Tournament of Champions (2020) Season 7 Episode 3

Reality Central USA

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Transcript

00:00:00TOC 7 is in high gear.

00:00:03Let's go!

00:00:04TOC 7, baby!

00:00:06Last time, the baller chefs of the B Division

00:00:09squared off in the arena.

00:00:10The winner is Joe Sasto!

00:00:13Kevin Lee!

00:00:15Chef Brim Jacinto!

00:00:17Wow!

00:00:18And in the main event, the qualifying winner,

00:00:20Chef Katsuchi Tanabe.

00:00:22Chef, what'd you make on?

00:00:23In an unforgettable showdown,

00:00:25with top-seeded culinary icon, Chef Lorena Garcia.

00:00:28Lorena Garcia!

00:00:30And tonight, the action continues

00:00:32as our C Division Daredevils begin

00:00:34for the battle for the belt.

00:00:36First, Chef Dale Talladay challenges

00:00:38returning TOC quarter-finalist, Chef Shirley Chuck.

00:00:42I'm so excited to be back.

00:00:44I want to be one of them.

00:00:46The TOC All-Star Christmas Champion,

00:00:48Chef Brian Voltaggio,

00:00:51takes on five-time Food Network winner,

00:00:53Chef Carlos Anthony.

00:00:55Woo!

00:00:55Nothing fuels you more than beating somebody great.

00:00:59Then it's TOC 6 runner-up, Chef Sarah Bradley,

00:01:03versus top chef runner-up, Chef Dan Jacobs.

00:01:06This is a fantastic dish.

00:01:08Maybe one day I'll get to be an icon.

00:01:10And finally, the C Division's top-seeded culinary icon

00:01:13will be revealed as they step into the arena

00:01:16to battle season competitor, Chef Viet Pham.

00:01:19It's definitely a David and Goliath.

00:01:20Who will win the title?

00:01:22The belt?

00:01:23The $150,000 bucks?

00:01:25This is Tournament of Champions 7.

00:01:31Are you ready to meet our first two gourmet gladiators?

00:01:36First, we have number five seed, Chef Shirley Chung.

00:01:39She's returning after taking a year off

00:01:41to tackle a real-life battle.

00:01:45I was diagnosed with stage four tongue cancer

00:01:472024 in June.

00:01:50I haven't cooked or barely ate the last one and a half years.

00:01:54So now, not only I'm cooking, I eat tasty, compete.

00:02:00I'm super nervous.

00:02:01But I'm pretty nervous.

00:02:03Her opponent is the number four seed, Chef Dale Talday,

00:02:06who rebounded from last year's first round loss

00:02:08to TOC heavyweight Sarah Bradley

00:02:10with an impressive showing

00:02:12in our recent all-star Christmas competition.

00:02:15All right, Dale, tell me, how you feeling?

00:02:18It's ready.

00:02:19You know, I think Shirley is an ultimate competitor.

00:02:21I think she has fought the most important fight of her life,

00:02:25and I respect her immensely.

00:02:27But, you know, that doesn't take anything away

00:02:30from what I need to do.

00:02:31I came here to win, and that's my goal.

00:02:34All right, Chef, they're ready for you.

00:02:36Okay.

00:02:49Are you ready to see these two pros go toe-to-toe?

00:02:52Then let's line it up!

00:02:56She moved to the U.S. from China when she was 17

00:03:00and opened restaurants for culinary greats

00:03:03by the time she was 35 years old.

00:03:08And last year, she beat out eight other elite chefs

00:03:12to win Food Network's House of Knives.

00:03:14Now, after waging the fight of her life

00:03:17against tongue cancer,

00:03:18she's back to take on the randomizer one more time.

00:03:21Give it up for a true champion,

00:03:24the Mafia dumpling queen,

00:03:28Chef Shirley Charles!

00:03:40Chef, you have had probably one of the most challenging battles

00:03:45that anybody's ever seen.

00:03:47And I remember when you called me to tell me

00:03:49what you were getting ready to face,

00:03:51and you said,

00:03:52I'm just taking a year off.

00:03:54I will be back.

00:03:59I'm a woman of my word.

00:04:02I won.

00:04:02I beat my tongue cancer.

00:04:05She's four.

00:04:06I never felt like a victim.

00:04:08I know.

00:04:10I'm here to fight.

00:04:11I am back.

00:04:12She is back, ladies and gentlemen.

00:04:15She is love in this circle.

00:04:18Well, Chef, good luck.

00:04:22He's the proud son of Filipino immigrants

00:04:25and has showcased his distinct Asian-American experience

00:04:29in over a dozen celebrated restaurants.

00:04:34His acclaimed Goose Feather was named Esquire's best new restaurant in 2020,

00:04:39and he was a 2022 James Beard nominee for Best Chef New York.

00:04:47And he recently teamed up with his friend Kevin Lee

00:04:50to reach the semifinals of TOC All-Star Christmas.

00:04:54Give it up for the Boogeyman!

00:04:58Chef Dale Taldi!

00:05:02Let's go!

00:05:04Come on!

00:05:13This is your third year coming back into the arena.

00:05:15Yes, sir.

00:05:16Why?

00:05:17Because I want to be one of them.

00:05:19I want to be one of them.

00:05:23So, Chefs, to the randomizer.

00:05:25Let's do this!

00:05:30As you know, Chefs,

00:05:32the randomizer will determine the mandatory details of your dish.

00:05:35The protein, the produce, the equipment, and the style,

00:05:39and finally the wild card.

00:05:40Spin!

00:05:41Let's go with the spin.

00:05:42Here's our protein!

00:05:52Calamari flanking ground, calamari ground beef.

00:05:57Ground beef.

00:05:58And cremini mushrooms.

00:06:00Blender.

00:06:02Herbaceous.

00:06:03Herbaceous.

00:06:04Ha!

00:06:04An audience choice.

00:06:11The audience, you can pick one category that you would like to see respun.

00:06:17Protein!

00:06:18Protein!

00:06:19Protein!

00:06:21I would do protein.

00:06:23Okay.

00:06:23Going for protein!

00:06:28Ground, calamari ground, calamari flanking ground, calamari.

00:06:34Calamari steak.

00:06:35Calamari steak.

00:06:35Go!

00:06:37The audience has spoken, so it's calamari steaks, cremini mushrooms,

00:06:42must employ the use of the blender, and the style is herbaceous.

00:06:47Audience, you did a great job.

00:06:49Chefs, it's time for you to do your job.

00:06:51Go.

00:07:02Calamari is the Italian word for squid.

00:07:04So these are larger portions of the squid flesh, cremini mushrooms.

00:07:09This to me is the everyday go-to mushroom.

00:07:12Blender.

00:07:12Boy, the judges are sure expecting a lot of the equipment use.

00:07:16It's an herbaceous.

00:07:16They're going to be looking to see it.

00:07:18They're going to be looking to taste it.

00:07:19I mean, basil, cilantro, parsley, oregano, sage, chive, dill, you name it.

00:07:24It's available.

00:07:25How are they going to play it?

00:07:26Oh, what a round this is going to be.

00:07:29I love calamari steak.

00:07:30What's the plan with these, Chef?

00:07:32Mushroom calamari fried rice.

00:07:33And then I'll make it crispy, like a crispy rice.

00:07:35Got it.

00:07:36I am known for, I think, my modern Asian-American takes on cuisine.

00:07:40You know, I'm a classically French-trained chef, so I have, I think, all the tricks in the bag.

00:07:45I've got to win this first round because it's all that matters right now.

00:07:49Win and move on.

00:07:52Tonight, I'm joined by my two indispensable culinary commentators, Michelin-recommended chef,

00:07:56with a brain-bursting with food knowledge, Chef Justin Morner,

00:08:00Andrew Down, Boston restaurateur, and the TOC3 champ herself, Chef Tiffany Faison.

00:08:05Now, Justin and Tiffany will be closely following our chefs' every move

00:08:08so they can give a detailed description of their dishes to the judges during the blind tasting.

00:08:12And we'll also be joined by our roving reporter, the one and only,

00:08:15Hunter Fieri, who will be talking with our winners backstage.

00:08:18And culinary scholar Simon Jandar will get our judges' honest appraisal

00:08:22of the difficulty of each challenge.

00:08:24Hi, Chef.

00:08:25Hi.

00:08:25Happy to be back.

00:08:26We're thrilled to have you back.

00:08:28We have blenders as our equipment.

00:08:31As chefs, we blend everything, especially me.

00:08:35I've been using blenders to blend all my food for the last year.

00:08:39Making a coating?

00:08:40Um, no, I'm making porridge.

00:08:43Are you making congee?

00:08:44Yeah.

00:08:44Hell yeah.

00:08:46Yes.

00:08:47Chopping up some kumini mushrooms so I can blend them,

00:08:51I'm going to add the earthy umami into my porridge.

00:08:56Ginger, onion, garlic?

00:08:58Yep.

00:08:59Chef Charlie's essentially using this like a food processor.

00:09:03Finally.

00:09:04Anything is necessary.

00:09:04Finally.

00:09:05Get it out of there.

00:09:06During my recovery, the moment that I can start to eat a little bit food, instead of soups,

00:09:12it's actually rice hungries mixing with meat, with protein, with vegetables.

00:09:17So I feel like today, as my first battle back, it's the perfect stage for me to show everybody

00:09:25my past journey.

00:09:27Spin me baby.

00:09:28Spin me baby one more time.

00:09:29Yeah, a calamari steak.

00:09:31I think we're going to see a much more creative, unique.

00:09:34100%.

00:09:34With the calamari.

00:09:35I agree.

00:09:35This is actually going to be a tough battle.

00:09:37I think this is going to be one of the best first round battles that we see.

00:09:41Shirley came to win this thing, I know that.

00:09:45Chef Shirley, Chef Dale, halfway point.

00:09:4815 minutes to go.

00:09:4915.

00:09:52No one's happier to have Chef Shirley Chung back in the kitchen and on my side than me.

00:09:56I'm honored to be her voice in this competition.

00:09:59What's the broth to the congee?

00:10:00All the aromatics, so ginger, garlic, and onion, and then mushrooms and butter made

00:10:05into a stock.

00:10:06My strategy is really use the randomizer multiple times.

00:10:11I already have minced mushroom in my congee, but nothing beats a butter roasted mushroom.

00:10:18Tournament champions is the biggest culinary competition stage.

00:10:24And it is the most important competition for me.

00:10:28Throughout my treatments, I was still dreaming about coming back to compete.

00:10:33And I'm back at it.

00:10:36What are you looking for in that?

00:10:37Just some, like, umami.

00:10:38What's inspiring this dish 100% is how I cook at home.

00:10:41I love crispy rice.

00:10:42I mean, look at the profile.

00:10:44This is body built by rice.

00:10:45There's a lot of pressure cooking for TOC because, you know, you want to make everybody

00:10:48proud.

00:10:49And also, you know, you come home to your wife and your family and you want to tell

00:10:52them how well you did.

00:10:53And I'm blessed to do this.

00:10:55And I also want my kids to look at it and say, yo, my dad's a winner.

00:10:57That's something that's important to me.

00:10:59You've made fried rice before.

00:11:00A few times.

00:11:01I'm a little familiar with it.

00:11:02When you're cooking up against a juggernaut like Shirley, you know, you've got to cook

00:11:05everything perfectly.

00:11:11When I see all these ingredients, I'm, like, gravitated towards, like, squid ink.

00:11:14What's the juice?

00:11:15Lime juice.

00:11:16Lemon juice.

00:11:17Because I think squid, squid ink, they go together.

00:11:20You're seeing the squid ink mayo get mixed in with that rice.

00:11:23Something tells me it's going to live on these little cast iron pans.

00:11:25That oil within the emulsion is going to crisp up the bottom.

00:11:29I think that's awesome.

00:11:31Going out in the first round last season, it just feels awful.

00:11:35I want this so bad because I've always come up short.

00:11:39I've never made it to the top.

00:11:41This is my time.

00:11:42I want to prove to my family, my kids, that when I'm away working, that daddy's coming home

00:11:47with the belt and that check, baby.

00:11:50Chef Dale, Chef Shirley, 10 minutes, 10 to go.

00:11:52Now, our judges are currently sequestered in their trailers, so they don't know who's

00:11:55even competing.

00:11:56They'll be judging the dishes based on taste, the use of the items on the randomizer, and

00:12:01presentation.

00:12:02The chef with the highest total score heads to the second round.

00:12:05And the other chef thinks about next year.

00:12:09Chef, what's the plan for the calamari?

00:12:11Calamari, I'm really sensitive.

00:12:13Also, poach the small calamari into my porridge.

00:12:17Bring it on the salsa verde, Chef?

00:12:18Yep.

00:12:19Okay.

00:12:19Like she never left.

00:12:20So the salad is herbaceous.

00:12:23One of the first things that I would be able to taste were fresh herbs.

00:12:28A sauce I immediately went to is the salsa verde.

00:12:32So I have garlic, cilantro, lots of parsley, a touch of mint.

00:12:37The brightness of the mint makes your salsa verde extra herbaceous.

00:12:42If I'm gonna guess, she's gonna let those pans get screaming, screaming hot before that calamari

00:12:47goes into there.

00:12:47The minute it goes in, it's gonna go up in flames.

00:12:50Careful.

00:12:53To saute my calamari, I'm going back to my sweet favorite sauces, oyster sauce, soy sauce,

00:13:01and black vinegar.

00:13:02This is the first cook of TOC.

00:13:05I want to have a big return.

00:13:09A little fat.

00:13:10A little merrier.

00:13:11Final five minutes, five to be plated.

00:13:16This dish has to be really herbaceous.

00:13:18Basil, cilantro, chive?

00:13:19Yes, sir.

00:13:20What's that gonna be when it's done, Chef?

00:13:22Marinade for the calamari.

00:13:23Smart play, though, using the blender to make a super herbaceous marinade.

00:13:27Because that thing is already scored, it's gonna work itself in every nook and cranny.

00:13:30I want to cook my calamari steaks on the grill because the key words I'm linking into is steak.

00:13:35It's a really big piece of calamari.

00:13:37So how do I like steaks cooked?

00:13:39Right on the grill.

00:13:39There's a cross-linking of muscle fibers there that are basically used to propel a squid through water.

00:13:45So as they cook, they tend to curl.

00:13:48To counteract that, Chef Dale has placed a pan on top of the squid.

00:13:53And I'm gonna make a salsa verde that goes on top.

00:13:54What's big in TOC is that if you can taste it, you also want to see it.

00:13:58Chef, you're doing the salsa verde by hand.

00:14:00Yes.

00:14:01The blender could be a trap in that case, right?

00:14:03I think so.

00:14:03Some people like to puree them down.

00:14:05And I don't want that.

00:14:06You lose that integrity.

00:14:07You lose that kind of mouthfeel.

00:14:08And I want the judges to really taste that.

00:14:11145.

00:14:12I have my umami bomb mushroom and calamari congee as my base.

00:14:18And I have the beautifully butter-roasted chunini mushroom.

00:14:23And followed by my perfectly rock charred calamari steak.

00:14:28I'm putting my salsa verde into my calamari steak.

00:14:33Just to really emphasize herbaceousness.

00:14:37So amazing to be back cooking in TOC stage again.

00:14:41I cannot wait to get charged.

00:14:43Oh, wow.

00:14:44Did I just say that?

00:14:45Yeah, I cannot wait to get charged.

00:14:49I pull my calamari steaks off.

00:14:50They look fantastic.

00:14:52And I think the cook on them is perfect.

00:14:53I have my sliced calamari.

00:14:55I take dollops of my squid egg aioli and dot that around.

00:14:59And then a little bit more salsa verde on top.

00:15:01So they feel that herbaceousness.

00:15:03I love and adore Shirley Chung.

00:15:05But I'm the fourth seed.

00:15:07And I gotta take down the fifth seed.

00:15:09And she's the fifth seed.

00:15:10Five.

00:15:11Four.

00:15:12Three.

00:15:13Two.

00:15:14One.

00:15:20Chef Dale Tallade.

00:15:22Chef Shirley Chung.

00:15:23Great job, Chef.

00:15:25Thank you so much.

00:15:27Get those judges.

00:15:28It's their lucky day.

00:15:33Oh, my God.

00:15:36Everything goes through your head right now.

00:15:38It's like, what kind of I've done better?

00:15:39What kind of I've done different?

00:15:40It felt very good to put in that kitchen in hand.

00:15:44I'm very proud of what I thought.

00:15:45Ladies and gentlemen, our DOC judges have been anxiously awaiting

00:15:48their first tasting of the evening.

00:15:50First up, we have the Michelin-starred chef

00:15:52with a restaurant empire that spans three continents.

00:15:55Who redefined American pizza, artisan bread,

00:15:58and high-end desserts, Chef Nancy Silverton.

00:16:04Of course.

00:16:05Of course.

00:16:06Oh, my God.

00:16:07Yes, it's Nancy.

00:16:09Next, we have eight-time James Beard Award winner

00:16:13and internationally acclaimed restaurateur,

00:16:15the fashion man himself, Chef Marcus Samuelsson.

00:16:20Another legend in the culinary world.

00:16:23It's amazing.

00:16:26And last, definitely not least,

00:16:28the James Beard Award-winning restaurateur

00:16:30who received a coveted three-star review

00:16:33for the New York Times.

00:16:34Chef Scott Connick!

00:16:36Oh, my God.

00:16:39Oh, hey.

00:16:40Are Chef Scott really?

00:16:42You ready to do this?

00:16:44It is good to see you, sir.

00:16:46Tonight, the randomizer determined the dish

00:16:48would have calamari steaks, cremini mushrooms,

00:16:50employ the use of a blender, style was herbaceous.

00:16:54Here to present the dish, Justin Warner.

00:16:56Judges, this is a herbed and charred squid

00:17:00with squid ink and cremini crispy rice.

00:17:02It's accompanied by a raw cremini salsa verde.

00:17:05Now, for the blender, we have marinade for the squid.

00:17:08The blender was also used to craft a squid ink mayo.

00:17:11In terms of herbaceous components,

00:17:13not only is there that blender marinade,

00:17:15but the salsa verde contained Thai basil,

00:17:18lemon juice, chives, cilantro, and Fresno chilies.

00:17:23This is delicious.

00:17:27I love the flavor development inside this dish.

00:17:30I love the textural contrast.

00:17:32I love the usage of the cremini as well.

00:17:34The rice itself with that squid ink aioli is wonderful.

00:17:39That great crispiness, real nice depth of flavor.

00:17:42It's not too much fishy flavor.

00:17:44A squid ink could be a real challenge sometimes.

00:17:48What I love about this dish is the balance, right?

00:17:51And there's many different techniques used here.

00:17:54Really well done.

00:17:54Chef, thank you.

00:17:55Marcus, you're the man.

00:17:58Well, this is delicious.

00:18:00The only thing that I think it lacks

00:18:02is I do not taste any bit of the randomizer in this dish.

00:18:09When I saw the word blender,

00:18:11I know that there was a blended aioli,

00:18:14and yet I guess I expected to see

00:18:16something more visual about that puree.

00:18:19I mean, Nancy is a very tough judge,

00:18:21and for a good reason.

00:18:22She has high standards

00:18:23because she has done so much in her career.

00:18:26In front of you are your scorecards,

00:18:2750 points available in taste,

00:18:2940 points in the use of the randomizer,

00:18:30and 10 points in presentation.

00:18:34Nancy made a very good point.

00:18:36Oh, I hear it.

00:18:37Okay.

00:18:39Judges here to describe the second dish

00:18:40to OC3 champ Tiffany Faison.

00:18:42In front of you,

00:18:43you have a melody of cremini and calamari congee

00:18:45with wok-style roasted calamari steak,

00:18:48mushrooms, and an herbaceous salsa verde.

00:18:50The congee was constructed by jasmine rice

00:18:52being placed into the blender

00:18:53to then create the congee.

00:18:55Cremini mushrooms were also processed in the blender.

00:18:57As if we weren't finished with the blender,

00:18:59you'll get another blended sauce of salsa verde

00:19:00with the blender of parsley, mint, cilantro, chive, and dill

00:19:03that was then also tossed with the calamari steak on top.

00:19:09Fantastic cooking.

00:19:10How much of the dish is left?

00:19:11I know.

00:19:12Like, I did not just taste this.

00:19:14I really went in.

00:19:15Oh, yeah.

00:19:16Let's talk about textures in here.

00:19:18You have the soft congee, which has one texture.

00:19:21Then you have the cremini and the calamari,

00:19:23which has this kind of double texture,

00:19:25both from the wetness from the cremini,

00:19:28but it's seared and charred.

00:19:30And then on top of this,

00:19:31this kind of like casual salsa verde

00:19:34adds so much flavor.

00:19:36This is a fantastic dish.

00:19:37Oh, I love it.

00:19:39Can you chef?

00:19:40But it might be a little bit too much congee ratio

00:19:44to calamari.

00:19:46Wow.

00:19:47Expert cooking.

00:19:49There is nothing missing in this dish.

00:19:52Can you chef?

00:19:54Really, I cannot get over how everything is cooked so perfectly.

00:20:01Yes.

00:20:02Yes.

00:20:03I'm just really distracted by the guy at the end.

00:20:08This is the type of heartfelt, emotional cooking

00:20:12that really deeply resonates with me.

00:20:15It's not just the flavors.

00:20:16This is a point of view.

00:20:18This is a nod to heritage.

00:20:19It makes me emotional.

00:20:20Yeah.

00:20:22This is a person opening their chest and showing you their heart.

00:20:26That's what this dish is.

00:20:27It is that good.

00:20:28Wow.

00:20:30All right, judges.

00:20:31Thank you very much.

00:20:32And again, your scorecard, 50 points available in taste,

00:20:3640 in the use of the randomizer,

00:20:38and 10 in the presentation.

00:20:41I was really cooking with all my heart and soul.

00:20:45You know, you don't want to go home.

00:20:46You just want to keep going forward.

00:20:47So hopefully that I did enough to go forward.

00:20:50Whew.

00:20:52Now I just need to win.

00:20:53Thank you so much.

00:20:55We'll see you shortly.

00:20:57She's ready for you.

00:20:58Someone's back.

00:21:01Okay.

00:21:03Let's bring our chefs back in.

00:21:05I'm going to choose.

00:21:06Chef Dale Talday.

00:21:07Chef Shirley Child.

00:21:16Chef, these are extremely high scores.

00:21:20One chef scored a 87.

00:21:25Outstanding.

00:21:26The other chef scored a 94.

00:21:30Wow.

00:21:32That is the high score of TOC7 so far with a 94.

00:21:36Ladies and gentlemen,

00:21:37the winner of the first C-Division battle

00:21:39between Chef Dale Talday and Chef Shirley Chung is...

00:21:55Shirley Chung.

00:21:58Congratulations.

00:22:00You got it.

00:22:06You're the best.

00:22:07You deserve all this and more.

00:22:09This woman is the ultimate fighter.

00:22:13She fought for her life.

00:22:14And now she's here two years later to do this.

00:22:19She deserves all the flowers.

00:22:22Give her all her flowers.

00:22:24Ladies and gentlemen, the Boogeyman Chef Dale Talday.

00:22:34I'm not holding my head down at all about this.

00:22:38You just run into a juggernaut like Shirley.

00:22:4094?

00:22:41Ultimately, something never changed.

00:22:44It's cooking from my heart.

00:22:45And that was my heart on the plane.

00:22:48Ladies and gentlemen,

00:22:50the mafia definitely queen herself, Chef Shirley Chung.

00:22:54Unbelievable.

00:22:58How do you feel, Chef?

00:23:00Emotional.

00:23:01So excited.

00:23:02And I'm so proud of myself.

00:23:05And I won my first battle with the highest score.

00:23:14Charred squid, crispy rice with squid and aioli,

00:23:19and raw cremite salsa verde.

00:23:21It was a spectacular dish.

00:23:24Any other given day,

00:23:26that dish would have won its round.

00:23:28The cooking was that good.

00:23:29But then the second dish hit.

00:23:30And once we took that bite,

00:23:32it was over.

00:23:34That dish sets the bar of TOC.

00:23:37These next two TOC prize fighters,

00:23:40I'm telling you what,

00:23:41they will bring the energy,

00:23:42they will bring the heat.

00:23:43We have the number six seed,

00:23:45Chef Carlos Anthony,

00:23:46has scored first round victories two years in a row,

00:23:50and is looking to make it even further this year.

00:23:53I mean, I am slowly just crawling up this bracket.

00:23:57It all starts with Brian Voltaggio.

00:23:59I am ready for this.

00:24:01His opponent, Chef Brian Voltaggio,

00:24:03has struggled in this arena,

00:24:04despite his years of competition experience.

00:24:07But thanks to an impressive performance

00:24:10he and his brother did at the Christmas competition,

00:24:14Voltaggio is a number three seed.

00:24:17I just came off of a TOC holiday win,

00:24:20you know, so that's a big deal.

00:24:21But my history at TOC is not that great.

00:24:24Both times I was here previously,

00:24:25I went home in the first round.

00:24:26I am not planning to do that this time.

00:24:29I have a little bit more experience under my belt,

00:24:31and I want to prove that, you know,

00:24:33I have what it takes to get all the way through.

00:24:35I want the title of Tournament Champion 7 Chef.

00:24:37Chef Brian, they are ready for you.

00:24:39All right, let's go.

00:24:44Let's do this.

00:24:46Folks, are you ready to meet these culinary contenders?

00:24:50Let us light it up!

00:24:52He has helped open more than a dozen restaurants

00:24:55and was named Best Chef San Diego in 2023.

00:25:03And he is now garnering rave reviews

00:25:06for his ranch-to-table cooking

00:25:07as executive chef of Oregon's

00:25:09Hawkeye and Huckleberry Lounge.

00:25:13Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome...

00:25:18Carlitos!

00:25:19Chef Carlos Anthony!

00:25:22Good way!

00:25:26Make some noise, guys! Come on!

00:25:32He's back!

00:25:34Whew!

00:25:35Carlitos!

00:25:38Now, your opponent...

00:25:43Your opponent is a two-time James Beard nominee

00:25:46who has opened more than a dozen restaurants

00:25:48over his distinguished career.

00:25:52The Washington Post called his latest venture,

00:25:55Y Oaks Tavern, a divine restaurant.

00:26:01He is a three-time Top Chef finalist,

00:26:05and in December,

00:26:06he scored his first major competition victory

00:26:09when he and his brother Michael

00:26:11cleared a 16-team field

00:26:13to become the first TOC All-Star Christmas Champions.

00:26:18Ladies and gentlemen,

00:26:18the Bolt of the East,

00:26:20the one and only Chef Brian Voltaggio!

00:26:35Where has Brian Voltaggio been?

00:26:38And thank goodness we get him.

00:26:40I've been saving up for this moment.

00:26:41This is why.

00:26:43This is time.

00:26:44Gentlemen, honor and a pleasure to have you.

00:26:45Let's take it to the randomizer.

00:26:47Let's go!

00:26:57Chefs, the randomizer will determine

00:26:58the mandatory details of your dish.

00:27:01Let's talk about proteins.

00:27:02We have never had eggs as the protein.

00:27:07Yeah, I only had it one season,

00:27:08but I, through therapy,

00:27:09have been able to forget that.

00:27:12Let's get after it.

00:27:13Here we go!

00:27:13Go for protein!

00:27:17Come on!

00:27:19Oh, God.

00:27:20I can't ever look at it.

00:27:22You've got to look at it at some point, Chef.

00:27:24I understand.

00:27:26Oh, no!

00:27:30Let's go!

00:27:31That's just what I want,

00:27:33is a bunch of eggs getting cooked in my dojo.

00:27:35Eggs, Swiss chard, microwave, breaded.

00:27:40Wild card.

00:27:41Equipment and style re-spin.

00:27:43Equipment or style.

00:27:44What do you think?

00:27:45We getting rid of the microwave

00:27:46or we getting rid of breaded?

00:27:47I say we getting rid of the microwave.

00:27:48I say breaded.

00:27:50I know the microwave doesn't work for him,

00:27:52and that's why I do not want it to change.

00:27:55You can't bread something and cook it in a microwave.

00:27:58It doesn't work.

00:27:59Is this a little Rochambeau?

00:28:01What's going to happen here?

00:28:01Rochambeau.

00:28:02One, two, three.

00:28:03Paper covers rock.

00:28:05If it was best of seven,

00:28:07I bet you the rock would have worked.

00:28:08I'm going, uh, I'm going equipment.

00:28:10Come on back, baby.

00:28:11Come on back, baby.

00:28:15Come on, baby.

00:28:18Digital steamer.

00:28:21Eggs, Swiss chard, digital steamer, breaded.

00:28:26That's odd.

00:28:27Any way upside down or over easy.

00:28:30You're probably a little bit scrambled right now.

00:28:33Go.

00:28:37Three parts to an egg.

00:28:38I don't like any of them.

00:28:40Shell, the yolk, and the white.

00:28:41I love to cook with them.

00:28:42Don't get me wrong.

00:28:43This is actually going to be one of the most exciting TOC rounds,

00:28:47having this all be egg-centric.

00:28:49Swiss chard.

00:28:50This is one of my favorite vegetables.

00:28:52Super versatile.

00:28:53These digital steamers are great because they get hot really fast.

00:28:57We all know what bread it is.

00:28:58This really should be an exciting one.

00:29:02Sorry, Chef. Sorry, Chef.

00:29:03Eggs.

00:29:04This is probably the most difficult protein that I've ever used.

00:29:09Not the first time I've used it in this arena, but the first time where it's the star.

00:29:14We definitely have some eggs.

00:29:16I'm going to make a perfectly steamed egg, breaded and fried with a steamed, charred, and that Swiss chard Bernays.

00:29:25I think this is really a winning dish.

00:29:27One protein that I know loves to be steamed is an egg.

00:29:32However, I've never used a digital steamer.

00:29:34I'm going to have to figure out how long it takes to make a six-minute egg inside a digital

00:29:41steamer.

00:29:41Do you have a digital steamer?

00:29:42Yeah, believe it or not, we hold our dumplings in a digital steamer.

00:29:46What I do like about this is the continuous and monitorable water flow.

00:29:49The randomizer also gave a Swiss chard, which is an incredible ingredient, and you can use every bit of it.

00:29:56So I'm going to do this for two things.

00:29:57I'm going to do like a really nice, simple just charred with a little bit of preserved lemon.

00:30:02And then I'm also going to do some to put into my Bernays.

00:30:05Steam it.

00:30:06Shock it.

00:30:07Eat some of it fresh.

00:30:09Shocking.

00:30:10Shocking.

00:30:10You're good.

00:30:11Oftentimes at home, we take the charred stems and we throw them out.

00:30:15But these are incredibly flavorful, so I immediately know I want to get a pickle on them.

00:30:20Let's go!

00:30:22Come on!

00:30:23What it really comes down to is this first round.

00:30:25And now to go up against somebody like Brian Voltaggio, nothing fuels you more than beating somebody great in the

00:30:32first round.

00:30:35Hi, Chef.

00:30:36Are you chicken eggs?

00:30:37Eggs.

00:30:38It's the one ingredient that Guy hates the most, so I can't even believe it's on the randomizer.

00:30:42I'm very versed in cooking eggs.

00:30:44It's something I do all the time.

00:30:45I hope I can knock it out of the park.

00:30:47You have a pen?

00:30:48I got a plan.

00:30:49An open heart and an open mind.

00:30:50Let's go.

00:30:50Oh, what do you got?

00:30:51So I'm going to braise down some greens.

00:30:53Garlic.

00:30:54Obviously some onion.

00:30:55A little bit of tomato.

00:30:58I'm not doing like shakshuka by any means.

00:31:00Okay.

00:31:01But kind of like leaning into the base of that.

00:31:03Eggs I'm going to steam.

00:31:04I'm going to bread.

00:31:04I'm going to fry.

00:31:05I want to put an egg sauce in there too.

00:31:08The charred I'm going to do two ways.

00:31:09It'll be in the braise.

00:31:10I'm also going to do super light tempura with some charred leaves.

00:31:13So steamed and breaded.

00:31:15Seemed breaded and fried.

00:31:17Swiss char is a great green.

00:31:18I love cooking with it.

00:31:20Once the Swiss char starts to wilt down,

00:31:22then I'm going to add some of the strained tomatoes to that

00:31:23and just put the lid on and let it braise.

00:31:25You know, every day I get ready for this competition.

00:31:28And to get beyond the sort of black clouds

00:31:30that have been kind of hanging over my head

00:31:31of getting through the first round of TOC

00:31:33would be an immense win.

00:31:34I'm ready for this.

00:31:3720 minutes, 20 left in competition.

00:31:39You guys having fun out there?

00:31:43Right at six minutes and 37 seconds on this digital steamer.

00:31:47I check my eggs.

00:31:49Normally it takes six minutes, but this is raw.

00:31:53Not even a little bit cooked raw.

00:31:56Still needs a little bit more time.

00:31:57I'm going to go.

00:31:58I'm going to push that down to the wire.

00:31:59Oh my God.

00:32:00Look, these are still undercooked.

00:32:02I don't know when it will be done.

00:32:05I have to keep cooking.

00:32:07Going out in this first round would be devastating.

00:32:09I'm going to work on like a Bernays.

00:32:11So infusing the white wine vinegar with tarragon.

00:32:14Yes, sir.

00:32:14If there's one thing I'm very good at

00:32:16is making a delicious sauce.

00:32:18A Bernays is screaming to me.

00:32:20It's a classic French egg sauce.

00:32:22You heard it here first.

00:32:24Made with eggs.

00:32:25But I want to do something to really elevate this.

00:32:28I'm going to add fresh steamed herbs

00:32:30and that steamed char to give it a wonderful,

00:32:34herbaceous, and earthy flavor.

00:32:37Oh my God.

00:32:43All right.

00:32:43I'm going to take these out.

00:32:44I'm going to let them shock quickly.

00:32:46So to add another element to the dish that's breaded

00:32:48and using the digital steamer again,

00:32:50I'm going to take some tender leaves

00:32:52to make a crispy tempera Swiss char leaf.

00:32:54AP Trisol soda.

00:32:56Yeah.

00:32:56Baking soda, yeah.

00:32:57Or baking powder.

00:32:59I've always been competitive nature.

00:33:00I grew up next to Michael Voltaggio.

00:33:02So obviously there's no lack of competition there.

00:33:05Who can get down the hill faster on a big wheel?

00:33:07That was definitely the games we played.

00:33:09So yes.

00:33:09Would it be nice to sit down over a holiday dinner

00:33:12and be able to brag a little bit to Michael

00:33:14that I finally won a competition by myself?

00:33:17Yes.

00:33:17But I think a lot of people have watched me

00:33:19over the years competing.

00:33:20They want to see me win.

00:33:21Make a little quick salad, too, of like Swiss char leaves.

00:33:24I'm going to do a fine julienne, like lots of herbs.

00:33:27I don't want to make sure that I crush a randomizer.

00:33:29That's something that I feel like I go home on a lot.

00:33:31So I'm mentally creating a checklist.

00:33:34I'm using the Swiss char in three or more ways.

00:33:37I'm going to use egg in two or more ways.

00:33:40Nobody could say I did not respect the randomizer.

00:33:4313 minutes, chefs.

00:33:4513.

00:33:48Let's work on my breading station.

00:33:50The salad's breaded.

00:33:51I can make a crusty, crumbly crust that will taste delicious.

00:33:56A little chicken bouillon.

00:33:58I just want to give it a little bit more, like, depth of flavor.

00:34:00I come back to the eggs.

00:34:01It has now been a total of 12 and a half minutes

00:34:06that I've had these eggs in this digital steamer.

00:34:08I know because it's got a timer on there,

00:34:11and it's yelling at me.

00:34:1210 minutes to go.

00:34:15They're good.

00:34:16They're good.

00:34:17They're good.

00:34:18It was probably should have been pulled out at 11 and a half minutes.

00:34:21I think they might be over.

00:34:23My heart is absolutely breaking inside.

00:34:26I do not have time to start new eggs.

00:34:29In terms of champions, with that timer going,

00:34:31you have to put something on the plate,

00:34:33and it's got to be something that can win.

00:34:35As far as I can tell, as long as these eggs get breaded and fried,

00:34:37we'll be in the clear.

00:34:39But all those eggs are in one basket.

00:34:43You want to just put your clipboard down and just do a walk of...

00:34:45Shame?

00:34:46No, of applause?

00:34:47I mean, that's pretty massive.

00:34:53The biggest challenge that I have right now is the digital steamer,

00:34:57just because I haven't used it before personally.

00:34:59And then there's tons of opinions on how people like their eggs cooked.

00:35:02That's why this one is an incredibly hard challenge.

00:35:06That's what you want.

00:35:07Eggs are good, yep.

00:35:07Perfect.

00:35:08Soft-centered.

00:35:09Yep.

00:35:09I have to be very careful to make sure I get four perfect eggs.

00:35:12We have a peel-off going on in the TOC arena right now.

00:35:21On the list of things that I have done in competition I never want to do again,

00:35:24and chefs generally don't want to do, it is peeling eggs.

00:35:26Time-consuming and needing to focus your time in one specific area

00:35:30with one specific ingredient while everything else is cooking around you.

00:35:33Nerve-wracking.

00:35:35It's working!

00:35:36This is my fifth year of Tournament of Champions,

00:35:39and motivation comes in a lot of different ways.

00:35:41I have a mom who is a fighter.

00:35:43My mother has had breast cancer for over 20 years,

00:35:46and she has fought and survived and come out with this fire.

00:35:51But I always think about her.

00:35:52I think about how she fights every day.

00:35:55This is something where I get to fight and prove myself.

00:35:59I want to win not next year or five years from now.

00:36:02I want to win right now for her.

00:36:05I think that's really fueling me to be great.

00:36:08Okay, eight and a half minutes.

00:36:12Egg dipped and breaded eggs.

00:36:14Egg dipped, yep.

00:36:15And then I'm going to work out a sauce here.

00:36:17Eggs and oil, aioli.

00:36:19So I want there to be a punch of acid on the dish.

00:36:21QP, yogurt, acidity, eggs.

00:36:24I'm going to throw some herbs in that.

00:36:29Look at those fried eggs, chef.

00:36:31Little golden nuggets.

00:36:32The eggs come out of the fryer, they're crispy on the outside,

00:36:34they held their shape, they look great.

00:36:36Seven minutes, chef, seven to go.

00:36:38I've got parsley, tarragon and dill.

00:36:41Okay, we're steaming.

00:36:42Getting a lot of use out of the steamer.

00:36:44I just want to do kind of like the steamed Swiss chard

00:36:47to kind of hold the egg up.

00:36:49Yeah.

00:36:49I'm going to put it with a little bit of preserved lemon

00:36:51and lemon juice.

00:36:52Just under six, chef.

00:36:54Six minutes?

00:36:55Yeah.

00:36:55Oh, God.

00:36:56Let's plate this dish.

00:36:57I set down that beautiful steamed chard

00:37:01and some of those pickled chard stems.

00:37:03I want to put this like a beautiful nest

00:37:05that's chicken egg sitting right in there.

00:37:07Pour this sauce.

00:37:08I'm more motivated than I've ever been.

00:37:11There's nothing more powerful than belief in yourself.

00:37:13To show why you're great

00:37:16and to do it amongst the best chefs in the country.

00:37:20I want to win to prove it to my peers.

00:37:23Two minutes!

00:37:24So the way I'm going to plate this,

00:37:25I'm doing it with intent for sure.

00:37:27I'm going to put the braised greens down

00:37:28in the center of the plate,

00:37:29but then I'm not going to put the egg directly on top.

00:37:31I'm going to kind of like lean it off to the side,

00:37:33and I'm going to place the salad over the top.

00:37:35Then I'm going to take the tempura leaf

00:37:37and just drape that off the salad

00:37:39to the edge of the bowl,

00:37:40so it's going to remain crispy.

00:37:42The plate looks great.

00:37:42I feel really good about what I've done.

00:37:45Five, four, three, two, one.

00:37:49We're done!

00:37:52Brian Votaggio, Carlos Anthony.

00:37:56Let's bring in the judges.

00:37:58Great job, guys.

00:38:01Excellent!

00:38:02I feel...

00:38:05I feel strong.

00:38:07All right, ladies and gentlemen,

00:38:08let's welcome back our judges.

00:38:10Oh, God, here we go.

00:38:11Three legendary restaurateurs,

00:38:13the one and only Chef Nancy Silverton,

00:38:15Chef Marcus Anderson,

00:38:16and Chef Scott Connick.

00:38:21What?

00:38:22Oh, my God.

00:38:25Wow-wee.

00:38:27The randomizer, well,

00:38:29sure laid an egg on this one.

00:38:32Protein offered up tonight is going to be eggs.

00:38:35Produce with Swiss chard.

00:38:37Equipment digital steamer.

00:38:38Style was breaded.

00:38:39And those are just all the nicknames of Justin Warner.

00:38:42Go ahead, Chef.

00:38:44This is green eggs and steamed fried eggs.

00:38:47Firstly, eggs were separated,

00:38:50putting in the blender to make a sauce.

00:38:52It was treated with a medley of digital steamer steamed herbs

00:38:55and digital steamer steamed shard.

00:38:58We have the egg in the very center.

00:39:00So that was steamed, was then peeled, breaded, and fried.

00:39:04In terms of the chard,

00:39:05more of those digital steamer leaves were added to the sauce

00:39:08with digitally steamed herbs.

00:39:10They are digging into this thing.

00:39:12Say something, please.

00:39:13Just say you love it.

00:39:14Just say you love it.

00:39:15So I think one of the best compliments that you can give a dish

00:39:18is that it reminds you or harkens back to a memory of your childhood.

00:39:22And there's a little bit of my mother's egg salad inside here

00:39:25that I really love.

00:39:26And that's kind of drawing me in again and again.

00:39:29I like the wilted greens on here.

00:39:31I think the one challenge is that the egg doesn't have

00:39:34that beautiful runny yolk.

00:39:37That's a lost opportunity.

00:39:38Yep.

00:39:39Yeah, I agree.

00:39:40No, you're right, Scott.

00:39:42That is not an overcooked egg.

00:39:45That is a perfectly cooked, hard-cooked egg.

00:39:48Come on, baby.

00:39:50Come on, baby.

00:39:52It's creamy.

00:39:53Plus, it's not crumbly.

00:39:55Yes, Chef.

00:39:56Thank you, Nancy.

00:39:57If I had my challenge,

00:39:59it would be that it's a little bit difficult

00:40:02to cut the Swiss chard.

00:40:03I agree with Nancy.

00:40:04That big piece of Swiss chard

00:40:08just makes it a harder dish to eat.

00:40:10The most successful thing is this sauce.

00:40:14Come on, baby.

00:40:15Absolutely delicious.

00:40:16I don't want the most creamier beurre blanc.

00:40:18It's getting a lot of positive comments.

00:40:19All right, judges.

00:40:20Thank you very much.

00:40:21Judge, 50 points available in taste,

00:40:2340 points in the use of the randomizer,

00:40:24and 10 points in plating.

00:40:26That went well.

00:40:27That went well.

00:40:28I think that went well.

00:40:29Sounds like we did a lot of similar things.

00:40:31That's what it sounds like.

00:40:33So I just hope mine is enough to pull the win.

00:40:35All right, judges.

00:40:36And here to present the second dish

00:40:37is our TOC champ, Tiffany Faison.

00:40:39Judges, in front of you, you have crispy breaded,

00:40:41just jammy egg with Swiss chard braised, raw, and fried.

00:40:45You also have an egg-fortified herb aioli,

00:40:47a raw chard frisee salad.

00:40:49The eggs have been digitally steamed

00:40:50and twice egg dipped into a breaded coating.

00:40:54The Swiss chard was braised down

00:40:55with a little bit of tomato product.

00:40:57We then had digitally steamed chard leaves

00:40:59that were tempura breaded and fried crispy

00:41:01to accentuate the crispy egg on the side.

00:41:03Well, I bet the chef quickly took the egg out of the steamer

00:41:08when they heard your comment on the last egg,

00:41:11which doesn't necessarily make it a better egg.

00:41:14It's a different egg.

00:41:15You talking to me?

00:41:17A perfectly cooked jammy egg.

00:41:20Difficult, difficult challenge.

00:41:23But I think for me, the dominance of the tomato,

00:41:26that's the one part that I could just push aside

00:41:30and I would be happier with eating everything else.

00:41:34What? Oh, my gosh.

00:41:36Okay, we got Nancy on our side.

00:41:40You know what I want to honor, first of all?

00:41:41Effort.

00:41:42Think about the ambition of this cook.

00:41:46First of all, the tempura.

00:41:48How fun.

00:41:49How the crunch is just, mmm, really delicious.

00:41:53Aesthetically, how chef plated this dish,

00:41:55just really the next-level plating.

00:41:58Thank you, Marcus.

00:41:58Bring it around, man, man.

00:42:00Bring it around, chef.

00:42:01I like this dish a lot as well.

00:42:02I like the usage of the yogurt.

00:42:04I think that brightness with the cilantro

00:42:06and the vinegar inside there is really beautiful.

00:42:08All in all, it's a really flavorful, delicious plate of food.

00:42:12There's a lot of similarities here between these plates.

00:42:15But good cooking.

00:42:16Judges, thank you very much.

00:42:17Let's go to the scorecard.

00:42:20I feel pretty strongly I did the right thing.

00:42:23There's definitely a lot of flavor on that dish.

00:42:26Did I do enough?

00:42:27I have no idea.

00:42:28Egg center of the plate.

00:42:29I'm telling you.

00:42:30They did a fantastic job, right?

00:42:32Let's bring it back out.

00:42:34Brian Voltaggio, Carlos Anthony.

00:42:41Here are the scores.

00:42:42One chef scored a 82.

00:42:45The other chef scored a 79.

00:42:48The winner of the second battle between Chef Brian Voltaggio

00:42:53and Chef Carlos Anthony is...

00:43:02Brian Voltaggio!

00:43:06Congratulations!

00:43:11Chef, incredibly competitive dish.

00:43:13Thank you so much.

00:43:14Ladies and gentlemen, Carlitos, Chef Carlos Anthony.

00:43:22Oh my gosh, there's one door.

00:43:23Oof.

00:43:24Oof, oof.

00:43:26It hurts.

00:43:28It always is just, you put so much into it.

00:43:31You really give your all to be here.

00:43:34And you think about it, to go out in the first round,

00:43:37it's just devastating.

00:43:39So...

00:43:39We've never had a chance to do this.

00:43:41We've never had a chance to.

00:43:42Let's talk about the road ahead.

00:43:44That leaves you to battle the runner-up from last year,

00:43:49Sarah Bradley, or Dan Jacobs.

00:43:51Congratulations, Brian Voltaggio!

00:43:53First win at DOC!

00:43:57Big win!

00:43:59Yes!

00:44:03What?

00:44:05I feel...

00:44:06I feel amazing.

00:44:07I feel like a huge weight is off my shoulders now.

00:44:10You did great.

00:44:11And you're continuing that winning streak from DOC Holiday.

00:44:13Right.

00:44:14So we're starting out pretty good here.

00:44:15It means nothing but up.

00:44:16It means one bracket to the next and then keep on going.

00:44:19We've seen so much already,

00:44:21but are you ready to see two culinary masters go mano a mano?

00:44:29Now we have the number seven seed, Chef Dan Jacobs,

00:44:32who defeated Top Chef winner Joe Flam in the TOC qualifiers...

00:44:36Chef Dan!

00:44:37...to earn his spot in this year's tournament.

00:44:39I'm ready to take Sarah on.

00:44:41I've already fought through the qualifiers,

00:44:42which gave me a ton of confidence going into this first trip against Sarah.

00:44:45The palm, I feel ready for the moment.

00:44:48And number two seed, Chef Sarah Bradley,

00:44:51made it all the way to the final battle of last year,

00:44:55despite being a TOC first-timer.

00:44:57Last season, I came in as a rookie,

00:44:59and I made it all the way to the finale,

00:45:01where I sadly lost to Antonia Lofaso.

00:45:06It was a wild ride.

00:45:08Big letdown.

00:45:09But I learned a lot from it.

00:45:10I keep telling myself it's technically a one seed, right?

00:45:13Because the icons are going to get the ones.

00:45:15I'm playing for, you know, all those people that think they can't do something.

00:45:19I was diagnosed with a rare neuromuscular disease known as Kennedy's disease.

00:45:24And eventually, I'm going to lose the ability to, you know, move around the way I do.

00:45:27I refuse to back down.

00:45:28I refuse to let people tell me what I can and can't do.

00:45:31And I feel like that message isn't given enough.

00:45:33Let's go.

00:45:35All right, let's go.

00:45:38Ladies and gentlemen, you ready to meet these kitchen combatants?

00:45:41Woo!

00:45:42And let's light this up!

00:45:46He worked his way up the ranks of Michelin-starred Chicago restaurants

00:45:50before taking the executive chef job in Milwaukee

00:45:53that landed him on several best restaurant lists.

00:45:59Now, as the head chef and co-owner of two acclaimed Milwaukee restaurants,

00:46:04he was a 2024 James Beard Award nominee for Best Chef Midwest.

00:46:12Ladies and gentlemen, Chef Dan Jacobs!

00:46:25What an amazing story.

00:46:27You're battling so much more in life,

00:46:30yet you choose to come and put yourself in the epicenter

00:46:34of the most difficult culinary competition that exists.

00:46:37Yep. There's no way but forward.

00:46:39And I'm just willing to push, push, push.

00:46:41The great thing about it is, is you're doing it amongst the greats.

00:46:45And speaking of the greats, your opponent.

00:46:49This Michelin-trained chef returned to her Kentucky hometown

00:46:53to open her award-winning restaurant, Bourbon & Bar,

00:46:57that celebrates her Southern, Jewish, and Appalachian roots.

00:47:03She was a James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef 2025.

00:47:07She has twice competed in the final battle of Top Chef,

00:47:11and in her first appearance in this arena,

00:47:14she won four battles in a row to become the TOC 6 runner-up.

00:47:22Ladies and gentlemen, Chef Sarah Bradley!

00:47:39Welcome back.

00:47:41It was so amazing to watch your wins and your trajectory

00:47:46in your first season, four wins in a row.

00:47:50It was a major accomplishment, and congratulations.

00:47:52And it's time to take it to the randomizer.

00:47:55Let's go.

00:48:01You ready?

00:48:02Let's get after it.

00:48:03Go for protein!

00:48:15Pork blade steak.

00:48:17And celery root, toaster, buttery, and low-seed re-spin.

00:48:24All right, let's go protein.

00:48:25Pork blade steak.

00:48:26Never used it before.

00:48:27Not familiar with it.

00:48:28You sure you want to go protein?

00:48:29Yeah, let's do it.

00:48:30Let's spin it.

00:48:31Go for protein!

00:48:36And ground beef!

00:48:38All right.

00:48:39Oh, here we are.

00:48:40Ground beef, celery root, toaster, and buttery.

00:48:44I can't wait to see this concoction.

00:48:47Good luck.

00:48:48Time to go.

00:48:51All right, they're going.

00:48:55Ground beef.

00:48:56There's a million things they can do with this,

00:48:58and we're going to be giving them

00:49:00prime black Angus beef from Kansas.

00:49:02The best of the best.

00:49:03Celery root, one of my all-time favorites,

00:49:05but a little troublesome in manipulating

00:49:08because it's so gnarled and bold

00:49:10it takes a little bit of time and maintenance.

00:49:12We all know what a toaster is.

00:49:14The question is,

00:49:15how are we going to get the toasted flavor

00:49:17and the toasted presentation?

00:49:19Buttery.

00:49:19Buttery can come from a lot of things.

00:49:21They're going to need to be creative with this,

00:49:23seeing it and tasting it.

00:49:24Buttery.

00:49:25Man, I'm from Wisconsin.

00:49:28I'm just going to go this way with it.

00:49:29And so buttery, this is great.

00:49:32I'm thinking, like, luscious.

00:49:34I'm thinking something elevated.

00:49:35I'm thinking luxury.

00:49:37Where is the dough?

00:49:38I am comfortable in Southeast Asian cuisine.

00:49:41I'm going to go full in.

00:49:43But the challenge here, with ground beef,

00:49:45how do you make it elevated

00:49:46and how do you make it beautiful?

00:49:49Let's go!

00:49:50Stephanie, fill me in.

00:49:52Start off with, like, a celery root and butter curry.

00:49:55Okay.

00:49:56And then a Southeast Asian-style seared meatball.

00:50:00The toaster is going to be the rough one.

00:50:02But we'll get there.

00:50:03Great.

00:50:06Buttery.

00:50:07I'm thinking of style.

00:50:08So I'm immediately thinking butter burgers

00:50:10on a brioche bun, which is all butter.

00:50:14I'm going to make a...

00:50:16Oh, no, hi.

00:50:17We can't. Hi.

00:50:17Hey, how are you?

00:50:18Hi.

00:50:20So I'm going to make a butter burger.

00:50:22That's it.

00:50:23Celery root remoulade.

00:50:24To go on the burger,

00:50:25I'm going to have, like, a little celery apple slaw.

00:50:28Okay.

00:50:28Glad we talked about it.

00:50:32I love celery root.

00:50:33Me too.

00:50:34I want to do something that's completely different.

00:50:37I think the magic of Tournament of Champions

00:50:39is those dishes that nobody would have thought of.

00:50:42For my celery root and butter curry,

00:50:44I'm going to add some kombu.

00:50:45This is basically going to be our base.

00:50:47And then I'm going to add some green curry paste

00:50:50just to really reinforce that Southeast Asian style of cuisine.

00:50:53What I love more than anything is seeing somebody use kombu

00:50:56instead of MSG.

00:50:58Boy, it gets me going.

00:50:59This is my morning coffee.

00:51:04I'm going to toast a little celery seed and a little fennel pollen

00:51:08to go into my celery root slaw.

00:51:11Okay.

00:51:11Stop this now!

00:51:14Thanks, y'all.

00:51:15Obviously, I want to prove that, you know, getting to the end

00:51:19the last time is something that I can do again.

00:51:21I'm a restaurant owner, a business owner,

00:51:23a mother who wants to create a good life for her family and children.

00:51:27I think all of those are motivators to get back to that finale

00:51:31and push me towards winning Tournament of Champions.

00:51:34Dan, watch out.

00:51:40I can smell this toasting.

00:51:42It smells good.

00:51:42Yeah.

00:51:43It's working, y'all.

00:51:44Chisera chipped in.

00:51:4620 minutes left.

00:51:49Oh, shucky ducky.

00:51:51Using Szechuan peppercorns, five spice.

00:51:53We're going to do some chili flakes.

00:51:54And we're going to do some peanut.

00:51:55I know where it's going.

00:51:57I know what you're up to.

00:51:57The toaster's not my favorite thing I've ever had on the randomizer.

00:52:00But I'm going to use it to toast my spices and my peanuts.

00:52:04Ooh, yeah.

00:52:05Yes.

00:52:05I mean, you could smell it.

00:52:07That's what we wanted there.

00:52:08This sort of warming spice that's really going to kind of bring everything together.

00:52:11I'm going to add that powder filling from my meatball.

00:52:14I'm also going to use it in my sauce.

00:52:16I think this is what's going to really kind of pop these both off.

00:52:19Where's our butter?

00:52:20Oh, you just wait.

00:52:21Oh, you just wait, Dan says.

00:52:24This curry, this is going to be my big component for buttery.

00:52:26I'm going to substitute coconut milk.

00:52:29We're just going to use the butter to be that fat.

00:52:31It's going to create this lusciousness on this curry and this fat that you would get from coconut milk, but

00:52:36I don't need it.

00:52:37Butter instead of coconut milk.

00:52:40COC-7, baby!

00:52:43This is a celery root remoulade for my burger.

00:52:47It has celery seed, celery root, celery stem.

00:52:50I'm going to add toasted spices in there.

00:52:52A little mayonnaise.

00:52:53I'm going to add chopped capers.

00:52:56Also, I'm going to make celery root and apple slaw.

00:53:00So I'm going to put a little salt and sugar on the celery root now to kind of cure it

00:53:05a little bit and get some of that moisture out.

00:53:07Right now in the Wayfarer screening room, Chef Brian Voltaggio is spectating this battle.

00:53:11He will face the winner in his second round.

00:53:13So it looks like she's making some sort of a slaw with the celery root, which is a smart play,

00:53:16too.

00:53:16Absolutely.

00:53:17There's a million little things that Chef Sarah is doing that are smart.

00:53:20From the julienne in the spa that she's making to, like, the little brunoise of the celery root in the

00:53:25remoulade.

00:53:26Those are all indications to the judges that the chef knows what they're doing.

00:53:3416 minutes, Chef.

00:53:36I'm going to add some butter.

00:53:38Okay.

00:53:39The key good meatball is keeping that moist ball.

00:53:41And so I'm going to start to create what's going to be the meatball base.

00:53:44In the blender goes some oil, lime leaves, little garlic shallots.

00:53:49Galangal is a root vegetable.

00:53:51Basically what I'm doing here is getting that galangal as small as possible so it doesn't get stuck in the

00:53:56judges' teeth.

00:53:57Whoa.

00:53:59I put a good amount of butter in here, and I realize these are not going to hold shape.

00:54:03These are not going to be meatballs.

00:54:04Well, I like the smell of it, Chef.

00:54:05I feel like we're going to kill the flavor.

00:54:07Maybe not so pretty.

00:54:08I'm going to pivot here and go to almost like a seared meat patty.

00:54:12What's the plan now?

00:54:13The celery root, I'm actually going to mandolin it.

00:54:16I'm going to try to use these guys a little bit like noodles.

00:54:18I think this will work.

00:54:20We're actually going to poach these.

00:54:21Once those are pretty much cooked all the way through, I'm going to transfer that to a pan and finish

00:54:26the cooking in the butter, just like you would pasta.

00:54:29When I do feel pressure, I think I put it on myself.

00:54:31I often feel that pressure is a privilege.

00:54:34Having kidney disease has really pushed me to do as much as I can and whenever I can.

00:54:39I know that I have a finite amount of time that I'm going to be able to do stuff like

00:54:43this.

00:54:43Don't just sit on the sidelines.

00:54:45Like, get out there.

00:54:45Do whatever you want to do.

00:54:47Like, don't let anybody tell you no.

00:54:49Going into Chef Sarah Bradley is a daunting task.

00:54:51She understands how this kitchen works.

00:54:53She understands how this game is played.

00:54:54But every year, there's lower seeds that take out the high seeds.

00:54:58And I think I got a good dish here.

00:55:01Five to go.

00:55:03I feel like you've done this before.

00:55:06I've made a few burgers in my life.

00:55:07I'm no stranger to the burger game.

00:55:09Like, I have the trophy for best burger for Burger Week in Paducah.

00:55:12Maybe I'll take home another one.

00:55:15Butter burgers are like a Midwest thing.

00:55:17You stuff butter inside the burger, and as it cooks, it cooks out.

00:55:22You see that butter coming up right off the bat?

00:55:24Little butter geysers.

00:55:27I go ahead and add some toasted spices on my burgers.

00:55:30I grab my brioche buns to toast them.

00:55:33Three minutes, three to go, Chefs.

00:55:35That's not a lot of time.

00:55:37Seeing the drippings reserved.

00:55:39I think we're going to see that as a finishing drizzle.

00:55:41Ground beef, not necessarily the prettiest thing.

00:55:43So we're actually going to hide this.

00:55:45So you're going on top.

00:55:46And I think this is one of those things that's kind of fun.

00:55:49It really allows for that aha moment as you get into a dish.

00:55:52This is not the most beautiful thing I've ever made.

00:55:55This is very one color.

00:55:56But I think there's so much flavor here, this could be a winner.

00:55:5960 seconds, let's rock and roll!

00:56:02Ready for plating, I start with the buns down.

00:56:05Put a really nice big dollop of the silver root remoulade.

00:56:08I put some slaw.

00:56:10I feel really good about this.

00:56:11I think I just nailed the randomizer.

00:56:14I want to show that last year wasn't just a fluke.

00:56:17I want $150,000.

00:56:19I want a belt.

00:56:20I want a ring.

00:56:21Sounds fabulous.

00:56:22Five, four, three, two, one!

00:56:26We're done!

00:56:29Well done, Chef.

00:56:31Thank you, Chef.

00:56:32Creative cooking.

00:56:33I love it.

00:56:36Whoo!

00:56:38Well, it's over.

00:56:39Time to just see what they say.

00:56:41Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back.

00:56:42Our powerhouse panel of judges, the one and only Chef Nancy Silverton.

00:56:46Oh, Nancy, Nancy, Nancy.

00:56:48Chef Marcus Samuelson.

00:56:50Whoa!

00:56:52Oh!

00:56:54And Chef Scott Conner.

00:56:56Scott Conner and I became the first ever Chopped Legends together.

00:57:00For this next round, the randomizer served up a delicious offering of ground beef, celery root, the use of the

00:57:07toaster, and the style was buttery.

00:57:09And here to present the dish, Justin Warner.

00:57:13Esteemed judges.

00:57:14This is a celery root butter curry with seared ground beef.

00:57:19The ground beef was emulsified in the stand mixer with butter.

00:57:22It was seasoned with fish sauce, and then celery root was added to it.

00:57:26A foil packet filled with spices was toasted in the toaster and used to season both the curry and the

00:57:32meatball.

00:57:33In terms of buttery components, a pound of it was added to the curry sauce.

00:57:37As always, judges, if you have any questions, I have the answers.

00:57:40How do you make ground beef sexy?

00:57:46This is how you make ground beef sexy.

00:57:48I don't think it's about the ground meat. I think it is about the accompaniments thereof.

00:57:52I think that this sauce is just steep and luscious.

00:57:56Yes! I'll take that.

00:57:58That green curry is really outstanding.

00:58:00I want a vat of this, and I want to swim in it.

00:58:03Good job, chef. Good job.

00:58:05Ha ha!

00:58:08The patty, even though there's a nice amount of fat in it, it's still not as much fat as I

00:58:13would add to a patty.

00:58:15And so all the additions that have been added to it really help that texture.

00:58:22This is like a tasting menu idea, but to do it in 30 minutes.

00:58:27Many people have thought about great dishes that might not taste great.

00:58:30Just to have the know-how, well done, chef.

00:58:34Yes! That feels good.

00:58:36Thank you, judges.

00:58:3750 points in the taste, 40 points in the use of the randomizer, and 10 points in the plating.

00:58:42I think that I represent the celery root more.

00:58:45I definitely think they're going to see ground beef online more.

00:58:48Up next, TOC champ Tiffany.

00:58:51We'll see.

00:58:51If you were dreaming of a butter burger, don't wake up.

00:58:55In front of you, we have a butter burger with celery root slaw and a brunoise celery root remoulade, butter

00:59:00lettuce, and brie.

00:59:02The ground beef was treated to a seasoning of toaster packet toasted celery seed, fennel pollen, and black pepper.

00:59:08A generous knob of butter was packed and smacked into the middle of the ground beef, ultimately creating a butter

00:59:13crust.

00:59:14It does sound good. Like, I'm not going to lie.

00:59:16It's a really, really good burger, and chef truly followed the randomizer.

00:59:22It was celery three, four different ways, theme of butter everywhere.

00:59:27Yeah.

00:59:28This is just a perfect dish to make, given the randomizer.

00:59:33Toaster toasted the bun.

00:59:35It's a great burger.

00:59:36Love it.

00:59:37Sounds like they like hers, too.

00:59:39I think a burger is a series of a bunch of different things done well.

00:59:44Don't break my heart, Scott.

00:59:45The flavors are wonderful, but cook on the burger, I think it could be a little less cooked.

00:59:50It seems to be slightly over for me.

00:59:53Great.

00:59:53Thank you very much, judges.

00:59:56This is a little bit close.

00:59:58Here we go.

01:00:01Ladies and gentlemen, great round of competition.

01:00:04Let's bring our chefs back in.

01:00:06Chef Dan!

01:00:09Chef Sarah!

01:00:14That was a good kick.

01:00:16That was fun.

01:00:17I think that the judges gave you fantastic compliments, and your scores reflect for a score of 87 to 84.

01:00:25Ladies and gentlemen, in the first round battle between Chef Sarah Bradley and Dan Jacobs, the winner is...

01:00:40Dan Jacobs!

01:00:42Wow!

01:00:51Congratulations.

01:00:52Chef Sarah, I am sorry that you're going home, but we know how great you are.

01:00:57We have seen this from you.

01:00:59I'll be back.

01:00:59There's no question.

01:01:00She'll be back.

01:01:02Bye, y'all.

01:01:03Ladies and gentlemen, Sarah Bradley!

01:01:08Ooh, but that's okay.

01:01:10Good for him.

01:01:11I'm not upset about that.

01:01:12I mean, I still wanted to win.

01:01:14Congratulations, Chef Dan!

01:01:16First round win, TOC 7!

01:01:19Huge!

01:01:20Let's take a look at where you're going, my friend.

01:01:23Ryan Voltaggio takes out Carlos Anthony.

01:01:26Dan Jacobs takes out number two seed.

01:01:30Sarah Bradley.

01:01:31Rock on, man.

01:01:32You got this.

01:01:33Ladies and gentlemen, Jim Jacobs going to the second round!

01:01:39Wow!

01:01:45That's crazy.

01:01:46I mean, whatever, I feel great.

01:01:48I feel I'm at cloud 10.

01:01:51Cloud 10, just great.

01:01:52You thought, and this kind of stops it winning.

01:01:57You said the burger was a little overcooked.

01:01:59Well, taste is subjective.

01:02:00That's why there's three of us and not one of us.

01:02:02That burger would have been a winner had it not been up against...

01:02:06The first dish.

01:02:07Yeah.

01:02:08You're dealing with good and gooder.

01:02:09That's what's really different.

01:02:10It's time for the finale of the C Division.

01:02:13The big battle you've all been waiting for.

01:02:16We have a qualifier winner going up against tonight's mystery icon.

01:02:21Here we are, and there's no bracket because I'm going against an icon.

01:02:26And I have no idea who I'm going against.

01:02:29As iconic as this icon is, the way that I see it is that this icon is going to be

01:02:33a distraction.

01:02:34So, going to zone out of the icon, just focus on my cook.

01:02:39It's time!

01:02:43Are you ready to see two food world warriors take culinary competition to the next level?

01:02:49Yeah!

01:02:51And let's line it up!

01:02:54The son of Vietnamese immigrants.

01:02:57He is a successful restaurateur with almost two decades as an executive chef.

01:03:05He was named Food & Wine's Best New Chef of 2011, and is a three-time James Beard Award semifinal.

01:03:16Put your hands together!

01:03:18Chef, get five!

01:03:30Any idea who you might be battling?

01:03:34You know, I haven't even attempted to go down that road.

01:03:37I feel like if I continue to think about it, it's going to bother me.

01:03:41Had you known, you definitely would have lost sleep.

01:03:48With a degree from a prestigious French culinary school, he shook up the food scene in Los Angeles and New

01:03:54York with his fresh new take on classical cuisine.

01:04:01His trailblazing restaurants attracted celebrity patrons like Julia Child and Andy Warhol.

01:04:07In 2016, he received the James Beard Award for Best Chef New York.

01:04:14He has earned his place in culinary history by introducing the East Coast to the pioneering California cuisine he first

01:04:21mastered with his mentor, Alice Waters.

01:04:24Chef, Jonathan Waxman!

01:04:35I love this.

01:04:36Somebody's getting this, right?

01:04:38Oh, my God!

01:04:43Wow.

01:04:44Chef.

01:04:45Good meeting.

01:04:46Absolute pleasure.

01:04:47Pleasure's all mine.

01:04:49Where do we begin?

01:04:51Sir Waxman.

01:04:53I always call him Sir Waxman.

01:04:54I mean, he is nobility in the world of cooks.

01:04:57You've judged with us so many times.

01:04:59You're now on the competitive side of this.

01:05:01But honestly, Chef, why are you here?

01:05:03I love cooking.

01:05:05I love it.

01:05:06This is my favorite thing in the world to do.

01:05:07This is fun for me.

01:05:08Thanks for being so brave to do it.

01:05:10I'm like in awe, so...

01:05:12Let's take it this way.

01:05:13Follow me, guys.

01:05:14No randomizer.

01:05:18I knew you'd love this one.

01:05:20Oh, man.

01:05:23Tonight, protein, produce, equipment, and style will dictate the dish that you're gonna make.

01:05:28Soak it in right now, gentlemen.

01:05:30Going for protein.

01:05:35This is cool.

01:05:36I never saw this.

01:05:37It is not your friend.

01:05:40Striped manila pork.

01:05:42Striped bass.

01:05:43Fine tomato.

01:05:45Muffin pan.

01:05:46Muffin pan?

01:05:48And...

01:05:48Whiffed.

01:05:50Chefs, collectively, between the two of you, can make a decision to re-spin the whole thing.

01:05:55Your call.

01:05:55Let's do this.

01:05:57Let's stay.

01:05:57We're staying.

01:06:00I love that.

01:06:01Striped bass.

01:06:03Fine tomatoes.

01:06:04Muffin pan.

01:06:05And whipped.

01:06:06Gentlemen, it's been an honor and a pleasure.

01:06:08Your time starts now.

01:06:09Go.

01:06:14Striped bass.

01:06:15Silvery fish with black horizontal stripes.

01:06:19Fine ripe tomatoes.

01:06:20Tomatoes that are still on the vine.

01:06:23The muffin pan.

01:06:24Everybody knows what one looks like.

01:06:25Whipped.

01:06:26It'll be interesting for Chef Waxman, who's judged this a lot of times.

01:06:29But I promise you, this will be a master class.

01:06:31The muffin pan and whipped is really where the randomizer kind of, you know, went haywire.

01:06:37He's not at all concerned.

01:06:38You know, I love being a judge, but I never got to see the action.

01:06:41When I got the opportunity to compete today, I said, why not?

01:06:45Judging is great, don't get me wrong, but cooking is what I do.

01:06:48The reason I'm competing today is the culmination of all the things I've done in my career.

01:06:53Bobby Flay worked for me for five years, so I was his mentor.

01:06:55I did two years of Top Chef Masters.

01:06:57I beat people like Roy Yamaguchi, who actually used to work for me.

01:07:01Michael Chimroosti.

01:07:02And I said, you're younger, you're smarter, you're quicker, you're better cooks than I am.

01:07:06I don't know how I beat you, but I did, and it was fun.

01:07:11What's going on with the heating of the muffin tin?

01:07:13Preheated always.

01:07:15So when the mixture goes in, boom.

01:07:18Icon is a typical word.

01:07:20Michael Simon once called me a legend, and I told him I wasn't dead yet.

01:07:23You know, so I don't know if I could live up to the moniker, but I'll take it.

01:07:28Well, the color of these eggs are beautiful, huh?

01:07:30Aren't they pretty?

01:07:31Fish and eggs, they're kind of synonymous.

01:07:33So I just wanted to make, like, an egg kind of fluff thing that I do for brunch sometimes.

01:07:38And then the grazed lettuce as sort of a base for the fish,

01:07:43and then the tomatoes and little mashed potato thing on top.

01:07:46Maybe it's too many items, but, you know, that's me.

01:07:49Never in all of the days of my life could you have told me that I would be standing here

01:07:54watching Chef Jonathan Waxman cook.

01:07:56This is a pinch-me moment in my life.

01:08:00This is fun, huh?

01:08:02That's what you think.

01:08:03I am battling against the one and only Jonathan Waxman.

01:08:09He is an iconic chef.

01:08:11He's trained some of the best chefs, mission stars, James Beard winners.

01:08:15That's like the Oscars of the food world.

01:08:18To be here with him is crazy.

01:08:22Chef, welcome back.

01:08:23Thanks.

01:08:25When you have a plan, fill me in.

01:08:26Something along the line of a fish fry.

01:08:30I'm a chef and restaurateur from Salt Lake City, Utah.

01:08:33This name right here, Pretty Bird.

01:08:35I'm a fry cook.

01:08:36I fry chicken every day.

01:08:37You know, we don't have a lot of time, so the quickest and easiest way is to fry the fish.

01:08:43I want to use the skin in a different way.

01:08:44I don't have that many years of experience as Jonathan Waxman does, and I'm just literally trying to do my

01:08:51best.

01:08:51Hey, do you know they're a chef?

01:08:53Cool as a cucumber, huh?

01:08:55Iconically.

01:08:55And here I am, right in my mouth.

01:08:57I am an award-winning chef, and I've beaten a lot of famous chefs.

01:09:04You might have heard of this guy named, um, what's his name? I forgot.

01:09:08Bobby Flay.

01:09:09I beat him on Irish Chef America.

01:09:12Bobby Flay was probably the only person that is a direct descendant of Jonathan Waxman.

01:09:18Hopefully, I'll be taking down his mentor as well today.

01:09:22I go to the fire.

01:09:23I check up on the fish.

01:09:24It looks pretty good.

01:09:25I let it rest for a little bit, and then right before I'm going to plate,

01:09:29I'm going to drop it in the fryer one more time as a double fry.

01:09:32I'm looking around, like, what am I going to do with this fish skin?

01:09:34It would be a terrible waste not to use it.

01:09:37And then I look over, and I see the muffin pan calling out to me, like,

01:09:40Hello, B. What about me?

01:09:42And then I get this idea.

01:09:43I'm going to throw it into the fryer, and then after it's fried,

01:09:46I gently push it into the muffin pan so that it forms around the bottom of the pan.

01:09:51So that way, the judges will at least know that I used the muffin pan.

01:09:57Do you have a backup plan if this doesn't work?

01:09:59No.

01:10:00With 30 minutes, there's not a lot of room for a backup plan, so it better work.

01:10:03To be on TOC and going against an icon like Jonathan Waxman, we're going to figure this out.

01:10:10Chefs, we are at the halfway point. You have 15 minutes left to compete 15.

01:10:17So if you feel like telling me what's rolling around in that Jedi brain of you, I'll, yours, I'll be

01:10:22right here.

01:10:22I'm too simplistic for words.

01:10:25I have a trick where I fire blast tomatoes in a super hot oven until they char.

01:10:31Bye-bye.

01:10:32I want a little bit of acidity to go along with the fish.

01:10:36I want to make brown butter, sherry vinaigrette to braised lettuce as a base for the fish, and then the

01:10:43tomatoes as the sauce.

01:10:45Chef Jonathan Waxman is not just an icon. He's a legend. He's also one of my favorite chefs and people.

01:10:49And I've never seen food handled in a way that he handles it.

01:10:54So for the whip portion, I'm whipping tofu with some tomato.

01:10:58I'm going to make a dipping sauce for the fish.

01:11:01Not a lot of people use tofu or even like tofu, but I feel like it's going to be a

01:11:05great vehicle to carry some additional flavors.

01:11:07Smart work by Chef Viette. You can see that he's taking the seeds out of the tomatoes.

01:11:12Of course, that's where the majority of the water content is found.

01:11:14Water, that ain't flavor.

01:11:17Star anise.

01:11:18A little bit of smoked paprika.

01:11:20Garlic powder.

01:11:22Oyster sauce?

01:11:23A little bit of oyster sauce.

01:11:24I'm going to whip it up, and then I'm going to siphon it.

01:11:27Whee!

01:11:28You've done this before, Chef?

01:11:29Something similar, yes.

01:11:34I cook with striped bass in New York all the time, but the striped bass, we get it for 35

01:11:38pounds.

01:11:38So my plan with the striped bass is to put them on the grill.

01:11:41Always think it's going to, that's where all the nutrients are.

01:11:45Grilling fish is really difficult.

01:11:47The only thing that's harder is grilling chicken.

01:11:49So why are you going to grill it if it's so hard?

01:11:52Well, because I've been doing it for about 50 years.

01:11:54Oh!

01:11:55What's the plan for the bass, Chef?

01:11:56I'm getting old.

01:11:57You're not.

01:11:58I was trying to really channel the randomizer.

01:12:01I think as a judge, that's the thing that most cooks really failed on.

01:12:06I was thinking about what I could whip, and I could either whip the tomatoes or the potatoes.

01:12:12Try to use a little hand immersion blender.

01:12:16I don't think I really have anything to prove anymore.

01:12:19My sort of history speaks for itself.

01:12:22Winning is fabulous.

01:12:24If it happens, great.

01:12:26The more important thing to me is how well I cook my dish.

01:12:30Waxman's having a good son.

01:12:31Cooking like the dead eyes of you.

01:12:32Look at that bass.

01:12:33Truly, if I were to put that on the grill, I wouldn't have been able to get my skin off.

01:12:36It's like waxman magic.

01:12:3910 minutes, Chef's 10 to go.

01:12:41How are we looking?

01:12:42The muffin tin has been used to give form to the fish skins,

01:12:45crisp up gently in the fryer and put in the oven.

01:12:47Blending isn't necessarily whipping because it's not incorporating air.

01:12:51The whipping part goes when it goes into the cream whipper,

01:12:54and then you charge it with a nitrous oxide charger.

01:12:57This is a first.

01:12:58So this is also a very big risk, but you know what?

01:13:02You have to take big risks in order to win.

01:13:05Win.

01:13:05I want to further enhance the randomizer option, which is the tomato.

01:13:09In Vietnamese cooking, you know, there's actually a lot of tomatoes.

01:13:12So it is something that I'm very familiar with.

01:13:15What's the plan here, Chef?

01:13:16I'm going to make a relish with this.

01:13:18Copy.

01:13:19Using just traditional Vietnamese nigmam.

01:13:21Growing up, I think deep down I resented my parents

01:13:24because they named me Viet and my brother Nam,

01:13:27and because of that we were bullied.

01:13:29As I've gotten older, through my cooking,

01:13:31and especially learning about Vietnamese cuisine,

01:13:33it makes me feel closer to my family,

01:13:35and to my heritage and my upbringing.

01:13:38And that I'm grateful for.

01:13:42Seven and a half.

01:13:44Where's our whipped?

01:13:45Those potatoes and garlic that have been boiled

01:13:47and treated to a little bit of white wine and butter.

01:13:50The egg mixture that was put in the oven, hand whipped,

01:13:53we're whipping it real good.

01:13:54Whipped it real good.

01:13:55I'm always Mr. Simple.

01:13:56I don't like to try to go too far out of my comfort zone.

01:13:59I'm like slow and steady Waxman, California,

01:14:03like not sweat the small stuff.

01:14:05Roll those spoons.

01:14:06In your bane, Chef.

01:14:07Over there.

01:14:09All I wanted to do was be a trombone player

01:14:11and play jazz as a career.

01:14:14But I somehow found myself selling Ferraris

01:14:17when I was 24 years old,

01:14:18and that led to my going to France

01:14:20and going and studying cooking.

01:14:22Did I have any clue that I'd become a chef?

01:14:25Absolutely zero.

01:14:28Muffin tin.

01:14:29I mean, that's Muffin tin 101 right there.

01:14:32I pulled my muffin tin from the oven.

01:14:35It is absolutely perfect.

01:14:36I'm so proud of myself.

01:14:38And let's hope the judges see my muffin tin vision.

01:14:41Three minutes.

01:14:42First, I place my fish with a tomato salsa

01:14:45and an herb salad.

01:14:46I go ahead and siphon the sauce.

01:14:48And what do you know?

01:14:50It's not coming out.

01:14:51This is like the moment of panic.

01:14:53I have to get this on the plate.

01:14:55Two minutes, two to go.

01:14:57All right, you ready?

01:14:58Yeah.

01:14:59So braised lettuces

01:15:01with a brown butter shallot sauce,

01:15:04a little muffin man,

01:15:06a little quiches.

01:15:07Okay.

01:15:07And then the fish.

01:15:08I've accomplished a lot of things in my career,

01:15:10but they really don't mean anything

01:15:12unless I enjoy it.

01:15:14And I do actually enjoy where I've been.

01:15:16I have a lot of people that I've mentored over the years.

01:15:18So their accomplishments become part of me.

01:15:21And I think that is the most important thing

01:15:23about being an icon

01:15:24or whatever else you want to call me.

01:15:26I actually feel very proud of my legacy.

01:15:29And that to me is the greatest thing in the world.

01:15:31One minute, one to go.

01:15:32I'm slowly getting a little bit of out.

01:15:34Finally, it works.

01:15:36There's nice volume and height to the sauce.

01:15:38It looks really good.

01:15:3930 seconds.

01:15:40Man, I just literally cooked against a legend.

01:15:43This matchup, it's definitely a David and Goliath.

01:15:45The take down like one of the forefathers of cuisine.

01:15:48It would be absolutely amazing.

01:15:50Five, four, three, two, one.

01:15:57Chef Waxman, Chef Mom, thank you so much.

01:16:09It was fun.

01:16:12It was fun.

01:16:13That was pretty crazy.

01:16:14To be honest, I had some guesses,

01:16:16but I was nowhere near close to guessing Jonathan Waxman.

01:16:19I was star struck to say the least.

01:16:21To be able to cook with an icon like him.

01:16:24Win or lose, I felt like I made it.

01:16:29All right.

01:16:30You know what?

01:16:31I actually probably need to take a photo of this really quick.

01:16:33Just my keepsake.

01:16:35Wow.

01:16:36Hey, you know, miracles happen.

01:16:40What did it feel like to be out there?

01:16:42Was it good to cook again?

01:16:43Yeah, it was great to be cooking again.

01:16:45Really fun.

01:16:46Are your flavors there?

01:16:47We'll see.

01:16:50All right, ladies and gentlemen, for our final round,

01:16:53welcome back our esteemed judges,

01:16:54the one and only Nancy Silverton,

01:16:56Marcus Samuelson,

01:16:57and Scott Conner.

01:16:59Oh, my gosh.

01:17:00Okay.

01:17:01Tough, tough judges.

01:17:02Three of my best friends, huh?

01:17:04Thanks a lot.

01:17:05Judges tonight, the randomizer for this final magnificent round,

01:17:09offered up striped bass, fine tomatoes,

01:17:11the use of a muffin pan, the style is whipped.

01:17:14And here to present Tiffany Faison.

01:17:16It's me.

01:17:18Chefs in front of you is grilled striped bass with slow-roasted vine tomatoes,

01:17:22a scallion and paprika mini quiche, braised lettuces, and whipped Yukon and garlic fondue.

01:17:28Let's get to the bass.

01:17:30The bass was simply seasoned and grilled.

01:17:32The vine tomatoes were seasoned and slow-roasted in the salamander.

01:17:35It was then treated to a sherry and white wine shallot reduction.

01:17:38A quiche base was then tan whipped.

01:17:40That base was then placed in the muffin tin to create the little mini quiche.

01:17:44Yukon golden garlic were cooked and then butter whipped,

01:17:47creating the Yukon gold fondue that's adorning the top of the dish.

01:17:50This is foundational Jonathan Waxman cooking.

01:17:53This is totally her.

01:17:54Wow, he put in a lot of techniques.

01:17:56He did a lot of different things.

01:17:58There's a lot of really good flavors here.

01:17:59I really like that acidity brought in with the sherry vinegar.

01:18:02I think the usage of the tomatoes, though rustic and chunky,

01:18:06I really think that's a nice touch.

01:18:08And fish is cooked beautifully.

01:18:10Absolutely perfect.

01:18:11I love the quiche.

01:18:13I thought that ate really nice and creamy.

01:18:16Flavors are all in here.

01:18:17It's a great dish with a super nice moist fish.

01:18:21Plating-wise, just feels a little rushed put together.

01:18:24You think?

01:18:26I agree.

01:18:27I think that everything together ate really well.

01:18:29The flavors, really well.

01:18:31You know, beautiful colors.

01:18:32For me, I think the biggest challenge was the description.

01:18:35The tomato didn't eat like a slow-roasted tomato to me.

01:18:39Nessie hated it.

01:18:40All right, judges, thank you very much.

01:18:4250 points available in taste,

01:18:4440 points in the use of the randomizer,

01:18:46and 10 points in the plating.

01:18:48I think they're absolutely right.

01:18:49It was rushed.

01:18:51I mean, you don't do a competition for a long time.

01:18:53You are a little rusty.

01:18:55All right, judges, for the second-dish presentation,

01:18:59Justin Warner.

01:19:01I feel hopeful, you know.

01:19:03Judges, this is lightly fried striped bass

01:19:05with a Vietnamese-inspired salsa

01:19:08and whipped tofu with vine tomatoes.

01:19:11The striped bass was butchered, skinned, and seasoned.

01:19:13From there, it was treated to a bath of buttermilk

01:19:16and twice fried.

01:19:18The skin was lightly fried

01:19:20before being fully cooked in the muffin tin.

01:19:23The vine tomatoes you will find in this whipped tofu

01:19:25was done with fish sauce

01:19:27and most notably star anise and smoked paprika.

01:19:31Come on, judges.

01:19:32Moment of truth.

01:19:33This is cohesive.

01:19:34Do you like this?

01:19:35Do you want more of it?

01:19:37Marcus is nodding his head.

01:19:39What does that mean?

01:19:41Hands up.

01:19:42It's not good.

01:19:43The sounds.

01:19:45Food can be sonic.

01:19:46When you eat, the skin.

01:19:49So freaking delicious.

01:19:50I'm a fry cook through and through.

01:19:52The little foam here with the salsa,

01:19:54just like elegant on the side.

01:19:56Incredible.

01:19:57This is very, very good cooking at the highest level.

01:20:00Very successful.

01:20:02There's only one tiny thing I would say.

01:20:05The fish, it's a tad dry, just a little bit dry,

01:20:09but that's nitpicking.

01:20:11It's not double-threaded.

01:20:13I agree that the fish is a little bit dry,

01:20:16but that skin is just naughty.

01:20:18It's naughty.

01:20:20It's so crunchy and delicious.

01:20:21The usage of the fish sauce

01:20:23and the other ingredients that are inside there

01:20:25from a Vietnamese perspective.

01:20:26It is fantastic, but it's not overwhelming.

01:20:29Using the muffin tin to hold the skin was really smart.

01:20:33Loved the texture.

01:20:35Overall, a talented chef.

01:20:37Judges, thank you for your final judging tonight.

01:20:39Watching judging is excruciatingly painful and horrific.

01:20:43Look at my eyes.

01:20:44My eyes are, like, tearing up.

01:20:47I did everything that I could.

01:20:48I cooked my heart out.

01:20:49Of course, we're in there.

01:20:50Ready for you.

01:20:52Let's go.

01:20:56All right, ladies and gentlemen.

01:20:58An honor and a pleasure to have such a culinary icon.

01:21:02Let's welcome him back.

01:21:03Sir Jonathan Waxman!

01:21:07Chef Ian Bob!

01:21:16Chefs, the judges were very complimentary to the fact that

01:21:19that was no simple randomizer.

01:21:21I have your scores.

01:21:23One chef scored 80.

01:21:25The other chef scored an 82.

01:21:29And the winner of tonight's final battle between Chef Jonathan Waxman

01:21:33and Chef Vietbom is...

01:21:42Chef Vietbom!

01:21:48Good job.

01:21:49Thank you so much.

01:21:50You're welcome.

01:21:58I grew up watching you.

01:22:00It's like a dream come true, you know?

01:22:02It was such an honor to be in your presence today.

01:22:04Well, honestly, the honor is really all mine.

01:22:06And you deserve to win.

01:22:08And congratulations.

01:22:09Chef Waxman, it was graceful.

01:22:11It was poetic.

01:22:12It was very mindful of what you put on the plate.

01:22:14You're one of a kind, my friend.

01:22:16I appreciate it.

01:22:17Ladies and gentlemen, the legend himself, Sir Jonathan Waxman.

01:22:20Thank you, Chef.

01:22:28I'm glad I did this.

01:22:29It really was...

01:22:30It was fun.

01:22:31His whole career is ahead of him.

01:22:33And he has all the stuff to build on.

01:22:35That is the future of our business.

01:22:37I'm gonna pass out.

01:22:39Seriously.

01:22:40I cannot believe it.

01:22:42You just won your first big round inside of Tournament of Champions.

01:22:46Chef Vietbom!

01:22:48Thanks again.

01:22:49Let's take a look at this, bud.

01:22:52If you look at this, but you and Shirley going head to head.

01:22:56You feel it?

01:22:57I feel it!

01:22:58Congratulations!

01:22:59I feel it!

01:23:00Chef Vietbom!

01:23:01Big win!

01:23:02We're so happy for you, man, bud.

01:23:04Congratulations!

01:23:05Thanks, everyone.

01:23:11Yes!

01:23:11I won!

01:23:13Shout out to him to shake your hand.

01:23:14How are you doing?

01:23:14That's good, man.

01:23:15Congratulations, brother.

01:23:16Thank you, man.

01:23:17Wow!

01:23:17You honestly held a very cool common collective in there.

01:23:19Like, it went by a million miles an hour.

01:23:23And the little chef in me who first opened up a cookbook and was inspired by some of these

01:23:28greats, such as Jonathan Waxman.

01:23:30This is why TOC is great.

01:23:32So the winners of the C Division battles have earned their spots in the next round of competition, but we

01:23:38still have one more division to go.

01:23:40Yes!

01:23:41Join us next time when the chefs of the D Division face off in the final night of the first

01:23:45round matchups and the battle for the final four spots.

01:23:49I forgot how crazy this show is.

01:23:50That's a banger.

01:23:51That's a banger.

01:23:52Plus, we'll reveal our final icon.

01:23:57I'll see you next week.

01:23:59Adios.

01:24:00Adios.

01:24:01Adios.

01:24:02Adios.

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