Tournament of Champions - Season 7 - Episode 04: The Final Icon Is Revealed - video Dailymotion

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00:00:00It's the ultimate culinary competition,

00:00:02and it continues in full force.

00:00:04Let's go!

00:00:06Last time on TOC7, the chefs of the C division

00:00:09got their first taste of kitchen combat.

00:00:12And the winner is Shirley Chug,

00:00:15Brian Botaggio, Dan Jacobs.

00:00:18Wow!

00:00:19And in the main event, the top-seeded culinary icon,

00:00:23Chef Jonathan Waxman, fell in a hard fight

00:00:26against Chef Viet Pham.

00:00:29It was such an honor to be in your presence.

00:00:31Good job!

00:00:33And tonight, the chefs of the D division

00:00:35will fight for the last four spots in the second round bracket.

00:00:40Whoa!

00:00:41That is delicious!

00:00:42First up, TOC6 semifinalist Chef Leigh Ann Wong

00:00:46takes on Iron Chef Stephanie Izar.

00:00:49She's just a badass.

00:00:51I'm nervous.

00:00:52Then the 24-24 winner, Chef Marcel Vigneron,

00:00:55takes on James Beard nominee, Chef David Bianna.

00:01:01Yes, yes, yes!

00:01:03CHOP grand champion Chef Kalina Bliss faces off

00:01:06against TOC4 quarter-finalist Chef Adam Sobel.

00:01:10That's a banger.

00:01:11I forgot how crazy the show is.

00:01:13It's delicious, and it's craveable.

00:01:15Yeah!

00:01:16And finally, the last of our top-seeded culinary icons

00:01:20will be revealed and take on the beast of the kitchen,

00:01:24Chef Kenny Gilbert.

00:01:25I want to see my banner drop.

00:01:27I want to have my belt, the ring, and then the cash.

00:01:32Who will win the title, the belt, and the $150,000?

00:01:37This is Tournament of Champions 7.

00:01:45Are you ready for the final night of the first round battles?

00:01:51The D-Division All-Stars are ready to prove themselves

00:01:55in the TOC arena.

00:01:56Let's meet tonight's first two contenders.

00:01:59First, we have the number seven seed, the GOAT herself,

00:02:02Iron Chef Stephanie Izard, who has struggled

00:02:05in the TOC arena in the past, but cooked her way

00:02:08into the competition with a decisive qualifier win.

00:02:12I'm approaching this season a little differently.

00:02:13My goal, honestly, was just to get in the main bracket.

00:02:15It's all about the randomizer.

00:02:17I think what's happened to me in the past

00:02:18is I have these thoughts in my head,

00:02:20and then you see the randomizer,

00:02:21and you don't let it speak to you.

00:02:23Her opponent, Chef Leanne Wong,

00:02:26whose impressive performance at TOC 6,

00:02:28has her secured at a number two seed.

00:02:31Hopefully, I'm still hanging on to a little bit

00:02:33of momentum from last year.

00:02:35I thought I would come in as a number one seed this year,

00:02:37but I'm coming in as a number two seed

00:02:39because there are mystery icons, but I'm playing to stay.

00:02:44Leanne Wong was my culinary producer on Top Chef

00:02:47like almost 20 years ago, and she was scary.

00:02:51I helped select her as a chef tester.

00:02:53I always tell her, I'm like, I was not allowed

00:02:55to be nice to you, but I adored you from day one.

00:02:58I'm sure once take me down, just like I want

00:02:59to take her down, but they're ready to give each other a big hug

00:03:01and be so proud of each other no matter what.

00:03:03I got to final four last year.

00:03:05This year, I want to get the four Bs of TOC.

00:03:08The briefcase, the belt, the bling, and the bragging rights.

00:03:12Are you ready to see the clash of the culinary titans?

00:03:16Let's light this up!

00:03:20Over her two decades as an executive chef,

00:03:24she has built a restaurant empire that spans

00:03:27from Chicago to California.

00:03:31And she received a James Beard Award

00:03:34for Best Chef Great Lakes in 2013.

00:03:38She is the first female winner of Top Chef.

00:03:42And in 2017, she won the coveted title of Iron Chef.

00:03:49And she earned a spot in the bracket with the highest score

00:03:52in TOC 7 qualifiers.

00:03:55Give it up for the GOAT, Stephanie Eisen!

00:04:00Goat!

00:04:04Whoo!

00:04:06You ready, guys?

00:04:07You ready, ready?

00:04:09Oh, ha, ha!

00:04:11Oh, ha, ha!

00:04:13We need to get the audience on your side, GOAT.

00:04:16Whoo!

00:04:17Welcome to TOC 7, Chef.

00:04:19Thanks.

00:04:19Great to have you.

00:04:20Whoo!

00:04:21Well, you know your opponent so well.

00:04:25She was the 2023 James Beard semifinals

00:04:28for Best Chef Northwest and Pacific.

00:04:32She beat Iron Chef Marc Borgione in Kitchen Stadium

00:04:36and reached the final four in Top Chef's first season.

00:04:41And last year, she defeated Chris Scott, Jonathan Sawyer,

00:04:45Joe Sasto, to reach the final four of TOC 6.

00:04:51Ladies and gentlemen, give a big aloha, Chef Leigh-Anne Wong!

00:05:12You two have known each other for a long time.

00:05:14Yes.

00:05:15Almost 20 years.

00:05:16Almost 20 years.

00:05:16Yeah.

00:05:17Well, chefs, dying to see you compete,

00:05:19let's take it to the randomizer.

00:05:21Right this way, Chefs.

00:05:27Just to remind everybody, the randomizer

00:05:29will determine the mandatory details of your dish.

00:05:32The protein, the produce, the equipment, the style.

00:05:35And then in this first round, a little wild card spin.

00:05:39Move one up, move one down, or my personal favorite,

00:05:44the audience choice.

00:05:48They get to pick one of them that would move.

00:05:51Oh, let's make it happen, Cap'n.

00:05:53Here we go, going for the protein.

00:05:57Please don't make us microwave.

00:06:00Corn always gets picked.

00:06:03Oh, come on!

00:06:06Earthy, an audience choice.

00:06:10We love you.

00:06:12Let's say goodbye to Chef Mike.

00:06:18Audience.

00:06:24Spinning the equipment.

00:06:29For a French press.

00:06:35This should be a doozy.

00:06:37Welcome to round one.

00:06:39Chefs, go.

00:06:45This is farm-raised venison, not nearly as gamey as typically venison is.

00:06:51Corn we've seen in every iteration.

00:06:53This is going to be corn on the cob.

00:06:55French press.

00:06:56So this is a coffee press.

00:06:57One of the best ways to drink coffee and then earthy.

00:07:00I think vegetables, mushrooms would be a really good play on this.

00:07:03And the judges are going to be looking for it.

00:07:05I should probably get the venison.

00:07:07Qualifiers was step one.

00:07:09Now getting through the first round is step two.

00:07:13Yay, you've won the qualifiers.

00:07:15Now you get to go against the best.

00:07:16Anybody want to come peel my corn?

00:07:20I'm a little bit of a culinary polyglot.

00:07:22I have cooked in Mexico, Kuala Lumpur, Japan, all over the world.

00:07:27So I'm well versed in all styles of cuisine.

00:07:30I just need to get past this first round.

00:07:32I'm Mama Wong.

00:07:33To help us follow the chef's decision in the kitchen,

00:07:36I'm joined by two amazing culinary commentators.

00:07:39Mission recommended chef with a genius level food IQ is Justin Morner.

00:07:43And renowned restaurateur and the DOC3 champ Tiffany Faison.

00:07:47Now, Justin and Tiffany will closely follow the preparation of the dishes

00:07:51so they can perfectly describe them to the judges during the blind tasting.

00:07:54We're also joined by our roving reporter, Hunter Fieri,

00:07:57who will be talking with our chefs backstage,

00:07:59and our culinary scholar, Simon Machandar,

00:08:01who will be talking to the judges about the difficulty of each randomizer challenge.

00:08:06I'm going to try to do, like, make like a really earthy spice rub.

00:08:09Okay.

00:08:09I'm going to try to make some fresh ribs.

00:08:11Style is earthy.

00:08:13Venison is kind of a good fit.

00:08:14Venison, it's like a deer is wandering through the woods already.

00:08:17It kind of makes sense.

00:08:18You'll see there's a little bit of silver skin on the outside.

00:08:20Chuck needs to remove that or else it becomes a little bit chewy

00:08:23and a little tough on the palate.

00:08:24Okay, let's make a space rub.

00:08:26I'm known for using bold flavors, cooking food from all over the world.

00:08:29I have my handashi powder, which adds that salty, funky note.

00:08:33I've got chicken powder and a little bit of togarashi.

00:08:36I don't really cook a lot of venison.

00:08:38That char is another earthy note that I want to get.

00:08:42I've cooked venison maybe twice in my life.

00:08:44But the randomizer tells you what to cook.

00:08:47How long does venison take a stick? We don't know.

00:08:51Garlic scapes?

00:08:53Uh, garlic chives.

00:08:54Garlic chives.

00:08:55Understood.

00:08:55Really earthy, savory.

00:08:57I'm making an earthy poached venison tenderloin

00:09:01over corn puree with a corn mushroom salad.

00:09:04Look at those tenderloins.

00:09:06I live in Hawaii and venison tenderloin is something that we have in Maui.

00:09:12I'm just gonna sear them and then I'm gonna poach them in oil.

00:09:16And today it needs to be earthy.

00:09:19So I blend dried shiitake mushrooms.

00:09:29I've got a little king, a little garam masala,

00:09:33a gochi jaru, a lot of mushroom powder, and some bite spice.

00:09:38That dry rub is nuts.

00:09:40Something we don't see a lot, asafetida, also known as hing.

00:09:43It's a wild fennel that is often referred to as originating from the devil due to its intense aroma.

00:09:50With venison, there's almost no fat on it.

00:09:54So it's a meat that you don't want to have past mid-rare.

00:09:57I want an olive oil poach it, which will cook it evenly.

00:10:01We're poaching them in oil that has all of these earth-conjuring herbs.

00:10:05So sage, rosemary.

00:10:07Porcini, some black garlic.

00:10:09Also smart here.

00:10:10Brought that oil up to temp.

00:10:11Then turn the heat off.

00:10:13Bang.

00:10:17Chefs, 20 minutes, 20 to go.

00:10:19Corn.

00:10:20It's like nature's candy.

00:10:25I'm making grits.

00:10:27Genius!

00:10:28Let's not go with that part yet.

00:10:29Sister, you got there years ago.

00:10:31I want this so badly because I've struggled at tournament champions every time I've been here.

00:10:36It's time to get past that first round, but kicking against Leigh-Anne Wong,

00:10:40she's been a semi-finalist for a James Beard Award.

00:10:42She took down Marc Forgione, one of the Iron Chefs in an Iron Chef America battle.

00:10:47She's just a badass.

00:10:49I'm nervous.

00:10:52They're both in their wheelhouses.

00:10:53They look comfortable, confident, even Steven, right?

00:10:56They're both in their wheelhouse.

00:10:58I'm going to saute some corn.

00:11:01Corn puree tends to be sweet, tends to be rich, tends to be buttery.

00:11:06It's a great sidekick to earthiness.

00:11:08I add miso, earthy stuff, you know?

00:11:10Yes, chef.

00:11:12Today, I have to bring it.

00:11:14I'm going up against Stephanie Izard, who is, like, the greatest of all time.

00:11:19Stephanie Izard is one of my best friends, and I love this woman infinitely.

00:11:23I was part of casting her on Top Chef and producing her season,

00:11:27and then we have just remained chef friends for 20 years.

00:11:31Wong, are you good?

00:11:33Uh, maybe, I don't know.

00:11:34We'll see.

00:11:35Okay, good enough.

00:11:36And I am not sleeping on the goat.

00:11:39The night is still young.

00:11:40Later, the identity of our final culinary icon will be revealed as they take on the qualifier

00:11:45winner, Chef Kenny Gilbert.

00:11:47Wait till you see who's competing.

00:11:49OMG!

00:11:51Chef Wong, Chef Izard, 15, halfway point, 15 to go.

00:11:56Love the idea of the husks getting grilled.

00:11:58Taking a sweet ingredient, using the outside of it, which absolutely counts, and then getting,

00:12:03making that earthy.

00:12:04I'm just going to use some of the venison to infuse into the sauce.

00:12:07Okay.

00:12:07I'm making an earthy sauce.

00:12:09Kind of inspired by red-eye gravy.

00:12:11That's good when you have red eyes in the morning.

00:12:14I'm not doing steel shots now.

00:12:15Lights out.

00:12:17Go, go, go.

00:12:19Recognition in a way.

00:12:20To me, earthy is sort of those notes you might get from coffee and chocolate.

00:12:27Got some extra black garlic going in there, cocoa nibs, corn, cobs, to impart a little bit

00:12:32of that flavor.

00:12:33This is my first time to be able to trail Chef Izard, and the creativity that her brain

00:12:38works with and the things that she processes is just spectacular.

00:12:41Do we think it's a tasty sauce, you guys?

00:12:43Should we find out?

00:12:49Earthy?

00:12:50Yes.

00:12:51Time, Justin?

00:12:52Just under 12, Chef.

00:12:53Oh.

00:12:5311.50.

00:12:54Really?

00:12:57What's the plan with the trim, Chef?

00:12:59I'm going to make a sauce that will strain through the French press.

00:13:04I really focused on hitting the randomizer multiple times, and earthy is our style.

00:13:11Justin, I'm adding some dried porcini, some black garlic, and sake made from rice of the

00:13:17earth.

00:13:17I'm going to add some of this corn flavor to this sauce.

00:13:20With the husk?

00:13:30Toffee, Chef?

00:13:32Yeah, whatever.

00:13:33Two years ago, my restaurant burned down in Lahaina Harbor.

00:13:35It's taken the past two years to recover from that.

00:13:40It's been amazing how my crew had helped get me through this period of my life where I was

00:13:47really struggling.

00:13:48Didn't know if I had it in me to continue cooking.

00:13:51But getting so close to finale last year, I'm like, let's go.

00:13:57I'm ready.

00:13:58I want to go all the way this year.

00:14:04Chef has her venison cooked and resting at eight minutes left.

00:14:07Very, very smart.

00:14:08Let's all the juices in the mild globe and all the flavors just rest back into the venison.

00:14:13If you're wondering, when I cook at home, my kitchen is this messy.

00:14:17Relatable.

00:14:17There we go.

00:14:18Hashtag relatable.

00:14:19My family is myself and my son, Ernie.

00:14:21He's nine years old.

00:14:22I always, of course, want to lead by example.

00:14:25And something that I never want to see him learn from me is to be a quitter.

00:14:30I see him as my, like, beacon for trying to be a better person.

00:14:33I have not succeeded in the past at TOC.

00:14:36And that means I have to come back.

00:14:38It's hot.

00:14:38I'm adding some earthy things and some more corn.

00:14:42I have to win this first round against one of my very best friends in the world, Leanne, to make

00:14:47it into the next round.

00:14:48Eat greens.

00:14:49Grab everything earthy.

00:14:51Might as well.

00:14:53She supports everything that I do in my cooking life, in my personal life, in my momming, in my competitions.

00:14:59So it's hard to cook against her.

00:15:02But that's just what TOC is all about.

00:15:04Chefs, just the final five minutes.

00:15:06Five minutes to be plated.

00:15:15Really good.

00:15:16Should we plate something, you guys?

00:15:18What do you think?

00:15:20So I'm first going to put down my corn grit puree.

00:15:23Then I'm going to put down a little bit of my mixture of grilled corn, onions, and beet greens.

00:15:27Put a few slices of the venison.

00:15:29Next thing I'm just going to put a nice spoonful of my sauce on the venison.

00:15:32And put these beautiful mitake mushrooms right on top.

00:15:35I'm hoping that the sauce is balanced.

00:15:37And I'm excited that I got my first cook in the main bracket on the plate.

00:15:43First, I'm going to add my corn puree, followed by a little pile of fried katafi.

00:15:48I add my black garlic brushed venison loin, a medallion of that.

00:15:53I'm going to finish it with my sauce.

00:15:55It's too thin.

00:15:56I don't know.

00:15:57Do I add more?

00:15:57Do I add less?

00:15:58And time's running out.

00:15:59I want to get something green on my plate, just a little bit of water crust.

00:16:02I hope the judges score me well on how many times I hit the randomizer.

00:16:07Eight, five, four, three, two, one.

00:16:14That's it.

00:16:16Incredible work.

00:16:18That's the kind of equipment we like to see.

00:16:20Stephanie Izar, Leigh Ann Warren, thank you so much.

00:16:29I think I hit earthy like 2,000 times.

00:16:32Corn's all over the place.

00:16:33I think all the things I had in my head that I wanted to do, I just didn't have time

00:16:37to do.

00:16:44Tis what it is.

00:16:48I really don't cook venison, but it looked like it was cooked perfect.

00:16:54Looking forward to a healthy dose of criticism.

00:16:57All right, ladies and gentlemen, our TOC judges have been waiting in their trailers for their first blind tasting.

00:17:02James Beard Award winner for Best New Restaurant New York, who received a coveted three-star review of the New

00:17:09York Times, Chef Scott Conant.

00:17:14Scott Conant is a masterful judge.

00:17:17I love it.

00:17:19Name chef behind some of Boston's most acclaimed restaurants and James Beard Award winner for Best Chef Northeast.

00:17:25And his first TOC debut, Chef Kenny Oranger.

00:17:29Woo!

00:17:31Woo!

00:17:33Woo!

00:17:34Oh, I love Kenny.

00:17:37Woo!

00:17:37That was so fun.

00:17:39Good seeing you, buddy.

00:17:40Good seeing you.

00:17:41I'm sorry.

00:17:42I said eight-time James Beard Award winner.

00:17:45An internationally acclaimed restaurateur, the sharpest dressed TOC, Chef Marcus Samuelson.

00:17:54My fellow favorite colorful dress chef.

00:17:57What's up?

00:18:00How are you?

00:18:02Marcus was my first chef at Aqua Bee.

00:18:04Judges, what a pleasure.

00:18:06Tonight, the randomizer offered up for protein, the venison tenderloin.

00:18:09Produce is corn.

00:18:11The use of equipment was the French press, and the style was earthy.

00:18:15Whoa.

00:18:16Yeah.

00:18:17So here to present the first dish is the TOC3 champ, Tiffany Faison.

00:18:22Oh, I'm pretty, people.

00:18:25Culinary comrades, in front of you, we have dry rubbed and grilled venison tenderloin.

00:18:29That is on a sauté of charred corn, charred red onion, and beet greens.

00:18:33That is then finished with a salad of dry rubbed and grilled mushrooms.

00:18:37We then have the French press-created sauce that was charred corn husks, black garlic, red wine vinaigrette, and a

00:18:45little bit of miso and olive oil.

00:18:47Damn, Steph.

00:18:48That's lots going on on this forest floor.

00:18:50When she says this, it's like, this all happened?

00:18:53First of all, great cooking, great development of flavor, and I love the usage of fresh herbs inside of this.

00:19:00I feel like that sauce is really making this dish.

00:19:03It's a dish that would work without it, and it works really well with it.

00:19:09The char on the corn, add that earthiness that makes that not just sweet, but it's actually a little bit

00:19:15of bitter.

00:19:16The greens are added to the earthiness, and the way they treated the mushroom here is absolutely fantastic.

00:19:23If Marcus Samuelson likes your dish, bravo, Steph.

00:19:27I love bitterness, and I love the cocoa nib on the venison, and that really gives it the oomph.

00:19:33You know, I still don't get that intense, like, in-your-face earthiness.

00:19:38So maybe something like a mushroom powder.

00:19:42I'm not getting soil.

00:19:43Maybe that's what it is.

00:19:46But that's a ding, you know?

00:19:48It's a randomizer.

00:19:49Thank you very much.

00:19:5050 points available in the taste, 40 points for the use of the randomizer, and 10 points in the plating.

00:19:55The protein is so important, so having the venison cooked well, I think, is great.

00:20:00She crushed it.

00:20:01I'm really happy for my friend.

00:20:02That's why she's the goat.

00:20:04All right, judges, here to describe our second chef dish is Justin Morner.

00:20:08Chef?

00:20:08Thank you, guys.

00:20:10Thank you, everybody.

00:20:12We'll see.

00:20:13Judges, our chef calls this deer walking in the woods.

00:20:16The venison was seasoned with a spice rub that was crafted from mushroom powder made from pulverized shiitake, garam masala,

00:20:24five spice...

00:20:24Yeah, took the dried mushrooms.

00:20:25That was smart.

00:20:26King.

00:20:26The trim became a stock that was fortified with more black garlic, dried porcini, sake, shirodashi, white soy sauce, veal

00:20:34stock, balanced with rice vinegar, and more mushroom powder.

00:20:38This then was strained through the French press.

00:20:40In terms of corn elements, the husk was charred, the cob was charred, and that was also in that sauce

00:20:47that was eventually strained.

00:20:49The corn in its most natural state was cooked with shiitake mushrooms, sesame oil, and butter.

00:20:55Oh, they're eating the crap out of it, so I'm pretty sure that hers is equally delicious.

00:21:01Chef Marcus.

00:21:03Clearly, chef is super talented.

00:21:07But?

00:21:08There's a lot of difficult cooking techniques happening in just 30 minutes.

00:21:14I love the corn shiitake.

00:21:15The texture of the broth is a little bit too light, but I love the flavor of the broth.

00:21:21I needed one more minute.

00:21:23I was kind of hoping that the katafi was the silk from the corn because, again, I wanted to see

00:21:28somebody maybe do something a little different with that.

00:21:31Can you fry the silk from the corn?

00:21:33You can, chef.

00:21:33And make it look like katafi?

00:21:34Yes, chef.

00:21:36I really enjoyed that the venison was poached.

00:21:38The texture of this was soft.

00:21:40It was meaty.

00:21:41It kind of accentuated the real gaminess of the venison.

00:21:45I felt really good until now.

00:21:46This is great cooking.

00:21:48Thanks, Scott.

00:21:50The poach on the venison, look at that cook.

00:21:53It's absolutely perfect.

00:21:55The corn, I think, is my favorite component on this plate.

00:21:58But I think it needs depth.

00:22:03I just didn't have time.

00:22:05That earthy element could have been doubled down and there could have been an accentuation and an extraction of flavors

00:22:10from the ingredients that are here on this plate.

00:22:13Aside from that, I didn't hear a lot of negatives.

00:22:15That's a tough one.

00:22:16All right, gentlemen, thank you.

00:22:17Uh, your scorecards are in front of you.

00:22:19I know I hit corn multiple times.

00:22:23I hit the French press multiple times.

00:22:26So, I don't know.

00:22:28Hard to say.

00:22:29I'm feeling like I made a good dish.

00:22:31And you know what?

00:22:31Even if Leigh-Anne wins, it'll be well-deserved.

00:22:34I mean, she crushes it.

00:22:35We'll see where the cards land.

00:22:37I know the chefs cooked their hearts out.

00:22:39Let's bring them back in.

00:22:40Chef Leigh-Anne Wong!

00:22:43Chef Stephanie Eisen.

00:22:47Monster plump on you, Taylor.

00:22:53Here we go.

00:22:55One chef scored a... 77.

00:23:01These guys are tough.

00:23:02The other chef scored 80.

00:23:05Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the first-round battle between Chef Leigh-Anne Wong and Chef Stephanie

00:23:09Izzard is...

00:23:19Stephanie Izzard!

00:23:24Congratulations!

00:23:26You crushed me.

00:23:32Mama Wong, it was such a pleasure to watch you cook.

00:23:35This is going to be the end of the road on TOC7.

00:23:38Go crush it.

00:23:39I love you.

00:23:40Go all the way!

00:23:45Woo!

00:23:46I'm glad my friend is going on.

00:23:47She cooked a monster dish.

00:23:49And like, I'm...

00:23:50You know, it is what it is.

00:23:52I have more dragons to slay coming up.

00:23:54You're on a roll.

00:23:55This is how the goat cooks!

00:23:59Congratulations, Chef Izzard!

00:24:01Wow!

00:24:04She gave me a hug and said, like, go do it.

00:24:06You know, like, she's always been my biggest cheerleader.

00:24:08I love you again.

00:24:09Are you ready for the next two opponents?

00:24:14We have a classic East Coast, West Coast matchup.

00:24:18That's right.

00:24:19New Jersey chef David Vianna has moved up to a number six seed

00:24:24after his impressive out-of-the-gate victory last year.

00:24:27Last year, I suppose it's my first time in the competition,

00:24:30but I did well.

00:24:30And you can only get here by winning every time you get up to the stage.

00:24:35So it starts with this win.

00:24:36His opponent is number three seed, Marcel Vigneron.

00:24:40With new competition creds, including a terrific performance

00:24:44in our recent TOC Christmas Tournament.

00:24:47I've never cooked with David before, but he's got a great reputation.

00:24:52I'm definitely gonna show him why I deserve to be here,

00:24:55and that's why I'm the number three seed.

00:24:57I'm sorry, Marcel.

00:24:58I love you.

00:24:59You're the best.

00:25:00Uh, but you're gonna have to go down today.

00:25:02Are you ready to meet the next two contenders?

00:25:04Yeah!

00:25:05Congratulations!

00:25:09After perfecting his skills in Michelin-shared restaurants

00:25:12in New York and Portugal,

00:25:13he is now the executive chef of four acclaimed restaurants

00:25:16on the Jersey Shore.

00:25:22His Portuguese-inspired Lita restaurant appeared on Esquire's

00:25:272023 Best New Restaurant list,

00:25:29and made him a three-times James Beard Award semi-finalist.

00:25:37And last year, he sported an upset victory against Chef Tobias Dorzon

00:25:41in his very first TOC battle.

00:25:44Give a warm welcome, Chef David Bianna!

00:25:56I've got all these chefs with all these fight names.

00:25:59Why the storyteller?

00:26:01You know, I like to tell a story through food

00:26:03and bring people together.

00:26:04Everyone likes a good story.

00:26:05Now, your opponent, he has opened some of L.A.'s more notable eateries

00:26:11and made L.A. Magazine's list of best new restaurants.

00:26:17He was the runner-up on the second season of Top Chef

00:26:21and beat out almost two dozen elite chefs

00:26:24to become the first-ever winner of 24 and 24.

00:26:31Give a big howl for the Wolf!

00:26:35Chef Marcel de Neron!

00:26:52There'll be plenty of time to tell your story.

00:26:54There'll be plenty of time to howl at the moon.

00:26:56But first, let's take it to the randomizer right this way.

00:27:03Okay, okay.

00:27:06Tonight, let's make it happen.

00:27:07Going for protein!

00:27:08Whoo!

00:27:11Let's go!

00:27:13Let's go!

00:27:15Manila clams, butternut squash, Chef Mike englazed.

00:27:21But you get to move one down.

00:27:23What do you think, Chef?

00:27:24You want to move the clams or you want to move the microwave?

00:27:27I'm good with Chef Mike.

00:27:28Spiralizers not so much fun.

00:27:31Give me pork blade steak.

00:27:32Yeah.

00:27:32We're gonna move the protein.

00:27:33Yeah, move the protein.

00:27:35The glaze and the clams seem like a mismatch.

00:27:38I'd much rather glaze a steak.

00:27:39Pork blade steak, butternut squash, microwave and glaze.

00:27:43Do you know how many chefs are thanking you for taking microwave off the list?

00:27:47Our pleasure.

00:27:47It all goes in three, two, one, go!

00:27:50They're off!

00:27:51Pork blade steak.

00:27:52Known for its marbling, big, rich, deep flavor.

00:27:55Butternut squash.

00:27:56Super versatile.

00:27:57A lot that they can do with it.

00:27:58I mean, we can see this roasted.

00:27:59We can see this pureed.

00:28:00I mean, it can go all over the place.

00:28:02Microwave.

00:28:02Basically, what it does is make the water vibrate.

00:28:05And that's what heats it up.

00:28:07Glazed as anything that has got that nice silky translucent coating.

00:28:11This should be a really good cook.

00:28:14Blade steaks.

00:28:15I've been coming up 25 years now cooking in this industry.

00:28:19I hone my skills working for Amber Rell, Bobby Flay, Michael White.

00:28:24I've been nominated for James Beard three times now.

00:28:27And next thing you know, you get invited to be on TOC.

00:28:30Maple syrup.

00:28:31I might not be as recognizable, but I bring a lot of creativity.

00:28:35And on any given day, I can beat every single one of these chefs.

00:28:38I have competed in pretty much any cooking show.

00:28:42I was the runner-up on the season two of Top Chef TOC All-Star Christmas 24 and 24.

00:28:48I was the season one winner.

00:28:52I'm not just going to make it into the second round.

00:28:55I'm going to win the whole thing.

00:29:00Hey.

00:29:02Hey, Chef.

00:29:03Hi, Chef.

00:29:04Blade steak, grilled, glazed with a butternut squash glaze.

00:29:08Here for it all, Chef.

00:29:09Let's do it.

00:29:12The microwave, also known as Chef Mike, is high-powered,

00:29:15and I thought that I could get the squash cooked in there really quickly.

00:29:19Pork blade steak is a really good blank canvas.

00:29:22Glazed is one of my favorite cooking styles.

00:29:24So I'm going bold.

00:29:26I want things that are going to really catch the judge's attention.

00:29:29I'm going to add fish sauce, white balsamic vinegar,

00:29:32and then I vacuum seal it so it really infuses with the steak

00:29:36and will actually really caramelize once I get to the grill.

00:29:39I really want to go for char, umami barbecue flavor

00:29:42to go with the sweetness of the squash.

00:29:4422-year-old me would be fangirling right now that I'm competing against myself.

00:29:49And I respect him, and if I'm going to beat him, I need to get things perfect.

00:30:00So, uh, Justin.

00:30:01Yes.

00:30:02I'm thinking maybe we nuke it, and then we puree it.

00:30:04I go through my Rolodex of dishes, and brrrr, and I think glaze on the pork as I'm cooking it

00:30:10with soy sauce and honey on a bed of butternut squash puree

00:30:16and some pillowy, medium-diced butternut squash.

00:30:22I think you were going to see the squash in the microwave.

00:30:25I was the first thing I thought of.

00:30:27That's the reason they weren't shying away from it.

00:30:29It's not like you could just microwave some water and be like,

00:30:33Jack, ah-da-da.

00:30:34No, you actually have to use the microwave.

00:30:38What's going on with these blade sticks?

00:30:40Uh, we haven't addressed them yet.

00:30:41Yeah, going right now.

00:30:43There's a bone on the inside of this thing.

00:30:45If I leave that bone in there, it's going to take even longer to cook.

00:30:49Coming in as the big three seed today, not going to lie, feels pretty good.

00:30:53I've definitely paid my dues.

00:30:55My first two seasons of TOC, I got knocked out in the first round.

00:31:01But having just been on TOC Christmas, I got a little taste of what it's like

00:31:06to make it into the semifinals.

00:31:08And you know what?

00:31:09I'm hungry.

00:31:10I want that belt.

00:31:12I want that ring.

00:31:13I'm thinking a little curry pow pow.

00:31:16Chef Marcel, Chef David, we are at the 20-minute mark.

00:31:19You have 20 minutes left.

00:31:21Now you guys are rock-stars!

00:31:24I want to use the bunnets kawash to make a glaze.

00:31:29Beautiful.

00:31:30To juice the squash and then make a glaze out of that juice,

00:31:33that is high-level cooking.

00:31:34I want salty, sweet, umami.

00:31:37Parmigian molasses?

00:31:38Yes.

00:31:39I'm going to add fish sauce, sugar, white balsamic vinegar,

00:31:42and a little bit of crab paste because it needs a little bit of fun.

00:31:45First cook's always the toughest, Tiffany.

00:31:47First cook's always the toughest.

00:31:48Getting your feet underneath you.

00:31:52That's fun.

00:31:54Is this about to be glazed walnut, Chef?

00:31:56Yes.

00:31:57I like that.

00:31:57More glaze.

00:31:58And more bonus points for the randomizer.

00:32:01TOC stands out amongst any other competition.

00:32:0432 of the world's best chefs all together.

00:32:06I'm here to win TOC.

00:32:09I don't usually work with a microwave.

00:32:11I have a big piece of bunnets squash in the microwave,

00:32:13and I'm constantly babysitting it.

00:32:15This is something that's both occupying my time and mental space.

00:32:19It just isn't going as fast as I think I needed to.

00:32:22He didn't cut that squash down very far.

00:32:25Chef Marcel cut the squash down very small, huge.

00:32:29And he's going to be done without question.

00:32:32I'm hoping that Chef might cook my butter and squash.

00:32:35My biggest fear right now.

00:32:42Chefs, we are at the halfway point.

00:32:4415 minutes, 15 to go.

00:32:48How's squash?

00:32:49I don't know for sure.

00:32:52Over here, Chef had to take this squash

00:32:55and then cut it in the way he originally had it.

00:32:58And what I'm looking at on the cutting board right now

00:32:59is half done.

00:33:00I chop it all up.

00:33:02This is going back in the microwave one more time.

00:33:04I hope this works.

00:33:05I hope in two minutes,

00:33:05and that'll get me to where I need to be.

00:33:10All right, what did I miss, Chef?

00:33:11Uh, just like working on a little gastric or something.

00:33:14Sugar?

00:33:15Sugar and vinegar.

00:33:16Truly glazed?

00:33:17Yeah.

00:33:18Sauces are my jam.

00:33:19It's going to go so well with butternut squash and pork.

00:33:23While my gastric is cooking,

00:33:25I take my butternut squash out of the microwave.

00:33:28It's nice, it's tender, it's soft,

00:33:30but it doesn't taste like anything.

00:33:32I'm going to have to make a little puree over here somewhere.

00:33:35Let's layer these flavors.

00:33:36Vaudevan, get that in there.

00:33:39I want to win this competition for my family.

00:33:42I am a family man.

00:33:44I have a five-year-old now.

00:33:45I'm doing cooking classes with kids.

00:33:48I get the opportunity to work with my son,

00:33:50which then I get the opportunity to spend more time with him.

00:33:52And it's basically just a win-win for everybody.

00:33:55And we just have a blast together.

00:33:57Got them dad forearms now.

00:33:59Oh, right?

00:34:00It's not a dad bod, it's a father figure.

00:34:02I got a lot of things going.

00:34:04And then Chef Mike says to me,

00:34:07nuke some pickle juice and get some red onions going.

00:34:09Okay, Chef Mike, I'll raise you another garnish.

00:34:14I'm going OT over here.

00:34:18Chefs, we have 12 minutes.

00:34:25So David's flipping his blade steaks.

00:34:27That grill.

00:34:28It's wicked hot.

00:34:29Pork blade steaks have been cooking for a while.

00:34:30I think they're getting maybe a little bit over charred with some of those sugar glazed elements.

00:34:36Tournament of Champions has the highest bar.

00:34:38If I don't get the cook on the steak properly, there's no chance of me winning.

00:34:43I have restaurants.

00:34:44People depend on me for a living.

00:34:46My hope is that winning TOC would enrich the lives of all the people that work for me

00:34:51and for them to be able to jumpstart their own things with that.

00:34:54That would be amazing.

00:34:56That tastes delicious.

00:34:58Boy, time just burns off fast.

00:35:00We're eight minutes.

00:35:02Heavy soy sauce, yeah?

00:35:03Yeah, that one's smoked, actually.

00:35:06Oh, tight.

00:35:07I'm no stranger to TOC.

00:35:08I know you got to use the randomizer as many times as possible.

00:35:12So I'm going for two glazes.

00:35:14I've got my gastrique, and then I also have my smoked shoyu and maple syrup glaze,

00:35:22which I'm brushing onto the pork.

00:35:26And then it's like, oh, he had the butternut squash puree.

00:35:29But then he also had the butternut squash dice.

00:35:31That's two boxes, not just one.

00:35:33That's what you need to tip the scales.

00:35:38Chefs, we're at the final five minutes.

00:35:45We still have to deal with the butternut squashes in the microwave.

00:35:52I'm feeling pressure from my insecurities with Chef Mike.

00:35:55I don't have a lot of time.

00:35:56This isn't a chill vibe in TOC kitchen.

00:36:00I'm putting food on this plate.

00:36:01Put the glaze at the bottom of the plate.

00:36:03I'll sit the squash on top of it.

00:36:06I add the nuts.

00:36:07Put the glaze on top of the steak.

00:36:09I'm finishing with mint.

00:36:10I really hope the judges appreciate the depth of flavor.

00:36:1490 seconds, Chefs.

00:36:1590 to go.

00:36:16First, I put my microwave butternut squash puree,

00:36:20diced butternut squash right on top of that.

00:36:22Then we take our glazed pork blade steak on top of the diced butternut squash with the calamansi gastric.

00:36:33The audience is going nuts right now.

00:36:3530 seconds!

00:36:36And last but not least, microwaved pickled red onions, the watercress.

00:36:42I tried to check as many randomizer boxes as possible.

00:36:47We're just going to have to let the judges decide.

00:36:493, 2, 1!

00:36:51We're done!

00:36:58Congratulations!

00:36:59Great job!

00:37:01Chef David Viana, Chef Marcelo Nguyen.

00:37:07Could use another 10 minutes but I felt good.

00:37:10Like it all got on the plate.

00:37:11The microwave was, it was having, I was having a hard time getting it cooked through.

00:37:16Whew!

00:37:21Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome back our judges.

00:37:23Scott Conant, Kenny Oranger, and Marcus Samuelson!

00:37:2710 is a legend.

00:37:28Wow!

00:37:30Marcus!

00:37:32Scott Conant, this is an intense panel.

00:37:35Judges, tonight the randomizer in this second battle offered a pork blade steak,

00:37:40butternut squash.

00:37:41The equipment was microwaved and the style was glazed.

00:37:45Chef Tiffany Faison here to present the first dish.

00:37:47Chef, take it away.

00:37:48We have blade steak.

00:37:49A glaze was constructed by juicing butternut squash.

00:37:53The chef also took the butternut squash, broke it down and put it into Chef Mike,

00:37:57letting Chef Mike handle the cook completely until it was removed, mashed with a little bit of butter and salt,

00:38:03and then finished with the second glazing of glazed walnuts.

00:38:08Perfect, most perfect cook on this pork.

00:38:10Yes!

00:38:11Yes!

00:38:12Yes!

00:38:13That char on the exterior is absolutely perfect.

00:38:17It's dark.

00:38:18It has texture to it.

00:38:19It also has that beautiful deep flavor.

00:38:21The glazed nuts also beautiful.

00:38:23I just love the sweetness against the char.

00:38:27Also the way the glaze can caramelize those nuts.

00:38:30Gives you that crunch, sweet, and a little bit bitter.

00:38:34Really craveable.

00:38:35Craveable!

00:38:36Look at that char here.

00:38:37Look at this.

00:38:38It's beautiful char, and then it's glazed like barbecue but in like Southeast Asia.

00:38:43You get the crab and the fish sauce.

00:38:45Really, really tasty.

00:38:47But I would have loved if the caramelized squash was a little bit more pureed.

00:38:53They cooked it in the microwave, but they didn't finish it enough in the microwave.

00:38:58That's a fair criticism.

00:39:00Judges, thank you so much.

00:39:02Scorecards.

00:39:0350 points in taste, 40 points in use of randomizer, 10 in your plating.

00:39:09Feeling good.

00:39:10You had nice things to say.

00:39:12Now we wait for the second judgment.

00:39:15Pretty positive feedback, but also they haven't tried my dish yet.

00:39:19To present the second dish is the wild card himself, Justin Morner.

00:39:23Judges, this is a glazed pork steak with butternut squash and watercress.

00:39:27The glaze that finished the dish was maple smoked shoyu.

00:39:33The drippings found their way into a butternut squash puree.

00:39:36The tail of that puree begins in such.

00:39:38It was peeled, it was diced, and it was microwaved in seasoned water.

00:39:43Another half of that diced butternut squash became the diced.

00:39:47And the microwave was also used to craft those not raw red onions.

00:39:51Glazing the plate and portions thereof is a calamansi and champagne vinegar gastrique.

00:39:57I've got to tell you something.

00:40:04Whoa!

00:40:08That is delicious.

00:40:10Was that like all golden napkin right there?

00:40:12Golden napkin.

00:40:13Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

00:40:19This is like sensual.

00:40:21This is deep and sexy and developed.

00:40:25I love the use of the onion here.

00:40:27It's such a nice pickle, the beautiful watercress on the plate, that great puree.

00:40:32There's so much goodness here, chef.

00:40:35Great, great cooking.

00:40:36Excellent taste, Scott.

00:40:38Whoever cooked this is a true master.

00:40:43To get that to cook to this perfection, it's still pink inside.

00:40:47And then glazing it and getting those bitter notes in, because it's super well charred,

00:40:52with a super sweet puree in the bottom and those pickled red onions.

00:40:58And then getting all these other flavors to work so well.

00:41:01Well done, chef.

00:41:03Chef Oranger.

00:41:05How can you in 30 minutes cook something this big, this tender?

00:41:09It is brilliant, brilliant, brilliant cooking.

00:41:11The butternut squash, the two textures, the funkiness of the gastrique.

00:41:15Woo!

00:41:17But I got a couple bites that were definitely a little chewier than I probably would have liked.

00:41:23Okay.

00:41:24And the watercress, you know, it kind of gets lost on me in this.

00:41:29He's a stickler.

00:41:30Judges, thank you very much.

00:41:3250 points in taste, 40 points in the use of the randomizer, 10 points in plate.

00:41:37A golden napkin, that's got to count for something.

00:41:40You know, Marcel crushed it.

00:41:41But to have chef Marcus Samuelsson call my dish grateful, like, that's, that's amazing.

00:41:48That was some fantastic chefing.

00:41:50And let's bring our chefs back out.

00:41:51David Viana!

00:41:54Chef Marcel Vigno!

00:42:02Very nice scores from the judges.

00:42:05Here we go.

00:42:06One chef scored a 81.

00:42:11The other chef scored a 87.

00:42:13Woo!

00:42:15The winner of the first round battle between Chef Marcel Vigno and Chef David Viana is...

00:42:29Chef Marcel!

00:42:32Congratulations!

00:42:40That was a dynamite dish of food.

00:42:42You should be very proud of that.

00:42:44Chef David Viana!

00:42:46Thank you, chef.

00:42:47Thank you, guys.

00:42:48Really appreciate it.

00:42:50Thank you, everyone.

00:42:51You guys are awesome.

00:42:52Thank you!

00:42:56I'm really out of the dish I put up and wish I had one more try, but maybe next year.

00:43:01This is your first big win in TOC.

00:43:04Yep.

00:43:04Feels pretty good.

00:43:04I like this feeling.

00:43:05I could do this again.

00:43:06Take a look!

00:43:08Woo!

00:43:08Right there.

00:43:09The wolf and the goat.

00:43:11There you go!

00:43:12Come on, audience!

00:43:13Woo!

00:43:14Thank you!

00:43:16Woo!

00:43:19What a win!

00:43:22Yeah!

00:43:25You broke that curse, man.

00:43:26Broke the curse.

00:43:27First big win in the main bracket.

00:43:29Yeah.

00:43:29All right.

00:43:30Moving on to round two.

00:43:31Let's see what the wolf can do.

00:43:32Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to meet our next two gourmet gladiators?

00:43:40We have Chef Adam Sobel, a natural competitor whose second round loss to Chef Kevin Lee last

00:43:47year dropped him from a number two seed to a number five seed.

00:43:51That last cook was the worst of my career.

00:43:55TOC 7 is a redemption year.

00:43:56You gotta win round one, so I won it really badly.

00:43:59His opponent is the number four seed, Chef Kalina Bliss, a proven Food Network champion

00:44:05who came in blazing hot last year as a TOC rookie and is determined to go even further

00:44:11this year.

00:44:11This is like the craziness about this competition.

00:44:14It doesn't matter how Adam cooks.

00:44:15It doesn't matter how I cook because the randomizer dictates how you're gonna cook.

00:44:19Everyone here is good.

00:44:20There's no weak link.

00:44:22So it just, you can't think like that.

00:44:24Kalina's highly skilled.

00:44:25It's good.

00:44:26That pushes me to be sharper and intentional with what I'm doing.

00:44:30Let's do it.

00:44:31Okay.

00:44:31Let's do this.

00:44:33It's time.

00:44:34Are you ready for another fantastic food fight?

00:44:39Let's light this up!

00:44:42He has owned his skills under the mentorship of culinary legends such as Daniel Ballou,

00:44:49Guy Savoy, and Chef Michael Mina.

00:44:55Over a two-decade career as an executive chef, he has earned restaurants two Michelin stars,

00:45:02four-star reviews, and a James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant.

00:45:09Make some noise for Mr. Delicious, Chef Adam Sober!

00:45:18Yeah!

00:45:26What's up, brother?

00:45:27Woo!

00:45:28Oh, what a thrill.

00:45:29I need to get back between a one, two, three seed.

00:45:32You know what I'm saying?

00:45:33Kalina's an amazing chef.

00:45:35This is gonna be a hell of a show.

00:45:36And you are right.

00:45:38She is amazing.

00:45:39She started cooking at the age of 16.

00:45:43Now has almost a decade of experience as an executive chef in Portland, Seattle,

00:45:49and Chicago.

00:45:50Chicago Magazine said her wonderful dishes showcased bold flavors with a hint of playfulness.

00:45:58She beat Bobby Flay, won Food Network's Beachside Brawl, and was a 2023 Chop Grand Champion.

00:46:07And last year, in her first year in the arena, she reached the TOC 6 quarterfinals.

00:46:14Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Chef Kalina.

00:46:17Win!

00:46:34I think this is a fantastic matchup.

00:46:36Let's take it to the randomizer.

00:46:37Right this way.

00:46:45Lots of emotion coming through your face.

00:46:47This is fun.

00:46:48There's a lot to digest.

00:46:49There's a lot to take in.

00:46:50Let's go.

00:46:51Here we go.

00:46:51Go for protein.

00:47:05We've got lamb and cucumber, food processor, crispy, and move one up.

00:47:15Oh.

00:47:17Do you want to move crispy up to layered?

00:47:19I'm good with moving to layered.

00:47:21We're going to move style.

00:47:24Style?

00:47:25Yeah.

00:47:26Layered is interesting.

00:47:27Ground lamb, cucumbers, and you can take all these ingredients and make it into something

00:47:31layered.

00:47:32Ground lamb, cucumber, food processor, and layered.

00:47:40And it's time to go.

00:47:48Ground lamb.

00:47:4985% meat, 15% fat.

00:47:52Cucumber.

00:47:52Funny thing about cucumber is it's made up with like 95, 96% water.

00:47:56Super adaptable.

00:47:58These two go together so incredibly well.

00:48:00Greek in particular.

00:48:01Food processor.

00:48:02In the world of food, knowing how to utilize this is a time-saving machine.

00:48:07Layered.

00:48:09Popular dishes, of course, like lasagna, moussaka, casseroles, and so forth.

00:48:13But there's also layering of flavor.

00:48:15They want to see it.

00:48:16They want to taste it.

00:48:17This could be a good round.

00:48:19I think everything's on the line today.

00:48:21It's the first cook, you know?

00:48:22You want to do well.

00:48:24Nobody wants to go home on their first match.

00:48:26I know Adam's very technique-driven.

00:48:28He has fine dining and Michelin background.

00:48:31But I can bring it with flavors.

00:48:33I can bring it with crunch.

00:48:34And I proved that I can do it last year.

00:48:36I have the reputation of being really ultra-refined.

00:48:40Almost bougie.

00:48:41But that's not necessarily the case.

00:48:43It's all about being delicious.

00:48:45Mr. Delicious.

00:48:46My mind goes moussaka.

00:48:49It's a classic layered dish.

00:48:51I've never battled against Chef Kalina.

00:48:54I have watched her cook.

00:48:56She's impressive.

00:48:57Yeah!

00:48:58So, no mercy.

00:49:02Hi, Chef.

00:49:03Hi.

00:49:04Okay.

00:49:04So, what I'm kind of thinking about doing is crispy rice paper dumplings.

00:49:11Folded with grilled lamb.

00:49:12How are the layers going to be in this dumpling, Chef?

00:49:14So, it's not going to be like a dumpling like traditional.

00:49:16I'm going to do kind of like a square folded.

00:49:18So, then when you cut it in half or...

00:49:20You'll see the layers.

00:49:21That's the hope.

00:49:22Yeah.

00:49:22Okay.

00:49:22Got it.

00:49:23I want to check something off the randomizer, like, as soon as I can.

00:49:26All the dumping fillings going in the food processor?

00:49:28Just the aromatics.

00:49:30Yeah.

00:49:30It can shred.

00:49:31It can slice.

00:49:32Highly versatile.

00:49:34Garlic, ginger, onion.

00:49:35Throw it in the food processor.

00:49:37Buzz it.

00:49:38These are all going to be aromatics that are going to go into the lamb to flavor it.

00:49:42Next, I add all the spices that I want to use.

00:49:45Curry, coriander, garam masala, smoky paprika.

00:49:52I always have to remind myself, cook good flavors.

00:49:55Don't psych yourself out.

00:49:56I've done it before.

00:49:58I might even be doing it this time.

00:50:0525 minutes.

00:50:07Two different eggplants.

00:50:09Bunch of herbs.

00:50:11All right.

00:50:11So, do we have a clear game plan yet?

00:50:12Yeah, moussaka.

00:50:13It is moussaka.

00:50:14It is moussaka.

00:50:17It is moussaka.

00:50:18It is a classic layered dish.

00:50:20My plan is to build a tower of moussaka.

00:50:23With the moussaka, you want to get the lamb seared and get it rolling and build flavors.

00:50:29Greek cuisine is something I love to eat.

00:50:31So, moussaka just made sense.

00:50:34Oregano and aleppo.

00:50:36And then, I need to get the sofrito for the moussaka base rolling.

00:50:42Sweet parsnip, some baby carrots, garlic.

00:50:44There's cucumber in there as well.

00:50:5023 minutes, chefs.

00:50:5123.

00:50:52Last year, honestly, I wasn't myself.

00:50:55I didn't cook soulfully.

00:50:56I was cooking with my head and not my heart.

00:50:58This year is different.

00:50:59Getting through Kalina is step one.

00:51:01I want this so badly, I can taste it.

00:51:05Oh.

00:51:06No mercy.

00:51:11Chef Kalina, Chef Adam, 20 minutes, 20 to go.

00:51:18So, cooking the lamb out all the way through before adding it to the dumpling?

00:51:21Because what I want to do is just crisp the dumpling and it's also going to save me time and

00:51:24then I don't have to worry about that.

00:51:25Okay.

00:51:25Next, I want to work on the cucumber apple kimchi.

00:51:29I feel like this is a really good opportunity to utilize the food processor again.

00:51:33I use Granny Smith apple because I want it to be tart.

00:51:36And then the cucumber.

00:51:39Ah.

00:51:39There you go.

00:51:40And then I grab some spicy kimchi and I throw that in the food processor.

00:51:45I always pull a little bit of Asian influence.

00:51:47That's kind of my go-to.

00:51:49And then I kind of squeeze out the excess liquid.

00:51:52Soggy cukes.

00:51:53No one wants that.

00:51:54So, I was adopted when I was four months old.

00:51:56My parents were American.

00:51:58So, I literally grew up on like hamburger helper, frozen vegetables.

00:52:03None of the things that I love to eat now.

00:52:06Like there's green in me somewhere.

00:52:08It's coming out.

00:52:11The base for the moussaka is grilled eggplant.

00:52:14I can vibe, steam a little moisture out.

00:52:17The dish needs a contrast and texture.

00:52:19So, it was like I wanted to have a crispy element.

00:52:22I'm feeling like it might be a tempera batter of some sort.

00:52:25It is, guys.

00:52:26We're doing a little crispy eggplant layer to go along with the other goodies.

00:52:30I like the crispy eggplant.

00:52:31I was not a great student.

00:52:33You know, I would go to school just to entertain and play soccer.

00:52:36Really, that was it.

00:52:37And then my mom enrolled me in culinary arts at vocational school.

00:52:41And I met John Murphy.

00:52:43And instantly my life changed.

00:52:45John Murphy was the first to see any potential in me as a young culinarian.

00:52:51And he really looked forward to watching the show.

00:52:56He passed away.

00:52:58Murph is definitely on my shoulder.

00:53:02Win it for Murph.

00:53:06All right, chefs, our final ten minutes.

00:53:09Ten minutes to go.

00:53:11I'm going to build the dumplings.

00:53:12So, I grab the rice paper and I'm just soaking it.

00:53:15I don't want it to tear.

00:53:16I start with the base layer of the lamb.

00:53:19Then I add chiffonade spinach.

00:53:21And then on top of that, I add some cucumber kimchi.

00:53:25You can really see three different layers on it.

00:53:27Four, really, if you count the rice paper.

00:53:30I forgot how crazy the show is.

00:53:32I forgot how crazy the show is.

00:53:34He wakes me up in the middle of the night, so I don't know how he forgot.

00:53:37I want to pan fry it because I do want it crispy.

00:53:40I do want to get that sear on it.

00:53:47I decide to make a cucumber kimchi salad.

00:53:51It's just another way that I can play the randomizer.

00:53:53I add the extra cucumber kimchi that I didn't use earlier.

00:53:56I add some scallion to it.

00:53:58I add some fish sauce.

00:54:01Thank you!

00:54:08Is this the creamy component, chef?

00:54:10Yeah, this is tzatziki.

00:54:12Labna.

00:54:13We're going to do it with mint.

00:54:14And then I grate the cucumbers through the food processor.

00:54:19It's got great texture.

00:54:23So my dumplings are out.

00:54:25I'm really happy with how crispy they are.

00:54:27I definitely want to slice them in half

00:54:29because I want them to be able to see the layers that I put inside of it

00:54:34since that's literally the challenge.

00:54:35I've got some layers going.

00:54:37I decide to just grab some black vinegar, soy sauce,

00:54:40a little bit of gochujang, whisk that all together.

00:54:45Four minutes.

00:54:46Four to go.

00:54:47First, I put the cucumber slaw down.

00:54:49I want to keep it very clean.

00:54:52Next, I grab the dumplings.

00:54:54I shingle them on top of each other.

00:54:57And then I add the dipping sauce to it.

00:55:00There's nothing that can compare to the thrill of competition cooking.

00:55:04It's a whole different level of adrenaline.

00:55:06I'm fired up.

00:55:07Two and a half minutes, chefs.

00:55:08Two and a half to go.

00:55:15Plating begins.

00:55:16Nice layer of the tzatziki.

00:55:18Grilled eggplant goes over the top of that.

00:55:22The lamb ragu over the top of that.

00:55:24Oh, boy.

00:55:2725 seconds.

00:55:28This year is different.

00:55:29I really want to make a long, deep run and take this thing to the finale.

00:55:34That's it.

00:55:35No, no mercy.

00:55:41Five, four, three, two, one.

00:55:45That's it.

00:55:51Job well done.

00:55:52Thank you so much.

00:55:53Kalina, bless.

00:55:54Adam Sobel.

00:56:00Holy .

00:56:01I feel like I'm still on adrenaline.

00:56:03I have never made that before.

00:56:05I feel good.

00:56:06But, hey, I've felt good before, and you know what's happened.

00:56:12Could be a winning dish.

00:56:13Hmm.

00:56:16I haven't been in this position in a year.

00:56:18Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome back our steam panel judges.

00:56:21Chef Scott Conant.

00:56:24Chef Kenny Oranger.

00:56:25And Chef Marcus Samuelson.

00:56:29Holy smokes.

00:56:30Is this the finale?

00:56:31Scott Conant has judged me on chops before.

00:56:35All three.

00:56:36They're amazing chefs.

00:56:37I'm scared.

00:56:39Tonight, judges, for this next round,

00:56:42the chefs were graced with ground lamb,

00:56:45produce with cucumber.

00:56:46The equipment was the food processor,

00:56:49and the style was layered.

00:56:51TOC3 champ Tiffany Faison.

00:56:52Thank you so much.

00:56:54Emotional support player.

00:56:57Chefs, friends, this is a crispy layered lamb and kimchi dumpling

00:57:00with cucumber kimchi salad.

00:57:02The lamb was treated to an aromatic paste that was processed entirely in the food processor for the kimchi.

00:57:09The food processor made quick work of green apple, onion, Persian cucumbers, and spicy kimchi.

00:57:14Finally, the salad of Persian cukes was constructed of scallion Thai basil, the aforementioned homemade kimchi, black vinegar, and a

00:57:20little bit of fish sauce.

00:57:22Come on, please.

00:57:24There are a lot of very happy flavors here.

00:57:28The cucumber shines with that kimchi.

00:57:32I don't even know what's inside that rice paper, and I don't care.

00:57:35It doesn't matter.

00:57:35It's yummy.

00:57:37Yes!

00:57:37It's a deft touch.

00:57:39Well done, Chef.

00:57:40Well done.

00:57:40I've always liked you.

00:57:42Always liked him.

00:57:44Who doesn't love dumplings?

00:57:46I mean, I love how the chef used rice paper instead of, you know, traditional wonton skin or something like

00:57:51that.

00:57:51Yes.

00:57:52The lamb, it's a little bit lean, but the stretchiness of the rice paper really lends itself well to the

00:57:58leanness of the lamb.

00:57:59So I thought the texture was great.

00:58:01Thank you!

00:58:02They thought about the layering in a new way.

00:58:04This is interesting, right?

00:58:05And then, also, they used the food processor in multiple ways.

00:58:09They took the challenge with the randomness they gave them, but more than anything, it's delicious and it's craveable.

00:58:15Well done, Chef.

00:58:16Yes!

00:58:16Oh, my God.

00:58:18Judges, 50 points in taste, 40 points in the use of the randomizer, 10 in the plating.

00:58:23Mine doesn't come off as layered as his, but I hope the judges understand that I was trying to do

00:58:28it in a more inventive way.

00:58:29This is the worst part.

00:58:31Let's see what happens.

00:58:33Judges, our chef calls this a milfoy of moussaka.

00:58:36Parsnip, carrot, cucumber, eggplant, all chopped in the food processor and then put into that lamb mixture.

00:58:42On the bottom floor, we've got tzatziki going up.

00:58:46Grilled eggplant, lamb ragu, some more eggplant, then more lamb, then more tzatziki, and then finally crowned with that crispy

00:58:53eggplant at the penthouse.

00:58:58The boys are digging in.

00:59:00This is like hitting all the notes, right?

00:59:02Layered, check.

00:59:04Food processor, check.

00:59:05Delicious, check.

00:59:06Ugh!

00:59:09Tzatziki, eggplant, lamb.

00:59:11It will always work.

00:59:13It will always be delicious.

00:59:14It's a good sign.

00:59:15I like that.

00:59:15And this crispy little coin here, really, really delicious.

00:59:20When I see layered, I want to see layers.

00:59:22And I love that there were multiple floors.

00:59:25Yeah.

00:59:27Oh, I'm so scared.

00:59:29I go right to the penthouse first.

00:59:30And I just ate that fried eggplant, whether it's tempura or whatever it was.

00:59:35But man, it was crispy.

00:59:37Amazing.

00:59:39The tzatziki with the cucumbers was delicious, but there's not enough of that in here for me.

00:59:43Yeah.

00:59:44The top coin of the eggplant is beautiful, but those bottom layers of the eggplant need a little bit more

00:59:49cook time.

00:59:50All right, judges, thank you very much.

00:59:51Again, 50 points in taste, 40 points in the use of the randomizer, 10 points in the plating.

00:59:56The cucumber was just in the sauce, right?

00:59:58I couldn't see the cucumber.

01:00:00I'm being a hater.

01:00:01I think I had negative remarks.

01:00:04That's not good.

01:00:05However, layered was the challenge.

01:00:08I definitely hit it harder.

01:00:10Please let me take this.

01:00:12Please let me take this.

01:00:13All right, Chef.

01:00:15Get ready for you.

01:00:15All right, let's face the music.

01:00:17I've got the scores from the judges.

01:00:19Let's go ahead and bring our chefs back in.

01:00:21Chef Kalina Bliss.

01:00:24Chef Adam Somo.

01:00:34We've got a close race.

01:00:36One chef scored a 77.

01:00:38The other chef scored a 79.

01:00:40Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the first round battle between Chef Kalina Bliss and Chef Adam Sobel is...

01:00:47...

01:00:54...

01:00:55Kalina Bliss.

01:01:00Good job.

01:01:01Hey, buddy.

01:01:05This is not the last we'll see of you.

01:01:07Thank you, man.

01:01:08Love you, man.

01:01:08Love you.

01:01:10You're welcome.

01:01:13Adam Sobel!

01:01:15Ladies and gentlemen.

01:01:22Very disappointed.

01:01:23I thought the dish was really tasty.

01:01:26That's it.

01:01:27Congratulations.

01:01:28Thank you so much.

01:01:30Let's take a look.

01:01:32So Kalina Bliss takes out the great Adam Sobel, a 4-5 combo.

01:01:37Next up will be Kenny Gilbert and our icon that will be showing up to cook.

01:01:41I'm terrified.

01:01:43Well, Chef, listen, let's not even worry about what's coming up.

01:01:45Let's just celebrate the win that you just had and a first-round win for Chef Kalina Bliss.

01:01:50So happy for you.

01:01:51Well done.

01:01:52Well done.

01:01:53Woo!

01:01:55Woo!

01:01:58I mean, wow, beating Sobel.

01:02:00You came in last year for your first time and you went all the way to the grade 8s, which

01:02:05was amazing.

01:02:05So there's going to be some eyes on you and you're a force to be reckoned with.

01:02:08Nice job.

01:02:08Congratulations.

01:02:09Very nice.

01:02:10So the first dish, crispy layered lamb with kimchi dumpling with cucumber and kimchi salad.

01:02:17That rice paper, that mochi pull.

01:02:20I mean, the flavors were layered in addition to the actual dumpling itself.

01:02:25Well, folks.

01:02:26I don't want to say I've saved the best for last, but this is a pretty big deal.

01:02:31We have a qualifying winner going up against tonight's mystery icon.

01:02:36The number eight seed, Chef Kenny Gilbert, proved the accuracy of his nickname, Beast of

01:02:42the kitchen with his impressive victory in the T.O.C. qualifier.

01:02:47I'm very excited about the opportunity to cook against the icon.

01:02:50He's centered to be the underdog going against someone that's a culinary legend that's been doing it for a long

01:02:54time.

01:02:55His opponent, the D Division's number one seed, the final culinary icon chef who has judged more than 200 food

01:03:06competitions and is ready to compete on T.O.C. for the very first time.

01:03:12Two icons are gone.

01:03:14I have a responsibility to myself to take out another one.

01:03:18Are you ready for the final battle of the first round of T.O.C. 7?

01:03:26At 23, he became the chef of cuisine of a five-diamond restaurant and the youngest African-American chef ever

01:03:35to run a Rich Carlton hotel restaurant.

01:03:40He has staged at some of the top restaurants around the world and worked as Oprah Winfrey's personal chef.

01:03:48And was a semifinalist on Top Chef Season 7 and defeated Chef Kelsey Murphy in the qualifiers of the dish

01:03:57that Antonio Lofaso called brilliant.

01:04:00Bring some noise for Chef Kenny Gilbert!

01:04:20To be here, I'm very humbled and very honored, but I'm ready to take down some of these chefs.

01:04:25The icon that you're going to go up against, well, he grew up working in his mother's pioneering restaurant that

01:04:32first introduced New Yorkers to Latin American cuisine.

01:04:35Time Out New York awarded him Best Latin American Restaurant in 2002, and he was a 2005 James Beard Award

01:04:45nominee for Rising Star Chef of the Year.

01:04:50He fought the legendary Morimoto to a draw on Iron Chef America.

01:04:55He was a judge on the premiere episode of Shot, helping it earn a James Beard Award, and spent seven

01:05:05seasons as a judge on MasterChef.

01:05:10Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the restaurateur, the author, the philanthropist, and the legend, Chef Arohn Sanchez!

01:05:25I'm 100% shocked.

01:05:27Chef Arohn is the epitome of Mexican culture and cuisine.

01:05:31Talk about an icon.

01:05:32He's opened restaurants from New York to New Orleans.

01:05:35He's always done Bring Big Flavor.

01:05:37Hey, dog.

01:05:37Look at that puppy.

01:05:39Man.

01:05:44You want to go big, Kenny?

01:05:46This is how you go big.

01:05:47Yes, sir.

01:05:48Sir.

01:05:49Indeed.

01:05:49Arohn, you're a champion of the industry.

01:05:52To get a guy like you to step back into the competition arena, we couldn't be more honored.

01:05:59It's that time.

01:06:00Let's take it to the randomizer.

01:06:02Let's do it.

01:06:03Let's do it.

01:06:04Let's do it.

01:06:08Chefs, let's get after it.

01:06:10Going for the protein.

01:06:17Manila.

01:06:19Breakfast radish, spiralizer, crispy.

01:06:23Yo.

01:06:25Protein or produce re-spin?

01:06:28Mmm.

01:06:28I'm just talking about trying to make manila clams crispy.

01:06:32I said go ahead and do the protein.

01:06:34Okay.

01:06:34All right.

01:06:35Going for protein.

01:06:36Here we go.

01:06:39Sure would like to see anything other than that.

01:06:42If it lands on manila, it stays on manila.

01:06:45Manila!

01:06:50Manila clams for the finale of the big night.

01:06:54Chefs, go shopping.

01:06:55Good luck.

01:06:59One of the toughest randomizers I've seen.

01:07:01I've got to be honest with you.

01:07:02Both of these guys have huge imaginations, but, ah, manila clams.

01:07:07Native to the Pacific Ocean.

01:07:09Kind of sweet.

01:07:10Breakfast radish.

01:07:11Spicy, a little bit more delicate than most radishes.

01:07:13Spiralizer is one of my favorite things.

01:07:15This is a mandolin plus.

01:07:16You can really ribbon out small ribbons of ingredients.

01:07:20We all know what crispy is, and there's a lot of ways to achieve it.

01:07:23They're going to really have to focus on this.

01:07:25It's going to be a tough battle.

01:07:26Lots of stuff.

01:07:26Here we go.

01:07:27I have a lot of cool accomplishments.

01:07:28I've been very blessed.

01:07:29I've cooked at the White House for President Obama.

01:07:32Best restaurant from Time Out Magazine Latin restaurant.

01:07:35I've been nominated for multiple James Beard Awards,

01:07:38and being recognized as the most prominent Latin chef in this country, for the most part.

01:07:43Hi, chef.

01:07:44How are you?

01:07:45I'm great.

01:07:45I'm really psyched to follow you.

01:07:47When I think clams, I think immediately broth.

01:07:50So I'm making steamed manila clams in a chili coconut broth with plantain chips.

01:07:56So the first thing I'm going to do is start with the broth.

01:07:59Using Fresnos and dried chiles?

01:08:02I'm a wacko, aren't you?

01:08:03It's almost like he's got a PhD in chili.

01:08:05Yeah, exactly.

01:08:07The way you get a depth of flavor in this broth for these manila clams is the idea of toasting,

01:08:13letting those natural flavors come out.

01:08:17Chef Aron's first time to the TOC arena, but certainly not the first time competing.

01:08:21He's an OG.

01:08:23Chef Aron sat at the Chopped desk long before I was ever invited to the party,

01:08:26so I stand on his shoulders.

01:08:28I'm very excited to follow this cup.

01:08:30My first experience competing was on the second season of Iron Chef America.

01:08:36I competed a lot on Chopped, and I'm a judge as well.

01:08:39I was a judge on MasterChef with Gordon Ramsay, so the competitors that are going to be facing me,

01:08:44I just want you to know that it's kind of just part of my deal.

01:08:53My culinary journey started, you know, at home.

01:08:56I had those full memories of going and seeing tortillas being made at a mercado.

01:09:00So, my grandmother had the initiative to write a cookbook in 1986 called Mexican Family Cooking,

01:09:05and then my mom had a restaurant in New York City in the Hubbity Hub.

01:09:10So, for me, I grew up in the industry.

01:09:12To continue the family legacy is extremely important.

01:09:15There's a little bit of pressure involved, as you can imagine.

01:09:18And here we go.

01:09:19We're getting dangerously close.

01:09:20The reality is, it's anybody's game.

01:09:22I've been doing this a long time.

01:09:24I've cooked all styles of cuisine.

01:09:26He's been a private chef for Oprah Winfrey.

01:09:30It's just chef against chef, and the best man wins.

01:09:35I'm kidding, as quick as it is, you know where clams are going, which I think will open them up.

01:09:39I wouldn't be surprised if he's going to open them up, get them going, and go into a fried clam.

01:09:45The style of the dish is crispy.

01:09:49So, in my mind, everything has to be crispy.

01:09:52So, I'm going to do a super crispy Thai collard ringer salad.

01:09:56It's going to have crispy clams.

01:09:59Think Thai green papaya salad.

01:10:01I'm picking up what you're throwing down.

01:10:02I'm known for my international cuisine and my southern roots and flavors.

01:10:07I want this dish to really represent that.

01:10:09The great thing about these clams, also, is they are so fresh.

01:10:12They are all opening up, so chef's not going to have to do a ton of work.

01:10:16He's got them in the blast chiller, which I think is a great idea to cool them down.

01:10:19I think they're probably going to see a batter.

01:10:20It was really important for the clams to be cold, because I'm going to have to cook these again.

01:10:25I've been in the game for the better part of 30-plus years, and I got through the qualifiers.

01:10:29I have to get to the sweet 16.

01:10:31The only thing that I'm focused on right now is getting past his icon.

01:10:38Chef, halfway point.

01:10:39You have 15 minutes left.

01:10:4015 to go.

01:10:45My buttermilk egg batter.

01:10:46As the clams are chilling out in a glass chiller, I'm going to work on a batter.

01:10:50Wow, those spices smell delicious, chef.

01:10:52Who made them?

01:10:53I did it.

01:10:53Thank you very much.

01:10:55These spices are my foundation.

01:10:57I'm going to fry the clams.

01:10:58I want this to be extra crispy.

01:11:03This is why I got the name Beast Mode.

01:11:04Yeah, you think Beast Mode might be a real thing?

01:11:06Look at this guy.

01:11:08So I have some work ahead of me, but I have a plan, and I plan on executing it to

01:11:12the highest level.

01:11:16In the whole of the competition, one of the things we see the judges look for really consistently is the

01:11:21style of the dish.

01:11:22The dish needs to read overall in that way, right?

01:11:24Elements can be crispy, but does this dish overall read crispy?

01:11:28The seafood stew is kind of almost going to negate the idea of crispiness.

01:11:33So I'm making plantain chips, just kind of make things crispy and on top.

01:11:41Spirola, they're smart.

01:11:42Thank you, chef.

01:11:43When I was young, I wanted to do all this, like, experimental Mexican food, but then as you get older

01:11:49as a chef, I'm going back to mom's and grandma's kitchen.

01:11:52So that's where I find myself now as a chef, and I'm going to bring it here to your seat.

01:11:56We're back.

01:11:57We're cooking with guests.

01:12:00The plantains come out of the fry.

01:12:02They look fantastic.

01:12:03I'm happy with them.

01:12:04If you ever had radishes just simply sauteed in butter, they're delicious.

01:12:10Check this out.

01:12:11Randomizer.

01:12:12What's the plan with the radishes, chef?

01:12:13So I'm going to shave the radishes to go in the salad.

01:12:16I'm also going to sharpen out the greens to kind of go in with the collards.

01:12:19The one challenging thing about the radishes is that the flavors, they're not super powerful.

01:12:24So you have to think about what am I going to do with this and make this really sing.

01:12:28Chef Kenny Gilbert has obviously figured out that there's not a ton you can do with breakfast radish, but he

01:12:34has figured out that there are two parts, and he's using them both, and I think that that's great.

01:12:39I want this so bad, I want to see my banner drop.

01:12:43I want to have my belt.

01:12:45The banner for me is the first one.

01:12:47That's legacy.

01:12:48Legacy is really important to me.

01:12:49I've dealt with major tragedies.

01:12:52My first wife died in a car accident.

01:12:54I was a widower at 21 years old, raising my daughter.

01:12:58It was a year and four months when that happened.

01:13:00I went through a lot of challenges there.

01:13:01She's now 32 with five kids, my beautiful grandkids.

01:13:06I've gone through so much, and so I'm going to fight my way through this.

01:13:10I'm going to bring it at a very high level, and I'm going to leave it all on the plate.

01:13:14A little micro ice bath for each of those mandolin components.

01:13:17I'm icing all my vegetables because everything needs to be crispy.

01:13:21This salad has to be exceptional, and I have to use a spiralizer.

01:13:25There you go.

01:13:26Breakfast radish is on the randomizer.

01:13:28Bringing in daikon radish, I'm going to add another element of radish in the dish.

01:13:34To make my dressing, I'm adding fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, galangal, bird chilies, and dry shrimp.

01:13:44I think that's going to dress this salad, and we're going to see kind of a trick of the eye

01:13:49with these fried clams like croutons.

01:13:50This dish is going to really knock the socks off of the judges

01:13:54because not everyone takes collard greens and makes a beautiful salad with it.

01:13:59Radish.

01:13:59They certainly don't add Thai flavors to make it pop.

01:14:02Viralize daikon.

01:14:03Yep.

01:14:04This is a very unique dish.

01:14:06It speaks to me and my culture and how I like to cook,

01:14:11and what I've learned to cook while breaking bread with other friends from other cultures.

01:14:16You can literally hear the crispiness of all of those components in the bowl as it's being mixed.

01:14:23You have to put the clams at the last moment because you don't want to overcook them.

01:14:27The judges will be, I know I am, we are all sticklers for clams that are cooked perfectly.

01:14:32A perfectly cooked clam means it's just popped.

01:14:37So when I win Tournament of Champions, it's going to be amazing.

01:14:42My responsibility as an icon is to plant seeds.

01:14:46Our youth is our most valuable commodity.

01:14:48So for me, I do that by way of the Adoncatches Impact Fund,

01:14:52where I put Latino kids into culinary school that I started in 2017.

01:14:56I'm very proud.

01:14:5826 kids have gone through the program.

01:15:00So we're continuing the legacy through this beautiful youth that are just conquering their dreams to be culinary leaders.

01:15:09Two minutes, chefs. Two to go.

01:15:11Literally neck and neck.

01:15:13Now it's time to build my plates.

01:15:14I have my collard greens.

01:15:16I take my rice noodles.

01:15:17I crunch them up, mix it in.

01:15:20Chicharron crunched up, and then I put the clams all the way around the bowl.

01:15:25Any excess dressing will just go towards the bottom of the bowl, which is not going to affect the clams

01:15:30from getting soggy.

01:15:31I'm hoping I'm going to get very high marks.

01:15:33One minute.

01:15:34Crowd's going wild right now.

01:15:36I mean, this is the big finale of the night.

01:15:40Where's the clocks?

01:15:41I want to plate my dish.

01:15:43Of course, it has to go in a bowl.

01:15:45I want to make sure I have a nice distribution of clams, a good spoonful of the broth,

01:15:48and then, of course, the garnishes are little plantain chips, the red fresno chiles, chives, and cilantro.

01:15:54Letting the manila clams be the star.

01:15:57Two, one!

01:15:58That's it!

01:16:03Not an easy randomizer, but you two knew what you were doing.

01:16:07Chef Aron Sanchez, Chef Kenny Gilbert, thank you so much.

01:16:13A straight-up culinary killer.

01:16:16It is craveable.

01:16:17It has good spice, but not overwhelming.

01:16:20I think that broth is going to be loaded with flavor.

01:16:22I think it's going to have heat.

01:16:24I think it's going to have acidity.

01:16:26I was not expecting Aron Sanchez.

01:16:31I think I did really well, actually.

01:16:34All right, here we go.

01:16:35Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome back our award-winning panel of judges.

01:16:39We're always Chef Scott Connick, Chef Kenny Oranger, and Chef Marcus Samuelsson.

01:16:44Oh!

01:16:45Oh, Marcus.

01:16:47Marcus.

01:16:48Oh, my Lord have mercy.

01:16:51Kenny Oranger is probably one of my best friends.

01:16:54Yeah.

01:16:55Whoa.

01:16:56Whoa, whoa.

01:16:57The randomizer served up manila clams, breakfast radish, spiralizer.

01:17:05Style was crispy.

01:17:07Chef Justin.

01:17:08Judges, this is a crispy Thai collard salad with crispy clams, crisp breakfast radishes, and their tops.

01:17:16Anchoring this all together is a chiffonade of collard greens and spiralized daikon radish.

01:17:22In terms of crispy components, we have rice noodles that were fried and crumbled up.

01:17:26We have the breading itself.

01:17:28There are some dry shrimp.

01:17:29There are dry peanuts.

01:17:30There are chicharron.

01:17:31The radish, the radish tops.

01:17:33And bean sprouts.

01:17:34How much stuff did he put in there?

01:17:37I'm not going to take it away from you, Marcus.

01:17:43Fried clams are very tricky, especially with manila clams, which tend to be smaller, sweeter.

01:17:50To be able to cook them, shell them, chill them, bread them again, cook them again the second time, and

01:17:55not have them taste like rubber requires a lot of skill.

01:17:59I love the chicharron.

01:18:00I love the fried rice noodles.

01:18:02I love the peanuts.

01:18:03So there's crispy on top of crispy on top of crispy.

01:18:05You know, very tasty dish.

01:18:07Thank you very much, Chef Marcus.

01:18:09I think Marcus is going to love it.

01:18:10Talk about playing the game.

01:18:12This is a really delicious dish with depth of flavors.

01:18:17The daikon spiral is so centered to the dish.

01:18:21The crispiness here comes from four or five different places.

01:18:24The breakfast radish, I wish Chef would have treated the breakfast radish a little bit different.

01:18:30Yeah, I agree with the breakfast radish.

01:18:32It's just shaved on top.

01:18:34I don't know.

01:18:34I disagree.

01:18:35Great rendition here with the spice mixture on top of it.

01:18:39Also, really good acidity, great backdrop of flavor.

01:18:42I think the chef hit all the notes as far as crispy, but a big miss on the breakfast radish.

01:18:47Okay, judges, thank you very much.

01:18:4950 points available in the taste, 40 points in the use of the randomizer, and 10 points in the plating.

01:18:55If I miss on points on that, I feel that I should really hit it in all other areas.

01:19:04I think I'm there.

01:19:05I'm not worried about flavor.

01:19:07Chefs, here to present the second dish is the TOC champ herself, Tiffany Faison.

01:19:14In front of you, chefs, we have a clam jam of manila clams, fortified coconut seafood broth, and crispy breakfast

01:19:21radish.

01:19:22The broth was constructed by dry roasting white onion, Fresno chilies, dried guajillo and morito chilies, and tomatillo.

01:19:29Plantains were coaxed through the spiralizer for the crispy garnish to top the manila clams,

01:19:33and breakfast radishes were brown butter roasted and added to the dish.

01:19:39Who doesn't love stewed manila clams?

01:19:42Really love the texture, cooked perfectly on these clams.

01:19:45Addition of the Fresno chili has a nice spice to it.

01:19:48The roasted radishes are my favorite thing.

01:19:50I like the plantain that's crispy, but there's a spiralizer.

01:19:54Take a potato, fry it on top, like make it crispy.

01:19:57It's the whole point of the dish.

01:19:59It's supposed to be crispy.

01:20:01Clams are cooked perfectly.

01:20:03Spiralizer, would have liked to have seen a lot more, and then just a couple plantain chips on there.

01:20:07Just like crunchy, porky, you know, type of chili, crunch, whatever.

01:20:12This is a really good dish.

01:20:14It's gorgeous.

01:20:16The clams are cooked really nice.

01:20:18In 30 minutes to develop flavor, yes, but the lack of more crispy bits in here, that could have given

01:20:27this dish a little bit more attitude.

01:20:31Thank you, judges.

01:20:32Thank you very much.

01:20:3350 points available in the taste, 40 points in the use of randomizer, and 10 in the plating.

01:20:38I want this really bad.

01:20:40I feel like my dish deserves it.

01:20:42I thought I focused.

01:20:43I thought I did well.

01:20:44I just think Kenny put too much stuff in there, to be honest.

01:20:49The scores are in.

01:20:51Let's go.

01:20:55Ladies and gentlemen, let's go ahead and bring our chefs back in.

01:20:59Chef Kenny Gilbert!

01:21:02Chef Leroy Sanchez!

01:21:07Welcome back.

01:21:09Gentlemen, have I seen some difficult randomizers, but that was one of the toughest I've seen.

01:21:14Here are the scores.

01:21:1776 to 81.

01:21:23The winner of tonight's final battle in this first round between Chef Aron Sanchez and Chef Kenny Gilbert is...

01:21:37Chef Kenny Gilbert!

01:21:43Good job, Chef.

01:21:45Good job, Chef.

01:21:47Good job.

01:21:47Yeah!

01:21:48Let's go!

01:21:56Chevron, as many competitions as you have judged, you know how difficult.

01:22:02When you're in the heat, and there's 30 minutes breathing down your neck, it's a monster.

01:22:07This is the toughest cooking competition, hands down.

01:22:10Chef Kenny, well done, sir.

01:22:13Thank you, Chef.

01:22:13Ladies and gentlemen, Chef Aron Sanchez.

01:22:16Thank you, Papa.

01:22:17Love you, man.

01:22:17Thank you for doing this.

01:22:19Best of love to you, Papa.

01:22:20Thank you, Papa.

01:22:21Represent, baby.

01:22:23Aron!

01:22:28I'm expected to win.

01:22:30I'm expected to shine.

01:22:33I didn't.

01:22:35If you want to compete, you've got to be prepared to win or to lose.

01:22:38Today wasn't my day.

01:22:39Congratulations.

01:22:40Congratulations.

01:22:41You have won your first bracket in TLC 7.

01:22:44Let's go!

01:22:47Big win.

01:22:48Big win.

01:22:48Let's take a look at the bracket.

01:22:50Kenny Gilbert taking down number one seed Aron Sanchez.

01:22:54Now going up against Kalina Bliss, who took out Adam Sobel tonight.

01:22:59Ladies and gentlemen, Beast in the Kitchen, a big win, and a congratulations, Chef Kenny Gilbert.

01:23:05So happy for you.

01:23:06Way to do it, my friend.

01:23:08Way to do it.

01:23:08We'll see you soon.

01:23:14Let's go.

01:23:16I'm so pumped.

01:23:17This is what I came here to do.

01:23:19First time I've seen this competition get started, I said, I'm going to compete there.

01:23:22And I'm here.

01:23:23I'm ready to take it.

01:23:25So of the 32 chefs that competed in the first round of TLC 7, half have already gone home.

01:23:33But the winning chefs, oh, they're ready for more.

01:23:37Fiva!

01:23:39Fiva!

01:23:40Fiva!

01:23:40Word!

01:23:41If this is weeknight cooking, I want to be eating at this frickin' house seven nights a week.

01:23:45Join us next time when the Victoria Super 16 return to wager their second round battles

01:23:51in the quest for the belt.

01:23:52The title, the $150,000, are right here on Tournament of Champion 7.

01:23:58I'm coming for the belt.

01:23:59Hey, you're having a good time.

01:24:01Adios.

01:24:01Here on the 하늘.

01:24:01Let's go.

Tournament of Champions - Season 7 - Episode 04: The Final Icon Is Revealed

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