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00:00:01The greatest competition in the culinary universe has begun.
00:00:06Let's go!
00:00:07Now it's TOC time.
00:00:09Last time on TOC 7, the tournament kicked off with the chefs
00:00:12of the A Division facing off in their head-to-head battle.
00:00:15The winner is...
00:00:17Chef Chetila!
00:00:21Claudia Tepeda!
00:00:23Jonathan Sawyer!
00:00:24Finally, the first icon took the stage
00:00:27as Chef Ming Tsai battled TOC qualifier winner Chef Artie Sequeira.
00:00:33And Chef Artie Sequeira scored the biggest upset of TOC 7 so far.
00:00:39Artie Sequeira!
00:00:45And tonight, the chefs of the B Division step into the arena
00:00:49to begin their quest for the belt.
00:00:51First up, it's the battle of Top Chef All-Star
00:00:54between Chef Nini Nguyen and Chef Joe Sasto.
00:00:59There it is!
00:01:01Next, culinary dragon slayer Kevin Lee goes head-to-head
00:01:05with Chop Grand Champion Chef Adam Greenberg.
00:01:08He doesn't need more love. I'm the new guy here.
00:01:10I'm here to win that bag of money.
00:01:13Did Chef Britt Resigno drive to reach the Final Four for a fourth time?
00:01:18Going out in the first round is not an option.
00:01:20It begins with a battle against Michelin-starred Chef Giuseppe Centauri.
00:01:25I love smart cooking!
00:01:27Yeah!
00:01:28And finally, we'll reveal the identity of our second culinary icon
00:01:32as they step into the arena to battle Top Chef All-Star Katsuchi Tanabe.
00:01:37Whoa!
00:01:37He's in trouble!
00:01:39Whoa!
00:01:39I feel intimidated.
00:01:41I got this!
00:01:43Who will win the title, the belt, the $150,000?
00:01:47Ladies and gentlemen, this is Tournament of Champions 7!
00:01:58We're kicking the night off with two chefs who never cease to surprise us.
00:02:03We have the number five seed, Chef Joe Sasto, who added to his list of upset victories last year
00:02:08with a performance that guaranteed he'd be returning for another shot at the title.
00:02:13The winner of the final battle tonight between Chef Chetila and Chef Joe Sasto is...
00:02:21Joe Sasto!
00:02:23What?!
00:02:24Taking down some of the greats.
00:02:26Five years, year five, fifth time's the charm to go home with all the glory.
00:02:30We're not even gonna talk about going out in the first round, and NeNe's not gonna be the one to
00:02:34stop me.
00:02:34I feel like this is the year of the stash, but with the bracket, we have to wait to find
00:02:39out who these icons actually are.
00:02:40Who are they going to be?
00:02:42He'll be going up against Chef NeNe Wynn, who won two tough battles last year, raising her seed from number
00:02:48six to a number four seed.
00:02:50It feels good to be a number four seed. I've never been that high.
00:02:54I feel ready, but I have to beat Joe first.
00:02:58And then we pluck him one by one.
00:03:00It only takes five victories to be a TOC champion.
00:03:04You need to build that momentum somewhere.
00:03:06Starting right here with you, NeNe.
00:03:08All right, Chef, you ready to battle?
00:03:09Wait, hold on.
00:03:11Okay, now I'm ready.
00:03:12Let's go.
00:03:15Are you ready for the first battle?
00:03:17Then let's light this up!
00:03:21His talents as a chef and as a pasta maker have helped him earn restaurants multiple Michelin stars.
00:03:30He made the final three on Top Chef.
00:03:36His new Italian cookbook, Breaking the Rules, made Bon Appetit an epicurious list of standout cookbooks for fall 2025.
00:03:45Make some noise from Mustache Joe, Chef Joe Sasko!
00:03:55I can't hear you!
00:04:02What?
00:04:03The mustache is feeling feisty today.
00:04:06This is the fifth time doing this.
00:04:07Now I'm married.
00:04:09So it's official.
00:04:10There's a Mrs. mustache now.
00:04:12How'd you meet your wife?
00:04:13You know, funny story, TOC 3, she was tuning in to watch you and her favorite Chef Antonia.
00:04:20And some mustache guy with tie-dye pants came out and beat her favorite chef.
00:04:25The winner of our battle between Chef Antonia Lofaso and Chef Joe Sasko is...
00:04:33Joe Sasko!
00:04:35And she slid into my DMs and the rest is a love story made in history.
00:04:41Is that how it really happened?
00:04:42You have that energy.
00:04:43Good luck tonight.
00:04:44Thank you, sir.
00:04:45Let's go, guys.
00:04:46Get out of here.
00:04:48Your opponent.
00:04:50Her combination of Vietnamese flavors, New Orleans pastry shop skill, and technique honed at three Michelin-starred 11 Madison Parkes
00:05:02makes her a force to be reckoned with.
00:05:05She's a Top Chef all-star who reached the final four in season two of 24 and 24.
00:05:15And last year, she defeated Chef Claudette Cepeda.
00:05:19Piniwin!
00:05:21And Carlos Anthony to reach the TOC 6 quarter-finals.
00:05:25Give a toast to Martinini!
00:05:29Chef Nini wins!
00:05:46Nini, you're an assassin.
00:05:47We know you are.
00:05:49And this, to me, is the way we kick off TOC 7 tonight.
00:05:54Chef, let's take you to the randomizer.
00:05:56Let's go.
00:06:01All right.
00:06:02The randomizer will determine the mandatory details of your dish.
00:06:06The protein, the produce, the equipment, the style, and the wild card.
00:06:10And tonight, in this first round of competition, the wild card is all about re-spin.
00:06:15Equipment or style re-spin, stay or total re-spin, or my favorite is the audience choice.
00:06:26Here we go.
00:06:27Here we go.
00:06:27Going for the protein.
00:06:35Ooh.
00:06:37Makes me sick.
00:06:39Cat dish, endive, handheld mixer, and creaming.
00:06:48Stay or total re-spin?
00:06:51Stay.
00:06:52I want a total re-spin.
00:06:53Well, you guys get to talk about it together.
00:06:55Why?
00:06:56Why?
00:06:56Why?
00:06:57Why do you want to stay?
00:06:58There's catfish, which I'm very, very familiar with, and I think that I have an advantage.
00:07:03The one thing I didn't want landed up there.
00:07:05I don't want the handheld mixer.
00:07:06I think you're going to have to get a little creative, chef.
00:07:09I want a total re-spin.
00:07:10Here's the thing.
00:07:11The handheld mixer, to me, acts as a style more than a piece of equipment.
00:07:16We're not here on great holiday bake-off.
00:07:18Don't be scared.
00:07:18Give in.
00:07:19Oh, my gosh.
00:07:21No.
00:07:22No.
00:07:22No.
00:07:23To come to an agreement on this, rock, paper, scissors.
00:07:26Okay?
00:07:27All right.
00:07:28One, two, three, shoot.
00:07:30Oh.
00:07:31Joe wins.
00:07:31Total re-spin.
00:07:33All right.
00:07:33Here we go.
00:07:37Sorry.
00:07:40Oh.
00:07:42Catfish, chicken, venison, chicken thighs.
00:07:45Bye-bye, catfish.
00:07:47Globe, eggplant, handheld mixer.
00:07:52Ooh, handheld mixer.
00:07:57Chicken thighs, globe, eggplant, handheld mixer.
00:08:02And smashed.
00:08:04Oh, and you have 30 minutes.
00:08:07Go cook.
00:08:10You think that's better?
00:08:12Nope.
00:08:12Definitely not.
00:08:13Chicken thighs is a gift, in my opinion.
00:08:16More flavor.
00:08:16You get more fat.
00:08:17Globe eggplant.
00:08:18This is the big purple eggplant that you see typically.
00:08:20This is the most common eggplant.
00:08:21A little bitter.
00:08:22Handheld mixer.
00:08:23Joe's favorite.
00:08:24They do a lot more than Joe's giving it credit for.
00:08:27Here's the key.
00:08:28How could they taste smashed, handheld mixer, globe eggplant, and chicken thighs?
00:08:32Judges are going to be looking for it.
00:08:35See, see, see.
00:08:36Mr. Randomizer is looking at me dirty.
00:08:39Definitely harder than before.
00:08:40I see the eggplant.
00:08:41I see the hand mixer.
00:08:43To me, that screams baba ghanoush.
00:08:46Baba ghanoush.
00:08:47Chef, good to see you.
00:08:48Hey, yo, Justin.
00:08:49How we doing?
00:08:50Perfect.
00:08:50I'm joined once again by my first-class culinary commentators, Michelin-Recommended Chef,
00:08:55and gourmet guru, the wildcard Justin Warner.
00:08:59And award-winning restaurateur and TOC3 champ herself, Chef Tiffany Faison.
00:09:04Now, Justin and Tiffany will be tracking the chef's every move so they can faithfully describe
00:09:09their dishes to the judges during the blind tasting.
00:09:13When I was working at Quint's in San Francisco, we used to have this Tuscan-style fried chicken.
00:09:19And that's all gonna go well with the baba ghanoush, because Italy's in the Mediterranean.
00:09:24We're dancing around the same part of the world.
00:09:28Ay-yi-yi.
00:09:28The smash in the eggplant really threw me off.
00:09:31Globe eggplants taste like almost nothing.
00:09:34They're bitter foam.
00:09:36But, like, smoked eggplant might taste good with Viet flavors.
00:09:40What's up, Chef?
00:09:41Hi, how are you?
00:09:42You feel like chatting with me?
00:09:44I'll be right here with my pen.
00:09:45I'm going to make a pan-seared smashed chicken thigh with, like, a Vietnamese baba ghanoush.
00:09:50And I'm going to smash some eggplants and tempura fry them.
00:09:54That's what we want to see.
00:09:55We want to see Trev Nuneet immediately grabbing that eggplant and starting to deal with it right away.
00:09:59The eggplant will ultimately take longer to cook than the chicken thighs.
00:10:0323 minutes.
00:10:07Chicken thighs, you don't normally see smashed.
00:10:10But making sure the judges can see it on the plate is really, really important.
00:10:15Everybody's always like, I can do this.
00:10:18I have this award.
00:10:19And I'm little of me.
00:10:21I want to come in.
00:10:23And then I just, like, snake my way into winning the whole thing.
00:10:27Come on, Joe!
00:10:29Thanks, guys, let's go!
00:10:31The Rainer Meyers' size smashed.
00:10:33The best way I know how to smash a chicken.
00:10:37Interesting smashing technique.
00:10:39Right?
00:10:39Is with a tortilla press.
00:10:43How did you learn this in Oaxaca, Chef?
00:10:45I actually learned this one on Instagram.
00:10:47Oh, nice.
00:10:49What's the plan for those good guys?
00:10:50We're gonna fry them.
00:10:52Okay.
00:10:52Smashed and fried.
00:10:53That's one of his favorite follows on Instagram.
00:10:55This guy presses everything in the tortilla press.
00:10:57I know exactly who he is.
00:10:57That guy's great.
00:10:58That guy's great.
00:11:01Chef, what do we got in there?
00:11:02So we got lemon juice, pickle juice, ginger, chicken bouillon.
00:11:07I want to do a wet brine.
00:11:09So I'm gonna get a lot of really impactful flavors in here in the vacuum seal chamber,
00:11:13which compresses that marinade into the chicken.
00:11:16The only issue is because a 10-minute marinade is gonna be long enough.
00:11:19Time calls, please.
00:11:2018.
00:11:21We got Needy Martini in the mix.
00:11:23She's fierce.
00:11:24She's fiery.
00:11:24She's feisty.
00:11:26Fellow top chef all-star.
00:11:27I mean, she is a serious chef and competitor.
00:11:30This is not an easy first round for me or for Needy.
00:11:34I'm gonna smash those and fry that.
00:11:37I think I need a crispy element, so I'm going to smash some eggplants and tempura fry them.
00:11:43I need to get it soft enough to smash it.
00:11:47I'm trying to smash between two sheet trays, and it's just not smashing.
00:11:52Joe, I've watched him cook, and he usually scores really high.
00:11:56And he's beat big people like Antonio Lavasso.
00:12:00So I know that I'm gonna have to bring it if I want to beat him.
00:12:04There it is.
00:12:09Chef Dini, Chef Joe, we are at the halfway point.
00:12:1215 minutes to go.
00:12:1315.
00:12:15Self-rising flour.
00:12:16Use self-rising flour for chicken?
00:12:18Yep, and cornstarch.
00:12:19Hell yeah.
00:12:20Nice little blend.
00:12:21I mean, neither one has even touched that hand-hand mixer.
00:12:25There with that.
00:12:26So I see that hand mixer staring me down, and that's when I decide to use eggs into my dredge.
00:12:33There you go.
00:12:35I normally wouldn't put eggs into my batter because I want a thinner, lighter, crispier coating, but I know if
00:12:41I whip the eggs and aerate them, I'm gonna be able to get that airy lightness.
00:12:47Gloves take too long.
00:12:49You know, a lot of people might underestimate me because I am a rule breaker.
00:12:53But trust me, I have some of the craziest upsets here under my belt already.
00:12:58So anything can happen here on TOC.
00:13:01Bro, I think the Colonel's gonna be pissed.
00:13:06Flour, salt, baking soda, soda water.
00:13:11See a tempura on the horizon?
00:13:13I'm using the hand-held mixer to make my tempura batter.
00:13:18Let's fry these bad boys.
00:13:22I want it to be very visible that I made eggplant two ways.
00:13:27That eggplant that's been burned on the grill, that's getting those Vietnamese flavors.
00:13:31Sugar Thai chili lime juice.
00:13:33Fish sauce.
00:13:34So Vietnamese baba ganoush.
00:13:35Yeah, Viet baba.
00:13:37Yeah.
00:13:37I think that when you're competing here, you wanna create things that will wow judges.
00:13:42So I wanted to make something different that's something that they never had before.
00:13:46I've never seen a globe eggplant hand-mixed before.
00:13:49But I've not seen a lot of things that I've seen in this kitchen.
00:13:53How does it stop?
00:14:01Mashed black garlic is part of my glaze.
00:14:04Fried chicken is inherently rich, so I want to build up a really intense, flavorful glaze.
00:14:12Hey.
00:14:15Can you help me with that, Chef?
00:14:28You know, the host job is never done.
00:14:31I don't know what to say.
00:14:32Nini is no stranger to competition, but I'm hungry.
00:14:36Money is one thing, but I'm really here for the glory.
00:14:40The belt.
00:14:41The ring.
00:14:42The banner.
00:14:43Going down in culinary history as the first male chef to win TOC.
00:14:48I like that it's just gently getting mopped on.
00:14:51It's just gonna hang out in the crevices and not sog that guy out.
00:14:53Love it.
00:14:56Chef Nini's taking our chicken.
00:14:58Those look great.
00:14:59It's getting a really beautiful golden color on the skin.
00:15:03Of course, like every year that I do this, I wanna do better.
00:15:07The first year, I went out on the first round.
00:15:10Second year, I went to the third round.
00:15:12This year, I am playing for the money, of course.
00:15:16I am in a place in my life where I wanna start a family,
00:15:20and I wanna experience motherhood,
00:15:23and I think $150,000 is a great way to start.
00:15:26Yep.
00:15:28So the glow bag plant, I know I wanna handle two different ways.
00:15:31I throw one directly over the fire to get it charred.
00:15:34I smash all of the interior.
00:15:37What are we doing with this?
00:15:39We are making a baba ganoush with some tahini and sesame paste,
00:15:43and that gets all whipped up with the hand mixer.
00:15:47I take the other globe egg plant,
00:15:49and I'm thinking I could treat this almost like a plantain.
00:15:53Blanching those real quick.
00:15:55I thought the goal was with the egg plant is to get rid of the moisture.
00:15:58It will char quickly on that grill,
00:15:59so getting as much water content into it as like a suppressant.
00:16:04I gotta just finish them in the fryer so they crisp up a bit.
00:16:07And then I could smash it.
00:16:09Coffee.
00:16:09And almost like a smashed potato.
00:16:11Eggplant tostone?
00:16:12Yes, exactly.
00:16:13Chefs, three and a half.
00:16:14So I'm plating my viet baba, I add my chicken,
00:16:18and I'm laying my crispy eggplant.
00:16:21I wanna make sure as I'm putting the fish sauce caramel broth
00:16:24that I'm not putting too much so that the eggplant will still stay crispy.
00:16:29She's not even sweating.
00:16:3060 seconds.
00:16:32Yes.
00:16:34So first thing going down on the plate, globe eggplant baba ganoush.
00:16:38Next is my confit eggplant round.
00:16:41Then my big ol' crispy chicken thigh glazed.
00:16:45I know I needed to use the hand mixer again,
00:16:48so with a little bit of time left, I made some whipped creme fraiche.
00:16:53Get it, Joe. Get it, Joe.
00:16:54Go, go, go, go, go.
00:16:56Five, four, three, two, one.
00:16:59We're done.
00:17:00Stop.
00:17:03Well done.
00:17:04That's how you start off the night.
00:17:06That was wild.
00:17:10Time to send you back to your trailers,
00:17:12and let's bring out those world-class judges.
00:17:14Thank you so much.
00:17:15Great job.
00:17:16This way!
00:17:27I think I did the randomizer really well.
00:17:30I think I made really flavorful food.
00:17:32It is creative.
00:17:33It's delicious.
00:17:34It's beautiful.
00:17:35That's what wins these competitions.
00:17:39And let's see what the judges think.
00:17:47All right.
00:17:49Now we wait.
00:17:51I'm happy with that cook.
00:17:52If I lose on that,
00:17:53that makes you really cooked a better dish.
00:17:55Ladies and gentlemen, our TOC judges
00:17:57have been waiting patiently in their trailers
00:17:58for their first blind tasting of the night.
00:18:01First, we have internationally revered restaurateur
00:18:04and first female Iron Chef in the UK,
00:18:08Chef Judy Ju.
00:18:11Judy Ju!
00:18:13Whoa!
00:18:14I like Judy Ju.
00:18:15She talks about sleeve in such beautiful ways.
00:18:17Mmm!
00:18:18Next, we have James Beard award-winning cookbook author
00:18:20and legendary New York chef,
00:18:22one of my favorite chefs,
00:18:24Chef Rocco de Spirido.
00:18:26Gotta love Rocco.
00:18:28You know, flavor is an OG.
00:18:31Hi, everybody.
00:18:33Then we have this other chef,
00:18:35Michelin-recommended restaurateur,
00:18:37and the winner,
00:18:38the reigning champ of TOC 6,
00:18:42Chef Antonia La Faso!
00:18:46Antonia.
00:18:47Champ, champ, champ, champ, champ, champ!
00:18:51Champ, it's so great to have you.
00:18:54So, the randomizer kicked down,
00:18:56chicken thighs, globe eggplant,
00:18:58the equipment was a handheld mixer,
00:19:00and the style was smashed.
00:19:02Here to present TOC champ Tiffany Faison.
00:19:06I'm so nervous.
00:19:07In front of you,
00:19:08we have smash-roasted chicken thigh.
00:19:10One of the eggplants was open flame charred,
00:19:12creating that smoky flavor,
00:19:13and hand-held mixer blended,
00:19:16that's right,
00:19:17that's your viet baba,
00:19:18if you will.
00:19:19We then have the eggplant
00:19:20that was smashed and tempura fried
00:19:22that is sitting on top of the chicken broth.
00:19:25She does such a great job.
00:19:26I want her for the whole season if I win.
00:19:28When I win.
00:19:30They're eating it.
00:19:31They are eating it up.
00:19:32It seems like they've covered everything
00:19:34on the randomizer,
00:19:35the chicken thigh,
00:19:36obviously on the plate,
00:19:37cooked really well.
00:19:38I'd like to have seen the chicken skin
00:19:40a little crispy.
00:19:41Yeah.
00:19:43The eggplant two ways,
00:19:45I love that they're playing the game,
00:19:46and the eggplant baba is my favorite.
00:19:50Not just incredible gameplay,
00:19:52obviously using the hand-held mixture,
00:19:54but it gave so much depth to the dish.
00:19:59I think it's a really tasty plate.
00:20:01There's nice acidity,
00:20:02there's herbaceousness.
00:20:03I love that fish sauce.
00:20:04I wish there was more of that broth
00:20:06that's so tasty.
00:20:07I knew it.
00:20:08I would love to have seen
00:20:09a little bit more creativity with the plate,
00:20:11like maybe the baba's underneath,
00:20:13the thigh is on top of it.
00:20:14A little bit more height,
00:20:15a little bit more architecture.
00:20:16Just give it a little bit of a polish.
00:20:18I know.
00:20:20I should have used a bowl.
00:20:21I should have used a bowl.
00:20:22Thank you very much.
00:20:23All right, judges,
00:20:24your scorecards are in front of you.
00:20:2550 points available in taste,
00:20:2740 points for the use of the randomizer,
00:20:28and 10 in presentation.
00:20:30Judges love that,
00:20:31but I don't know how she handled
00:20:33the plating and the randomizer.
00:20:34I hope they hate Joe's.
00:20:36And here we are to present
00:20:37the second chef's dish,
00:20:39wild card Justin Morner.
00:20:41God, this is the hardest part
00:20:42of the whole thing.
00:20:43Judges, this is Italian fried chicken.
00:20:45The chicken thigh was smashed in a tortilla press.
00:20:49From there, vacuumed with preserved lemon juice,
00:20:52some pickled juice,
00:20:53and some sesame seed for crunch.
00:20:55In terms of the eggplant,
00:20:56one was charred,
00:20:58and then turned into a baba yinoush
00:21:00that you'll see on the bottom of the plate.
00:21:02Another use of the eggplant,
00:21:03the round that you'll see smashed
00:21:05between the plate and the chicken itself.
00:21:07Lastly, you'll notice a bit of creme fraiche there.
00:21:09That was whipped and seasoned
00:21:10with that hand mixer
00:21:11right towards the end of the cook.
00:21:13Justin did great.
00:21:14It's interesting to call it an Italian approach.
00:21:17I don't know if it's Italian,
00:21:19but it's certainly delicious.
00:21:20The eggplant is obviously here,
00:21:22served in two ways,
00:21:23and the handheld mixer
00:21:23was used to really great effect here
00:21:26to create a very smooth baba yinoush.
00:21:30Smoking, delicious.
00:21:34I think that kind of gameplay
00:21:36of quick pickling,
00:21:37so that it has the illusion of a brine overnight,
00:21:40which is salty and bright, is brilliant.
00:21:42For the breading,
00:21:42I think one of the smartest things
00:21:44that the chef did was add sesame seeds to it.
00:21:47The batter is delicious.
00:21:48It's those little details.
00:21:50That's what it takes to get noticed in TOC.
00:21:53First of all, it's beautiful.
00:21:54Visually stunning.
00:21:55But I would have to say,
00:21:56I was looking for chicken.
00:21:57There's a lot of breading on this.
00:21:59Tortilla pressed,
00:21:59but maybe pressed too much,
00:22:01I would have to say.
00:22:02But it's a very lovely dish.
00:22:04I'd be happy to pay for that.
00:22:07Damn.
00:22:07Well, you will.
00:22:08This year, we do charge you as you go.
00:22:11But we'll just put it on your bill.
00:22:13All right, judges.
00:22:14Thank you very much.
00:22:15Your scorecards are in front of you.
00:22:1650 points in taste,
00:22:1840 in the use of the randomizer tendon plating.
00:22:20All right.
00:22:21The only reason the breading is thick
00:22:23is because I added eggs.
00:22:25And because I needed to use the hand mixer.
00:22:27Thank you, judges.
00:22:28I'm going to send you back to your trailer.
00:22:29We'll call you for the next round.
00:22:32Well, the case was too much breading.
00:22:35My presentation was bad.
00:22:38Yeah.
00:22:38I don't know.
00:22:39Let's bring it back in.
00:22:40Chef Joe Sasto!
00:22:44Chef Nini wins!
00:22:49Whoo!
00:22:51Dishes were delicious.
00:22:53Here go the scores.
00:22:5483.
00:22:5779.
00:23:01The winner of the first round battle is...
00:23:10The winner of the first round battle is...
00:23:18Joe Sasto!
00:23:20Congratulations!
00:23:26Chef Keeney, you're such a great competitor,
00:23:28such an amazing chef.
00:23:29I'm sorry this is the end of the road.
00:23:31Thank you so much.
00:23:33Congratulations.
00:23:34Great job.
00:23:35He wins!
00:23:40I knew it.
00:23:41I knew it was going to be a hard battle.
00:23:42But all in all, he smashed a lot of things.
00:23:47Joe Sasto just won first round of TOC 7!
00:23:55Let's take a look at the bracket.
00:23:57So it's either going to be an icon or Katsuchi Tanabe.
00:24:00There's no easy path on this bracket.
00:24:03Congratulations, my friend.
00:24:04Moving on!
00:24:06Joe Sasto!
00:24:07Great job!
00:24:10It was a wild move, pulling out the hand mixer with 90 seconds left.
00:24:13Trying to say, I needed it.
00:24:15You needed it.
00:24:15I needed another use.
00:24:16You did.
00:24:16Are we going to go past the Elite Eight this year?
00:24:18Every year I've gone a little bit further.
00:24:20You have.
00:24:20It's going to be exciting.
00:24:21There you go.
00:24:21So I'm going to start with you.
00:24:23I'm Tony Lofaso.
00:24:24Battle one.
00:24:25You felt like the tempura pieces were large.
00:24:28Protein should have been sort of the main star.
00:24:30And in this arrangement, I felt like the large piece of eggplant overtook the plate.
00:24:36If you're going to do a tempura, it needs to be kind of smaller and delicate.
00:24:40Are you ready to meet our next two kitchen contenders?
00:24:44Fantastic.
00:24:46First, we have Adam Greenberg, who may be new to TOC, but is a proven culinary competitor,
00:24:53an experienced restaurateur, and he has earned a number six seat.
00:24:57I feel good, man.
00:24:58I have as good of a chance as anybody to win this whole thing.
00:25:01Passion is my secret ingredient.
00:25:03This is everything I've dreamed about.
00:25:04I was a selfish chef without a kid and just did everything I wanted to do.
00:25:09And then I had a son and, like, my why in life changed.
00:25:11I just love him so much, and tournament of champions in this arena performing for him
00:25:16is the greatest thing I could ever do.
00:25:18Now, his opponent is number three seed, Chef Kevin Lee, the Oklahoma restaurateur
00:25:24who's taken down some of the biggest names in culinary competition
00:25:29and never lost a first-round battle.
00:25:34My goal this season is to go all the way.
00:25:37Winning this thing will kind of signify that I'm completely out of that rut that I was in.
00:25:43Before I came here, I had my fried chicken restaurant.
00:25:45It just wasn't doing well.
00:25:46I was losing money every month, and we didn't know what was going to happen.
00:25:50Then TOC 5 happened and gave me the confidence to change my concept
00:25:54and to be a chef again.
00:25:56And now it got me another restaurant.
00:25:58Like, winning this will really solidify my career.
00:26:01I've never faced Kevin in anything before.
00:26:03If I take down the Dragon Slayer, I'm sending a message to the rest of the competition today.
00:26:07I'm ready.
00:26:08Are you ready to see some pan-to-pan combat?
00:26:14Let's go.
00:26:16All right, let's do this.
00:26:17And let's light it up!
00:26:21After receiving his culinary degree from Johnson & Wales,
00:26:24he works as a line cook at the fabled Gramercy Tavern under famed chef Tom Colicchio.
00:26:32From upscale steakhouse to tapas bars to Italian restaurants.
00:26:37He is a Chop Grand Champion who also beat Bobby Flay.
00:26:42Put your hands together for the big matzo ball!
00:26:47Chef Adam Greenberg!
00:26:53Let's go! Let's go!
00:26:55Come on, baby! Let's go!
00:26:57You ready? You ready?
00:27:01Great to have you.
00:27:02Thank you. Thank you very much.
00:27:04Well, chef, good luck to you because you're going to need it.
00:27:08He's a third-generation restaurant owner whose acclaimed Korean-inspired Oklahoma steakhouses reflect his roots in both Asian and American
00:27:18heartland.
00:27:23He has topped multiple Best Chef lists in his home state.
00:27:27James Beard awards semi-finalists for Best Chef Southwest in 2025.
00:27:32And took down Brooke Williamson to reach the TOC 5 quarter-final.
00:27:38Give it up for the Dragon Slayer!
00:27:43Chef Kevin Lee!
00:27:58My brother, you've been winning and crushing in open restaurants and getting accolades. What keeps you grounded?
00:28:06Before I did TOC 5, I was probably at the hardest place of my life.
00:28:10And this show got me to where I am today. And I don't want to ever forget that.
00:28:14Well, chef, it's a pleasure to know you. It's an honor to watch you cook.
00:28:18Let's walk this way!
00:28:25Any questions?
00:28:27Spin it!
00:28:27Here we go! Protein!
00:28:29What do you want for protein?
00:28:31I don't know, chef.
00:28:32Whatever the random magic is.
00:28:34Let's go.
00:28:37Venice Chops.
00:28:38Hmm.
00:28:40Asparagus.
00:28:43Blade Tenderizer.
00:28:44Citrus-y.
00:28:46You want to re-spin the equipment or the style?
00:28:48I don't want to get microwaved, so I would say we just stay tight on the equipment.
00:28:52Let's re-spin the style.
00:28:53Okay.
00:28:54Let's go. Let's go.
00:28:55Here we go!
00:28:55Vote in style!
00:29:03It was meant to be.
00:29:05Venison Chops.
00:29:07Asparagus.
00:29:07Blade Tenderizer.
00:29:09Citrus-y.
00:29:10The 3-2-1.
00:29:11Oh, you want me to do 3-2-1?
00:29:13No.
00:29:13I'll do 3-2-1-go and then you...
00:29:19Go!
00:29:21Let's go, chef!
00:29:22Here we go!
00:29:23Venison Chops.
00:29:24A little bit of gaminess, but I'm going to tell you, if you haven't tried it recently, it's dynamite.
00:29:28I'm a huge asparagus fan.
00:29:29Blade Tenderizer.
00:29:30If you don't own one, go get one after this.
00:29:32You want to get into that really tough part of the meat, sit there and needle it a few times?
00:29:35Awesome.
00:29:36Citrus-y.
00:29:37Well, we give them just about every citrus that they can imagine.
00:29:39And remember, they don't only want to taste it, they want to see it.
00:29:43Dragon Slayer is an amazing nickname, but it comes with a lot of pressure.
00:29:48You better deliver.
00:29:49I feel like I have the hot streak going.
00:29:53I'm not just going to be happy with that first-round win.
00:29:56I came here this season to take that belt home, and this is just a stepping stone.
00:30:03Kevin's coming here and he's created his own Cinderella story.
00:30:06Ironic that we're the match-up against each other because I'm here to create my own Cinderella story, right?
00:30:10But I think he's got the weight of the world on his shoulders knowing that he's not the underdog anymore.
00:30:14He's got the pressure.
00:30:15He's the favorite right now.
00:30:17Hi, Chef.
00:30:17Hey, what's up?
00:30:19Chef, when you have a plan, fill me in.
00:30:21Gochujang, lemon glazed, venison, chop.
00:30:25So I'm going to get this thing marinated on first to get that gaminess out.
00:30:29For protein, we got venison chop.
00:30:32Being in Oklahoma, my neighbors love going hunting, so I am very comfortable cooking this protein.
00:30:38Then I'm going to take the blade tenderizer and really pound down the venison chop.
00:30:44Let's go, guys!
00:30:45To really infuse all those flavors that is already on the venison chop.
00:30:51Because it's got salt and seasoning on it, it's getting injected into it.
00:30:55He's so excited.
00:30:56The venison needs some kind of a sweetness, some spice, some acid to really fight that gaminess.
00:31:02I'm really thinking the lemon and gochujang works really well.
00:31:06I'm going to wow the judges by these fun play on Korean cuisine.
00:31:10People are interested in Korean food.
00:31:12For me, my culture was embarrassing growing up in Oklahoma as a kid.
00:31:17When friends came over to my house, they opened the fridge, they smelled kimchi.
00:31:20It was like the worst smell they've ever smelled in their life.
00:31:23But now, Korean food has become so popular.
00:31:26That's going to be a glaze.
00:31:28For the gochujang.
00:31:29Yes.
00:31:29Copy.
00:31:30Instead of using, like, soy sauce to thin it out, I'm using the citrus, the lemon juice.
00:31:35I really have found myself as a Korean-American chef, cooking with my flavors is a huge advantage for me.
00:31:42All right.
00:31:46How's it feel to be here?
00:31:47Oh, it feels amazing.
00:31:48I'm so honored to be here.
00:31:49Thrilled to have you.
00:31:50I want to do a citrus-marinated venison chop.
00:31:52It elevates the flavor of the venison, being lean.
00:31:55I'm going to use the tenderizer.
00:31:57This is a bigger-than-life tournament.
00:32:00It's a bigger-than-life arena.
00:32:01I may not have the James Beard Awards or Muslim Stars, but I have a lot of success in this
00:32:05industry, 27 years.
00:32:07TOC is where I want it to be, but I definitely feel like I belong.
00:32:12We've got a plethora of different citruses in our pantry, so I want to try to use as many as
00:32:17I can.
00:32:18Citrus-marinated venison is a good choice.
00:32:19I think the real essence of citrus, like the real flavor of citrus, is in the peel.
00:32:24Zesting a really good zester is such a great way to impart that flavor.
00:32:28What's inspiring me in this dish is just to try to keep it kind of classic American, very steakhouse style.
00:32:33I can wait almost until, like, ten minutes left on the clock to start these.
00:32:36That's my game plan right now.
00:32:39Blackberries.
00:32:39Yeah, blackberry demi, basically.
00:32:41Blackberry works well with venison.
00:32:43It's a little bit tart, sweet.
00:32:45We're going to blend that in the blender.
00:32:46There's a little fresh thyme in there as well.
00:32:50You want to add a little fat.
00:32:51Everything's always better with butter.
00:32:53Truly.
00:32:57He doesn't need more love.
00:32:58I'm the new guy here.
00:32:59What the hell?
00:33:00I think I'm the underdog of the whole tournament.
00:33:02I think nobody knows who the hell I am.
00:33:04They're getting a preview of me and, you know, someone's got to slay the dragon.
00:33:07And if it's got to be me, it's got to be me.
00:33:10There we go! There we go!
00:33:16Chef Adam, Chef Kevin, we are at the halfway point.
00:33:1915 minutes, 15 to go.
00:33:25I'm carefully babysitting this venison chop to make sure that it's cooked perfect.
00:33:30Once I have it on the grill, we're going to get a nice, charred sear on both sides of the
00:33:35chop.
00:33:36Then we're going to glaze it with that cochinilla glaze that we made.
00:33:39We're going to finish it in the oven.
00:33:42Produce, we have asparagus.
00:33:44That can be a very boring produce.
00:33:46I have a game plan.
00:33:48I know with citrusy, I can make a nice, light cucumber asparagus kimchi.
00:33:52It will be a really fun component to have on this dish.
00:33:57I want to show the judges that can really use this piece of equipment multiple different ways.
00:34:03That brings a lot of brightness to a dish.
00:34:05No time to actually ferment a kimchi, but using this tenderizer to penetrate it,
00:34:11I think it's going to mimic the natural, like, cellular breakdown that happens
00:34:15and also allow for a quicker absorption of those ingredients.
00:34:18I love it.
00:34:21The asparagus is finding itself where?
00:34:22I want to do an asparagus salad.
00:34:24I'm going to do a little bit pickled and I'm going to do a little bit raw as well.
00:34:28Okay. Love that.
00:34:29Asparagus, a chef I worked for for a million years, we peel the asparagus.
00:34:33What happens is it makes the tenderness of the base to match what is at the top
00:34:37and you eat all the way through the asparagus without as much waste.
00:34:40I want to be able to feature asparagus two different ways, raw and cooked.
00:34:43I'll blanch these that I peel and then I'm just going to cut some that's raw.
00:34:48We're going to combine that with a bunch of citrus segments.
00:34:50So I've got orange, blood orange in there.
00:34:52You know, again, other ways to feature citrus.
00:34:54I thought this would be a great one.
00:34:57This guy is a fierce competitor. He's beating the best of the best.
00:35:00I'm the sleeper here today, but it really comes down to game play at the end of the day.
00:35:03And that's just who I am. I'm very precise when it comes to that.
00:35:06And I think it's going to help me win.
00:35:07Seven minutes, chef. Seven to go.
00:35:10The next thing I'll need to work on is this asparagus yogurt puree.
00:35:14Add a nice funk of acid from the yogurt.
00:35:17It's going to really enhance eating this fantasy.
00:35:21Being from Oklahoma, I've always had to prove myself that I am a great chef.
00:35:26We don't get the accolades like the chefs were from New York or Chicago, L.A. or San Francisco.
00:35:32And if I had a TOC belt, it is no longer a question that I am one of the best.
00:35:39I mean business this season.
00:35:41I'm not here to make a TV show.
00:35:43I'm here to win that bag of money.
00:35:48You're really making me feel at home. I love you. Thank you so much.
00:35:51Get the venison onto the grill. I feel really good about it.
00:35:54The grill's nice and hot, so it's going to get some char.
00:35:56We want it like rare to medium rare.
00:35:58You have one chance to make a first impression,
00:36:00and I plan on making a great first impression today.
00:36:04Three minutes, chef. Three to go. Three minutes.
00:36:07To plate my venison chop, I have asparagus yogurt sauce
00:36:12with my citrusy cucumber asparagus kimchi on top.
00:36:16Then I'm going to lay the venison chop that's been confetti with my lemon zest.
00:36:21I made my career by being the Cinderella in this competition.
00:36:25It's done so much for me, my life, my family.
00:36:29This season, quarterfinals, final four is not going to be enough.
00:36:33I want that belt. I'm finally ready to win TOC this season.
00:36:4090 seconds, chef, Adam.
00:36:43So I've got all my elements. We're going to put our sauce down first.
00:36:46We're going to put the blanched asparagus down,
00:36:49then the raw asparagus with a little bit of the citrus supreme.
00:36:52Put our venison chops, so I've got the blackberries that are in the jus.
00:36:55I'm going to put those on the plate right front and center.
00:36:57A little more sauce on top of that.
00:37:0015 seconds. This is a citrus battle, right?
00:37:03It's citrusy, chef.
00:37:04TOC 7, I'm coming for you.
00:37:06I'm going to take this as far as I can go.
00:37:083, 2, 1.
00:37:10We're done.
00:37:12Rebound.
00:37:14Job well done.
00:37:15Finesse, creativity.
00:37:17It's all up to the blind judging now.
00:37:19Send you back to your trailers.
00:37:20Good luck to the two of you, all right?
00:37:21Thank you, chef.
00:37:22Chef Adam Greenberg.
00:37:23Chef Kevin Lee.
00:37:27Let's go!
00:37:29Oh, it's such a relief.
00:37:34Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome back our judges.
00:37:37Iron Chef, Judy Chu.
00:37:39Uh-oh, Judy Chu.
00:37:41My Korean sister.
00:37:43Legendary New York restaurant, Rocco Dispirito.
00:37:46Rocco, the legend.
00:37:48It's awesome to have him judging.
00:37:49I love this.
00:37:50And reigning TOC champ, Antonio Lofaso.
00:37:55Oh, champ, she's here.
00:37:58Lofaso's here?
00:37:59That used to be my enemy.
00:38:01Now she's judging me.
00:38:03She's phenomenal, so I'm honored to have her tasting my food.
00:38:06Tonight, judges, the randomizer,
00:38:08who also graciously offered venison chops, asparagus,
00:38:13the blade tenderizer, style of citrusy,
00:38:16Chef Justin Warner.
00:38:18Judges, this is a gochujang and lemon-glazed venison chop.
00:38:22It is accompanied by a citrusy cucumber and asparagus kimchi.
00:38:26The venison chops were marinated slightly, then tenderized and remarinated.
00:38:30For the asparagus, it was tenderized using the blade tenderizer.
00:38:34To further enhance that kimchi effect, lactic acid in the yogurt beneath it.
00:38:38That yogurt was combined with lemon zest and asparagus in the blender.
00:38:43We have lemon juice in every liquid and lemon zest in every solid.
00:38:48I think they're gonna love this dish.
00:38:50It's a great dish.
00:38:52I think very highly of the chef who cooked this venison.
00:38:56This is basically impossible to do.
00:38:59Yes!
00:39:00In a fine dining restaurant setting,
00:39:03much less in a competition setting with limited time.
00:39:06It's tender, it's juicy, it's not overcooked.
00:39:08The use of the tenderizer on the asparagus, pretty amazing, right?
00:39:12I was hoping someone would do something completely illogical
00:39:16and use it on the vegetables instead of the meat.
00:39:18A lovely result.
00:39:19I think all of this lemon is so perfectly welcomed,
00:39:24especially with sort of the savoriness and the umami of this venison chop.
00:39:29Oh, Antonia!
00:39:31They seem to really love this so far, I'm getting nervous.
00:39:34Kimchi, I thought, was so, so smart.
00:39:37It's the use of the yogurt that I think is the most well-played here.
00:39:43It's bright and sort of acidic on its own,
00:39:46just lends to the entire dish being citrusy.
00:39:49So not only was it a great choice, but it was, like, incredible gameplay.
00:39:52This is such a well-constructed dish.
00:39:55I'm super impressed.
00:39:57This venison is perfectly cooked.
00:39:59If I had to criticize anything,
00:40:01maybe use another type of citrus as well as lemon.
00:40:04You had a whole pantry full of citrus.
00:40:07I'll take it.
00:40:08All right, judges, thank you so much.
00:40:10Feels great.
00:40:1150 points available in taste,
00:40:1340 in the use of the randomizer,
00:40:14and 10 in presentation.
00:40:16It's a great confidence booster.
00:40:18Hopefully I cook better than Chef Adam
00:40:20to move on to the next round.
00:40:23Man, I'm real nervous now.
00:40:25Hopefully they love my dish just as much
00:40:26and that they're about to get a dish
00:40:28that has equally enough balance, equally enough flavor.
00:40:31The one and only TOC champ herself, Tiffany Faison.
00:40:34Culinary superstars.
00:40:35Right in front of you,
00:40:37we have citrus-kissed and grilled venison chops
00:40:39with a citrusy asparagus salad
00:40:41and a blackberry thyme veal jus.
00:40:43Let's talk about the venison chops.
00:40:45They were blade-tenderized and marinated
00:40:46with orange and lemon zest and orange juice,
00:40:49then grilled and finished with lemon zest on top.
00:40:52The asparagus salad underneath your venison chops
00:40:54is both raw and lightly blanched.
00:40:56That met a Meyer lemon juice
00:40:58that was completely juiced with the blade tenderizer.
00:41:01You will also find some breams of navel and blood orange in there
00:41:04and a little bit of extra virgin olive oil.
00:41:07Sounds great.
00:41:08Classic flavors to cooked venison.
00:41:10It's a lot of fork and knife.
00:41:11I don't know if they like that or not, but...
00:41:13Another perfect cook on that venison chop.
00:41:15I love the fact that this chef went citrus
00:41:18in sort of the orange way
00:41:19versus the lemon or lime way.
00:41:23The fact that this chef actually took the asparagus
00:41:25and peeled out those outer layers
00:41:28to make them a lot more tender,
00:41:29I just wish they took it a step further
00:41:31and cut them down a little bit
00:41:33and maybe gave them a little saute.
00:41:34I think that we just needed a little bit more finesse.
00:41:37That was a good one. I think it was fair.
00:41:39Another really nice execution of a venison chop,
00:41:42but the blackberry is not quite coalescing
00:41:46as well as I had hoped it would.
00:41:48Citrus-y coming through very well.
00:41:51This one has it in the sauce,
00:41:52which is helping, of course,
00:41:53the venison does need citrus.
00:41:55What I feel is missing on this plate
00:41:56because everything is so lean and citrus-y
00:41:58is you need that fat
00:42:00to kind of bring those high singing notes,
00:42:03you know, citrus, acid, everything.
00:42:05Like veal and butter?
00:42:07A good dish, but not so balanced
00:42:08and a little bit rushed.
00:42:11Thank you, judges, scorecards in front of you.
00:42:13Number one, the venison was cooked right,
00:42:15you know, cooked really well,
00:42:16so that I appreciate,
00:42:17but you can't go back and, you know,
00:42:19put my best foot forward
00:42:20and, you know, we'll go see what happens.
00:42:22I feel pretty good.
00:42:23I feel confident that I won this round,
00:42:25but I'm not here to win just one round.
00:42:27I'm here to win it all this season.
00:42:29I've got the scores from the judges.
00:42:31Let's go ahead and bring them back out.
00:42:33Kevin Lee!
00:42:35Kevin Greenberg!
00:42:41Kevin Greenberg!
00:42:42Thanks, buddy.
00:42:44And here we go.
00:42:45A score of 90 to 80.
00:42:49The winner of the second battle
00:42:51in the first round between Chef Kevin Lee
00:42:54and Chef Adam Greenberg is...
00:42:58Congratulations, Kevin Lee!
00:43:01Kicked my ass. Nice job, man.
00:43:03Now it's sick.
00:43:03That's sick.
00:43:04Well done, Chef.
00:43:06Chef Adam.
00:43:06The learning curve in TOC is tough.
00:43:08Awesome to have you, my friend.
00:43:09Thank you very much.
00:43:09Thank you very much.
00:43:10Thank you very much.
00:43:10Good to be back.
00:43:11Give it up for the big matzo ball!
00:43:14Thank you guys so much.
00:43:18Ten-point difference is a wide, wide margin.
00:43:21So hopefully next year I get to come back
00:43:23and, you know, make up that difference.
00:43:25A 90.
00:43:30Chef, let's take a look.
00:43:32Next up will either be our friend Britt Rossigno
00:43:35or the newcomer Giuseppe Tentori.
00:43:38There's no easy road in this tournament.
00:43:40I'm just gonna cook my food.
00:43:42Keep it up.
00:43:43Thank you, guys.
00:43:43The Dragon Slayer!
00:43:45Kevin Lee!
00:43:46Thank you, guys!
00:43:50Congratulations, Chef.
00:43:52Nice job, brother.
00:43:53I'm focused.
00:43:54I'm not gonna get excited for this first round win.
00:43:57I have bigger things to achieve,
00:43:59and we're gonna try to get four more wins.
00:44:0290.
00:44:02Highest score of TOC right now,
00:44:04and this dude doesn't lose, doesn't stop.
00:44:06Amazing.
00:44:07All right, ladies and gentlemen,
00:44:08are you ready to meet the next TOC contenders?
00:44:13You know it.
00:44:14We have the number seven qualifying winner, Chef Giuseppe Tentori, who outscored Michelle Ragussis in the TOC seven qualifiers to
00:44:24earn his spot in the bracket.
00:44:26The qualifying was very stressful.
00:44:29I'm glad I made it past that.
00:44:31But now, I mean, it's just to win, to go all the way to the end.
00:44:34And the number two seed chef, oh boy.
00:44:38Britt Rossigno, the TOC four Cinderella story, who has gone on to prove her initial success by making it into
00:44:45the final four, get this, three years in a row.
00:44:49Will this be her year?
00:44:52I have hit the final four every year I've been in this competition.
00:44:56It's really hard to get so close and taste it.
00:44:59Going out in the first round is not an option.
00:45:01I'm here to kick her out, to be honest.
00:45:03I will be in the finale, and I will take home the belt.
00:45:08Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready for another clash of the culinary titans?
00:45:13Let's write this out!
00:45:17This chef left a fine dining Osteria in Milan at the age of 19 to accept a restaurant job in
00:45:23Chicago.
00:45:24He's never looked back.
00:45:30Was named Best New Chef by Food & Wine and earned a Michelin star four years in a row.
00:45:38Put your hands together for a G.T.
00:45:42Chef Giuseppe Tantore!
00:45:54Chef, congratulations making it through the qualifiers.
00:45:56Now it's your time to shine.
00:45:58Awesome, Chef.
00:46:00But it will be a tough time to shine when this hurricane comes to town.
00:46:07She's the executive chef and co-owner of Fiamma, a wood-fired Italian restaurant in Sun Valley, Idaho,
00:46:13which recently received a four-diamond rating.
00:46:19In her first appearance in this arena, she defeated T.O.C. champ Tiffany Faison, and she has gone on
00:46:25to reach the T.O.C. Final Four in T.O.C. 4, T.O.C. 5, and T.O
00:46:31.C. 6.
00:46:32They call her Butter Daddy.
00:46:39Make some noise for Chef Britt Prisigno!
00:46:50Did you ever think that the trajectory was going to go where we're at now?
00:46:55Not this fast, no.
00:46:56I have watched Chef grow so incredibly.
00:47:00Married, opened your restaurant, changed your fighting name.
00:47:05It used to be the Angry Italian.
00:47:07She came up to me and she says,
00:47:08I got a new name.
00:47:09Things have kind of changed a little bit.
00:47:11How about Butter Daddy?
00:47:12I said, Butter Daddy's the best.
00:47:14That's the best fight name I've ever heard.
00:47:16Chefs, right this way.
00:47:18Let's do it.
00:47:23Okay.
00:47:24So without further ado, let's go.
00:47:26Protein.
00:47:32It's like the slow spin of death.
00:47:35Yeah, there's a torture here.
00:47:37Pork shoulder.
00:47:38Nice.
00:47:39Cremini, celery, and dives.
00:47:42Air Fryer, boozy.
00:47:45Move one up.
00:47:46And move one up.
00:47:48What do you think?
00:47:49Air Fryer?
00:47:50Usually we do not use Air Fryer in a commercial kitchen.
00:47:53And, you know, nothing against that.
00:47:54I have one at home.
00:47:55It's great.
00:47:56I like Air Fryer.
00:47:58I don't.
00:47:58It's one with Air Fryer.
00:47:59I hit it.
00:47:59What do you want to do?
00:48:00What do you want to move?
00:48:02Um, I'd rather go creamy.
00:48:04I don't want to move boozy, but I kind of just want to get in his head a little bit.
00:48:08I like the boozy.
00:48:09You don't have to agree.
00:48:10We can go rock, paper, scissors.
00:48:11I don't care.
00:48:11Rock, paper, scissors.
00:48:12Here we go.
00:48:14Rock, paper, scissors, shoot.
00:48:17All right.
00:48:18Oh, it's a Sepi one.
00:48:19Chef, which one are we moving?
00:48:21Air Fryer.
00:48:22Air Fryer is going up to cast iron griddle.
00:48:28Pork shoulder, endive, cast iron griddle, boozy.
00:48:3130 minutes.
00:48:32It starts now.
00:48:35All right, the pork shoulder.
00:48:36This is one of my favorite cuts in me.
00:48:38The bone's got a ton of flavor.
00:48:39There's a ton of fat on it.
00:48:40Endive.
00:48:41Part of the chicory family.
00:48:42A little bitter.
00:48:43This is gonna be raw.
00:48:43It's gonna be cooked.
00:48:44Cast iron griddle.
00:48:45It's kind of like an indoor barbecue.
00:48:47And then boozy.
00:48:47There's a fine line between using booze and food and having it be too alcohol heavy and
00:48:53forward.
00:48:53It's not an easy randomizer.
00:48:56Most difficult thing on this randomizer is definitely the pork shoulder.
00:49:01It's a tough cut of meat.
00:49:02There's a lot of sinew.
00:49:03You gotta know how to butcher it.
00:49:05I got a plan for you.
00:49:06I'm gonna go schnitzel.
00:49:07Okay.
00:49:08Mine right away goes to pork schnitzel with a chassier sauce, demi-glace, and of course
00:49:16cognac.
00:49:20Steph, when you have a plan, I have a pen.
00:49:22So the plan, I think I'm gonna braise the endive in wine, give a little boozy flavor.
00:49:28But I think I'm gonna cut it in steaks.
00:49:31Okay.
00:49:31And try to grill them.
00:49:34All right.
00:49:34So I can use the randomizer.
00:49:37I love pork shoulders.
00:49:38If you're gonna use this, you're gonna have to go in and cut the cope out.
00:49:41You're gonna have to butcher this down and find that tender piece of meat.
00:49:45And there it is.
00:49:46I accomplished a lot of different things in my career, but this is very different.
00:49:49It's a huge learning curve.
00:49:52You know, she's a super talented chef, so you have to be quick.
00:49:55So I'm gonna put a little garlic, onion powder, and fennel season there.
00:49:59Fennel pollen or fennel?
00:50:00Fennel pollen.
00:50:00Fennelужд.
00:50:03Let's see.
00:50:04Cognac?
00:50:04Smart, smart, smart.
00:50:07The use of the pork shoulder on the cast iron grill pan is really smart.
00:50:11The judges will be able to see that that's very specifically grilled on that cast iron griddle.
00:50:16Good game play.
00:50:18Those qualifier chefs are always dangerous, coming in,
00:50:21because they already have a round under their belt, and they feel more comfortable in the kitchen.
00:50:29first thing i'm going to get started on is my pork i know i want to get this butchered out
00:50:34all right i'm going to do a very traditional standard breading procedure flour egg breadcrumb
00:50:41so something really cool that i learned from a fellow competitor yeah once you get all nice and
00:50:47breaded put it on the board and tenderize it one more time to make sure that those breadcrumbs
00:50:52really stick in there i love that thank you mailin i mean come on chef brit chef giuseppe 20 minutes
00:51:0420 left the plate they can use the booze in some a different thing especially when i saw them die
00:51:14white wine is really nice for the on dive so you see the flames coming up so the alcohol is
00:51:19burning
00:51:19off so that's how you know we're on the road to boozy
00:51:28i have two little kids that are 11 and 13 if i win all those money i'm just gonna be
00:51:33on my college
00:51:34fun for my kids about that
00:51:40kiefer chef here is turning up the volume on everything a little bit more salt more acid
00:51:43more umami this brit has been in this kitchen and she knows how to do this
00:51:48my boozy sauce is actually a very traditional sauce in french cookery it's called chef here
00:51:54literally translates to hunter sauce and it has all the things that you'll find in the woods so
00:52:00mushrooms herbs onions and then you finish it with mustard and then let's booze it on up and throw that
00:52:14cognac in there
00:52:14i might cook traditional italian food but i was trained classic french oh yeah that's boozy all right
00:52:2815 minutes chefs 15 to go
00:52:34so coming up we reveal the identity of our top-seeded food world icon as they take on their first
00:52:41toc 7
00:52:41opponent chef katsuchi tanabe
00:52:58the book is grilling and now i need to find a way to balance better from the dive
00:53:03and it needs some kind of creamy fatty so they make some pine nuts puree because they're very rich
00:53:14i love smart cooking chef brit chef giuseppe you have 10 minutes left 10 to go
00:53:22mom's gonna cook it down like soupy
00:53:23got it really get that sweetness next i want to get working on my endive
00:53:29i know i want to make a sous-bise but i'm gonna add sliced endive
00:53:34you know the more moisture you cook out of the endive the more bitter components
00:53:38stay oh my god oh it's so good toc feels like the calmest i've ever been i've trained all year
00:53:47for this i'm here to win the whole thing this year yeah
00:53:57i'm trying to like serve some raw endive too so i can use the randomizer a little bit more
00:54:02so i want to use the leaves to make sure it's like light and gentle
00:54:06you know i came in thinking wow brit's gonna be hard as a record
00:54:10uh but now i'm watching chef giuseppe cook and i'm terrified
00:54:15chefs this is your final five minutes
00:54:20feels right
00:54:22i pull my schnitzel off the griddle they're beautiful
00:54:25but i look over and i see all this beautiful fat that's still on the griddle
00:54:30so i'm going to take a handful of sugar i'm going to throw it on the griddle
00:54:34and i'm going to put cut halves of endive right on top of that
00:54:38sugar sugar
00:54:42that sugar's going to caramelize then it's just going to be such a delightful treat
00:54:47competition and being in the kitchen are two things that are just inherently in my blood
00:54:51i played sports my whole life and my family owned a restaurant right next door to my house
00:54:56and my dad's a chef come on three minutes
00:55:00now it's time to plate i'm going to put a little bit of sous-vise down
00:55:03and then i'm going to add my beautiful braised caramelized endive
00:55:10and then i'm going to put my sauce down with all those beautiful mushrooms the mustard all of that
00:55:16my porch schnitzel's beautiful the only thing i'm concerned about is i didn't break a sweat
00:55:2160 seconds so the first step on the dish i'm going to put the pineapples puree
00:55:30endive a few pieces
00:55:34piece of pork
00:55:38then dive salad
00:55:40i put the jus in the little ramekin
00:55:43i love cooking
00:55:45i love creating something new
00:55:47and this show that's what it's all about and that's what i'm here for
00:55:51five four three two one
00:55:55we're done
00:56:00you just got to see two of the best folks congratulations
00:56:04congratulations back to your trailers
00:56:05we'll call you we have a decision
00:56:13oh yeah i feel so good
00:56:16i think it went pretty well let's see what happened
00:56:22what a cook what a cook what a cook
00:56:27all right you did it
00:56:28ladies and gentlemen let's welcome back our impressive panel of judges the one and only judy ju
00:56:34uh she's a tough one very classically trained legendary chef rocco dispirito
00:56:40oh we got some italian there rocco i love my main man toc champ antonio la faso
00:56:47wow i love that antonio is getting to judge this is an awesome panel judges congratulations this is a wonderful
00:56:56round the randomizer kick down pork shoulder and dive the cast iron griddle and boozy
00:57:02here to present the first dish tiffany fazan she got it she's great chefs in front of you may i
00:57:09present brandy marinated and cast iron grilled pork shoulder with braised and marinated on dive toasted and brandy pureed pignoli
00:57:17with brandy thyme and veal juu
00:57:22yes for the boozy components the braised on dive was braised and white wine the pignoli puree was obviously treated
00:57:29to the cognac
00:57:29man they haven't stopped eating they must really love his dish now i'm nervous
00:57:34we are literally being seduced by this pork here it is so incredibly tasty there's a level of
00:57:41sophistication going on this plate that you could tell that this this chef knows what the hell they're
00:57:46doing she's talking to me
00:57:50i love the endive they took away that bitterness and the grilling of it i keep going back for more
00:57:56yes
00:57:58you know what we have here chefs is an embarrassment of riches think about pork shoulders not all of it
00:58:03is tender so you got to know the part that's the sweet spot and they certainly did that here
00:58:07it's cooked on a sort of medium rare level it's gorgeous it's amazing oh i'm so nervous this is
00:58:13spectacular cooking specifically that pine nut puree which is so rich and creamy and fatty up against the
00:58:20booze because i think cognac has so many dimensions to it for me the pork i wish it was maybe
00:58:27a little
00:58:28bit thinner other than that exceptional
00:58:32judges thank you very much on your scorecards 50 points available in the taste 40 points in the use
00:58:37of the randomizer and 10 points in plating
00:58:41i feel pretty good to be honest i'm kind of surprised i feel really nervous this is uh
00:58:47yeah i mean he's a great chef there's no doubt about it let's go ahead and bring out the second
00:58:52dish in justin warner judges this is pork shoulder chassier the pork shoulder was breaded and then pan
00:58:59fried on the cast iron griddle in terms of the endive as a soubise cooked with cream and cognac we
00:59:06also
00:59:06have some caramelized with sugar on the cast iron griddle finally in terms of boozy elements the
00:59:11cognac was in the jus and it was in the cream in the endive soubise
00:59:19you can tell from the smile on my face this is another another great dish yes
00:59:26breading the pork is a great treatment for this cut of pork it's perfectly juicy delicious
00:59:31i'm shaking right now there are so many amazing things on this plate
00:59:38this endive soubise is exceptional i think the use of the mustard is actually really helping
00:59:46the cognac i wish the larger roasted endive was quartered or third because the center of it i still
00:59:53think needs to cook a little bit more the inside feels just a little raw
00:59:59this is a stunner of a dish i love these little caramelized bits throughout you get a little bit of
01:00:05char on the breading of the pork you get some char on the endive you get some char the mytaki
01:00:09mushrooms
01:00:10and the booze is there you say boozy it better be boozy it shouldn't be subtle there's a richness
01:00:15and a quality to it that you just keep going back for more this is spectacular cooking thank you very
01:00:22much judges 50 points in taste 40 points use of the randomizer 10 points in plating
01:00:29uh i think it'll be tight makes me happy but they didn't really have much bad things to say about
01:00:33giuseppe and that scares me they're ready for you let's do this let's go let's get them
01:00:41wow this was close let's bring our chefs back up
01:00:54outstanding food the highest scoring battle we've had in toc 7
01:01:00highest scoring battle
01:01:03one chef scored a 88
01:01:08the other chefs scored a current toc standing record of 92 in toc 7
01:01:15wow
01:01:18ladies and gentlemen the winner is
01:01:26ladies and gentlemen the winner is
01:01:40you gave me a run for my money
01:01:46chef that 88 on any given day in toc is a win thank you i appreciate that guy i'm sorry
01:01:55this is
01:01:55goodbye for toc 7 but i'll tell you what everybody's going to know your name
01:01:59i'll be back chef giuseppe tentori
01:02:03well done
01:02:10i have no regrets on my dish to be honest i think that was the final uh draw with the
01:02:15judges they love
01:02:16the great dish battle that's all it is it felt good i felt more in the zone than i ever
01:02:22have
01:02:22congratulations let's take a look at where you're going chef
01:02:26kevin lee earlier took out adam greenberg we both won it i mean it's going to be a great battle
01:02:32moving on first round win
01:02:35chef britt there you go ladies and gentlemen
01:02:44nice job out there
01:02:45this is what your fourth time here every single year you've made it to the final four
01:02:50i mean we're doing it again right no we're going further coming up
01:02:55the finale of the evening are you guys ready for this
01:03:01so we have a qualifier winner going up against our mystery culinary icon it's the number eight seed
01:03:08chef katsuji tanabe so i beat chris hall on the qualifiers now i'm going against someone i don't
01:03:14know i'm super nervous and i'm super excited as well i think if i take down the icon you know
01:03:19i'm
01:03:19going to be very happy his opponent well is a top-seeded food world icon are you ready to see
01:03:26our
01:03:27icon take on a toc newcomer
01:03:30and let's light this up
01:03:36born in mexico city his cooking blends his mexican and japanese heritage
01:03:42he's opened nine restaurant concepts across the country
01:03:47he has competed on top chef boston top chef mexico and top chef all-star
01:03:56now he took down chef chris oh and the qualifiers to earn his spot in the toc
01:04:02seven bracket ladies and gentlemen put your hands together
01:04:07chef katsuji tanabe
01:04:21welcome to toc
01:04:22thank you great to have you
01:04:25my friend you have one tough opponent you ready to find out who it is
01:04:34after earning her law degree she decided she'd rather succeed in the kitchen than the courtroom
01:04:41she apprenticed at the rich carlton paris and worked at restaurants in europe and asia before opening
01:04:46in miami
01:04:50in 2017 she made culinary history when she became the first latina
01:04:57to open a restaurant on the vegas strip she has introduced millions of americans to exciting flavors and
01:05:05varieties of latin cuisine put your hands together ladies and gentlemen for a latin legend
01:05:14for reina garcia
01:05:34i grew up watching her telemundo speaking in spanish she is definitely a master of cooking
01:05:41Well, he's in trouble.
01:05:43I will tell you what, this is about as perfect as the ending could be for tonight.
01:05:48You've been an ambassador to millions and millions of people of understanding aspects of Latin cuisine.
01:05:54Bringing up my Latin community and the love that I have for my culture.
01:05:57It gets me emotional.
01:05:59Well, tonight we are going to get a chance to perhaps see some of that come out in some iteration
01:06:05after we do one thing.
01:06:09To the randomizer. Right this way, chef!
01:06:12Tons of respect for chef.
01:06:13He has competed a lot, much more than I have.
01:06:16But I doubt that anybody has the passion and the intention that I bring to a kitchen.
01:06:20Let's get after it. Here we go. Going for protein.
01:06:27Ground beef, turkey.
01:06:29Ground beef!
01:06:34Zucchini, air fryer, creamy, and...
01:06:45The only thing to change up is the turkey breast.
01:07:07The only thing to change up is the turkey breast.
01:07:08In the air fryer?
01:07:09You have to.
01:07:10You have to.
01:07:11You kind of have to.
01:07:12Turkey breast, zucchini, air fryer, creamy.
01:07:14Looks pretty good to me.
01:07:17What time you got?
01:07:19Uh, I got...
01:07:20Time to go.
01:07:26Oh, I did it again.
01:07:28It's the signature move.
01:07:30Out of control.
01:07:35Turkey breast. I think everybody knows this.
01:07:37This is not coming on the full turkey, but I don't think we use turkey enough.
01:07:40Zucchini, everybody knows how to work with it.
01:07:42It's how to get creative with it.
01:07:43Air fryer.
01:07:44Basically what it is, is a convection oven.
01:07:47Gets intensely hot and swirls the heat around.
01:07:50Creamy. Oh, my gosh.
01:07:52Consistency.
01:07:53The creamy's taste.
01:07:54The creamy texture.
01:07:55The silkiness.
01:07:56So it's not just seeing it.
01:07:58You got to be able to taste it.
01:08:00I decided to compete in Tournament of Champions because I am a competitor,
01:08:03because I wanted to measure myself against these incredible chefs that are in this competition.
01:08:08But I believe firmly that as an icon, I have so much to learn still.
01:08:13I want to be in the position to put myself into the test and see if I have the pipes
01:08:17to do so.
01:08:19Lorena Garcia.
01:08:20She's a beast.
01:08:22I feel intimidated.
01:08:24She's iconic for a reason.
01:08:26But the other icon lost.
01:08:28So I'm going to fight hard.
01:08:29I'm going to bring flavors.
01:08:30I'm going to use the randomizer.
01:08:32I think that's the only thing that could help me tonight.
01:08:34Hi, chef.
01:08:35Hello.
01:08:36How are you, darling?
01:08:37We've been judged by you, but we haven't gotten to watch you cook yet.
01:08:40This is so exciting.
01:08:42So this is what I'm going to do.
01:08:45I'm going to fry this baby.
01:08:47But then on the air fryer, I'm going to add zucchini.
01:08:51And then I'm planning to the creamy sides, I'm going to do a guancaina sauce.
01:08:56It's one of the creamiest sauces that I have in my repertoire.
01:08:59Aji amarillo, queso fresco, garlic, onions.
01:09:04I'm trying to take the tenderloin.
01:09:05The softest part of this whole thing.
01:09:07He's smart.
01:09:09The rinse of turkey breast, it dries out so fast, and it doesn't have any flavor, right?
01:09:14When you don't.
01:09:14That's what I'm doing is I'm marinating it a little bit with the buttermilk and the togarashi
01:09:19and the cumin and the oregano and doing it that way and seasoning it well at that point.
01:09:24Do you have to use it like an air fryer a lot?
01:09:26I don't usually.
01:09:28With my masa harina, I'm going to be able to find that crust and fry it at a lower temperature
01:09:32so it doesn't burn.
01:09:35She is moving.
01:09:37Yeah.
01:09:37Okay.
01:09:38And now, turkey breast, creamy, air fryer.
01:09:42I'm thinking to making a milanesa.
01:09:45A turkey milanesa with a zucchini hot sauce and then queso fresco, creamy salsa as well.
01:09:53So first I'm going to start with my salsa.
01:09:55Zucchini.
01:09:56Jalapanos.
01:09:59Making some salsa, chef?
01:10:00There you go.
01:10:01I'm making a zucchini salsa.
01:10:03So my plan is to cook as much as I can in the air fryer.
01:10:07If you don't play that randomizer, you're going to be out.
01:10:12Then they're going to go into the blender.
01:10:17Chef, what you making?
01:10:18A surprise, baby.
01:10:19A surprise.
01:10:20Well, now I can't hear you.
01:10:22Now I can't really hear you.
01:10:23So that was the zucchini garlic jalapeno.
01:10:25Great.
01:10:26Pretty great.
01:10:27Six minutes and they were charred.
01:10:28I also like that instead of using a lot of wet works here, we're creating an emulsion.
01:10:31That emulsion, I think, is going to lend the textural appearance of creamy.
01:10:36Second thing, it's my turkey.
01:10:38Thin slice it, pound it, bread them.
01:10:42Ole, ole, ole, ole.
01:10:45I get there that he has completed a year before.
01:10:49Throw them right away into the air fryer.
01:10:52It's really hard to get that turkey breast really nice and juicy and perfectly cooked in the air fryer.
01:10:57Because you don't know how long it's going to take.
01:10:58Yeah.
01:10:58You have 15 minutes, 15 to be plated.
01:11:00Come on, come on, come on, come on!
01:11:04I am known by my sauces.
01:11:06That's for sure.
01:11:07So to make the buoncaina sauce, the first thing that I'm going to do is saute some garlic, some onions,
01:11:12and some aji amarillo.
01:11:14That's going to be the base of my sauce.
01:11:18I love you, buddy.
01:11:20Being a judge in this competition for a few years now, and I know what it takes.
01:11:24Even being a judge, once you close that door, and now you're a competitor, everything changes, and everything goes, you
01:11:31know, outside the window.
01:11:32If I was going to sign to a competition, believe me, this was going to be the one.
01:11:36But how cool, you've been judging that long and seen this many competitions, and then willing to step in as
01:11:43a world food icon, big deal.
01:11:46It goes straight to the blender with evaporated milk, then the cheeses.
01:11:50Cream cheese.
01:11:52Yes, baby.
01:11:52You know, like creamy.
01:11:55Smart, chef.
01:11:57Boiled eggs in there, chef?
01:11:58Yes.
01:11:58Wow.
01:12:07You know what I'm going with this?
01:12:09The fryer?
01:12:10Yeah.
01:12:10So I'm trying to utilize the turkey in so many different aspects.
01:12:14It's kind of the turkey.
01:12:15I'm frying it to make chicharrones, and then throwing it back into the air fryer.
01:12:20It's a risk to make chicharrones, by the way, because it takes a long time.
01:12:25If it's not crispy, you're going to get cold out.
01:12:28Turkey skin.
01:12:30The only thing we know, it's a Latino, it's going to win, right?
01:12:34Buddy, are you watching your bag?
01:12:35Because I'm coming with fury.
01:12:37Oh, I know.
01:12:39Knowing Lorena, she's not coming here to just play it safe or just be nice to me.
01:12:45If I could beat Lorena Garcia, it's a huge step.
01:12:48My mom is Mexican, and my wife is Mexican too.
01:12:50So she throws chanclas.
01:12:52I was like, okay, do not argue with no Latinas.
01:12:55For those of you not familiar, a chancla is a flip-flop.
01:12:58It's generally used as a projectile or as a method of punishment.
01:13:02I want a second creamy component because my sauce is spicy.
01:13:06I need to find a way to bring it down.
01:13:08Chef, are you cooking out of the fridge?
01:13:10Come with me.
01:13:11Queso fresco, mayonnaise, little sour cream, lime juice.
01:13:15Okay.
01:13:15You know, like, that's spicy as if.
01:13:18So now we need to bring something that it's not spicy as if.
01:13:22The old culinary duct tape?
01:13:24Yes, sir.
01:13:24You got it.
01:13:25Eight minutes.
01:13:26Eight to go.
01:13:27I know that I don't feel comfortable using the air fryer, so I'm going to go to the zucchini
01:13:31that I know that it can take its time.
01:13:33But she hasn't touched the air fryers yet.
01:13:35I would do all my cooking in there.
01:13:36So here is going to be medallions of zucchini that would allow me to leave it in the air fryer.
01:13:43It's going to roast it beautifully.
01:13:45All the own thoughts have olive oil, a little bit of salt, keeping it simple.
01:13:47Yep.
01:13:48Do you think the zucchini that she's frying in there is going to be enough gameplay using the air fryer?
01:13:53No.
01:13:53No.
01:13:54She's done one thing in there, huh?
01:13:55Yeah.
01:13:56These are going in the regular fryer?
01:13:58The regular fryer, mama.
01:13:59I am concerned that not frying the turkey in the air fryer could take me some points.
01:14:04But again, as a judge that I've been here before, I'd rather see something cooked perfectly in the fryer
01:14:10and not 10 things that have been cooked in the air fryer but not successful.
01:14:14All right.
01:14:15That looks like country fried turkey, Raz.
01:14:17That looks delicious.
01:14:18Okay.
01:14:19Let's do this.
01:14:20She's making what looks like a fresh slaw or garnish with red onion.
01:14:24The fastest cut mint and scallion I've ever seen in all my life.
01:14:27Come on, come on, come on, come on.
01:14:31I'm constantly checking this turkey.
01:14:33It's not cooking as colorful as I want it.
01:14:36I believe the bottom is removable, chef.
01:14:38No way.
01:14:39Now I hate their fryer's more.
01:14:41I couldn't put more fat if I knew there was a grease catcher.
01:14:45I got this.
01:14:46I got this.
01:14:47I got this.
01:14:50You know what?
01:14:52My plan for the zucchinis right there.
01:14:54Oh, these are beautiful.
01:14:56Three minutes.
01:14:57Three to go.
01:14:58Come on, Lorena.
01:14:58Come on, come on, come on, come on.
01:14:59A nice dish from chef Lorena Garcia is going to be bright.
01:15:03It's going to be colorful.
01:15:05It's going to hit you from every angle.
01:15:07I realize that I don't have as much turkey as I would have wanted to, but I am a big
01:15:13representative
01:15:14of flavors.
01:15:15And Latin cuisine is known for the heat, for the brightness, for the citrus, for the creaminess.
01:15:21I mean, you have everything, all the notes in one dish.
01:15:24I mean, I want to win so much.
01:15:28It is my focus.
01:15:29It is my priority.
01:15:31And that's what I'm going for.
01:15:32Two minutes to go, chef.
01:15:34Two minutes.
01:15:36Let's play it.
01:15:38Spicy green salsa, white creamy sauce, small piece of my turkey milanesa.
01:15:46If I could take Lorena down, I would just feel like she was a mentor, and now I'm better
01:15:52than the mentor.
01:15:53Five, four, three, two, one.
01:15:58We're done.
01:16:03Quite the ending battle.
01:16:04Hello.
01:16:05Hello.
01:16:09That was a fantastic round.
01:16:11Not an easy randomizer.
01:16:12Thank you so much, chef, Lorena.
01:16:14Well done.
01:16:15Well done.
01:16:17Final round is wrapped up.
01:16:18Time to bring the judges back in.
01:16:24What a night, Connor.
01:16:25What a night, Connor.
01:16:27Oh, my God, I won it so badly, it's not even funny.
01:16:31Oh, my God.
01:16:32Woof.
01:16:33Tough round.
01:16:34Tough round.
01:16:36I'm so nervous.
01:16:37Oh, my goodness, I'm so nervous.
01:16:39I was raised watching her on TV and cooking, and I was just a kid.
01:16:42Hoping for the best that I pass through the second round.
01:16:46It's going to be tough, but I can do it.
01:16:48Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome back our esteemed panel of judges to one and only chef,
01:16:52Judy Chu.
01:16:53Judy, oh, my God, she's the real deal.
01:16:55Rocco de Spirito.
01:16:56If I knew it was Rocco, I would probably put less fat.
01:16:59And Antonio Lofaso.
01:17:01Knowing Antonio, I think she likes flavor.
01:17:04Tonight, the randomizer for your final round for protein, the turkey breast, in produce zucchini.
01:17:09Equipment was the air fryer.
01:17:11The style was creamy.
01:17:13Justin Warner's here to present the first dish.
01:17:15Yep.
01:17:15Judges, this is turkey schnitzel with the spicy zucchini salsa and a creamy queso fresco crema.
01:17:22Turkey breast, skin was chopped and becomes the chicharron found around the plate.
01:17:26Cutlets were cooked entirely in the air fryer.
01:17:29For the zucchini, it found its way into the salsa, but not before charring in the air fryer.
01:17:33For creamy components, you have that zucchini salsa, but then, assuredly, the queso fresco crema.
01:17:42Air fryer, to me, spells, you know, you lose this round, but not in this case.
01:17:47The inside of the turkey breast is juicy and tender.
01:17:50I thought what was very smart is how the creamy was achieved, so it was almost like a pico made
01:17:55with zucchini, then pureed.
01:17:57But I think maybe a little more effort could have gone into the presentation.
01:18:01I love that the creamy zucchini elements of the randomizer is where, conceptually, this dish gets all its sort of
01:18:11panache, if you will.
01:18:13That salsa verde, I think it's so smart that there's charred zucchini there, it's all gameplay, it's an air fryer.
01:18:20Sort of the confidence of using the zucchini raw and pickled, I think that's brilliant.
01:18:24I like that zucchini salsa, it is kick-your-butt spicy, though.
01:18:30And I am a Korean girl, and I love spice, and this is, like, wow.
01:18:34That's awesome.
01:18:35Chef's telling you that you have too much flavor, that's good.
01:18:38I'm thinking, all right, where's the negative? Bring the negative.
01:18:39Their turkey, I feel that there could have been a little bit more attention on the seasoning, a little bit
01:18:44more attention on the breading, there could have been just a little bit more finesse that went into that.
01:18:48Great, judges, thank you so much.
01:18:5050 points in taste, 40 in the use of the randomizer, and 10 points in presentation.
01:18:55But, yeah, I think I should have definitely added more seasoning, marinated, but that's what you're thinking after the competition.
01:19:05All right, judges, here for the second dish, Chef Tiffany Faison.
01:19:09Chef, in front of you we have masa harina fried turkey breast with a creamy guan kajina sauce, air fryer
01:19:15roasted zucchini, a citrusy kimchi mayo, and a sauce of criolla.
01:19:19Let's talk turkey.
01:19:21The top of the breast was removed, retaining the skin on it.
01:19:24That was then put into a masa harina and potato starch breading.
01:19:28The zucchini was simply seasoned and put in the air fryer, roasted.
01:19:31We then have the citrusy kimchi aioli that was constructed with cupi, Japanese mayo if you will, kimchi, and a
01:19:37good amount of honey and citrus on the side.
01:19:43I have to go home and buy an air fryer.
01:19:45That is some of the best zucchini I've had in a long time.
01:19:48It's charred on the outside, it's still creamy and moist on the inside.
01:19:52It's really, really delicious.
01:19:53I wanted at some point to say that there's one or too many elements on the plate, but there just
01:19:57isn't because they all really work well together.
01:20:00Really happy with all these very ambitious, exciting flavors.
01:20:05Chef Antonia.
01:20:06Can I tell you the really brilliant part of this dish?
01:20:10The style is creamy.
01:20:12The inside of the zucchini reaches creamy to a whole other level.
01:20:17This sauce has been constructed so well because they're basically two cream-based sauces, if you will.
01:20:24But it's more of like a turkey finger, right, which I'm totally into because it has all those edges that
01:20:29I want.
01:20:30Yes, for game play, do I wish that it was in the air fryer so I could give a couple
01:20:34of more points for the turkey finger?
01:20:36All in all, very, very, very delicious dish.
01:20:39Really, really nice plating, I would have to say.
01:20:42This is like eating a rainbow.
01:20:44There was red, orange, yellow, green, purple.
01:20:46I mean, just beautifully presented.
01:20:48I love the plays on creamy.
01:20:50This chef really embraced the creaminess thing.
01:20:53He has the air fryer, I have the creaminess.
01:20:55I wish there was another turkey nugget on the side.
01:20:58It's a little bit small for it to be the star of the play.
01:21:02I should have put more turkey, Lorena!
01:21:05Judges, thank you very much.
01:21:06Scorecards in front of you.
01:21:0750 points available in taste.
01:21:0940 points in the use of the randomizer.
01:21:1110 points in the presentation.
01:21:14I don't know, I want to cry.
01:21:16I want to smile.
01:21:17I want to have a drink.
01:21:19Actually, I did have a drink.
01:21:20I made sure she had a tequila shot.
01:21:22Well, we'll see.
01:21:2450-50, I think.
01:21:26Scores are in.
01:21:28All right, let's do this.
01:21:32The finale was fantastic.
01:21:34Let's welcome back our chefs.
01:21:36Chef Katsugi.
01:21:39Chef Morena.
01:21:46Well, that was very entertaining on all levels.
01:21:50And a close score, chefs.
01:21:5485-88.
01:21:57Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of tonight's battle between Chef Morena Garcia and Chef Katsugi Tanabe is...
01:22:06I don't even want to see.
01:22:10Morena Garcia!
01:22:22Chef Katsugi, I will say this.
01:22:24Your spice of life, your energy is addictive.
01:22:28It's not the last time we will see you.
01:22:30Dude, you are one of a kind.
01:22:32Ladies and gentlemen.
01:22:35Thank you very much.
01:22:37Katsugi!
01:22:41Obviously, I want to win.
01:22:42I'm a really bad loser.
01:22:44But it still was pretty freaking good to be part of this experience.
01:22:49Congratulations.
01:22:51Lorena Garcia moving on at DOC 7.
01:22:56Take a look, Chef.
01:22:58You'll be meeting up against the one and only Mustache Joe Sasto.
01:23:01Okay.
01:23:02So there's a long road ahead of you.
01:23:04Let's do this.
01:23:05Let's do this, baby!
01:23:06Ladies and gentlemen, Lorena Garcia, first win at DOC 7.
01:23:10Love you, sister.
01:23:11Congratulations.
01:23:11Congratulations.
01:23:15Yes!
01:23:17I did it!
01:23:18Yes!
01:23:19When you put yourself in uncomfortable situations,
01:23:23when you're in Northeast, that's when you grow.
01:23:24And I'm feeling growing right now!
01:23:27Four more chefs have earned their spot in the second round bracket,
01:23:31but there are still 16 more chefs that are waiting to battle,
01:23:33including two more mystery culinary icons.
01:23:36You're going to have to wait to see who it is.
01:23:38Join us next time with talented chefs of the C Division.
01:23:41Let's go!
01:23:42Begin their quest for the $150,000 victory.
01:23:46DOC 7, baby!
01:23:48Woo!
01:23:49Nothing fuels you more than beating somebody great.
01:23:52On Tournament of Champion 7.
01:23:54This is a fantastic game.
01:23:56Yes!
01:23:57See you next week.
01:23:58Adios!
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