:19I need to move on.

00:28:21Ladies and gentlemen, we've tallied the judges' score.

00:28:24I have the results, and let's bring our chefs back in.

00:28:28Chef Ashley!

00:28:29Chef Jeff!

00:28:32All right.

00:28:33Let's see how they do.

00:28:34Let's get into this.

00:28:35Good scores.

00:28:36One chef scored a 40 out of 50 in taste.

00:28:39Wow.

00:28:3933 out of 40 in the randomizer.

00:28:42A 7 out of 10 in presentation for 80.

00:28:4680 points.

00:28:47The other chef scored a 46 out of 50 in taste.

00:28:51A 34 out of 40 in the randomizer.

00:28:54And an 8 out of 10 in presentation for an 88.

00:28:58Wow.

00:28:59The winner of our premiere TOC battle between Chef Jet Tila and Chef Ashley Shanti is...

00:29:14Chef Jet Tila!

00:29:17Chef Jet Tila!

00:29:21Chef Ashley, going up against one of the most feared and regarded chefs is not an easy task,

00:29:27but I think you held your own and an 80 is a great score.

00:29:30Yeah.

00:29:30This is awesome.

00:29:31Chef Ashley Shanti!

00:29:33Great job!

00:29:36Well, my time here is done.

00:29:38I am so proud of what I put out.

00:29:41I'm going to take the judges' commentary and do better next time.

00:29:45That is the Jet Tila that can win TOC 7.

00:29:51Let's see where we're going, buddy.

00:29:53Coming up next will be a shot between Tobias Dorzon or Claudette Cepeda.

00:29:58Ha!

00:29:58Damn.

00:29:59The Jetster.

00:30:00Winner in the first round of TOC 7, Chef Jet Tila!

00:30:09You did say that you thought it was a little bit simple.

00:30:13I felt like it was incomplete.

00:30:15We saw both protein and the produce and an incredible sauce, but I felt like there needed

00:30:19to be something that brought everything together.

00:30:20I just think this chef maybe needs more experience.

00:30:24Are you ready to meet our next two contenders?

00:30:29We have Chef Claudette Cepeda, who has won her share of competitions and accolades, but

00:30:34she has dropped to a number six seed after losing in the first round of TOC 6.

00:30:40I had a better seat last year, so I have to earn my spot.

00:30:43I need to be able to get through today to prove that I deserve to be here.

00:30:48Now, her opponent, the number three seed, Chef Tobias Dorzon, whose five TOC victories pale

00:30:56in comparison to the incredible comeback he's made after a life-threatening incident.

00:31:01I was shot 11 times.

00:31:03I was told I wasn't going to be able to walk again.

00:31:06Just, you know, being able to rehab my way back into walking and moving was something

00:31:10that I wanted to make sure I could do.

00:31:12I'm back.

00:31:13I went home first round, TOC 6.

00:31:15After being the number one seed, I got something to prove.

00:31:18Let's go.

00:31:21Are you ready to meet the contenders?

00:31:25Let's light it up!

00:31:28Her bold approach to regional Mexican cuisine has twice earned her a spot on Esquire's best

00:31:34new restaurant list.

00:31:37She was named Chef of the Year by Eater San Diego and was a James Beard semi-finalist for

00:31:44Best Chef West.

00:31:46Put your hands together for the chef, restaurateur, and culinary anthropologist, Chef Claudette Zepeda!

00:32:00Let's go!

00:32:02Yes!

00:32:04Yes!

00:32:05Yes!

00:32:06Yes!

00:32:09Culinary anthropologist.

00:32:10Big nerd.

00:32:11I love it!

00:32:12Her opponent.

00:32:14He grew up in Maryland working in his dad's West African eatery.

00:32:19And became a plain restaurateur named 2024 Chef of the Year by the Restaurant Association in Maryland.

00:32:28A former pro athlete.

00:32:31And his very first season on TOC, he went all the way to the final four.

00:32:37Give it up for the unstoppable honcho chef, Tobias Dorso!

00:32:48Let's go!

00:32:55Still having a lot of difficulty walking, going to physical therapy.

00:32:59But when we asked you if you wanted to compete, there wasn't even a hesitation.

00:33:04But it just brings us to the moment of the evening, which is?

00:33:07The randomizer.

00:33:08Chefs.

00:33:08Let's take it to the randomizer right this way!

00:33:16Everybody ready?

00:33:17Let it rip.

00:33:18Let's get it.

00:33:19Let's get after it.

00:33:20Going for the proteins!

00:33:32Skirt steak.

00:33:34The produce will be broccoli rabe, the toaster oven, pickled, and chef's re-spin.

00:33:46Chefs, which one of the wheels would you like to re-spin?

00:33:49Let's do style.

00:33:50I'll do style.

00:33:51Style.

00:33:53Style!

00:33:54Let's spin it up.

00:33:55Here we go!

00:34:03The randomizer giveth.

00:34:06Skirt steak, broccoli rabe, toaster oven, pickled.

00:34:10Chefs, you have 30 minutes.

00:34:12Good luck.

00:34:17Skirt steak.

00:34:18I love skirt steak.

00:34:19Huge fan.

00:34:20Super flavorful.

00:34:21Broccoli rabe, a little more bitter than regular broccoli.

00:34:24Toaster ovens today are like next level.

00:34:27And pickled, you're going to see some really creative food coming out of tonight's competition.

00:34:33I am very happy with my randomizer, but the person I'm going up against is someone that

00:34:39I not only care about, but respect tremendously.

00:34:42And to see him today without a cane, walking, he's a hero.

00:34:46Like, that's insane.

00:34:47I mean, I'm definitely the underdog between Tobias and myself.

00:34:50This is his house.

00:34:52He's competed.

00:34:53He knows his kitchen.

00:34:55It's going to get messy, but I'm so ready.

00:34:57So overall, the randomizer's good.

00:34:59I cook skirt steak, so I know how to handle it.

00:35:02I know chefs all that.

00:35:03You know, we're good friends.

00:35:04And so, you know, I already know what to expect.

00:35:06Big flavors.

00:35:07I'm a totally different person from TOC 6.

00:35:10I thought I wasn't even going to be able to cook again.

00:35:12So now I take these opportunities as, you know, it may never happen again.

00:35:15I go into them with a different mindset.

00:35:22Last year, Chef Zepeda had a little bit of a rocky start in her premiere battle in the

00:35:27TOC kitchens.

00:35:28But she's coming in with a new attitude.

00:35:30And I'm excited to see how this pans out.

00:35:33Come on, guys.

00:35:34It's going to be a little energy.

00:35:37I am making grilled pickled outside skirt steak, roasted broccoli raw pickle concoction,

00:35:44and a pipian escabeche.

00:35:47First thing I want to do is brine my skirt steak.

00:35:49I grab a jar of cornichons.

00:35:51It has white-distilled vinegar, onions, and mustard seeds, coriander.

00:35:55Brush that over to the vacuum seal machine.

00:35:58While that is vacuuming, I start with my sauce.

00:36:01Let's try to get this going.

00:36:02It's a riff off of pipian.

00:36:04A pipian sauce is a fresh chile pumpkin seed-based sauce.

00:36:10Today I'm making a pipian with a dried chile.

00:36:12And I think the broccoli raw will get the flavor.

00:36:16I'm putting a couple chunks of pretano maduro.

00:36:19It's not only going to give me a little bit of sugar to counterbalance the spicy morita,

00:36:23but it's also going to give me texture when I blend it.

00:36:25I am a product of my grandmother and the matriarchs of Mexico,

00:36:29the keepers of the secret recipes of Mexico throughout the seven regions,

00:36:34which also kind of makes me one of the dangerous ones.

00:36:37Come on, Carmen!

00:36:41Not your first skirt steak, chef.

00:36:43You know it.

00:36:45My main plan is to make pickled, nice tender skirt steak,

00:36:49and broccoli raw, pickled onions, and some Asian pears.

00:36:52I'm going to go Asian brine on the skirt steak.

00:36:54I've studied Asian for a long time.

00:36:56My restaurant is Asian and a West African fusion.

00:36:59Big, bold flavors.

00:37:01The salt and the vinegar and the tamarind will give a steak a slight pickle.

00:37:05I'm going to win this year because of the confidence that I have in myself.

00:37:09I mean, the pain that I push through every day, I wouldn't wish on no one.

00:37:12But even though circumstances happen, you got to be the best that you can be

00:37:16and make comebacks that no one can expect you to make.

00:37:19I want the title so bad, I got to get back there.

00:37:27Tobias, Claudette, you are at the halfway point.

00:37:2915 minutes to go.

00:37:3115!

00:37:32Yeah!

00:37:36The judges are really looking for multiple uses of the protein, multiple uses of the produce,

00:37:41and they definitely want to see the style as much as they can.

00:37:46And putting these randomizer things together, I want to do at least two of them in more than one style.

00:37:55The broccoli rabe has different complexities in its bitterness and its flavor.

00:37:59I know it's one bitter-ass green.

00:38:02The leaves are the most tender and less bitter.

00:38:06So I'm ripping the leaves off, and I'm going to put them in the toaster oven with just a little

00:38:09bit of olive oil and salt.

00:38:11And this, and a little bit of that.

00:38:16What's the plan for the second pan?

00:38:18The brine for the stems.

00:38:21So I'm going to bring it all together to make a small little salad of all my broccoli rabe in

00:38:26different iterations.

00:38:27Broccoli rabe is in the turnip family, so it's a cruciferous vegetable just like broccoli, but it is not broccoli

00:38:33and can stand up to some pretty heavy cooking.

00:38:39Just at ten minutes, chef.

00:38:40Yep.

00:38:41Any other applications for the toaster oven?

00:38:44I'm going to roast these broccoli rabe.

00:38:47The marinade that I used to say has a good twang and sweetness to it, so I wanted to actually

00:38:52add some of that to the broccoli rabe.

00:38:53Yep.

00:38:54Throw that back into the toaster oven so it can get a little bit more color and get a little

00:38:59bit of charme.

00:39:03Eight minutes, chefs. We have eight minutes to go.

00:39:09For those of you who don't know me, I am born and raised between Tijuana and San Diego.

00:39:15So what I have ingrained in me is not only a love for food, but it is understanding what meat

00:39:21needs what.

00:39:22And a skirt steak needs a grill.

00:39:25I want a perfectly mid-rare skirt steak.

00:39:29To win Tournament of Champions is like sick bragging rights.

00:39:33As a WWE kid and a Lucha Libre kid, I want that belt.

00:39:38Like, I just want the hardware.

00:39:43What's the plan for the pear, chef?

00:39:44I'm pickling them.

00:39:45Pickling, okay.

00:39:46Pickled onion and broccoli rabe salad on top.

00:39:49It's Asian pear.

00:39:50I wanted to pickle it and give a little bit of fruitiness to the little salad I was going to

00:39:55throw on top.

00:39:56All-Star Christmas was my first test, you know, actually my first competition since my injury.

00:40:01It helped give me confidence.

00:40:02Cooking skills is definitely back even better than they were before.

00:40:06So it is that time.

00:40:07Chefs, this is your final five minutes.

00:40:10Five minutes to be plated.

00:40:14So I'm getting my plate all set up.

00:40:16The sauce, I want it to be more refined.

00:40:20And I don't want the portion of meat to be larger than the broccoli rabe.

00:40:24I want them to be equally balanced on the dish.

00:40:27This is a one-and-done cook.

00:40:29That last plate is all that matters.

00:40:31I hope it's enough to get me the win.

00:40:34Three minutes.

00:40:37So now that I have my broccoli rabe,

00:40:40now I want to plate that first.

00:40:42So that's the bottom component.

00:40:43Then I want to slice my steaks on the bias,

00:40:46lay those over top.

00:40:47A couple good medium rare pieces on top of that.

00:40:50And then I want to finish it off with the pickle salad that I have,

00:40:53with the broccoli rabe, the pickled red onions, and the pickled pears.

00:40:57Since my injury, I've came so far.

00:41:00I'm just blessed to be here.

00:41:01So it's important, you know, just to build my legacy and get this win.

00:41:05Five!

00:41:06Four!

00:41:07Three!

00:41:08Two!

00:41:09One!

00:41:10That's it!

00:41:12Two amazing chefs, one amazing battle.

00:41:15Good luck with the judging.

00:41:17We'll see you in a bit.

00:41:18Let's go!

00:41:19Chef Boyette!

00:41:20Let's bring those judges in.

00:41:24Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome back our judges,

00:41:26Iron Chef Alex Borticelli,

00:41:28reigning TOC champ, Antonio Lofaso,

00:41:31and three-star Michelin chef,

00:41:33Chef Charateur, Dominique Cren.

00:41:36Oh, God.

00:41:37Man, they got some heavy hitters out here tonight.

00:41:40Judges, the randomizer served up for protein, the skirt steak.

00:41:44Produce was broccoli rabe, equipment was a toaster oven,

00:41:48in the style of pickle, and the chefs had to re-spin.

00:41:51They didn't want pickle, so they got pickled again.

00:41:55Here to present the first dish is the wild card himself, Justin Warner.

00:42:01Judges, this is bistec en escabeche con pipian de broccoli rabe.

00:42:06Ooh, nice.

00:42:07So that skirt steak received a little bit of a pickling treatment itself

00:42:10with white vinegar and mustard seed.

00:42:12From there, it was grilled.

00:42:13In terms of the broccoli rabe, you have it in that pipian.

00:42:16The broccoli rabe leaves that you will find in the salad were done

00:42:19in the toaster oven.

00:42:21And then you'll also notice pickled broccoli rabe components

00:42:24in that salad as well.

00:42:25As always, judges, if you have any questions,

00:42:27I have the answers.

00:42:29The drama.

00:42:30This is incredible.

00:42:32I think it's very balanced.

00:42:34There is a little bit of sweetness to it.

00:42:36There is a lot of acidity.

00:42:37There is a little bit of fat.

00:42:39There is spiciness.

00:42:40This is a really, really complex dish.

00:42:43I'm gonna cry.

00:42:45I'm trying to hold it in.

00:42:46There's, like, a finesse here.

00:42:48There's an elegance.

00:42:49There's a...

00:42:50There's a je ne sais quoi.

00:42:54I think this sauce, I feel like having it all in one big dollop

00:42:58and me having to dose it to myself with the rest of the components,

00:43:03I ate too much of it.

00:43:05That's the opposite of what I meant.

00:43:07Like, when you have a puddle, then it touches everything.

00:43:09This dish is spectacular.

00:43:11You know, there's a couple of slices of skirt steak, medium rare,

00:43:15and it is so tender, it melts in your mouth.

00:43:18But the star of the plate is the broccoli rabe.

00:43:21There's that crunch and dryness to them that are so wonderful.

00:43:24There's the char that goes throughout, the pickling.

00:43:27Talking sweet about me, so the reaction is I'm gonna cry.

00:43:30There's so much finesse here, but I would say there's plenty of pickle here.

00:43:35I would argue there's almost too much vinegar here.

00:43:38There's almost too much pickle.

00:43:40Mmm.

00:43:43Fantastic judges, scorecards in front of you.

00:43:4550 points in taste, 40 points in the use of the randomizer,

00:43:48and 10 points for the presentation.

00:43:50This one right here, you know, it's gonna be a close one.

00:43:53I left it all there, and we'll see what they say about Tobias,

00:43:57and may the best chef win.

00:43:59Judges here to explain the second dish

00:44:01is Chef Tiffany Faison, champ.

00:44:03Whoo!

00:44:07Chefs, in front of you, you have tamarind-roasted skirt steak

00:44:10with roasted and pickled brine-dressed broccoli rabe,

00:44:13a slaw of pickled broccoli rabe, Asian pear, and red onion.

00:44:17Let's stop skirting around this, and let's talk steak.

00:44:20This chef created a brine, and then continued to cook the skirt steak

00:44:23on the grill.

00:44:24The brine was then used to dress a little bit of the broccoli rabe

00:44:27that was roasted all the way in the toaster oven.

00:44:29Finally, you have a slaw of broccoli rabe florets

00:44:32that were picked and pickled with Asian pear, red onion on top.

00:44:36Yes, ma'am.

00:44:38I am obsessed with the tamarind marinade on the outside.

00:44:42I think that is what balances this dish so perfectly.

00:44:46I'm in some, like, acidic, sweet, nostalgic state

00:44:51where this skirt steak and this chef took the pickled

00:44:54and the skirt steak off that randomizer

00:44:57and transformed this into something else,

00:44:59which I think is TOC all day long.

00:45:04I heard you, Alex.

00:45:06I picked up some broccoli, and I got this bitterness in my mouth

00:45:10that was, like, just so overpowering.

00:45:12Very interesting dish.

00:45:14I feel that there was just one dimension to it.

00:45:17All right, judges. Thank you very much.

00:45:19Your scorecards are in front of you.

00:45:22Mm-hmm.

00:45:22How you doing?

00:45:23I feel good. I feel good about two of the three judges, you know.

00:45:26But she had two of the three judges as well.

00:45:29Alex didn't, you know, find for her dishes much, too.

00:45:32So, you know, it's just who used to randomize it better,

00:45:35who put gameplay better, you know, and it's gonna be a close one.

00:45:40I still feel very proud of what I did

00:45:41and may the best chef win.

00:45:43Win or lose, I just can't even prove that I can still compete,

00:45:46you know? Let's just see what the judges think.

00:45:48All right, chef, you ready?

00:45:49Okay.

00:45:50Let's go see if I'm going to the second round.

00:45:53Let's bring our chefs back in.

00:45:55Chef Claudette!

00:45:56Chef Damiya!

00:46:02There was a lot going on there.

00:46:04Yeah, huh?

00:46:06Let's get into this.

00:46:07One chef scored 85!

00:46:12The other chef scored a 87.

00:46:15Wow!

00:46:16A two-point difference.

00:46:21Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the first round

00:46:24between Chef Tobias Borzon and Chef Claudette Cepeda is...

00:46:29I think they're all ready for a couple of months.

00:46:50...aw18 F.

00:46:51Good job. Good job.

00:46:54Chef, congratulations. Chef Tobias.

00:46:57There's no stopping the Huncho.

00:46:58No, not at all.

00:46:59There's no stopping the Huncho at all, man.

00:47:10I thought I hit the steak perfectly.

00:47:13I thought I used a randomizer to the T, but, you know,

00:47:15things happen, man. It wasn't my night.

00:47:17Chef, you just won your first round

00:47:20in Tournament of Champions.

00:47:23Claudette Cepeda.

00:47:25Let's take a look.

00:47:28Oh, now I gotta go up against Jet.

00:47:30Claudette Cepeda going up against Jet Tila.

00:47:34I'm excited. Let's go.

00:47:36Congratulations, Chef. That's gonna feel great.

00:47:39It does, it does.

00:47:39And now you're in round two, and you're going up against Jet Tila.

00:47:42That's terrifying.

00:47:44It's gonna be a good battle.

00:47:45Are you ready to meet our next two culinary masters?

00:47:52We have our first rematch of TOC 7.

00:47:55Now, these chefs faced off a TOC 6,

00:47:57and an upset victory flipped their rankings this year.

00:48:01We have the number five seed, Chef Karen Akunowicz,

00:48:04who has twice been a TOC quarterfinalist,

00:48:07but was knocked out last year in the first round by Chef Sawyer.

00:48:13I was really heartbroken last year.

00:48:15I thought about it all year.

00:48:17I was still thinking about it on the plane on the way here.

00:48:20Really happy to be here and to have the opportunity.

00:48:23At number four seed, Chef Jonathan Sawyer,

00:48:26who secured his first TOC victory last year,

00:48:28has been racking up impressive culinary victories ever since.

00:48:32Four seed is the highest ranking I've ever had,

00:48:35being my fourth year.

00:48:36I've also won Wild Card Kitchen,

00:48:38became the champion of 24 and 24.

00:48:41I'm on a hot streak right now.

00:48:43We're both James Beard Award winners,

00:48:45you know, which is a recognition that, like,

00:48:46not a lot of people in this competition hold, right?

00:48:49There's three of us, except for maybe the icons,

00:48:52but I don't know, because I don't know who they are.

00:48:54It's gonna be a tough one.

00:48:55Jonathan, I love you.

00:48:56Sorry I have to beat you and send you home.

00:48:58My brother.

00:48:59Karen, they're ready for you.

00:49:01All right.

00:49:01All right, Chef, you ready to battle?

00:49:03Carpe diem.

00:49:07Are you ready for a Rip Roar at TOC rematch?

00:49:12Yeah!

00:49:14So let's light it up!

00:49:17Inspired by her years spent as a chef

00:49:19and a pastry maker in Italy,

00:49:21she opened three renowned Italian restaurants

00:49:24in her beloved Boston.

00:49:28Her restaurant, Fox & Knife, made food and wine, eaters,

00:49:32and USA Today's Best New Restaurants list.

00:49:352018, she received the James Beard Award

00:49:38for Best Chef Northeast.

00:49:43Put your hands together for the Fox!

00:49:47Chef Karen Okunewin!

00:49:55In her greatness.

00:49:58So interesting.

00:49:59How would we call this the rematch?

00:50:02Mm-hmm.

00:50:03Let's see what happens.

00:50:03Your opponent!

00:50:08After learning his mastery of meats

00:50:10from the culinary greats such as Michael Simon

00:50:13and his solo venture named Best New Restaurant

00:50:16by Bon Appetit and Esquire.

00:50:21In 2017, he received the James Beard Award

00:50:25for Best Chef Great Lakes.

00:50:30He'd out 23 other chefs

00:50:33to win the second season of 24 and 24.

00:50:38Put your hands together for the Beard and Ballers!

00:50:42Chef Jonathan Sawyer!

00:50:53Well, Chef, it's a moment right now

00:50:57that we get to see two James Beard Award-winning chefs,

00:51:01two friends, and once again be opponents.

00:51:05Do I bring it to you at TOC or what?

00:51:08Chefs!

00:51:09Let's take it to the randomizer right this way.

00:51:13That's what I'm talking about.

00:51:16The randomizer loves no one.

00:51:18Let's get into it, folks!

00:51:19Here we go! Protein!

00:51:29Salmon, chicken, chops.

00:51:31Chops.

00:51:32Lamb shoulder chops.

00:51:34And Bigger Link Potatoes rice are breaded.

00:51:37Wow!

00:51:39Huh.

00:51:40But the low seed is going to spin.

00:51:45Huh.

00:51:46Karen, you must pick one of the four.

00:51:49I would think about spinning the edges.

00:51:51The edges.

00:51:52We'll go style.

00:51:53Style?

00:51:54Yeah.

00:51:54Okay, here we go.

00:51:55Re-spinning style!

00:51:57I mean, what do you do?

00:51:58I don't know.

00:51:59I don't know.

00:52:01Sauté-breaded, creamy, sauté-ed.

00:52:06Hmm.

00:52:08Happier than you're breaded?

00:52:10Hmm.

00:52:11Yeah!

00:52:12Lamb shoulders.

00:52:14Finger Link Potatoes.

00:52:15Ricer.

00:52:15Sauté-ed.

00:52:1630 minutes.

00:52:17And revenge is best served.

00:52:22Go cook.

00:52:26The lamb shoulder chop, tons of flavor.

00:52:28Finger Link Potatoes.

00:52:29Why do they call them that?

00:52:30Because they look like fingers.

00:52:31And what goes great with that?

00:52:32Ricer.

00:52:33The only thing is you can't rice a Finger Link Potato.

00:52:35Do a ricer, let's take the skin off.

00:52:37Sauté-ed.

00:52:38We all know this one.

00:52:39It's cooked fast and hot and a little bit of fat.

00:52:41Could be a way to do the chop.

00:52:42Not sure.

00:52:43And the low-seed re-spin.

00:52:45I think that was a good move.

00:52:47Getting off of the breaded.

00:52:48For me, this dish is gonna be all about technique

00:52:51and maximum flavor.

00:52:52Because I'm going against a killer.

00:52:54I'm going against one of the best.

00:52:56Karen Akunewicz.

00:52:57I think that there's nobody she would rather face

00:53:00to redeem herself in this entire bracket than me.

00:53:04Let's go.

00:53:08Hi, Justin. How are you?

00:53:10Perfect. And you?

00:53:10I'm great.

00:53:11After last year, I didn't know if I could come back.

00:53:16I was so heartbroken.

00:53:17I'm determined to take Jonathan down.

00:53:19It's gonna be a tough competition.

00:53:21But in the end, I'm coming out the winner.

00:53:25Thanks, guys.

00:53:27This round feels like deja vu.

00:53:28Feels like I've been here before.

00:53:30With this guy.

00:53:31Against that chef.

00:53:33You wanna talk direction and general?

00:53:35Yeah, I'm gonna make a sautéed lamb shoulder blade steak,

00:53:38glazed and gochijang shoyu and black garlic.

00:53:40Hey, that's the start of our plan.

00:53:42All right, I love it.

00:53:43The goal of this marinade is sort of threefold.

00:53:45We're gonna intensify the lamb flavor.

00:53:48We're gonna tenderize it.

00:53:49And we're gonna also add complexity through that umami.

00:53:52With the lamb shoulder, you gotta break down the tendons and the sinew pounding it paper-thin with a meat

00:53:58mallet.

00:53:58All right, meat is tenderizing.

00:54:01I'm gonna sauté some bones to fortify that broth.

00:54:04Y'all like that?

00:54:04I'm going up against a James Beard award-winning chef, the fox.

00:54:08They don't call her the fox because she's not an assassin inside of this arena.

00:54:12I have zero margin for error.

00:54:15I absolutely need to nail this dish.

00:54:19Chef, when you have a plan, let me know.

00:54:20I'm going to go Middle Eastern.

00:54:23I'm gonna make some beautiful creamy mashed fingerling potatoes.

00:54:26I'm gonna season my lamb with shawarma spice with coriander and cumin.

00:54:32I'm known for my modern Italian cuisine, but I've also studied Middle Eastern cuisine.

00:54:37So my depth and breadth of knowledge of food is vast.

00:54:40I start sautéing the aromatics that are going to start my lamb pomegranate jus.

00:54:47So I'm gonna sauté the lamb.

00:54:50Yep.

00:54:50And I'm gonna add some stock to it.

00:54:53This is so important and so personal for me this year.

00:54:55My mom had a stroke this year, and it made me realize how precious every single moment is.

00:55:02And if we're not taking every opportunity and every moment and running with it,

00:55:08I'm not living the kind of life I want to live.

00:55:10It would mean everything for me to win today.

00:55:1620-minute chefs, 20 to go.

00:55:18Got to be plated 20.

00:55:20My dish tonight is inspired by a Middle Eastern steakhouse.

00:55:28And another sauté.

00:55:30Sautéing this Swiss chard.

00:55:31I add to it heavy cream of butter as well as feta cheese.

00:55:36An important component to this dish.

00:55:42We're gonna make a potato puree, some smooth, creamy to go underneath.

00:55:47To maximize my potato points on the randomizer, I'm gonna slice some purple potatoes to get the least oily chip.

00:55:54They have to be paper thin.

00:55:55This is the most important culinary competition that I'll do ever.

00:56:00I am 41 months sober, and I'm more clear-headed than ever.

00:56:03To tell my kids that I am the guy that they know, I am the man and the chef and

00:56:08the father that they can be proud of.

00:56:09And fellow sober people and sober curious people out there, competing on this level, winning on this level, shows them

00:56:15this is a path to victory.

00:56:17But now, I gotta win this first one before anything else happens.

00:56:20Ten minutes, ten left in the competition.

00:56:23Next step for the potatoes is to put them through the ricer and add them to butter and cream and

00:56:28whisk them together.

00:56:29Creamy, fluffy, and look at that. Gorgeous.

00:56:32I know I need to use the ricer another way.

00:56:36I'm gonna pass my beautiful heirloom tomato through the ricer.

00:56:39What?

00:56:39To start the base for my relish.

00:56:41Adding pomegranate molasses and sherry vinegar and tasting it, and it's delicious.

00:56:48Starting the rice.

00:56:51There we go.

00:56:53Gotta get meat in.

00:56:54This dish is all about technique and maximum flavor.

00:56:57And give me maximum points.

00:57:00Four minutes!

00:57:03I'm gonna keep this dish really tight.

00:57:05I'm really hoping the judges are gonna be wowed by my use of the randomizer.

00:57:08I sauteed everything, unless it was riced.

00:57:12You come into this competition, and people watching, maybe they think it's a game.

00:57:16But to all of us that are here, it is your reputation.

00:57:20It's your honor.

00:57:21That's what we all come here and put on the line.

00:57:24It would mean everything for me to win today.

00:57:27Two minutes!

00:57:27Just like that, the lamb is cooked.

00:57:30Even though plating's only ten points, these judges eat with their eyes first.

00:57:34You have to nail plating.

00:57:35One minute!

00:57:36It's bittersweet.

00:57:38At the end of the day, one of the two greatest people that are here has to go home.

00:57:42And I gotta win.

00:57:43Five!

00:57:44Four!

00:57:44Three!

00:57:45Two!

00:57:46One!

00:57:47That's it!

00:57:50Beautiful plate.

00:57:53Chef Garen!

00:57:54Chef Jonathan!

00:57:55Well done!

00:57:56It was a great battle.

00:57:59So great.

00:58:01Is that ten minutes, or was that...

00:58:03What?

00:58:07Ladies and gentlemen, let's invite back our super judges, Alex Guarnaschelli.

00:58:12Alex Guarnaschelli is one of my favorite chefs in the world.

00:58:16And Tony Lofaso.

00:58:16Oh, jeez.

00:58:18Of course.

00:58:18Reigning champs here.

00:58:19And Dominic Crenn!

00:58:21Dominic Crenn.

00:58:22Michelin master.

00:58:24The randomizer served up lamb shoulder chops, fingerling potatoes.

00:58:29The equipment was the ricer.

00:58:31Style was sauteed.

00:58:33Here to present the first dish, the one and only TOC champ herself, Tiffany Faison.

00:58:37I did everything I can.

00:58:39In front of you, you have marinated and sauteed lamb shoulder chops.

00:58:43With a fingerling fiore and fingerling chips.

00:58:45With lamb fat sauteed shallots and sauteed lamb bonjour.

00:58:49The white fingerlings were peeled and cooked, then sent through the ricer.

00:58:53Very nice. Thank you, chef.

00:58:55It sounds great.

00:58:56I have no doubt that Jonathan made it an awesome dish.

00:58:59I feel transported to another place.

00:59:01I really do.

00:59:02That's good, right?

00:59:03She loves it.

00:59:04I like how the lamb shoulder was treated.

00:59:06I think that's a very hard piece of meat.

00:59:10This is technique all day long.

00:59:13Obviously, fingerling potatoes, ricer.

00:59:15Of course, we're gonna go mashed.

00:59:17But the fact that they took the sort of beautiful red ones and slivered them and got them so crisp,

00:59:23and there's no, like, remnants of oil.

00:59:26It's delicious.

00:59:27The only thing, my lamb kind of not cooked all the way, so the fat was not melted.

00:59:34Judges, thank you very much.

00:59:35The scorecards are in front of you.

00:59:37Okay.

00:59:3750 points in taste, 40 points in the use of the randomizer, and 10 points in the presentation.

00:59:43That feels like a good score.

00:59:45We'll see.

00:59:47Judges, the chef welcomes you to a Middle Eastern steakhouse.

00:59:50The chop was pounded and seasoned with shawarma spice.

00:59:53It was then sauteed in a pan.

00:59:54It then became the basis for a sauteed jus.

00:59:58For the fingerling potatoes, they were riced and then combined with heavy cream and butter.

01:00:02For use of the ricer, we had some tomato go through there as well, providing some textural juxtaposition with the

01:00:08pomegranate in the salad that you'll see crowning the dish.

01:00:10In terms of other sauteed elements, you have some chard combined with feta cheese, chopped and placed on the side

01:00:16of the plate.

01:00:18Love the riced tomato.

01:00:20And I think the riced tomato with the pomegranate and the mint offers all the dimension here.

01:00:28I think these are two chefs, toe-to-toe, neck-and-neck. This is going to be by half a

01:00:33point.

01:00:33Oh, Alex!

01:00:36I love that the lamb is still on the bone. It makes me think of a lamb chop.

01:00:40That, I think, mixed with the mint and the pomegranate and the feta with the lamb, it's just like textbook

01:00:45good.

01:00:47I'm obsessed with this dish.

01:00:49She's obsessed with it!

01:00:50I love the pomegranate, but it's a little bit unbalanced, I think. The meat, it's just kind of overpowering everything.

01:00:58Thank you very much.

01:00:59So Antonia said she's obsessed.

01:01:01I know, but Dominique didn't love it.

01:01:04It's going to be this close.

01:01:06I want this so badly.

01:01:09All right, chef, the scores are in.

01:01:11That was quick.

01:01:13Let's do it.

01:01:14Let's welcome back the chefs! Chef Jonathan! Chef Karen!

01:01:22Very high scores.

01:01:24One chef scored a 86.

01:01:31The other chef, 89.

01:01:35Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the first round rematch between Chef Jonathan Sawyer and Chef Karen Akunowicz is...

01:01:51The winner is...

01:02:00Jonathan Sawyer!

01:02:05I'll tell you what, Fox, we love you in TOC. You are a true competitor. Give it up for the

01:02:09Fox, Chef Karen Akunowicz!

01:02:16Yeah, I feel terrible.

01:02:17Maybe it's the best I've ever cooked. I love it for Jonathan. I hope he goes all the way. I

01:02:21do. Truly, truly.

01:02:24Congratulations! First round win, Jonathan Sawyer! Let's take a look.

01:02:28Getting ready to compete against either Artie Sequeira, going up against the legend who will be showing up shortly tonight.

01:02:37Shut up.

01:02:39Give it up!

01:02:40The bearded bowler! Jonathan Sawyer!

01:02:46Wow!

01:02:48Yes!

01:02:49I don't think I've ever gotten a 9 out of 10 on plating anywhere, ever.

01:02:54Call my wife. Ask her. She'll back you up on this.

01:02:57She thinks I played everything left-handed on purpose. I'm right-handed, by the way.

01:03:01And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment we have all been waiting for.

01:03:06We have a qualifier winner going up against our very first mystery culinary icon.

01:03:13Number 8 seed, Chef Artie Sequeira, is a Food Network star who stepped into the TOC arena for the first

01:03:19time

01:03:20and defeated an experienced competitor, Chef Brittany Anderson, to earn her spot in the bracket.

01:03:26Any concerns about not knowing who you're gonna face?

01:03:29I have every concern about being in the main bracket.

01:03:33I'm the first one to go up against these icons, right?

01:03:36So I do feel the rest of the bracket watching.

01:03:39Her opponent is the first of our top-seeded culinary icons

01:03:43and one of the most accomplished chefs to ever step into the TOC arena.

01:03:48Artie, they're ready for you.

01:03:50Oh, my gosh.

01:03:51Okay! We're gonna do this. Let's go.

01:03:54Are you ready to see Chef Artie battle our mystery icon?

01:03:58Let's run!

01:04:00Let's ride it up!

01:04:03Now, she started as a news producer for CNN.

01:04:07But after attending culinary school, she launched her own online cooking show.

01:04:122010, she outperformed 11 other hopefuls to win Season 6 of the Food Network star

01:04:18and turned her Artie's Parties into a network cooking show.

01:04:22Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for the Spice Queen, the one and only, Chef Artie Saquera!

01:04:35What is this?

01:04:37Hi!

01:04:39You're making history tonight, Artie, because you are the first to go up against our mystery culinary icon.

01:04:46I got, like, butterflies.

01:04:48I've been waiting forever for this moment.

01:04:50Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready for the first mystery icon competitor?

01:04:59Now, our mystery icon has both competed and judged some of the most high-profile culinary competitions in the world.

01:05:09While pursuing his Yale engineering degree, he took some classes in Le Cordon Bleu.

01:05:151998, he opened an iconic restaurant and was named Chef of the Year by Esquire

01:05:20and became the first Emmy-winning host on Food Network.

01:05:26He beat Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America and became one of the newest Iron Chefs in 2022.

01:05:33He earned a James Beard Award for Best Chef Northeast and was inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame in

01:05:392023.

01:05:41And has showcased his pioneering East Meets West cuisine for almost two decades on his acclaimed PBS series, Simply Ming.

01:05:52Oh, my God!

01:05:53Give it up for the world food icon, Chef Ming Tsai!

01:06:04Shut up! They gotta even do this!

01:06:14Chef Ming, you're one of the first superstar icons that I ever met when I came into Food Network.

01:06:20So, Chef, thank you very much.

01:06:22Thank you very much.

01:06:23Love and respect.

01:06:25It's a freaking honor to go up against you and thank you for thinking me worthy of something like this.

01:06:31Oh, we know you're worthy.

01:06:32And now, let's take it to the randomizer.

01:06:34Let's go, Chefs!

01:06:41Without further ado, this is the finale of the night.

01:06:43Let's go!

01:06:44Protein!

01:06:51Salmon!

01:06:52Hey.

01:06:53Romas?

01:06:54Fox Grater?

01:06:55Nutty.

01:06:57And protein or produce re-spin.

01:07:00But the two of you need to agree on which one it's going to be.

01:07:05I say produce.

01:07:07I say produce.

01:07:09Here we go.

01:07:10Going for produce.

01:07:14Is it going to be tomatoes again?

01:07:16Probably.

01:07:17Ah!

01:07:19Come on, you guys!

01:07:21Salmon, Roma tomatoes, box grater, nutty.

01:07:2630 minutes.

01:07:28Chefs, go.

01:07:29Okay.

01:07:31Here we go.

01:07:32Let's go!

01:07:34Salmon, I think people love it or hate it.

01:07:36Roma tomatoes, a little plum tomato.

01:07:38This is culinary like for tomato sauce and so forth.

01:07:41Box grater has so many versatile sides to it.

01:07:43See how they use it.

01:07:44And then nutty.

01:07:45Are they crusting the salmon in it?

01:07:46They got to taste it and they got to see it.

01:07:49Ming Tsai knows so much about food that I don't even know that I don't know.

01:07:56I mean, why don't you just ask Julia Child to come back from the dead and be there too?

01:08:01Like, this is so ridiculous.

01:08:05Thank you!

01:08:07I cannot believe I'm gonna battle this guy.

01:08:10Like, that makes no sense.

01:08:12I don't see the parm.

01:08:14Icon means absolutely nothing.

01:08:17Only thing that matters is what's on the plate.

01:08:19And for every year I judged, I think, my God, I should get back and cook.

01:08:23And I came here with a mission.

01:08:25Win this thing.

01:08:25So I think I'm gonna do butter chicken, but with salmon.

01:08:29The combination of box grater and tomatoes is making me think, like, butter chicken sauce.

01:08:34Salmon has a ton of fat.

01:08:36It's a sassy little fish.

01:08:37And so I think that it'll go great with the tanderi seasoning.

01:08:40Into a very hot skillet, skin side down, and just let it cook.

01:08:44I just wanna let you know I need a lot of validation.

01:08:49Thank you, guys. You're amazing.

01:08:51Chef Ming Tsai is an icon.

01:08:52People grew up watching him.

01:08:54He inspired legions of chefs to enter this arena.

01:08:59Chef, and you have a plan. Fill me in.

01:09:01Oh, we're gonna cook some salmon.

01:09:03And we're gonna make a nice nutty pesto.

01:09:07So I'm gonna make salmon and crispy skin it.

01:09:10Make a tri-nut pesto.

01:09:11Make a tomato fondue.

01:09:13That's the plan.

01:09:15A little crispy skin there, Justin.

01:09:17Yes, Chef. Speaking my language.

01:09:19I love salmon.

01:09:20It's fatty, easy to break down.

01:09:22You can get perfect squares.

01:09:23I'm nuking the skin in the microwave,

01:09:26because usually people fry it,

01:09:27but when you fry it, it doesn't get that crispy.

01:09:29Salmon has been butchered, portioned.

01:09:31The skin has been reserved, pressed between paper towels,

01:09:35and is cooking away in the microwave

01:09:36to subtly render the fat.

01:09:38Maybe Iron Chef behavior.

01:09:40You guys doing all right out there? Yeah, audience?

01:09:43Yeah? Anyone hungry?

01:09:45I was still looking forward to competing.

01:09:47Another two days off with my Chef de Cuisine and Sous Chef.

01:09:50Okay, practice.

01:09:50At my restaurant, they gave me three randomizers,

01:09:54and we timed it.

01:09:55I am ready.

01:09:57This is really crazy.

01:09:58The fact that he's here doing this competing round one.

01:10:02Artie's got her work cut out for her.

01:10:03Could you imagine if she wins?

01:10:06Or can you imagine if she doesn't,

01:10:08and he moves on, and everybody in the bracket

01:10:11has to start facing him?

01:10:13Yikes.

01:10:17Chef Artie, Chef Ming,

01:10:1920 minutes left in the competition,

01:10:2120 to go.

01:10:23This is unlike anything we've ever done before,

01:10:26to bring in these culinary icons.

01:10:27People that we have all been, like,

01:10:29in awe of growing up as young chefs,

01:10:31but if ever there was an eight seat

01:10:33that could take out a one,

01:10:34my money's on Artie.

01:10:36Talk me through the sauce, Chef.

01:10:37So butter, oil.

01:10:39Like, regular butter, brown butter,

01:10:41how does that typically go?

01:10:42I'm gonna brown it.

01:10:43In order to make this nutty,

01:10:45the butter chicken always has butter sauce in it, right?

01:10:47Brown butter is nutty.

01:10:49So I'm gonna let this butter brown a little bit,

01:10:52so it just has this underbelly of nuttiness

01:10:55that I'm hoping the judges will be able to taste.

01:10:57I'm gonna grate the tomatoes for that,

01:10:59and the ginger and the garlic.

01:11:01Then I go about box grating my aromatics,

01:11:04my garlic, my ginger.

01:11:05Then I add some Kashmiri chili,

01:11:08some garam masala,

01:11:08and a little bit of ground cumin,

01:11:10and just let them cook.

01:11:12So next, I'm box grating the tomatoes.

01:11:16And actually, this is great.

01:11:18It gets rid of all the skin.

01:11:20It gives you just that delicious, juicy pulp.

01:11:24Ming is a mainstay on the judging side of things here at TOC,

01:11:28so he really understands the game.

01:11:30I mean, he knows what the judges are looking for.

01:11:34And so, of course,

01:11:35he's gonna be an even fiercer competitor for it.

01:11:38But flavor-wise,

01:11:39I can't imagine anything that can bust these flavors out of the water.

01:11:43Like, this is so stinking good.

01:11:45Feeling good?

01:11:47Uh...

01:11:47Yeah.

01:11:48Okay, good talk.

01:11:50I have a box grating a bunch of bromas, obviously.

01:11:52I knew I was gonna make a tomato fondue,

01:11:54so I figured great garlic, great ginger, great onions, great tomatoes.

01:11:59Fondre means to melt in French,

01:12:01so you just literally melt the tomatoes.

01:12:02I wanted a second texture in it,

01:12:04so I added some fresh tomatoes afterwards.

01:12:05It's very humbling to be considered an icon.

01:12:08I am very proud of everything I've done as a chef in my career.

01:12:12It adds a ton of pressure, but I like pressure.

01:12:15Winning or losing, it is fun to cook under pressure.

01:12:18And I strive for it.

01:12:21Have you ever seen him cook one?

01:12:23No.

01:12:24Not even either.

01:12:25This is kind of like,

01:12:26it's like a little kid,

01:12:27like, I forgot we're in a competition,

01:12:28and I'm just like,

01:12:29what's he gonna make next?

01:12:34Artie's making a version of butter chicken with salmon,

01:12:37staying in the flavors that she does so brilliantly.

01:12:40When flavors like that are executed,

01:12:43to the level that we know that Artie can do it,

01:12:45they can be unbeatable.

01:12:47So I'm running through all the different versions of Nutty,

01:12:50along with brown butter sauce.

01:12:52I actually think I'm gonna make cashews and rice.

01:12:57So I take the rice and I warm it up in the microwave,

01:13:00and meanwhile, I'm browning some more butter,

01:13:03and I'm adding peas, and cashews,

01:13:06and a little bit of brown cumin.

01:13:08Then I add the rice and sort of toss it all together,

01:13:11and I'm really looking for that butter to sort of caramelize,

01:13:15and toast the rice a little bit,

01:13:17so that you get a toasted rice flavor that is somewhat nutty.

01:13:24Woo!

01:13:28Macadamia, almond, and walnut.

01:13:30So for my nutty, I grab three nuts to make a pesto,

01:13:33because I'm thinking nutty,

01:13:34and I love macadamia nuts, walnuts.

01:13:36Fine, I love all those nuts.

01:13:37Greater the Parmesan.

01:13:38You have the basil, you have your nuts,

01:13:40you have your olive oil.

01:13:42Pretty classic pesto.

01:13:46So Chef Ming-Sai has been a judge since season one,

01:13:49since the inception of turning them champions.

01:13:52He knows darn well that that style category is important,

01:13:56but we're only seeing three nuts and a pesto?

01:13:58I know I just needed to have a second layer of nuts.

01:14:01Macadamia, almond, and walnut.

01:14:04So I'm gonna make toasted nuts,

01:14:06so you can get more nuts on the plate.

01:14:08All right, chefs, this is the final five minutes.

01:14:10You have five to be plated.

01:14:13It's time to build my plate.

01:14:15So first goes down the makhani sauce,

01:14:18and then I lay a piece of salmon on top of that.

01:14:22I spoon some rice right next to it.

01:14:25I'm realizing that I may not have

01:14:27enough box-grated items here,

01:14:29so I grab some teeny, tiny, beautiful little radishes

01:14:32and slice those to go on top of the whole dish.

01:14:34Put up great food.

01:14:36That's what I've said from day one of coming here to TOC,

01:14:39is I want to put food up

01:14:41that I'm proud of, and I felt like I cooked

01:14:44with my entire mind, body, and spirit,

01:14:46and that is what I did today.

01:14:48This is me.

01:14:49First, I just added a little bit of herbs on the plate,

01:14:53wilted it with the warm tomato fondue,

01:14:55putting the raw salmon on that side and the cooked salmon,

01:14:57and I knew that would bring and finish the cooking

01:15:00of the salmon, which I loved.

01:15:02Grated the Parmesan, the salmon skin,

01:15:05and then pesto on top.

01:15:07Five, four, three, two, one.

01:15:12We're done.

01:15:17You at least have to hit the rando twice,

01:15:19and I had the nuts, but time's up.

01:15:23Didn't get them on the plate.

01:15:23They were there, and then they were gone,

01:15:25and no one's fault.

01:15:27Me.

01:15:28Well, I will tell you this.

01:15:29It was a world-class showdown.

01:15:31Job well done.

01:15:32Fantastic.

01:15:33Thank you very much.

01:15:34Chef Artie Secre, Chef Mink Tsai,

01:15:36back to your trailers.

01:15:37Let's bring in the world-class judges.

01:15:40Wow.

01:15:43I'm sweating.

01:15:44That was hot.

01:15:46That was freaking hot.

01:15:48It's fun being in it again.

01:15:49The clock does not discriminate.

01:15:51The clock never stops.

01:15:53I feel good, though.

01:15:54It does feel very much like

01:15:56a David and Goliath sort of story,

01:15:59but we know who won in David and Goliath,

01:16:02so I'm just holding on to that.

01:16:04We'll see what happens.

01:16:05Either way, it was an honor.

01:16:07It really was.

01:16:08All right, ladies and gentlemen,

01:16:09for the final judging of the evening,

01:16:11let's welcome back our esteemed judges,

01:16:12Alex Guarnaschelli,

01:16:14Antonio Lofaso,

01:16:15and Dominique Crenn.

01:16:18Are you kidding me?

01:16:21Alex is an OG.

01:16:23Antonio, obviously.

01:16:24I cannot believe that freaking Dominique Crenn

01:16:27is over there.

01:16:29Judges, what a pleasure.

01:16:30Our final round tonight,

01:16:31the randomizer served up salmon,

01:16:34Roma tomatoes,

01:16:35the use of the box grater.

01:16:37Style is nutty.

01:16:38Up first to present the dish,

01:16:39you want an only wild card,

01:16:40Justin Warner.

01:16:42Judges, our chef calls this salmon midcouille

01:16:45with Roma fondue and a nutty pesto.

01:16:48The salmon portion,

01:16:50the skin was cooked in the microwave

01:16:52for 12 minutes.

01:16:53It then crowns the salmon filet

01:16:55that has been cooked on one side.

01:16:57For the Roma tomatoes,

01:16:58some were run through a box grater.

01:16:59This became the foundation of the sauce beneath the salmon.

01:17:02And then some of it was used as a brunoise

01:17:05in the finishing of the plate.

01:17:07In terms of nutty elements,

01:17:08a trio of nuts are the backbone on the pesto,

01:17:12which you will find on top of the salmon,

01:17:13beneath the skin.

01:17:17They're eating it,

01:17:17so that's always a good sign.

01:17:19Great cooking!

01:17:23Nice, Alex.

01:17:24Wow!

01:17:25How great.

01:17:26The fish unto itself is dynamite.

01:17:29Really, this is a celebration of salmon.

01:17:32All of the elements to salmon

01:17:34and the way that it's cooked is done here.

01:17:36This technique is impeccable.

01:17:38We always want a fried, crunchy salmon skin.

01:17:42Like, to me, that can be a snack and a meal on its own,

01:17:45and I thought it was done to perfection.

01:17:47It adds a lot of great texture to the dish.

01:17:49That is so smart.

01:17:50I can't wait to try that.

01:17:51See, this is why he's me.

01:17:53Love it.

01:17:54I like the use of the grater, grating.

01:17:57We were talking about grating, you know, the tomato,

01:17:59which I think this is great.

01:18:00But the nuts get lost a little bit,

01:18:03and I think this chef needed to double down.

01:18:06Yep.

01:18:06They needed pumpkin seeds, brown butter, a nut oil.

01:18:11Damn.

01:18:11But this is some dynamite cooking.

01:18:13Thank you very much.

01:18:15Scorecards are in front of you.

01:18:17As always, 50 points available in taste,

01:18:2140 points in the use of the randomizer,

01:18:22and 10 points in plating.

01:18:25Decent.

01:18:26Decent.

01:18:27Why do you say that?

01:18:28Again, the nuts were...

01:18:30I needed more nuts on the plate.

01:18:32I had them toasted, ready to go.

01:18:34Ugh.

01:18:36I'm thinking it's Ming's to lose.

01:18:39Like, he just cooked...

01:18:40He just cooked like someone like Ming would.

01:18:44This is why he's number one,

01:18:46and this is why he is a legend.

01:18:50Here to present the second dish, Chef Tiffany Faison.

01:18:53In front of you, we have tandoori-style salmon

01:18:55with the brown butter makhani sauce

01:18:57and brown butter crisped cashew pilau.

01:19:01The salmon was fabricated and treated to tandoori spices

01:19:03of Kashmiri chili, garam masala,

01:19:06and a hefty squeeze of lime.

01:19:07It was then cooked tandoori-style in a hot pan.

01:19:10The brown butter makhani sauce

01:19:12saw brown butter in a pan

01:19:13with box-grated aromatics of ginger and garlic,

01:19:16not to be outdone by the box-grated Roma tomatoes

01:19:20that then deglazed all of those spices.

01:19:22Just let it be positive, my love.

01:19:29I want this dish over and over again.

01:19:31I want to eat it.

01:19:32Like, I just... I really like this dish.

01:19:34Somehow, like, it just grabbed to my palate.

01:19:37I think I like the way that they use the nuttiness,

01:19:41not just the nuts, but also the brown butter.

01:19:43There's a lot of technique.

01:19:45This is, like, a master class in sauce.

01:19:48Oh.

01:19:49Uh-oh. Not good.

01:19:51This sauce, I think, traditionally would be, like,

01:19:53thrown into a blender and been pureed,

01:19:55but because there's so many of those chunks,

01:19:58I'm like, I believe box grater all day.

01:20:01For me, this salmon is better seasoned,

01:20:04but I liked the skin and a little bit the cook

01:20:06on the first one.

01:20:07So that's, like, a big area where I personally

01:20:11am gonna kind of split hairs.

01:20:13To me, the misstep was radish on top

01:20:16to sort of make it look pretty.

01:20:17I don't need it.

01:20:18Stick with your mint.

01:20:19Both these dishes are neck and neck for me.

01:20:21If there were only one judge,

01:20:23this would be a tie.

01:20:26Oh, that's a shame.

01:20:27Thank you very much, judges.

01:20:29All right.

01:20:30Scorecard in front of you.

01:20:34I needed more nuts.

01:20:36Brown butter was a good idea.

01:20:38I cooked really...

01:20:42at the top of my ability,

01:20:44and to cook from a place of, like,

01:20:46confidence and joy

01:20:47and not being intimidated.

01:20:49And I was not.

01:20:51It's in the judges' hands now.

01:20:52Now it's excruciatingly painful.

01:20:55Because now you just wait.

01:20:58Oh, well.

01:20:59Ladies and gentlemen,

01:21:00it's time to bring our chefs back in.

01:21:02Let's bring Chef Artie Saqueira,

01:21:05Chef Ming Tsai.

01:21:10Chefs, job well done.

01:21:12A lot has gone on in the TOC arena

01:21:15just to get to this point.

01:21:17Both were delicious dishes,

01:21:18and the scores reflect.

01:21:21One chef scored a 43 out of 50 in taste.

01:21:27The other chef scored a 43 out of 50 in taste.

01:21:34One chef scored a 32 out of 40 in the randomizer.

01:21:40The other chef scored a 34 out of 40 in the randomizer.

01:21:45Ooh.

01:21:46One chef scored a 9 out of 10 in presentation.

01:21:51The other chef scored an 8 out of 10 in presentation.

01:21:55For a difference of 84 to 85.

01:21:58What in the world?

01:22:00A one-point difference.

01:22:02The winner of tonight's final battle

01:22:04between Chef Pink Tsai and Chef Artie Saqueira is...

01:22:16Artie Saqueira!

01:22:18Thank you so much.

01:22:39Chef, congratulations.

01:22:45Chef Ming Tsai, you raised the bar in Tournament of Champions

01:22:49to another level.

01:22:50I mean, I just cannot say thank you enough.

01:22:53You've just changed her life.

01:22:55You just gave everybody the experience of a lifetime.

01:22:58Ladies and gentlemen, the legend himself, Chef Ming Tsai!

01:23:03Thank you, Chef.

01:23:12I mean, they're not wrong.

01:23:15I had the nuts there, so if I just garnished it with the nuts,

01:23:19I think that would have given me that one point.

01:23:21My fault.

01:23:23No one to blame.

01:23:24Artie cooked really well.

01:23:26So, good luck, Artie.

01:23:27You're just gonna stare at me?

01:23:30You just got a chance to go up against a legend, a master.

01:23:34You held your own, and Chef Artie Sequeira,

01:23:39you're moving on in the TOC 7 Tournament.

01:23:42Congratulations.

01:23:44We'll see you soon, Chef.

01:23:47You're the best.

01:23:49I love you.

01:23:51Oh, my God!

01:23:56How are you feeling?

01:24:03I can't believe it.

01:24:05Join us next time when eight more contenders,

01:24:08including a mystery culinary icon,

01:24:11face off in their first round of the tournament

01:24:13in hopes of becoming the $150,000 champ

01:24:17of Tournament of Champion 7.

01:24:19Ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho!

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