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00:05Oh, thank you, thank you, my fellow Flavor-tonians.
00:08Now, last time I stood before you, I opened the gates of Flavor Town.
00:15It is a true city.
00:17Look at this place.
00:19I've invited the best chefs to see who can cook any cuisine in our off-the-hook restaurants.
00:24From the food carts to the fine dining.
00:27New restaurant every day.
00:29One chef proved worthy.
00:30Come on!
00:32And is back to defend his title.
00:34But two more chefs are on their way in to give him a run for his money.
00:39I'm like a ninja.
00:39I think this is a town I want to live in forever.
00:41But it is my duty as mayor to make sure that these chefs expect the unexpected.
00:47So on this very special day, I pay homage to the forefathers of Flavor Town,
00:53who only needed their hands to experience flavor.
00:55I hereby declare today, and today only has, No Utensils Day.
01:01Hunter, get him the fork out of here.
01:05Get the fork!
01:06Thank you, thank you.
01:13We have some mega-talented chefs competing in today's food fight.
01:17Chef Maria Maison.
01:19Of course you have your own town.
01:21From Tucson, Arizona to Flavor Town, baby.
01:23I'm known for Mexican cuisine.
01:25I didn't go to culinary school at all.
01:27I learned from life.
01:28I've done the food trucks, diner.
01:31I am literally a chameleon.
01:32That is going to give me an edge in Flavor Town.
01:35But to be in a town that can throw many restaurants, many cuisines, it is intimidating as hell.
01:44How are you, Chef?
01:44Nice to see you.
01:45How you doing, baby?
01:46And Chef Brad Miller.
01:47This is awesome.
01:49I am shocked to see how big Flavor Town is.
01:53How many restaurants there are.
01:54The food carts.
01:56That is so cool.
01:57And the car.
01:58I run a fine dining restaurant.
02:00Super high-end celebrity clientele.
02:03And I'm used to pleasing people that have extremely high expectations.
02:08Nice to meet you.
02:09Good to see you.
02:10Welcome to Flavor Town.
02:11You're about to fight for your right to earn a paycheck in Flavor Town.
02:15But you have to first face our returning champ, who is standing in your way.
02:20Allow me to introduce the winner of our very first Flavor Town food fight.
02:24The one and only Chef Angelo Sosa.
02:28It's a bright day in Flavor Town.
02:30Come on.
02:32Angelo Sosa.
02:33I was surprised.
02:34I know Angelo.
02:35He is a badass.
02:37I've been cooking for over 25 years.
02:39I'm known for upscale, elevated food.
02:41Being the first chef on Flavor Town to win.
02:45Everything was perfect.
02:46That chimichurri.
02:47I mean, we might start bottling it.
02:49It was awesome.
02:50I'm excited to see how far this run goes.
02:53Chef, how are you?
02:54Nice to see you.
02:55Good to see you.
02:56Hola, amor.
02:58Do you all know each other?
02:59Me and Angelo go way back.
03:01Way back.
03:01Yes.
03:02Dear friends.
03:03So let me lay down the laws of Flavor Town food fight.
03:05There are two rounds in the food fight.
03:07Before each round, one chef is going to earn the right to choose the restaurant kitchen that
03:11all the chefs will cook in.
03:14Now, after each round, one chef, well, their shift will end.
03:18The last chef standing will earn a paycheck up to $20,000 and the opportunity to return
03:24to Flavor Town to defend their title and hopefully win even more.
03:28Okay?
03:29Okay.
03:29All right.
03:30All right.
03:30Today's competition.
03:32I have declared this day in Flavor Town as no utensil day.
03:41That means that everything you prepare must be a handheld dish.
03:47Eating with your hands, I think just containing the mess, really challenging.
03:52All right.
03:52As we know in the restaurant business, things are ever-changing, especially in Flavor Town.
03:56So today's lineup of restaurants include the breakfast food cart.
04:00They all have the exact same pantry.
04:03This is a small SM all kitchen.
04:06Chef Angelo, you did carts last time right off the bat.
04:09You know, especially at 6'3".
04:12Then you also have Trattoria Fieri, the neighborhood Italian joint with a red sauce and chianti flow
04:17and the pasta is al dente and delicioso.
04:20Oh my gosh.
04:22What are we going to do with Italian?
04:23Are we going to eat spaghetti with our hands?
04:24Then we have Loretta's Diner named after my beautiful wife.
04:27You get breakfast, lunch, and dinner ingredients, but not on the high-end scale.
04:31I want the diner.
04:32That is homey, like my bokeh, my restaurant.
04:36And last but not least, our fine dining seafood spot, Fieri Del Mar.
04:41Well, it doesn't open until later tonight, so right now, right now it's off limits.
04:45First, we need to figure out who gets to choose the perfect spot for the first round.
04:49And we're going to do this with a little quick test of your taste buds.
04:53Ready?
04:53Yep.
04:58Under the cloche, there's a food item that has 10 ingredients.
05:02Whoever identifies the most correct ingredients in 60 seconds will take control of the first round of Flavortown.
05:11Okay?
05:11Okay.
05:12I don't do well in tests.
05:14ADHD, anxiety, dyslexia, no.
05:17But I want to be the first one to pick the restaurant.
05:20Three, two, one, go.
05:25It's a falafel wrap.
05:27There's a lot riding on this.
05:29I wanted to choose this diner because I feel like Angelo is not very diner-versed.
05:34First, they took a bite of it, so now their brain's working about, like, what did I taste?
05:38I can't allow the other chefs to get control because then they're going to have the advantage.
05:43Now they're opening it up and they're looking inside of it.
05:47Five, four, three, two, one.
05:51Let's go through this.
05:52Raining champ.
05:53We have tomatoes, cucumber, falafel, onion, feta cheese, parsley, tahini, no sesame in there.
06:01The pita is actually lavash, and there's no mint.
06:04You've got seven.
06:05All right, chef.
06:06So, sour cream, tortilla, then I have tomato, cucumber, feta, onion, avocado, sumac, falafel, yogurt.
06:14All right, six.
06:15Six.
06:16Chef Maison.
06:17Feta, cucumber, tomate, onion, falafel, the wrap, parsley, mint, garlic, and apparently I broke mint twice.
06:27Six also.
06:28So, chef Angelo, you've got seven, you've got control of Flavortown.
06:32You get to choose the Flavortown restaurant where everyone will cook it in the first round.
06:36A breakfast cart, the neighborhood Italian joint, or the 24-7 classic diner.
06:43Think about which kitchen will give you the best shot at beating your opponents in this handheld food competition.
06:50I like the Italian.
06:52That's going to be handheld.
06:53It's going to be hard.
06:54I'm 6'3".
06:56Food carts are super small.
06:58But I know the cart.
06:59I was in the cart.
07:00If there is one advantage of that...
07:06I'm going to stick with my gut.
07:10Let's go for breakfast.
07:11Going to the carts again?
07:12Yeah.
07:13Carts again.
07:14Are you serious?
07:14Big time.
07:15Let's take it to the small carts.
07:19All right, chefs.
07:21Listen, these breakfast food carts are all stocked with the same pantry and the same equipment.
07:26Doesn't get any better.
07:27Here is our food cart manager, Hunter Fieri, to explain the menu.
07:31Hello.
07:32Hey, chefs.
07:33Wow, that color is you.
07:34I know.
07:36What's on the menu?
07:37Chefs, today's menu item is an all-American breakfast.
07:42And our special today is hamsteak.
07:45Love me some hamsteak.
07:46Oh, hamsteak.
07:47Hamsteak, it's cured.
07:49There's a lot of umami.
07:50There's a lot of savoriness.
07:51You know, it could really dominate a dish if it's not used properly.
07:55You have 25 minutes to make your handheld all-American breakfast containing...
08:00Hamsteak.
08:00Hamsteak.
08:02...dishes will receive a ranking of three stars, four stars, five stars.
08:06You get five stars, you win $5,000.
08:09And take control of the next restaurant.
08:11Four-star dish, $4,000.
08:13But you only get the money if you win.
08:15Three-star dish, end of your shift.
08:17Okay.
08:19Any questions?
08:20Nope.
08:20Nope.
08:21Start now.
08:21Bye-bye.
08:22Right.
08:22Nice color on me, huh?
08:24Madre Santa.
08:25They don't know where they're going.
08:27Okay, what do we got here?
08:29You're in this tight, little, compact space.
08:31Not having any room is also going to lead to not having a lot of equipment, not having
08:34a lot of ingredients.
08:35Eggs, hamsteak.
08:37I have this fine dining, like, Michelin brain, and I got to all of a sudden just be like,
08:40come on, let's just rein it in, Brad.
08:42Rein it in.
08:43All right, I'm gathering my thoughts.
08:44I'm gathering my thoughts.
08:45Here we go.
08:46Here we go.
08:46The food car is tiny.
08:48A flat top, a fryer, and two induction stove tops.
08:51But I sell tacos for a living.
08:53The food car does not scare me at all.
08:55Here we go.
08:57Last week, I took a lot of mental shots of the layout.
09:00But my biggest takeaway from the first round is you can never be too comfortable in Flavortown.
09:06It's getting locked in.
09:08All right, Angelo, I want to know why did you pick the carts again?
09:12Because this is the hardest station.
09:14I have a slight advantage here.
09:16I've already competed last week, so I know the limitations.
09:19I wish the chef's the best, but it's their first time.
09:22All right, what are you making?
09:23An amazing burrito.
09:24I have the ham steak, adding tomatoes, some jalapenos, some real robust flavor, because
09:30it's going to go right in that burrito.
09:32Okay.
09:33Oh, I love ham steak.
09:34Individually slice cuts the ham that come from the leg of the pig.
09:38I'm going to take some of the bacon, really try to extrapolate that beautiful smoke here.
09:42You have more bacon than you have ham?
09:44Nope.
09:44So just a little bacon for flavor.
09:46That's correct.
09:46Okay.
09:48All right, Chef, talk to me.
09:50What's the game plan?
09:51I'm going to give you the most iconic item in a breakfast situation, which is the burrito.
09:56I think that's a pretty common idea.
09:58You work with a lot of ham steak?
09:59I sure do.
10:00Nah.
10:04This is good ham.
10:05This is a little bit on the salty side, but does have a little bit of a honey touches.
10:10There's a lot of water in this ham.
10:12Yes.
10:13Did you cook it down?
10:13Yes.
10:14Okay.
10:15I'm not going home first, that is for sure.
10:18I don't have that pedigree of other chefs, but I've been a semi-fanalist for a James beer twice.
10:25I am scrappy.
10:28I need to stop shaking for a second.
10:30Yeah, well, it's a little bit nerve-wracking.
10:32You're in Flavortown for the first time, and you're in a little food cart, and everybody's staring at you.
10:36I know.
10:37Okay, good luck.
10:39Now, we've got two of the food carts that are doing burritos.
10:43That could cost somebody the first round.
10:47I don't know.
10:48Chef Brad, how we looking?
10:49I do fine, Donny, so I'm going to do a takeoff of the French omelet.
10:52That creaminess, that richness, same concept, except I want to put it on a bun.
10:58Like breakfast sandwich, I kind of want to make it, you know, this is Flavortown.
11:01I want to bring some flavor.
11:02I want to go big.
11:03Yeah, so I'm going to elevate it by making it so creamy, the way you take a bite, it's going
11:06to leak out.
11:07But I still want to feature this hamstick in here.
11:09The first thing I want to do is take off that raw ham sandwich-y flavor of the hamstick
11:13and kind of bring out that caramelization.
11:15Let's get this browning up a little bit.
11:16Sometimes you cook those ham steaks, you've got to sit there and let them really cook down a bunch
11:20to cook the water out of them before you can get that texture back.
11:23That might make it a little bit difficult for these chefs.
11:25Where is the spoon?
11:26I want to win that money because my young son, Roman, two years old, and God knows what college
11:32is going to be in the future, but really, it's not about the money.
11:35It's getting to show my skills, but induction burners are kind of finicky.
11:39You move the pan off, it turns off.
11:41You've got to keep the heat going.
11:42It's not like a gas burner, which you can really control.
11:44Is this thing not on?
11:46It keeps turning off and it's turning back on.
11:48You can't have that.
11:50You've got to have even, consistent heat.
11:52This thing keeps turning off.
11:5415 minutes, 10 minutes already down.
11:57They've got 15 minutes left to cook.
11:5815 minutes is not a lot of time.
12:00It seems like it is, but it's not.
12:0414 minutes.
12:07The competition has started.
12:08I'm just waiting for my hotshot judges to show up.
12:11Oh, it's Chef Adam Sobel.
12:12What's up, brother?
12:14Tiffany Faison.
12:14Hi, Jeff.
12:15The TOC champ.
12:16Welcome to Flavortown.
12:17This is, what is this?
12:18It's like wild.
12:19This is so cool.
12:21It all just spilled out from your head.
12:22Well, there's nothing left in there.
12:24Let me assure you of that.
12:25As we walk this way, this is the street carts.
12:28They are small, but they are mighty.
12:30Today, these chefs are making an all-American breakfast featuring ham steak.
12:34I don't know if you saw the signage when you came cruising to Flavortown,
12:37but it said no utensils day.
12:39So everything the chefs make has to be handheld.
12:43We have to use our God forks.
12:44God forks.
12:48Shabby!
12:49Shabby!
12:49Hello!
12:51Buongiorno.
12:51Reigning champ of Flavortown?
12:53What's handheld planned?
12:54Yeah, so we're going to do a burrito.
12:55I'm taking the beautiful ham steak.
12:57I dice that up to get nice caramelization with some bacon.
12:59Then I put some jalapenos and some tomatoes there.
13:02You chose the street cart.
13:03I did.
13:04I competed last week in here.
13:06I had limitations.
13:07So you're saying it was really challenging for you the first time?
13:09Yeah.
13:10Looking forward to eating your food.
13:11I'm going to get my eggs going on the cruncher.
13:14To cook eggs perfectly, I think that's an art.
13:17It's easy to overcook.
13:18It's easy to undercook.
13:19The key here is I add the cream because it helps stabilize so the eggs don't turn color.
13:23Cheese.
13:24Take a little heavy cream.
13:26Maria, is it good, my love?
13:27Yes, my love.
13:28And you?
13:29Yes, very good.
13:30Maria Maison is a dear friend.
13:33A fierce competitor.
13:34But let me be clear here.
13:37I do want to win.
13:38To be the first returning champ on Flavortown.
13:41It's been a blessed journey.
13:43Whoever wins gets to pick the next concept.
13:46I want to show my team and show my family that I can handle the pressure.
13:50It's really important that I stay focused.
13:53Do we have a salsa or anything coming with this?
13:55That's a great question.
13:56It's all in there.
13:57Okay.
13:57Simplicity is excellence, right?
13:59You love your simplicity.
14:01I'm not saying anything about it.
14:04That ham smells gorgeous.
14:06Speaking of gorgeous.
14:07Hi, Chef.
14:08Oh, my God.
14:09Hey, now.
14:10My day just got better.
14:11What do you got working, Chef?
14:13The burrito.
14:13You're making a breakfast burrito?
14:15Yes.
14:15Okay.
14:15And because, believe it or not, in Mexico, we don't need the burrito, like, here on the
14:19States.
14:19Right.
14:20And I am embracing that.
14:22I'm even putting the salsa inside for you.
14:25We like it spicy.
14:25Love it.
14:26I got you.
14:26I wanted something fresh, but don't make a separate salsa because they're not going to have
14:30a spoon.
14:31So, I put in a little bit of jalapeño, cilantro, onion.
14:35I was covering my bases.
14:38If I win, I want to take my son to Mexico City.
14:41Renee is the best dish I've ever cooked.
14:43No Michelin start or Jane's beer were needed.
14:47Am I going to need more ham?
14:49So, if guy asks me for ham, I'm giving guy ham.
14:53Okay.
14:55I've got more ham.
14:56So, oh, it's a good idea to put a big chunk of ham.
15:00Big slice of ham.
15:01Oh, yeah.
15:03Hey, Chef.
15:04Hi, Chef.
15:04How are you?
15:04Hey, how's it going, guys?
15:06What do you got working, Chef?
15:07The French omelet breakfast sandwich.
15:08Okay.
15:09Fine dining background.
15:10Normally, I'm doing, like, romantic dinners, working the late night shift.
15:13I'm doing breakfast over here now.
15:15Yeah.
15:15Thanks, guys.
15:16It's exciting.
15:17I'm really making my ham, really rending out that salt.
15:19So, working with ham steak, one of the trickier things can be is, as you cook it, there's
15:24your salt.
15:25So, you don't want to over-season your dish.
15:27Fieri del Mar is fine dining, and that's where I want to be.
15:30So, getting past this round is where I need to get into.
15:33Let's think for a second.
15:34Let's think.
15:34Let's think.
15:35I still want to go big.
15:36I probably saw some cream.
15:37I guess I don't have any cream.
15:39You know what?
15:39Let's throw in spinach.
15:41Chef Brad, how are we looking?
15:42Cutting it a little close, because I keep wanting to add new things to it.
15:44Now you've got spinach going in.
15:46Kind of like cream spinach.
15:47Very all-American.
15:48Are you worried about this being too wet?
15:50I am, but I'm going to try to reduce this down a little more.
15:52I want to make it creamy.
15:53I want to make it soft.
15:54Delicious.
15:55Delicious.
15:57How interesting is this?
15:58You've got two Latin chefs making burritos.
16:02Who's going to reign supreme?
16:03When you have two things that are the same, it obviously, like, pits them against each other
16:07in a way that, like, does the sandwich slide.
16:09Five minutes.
16:10Five minutes left, chefs.
16:11You've got to be pointed.
16:12Positive energy over here.
16:13I'm going to start plating very shortly.
16:15I'm not going to add the egg first, because I don't want the moisture of the egg to bleed
16:20into the burrito wrap and make it soggy.
16:22I have this beautiful mixture of the ham steak.
16:25I have the scrambled eggs here with butter, cream.
16:28Then I roll it tight, almost like a cigar, because the more you roll it will protect the
16:32moisture from not leaching out.
16:34Happy?
16:36Oh, my Lord.
16:37Three minutes, 16 seconds.
16:40That's what one week in this kitchen does to you.
16:43Angela's done, and if he's done with two and a half, three minutes left, like, there's
16:46that regret of, like, what could I have done in three minutes is a lot of time.
16:51Chefs, we've got two and a half minutes.
16:53Ay-yi-yi.
16:54You're making me nervous.
16:58I wanted to make sure that I wrap my burrito.
17:01Oh, yeah.
17:03My idea is to do a crust on my burrito.
17:08Okay.
17:08So I take my brioche.
17:09I have my cheese down.
17:10I add my egg mixture with the ham.
17:12Plates, plates, plates.
17:14Right here.
17:14All right.
17:15So not having utensils is dictating my plating, because I don't want to slice it in half.
17:19I don't want it to kind of leak out.
17:21So I see that cafeteria tray nice and flat, and I went right for it.
17:25And then I add in my spinach, and I kind of put that layer on top to kind of seal
17:31it
17:31in.
17:3390 seconds.
17:38Oh, you the tortilla got stuck, because I cooked the ham in the flat top.
17:44You know, releases liquid.
17:47Well, that is not going to happen, so I need to rewrap the burrito.
17:52One minute, Chef.
17:53We got 60 seconds to serve those guests.
17:57I cannot believe that my faith relies on a burrito.
18:08I dumped the broken burrito into a fresh tortilla.
18:1230 seconds.
18:15This is harder than I thought.
18:17That's the prettiest I could be.
18:19Plates in the window in five seconds.
18:22Four, three, two, one.
18:25We are done cooking.
18:27Whew.
18:28What do you think about Flavor Town, my friend?
18:30I think this is the town I want to live in forever.
18:33I took a bit of risk.
18:34There was four pounds of ham in there.
18:40That was busy.
18:42Chef Angelo, you're up first.
18:43Chefs.
18:44Good luck.
18:48Chefs, really such an honor.
18:49Fluttery gets you everywhere.
18:51I grew up in an Italian-Dominican home.
18:54When my father didn't want to do the cooking, we would order burrito.
18:58I cubed the hamstick, and I caramelized that with smoked bacon.
19:01Then I took the eggs.
19:02I added some tomato, some jalapeno, and then the hot sauce, I think, really just takes it to the next
19:08level.
19:08Put hot sauce on it?
19:15This is like a classic all-American breakfast burrito, seasoned really well.
19:20I love the bacon and the ham together, obviously, like, giving that ham steak that's like, eh, like, some bacon
19:25quality.
19:25Really, really smart.
19:27There's a little bit of freshness that I'm missing here, because everything is cooked and steamed in here.
19:31We get a hot sauce, which I appreciate, but, like, make one for, like, a little side salsa, something on
19:36the side.
19:36Thank you so much, Chef.
19:37Yeah.
19:39A chef of Angelo's caliber could have done three sauces.
19:43All right, Chef Maria, you're up.
19:45Con permiso.
19:46I grew up in Sonora, Mexico, but I was born in Tucson, Arizona.
19:49I saw more burritos in the United States than in Mexico.
19:52No question.
19:53I decided to saute the ham and put a little pico de gallo in there.
19:58And I put a piece of ham steak in there, too.
20:01Enjoy.
20:07Ham, egg, and cheese.
20:09Done.
20:09Tomato.
20:10Yeah.
20:10Onion in a tortilla.
20:12I do love the use of, like, all the fresh elements in here.
20:15I love how the burrito was seared.
20:17It's crispy.
20:18Mine is, like, a little light on the sear, so I'm getting this, like...
20:21The what?
20:21It's loosey-juicy.
20:22It's making it soggy.
20:24I'm not having that problem.
20:25Look at your sear.
20:26You have a much more aggressive sear on the bottom.
20:28Yes.
20:29It's too much ham.
20:30When you think about all-American breakfast, I do think about a lot of protein.
20:33Yeah, that's true.
20:34But I think the ham diced in here with the ham that's on the bottom, I really think you've
20:39got to choose your fighter.
20:40Okay.
20:40I get it.
20:41Thanks, Chef.
20:43All right.
20:44Tell me about the ham steak move.
20:47Because a challenge called for all-American, and the star was the ham steak.
20:52Gotcha.
20:52Chef Braddon, last but not least, go get them.
20:55Hi, judges.
20:56I thought of all-American breakfast, kind of that creaminess of the eggs of, like, a French
21:00omelet.
21:01So I wanted that brioche.
21:02Yes.
21:02So having that American cheese in there is really nice.
21:04And then spinach.
21:12If you're talking all-American, this is essentially a bacon, egg, and cheese.
21:16The cook on these eggs.
21:18It's got the fluffiness, great technique-wise.
21:20It's really delicious.
21:21Issue for me, it's not easy to eat.
21:24My bread's soggy.
21:26This spinach is really difficult.
21:27Yeah.
21:28This definitely is not as profound on the ham side.
21:31I love the, like, saute and the sear of the ham here.
21:34Like, do you see how caramelized the ham is?
21:36Yeah.
21:36There's just not enough of it.
21:38It's in there.
21:38We're searching for the ham.
21:39Oh, you're searching for it.
21:40Thank you, Chef.
21:41Thank you so much.
21:43Angelo and Maria both made breakfast burritos.
21:45So I think this dish can get me to the next round.
21:48Kicking it in the park bench.
21:49How was you?
21:49Just kicking it at the park bench.
21:50You guys didn't, like, graffiti or tattoo myself.
21:53Not yet.
21:53Well.
21:54Who gave you All-American and who featured ham steak?
21:57I mean...
22:05Well, how was your first cook at Flavortown?
22:08That was awesome.
22:09The judges ranked your dishes from three-star dish to four-star dish to a five-star dish.
22:15Unfortunately, the chef with the three-star dish, well, your shift will be over.
22:21Five-star dish is going to go to...
22:28Congratulations, Chef Angelo.
22:30Oh, my God.
22:30Well done.
22:31Oh, my God.
22:31Whoa.
22:32You were just killing it, man.
22:34All right.
22:34I didn't expect that.
22:35Between you two.
22:38Unfortunately, the chef whose shift will be over in Flavortown is...
22:46Chef Brad.
22:47You had some really good things going on, but too little ham.
22:52Unfortunately, your shift's over.
22:53Well, I'm glad I got to cook for the mayor of Flavortown.
22:55So, thank you so much.
22:56This place is amazing.
22:58Thank you, brother.
22:58Thank you so much.
22:59Thank you, Chef.
22:59Bye, Chef.
23:00Thank you, guys.
23:02Oh, I'm feeling so disappointed.
23:04I was so excited to be in Flavortown.
23:07I definitely don't take it lightly when I don't win.
23:13So, here's the deal.
23:14Chef Angelo, five stars, $5,000 going towards your paycheck.
23:18Your four-star dish got you $4,000.
23:21But the only way you're going to get that money on your paycheck is if you win the next round.
23:26Now, Chef Angelo, you get to pick where the two of you are going to cook.
23:30So, of course, you know Trattoria Fietti.
23:32Fantastic Italian.
23:33Trattoria, I think, is in your wheelhouse.
23:37You take the diner.
23:38A lot more options for handheld, I think, in there.
23:41And last but not least, it finally opened, is Fieri Del Mar, a high-end seafood restaurant.
23:48Handheld in a fine dining.
23:50Yeah.
23:51Just remember, whichever restaurant you prefer to work in, will it give you or Chef Maria the advantage?
23:58With the $5,000 win, you could walk away with $20,000 a night.
24:02I'm not going to get all this money until I win the second round.
24:05If you're talking about pressure, that's pressure.
24:08Where would you like to cook?
24:15Chef Angelo, you get to pick where the two of you are going to cook.
24:19Yeah, yeah, yeah.
24:21If you know me, what would I pick?
24:24I think you're going Fieri Del Mar.
24:26Thank you very much.
24:27Fine dining it is?
24:31The fine dining restaurant, for me, I could show more diversity of flavors, but also techniques.
24:37I've also seen the kitchen before, so there is a bit of advantage.
24:40I just want to remind you, Chef, it's handheld.
24:43I love a challenge.
24:45Ay, chamaco.
24:46Last time he was in Flavortown, he won with fine dining.
24:50I'm fast casual.
24:51Fine dining scares me to death.
24:54Chefs, let's go to Fieri Del Mar.
24:59Here you are.
25:00Fieri Del Mar, where the fine dining menu is packed to the gills with the freshest seafood
25:05from Flavortown Fish Market.
25:07Coming out in just a moment is maitre d' Hunter Fieri to hear all about tonight's menu.
25:12Bravo, bravo.
25:12Hello, Chef.
25:13What do you think?
25:14Que guapo.
25:16Will you be performing in the lounge tonight?
25:18I do have a tap-dating routine that I'll be performing, yes.
25:21There we are.
25:21All right, tell us about tonight's menu.
25:23Tonight's menu will be featuring an appetizer duo.
25:28Remember, there are no utensils allowed, so that will be a handheld appetizer duo.
25:33Ay, senor.
25:35Appetizer duos, they need to speak to each other but also be uniquely different.
25:40It's not easy.
25:41Flavortown diners expect a next-level dish.
25:44So both of you have a shot to earn some extra money by incorporating a few items from the
25:50restaurant's upsell menu that Hunter has.
25:52Chefs, our upsells tonight.
25:54Tinned fish.
25:56If you use it, we'll get you an extra $2,000.
25:59Tinned fish it is.
26:00Number two, sea lettuce.
26:03If you use sea lettuce in there, you'll get an extra $3,000.
26:06And last but not least, for an extra $5,000, baby octopus.
26:12The winner of this round will win $5,000, but they could win an extra $10,000 if they
26:18were to utilize all the ingredients inside an upsell menu.
26:22But you must utilize at least one of those items in your dish.
26:26Let me just remind you, you only get the money if you win.
26:30Hunter, listen, I know that the reservations are packed.
26:32I know that we need to get things moving.
26:34We do.
26:34Let's do this.
26:35Let's make things quick because time is money.
26:37Let's go with 30 minutes.
26:3830 sounds good.
26:40And your clock starts now.
26:41Good luck.
26:42All right, Chefs.
26:45I cooked here last week.
26:46Again, I know the space.
26:48I know where the equipment is.
26:49That's exactly why I chose the fine dining restaurant.
26:52I'm on a roll right now, and I'm not going to mess up this winning streak.
26:55But two dishes in 30 minutes, that's like full throttle.
26:59Behind show.
27:00This giant kitchen.
27:02Whoa, what a setup.
27:03I think the idea of handheld and fine dining together is so tough on its own.
27:08And then on top of like that, you have to use these ingredients.
27:11Well, this is going to be interesting.
27:13There is no blender?
27:14Blenders are in the back, Chef.
27:16Immediately off the bat, I know I want baby octopus because the sea lettuce with this octopus
27:23is going to go magical.
27:24And that's $8,000.
27:27The sea lettuce is a type of seaweed.
27:30I love eating tin fish.
27:32The biggest challenge would be, it's dry.
27:34So I'm really not even thinking about using it.
27:37And I saw this beautiful Pacific wild salmon behind.
27:42So I knew I wanted to do something with that, but it didn't come to me yet.
27:45So I was buying myself time focusing on baby octopus.
27:52Okay.
27:53Angelo is a fine dining guy.
27:55And that's how he won the whole shebangs.
27:57Uh-huh.
27:58It's giving me anxiety.
27:59That is not my wheelhouse.
28:01It's intimidating when you have these beautiful ingredients that I don't get to use that often.
28:07I live in the desert.
28:10I cooked octopus.
28:11And once, I'm never going to forget, one person asked me if my octopus was local.
28:16My response was, yes, I have a pool on the roof.
28:21But I grabbed that beautiful piece of tuna because I had an idea for a bunch of stuff.
28:27Okay.
28:28What do we have here, chef?
28:29For my langoustine ceviche.
28:30Got it.
28:31With my first appetizer.
28:32I have literally all the components, but I don't know how I'm going to present.
28:36The most important thing, there's no utensils.
28:38And if I remember correctly, and fine dining, so you can lift your pinky, you need your fork and knife.
28:43I really don't know what I'm making.
28:45Talk about pressure, dude.
28:4724 minutes.
28:49Whew.
28:51What's on the menu, chef?
28:52Yeah, so I'm going to take this, our baby octopus.
28:54We're going to do it Korean style.
28:55Coachie John spent a lot of time in Korea.
28:58Going to really tenderize these octopus so the marinade penetrates.
29:03Fantastic.
29:03I'm going to grill it.
29:04Baby octopus.
29:05It needs to be cooked correctly, tenderized correctly, or it's going to really be chewy.
29:10Last week was a farm-to-table concept.
29:12Now it's a bountiful seafood.
29:15All the restaurants change.
29:17You never know what you're getting yourself into.
29:21To be in Flavortown, this really is a dream.
29:24You know, growing up in what I would say is a ruptured home.
29:27Really not having much...
29:31Like, you know, self-esteem or value.
29:34Cooking saved me, my Tia Carmen.
29:36She taught me the beauty of cooking, how food could transform pain into love, and that's
29:44why I'm here.
29:46Really want to make sure we get that beautiful char on the octopus here.
29:49Then we're going to chop it.
29:51Essentially, we're going to make like an octopus salad here.
29:55Little fish sauce.
29:56Chef, can I take some of that seaweed?
29:58Is that possible?
29:58Yes, yes, yes.
30:00Grazie, grazie.
30:02Really want to bring out that oceanic flavor here.
30:04Sea lettuce is very neutral, a lot of salinity.
30:08When you think about fine dining, you think about fancy, and when you think about fancy,
30:11you don't think about necessarily eating with your hands.
30:14So I'm thinking, what is a vessel that can contain this?
30:17I can't lose in a fine dining challenge.
30:19My reputation's at stake here.
30:21Stay composed, stay focused.
30:22You can't just give us baby octopus that's grilled.
30:24How are we picking it up?
30:25Handheld-wise, I just can't get over the challenging part of that.
30:30How are things coming?
30:31I mean, I cook Mexican cuisine, I cook tacos, but I love a good challenge.
30:35I put my big girl chonies up.
30:38If people don't know what chonies is, it's underwear.
30:42I've been freaking grinding for 15 years.
30:45I have never won a competition.
30:48To keep putting yourself out there, and it takes a toll on you.
30:51I need a W, man.
30:53First thing I do is to make this beautiful sauce for the languesines.
30:57It's ginger, green apple, cucumber, honey.
31:01I want something fresh.
31:02I want something to pop.
31:05Oh, that's awesome.
31:06I am going to just marinate this really quick.
31:09You got this, honey.
31:11Positive energy.
31:12Angelo, he's on a roll.
31:14Hopefully, I'm going to stop his horses.
31:17Okay.
31:17And so I decide, as a fine dining restaurant, you need to upsell, baby.
31:22If we use sea lettuce, it's three grand.
31:29But it's like you're chewing the ocean.
31:32Do you work with sea lettuce a lot?
31:33Nothing more Mexican than sea lettuce.
31:37We'll see, lettuce.
31:38We'll see.
31:39It's very salty, so I decide to fry it.
31:42The fryer is going to actually release the salt a little bit and give it that crispy texture.
31:48Careful, chef.
31:49Nine minutes and 45 seconds.
31:51Madre mia.
31:52Chefs, we are going to go relax and wait for our gorgeous meal.
31:56Beautiful.
31:56Thank you, chef.
31:57It's reserved for us, chef.
32:00Okay, so what you need to do next, get the sauce going.
32:04We're going to do a tartare with a northern Thai style, almost like a salsa verde.
32:10They have to think of a delivery vehicle for each of these items.
32:14For fine dining, you have to think about the experience and the gap.
32:17I'm just going to go with the salmon.
32:18Just focus.
32:19How's that being served, chef?
32:21Um, I'm working on that.
32:24I will get back to you.
32:26I chose the fine dining restaurant because I had a bit of a lay of the land, but the
32:31concept of no utensils is kind of contradicting the concept of fine dining, so a little perplexing.
32:40Wildcats, sardines.
32:42I start working on my tostada.
32:44I'm like, okay, the tin fish is giving me two grand if I win the whole thing.
32:49Tin fish can be a wide variety of things, like mackerel, and it can be in curry sauce.
32:54Sardine is very versatile.
32:56It's oily.
32:57It's going to give the umami that fine dining requires.
33:02I made a puree with fennel, and it will complement the tuna for the tostada.
33:09Tin fish get used?
33:11Tin fish is right here.
33:12What else are you doing for an appetizer?
33:13I have slightly grilled some langoustines.
33:16The food has to be handheld.
33:18The first dish, I still don't have a vessel.
33:22It's your avocado.
33:23My tank is not empty.
33:25The delivery vehicle, I think, is going to matter.
33:27Feeling good?
33:28Not really.
33:29I have this tall, beautiful, skinny human being of Angelou Sosa that has more tweezers than
33:35I own tennis shoes.
33:37So it is intimidating.
33:40Time is ticking.
33:41Got it, got it, got it, got it, got it.
33:53Angelo used the octopus in one of his appetizers.
33:56I said, in what medium will this be served?
33:58He says, I don't know yet.
34:02The biggest challenge of fine dining and seafood is not to overpower it, not to mask it.
34:07I need to keep it super simple.
34:11Lettuce cup.
34:12So for the Korean-inspired baby octopus, I have the lettuce cup.
34:16Let the ingredients speak for themselves.
34:19So for me, the lettuce cup is going to go magical.
34:22This octopus salad is pretty next-level flavor.
34:27Breathe, Angelo.
34:28Breathe.
34:28Just breathe.
34:29Just breathe.
34:30Just breathe.
34:30Time to build the salmon.
34:32I use, again, a lettuce cup.
34:34And even if a little bit dribbles down, I think that's okay because, yes, it's fine dining,
34:39but here's the thing.
34:40It's also handheld, so you've got to pick your battles.
34:45Come on, come on, come on, come on.
34:47Are you good?
34:482.45.
34:51I needed a vessel.
34:53I am panicking at this point.
34:55Behind, behind.
34:56But the sauce has green apple, so I get a chunk of apple.
35:00I know it's not fine dining.
35:02I have no time.
35:03Fried sea lettuce, the langoustine mixture.
35:07Caviar, because I knew the saltiness was going to play well with the apple and the spiciness
35:13of my sauce.
35:15Chefs, we have 60 seconds.
35:17For my tostada, I grab that beautiful piece of tuna that probably costs more than the house.
35:24She has to get that mixed and seasoned and plated.
35:2740 seconds.
35:27I spread that pea, sardine sauce.
35:32And then I put my tartare.
35:3510 seconds.
35:36This is fun.
35:38Come on, Maria.
35:415, 4, 3, 2, 1.
35:45You're done.
35:45Nice job, chefs.
35:47Nicely done.
35:49I'm lying.
35:51No, that's no joke.
35:53I am full of doubt and then some.
35:55It's just my refinement.
35:57You should have done this.
35:58You should have done that.
36:01Chef Angelo, it's time to do what you do.
36:03Do the voodoo that you do.
36:04Good luck.
36:04Thank you, chef.
36:08Good evening.
36:09Good evening.
36:09Chef.
36:11Aha.
36:13I'm really excited to let you in.
36:16At 9 o'clock, took the baby octopus, marinated it in garlic, cochujan, fish sauce, and I grilled
36:22it.
36:23And then if you go to the salmon, this is a Laotian-style northern Thai garlic, parsley,
36:28cilantro, fish sauce.
36:30Talk us through the lettuce wrap for both.
36:32I wanted to offer neutrality and let the proteins be the highlight.
36:35Okay.
36:43I thought the flavors were really lovely all the way through, really punchy.
36:46The sea lettuce is pleasant.
36:48I think trying to get the marinated in the octopus and not have it leach is tough.
36:53For Vine Dining to have something that's stripping like this, it's a harder sell.
36:57Yeah.
36:58No utensils day here at Flavortown.
37:00That means you need to be really thoughtful about how it goes in our mouth and how it picks
37:03up.
37:04The salmon with a smaller, tighter lettuce cup, that has an element of refinement.
37:10The flavor on the salmon, I think it was spectacular.
37:14Thank you very much.
37:17Lettuce wraps for Vine Dining.
37:18I'm surprised.
37:20Exactly.
37:20The door's open.
37:21The door is open.
37:23All right.
37:24Go get them.
37:24Thank you, chef.
37:25You bet.
37:28I think she probably did really good.
37:30Two friends.
37:30Hey, chef.
37:31Hi.
37:31Hi, chef.
37:32Excuse my reach.
37:33Not at all.
37:34I want to give you two different things.
37:36The first one, it's a big bite of an apple.
37:39I actually fried the sea lettuce and I did the langostino.
37:43The langostine, I made it into a ceviche.
37:45And the tostada, I really wanted it to the tin fish to actually speak for itself.
37:50And then I did a tartare of tuna, which I actually, sorry, I'm nervous.
37:56It's okay.
37:57With, uh, a little bit of salt and a little bit of lemon and orange peel.
38:12You have a flavor combination here that's really, really special.
38:16I think the frying of the sea lettuce is so genius.
38:19It's so, so smart to, like, take something, get a different texture out of it.
38:22But the apple needs to be cut really intentionally instead of, like, apples and peanut butter slices.
38:27If this was cleaned up and maybe on a plank and what was clean and simple, that could be a
38:32really impactful bite.
38:34For a pan-held and fine dining, clunky.
38:37Okay.
38:41Tuna tostada is a great appetizer and has the ability to be refined.
38:46I think the sardine and the tuna together are really extraordinary.
38:49So smart, because not every fish could handle sardine.
38:52I'm learning, and thank you, just to be judged by you two.
38:56Muchas gracias.
38:57Okay, thank you.
38:58I'm nervous.
38:59You guys are intimidating.
39:01A little tongue-tied out there.
39:03Yeah.
39:04What's going on?
39:05I'm nervous.
39:06When you're in those high-stress situations, it's your reputation.
39:09It's who you are as a chef.
39:10And it's a lot of steak.
39:12Now it's just woodsy.
39:14All right.
39:15I gotta go talk with the judges.
39:16Hang tight.
39:19I think it's super close.
39:20Hello.
39:21Will you be joining us this evening?
39:22Oh, you're joining us.
39:23Well, I just thought I would come and check on you.
39:25All right, judges.
39:26Five-star dish will win $5,000 plus any of their upsells, plus their previous money.
39:31I need the five-star dish from you.
39:35Well, I mean, it's a tough one.
39:39This was officially the fourth cook that has ever happened in Flavortown.
39:44Both of you really brought a lot of you, and that, as chefs, is all we can do.
39:49This would give you a chance for a $14,000 paycheck or an $18,000 paycheck, depending on
39:55who wins.
39:55But unfortunately, only one of you could get the five-star dish.
40:01The chef who prepared the winning five-star dish was...
40:09Congratulations.
40:22Well done.
40:24Chef Angelo, you were a great champion.
40:26You came back.
40:27You took it to these two chefs.
40:29Unfortunately, this is when your shift is over.
40:34And what I didn't share is I know Maria, my Tia Carmen was my North Star.
40:39I grew up in a very disruptive home, and she was...
40:42If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be alive.
40:44And she reminded me of my Tia.
40:47So I'm very proud of her and very honored that you won.
40:51You're going to do well, chef, okay?
40:53Believe in yourself, okay?
40:57Congratulations, Chef Angelo Stosha.
40:59My shift at Flavortown has come to an end.
41:02Thank you, chef.
41:03Could I use a different vessel for the lettuce cup?
41:06Could I have done something differently?
41:07Sure.
41:08I will say two dishes in 30 minutes.
41:10That just, honestly, it was not easy.
41:15It's a class act.
41:17Truly.
41:18You just took down the reigning champ.
41:21I can start crying or laughing, either or.
41:23You are now stepping into a different arena.
41:27I'm not used to it.
41:28Guess what, chef?
41:29You better get used to it.
41:31Congratulations.
41:31You have won $14,000.
41:38Competing against Angelo and having that honor.
41:41It's a lot.
41:42I am surprised.
41:44But I deserve it.
41:46Make sure you return for the next Food Fight
41:48as our returning champ comes in to defend her title
41:51against two new chefs and new restaurants
41:53right here in Flavortown Food Fight.
41:55See you next time.
41:56Adios.
41:57Adios.
41:57Adios.
42:00Adios.
42:00Adios.
42:00Adios.
42:00Adios.
42:00Adios.