Tournament of Champions - Season 7 - Episode 05: The Super 16 Show Out - video Dailymotion

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00:00:00Tonight, the Victoria's Super 16 re-enter the arena

00:00:03to kick off the second round of competition.

00:00:07Go.

00:00:09TOC's a different game.

00:00:11It's a whole different league.

00:00:13First, four-time finalist, Jet Tila,

00:00:15returns to battle, Chef Claudette Cepeda.

00:00:18I'll keep doing this until we win or until I die.

00:00:21I do my own stuff, guys.

00:00:24Next, it's a showdown between two of TOC's greatest Cinderella stories,

00:00:28Chef Rick Resigno, and Chef Kevin Lee.

00:00:31This is the battle of TOC 7.

00:00:33I'm here to win the whole thing this year.

00:00:35Going home is just not an option.

00:00:37And then, James Beard Award winner Jonathan Sawyer

00:00:40faces off against Food Network star Artie Sequeira.

00:00:43Look at that!

00:00:44Beautiful.

00:00:45Oh, my God.

00:00:45And finally, top-seeded culinary icon, Lorena Garcia,

00:00:49takes on Top Chef All-Star Joe Sasto.

00:00:52Hey, you're having a good time.

00:00:54Who will win the spot in the quarterfinals?

00:00:56So this is just a small miracle here on the plate.

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

00:01:10Here they come now.

00:01:12The 16 superstars with extra swagger in their step.

00:01:17Congratulations.

00:01:18Nice.

00:01:20Round 2 means everything.

00:01:22My goal this season is the finale.

00:01:24If I don't get this win today, I'll be hugely disappointed in myself.

00:01:29You want to hear something interesting?

00:01:30Five of you are here from the qualifiers.

00:01:35Wow.

00:01:37Never been done before.

00:01:38Which one of you is going to win four more battles in a row without a single misstep?

00:01:44We're talking the title.

00:01:45We're talking the belt.

00:01:47The ultimate bling, of course.

00:01:48We're talking $150,000.

00:01:57So many great match-ups to choose from.

00:02:03Let's go with Chef Jettila and Chef Clannette Cepeda.

00:02:11Chef Jeff through that door.

00:02:12Chef Cepeda through that door.

00:02:15And I will see you all very soon.

00:02:23Oh, man.

00:02:24Sometimes there might be some easy roads in battles.

00:02:28Every road is terrible this year.

00:02:30It is all amazing chefs.

00:02:32Trying to guess what the hell is going to be on that randomizer.

00:02:35I've never gone against Jett in any competition.

00:02:38I've only judged with him.

00:02:40He is one hell of a cook, so I'm really excited.

00:02:42Let's meet our chefs kicking off the second round.

00:02:46We have the number six seed, Chef Claudette Cepeda, who scored an upset victory in the first round, taking down

00:02:52Chef Tobias Dorzon.

00:02:54I'm happy and proud of myself for making it to the second round, and I'm just definitely focused and hungry.

00:03:00Her opponent is the number two seed, Chef Jettila.

00:03:04The winningest chef in this year's bracket.

00:03:06Man, I've been here so many times before.

00:03:10I think I've competed more than anyone else here right now.

00:03:12It's that itch I can't scratch, the finale, and then the win.

00:03:15That's the end goal.

00:03:16He's going to make me work for it, which he should.

00:03:19I'm going to make him work for it, too.

00:03:21Claudette, like me, we cook from the soul.

00:03:22Also a lot of technique.

00:03:24This is going to be a flavor battle.

00:03:25There's definitely going to be flavor bombs on both ends.

00:03:27They're ready for you.

00:03:29All right, let's do this.

00:03:31Let's go.

00:03:36Are you ready for a Super Chef Showdown?

00:03:40Then let's light this up!

00:03:44Her distinctive approach to regional Mexican cuisine has twice earned her a spot on Esquire's

00:03:50Best New Restaurant list.

00:03:52A Michelin recommendation and a James Beard semi-finalist nod for Best Chef West.

00:03:58She has competed in the U.S. and Mexican versions of Top Chef and Iron Chef and defeated the

00:04:04Titans on Bobby's Triple Threat.

00:04:07And she won her first DOC victory in the first round of this tournament with a dish that the

00:04:12judges agreed.

00:04:13I would eat this in like a two-star Michelin restaurant.

00:04:15Absolutely.

00:04:16Put your hands together for the culinary anthropologist.

00:04:21La Jepa Chef Claudette Zepeda!

00:04:29Come on, Mavis!

00:04:35I'll tell you, Chef, watching you cook and watching that win, you brought it.

00:04:42You're going to need all that energy because this one's a tough one.

00:04:44By the time he was 16, he had worked every single position in his family's seven restaurants.

00:04:52He has opened more than 20 restaurant concepts, broken five culinary world records, and is

00:04:59an Emmy and James Beard-nominated cooking show host.

00:05:03He has won Chopped All-Stars and Bobby's Triple Threat.

00:05:06He has been to the TOC Final Four a record four times.

00:05:12And in his first battle of TOC-7, he had a dish that Dominique Crenn called...

00:05:17Incredible.

00:05:19Period.

00:05:20Give it up for the Jets-ster!

00:05:22The legend!

00:05:24Chef Jet!

00:05:25Zeele!

00:05:40Zeele!

00:05:42Congratulations on a first-round win, kicking off the second round of competition.

00:05:47Chefs, to the randomizer.

00:05:48Let's go.

00:05:48Right this way.

00:05:54Oh, wow.

00:05:55Remember, chefs, the randomizer's going to determine the mandatory details of your dish,

00:05:59the protein, the produce, the equipment, the style, and finally, the new wild card, which

00:06:04will be a wild card ingredient.

00:06:08Big smiles, at least.

00:06:09It's called a smile mask.

00:06:11Is that what it is?

00:06:12Because I'm really freaking out inside.

00:06:13Really nice.

00:06:13Here we go for the proteins.

00:06:16I'm not going to say anything.

00:06:18No.

00:06:19Because she'll hear us.

00:06:20Yeah.

00:06:21She's in our brains.

00:06:23Bronze chicken, bone in, chicken.

00:06:26Whole chicken.

00:06:28Fresno peppers.

00:06:29Rolling grill basket.

00:06:32Weeknight dinner, frozen peas.

00:06:34Ah, 35 minutes.

00:06:36Go.

00:06:42Whole chicken.

00:06:44They're going to have the gizzards, the hearts, the livers, everything inside of these.

00:06:48These will be organic chickens.

00:06:49Fresno peppers, bright red, very similar to jalapeno.

00:06:52It's just not as hot.

00:06:53Rolling grill basket.

00:06:54You can roll it back and forth over the grills.

00:06:56Weeknight dinner, not complicated, no frills, but should be some grills.

00:07:00Frozen peas, frozen or canned, I'll always take frozen.

00:07:03This, you'll get a better texture out of it.

00:07:05Here we go.

00:07:06The hunger to win TOC only increases every year.

00:07:10Who else has been here every season for seven seasons?

00:07:13Monique's gone because she's won.

00:07:15And Tony's gone because she's won.

00:07:17It crushes me every year, but I get up again and go to therapy and figure it out and I

00:07:22come

00:07:22back.

00:07:23You two?

00:07:23Yeah.

00:07:24Pick whatever you want.

00:07:24I've known Jet for years.

00:07:26I understand his capabilities as a human and a chef.

00:07:31I admire the hell out of all of those things about him.

00:07:34But when a Latina takes your earrings off, it's about to go down.

00:07:41When it comes to weeknight dinner, chef, what do you think?

00:07:44Green curry chicken, using those peas.

00:07:48Speaking of, there they are.

00:07:51Peas and rice, natural pear.

00:07:54For me, I'm going green curry chicken with a rice pilaf.

00:07:59You get it?

00:07:59I start with a canned green curry.

00:08:02I fortify it with some of those Fresno chilies.

00:08:05The peas are going to give me some sweetness and a lot of color.

00:08:08The curry is going to be the marinade for the chicken and also the base to make the curry

00:08:13sauce.

00:08:13Reinforcing all those flavors and that green color.

00:08:19So smart.

00:08:20What in the world.

00:08:20Keep that color clean.

00:08:22Basket.

00:08:23Throw some spices in here.

00:08:26Anise, cinnamon, chilies.

00:08:28We'll start there.

00:08:29I need to use this roller basket.

00:08:30And the best thing, in my opinion, is to toast some spices.

00:08:34Thanks, guys.

00:08:35Thank you, thank you.

00:08:36I'm joined, as always, by my amazing culinary commentators.

00:08:39We have the Michelin-recommended chef and walking food encyclopedia, chef Justin Warner,

00:08:43an award-winning restaurateur, and the TOC3 champ herself, chef Tiffany Faison.

00:08:48Now, Justin and Tiffany will closely follow the preparation of these dishes so they can perfectly

00:08:52describe them to the judges during the blind tasting.

00:08:55We're also joined by our roving reporter, Hunter Fieri, who will be talking with our chefs backstage.

00:08:59And also, culinary scholar, Saibu Jandar, will be talking to our judges about the difficulty

00:09:04of each randomizer challenge.

00:09:05My mind immediately goes to my childhood.

00:09:09In Mexico, we eat sweater weather food year-round.

00:09:12One of my favorite dishes growing up is calo de arroz con pollo.

00:09:15It was in constant rotation in my house.

00:09:18I'm going to do boiled chicken with calo de arroz, which is kind of like a brothier rice,

00:09:24but not a Spanish style.

00:09:27Yep.

00:09:27Just like mom used to make.

00:09:29In front of an audience.

00:09:31I start my chicken broth.

00:09:32In the pot goes my chicken base, dashi powder, dried shiitakes, alfasanta, avocado leaves,

00:09:38some lemongrass.

00:09:40Trying to fortify the hot water as much as I can to get me the win.

00:09:45Oh, bye chicken.

00:09:46Good night.

00:09:47Oh, the whole chicken's going in.

00:09:49I get 35 minutes to get a little evisions of granger.

00:09:52Like, I got all this time.

00:09:53I can do all this extra work.

00:09:54Things can get nice.

00:09:5625 minutes to go, 10 minutes down already.

00:09:58There's not a lot of time.

00:10:02Laudette, Jet, you have 15 minutes left.

00:10:0515 in the competition.

00:10:06You've broken down a chicken before, Seth, right?

00:10:08I don't know.

00:10:08How do you do this again?

00:10:10Chicken stock flavor really comes from the connective tissue and the bones and the marrow.

00:10:14So the backs are going to be to get big chicken flavor in the stock, which will go into the

00:10:18rice and the curry.

00:10:21I want the judges to not be concerned with the bone, and I debone the thighs.

00:10:25And I roll them in the curry to start the marinade.

00:10:27Where's the time?

00:10:28Right?

00:10:29Right?

00:10:30I pulled the spices and the chili out of the roller basket, and I put it into a stock pot.

00:10:34Ooh, look at those spices!

00:10:36I remove the chicken backs from the roller basket and get them into that stock pot.

00:10:40I also finished that stock with Fresno pepper, because I'm trying to get Fresnos everywhere.

00:10:43It's about playing the game.

00:10:45Chef, what's this stock going to be?

00:10:46This stock is going to be for the rice.

00:10:48Understood.

00:10:49Yeah, so we can get the chicken essence inside.

00:10:51So it's going to be multiple uses.

00:10:54Do I see Asian ingredients here, Chef?

00:10:56It's a little bit of mix, yeah.

00:10:57I've been cooking Mexican cuisine for the last decade-plus of my career.

00:11:02But weeknight dinner at my house, we're eating any form of Asian cuisine.

00:11:08Open up.

00:11:09The Fresnos are right, tangy, zippy, spicy.

00:11:12No, I don't, close up.

00:11:18The broth for the rice is inspired by Tom Kha.

00:11:21It is a loose rice dish.

00:11:23More like risotto than soup.

00:11:25Flavors that I normally get to my house.

00:11:29Are we cooking the chicken in the rolling grill basket?

00:11:32We're trying, Chef.

00:11:33Chef.

00:11:34Dope.

00:11:34I'm really trying to make sure that I hit the randomizer.

00:11:37While I can't see what Chef's doing, I know that that is always in his mind.

00:11:41Gameplay is important.

00:11:43I can't get dinged for it.

00:11:44We got collards going in.

00:11:46I like this little move.

00:11:47Also, weeknight dinner, we got to get our greens.

00:11:49This is my go-to for the family.

00:11:50It's always the collards.

00:11:51Oh!

00:11:53That's cool.

00:11:54I need to render these thighs and get them crispy.

00:11:58So the shortcut to that is to throw them in the fryer.

00:12:01That's hot!

00:12:03Quickly.

00:12:04So I have peas in the curry, but in case the judges don't get it, I want some actual peas

00:12:08in

00:12:09the curry so they eat the actual whole peas.

00:12:11I get the thighs into the curry to braise to really get the curry flavor onto the thighs.

00:12:16Double use on the Fresno, double use on the pea.

00:12:18That's what it looks like.

00:12:19Great gameplay.

00:12:19Yep.

00:12:19In my head, I see this green pistou-like sauce being drizzled over the rice.

00:12:26Woo!

00:12:27Hot dog!

00:12:28I put Fresno peppers that have also been charred in the roller grill with peas, a little bit

00:12:34of chicken stock.

00:12:35The pressure for me on this round is coming from every direction.

00:12:40It's always about my kids, the next generation of other Hispanic little kids that don't see

00:12:45themselves in mainstream media and can see my path and be like, oh, if she can do it,

00:12:50I can do it too.

00:12:51Oh, come on.

00:12:52Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.

00:12:52Careful, careful, careful.

00:12:57I pulled the chicken in the pot out.

00:13:00It's not even done.

00:13:01Isn't even close.

00:13:02Can't survive.

00:13:03What's going on with this chicken?

00:13:05It's so raw.

00:13:06Oh.

00:13:08Back in the back.

00:13:09The breast went back in the stock pot.

00:13:10I'm putting the legs into the fryer to see if I can get that finished cooking.

00:13:15What's this going to be?

00:13:16Oh, that's going to be our rice.

00:13:18Did I do too much?

00:13:19Did I do too much?

00:13:20That is going to be the question.

00:13:22What's next?

00:13:23I'm going to make like a chili sauce.

00:13:25I need to do one more thing with Fresnos.

00:13:27Take Fresno peppers whole and red bell peppers and I juice them, throw that right into the chicken

00:13:34fat pan to make my version of a chili crisp and I'm hoping they like spicy.

00:13:40Three minutes.

00:13:42For my pea saute, it's got curry leaves, Fresno peppers that have been in the rolling grill

00:13:48and then I add the frozen peas.

00:13:53I do my own stuff, guys.

00:13:56The chicken is still quite rare on the inside so I spice it in half, put them back in against

00:14:02the wall of the roller grill.

00:14:04The fryer chicken isn't really cooking the way I want it to so I'm at least going to try

00:14:08to save the skins and use this.

00:14:11Thankfully.

00:14:12The outside of the chicken breast is properly cooked and the inside is like that perfect

00:14:17carryover pink.

00:14:2090 seconds.

00:14:21I start by laying down a base of that coconut pilaf.

00:14:24It's got the Fresnos in it.

00:14:27Wow, that's awesome.

00:14:28Holy moly.

00:14:29I slice some chicken thighs, shingled over the rice.

00:14:34I drizzle the chicken fat hot sauce.

00:14:37I need a crunch.

00:14:38Chef, you have 60 seconds left.

00:14:40I crunch up a bit of the fried basil.

00:14:43This is exactly what I want to eat on a weeknight.

00:14:47It would mean the world to me to win this year.

00:14:50I'll keep doing this until we win or until I die.

00:14:54I'm scooping two ladles of the caldo de arroz on the base of the plate.

00:14:59Then I drizzle that collard and pea stew on top.

00:15:04And then I add the pea salad, grilled chicken breast on the right, and garnish with pretty

00:15:08leaves, the pinch of salt, and lime at the end.

00:15:10This dish is a pug in a bowl, distoral cooking.

00:15:13Very comforting flavors.

00:15:16Five, four, three, two, one.

00:15:20We're done.

00:15:21Good?

00:15:22Good.

00:15:24Congratulations.

00:15:25Cauda Cepeda, Jet T-Lite.

00:15:27Back to your trailers.

00:15:29Let's go ahead and bring the judges in.

00:15:31I feel really good hoping I didn't make it too spicy.

00:15:34I would eat it.

00:15:35My kids would love it.

00:15:36You can't take her for granted.

00:15:38Our flavors are big.

00:15:39They're probably similar.

00:15:39So it's going to be tight, I think.

00:15:42All right, folks, the DOC judges have been waiting in their trailers for their first

00:15:46blind tasting, and we finally left them out.

00:15:49James Beard award-winning restaurateur who made food and wine and Gourmet Magazine's

00:15:54list of best restaurants in America.

00:15:56Who is it?

00:15:57Chef Michelle Bernstein.

00:16:02Latin specialist can eat spicy.

00:16:04Hope she understands my flavors.

00:16:06I'm good with that.

00:16:07She's all that, and then some famed chef behind some of Boston's

00:16:11most acclaimed restaurants and James Beard award-winner, Chef Kenny Oranger.

00:16:18Kendall's been more restaurants than many, many of us will ever.

00:16:22He's a Michelin-starred restaurateur who has earned multiple three-star reviews from

00:16:26The New York Times.

00:16:27He is an iron chef, Chef Jeffrey Sicario.

00:16:32Jeffrey's a hard-ass.

00:16:34Woo!

00:16:35Judges, the randomizers become a little bit more difficult.

00:16:38For the proteins, the chefs had whole chicken, produce was Fresno peppers, equipment was

00:16:43a rolling grill basket, the style was weeknight dinner, and the wild-card ingredient was frozen

00:16:47peas.

00:16:48And here to present, Justin Warner.

00:16:49Come on, Justin.

00:16:50Do me proud.

00:16:51This is a whole chicken green curry, along with some Fresno chicken fat chili crisp.

00:16:56The whole chicken was butchered.

00:16:58The breast and thigh were marinated in a green pea green curry.

00:17:03From there, they were fried lightly and then cooked skin-side down in a pan with fish sauce,

00:17:07toasted cinnamon that was toasted in the rolling grill basket, and they were finished

00:17:12in a curry sauce.

00:17:13The Fresno peppers, you can find roasted in the grill basket in the curry.

00:17:17You can find them in the rice, and then, of course, their juice was used to make that

00:17:21chili crisp.

00:17:22Ken ate all of it.

00:17:24Let's go.

00:17:25Guy, if this is weeknight cooking, I want to be eating at this frickin' house seven nights

00:17:30a week.

00:17:30Yeah!

00:17:32The complexity in 30 minutes to get the flavor, the balance, utilizing the toasted spices

00:17:38from the rolling grill, and the crispy skin, the pea curry, beautifully done dish.

00:17:44Oh, my God.

00:17:45I do feel nauseous.

00:17:46This is a lot of fun, and as a weeknight meal, this could be something that I could

00:17:50repeat.

00:17:51The chicken is delicious.

00:17:52It's cooked on point.

00:17:53I love the curry flavors, and then I love the pop of the pea as well.

00:17:57I feel like the rice could be just a little less cooked.

00:18:00Okay.

00:18:01That's not bad.

00:18:02Curry is one of those things that is very hard to master because everybody has their

00:18:05own sort of idea of what curry is.

00:18:07It sure is.

00:18:08This happens to be a particularly delicious curry.

00:18:10However, the spice level, almost too much, and I would have loved a bit more sauce because

00:18:15the sauce is the best part of this dish.

00:18:17Thank you very much.

00:18:18Good job, Dad.

00:18:18Okay.

00:18:20Judges, your scorecards are in front of you.

00:18:2250 points in flavor, 40 points in the use to randomize her, and 10 points in the plating.

00:18:27Mmm.

00:18:29I feel good.

00:18:31This is a let's see how she did, not a slam dunk.

00:18:36Status quo at the moment.

00:18:37All right, ladies and gentlemen, here to present the second dish is our T-O-C-3 champ.

00:18:42Tiffany, face on.

00:18:43Here we go.

00:18:44In front of you, we have pollo con sopa arroz.

00:18:47A sauce on top of that was crafted by a grill basket that was fed with charred collard greens,

00:18:51fresnos that were also charred on the grill basket.

00:18:54Those were put in a blender with frozen peas and fresnos and a little bit of chicken stock.

00:18:57Next, a sauté of the rolling grill basket, grilled fresnos, sliced with shallots, frozen peas, curry leaves, and mint adorned

00:19:04the top of the rice.

00:19:06The breast was fabricated from the chicken and grilled on the rolling grill basket.

00:19:09That's the breast that you have on top.

00:19:12Sobre arroz, which is obviously chicken soup, right?

00:19:15This is more of like a rice stew.

00:19:17However, it's my favorite part of this dish.

00:19:20The chicken in that sopa is really well cooked.

00:19:23The chicken that's a little overcooked to me is this piece right in the center that has been in the

00:19:29rolling grill basket.

00:19:32And it is quite charred.

00:19:34The chef took us on a journey.

00:19:36Latin America, we're in Southeast Asia.

00:19:38There's the curry, the chilies, juicy, luscious chicken in that rice soup, which steals the show.

00:19:44I don't think they were so successful with cooking the chicken breast on top.

00:19:49Really good flavors, great weeknight meal, great use of the randomizer.

00:19:52The rice is cooked expertly.

00:19:54And I would have liked my chicken poached and shredded and incorporated into this rice.

00:19:59It really needed to be.

00:20:00I would have put the Fresno and the pea in the grill basket and get the char on the pea

00:20:04and really get that smokiness on the peas.

00:20:06The peas a little flat in this dish.

00:20:08This is the hair.

00:20:08This is splitting the hair.

00:20:10And that's what it's going to take to win.

00:20:12Thank you very much.

00:20:14I don't buy that they were overcooked, but maybe the outside bits that were on the outside of the grill.

00:20:19And if that's what they got, that's what they got.

00:20:21So we'll see.

00:20:22Her dish obviously was delicious.

00:20:24I don't need to be great.

00:20:25I just need to be good enough.

00:20:27Thank you very much.

00:20:28Chef Michelle Bernstein.

00:20:29Chef Kenny Oranger.

00:20:30Jeffrey Sicari.

00:20:32Let's do this.

00:20:33Right.

00:20:35Let's bring him out.

00:20:37Chef Paudet Zepeda.

00:20:39Chef Chetila.

00:20:42Very close for a score of 75 to 80.

00:20:48The winner of the second round of the battle between Chef Chetila and Chef Paudet Zepeda is...

00:20:57The winner of the second round is...

00:21:03Chef Chetila.

00:21:07Congratulations.

00:21:14Chef Paudet, when your nickname is La Jefa, when you are the boss, you do run the kitchen, you do

00:21:20run the show, and we will see you again.

00:21:22Chef Paudet Zepeda.

00:21:24Chef Paudet.

00:21:29Not surprising.

00:21:31Yeah.

00:21:32No regrets.

00:21:33There's no point in doing that.

00:21:34See you next year.

00:21:35Maybe.

00:21:36Two wins in a row for Chetila and TLC7.

00:21:40Take a look here, Chef.

00:21:42Oh, where do we go next?

00:21:44Either Artie Sequeira or the James Beard Award winning Jonathan Sawyer.

00:21:48Wow.

00:21:49Congratulations.

00:21:50On to the quarterfinals.

00:21:51Chetila.

00:21:53Chetila.

00:21:54Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

00:21:56Wow.

00:21:58Come on now.

00:21:59Oh, my brother.

00:22:00Probably one of the most difficult cooks in there.

00:22:02I mean, do you think that you tried to do too much?

00:22:05She scared me.

00:22:07Made me feel like I needed to do more.

00:22:08Our next two opponents, we have the number three seed, Chef Kevin Lee, who continues to show

00:22:14why he's called the Dragon Slayer.

00:22:17And he'll have to prove it again tonight.

00:22:19Back again.

00:22:20You know, last year I came in with my Kobe's and my Dragon Slayer t-shirt on, but this year

00:22:25I'm here to show everybody I am serious.

00:22:27His opponent is the number two seed, the one and only Chef Britt Resigno.

00:22:32Yo.

00:22:32Britt has won every second round battle she's ever competed in.

00:22:37Me versus Kev.

00:22:39I always thought this would be a finale.

00:22:40Britt and I kind of grew up in TLC.

00:22:42You know, this show kind of made our careers.

00:22:44TLC 5, I came as a guy who had a fried chicken restaurant.

00:22:48Fast forward two years later, I'm on my second steakhouse.

00:22:51I had a James Berry nomination.

00:22:53Season 7.

00:22:54When I know her eyes are on that belt and my eyes are on that belt, it's going to be

00:22:58a

00:22:58great battle.

00:22:59This is the battle of TLC 7 because it's two minds that really understand this competition

00:23:05and love it.

00:23:07Kevin has only gone out by Antonia, the champion, and I've only lost in this arena to champions.

00:23:14Are you ready to meet our contenders?

00:23:17Then let's light it up!

00:23:20He was executive chef of a sushi restaurant in Vegas, Mandalay Bay, at the ripe age of 21.

00:23:26Now he's the owner of two acclaimed Korean-inspired steakhouses in his hometown of Oklahoma City.

00:23:31He was a James Beard Awards semi-finalist for Best Chef Southwest in 2025.

00:23:38He has defeated Shirley Chung, Adam Sobel, and Brooke Williamson in the TLC Arena and is

00:23:45the only two-time winner of Alex vs. America.

00:23:48And in the first round of TLC 7, he defeated Chopped Grand Champion Adam Greenberg with a

00:23:54venison dish that Judge Rocco Despierto called...

00:23:57...impossible to do in a fine dining restaurant setting, much less in a competition setting.

00:24:02Make some noise for the dragon slayer!

00:24:06Chef Kevin Lee!

00:24:16You still got the eye of the dragon?

00:24:17I know what it takes to win, and I'm not going to take it lightly.

00:24:21I'm ready.

00:24:22Let's meet your opponent.

00:24:25She went from working in her grandparents' clam bar as a kid to executive chef of her

00:24:30own Four Diamond Restaurant in Sun Valley, Idaho.

00:24:33She's a Chopped Champion, a Triple G winner, and beat Bobby Flay with her Grammy Jones Chicken

00:24:40and Dumpling recipe.

00:24:41She defeated competition greats such as Jose Garces, Tiffany Faison, and Jonathan Sawyer to

00:24:48reach the TLC Final Four three years in a row.

00:24:52And she outcooked Michelin-starred master, Giuseppe Tentori, in the first round of TLC 7 with

00:24:59a dish that Chef Judy Chu described as...

00:25:01Spectacular.

00:25:05Make some noise for Chef Britt Ressigno!

00:25:18With the two of you knowing how powerful you are, to me, it feels like I'm in the semi-finals

00:25:22right now.

00:25:22And we can't get started with that without taking it to the randomizer right this way,

00:25:26Chef.

00:25:27Let's do this!

00:25:32What do you think?

00:25:33Spin it.

00:25:34Let's go.

00:25:35Here we go.

00:25:36Going for the proteins.

00:25:41Good luck.

00:25:42All the respect, yeah.

00:25:45Tiger Chops, Bone-in-Ribeye, Escarole, Meat Grinder, Guilty Pleasure.

00:25:53All right, here we go.

00:25:54Pepperoni Cups.

00:25:56Only makes my night get better.

00:25:5835 minutes on the clock.

00:25:59I wish you both the best.

00:26:01Go.

00:26:05Bone-in-Ribeye, it's got a great balance between well-marbled meat and fat.

00:26:10This right here is going to lend itself to that meat grinder incredibly well.

00:26:14Escarole is a bitter leafy green, part of the chicory family, and guilty pleasure.

00:26:19We're looking for dishes that are fatty, carby, cheesy, rich, and they'll be able to find that

00:26:24over here with some pepperoni cups.

00:26:26I think it's got to be something indulgent, super flavorful, and very chef, and they have

00:26:3035 minutes to do so.

00:26:32Britt is a really smart competition chef, but I'm staying calm.

00:26:37This is a guy who has two steakhouses.

00:26:40If I can't win this round with a bone-in-ribeye, we're going to have a problem.

00:26:45All right, chef.

00:26:47I'm not going to let Britt scare me.

00:26:49I'm thinking making a country fried steak.

00:26:53We love our country fried steaks in Oklahoma.

00:26:56Doesn't get more guilty pleasure than that.

00:26:58Look at the marbling on that.

00:27:00It's a crime against the steak that's probably about to hit the grinder.

00:27:04First thing I'm going to start is the gravy.

00:27:07I know it's going to take a little time, so I'm taking the spinalis of the ribeye,

00:27:10some pepperoni cups, and I'm putting it through the meat grinder.

00:27:16Spadalis is the outer muscle cap of the ribeye, which has beautiful texture, flavor.

00:27:21It is my favorite part of the cap.

00:27:24Rendering down the fat on the ribeye, rendering down the pepperoni.

00:27:28In another pot, I'm starting my roux.

00:27:30I'm not going to do your generic chain restaurant country fried steak.

00:27:35It's really smart and it's really playful to have like a chicken fried steak.

00:27:38This is going to be the Dragon Slayer style country fried steak

00:27:42that's going to blow the judges' minds.

00:27:47Kevin Lee is a tough chef.

00:27:49He's so good in this kitchen, but I'm coming for you.

00:27:53I didn't get here for no reason.

00:27:55I've beaten the reigning champ.

00:27:57I've beaten judges.

00:27:58The next thing that I'm going to conquer is TOC7, baby.

00:28:03We're going for the burger.

00:28:04Yeah.

00:28:04It's going burger, burger, burger.

00:28:07Chef, is the plan what I think the plan is?

00:28:09Do you know it?

00:28:10I have been dying to get a chance to make a burger on TOC.

00:28:14I'd say I've been waiting for four years for this opportunity.

00:28:17Heck yeah.

00:28:17They're one of my favorite foods in the whole wide world.

00:28:20It's nice and fatty too.

00:28:22It's going to make such a good burger.

00:28:23Guilty pleasure, especially with that pepperoni.

00:28:25What's the pepperoni going in or on top?

00:28:28Both.

00:28:28I'm going to grind my pepperoni.

00:28:29I love pepperoni cups.

00:28:31I think it's the elite pepperoni.

00:28:33It's going to season the inside of my burger patty.

00:28:36I want to do these nice thick steak burgers.

00:28:40Adding pepperoni to the pan is just going to add another layer of unctuousness.

00:28:45Butter daddy, baby.

00:28:46Britt has been in the final four every TOC she's been in,

00:28:50but this time, the dragon slayer can take butter daddy right out.

00:28:5625 minutes, chefs.

00:28:5825 to go.

00:28:59Soy oyster?

00:29:00Something heavy like country fried steak needs a little sour.

00:29:02A little kimchi, you know?

00:29:04Something acidic, spicy, bright.

00:29:06The next thing I want to work on is the escarole kimchi.

00:29:09You know, country fried steak can be very rich.

00:29:12It's going to need something bright to really break off that richness.

00:29:15It is guilty pleasure, but you still want a balanced dish.

00:29:19This is TOC.

00:29:20You're not just serving country fried steak to your neighbor.

00:29:23It's a nice levity to the heaviness of that steak.

00:29:25So yeah, it's guilty pleasure, but you still got to know when to, like,

00:29:29take your foot off the gas a little bit.

00:29:30Next thing I'm going to do is make my country fried steak.

00:29:33I think it'll be a great idea to keep the bone on the meat.

00:29:37So I'm frenching the bone, pounding it down with a meat mallet.

00:29:40Bread it and fry like a fried chicken.

00:29:43And Oklahoma is a huge staple.

00:29:45If I don't win this round, the whole state of Oklahoma is going to come after me.

00:29:50Going cast iron or deep fryer?

00:29:52Deep fryer, guy.

00:29:54Definitely a guilty pleasure.

00:29:55Oh, for sure.

00:29:57I'm going to use this pepperoni to the max.

00:30:00Let's have some fried pepperoni.

00:30:02I know that I want to make a pepperoni jam.

00:30:05This pepperoni jam is going to be the thing that ties this whole burger together.

00:30:10It is salty.

00:30:12Maple?

00:30:13Maple.

00:30:14It's sweet.

00:30:15There's vinegar.

00:30:16There's acid.

00:30:17Everything to it to just make this umami bomb of a burger.

00:30:22Oh, my God.

00:30:26That's a whole dang thing.

00:30:27Chef, you got to be careful because you put that on a menu,

00:30:30you're going to be making it the rest of your life.

00:30:34You can entomb me in that.

00:30:38My burgers come out of the oven.

00:30:40They're beautiful.

00:30:41Cooked perfect.

00:30:42Rest these like a proper steak.

00:30:44I'm going to put them on a rack to rest.

00:30:47Oh, look at that.

00:30:48You love my burgers.

00:30:50Wow.

00:30:51Everyone knows for me as my big, bold, Italian flavors, right?

00:30:56But I used to work at a burger place.

00:30:58I was the R&D chef, front of house manager,

00:31:01created all the new burgers for this restaurant,

00:31:04and it was epic.

00:31:05It's a guilty pleasure.

00:31:07I want these judges to get messy.

00:31:09Get your face in there and enjoy that.

00:31:11Want to keep this umami going?

00:31:12Next, I want to work on my escrow component to my burger.

00:31:16Black garlic.

00:31:17Get it wilted ever so slightly,

00:31:19and then I'm going to chop up some cornish on pickles.

00:31:22That layer of acidity to cut through all of our guilty pleasure.

00:31:31Those look nice.

00:31:32Gorgeous.

00:31:36These look beautiful coming out of the fryer.

00:31:38As long as he's happy to be sort of used a cake tester,

00:31:40we put it on here, our chin, or the top of our lip,

00:31:43and if it's warm to us, that's about a medium rare.

00:31:45So what happened with that just warms through?

00:31:48I want to make sure I use a pepperoni more than once.

00:31:51Throw some pepperonis in the fryer because I know I have Britt competing against me.

00:31:55I know she's going to hit that randomizer multiple times.

00:31:59I've got to make sure I don't get behind on those randomizer points.

00:32:02I'm going to char some green escrow.

00:32:04Okay.

00:32:05A little garnish on top.

00:32:06I want to really grill this escrow to really get the bitterness out of it.

00:32:10It's going to break down the fibers.

00:32:11It's going to really add a nice smokiness to the dish.

00:32:15I've never thought in my career I will be here competing amongst some of the best chefs in the country

00:32:20and winning.

00:32:21Before TLC5, I was months away from having to probably bankrupt my restaurant, sell my house.

00:32:27Everything was on the line.

00:32:28And now we're opening our second steakhouse.

00:32:32Imagine what winning this could do for my family.

00:32:34I am truly motivated to win the title this season.

00:32:3912 minutes, chefs.

00:32:4012 to go.

00:32:43You see that little kick?

00:32:45I did.

00:32:45We have to have a side for this burger.

00:32:47Let's make some onion rings.

00:32:48And while we're at it, frying the escrow is going to take away some of that bitterness.

00:32:53I want to hit the randomizer time and time again.

00:32:56And I want to hit it perfectly.

00:32:58Check, check, check, check, check.

00:33:00I'm going to take these bones and I'm going to put them in the fryer.

00:33:03Because who doesn't love a nice little crispy bone snack?

00:33:06And I want them to know that this was a bone-in ribeye.

00:33:08Oh, she's adding the fried bone to nibble.

00:33:11Wow.

00:33:14They're going to love that little snack.

00:33:16Three and a half.

00:33:16So I'm going to take my bottom toasted burger bun.

00:33:20Come on, y'all.

00:33:21This is where I need your energy.

00:33:23Layer of mayo.

00:33:24I have my black garlic cornichon escrow.

00:33:27I have my fatty steakhouse burger with American cheese.

00:33:31Crispy pepperoni cups right on top for that crunch.

00:33:34And then I'm going to take this beautiful pepperoni jam.

00:33:38And I'm going to just nappe each burger.

00:33:40Grab our onion ring, shoestring.

00:33:43I'm going to grab my bone, put that on there for that nice little snack.

00:33:48Where's the bone?

00:33:49I have zero concerns.

00:33:50I did exactly what I wanted.

00:33:52I hit the randomizer.

00:33:53Let's go.

00:33:55Two minutes.

00:33:55I had the spinelis pepperoni gravy going on the bottom of the plate.

00:34:00Beautiful boning country ribeye steak going on the side of the gravy.

00:34:03Finishing with my escrow kimchi with some chives and fresnos.

00:34:0890 seconds.

00:34:09I feel like I've played the randomizer really well.

00:34:13I don't think I've made the obvious choice of making a burger or a meatball.

00:34:1735 seconds.

00:34:19I'm going to finish it with my charred escrow on the side.

00:34:22Three, two, one.

00:34:25We're done.

00:34:28What a bottle.

00:34:30Thank you so much.

00:34:31Chef Boomer Signo.

00:34:33Chef Kevin Lee.

00:34:35Three seconds.

00:34:36Let's go.

00:34:36This is my fourth year.

00:34:38I've been dying to make a burger on TOC.

00:34:40Let's go, baby.

00:34:45If I lose on this one, I would never hear the end of it from OKC.

00:34:51My only concern is Britt.

00:34:52You know, Britt has been very good in this arena.

00:34:55She always wins.

00:34:56So I know I need a high score to get by in this round.

00:35:01All right, ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome back our judges, award-winning restaurateurs,

00:35:05Michelle Bernstein, Kenny Oranger, and Iron Chefs Jeffrey Zakarian.

00:35:09Oh, I love Michelle Bernstein.

00:35:11Jeffrey Zakarian?

00:35:12I mean, I know this is probably not the meal that he's looking forward to.

00:35:16They're all tough judges.

00:35:17Michelle, Zakarian, they've been here before.

00:35:20I'm just hoping they love my dish.

00:35:21All right, judges, the chefs were presented tonight with the bone-in ribeye and protein.

00:35:27Produce was escarole.

00:35:28The equipment that must be employed was a meat grinder.

00:35:31The style tonight was guilty pleasure.

00:35:33And the wild card ingredient was pepperoni cups.

00:35:36And here to present is our wild card himself, Justin Warner.

00:35:41This is a steakhouse burger with shoestring onions.

00:35:44The bone-in ribeye was ground in the meat grinder.

00:35:47That meat grinder was employed to grind pepperoni.

00:35:49The pepperoni and the ground ribeye were combined together, seasoned, and cooked in the pan,

00:35:55along with some extra pepperoni cups to flavor the drippings.

00:35:59Yeah, pick that bone up.

00:36:01The bone-in ribeye's bone was fried and served on the side.

00:36:05So the escarole you will see interlaced with those shoestring onions.

00:36:09They can't stop eating?

00:36:10I think that's a good thing.

00:36:13Whew.

00:36:14That is a guilty pleasure.

00:36:16Wow.

00:36:17I'm from New Jersey.

00:36:18I love pepperoni.

00:36:19I love burgers also.

00:36:20But the grind to me is a little bit fine.

00:36:23It's like, it's not eating juicy.

00:36:26I want it to drip.

00:36:27I used the biggest grind that I could.

00:36:29I think I would have gone a lot less pepperoni, more for accent than in the grinds.

00:36:34But the flavor is undeniable.

00:36:36It's a flavor bomb.

00:36:37I think as far as the ribeye goes, I love the fact that it's a very interesting way to do

00:36:41this deep frying.

00:36:42It's really sort of fun.

00:36:44Escarole, I love it.

00:36:45Could have used some more vinegar.

00:36:45This is a very fatty dish.

00:36:47And what fat needs is acid.

00:36:49Great presentation.

00:36:50But my favorite part of this is definitely these onion rings are just off the charts good.

00:36:57Escarole happens to be one of my favorite leafy vegetables.

00:37:00And I love the braised idea from it.

00:37:02That's really my favorite part of this burger, mainly because it is a dry burger.

00:37:11I don't understand how it's dry.

00:37:13I mean, I need a hot second.

00:37:15Can I?

00:37:17Wasn't Britt's best cook yet, so good for me.

00:37:21Great.

00:37:21Thank you, judges.

00:37:22Scorecards are in front of you.

00:37:2350 points available in taste.

00:37:2540 points in the use of the randomizer.

00:37:27And 10 in presentation.

00:37:29You know, it's not every day Britt has a down day in this kitchen.

00:37:32That was interesting.

00:37:34I better deliver.

00:37:36All right, judges.

00:37:37And here for the second dish is our TOC champ herself, Tiffany Faison.

00:37:43In front of you, you have country fried bone-in ribeye steak with a grinder gravy of ribeye

00:37:49and pepperoni cup, a grilled and fresh escarole salad, and crispy pepperoni cup crumble.

00:37:54The spinalis and pepperoni cups became the base of the meat grinder gravy.

00:37:58The chef took the ribeye, fried to the GBD steak that you see in front of you.

00:38:02The baby inside leaves of the escarole were picked out and removed for the salad in front

00:38:06of you.

00:38:06That's not to be outdone by the escarole that was then treated to the grill in a little

00:38:09bit of olive oil.

00:38:10There was a crispy pepperoni cup crumble that finished the top of the steak.

00:38:17This is the most expensive chicken fried steak I've ever had.

00:38:20I love the look of this dish.

00:38:22It's sexy.

00:38:22They kept the moisture on the steak.

00:38:24The crust held up.

00:38:25I love, love the escarole.

00:38:27That is how you cook escarole.

00:38:29It's like bitter.

00:38:30It's vinegary.

00:38:32I didn't really get the pepperoni.

00:38:34It was like just strewn about.

00:38:36And I love, love the spinalis gravy.

00:38:39Love you, Zacharian.

00:38:41It's Kevin.

00:38:42Chicken fried steak, to have it in ribeye, it's like kind of my dream.

00:38:48And I do love gravy.

00:38:50And the spinalis gravy is actually delicious.

00:38:55Super guilty pleasure here.

00:38:57Now, the soy, to me, it's fighting just a little bit.

00:39:00I'll take it.

00:39:01The escarole is great.

00:39:03The pepperoni's there.

00:39:04It's a little bit of an afterthought.

00:39:06But it shouldn't be an afterthought, and it shouldn't be, I don't mind.

00:39:09It has to be featured in the dish.

00:39:11I applaud this chef.

00:39:17This is a delicious dish.

00:39:19All the chilies and the soy and all the flavor.

00:39:22When I eat a ribeye, especially a really great cut of beef, you know, I still want there to be

00:39:26some juice in it.

00:39:27This is like medium well, and the crust and the gravy more than make up for it.

00:39:33But I would have liked maybe a little bit more juice on this stand.

00:39:36I could take them in randomizer.

00:39:38All right, judges, thank you very much.

00:39:40Your scorecard's in front of you.

00:39:41Again, 50 points available in taste.

00:39:4340 points in the use of the randomizer.

00:39:4610 points in presentation.

00:39:48Not a bad judging.

00:39:49My presentation was beautiful, and I used the randomizer tenfold.

00:39:53I've never not made it into the final four.

00:39:55Britt, good luck.

00:39:57I'm coming for that belt.

00:39:59Scores are in.

00:40:00Let's go see what the judges have to say.

00:40:03I've got the totals.

00:40:04Let's bring our chefs back in.

00:40:06Kevin Lee, Britt-Rissigno.

00:40:15The judges had a lot to say, and here are the scores.

00:40:2175 to 80.

00:40:24The winner of the second round battle between Chef Britt-Rissigno and Chef Kevin Lee is...

00:40:37Chef Kevin Lee!

00:40:40Wow!

00:40:42Congratulations, Chef.

00:40:43The end of the road, but not the end of Chef Britt.

00:40:48Butter Daddy!

00:40:49Chef Britt-Rissigno.

00:40:56Going home this early.

00:40:58I'm holding back tears.

00:41:02It's tough.

00:41:05The Dragon Slayer is still here.

00:41:09Let's take a look.

00:41:11The icon, legend play-in.

00:41:13Lorena Garcia goes up against Mustache Joe Sasto.

00:41:16So you get one of those two.

00:41:18You got this?

00:41:19Let's go.

00:41:19Kevin Lee, the Dragon Slayer.

00:41:21Well done, buddy.

00:41:22We're in the quarterfinals.

00:41:24Let's go!

00:41:24Quarterfinals!

00:41:28Let's go.

00:41:28Next one.

00:41:29Here we come.

00:41:30Okay, let's start on round two.

00:41:32Ribeye, a pepperoni cheeseburger.

00:41:35Well, I was just looking for a little more texture.

00:41:38Grinding in the pepperoni to it probably didn't help it at all.

00:41:42It's too dry to grind, because it's desiccated already.

00:41:45All the water's out of it.

00:41:46It was the misunderstanding of how to use that pepperoni.

00:41:49Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to meet our next two gourmet gladiators?

00:41:56We have the number eight seed, Chef Artie Sasto.

00:41:58Isequera, who followed up her qualifier win against Chef Brittany Anderson with an even

00:42:04bigger first-round victory against a culinary icon.

00:42:08Isequera!

00:42:09What?

00:42:11For me to go up against, like, a giant like me and win, it's crazy.

00:42:17I always looked at chefs that did TOC, and I was like, ah, they're in this weird, like,

00:42:22click.

00:42:23But I get it now.

00:42:25I don't do a great job of celebrating victories, but if I get through this against Jonathan Sawyer,

00:42:30I will be celebrating their victory.

00:42:32Now, our opponent is the number four seed, Chef Jonathan Sawyer, fresh off this rematch

00:42:37victory in the first round, who is determined to reach the quarterfinals for the first time.

00:42:43Artie, man, taking down Ming Tsai, the icon.

00:42:47She's already got two wins under her belt.

00:42:49Her cooking skills cannot be denied.

00:42:51Nobody else beat Ming Tsai this year already did, and she did because she cooked a better

00:42:55plate of food.

00:42:55It's really crazy that this competition, two of my best friends, are the first two people

00:43:00I've heard.

00:43:01I mean, sending Karen home was a tragedy, and now I've got to do it to Artie as well.

00:43:05Are you ready for another fantastic food fight?

00:43:09And let's light it up!

00:43:12She grew up in a food-loving Indian family, started a recipe journal when she was just 10

00:43:17years old, and liked to pretend that she had her own cooking show.

00:43:21Little did she know.

00:43:22She won seven out of the 18 challenges to win season six of Food Network Star, earning

00:43:30her her own network cooking show.

00:43:33And in the first round of TOC 7, she defeated the top-seeded culinary icon, the one and only

00:43:40Chef Ming Tsai, with a dish that Judge Dominique Krenn said,

00:43:44I want this dish over and over again.

00:43:46I want to eat it.

00:43:47Put your hands together for the Spice Queen, Chef Artie Sequeiro!

00:44:05That is the most un-arty thing I've ever seen.

00:44:08That's why I did it!

00:44:10After you took down Ming Tsai, you should come out and do whatever you want to do.

00:44:14You're going to need all of that Spice Queen magic, because your opponent, he's just done

00:44:20a couple things.

00:44:22Like open 18 restaurants, including his latest restaurant, Kindling, that Chicago Tribune

00:44:29says, allows him to showcase his vision on a grand scale.

00:44:34He made Bon Appetit in Esquire's Best New Restaurants list, Eater Chicago's list of the Best Italian

00:44:41Beast Sandwiches, and received a 2017 James Beard Award for Best Chef Great Lakes, and was

00:44:48the last chef standing on season two of 24 and 24.

00:44:53And in the first round of TOC 7, he won his rematch against Chef Karen Akunowicz, with a dish

00:44:59that Judge and Tony LaFasso praised for.

00:45:02Technique, technique, technique.

00:45:04Put your hands together for the bearded mother, Chef Jonathan Sawyer!

00:45:21Chefs, you're both qualified.

00:45:23I would love to see it for either one of you moving to the quarterfinals, but it's not up

00:45:28to me.

00:45:28It's up to you and the randomizer.

00:45:31Let's go!

00:45:36We should get into this.

00:45:37Let's go for the protein!

00:45:45Tiger prawns, purple naffa cabbage, tortilla press, date night dinner, soybean curls.

00:45:55Oh, come on!

00:45:57I don't even know what a freaking soybean curl is.

00:46:01Have you worked with soybean curls recently?

00:46:03Such an expert in them?

00:46:04Yeah.

00:46:05Soy curls I've never cooked before.

00:46:07This is not a winner's wheel for me.

00:46:10I'm just going to go out on a limb that I'm not getting invited to your birthday party now.

00:46:16And you should probably go.

00:46:18Oh!

00:46:18Woo!

00:46:21Tiger prawns.

00:46:21These are head-on tiger prawns.

00:46:23They're nice.

00:46:23They're big.

00:46:24Purple naffa cabbage.

00:46:25Leaches out a little bit of color, so that's something they would have to think about.

00:46:29Tortilla press.

00:46:29This could be utilized in a lot of ways besides making tortillas.

00:46:32What is the date night dinner?

00:46:33Well, it's usually going to be a little more elevated.

00:46:35Soybean curls.

00:46:36High-protein meat substitute, dehydrated, textured.

00:46:39They're going to have to taste it, test it.

00:46:41I cannot believe that I'm in round two of TOC.

00:46:45To stand with these chef, hero, rockstar warriors, and to be part of this tribe feels like a victory in

00:46:53and of itself.

00:46:54Jonathan is like a technique meister.

00:46:56I'm willing to jump a little higher in terms of flavor.

00:47:00Let's do laksa.

00:47:02Think about making laksa.

00:47:03Laksa.

00:47:04Some form of laksa.

00:47:05Laksa is a Singaporean Malaysian soup with lots of chili and curry powder.

00:47:11Usually has noodles and seafood in it.

00:47:14Let's see what happens with those.

00:47:16I don't know exactly.

00:47:17First thing I'm going to tackle are these soybean curls.

00:47:20I figure if I rehydrate them, I can see what they're made of.

00:47:23I get to work on the protein immediately because there's a whole lot of leg and shell to get rid

00:47:29of when it comes to a tiger prawn.

00:47:31They're really, really big.

00:47:32Yeah.

00:47:33My husband and I got to go to Singapore early on when my cooking show was playing in Southeast Asia.

00:47:40One day, he had found out about this place on the other side of town where they make incredible laksa.

00:47:46I may not have Jonathan's technique, but I know I have flavor.

00:47:50So let me just try that.

00:47:52I'm really honored to be in the second round.

00:47:54No matter what your pedigree is, if you lose in that first round, chances are you're going to be in

00:47:58the qualifier again.

00:47:59The old chin hold?

00:48:00The old chin hold.

00:48:01The muscle memory is coming back.

00:48:03I'm cooking better than I've ever cooked in my entire life.

00:48:06Bye-bye.

00:48:06Bye.

00:48:07I've known Artie for more than a decade.

00:48:09For whatever reason, Artie doesn't necessarily feel like she's one of us.

00:48:13She's already got two W's under her belt.

00:48:15I've only won twice total altogether before this year.

00:48:19However, I'm going to win because I know the best version of me wins every time.

00:48:23Let's go.

00:48:24I just have to trust my training, quiet the voices, and then let the scores fall where they might.

00:48:31Let's talk.

00:48:32Let's talk.

00:48:32Let's do a date night.

00:48:33We're going to do a delicious, like, prawn soup, real deep, rich flavors, and then I'm going to do this

00:48:39cool little prawn cracker.

00:48:40I've been married for 19 years, so a date night dinner for my wife and I is never more than

00:48:4590 minutes.

00:48:46We are efficient in our ordering, enjoying, and leaving, and going on to the next thing.

00:48:52So soup is definitely a date night for me.

00:48:55We are soup people.

00:48:56I'm going to fry these prawn heads really quick, get some color on them, and start that stock.

00:49:00For me, this soup has got to be deep in flavor, fortified from shellfish stock and roasted prawn heads,

00:49:08and then poaching some prawns in there is really going to yield a beautiful flavor.

00:49:11Chef Jonathan Sawyer, a James Beard winner, has struggled in the beginning of his TOC career.

00:49:16Came back in the plans last year, made his way through, but has never been able to break through this

00:49:21round.

00:49:21Is this the time that he finally makes his way to the Great Eight?

00:49:27Chef Artie, Chef Jonathan, 20 minutes, 20 to go.

00:49:31What are our thoughts on soybean curls?

00:49:33I've never used them before.

00:49:34It's like they tried to make something healthy not taste as good as possible.

00:49:40Oh, ew, ew, ew, ew.

00:49:42Was that a gaggy, gaggy gag?

00:49:44It's so delicious.

00:49:45Can I have more, Dan?

00:49:46See, I don't think they're bad.

00:49:47I think that...

00:49:48It smells like the bottom of a hamster cage, Chef.

00:49:54I think there's points to be picked up on showcasing these soybean curls as opposed to just using the soybean

00:50:01curls.

00:50:01So I'm going to blanch them and then marinate them heavily with some Meyer lemon, scallions, grated ginger, soy sauce,

00:50:08and that's going to intensify the soy-ness of them.

00:50:11I'm not trying to hide them.

00:50:12I'm just trying to make them a little bit more interesting.

00:50:14A little soy and soy.

00:50:15A little soy and soy.

00:50:17We've got to use a tortilla press somewhere inside of here.

00:50:19I press one of these big prawns into a piece of rice paper.

00:50:23I just want to keep the tail out because that's what's going to hold it in place.

00:50:28It looks cute.

00:50:29Let's see.

00:50:32Oh, my God.

00:50:37It's going to pull.

00:50:38I'm holding it.

00:50:39Cool.

00:50:39And that should curl right underneath.

00:50:40Okay, I'm happy.

00:50:42It's like the fanciest shrimp chip you could imagine.

00:50:45Going against someone like Artie Sequeira, who's scoring high, who sent home an icon, it's important that I pick up

00:50:51every little point that I can.

00:50:52Going with a big, bold prawn chip like I am is a high-risk, high-reward maneuver.

00:50:57And I think there's a date night element to it, too.

00:50:59We're not like...

00:51:00100%.

00:51:01You know, if I'm going to leave my family for an extended period of time, it has to be for

00:51:04good reason.

00:51:05I'm 19 years, happily married.

00:51:07We are the proud parents of two children.

00:51:08$150,000 is a lot of cash.

00:51:10The opportunity to be able to afford my kids a higher education and something that I was never able to

00:51:15achieve in my life, this would bring me one step closer.

00:51:18We're just going to sit down and we're going to enjoy it.

00:51:20Gather.

00:51:21Jonathan, do you have ginger?

00:51:23One little nub I can throw at you.

00:51:25You're the best.

00:51:28I can't believe I caught that.

00:51:30Laksa is nothing without the broth.

00:51:32So the shells and the heads, there's a ton of flavor in there.

00:51:35And I feel like if I saute them in Thai red curry paste and some vadogan, which is a curry

00:51:42powder, I think we'll get some really beautiful baseline of flavor and let the whole thing cook.

00:51:48The soybean curls have this, like, earthy nuttiness to them.

00:51:52My plan is to use the soybean curls in gunpowder masala, which is usually made with lentils to give you

00:52:00that nuttiness.

00:52:01What are we making, Chef?

00:52:02A rub for the shrimp and I'll put a little in the soup to keep it cohesive.

00:52:07I need to use this ding-dang tortilla press on these tiger prawns.

00:52:11My plan is to flatten them so that they cook nice and evenly.

00:52:17Don't do that.

00:52:18That did not work.

00:52:20I'll do it one more time.

00:52:21I'm here for my kids and my family.

00:52:25Inevitably, at some point in my girls' lives, there's going to be something that they have to do that feels

00:52:30incredibly difficult.

00:52:31Yes!

00:52:32Look at that!

00:52:33Thank God.

00:52:34Beautiful.

00:52:35I want to show them that if you don't take chances, then you live a very, very small life.

00:52:40We get one go at this.

00:52:42Don't waste it.

00:52:43I grab the Napa cabbage and then I get it on the grill.

00:52:46I want to use it a couple of different ways so that I can showcase that charred flavor that I

00:52:51think will marry well with the charred corn shells in the broth.

00:52:55And I want to use it fresh as a salad.

00:52:57What's the plan here, Chef?

00:52:58This is like a little fresh slaw.

00:53:01I'm going to put some of those soy bean shells in the soup and finish it with some coconut milk.

00:53:05You work with Purple Napa?

00:53:07Purple Napa?

00:53:08I've never seen it, but I love her.

00:53:10She's so cute.

00:53:10The base of this soup.

00:53:11One of my favorite sauces I make is a Napa cabbage sous-beez, where it's essentially just cabbage, onions, butter,

00:53:18and thyme.

00:53:20I'm going to put some of these disgusting little critters in this sofrito here.

00:53:25So every randomizer point matters, and putting some soy curls into the soup will help thicken it.

00:53:30I'm going to char these before I pickle them.

00:53:32Okay.

00:53:37This soup is super rich, and it's going to need some acid.

00:53:40That's why I'm grilling my Purple Napa cabbage and pickling it in a combination of rice wine vinegar, Meyer lemon

00:53:47juice, and yuzu juice.

00:53:49Chef, what's the plan for this shrimp?

00:53:51Like, are we just floating those, or...?

00:53:53I'm going to pull them out in a second here and let them rest.

00:53:55Okay.

00:53:56And then I'm going to dice a little bit.

00:53:57That would really be the only texture in the soup.

00:53:59Come on.

00:54:01Let's hope I don't spill this everywhere.

00:54:08Everyone may not be having soup on date night yet, but after this battle, I bet you will be.

00:54:14Lime leaf soy cabbage soup.

00:54:22Whoo!

00:54:23So good.

00:54:24My husband and I have been together since we were both 18,

00:54:27and it was him that encouraged me, that got me cooking classes,

00:54:31helped me shoot my YouTube cooking show back in the day.

00:54:35In a way, it's, like, really appropriate that we're doing date night

00:54:37because if it wasn't for my forever date, Brendan McNamara, I wouldn't be here.

00:54:43So I add those rehydrated soybean curls into the broth and then right into the blender,

00:54:50and I'm hoping that they'll give the broth more body.

00:54:53This does nothing.

00:54:55It seems to be okay.

00:54:58I cannot forget to fry these prawn heads, so I'm tossing them with potato starch and salt,

00:55:04a little more badurhan, and fry those off.

00:55:07Seven minutes.

00:55:08Let's go, Artie.

00:55:09Me and you.

00:55:10I pour a little bit of that broth into each bowl,

00:55:13perch one of those beautiful fried shrimp heads into each bowl.

00:55:18Then I perch a little bit of salad, lay the shrimp on the side of the bowls,

00:55:23a little bit of purple napa cabbage, a little bit of dill on top.

00:55:27Three minutes.

00:55:28On the top of the plate, I have my prawn rice cracker,

00:55:31some of the grilled and pickled purple napa cabbage.

00:55:34Easy.

00:55:34I go down with the purple cabbage prawn bisque.

00:55:38It's perfectly cooked prawn pieces.

00:55:41Then the purple napa cabbage that was grilled and pickled,

00:55:44and then a little bit of the soy curls.

00:55:46On the top plate, I also have some of the marinated soy curls,

00:55:50so that way they can choose their own adventure.

00:55:52And when I think about this prawn dish sitting next to my wife and enjoying it,

00:55:56it brings me the ultimate pleasure.

00:55:59We're done.

00:56:03That's a battle.

00:56:05Thank you so much.

00:56:07Arnie Supreya, Jonathan Sawyer.

00:56:11That was wild.

00:56:12That was a good cook.

00:56:13I really love what I did.

00:56:17It's exhausting.

00:56:20Oh, God.

00:56:22Here we go.

00:56:23Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome back

00:56:24our powerhouse panel of judges,

00:56:26Chef Michelle Bernstein.

00:56:32Shut up.

00:56:33Chef Kenny Oranger.

00:56:35Woo-hoo!

00:56:36Ken Oranger.

00:56:38Oh!

00:56:39And Iron Chef Jeffrey Zakarian.

00:56:43Whoa, Zakarian?

00:56:44Jeffrey Zakarian.

00:56:45Okay.

00:56:46I think Michelle Bernstein would get what I'm trying to do.

00:56:48I don't know Ken Oranger that well.

00:56:51Jeffrey Zakarian will not like him.

00:56:54Oh, this is a tough panel.

00:56:56Judges, tonight for this battle, the chefs were awarded tiger prawns, purple Napa cabbage,

00:57:02tortilla press was the equipment to use, style was date night dinner, and the little wildcard

00:57:08ingredient, no big deal, just soybean curls.

00:57:12Here to present the dish is our wildcard, Justin Warner.

00:57:16Oh, God.

00:57:17Esteemed judges, this is gunpowder prawns in a laksa broth.

00:57:21Some of the heads and the shells became the basis of the broth.

00:57:25The broth was fortified with a little coconut milk and a gunpowder masala.

00:57:29The soy curls that had been hydrated were also used to provide body to the broth.

00:57:34In terms of purple cabbage, we had some grilled.

00:57:36And then lastly, the tortilla press was utilized to butterfly the prawns and provide a uniform

00:57:41shape for griddling.

00:57:42In terms of a date night dinner, the chef uttered, I just want things to be as pretty as possible.

00:57:47Is this a first date or a second date?

00:57:52Whatever you want, Jeffrey.

00:57:54I love presentation.

00:57:55I think if you're going to seduce someone, this would seduce me.

00:57:58This is a beautiful dish.

00:57:59Oh, my gosh.

00:58:00That's a big deal.

00:58:00I love char.

00:58:02And that is magnificent.

00:58:03Spice is very big, very bold, very appropriate for prawn.

00:58:06For me, the broth, I would like it a touch thicker, maybe a bit creamier.

00:58:11I agree.

00:58:12First of all, brilliant move with this.

00:58:15Man, being able to dip this in here and just, like, squeeze and suck out all that, like,

00:58:21succulent juice from that broth and all that spice is so sweet, so flavorful.

00:58:25That was the best part of the dish for me.

00:58:27This is the seafood, man.

00:58:29He's from Boston.

00:58:32It was a little too blackened for me, you know, so it kind of took over.

00:58:36Correct.

00:58:36The cabbage, I love how they cut it so thin that it was really blended in well and really

00:58:41tasty.

00:58:42What's it called?

00:58:42The soybean curls?

00:58:44Again, I don't know what the f...

00:58:45What the f...

00:58:46That is?

00:58:47I've never...

00:58:47I don't know.

00:58:48Like, what's a soybean curl?

00:58:49I have no idea.

00:58:50So I would have liked maybe pieces of that, you know, in here where we could have gotten

00:58:54that texture.

00:58:55Oh, you wouldn't.

00:58:56I got some for you that are left over.

00:58:58I'll give you a pocket full.

00:58:59Oh, I'm sure.

00:59:01I love you so much.

00:59:02I love the fact that it's actually not too thick.

00:59:04I don't mind that.

00:59:06Only if you have things inside of that broth that would pick it up.

00:59:10You're so right, Michelle.

00:59:11The chef could have gone a little lighter in having to season the shrimp as much as they

00:59:16did because the broth is so beautiful.

00:59:18Next time, just throw something else in there to make more texture.

00:59:22Noodles supposed to be in there, but I ran out of time.

00:59:25Thank you, judges.

00:59:2650 points to taste, 40 points to use the randomizer, and 10 in plating.

00:59:31I felt like Michelle Bernstein would get it, like sort of a spicy little number.

00:59:35I am gobsbacked that Jeffrey Zakarian liked it.

00:59:39All right, judges, here to present the second dish, Tiffany Faison.

00:59:44Chefs, I mean, what is date night?

00:59:46Without high drama.

00:59:48This is tiger prawn and purple napa cabbage bisque with a tortilla pressed prawn cracker.

00:59:53The tiger prawns were fabricated and then pressed into the rice paper.

00:59:57That was then fried, treated to a little bit of smoked paprika and gochugarro.

01:00:02On a burner next door, a sofrito of source was made of purple napa cabbage, gochujang,

01:00:07scallion ginger, lime leaf, cream, and soy curls.

01:00:10That was then garnished with hydrated soy curls.

01:00:13Also, purple napa cabbage was grilled and pickled in a light dressing of

01:00:16Meyer lemon juice and rice wine vinegar.

01:00:20That, holy .

01:00:23That dish is insane.

01:00:26Oh!

01:00:28Here, it is such complete artistry.

01:00:31The pounding with the tortilla press.

01:00:35These condiments are just so acidic.

01:00:37The napa cabbage.

01:00:38And is this the soy curls?

01:00:39It is, chef.

01:00:40Yes.

01:00:40See, these things are actually not bad.

01:00:42This is really, really good.

01:00:45I would agree.

01:00:46I would agree.

01:00:46Oh!

01:00:47This idea of this crisp is really a spectacular idea, and the soup underneath it is spectacular

01:00:53as well.

01:00:54Unfortunately, it suffers from the fact that the prawn is really overcooked.

01:00:57Yeah.

01:00:58Okay.

01:00:59You know, anytime you put a skirt on something, it makes me happy, and to me, this chef put

01:01:04a beautiful gown on that prawn, and just made it so elegant.

01:01:09I do agree, you know, with Jeffrey that the prawn could be a little less cooked, but it's

01:01:14not bothering me.

01:01:15This is a really lush sauce.

01:01:17I could use a little more heat in this one, believe it or not.

01:01:19However, it is delicious, and I keep diving in for more.

01:01:25Judges, your scorecards are in front of you, 50 points in taste, 40 points.

01:01:29You use the randomizer and 10 in the plating.

01:01:32I'm proud of him.

01:01:33For what that's worth, I'm proud of him.

01:01:35He did great.

01:01:35To me, all I heard was her prawn was blackened too far, and my prawn was cooked too far.

01:01:4150-50 chops.

01:01:42Ladies and gentlemen, that was a fantastic round.

01:01:44Our chefs are standing by.

01:01:46Let's bring it back in.

01:01:47Chef Artie Sequeira!

01:01:50Chef Jonathan Sawyer!

01:01:55I'm still stuck on date night soup.

01:01:59But I will tell you, the judges enjoyed it.

01:02:03One chef scored a 79.

01:02:06The other chef scored a 85.

01:02:09Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the second round battle between Chef Jonathan Sawyer and

01:02:14Chef Artie Sequeira is...

01:02:28Jonathan Sawyer!

01:02:30Congratulations!

01:02:32Well done, Chef.

01:02:35I'm so proud of you.

01:02:37I love you so much.

01:02:41Chef Artie, I don't know if those are tears of sadness or tears of happiness.

01:02:47I'm so happy for you.

01:02:48I know you're so happy for him.

01:02:50I know you're so happy for him.

01:02:50And that's who you are, Artie.

01:02:51You're such a loving person.

01:02:53It was such a pleasure having you in Tournament Champion 7.

01:02:58Thank you so much.

01:03:00Great farewells for Spice Queen!

01:03:02Nice!

01:03:02What a surprise!

01:03:06Just a lot.

01:03:08A lot of promotions.

01:03:09I did want to win.

01:03:12Jonathan Sawyer, you are in the quarterfinals!

01:03:19The farthest you have been in TOC.

01:03:23And now, preparing himself to battle Chef Jettila.

01:03:27Yep.

01:03:27I know that there's a version of me that beats Jettila.

01:03:31I know there is.

01:03:32Just have to find him.

01:03:33This is some of the best I've ever seen out of you, and you deserve this.

01:03:36Quarterfinals!

01:03:37Jonathan Sawyer!

01:03:39The Bearded Bowler!

01:03:48Good!

01:03:50Finally!

01:03:51It was the quarterfinals!

01:03:54Oh, God!

01:03:55You're about to see the finale of the night.

01:03:59Are you ready?

01:04:02We have the number five seed, Chef Joe Sasko,

01:04:05who defeated the number one seed in the second round last year,

01:04:09and is hoping to repeat that feat this year.

01:04:11So much nerves.

01:04:12I want this so bad.

01:04:13I want to win this.

01:04:14I've done this so many times now.

01:04:16I'm like one of the longest standing people here.

01:04:21His opponent is the number one seed, Culinary Icon,

01:04:24the one and only Lorena Garcia,

01:04:27who despite a ten-year absence from culinary competition,

01:04:31scored a decisive victory in round one.

01:04:34Okay.

01:04:36All right.

01:04:37Getting into the zone.

01:04:38Getting ready.

01:04:39Seeing my name there.

01:04:41Okay.

01:04:41Time to battle.

01:04:42Goals to win.

01:04:43But in the process of winning, I'm not going to make it easy for her.

01:04:46Regardless.

01:04:47She's an icon.

01:04:48But I have a mustache.

01:04:50It's got to count for something.

01:04:51That number one and number five means nothing.

01:04:54We're two passionate chefs that wants to give it all,

01:04:58and hope that goes my way.

01:05:00All right, Chef.

01:05:00They're ready for you.

01:05:02Okay.

01:05:02All right, let's go.

01:05:05Ooh.

01:05:09Are you ready to see our returning culinary icon mix it up?

01:05:14Then let's light this up.

01:05:16He spent over a decade in Michelin-starred kitchens,

01:05:21honing his knowledge of fine dining and making pasta.

01:05:26He has won Chopped Chef Grudge Match and Triple G

01:05:30and made the final three on Top Chef.

01:05:35He went all the way to the TOC 6 quarterfinals,

01:05:39and after defeating Chef NeNe Wynn,

01:05:41he is one win away from, again, joining the great eight.

01:05:46Make some noise from Mustache Joe,

01:05:50Chef Joe Sasko!

01:06:05What's it gonna take to get past a culinary icon?

01:06:09This is the last icon standing.

01:06:10I feel double pressure from not only me wanting to succeed

01:06:14and move on, but all the other chefs in the tournament

01:06:17are almost looking to me to take out the last icon.

01:06:21This icon is no joke.

01:06:24No.

01:06:26She made her name as a cooking show host

01:06:29on multiple networks spreading her love of Latin cuisine

01:06:32across North and South America.

01:06:36And she was a finalist on season four of Top Chef Masters

01:06:40and won her first TOC victory

01:06:44with a show-stopping dish that judges praise for its presentation.

01:06:49This is like eating a rainbow.

01:06:50She became a game-changing force as the first Latina

01:06:55to open a restaurant on the Vegas Strip.

01:07:00Put your hands together, ladies and gentlemen,

01:07:02for a Latin legend, Lorena Garcia!

01:07:07Yeah!

01:07:13Let's do this!

01:07:18How are you, brother?

01:07:21Lorena Garcia.

01:07:22Yes, sir.

01:07:22Chef, you took a big risk.

01:07:24You haven't been in culinary competition for 10 years.

01:07:27Yes, that's correct.

01:07:28Those three icons have been taken down,

01:07:30and here you stand on your chance

01:07:33to make it to the quarterfinals.

01:07:34Wow. Wow.

01:07:35That would be amazing.

01:07:36Chefs, to the randomizer!

01:07:38Let's go!

01:07:43To finish out the evening,

01:07:45we have a fantastic selection of things

01:07:47that you may love or hate.

01:07:48It's time to get started.

01:07:50Going for the protein!

01:07:52Let's go! Let's go!

01:07:53Big spin! Big spin!

01:07:57How it is!

01:07:59Whoa!

01:08:04Black cod!

01:08:07Sunchoke!

01:08:08Smoking gun!

01:08:09High-end lunch!

01:08:11Canned sardines!

01:08:13This is a finale!

01:08:1535 minutes!

01:08:16Yes, it is!

01:08:16And it's time to go!

01:08:17Go!

01:08:20Black cod!

01:08:21This is a great piece of fish

01:08:23for them to be working at the high-end.

01:08:24Sunchoke's got a little nuttiness,

01:08:26a little chestnutty flavor.

01:08:28They're so good.

01:08:29Smoking gun, how they impart the smoke,

01:08:31how much smoke,

01:08:32that's gonna be the key.

01:08:33High-end lunch usually means

01:08:35a little bit on the lighter side.

01:08:36And the canned sardines,

01:08:37it's just got so much flavor.

01:08:39There's so much power to a canned sardine.

01:08:41That's the one they're gonna really have to manage.

01:08:45Every year on TOC,

01:08:46it gets harder and harder.

01:08:48Now we have to go up against culinary icons.

01:08:51And I have Lorena Garcia blocking my path to victory.

01:08:56Chef, when you have a plan, let me know.

01:08:58I'm doing a high-end chowder.

01:08:59I think high-end lunch is really gonna come down to presentation and portion size.

01:09:04I'm making a sunchoke and black cod chowder.

01:09:07Smart pantry grab by Chef Joe Sasto here.

01:09:10The ham hock.

01:09:11Two other ingredients that contain smoke.

01:09:14I'm building my chowder in two parts.

01:09:16One pot with all of my mirepoix and veg,

01:09:18but first, the other one with a heavily infused smoked cream.

01:09:22And I just let that come up to a simmer

01:09:24before covering it with the smoking gun.

01:09:29I'm known as the pots the focaccia guy.

01:09:31Hey-o, there you go with the mustache.

01:09:33And where's the pizza and the meatballs.

01:09:35But before that, I spent most of my career in high-end Michelin star kitchens.

01:09:42And so I feel right at home with this technique,

01:09:45really honing in on how I want this dish to be.

01:09:50I cannot believe I'm the only icon standing.

01:09:53I think that my flavors are sitting really well with the judges.

01:09:57But Joe has been competing on Tournament of Champions for years.

01:10:00I want to be him so badly.

01:10:02Hi, Chef.

01:10:03How are you, honey?

01:10:04I'm spectacular.

01:10:04I get to watch you cook.

01:10:07I would guess you're no stranger to high-end lunches, Chef.

01:10:09And no stranger to high-end lunches.

01:10:12I'm going to make a ceviche, of course, a leche de tigre.

01:10:15And the cut is going to go into the leche de tigre as well.

01:10:18I'm known for my ceviches and my restaurants are big sellers.

01:10:21So what I like to do is almost cure all these vegetables

01:10:24so it start kind of developing and releasing all their juices.

01:10:27So I go to the molcajete and put the base of my leche de tigre there.

01:10:32Come on, Lorena, come on, come on, come on.

01:10:34I slice the yellow onion, the celery, the cilantro, the fresnos, the chunchucks,

01:10:39and then the sardines.

01:10:40I don't see the molcajete brought out on its own just because it is.

01:10:44A lot of times you see the chefs going directly into a food processor.

01:10:48But Chef Lorena Garcia is here.

01:10:49But you're Lorena Garcia.

01:10:50What's up?

01:10:51So, I'm very focused.

01:10:53I'm relying on my flavors.

01:10:55I'm relying on my view from my culture, my Latin cuisine.

01:10:59That's how I'm going to win.

01:11:01Vamos, vamos, vamos!

01:11:02I'm definitely the underdog in this battle.

01:11:04I got to watch Lorena in round one and she came in hot, fierce competitor, fire in her eyes.

01:11:11Now she's warmed up, stone cold killer.

01:11:14I'm here to slay the icon, but there's not going to be an easy way to do it.

01:11:21Lorena, Joe, 20 minutes, 20 to go.

01:11:26Because I'm going to blend everything smooth for my chowder.

01:11:30I still need all of those vegetable components that you would normally taste when eating chowder.

01:11:35Apples and sunchokes make a perfect pairing.

01:11:38Yes, Chef.

01:11:38I know you know that.

01:11:39And that's going to be the base mirepoix on the bottom of my soup.

01:11:44Now I need to start thinking about these sardines.

01:11:47They're good.

01:11:47They're not as fishy as I think.

01:11:49And there's a whole lot of infused oil in the can.

01:11:52So I'm going to get that oil going in the aromatic base for my chowder.

01:11:58Let's do this.

01:11:59That can have a lot of fat in it so it can hold up to a nice ceviche.

01:12:02So I want to put the black cut into the leche de tigre.

01:12:04This is beautiful.

01:12:06I have to carve it.

01:12:07I have to take out all the bones.

01:12:08I have to cut it very small.

01:12:10So I'm making the leche de tigre, which is a beautiful marinade.

01:12:13It's citrusy and spicy with fresno, red onions, afume, tons of lines and lemons.

01:12:22The marinade is going to help me break down all the oils of the black cod

01:12:26and being able to take that meatiness that is so tough in the cod and then just tenderize it.

01:12:31There's a lot going on in these kitchens.

01:12:34Are you cooking the fish, Chef?

01:12:35Yes, right now.

01:12:36Just under 15, Chef.

01:12:38Black cod can be a bit tricky.

01:12:39We have whole fillets with the pin bone right down the center.

01:12:43I'm just going to cut right around that and get little blocks of cod loin going into a pan of

01:12:49clarified butter.

01:12:50And then I take the blended chowder, get it into a hot pan, and I'm going to finish cooking my

01:12:56cod belly in the chowder.

01:12:58So we've got the loin cooking.

01:12:59We've got the belly as almost like a poke-sized dice poaching in the hot soup.

01:13:05The belly of the cod is very thin and extra fatty.

01:13:07So by cooking it as a slow poach in the chowder, there's going to be less of a chance of

01:13:12over cooking it and it becoming dry and flaky.

01:13:15Time to get our smoke on?

01:13:17Yes.

01:13:17All right.

01:13:19I still need to smoke the ceviche.

01:13:21I'm thinking like the best way to smoke the ceviche is putting a lid on it.

01:13:24I just wanted to do it as fast as possible.

01:13:28Let me tell you, if I win this competition, I would be so proud of being able to show my

01:13:34son that all the effort that I put into my career, that he sees it every day, all the sacrifices

01:13:39that I do and everything comes down to that lesson that I can prove to myself that I can do

01:13:44this.

01:13:44Chef Joe, Chef Lorena, 10 minutes, 10 left of the competition.

01:13:48I know I want to cook these sunchokes in a few different applications, so I'm going to make sunchoke chips.

01:13:53They will add some great texture.

01:13:55Sunchoke chips and then raw.

01:13:57Got it.

01:13:58I also want to do a fresh sunchoke salad.

01:14:00I'm always thinking about my mom whenever I cook and compete in these competition settings.

01:14:05My mom passed away when I was much younger, and so she hasn't seen me accomplish all of these things,

01:14:11compete on TV or even cook professionally.

01:14:14And so now every time I cook, food keeps us connected, and food keeps me connected to her.

01:14:20And part of winning this whole competition is knowing that she's looking down on me, proud of that accomplishment, whether

01:14:26it's publishing a cookbook, starting a new business, or taking out a culinary icon.

01:14:32Six minutes, Chef.

01:14:34Come on, come on, come on, come on. Push, push, push, push.

01:14:35So now that my ceviche is done, I'm going into my scoopers, which is tortilla chips and sweet potato.

01:14:42Where are the sunchokes?

01:14:43They have been pureed into the leche de tigre.

01:14:46I just need more sunchokes, so I want to be able to see it, so I'm just going to fry

01:14:50it and have some sunchoke chips that can go beautifully in my ceviche.

01:14:57I want to make really herbaceous, bright green oil.

01:15:03The makings of an herb oil, a nice little trio, chervil, chive, and bay leaves.

01:15:08Two and a half.

01:15:09I need to build my plate in layers.

01:15:11I have my brunoise, shallots, apple, and sunchoke down at the bottom.

01:15:15Finished with the sunchoke chips and the fresh sunchoke salad.

01:15:19I have a beautifully cooked black cod with crispy skin.

01:15:22And then last, the beaker with the cod belly chowder and the bay leaf oil.

01:15:27Nothing reads more high-end than a fine dining soup pour table side.

01:15:32Ninety seconds to go.

01:15:34Okay, vamanos.

01:15:34I start with my lettuces.

01:15:38Then I put my ceviche, making sure that I have enough leche de tigre on the bottom of the plate.

01:15:42The tortilla chips, then the sunchoke chips.

01:15:45Then, of course, my sweet potatoes to win round two.

01:15:48I think it will be a proof, you know, that I can do this.

01:15:50And more than anything, it's representing my Latin culture, my Latin community, that if I bring this, it will be

01:15:56for them.

01:15:56Let's go!

01:15:58Let's go!

01:15:59Let's go!

01:16:00Let's go!

01:16:00Good!

01:16:07Congratulations.

01:16:08Back to your trailers.

01:16:09Let's bring the judges in.

01:16:10Chef Lorena Garcia.

01:16:12Chef Del Sesto.

01:16:14Yeah!

01:16:17Whew!

01:16:18It's a good cook.

01:16:19Real good cook.

01:16:20Great setting.

01:16:21Great setting.

01:16:22Great setting.

01:16:22I mean, how do I feel?

01:16:24Such a rush.

01:16:26That time, I think it got the best out of me.

01:16:28I don't know.

01:16:29I have my doubts.

01:16:31Let's see.

01:16:37I don't know how I did all of those things.

01:16:40You'd think I have two hours to do that cook.

01:16:43Probably one of the only things that gets me always really nervous is people trying my food.

01:16:48So imagine in front of judges.

01:16:50Oh, my goodness.

01:16:52Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome back our award-winning judging panel, Chef Michelle Bernstein,

01:16:57Mr. Boston, Chef Kenny Oranger, and Iron Chef Jeffrey Zakarian.

01:17:01Oh!

01:17:03Wow!

01:17:04What a lineup!

01:17:06Oh!

01:17:07Oh, no, me choker.

01:17:08I said, oh, no.

01:17:09She's gonna kill me with my sandwich.

01:17:11You know, so eat it really well.

01:17:13Judges, we're at a high-end lunch.

01:17:15That's right.

01:17:16The randomizer served up black cod.

01:17:18Sunchoke smoking gun.

01:17:20Style today, as I said, high-end lunch.

01:17:22And the wild card ingredient, canned sardines.

01:17:24Here to present, Justin Warner.

01:17:26Judges, this is a sunchoke and black cod chowder.

01:17:30The sardines were used as the base of the chowder.

01:17:33A cream was crafted with some ham hock, thyme, and the sunchokes.

01:17:37The use of the smoking gun was entirely with walnut smoke.

01:17:40We had a chervil, chive, and bay oil.

01:17:43Finally, you will find the sunchokes in a brunoise with celery, walnuts, Meyer lemon zest, and some more of that

01:17:50sardine paste.

01:17:51Jeffrey's eating more.

01:17:52If he's eating, that's a good sign.

01:17:55I love when people serve me a sauce or a soup or something on the side.

01:17:59That way I can kind of pour in exactly how much I want.

01:18:02The sauce, however, has a really intense sardine flavor.

01:18:05The sardine almost takes over a little bit.

01:18:10She's tough.

01:18:11However, the sardine was used so intelligently on the salad.

01:18:15This little salad with the nuts and the shaved sunchoke is so smart.

01:18:21It has that lemon, it has a brightness to it, and it cuts through the fat.

01:18:27So, I'm from Boston.

01:18:28I mean, chowder.

01:18:29Really?

01:18:29I just served chowder to Ken Oranger.

01:18:32The black cod cooked beautifully.

01:18:34With the smoking gun, I was really hoping that there would be something to really cut through that fattiness, and

01:18:40the smoke definitely helps.

01:18:41I love sardines, but there is a lot of sardine going on in here.

01:18:46Damn.

01:18:48This is lovely, luxurious, gorgeous.

01:18:51I feel like I'm at a four-star restaurant in Midtown Manhattan eating this.

01:18:54The flavor's delicious.

01:18:56The sunchoke, which is very difficult, but the way it's treated in a couple of ways shows a very learneded

01:19:02chef.

01:19:02So, this is just a small miracle here on the plate.

01:19:06Okay.

01:19:06It's having good reviews.

01:19:07The reviews from Sekerian, yeah.

01:19:09Great, judges.

01:19:10Your scorecards are in front of you.

01:19:1150 points in taste, 40 in the use of the randomizer, and 10 in the plating.

01:19:16I don't feel good, but I don't feel bad.

01:19:18Yeah.

01:19:19I want to know what they say about Lorraine's dish.

01:19:21Let's see.

01:19:22All right, judges here to present the second dish.

01:19:25Chef Tiffany Faison.

01:19:26Pinkies up, chefs.

01:19:28It's lunchtime.

01:19:29This is a smoked leche de tigre ceviche of black cod.

01:19:32With warm, crispy, and fresh garnishes to enjoy and employ while eating,

01:19:37chef would like you to have a little piece of everything as you enjoy your lunch.

01:19:41The sunchoke leche de tigre began with sunchokes, black cod, and sardine, of course.

01:19:45Then, the leche de tigre and filet of cod were pecan-smoked.

01:19:48Sunchokes were sliced and crisped, as well as their friends' plantains and tortilla chips.

01:19:53Like, I've had her ceviche.

01:19:54It's delicious.

01:19:56You nailed the style.

01:19:57High on lunch.

01:19:58Perfect.

01:19:59Vibrancy, flavor, texture, spot on.

01:20:02All right.

01:20:03I think it's lovely.

01:20:04I think it's delicious.

01:20:05But for me, it needs something saltier.

01:20:08Wow.

01:20:09Put a lot of salt.

01:20:10The ceviche.

01:20:10The chips.

01:20:11I would actually like to have the cancer deans actually on top a little bit.

01:20:15Just as they are.

01:20:16It would be bold to do that.

01:20:18Because I think it needs it.

01:20:19But I love the crunch.

01:20:20And it's just a beautiful, high-end lunch.

01:20:22I'm very pleased with this dish.

01:20:25One of the hardest things to do is to make a ceviche out of codfish.

01:20:29Because it's such an oily fish.

01:20:31With that said, the oiliness of the codfish seemed to somehow delicately dissipate.

01:20:38Now, it didn't absorb as much of the acid as it could and should have.

01:20:44Ugh.

01:20:45But there are very pure flavors here.

01:20:47I really appreciate all these little nibbles.

01:20:50I think it's a beautiful plate of food.

01:20:51I'm pretty impressed that they were able to make a cod ceviche that I can go in and eat again.

01:20:57Okay.

01:20:58Not bad.

01:20:59The black cod, it's sliced beautifully.

01:21:01I thought it would be blubbery.

01:21:03Sure.

01:21:03You know, some of those blubbery fish.

01:21:05But it's actually, the texture's kind of nice.

01:21:08Ugh.

01:21:09Work.

01:21:13It's going to be so close.

01:21:15Sunchokes, I think they're great.

01:21:17But, you know, those couple little pieces in here doesn't quite do it for me.

01:21:21I wish there was a little bit more sunchoke going on here.

01:21:24Isn't this a leche de tigre?

01:21:26Judges, your scorecards are in front of you again.

01:21:2850 points in case, 40 points in the use of the randomizer, 10 in presentation.

01:21:32I'm worried.

01:21:33I needed more acid, more leche de tigre, more lemon juice.

01:21:36But it's anybody's game at this point.

01:21:38I don't think either one of us knocked it out of the park.

01:21:40It's going to be splitting hairs, I think, on like one or two points in each category.

01:21:45Chef, they're ready for you.

01:21:46Let's do this.

01:21:47Let's do this.

01:21:48All right, one sec.

01:21:50All right, let's go.

01:21:51Ladies and gentlemen, was that a dynamite finale or what?

01:21:56Welcome back, Chef Joe Shasto!

01:21:59Chef Lorena Garcia!

01:22:02And I've got the scores.

01:22:0480 to 77.

01:22:07Wow.

01:22:08In the final battle of the evening, with one of these chefs going into the quarterfinals,

01:22:14the winner between Chef Lorena Garcia and Chef Joe Shasto is...

01:22:24Chef Joe Shasto!

01:22:29I love you, Chef.

01:22:31I love you.

01:22:32I love you.

01:22:33That was not easy.

01:22:35Congratulations.

01:22:38Chef Lorena, you came in and you won in the first round.

01:22:41This was a very close battle by three points.

01:22:43It really has been an honor.

01:22:44You are an icon and a legend to our industry.

01:22:47It was a pleasure to have you in TOC.

01:22:49Chef Lorena Garcia!

01:22:51Thank you so much!

01:22:55It was tough.

01:22:56It was tough.

01:22:57I probably would have judged it exactly the same way.

01:23:00But the good things, I'm going back to my son.

01:23:02I had a fantastic time.

01:23:04I competed again and I'm happy.

01:23:06Let's take a look, my friend.

01:23:08Oh, man.

01:23:09This is what makes me nervous.

01:23:10Joe Shasto and Kevin Lee.

01:23:14Joe Shasto, you're in the quarterfinals, man!

01:23:17Yippee-boo!

01:23:19Hard spot battle!

01:23:21Two big wins under his belt!

01:23:25Yeah!

01:23:29Oh, that was so close.

01:23:31That was scary.

01:23:32But I feel good.

01:23:33Join us next time with the second half of the Super 16 battle

01:23:37for the last four spots in the quarterfinals.

01:23:40You can hear a pin drop in here, you guys.

01:23:42Ah!

01:23:42They are the great eight.

01:23:44You fall down seven times, you get up eight.

01:23:46I'm fired up.

01:23:47As they compete for the title.

01:23:50Hell yeah!

01:23:50Let's go!

01:23:51The belt and the $150,000 grand prize.

01:23:55To be a winner is something I need on my mantle.

01:23:59See you next week!

01:24:00Adios!

Tournament of Champions - Season 7 - Episode 05: The Super 16 Show Out

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