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00:00:00So we're halfway through the second round
00:00:02of Tournament of Champions 7,
00:00:03and the competition has been on fire.
00:00:06Let's go, guys!
00:00:08Last time, the eight remaining chefs of the A and B divisions
00:00:11faced off as Chef Jet Tila and Chef Jonathan Sawyer
00:00:14continued their winning streak.
00:00:16The winner is Chef Jet Tila!
00:00:20Jonathan Sawyer!
00:00:22And Chef Joe Sasto toppled culinary icon Moreno Garcia.
00:00:26And the dragon slayer, Chef Kevin Lee,
00:00:29cut short Chef Britt Ressigno's hopes...
00:00:31Chef Kevin Lee!
00:00:32...of reaching the final four for a fourth time.
00:00:35I'm holding back tears.
00:00:37I don't know how much longer I can do this.
00:00:40Tonight, the surviving chefs of the C and D divisions
00:00:43battle for the last four spots in the upcoming quarterfinals.
00:00:47First, the wolf, Chef Marcel Vigeron takes on the GOAT,
00:00:52Iron Chef Stephanie Izard.
00:00:53I mean, I don't think people realize how much we all care.
00:00:56Getting into round two, I just have a lot of momentum.
00:00:58Next, Dumpling Mafia queen Shirley Chung goes up against Chef Viet Pham.
00:01:04Every round, there's a winner.
00:01:05And hopefully, that winner's going to be me today.
00:01:08Very exciting.
00:01:10Then Chef Kalina Bliss faces the beast of the kitchen,
00:01:13Chef Kenny Gilbert.
00:01:14I had to go in with a winning mindset.
00:01:16I'm about to take down Kalina Bliss.
00:01:18Not the first time that I've taken competitor after competitor out.
00:01:22And finally, TOC All-Star Christmas champ Brian Voltaggio battles Top Chef 21 runner-up Dan Jacobs.
00:01:29I want this win so badly.
00:01:31To be a winner is something I need on my mantle.
00:01:33Who will move one step closer to the title?
00:01:36The belt and the $150,000 prize.
00:01:38This is Tournament of Champions 7.
00:01:46All right, ladies and gentlemen, the question is,
00:01:49are you ready for the final night of the second round fights?
00:01:54We have the number seven seed, Iron Chef Stephanie Izar,
00:01:58who's been on a winning streak since starting out in this year's qualifiers.
00:02:02Okay, here we go again.
00:02:03The underdog once again.
00:02:05I almost didn't come.
00:02:06Guy kind of said, maybe just skip this year.
00:02:08Maybe it's just not your thing.
00:02:10You have plenty of accolades outside of here.
00:02:11It almost like fueled my fire.
00:02:13I was like, well, no.
00:02:13I want so badly to do well.
00:02:16Her opponent is the number three seed, Chef Marcel Vigneron,
00:02:19who's been proving he still has what it takes to win.
00:02:23Woo!
00:02:24After recent performances on 24 and 24 and TOC All-Star Christmas.
00:02:29The wolf versus the goat.
00:02:31It's going to be a good one.
00:02:33Getting into round two is a dream come true.
00:02:36And I just have a lot of momentum.
00:02:37But Stephanie, woo, she is a formidable opponent.
00:02:42I mean, I don't think people realize how much we all care.
00:02:4531 chefs walk away from this, like, bummed.
00:02:47You know, they didn't make it to the end.
00:02:49But one chef walks away with, like, a major boost in their career.
00:02:52All right, Chef, you ready to battle?
00:02:53Time to cook.
00:02:55Okay.
00:02:59Are you ready for another second round showdown?
00:03:05Then let's light it up!
00:03:08She has seven acclaimed restaurants from Chicago to the West Coast,
00:03:11including her newest, Valley Goat,
00:03:14named one of the best new restaurants in the Bay Area by Open Table.
00:03:19She's a James Beard Award winner, Best Chef Great Lake,
00:03:22and a nominee for Best New Restaurant.
00:03:25She's the only Top Chef winner to also earn the title of Iron Chef.
00:03:31And she cooked her way back into the tournament with the highest score of the qualifiers
00:03:36and won her very first upset victory in the first round
00:03:39against TOC 6 semifinalist, Chef Liann Wong.
00:03:43Ladies and gentlemen, make some noise for the GOAT, Iron Chef, Stephanie Eisen!
00:03:56Fine.
00:03:59Single mom, super restaurateur.
00:04:01And when we talked about what was going to happen this year,
00:04:04we said, there's no openings inside of the main bracket.
00:04:06You have to go through the qualifiers.
00:04:08I said, don't do it.
00:04:09You're an Iron Chef.
00:04:10And this was the game plan?
00:04:11This is the game plan, just to prove you wrong.
00:04:13That's honestly my driving force.
00:04:18Chef, it's awesome to have you.
00:04:19Good luck.
00:04:23Your opponent has worked with celebrated chefs
00:04:26such as Jose Andres, Joel Robuchon, and Chef Michael Mina.
00:04:29He has opened critically acclaimed LA restaurants
00:04:32focusing on locally sourced and plant-based dishes.
00:04:35He won the first season of 24 and 24
00:04:39and went all the way to the semifinals of the TOC All-Star Christmas
00:04:44and scored his first TOC victory in the first round
00:04:47with a glazed pork steak that Judge Kenny Oranger called
00:04:51brilliant, brilliant, brilliant cooking.
00:04:53Give a big howl for the Wolf, Chef Marcel Vignore!
00:05:15Every time you win something, you come out of that door,
00:05:18the howl gets bigger.
00:05:19Well, this will be action-packed.
00:05:22I promise you that.
00:05:23As soon as we take it to the randomizer.
00:05:26Right this way, Chef.
00:05:30Okay.
00:05:32Okay.
00:05:33The randomizer will determine the mandatory details of your dish.
00:05:36The protein, the produce, the equipment, the style,
00:05:38and finally, the wild card,
00:05:41which would be a fantastic, fun ingredient
00:05:43that you must incorporate into your dish.
00:05:45Let's party, folks.
00:05:46Here we go.
00:05:47Going to protein.
00:05:53Swords, lamb, sword, swordfish.
00:05:57Gotcha.
00:05:57Gotcha.
00:05:58King trumpet.
00:05:59Mushrooms.
00:06:00Oof.
00:06:01Blowtorch, New Year's Eve, and canned beets.
00:06:0735 minutes.
00:06:09Go.
00:06:09Blowtorch.
00:06:18They're huge.
00:06:19They're 10 feet long, 1,000 pounds.
00:06:21Really dynamite to work with.
00:06:22It can be overcooked pretty easily.
00:06:24King trumpet mushrooms.
00:06:25Thick brown stem and cap.
00:06:27Firm, meaty texture.
00:06:29I think this is not going to be a problem.
00:06:31Blowtorch, definitely not going to be a problem.
00:06:33There's a million things they can do with it.
00:06:34New Year's Eve dinner, this is going to be a more refined, special, unique presentation
00:06:39and canned beets.
00:06:42Good luck.
00:06:45Let's talk about this randomizer for a second.
00:06:47I think that the ingredients become a little bit more obscure.
00:06:50The cooking equipment becomes a little bit more unusual.
00:06:54And the competition gets a little bit more fierce.
00:06:58Chef Stephanie is a remarkable chef.
00:07:01She is no stranger to competition.
00:07:03This is going to be a long, hard road.
00:07:05But you know what?
00:07:06I'm built for this.
00:07:11Mirren, mirren, mirren, mirren.
00:07:12I'm known for doing different techniques and flavors from different parts of the world,
00:07:17whether it's big spices or different cooking techniques.
00:07:19I think I'm going to go a little light Japanese French influence.
00:07:23Because growing up, my mom cooked food from all over the world.
00:07:26I just thought that's how everyone cooks.
00:07:28And that's just how I've always approached food.
00:07:30I'm trying to figure out what I want to do here.
00:07:33So I'm joined, as always, by my incredible culinary commentators.
00:07:36We have the Michelin-recommended chef and the font of food knowledge, Justin Warner.
00:07:40The brilliant Boston restaurateur and the TOC3 champ, Chef Tiffany Faison.
00:07:45Now, Justin and Tiffany are shadowing the chefs so they can faithfully present their dishes
00:07:49to the judges during the blind tasting.
00:07:51We're also joined by our roving reporter, Hunter Fieri, who we talked with our winners backstage,
00:07:56and the culinary scholar, Simon Mijandar, who will discuss each randomizer challenge with the judges.
00:08:02I am excited to get this thing going.
00:08:05For my New Year's Eve dinner, I'm thinking I'm going to grill the swordfish.
00:08:09I want to make a salsa matcha and canned beet levna.
00:08:14First, I need to tackle these king trumpet mushrooms.
00:08:17One of my favorite ways to prepare a king trumpet mushroom is by frying it.
00:08:23If it's a New Year's Eve dinner, I feel like we got a party.
00:08:26Are you guys ready to party or what?
00:08:32Only Marcel savors this right in the middle of the whole thing.
00:08:37Everybody on New Year's Eve, they think about that glass of champagne.
00:08:42Let's go.
00:08:43Champagne batter, coming up.
00:08:45Woo!
00:08:47This is sour cream.
00:08:48I was thinking of doing like a little beet levna to go with the swordfish.
00:08:52Got it.
00:08:54Wish you got me.
00:08:55So, labneh and the beets doubling down on that sort of earthy umami with black garlic.
00:08:59I love the color.
00:09:01Essentially, a salsa matcha is nuts, seeds, and chilies.
00:09:06Oftentimes, for a salsa matcha, I would roast my nuts and seeds.
00:09:11In this case, nobody got time for that.
00:09:14So, I go ahead and I drop my nuts into the fryer.
00:09:18Then I'm going right out of the fryer into my saute pan and hitting it with the blowtorch
00:09:23to continue to caramelize.
00:09:26There's 150 grand on the line.
00:09:28There's our reputation.
00:09:30There's our little egos.
00:09:31And I want to make myself proud, my family proud.
00:09:34Got my little dude at home watching me cook.
00:09:37And I'm proving that, you know what?
00:09:39You can do it!
00:09:41Salsa matcha.
00:09:42So, all of those toasted nuts, chilies, red wine vinegar, olive oil.
00:09:46Enough for a good group of people.
00:09:48Mm-hmm.
00:09:48Yeah.
00:09:49I'd like that move.
00:09:52I'm going to try to do a duo.
00:09:53So, I'm going to have, like, swordfish tataki.
00:09:55Tataki!
00:09:56On one side and then trumpet scallops on the other.
00:09:59Use the swordfish to make a sauce for that.
00:10:02Chef is just making quick work of that, taking all the skin and the bloodline right out of it
00:10:06and just using, like, the center.
00:10:07For swordfish, it has a very similar texture to tuna.
00:10:10And one of my favorite things to do with tuna is treat it like tataki.
00:10:14So, poaching the swordfish.
00:10:15This is, like, true Japanese tataki.
00:10:16So, I'll you poach it for a second.
00:10:17Yep.
00:10:18And then it's going to soak in this mirin soy.
00:10:21And so, I love the juice from the canned beets.
00:10:23Canned beets, Chef?
00:10:24Long history with them, or?
00:10:25No, I don't think I've ever opened a can of canned beets in my life.
00:10:27So, canned beets are not something that I've used all the time, but they're on the randomizer.
00:10:31And that means they have to find their way to the plate in a few different ways.
00:10:34I'm also going to pickle them.
00:10:36Pickled beets are delicious and also turn it into vinaigrette.
00:10:39Using my poaching liquid from my swordfish to cook some New Year's traditional lentils.
00:10:45Lentils are a sign of prosperity in the New Year.
00:10:48And they're nice and earthy to go along with the king trumpet mushrooms.
00:10:51Chef is taking them and peeling the sides of them because they get a little bit tough to eat.
00:10:56And then she's cutting them in what would be, like, the shape of a scallop to get a nice year
00:11:00on it.
00:11:00I am always shaking and sweating and crazy going into any competition.
00:11:04It feels good to have made it through the qualifiers and to meet it through round one and to be
00:11:09in round two.
00:11:10But I still feel just as nervous as that first second that I walked in against Angelo.
00:11:14I'm, like, stressing the heck out because I'm trying to make way too many things.
00:11:19A bit of a mild panic.
00:11:23Chefs, we have 20 minutes left.
00:11:2520 to go.
00:11:29I pull my mushrooms.
00:11:31This is the crunchiest batter I have ever made.
00:11:35How do you feel?
00:11:36So far, so good, I think.
00:11:37Next, the protein is swordfish.
00:11:40It's something I am very familiar with.
00:11:42I always go to the grill or the plancha.
00:11:44It's a pretty lean protein.
00:11:46So I decide to rest my swordfish steaks in a salsa matcha brown butter.
00:11:56Chef's kiss.
00:11:57You know, the swordfish is a little bit of a trap.
00:11:59It takes so long to cook.
00:12:00Any fat lost in the cooking process has now been reapplied on the exterior.
00:12:04Okay, cool.
00:12:05For New Year's, I like to do collards, right?
00:12:08For prosperity into the New Year.
00:12:11What do you guys think?
00:12:12Collards?
00:12:12Should I do them fried or blanched?
00:12:16Come on, guys.
00:12:18Let's do it.
00:12:19Deep fry some.
00:12:21I got to give the people what they want.
00:12:23And then I also like to blanch some of my collards with some peas.
00:12:28What motivates me in these competitions is the love for the craft.
00:12:33We get the opportunity to create some incredible dishes.
00:12:38And for me, that is, that's the best.
00:12:41You guys said two ways for the collard.
00:12:42So, you know, might as well go two ways, right?
00:12:46As always, judges are sequestered in their trailers, totally unaware of who's out here cooking right now.
00:12:51So their focus will be entirely on the food itself.
00:12:54They'll score the dishes based on taste, use of the items on the randomizer, and presentation.
00:12:59The chef with the top score will move on to the quarterfinals.
00:13:02The other chef, this will be their last cook.
00:13:05Chef Marcel, Chef Stephanie, 10 minutes, 10 to go to be plated.
00:13:10I'm going to do the blue torch.
00:13:12I take the scallops and I start blowtorching them with just a little bit of sugar.
00:13:18She's going to essentially, like, make them look like scallops.
00:13:21I think the trumpet scallops will show that I really looked at the randomizer and thought,
00:13:25how do you elevate a king trumpet mushroom?
00:13:27Torching ground butter to put in with them.
00:13:29You turn it into a scallop, one of the most celebratory seafoods that you can have on New Year's.
00:13:36I start thinking I should probably make some sort of sauce.
00:13:39So I'm going to take some scraps from the swordfish, along with some shallots, some mushrooms,
00:13:46some champagne, cream.
00:13:49You can hear a pin drop in here, you guys.
00:13:51After the swordfish has marinated as long as I can give it, I'm going to torch the outside,
00:13:55really just caramelizing all of those natural sugars from the beets and from the soy and from the mirin.
00:14:00Can someone stand here and do this while I work on other things?
00:14:04I need, like, five different hands.
00:14:05I am, like, literally blowtorching while straining beets at the same time.
00:14:08It's very mom thing.
00:14:10Like, moms can always do, like, 25,000 things at once.
00:14:14Mom's multitask.
00:14:17Something about tournament champions has just never happened.
00:14:19And for me, I just want this so I can feel like I haven't, like, lost my edge.
00:14:23And I also want Ernie to see, you know what, I didn't give up, bud.
00:14:26I came back this year and look what happens when you just keep going.
00:14:29Okay, let's start just spraying this together.
00:14:32Chef, two minutes, two minutes left.
00:14:36I've got my canned beet lebna puree, my collard green chiffonade,
00:14:42and I top that with my salsa matcha swordfish.
00:14:46We put a nest of crispy collards for our king trumpet mushroom to sit atop of.
00:14:55A little dollop of caviar on top to really celebrate this New Year's Eve dinner.
00:15:02One minute, one minute to go.
00:15:04So I decided to go two separate plates rather than doing, like, a duo on one.
00:15:08I take the pickled golden beets and put them down like a little bed for the shiitake swordfish to go
00:15:14on top of.
00:15:15Then I'm going to take my pan sauce that I have and just drape that over the top.
00:15:19A little bit of that salad of the lentils, mushrooms, chives, and some of that beet vinaigrette.
00:15:2430 seconds.
00:15:25Then I'm going to take two of the king trumpet scallops and put them in the bowl.
00:15:29I top each scallop with some caviar.
00:15:31I really elevate the dish.
00:15:32And then I add in some of that lentil mushroom salad, just kind of tying the two dishes together.
00:15:37Five, four, three, two, one.
00:15:42Done.
00:15:43Beautiful.
00:15:48Dynamite paddle, chefs.
00:15:49Great job.
00:15:53Look, the judges come in.
00:15:56Oh!
00:15:57How you feeling?
00:15:58I mean, I thought it was good.
00:16:00I like that dish.
00:16:01I did use the torch a lot.
00:16:02I burned my finger.
00:16:03My hands smell.
00:16:09Either I'm going to stay and get a chance to do round three, which would be sick, or I'm going
00:16:13to go.
00:16:16All right.
00:16:17We have cooked.
00:16:20And now we await judgment.
00:16:23I think by doing two separate dishes, I kind of maybe hurt myself a little bit because I had to
00:16:28make garnishes for two things instead of just focusing on one.
00:16:31We'll see.
00:16:32Ladies and gentlemen, our TSC judges have been waiting in their trailers for their first blind tasting of the night.
00:16:37Let's meet him.
00:16:38First, we have the legendary Southern California restaurateur and winner of both the James Beard Award and coveted Julia Child
00:16:45Award.
00:16:45Ah, one of my favorites.
00:16:47Chef Susan Feattinger.
00:16:49Oh, I love Susan.
00:16:51She's awesome.
00:16:52It's a good dish for her.
00:16:53I mean, she's the chili lady.
00:16:55She's the hot tamale.
00:16:56Next, acclaimed restaurateur, shop judge, and the only two-time T-O-C champ.
00:17:03Chef Monique Shohan.
00:17:07She also likes spicy, too, actually.
00:17:10Okay.
00:17:11Oh, nice.
00:17:12And ladies and gentlemen, for his first appearance here in T-O-C judging, the James Beard Award winner for
00:17:19Best Chef California, whose Michelin-starred Bleu Delay helped redefine San Francisco fine dining.
00:17:25Hubert?
00:17:26The one and only Chef Hubert Keller.
00:17:29Ah, Chef Hubert, ça va?
00:17:33Both of my sauces I did today are definitely lean a little more front.
00:17:36Tonight, the randomizer gave the chefs a fantastic selection.
00:17:40Swordfish, King Trumpet Mushroom.
00:17:43The equipment was a blowtorch.
00:17:45The style tonight, New Year's Eve dinner.
00:17:47The wild card ingredient was the canned beets.
00:17:51And here to tell you about this fantastic dish, Chef Justin Warner.
00:17:55Tasted everything on my dish.
00:17:57Thought it was really good.
00:17:59Judges, this is a salsa matcha grilled swordfish with prosperity collards, beet labneh, and crispy king trumpet mushrooms.
00:18:08The canned beets were done with labneh in the food processor.
00:18:11In terms of the blowtorch, it was used to roast morita, ancho, and guajillo chilies, and that crafts that salsa
00:18:17matcha.
00:18:18In terms of New Year's Eve, we have champagne in the batter.
00:18:21We have collards, which typically are associated with prosperity in the South Cape.
00:18:25And then we have Ocetra caviar crowning the dish.
00:18:29It's a crunch.
00:18:30The level for TOC7 is at another level, and you can see that in the dish right over here.
00:18:38The swordfish has been cooked beautifully.
00:18:41The champagne king trumpet fritter with the caviar right on top of it.
00:18:47Dust cream celebration.
00:18:48The use of the canned beets as a labneh, great idea.
00:18:53For a New Year's dish, it's gorgeous.
00:18:56It's got all the elements with caviar and champagne that you want.
00:18:59The use of the torch, I think, could have been a bit more.
00:19:02Then going with yuzu and matcha, to me, maybe stretches it a little bit.
00:19:07Maybe you didn't need both of those.
00:19:09A smaller or thinner piece of sword cooked quicker with the torch would have been really a perfect way to
00:19:14use the torch, too.
00:19:15The fritter is really good, but I wish that the trumpet was a little bit more used in that dish.
00:19:21This swordfish is the star.
00:19:23Thank you very much, judges.
00:19:24Your scorecards are in front of you.
00:19:2750 points available in taste, 40 for the use of the randomizer, and 10 points in plating.
00:19:33All in all, relatively good feedback.
00:19:36See what they say about Stephanie's dish.
00:19:37Judges, here we are to present the second dish.
00:19:40Our TOC champ herself, Chef Tiffany Faison.
00:19:45This is a multi-course countdown.
00:19:47Let's begin our toast with a tataki of swordfish.
00:19:50The chef has fabricated the swordfish that was then poached and cured and marinated in canned beet juice, mirin, and
00:19:56soy.
00:19:56A salad was constructed of grilling the king oyster mushrooms and then slicing them into a torched beet juice vinaigrette.
00:20:03Crispy lentils were also added to this vinaigrette.
00:20:05Lentils obviously being a symbol of wealth, the chef wishes you prosperity for the new year.
00:20:10Let's move along to the second course.
00:20:11King trumpet mushroom torched scallop.
00:20:14The chef peeled and butter torched the scallops using a little bit of brown butter.
00:20:18A sauce was constructed of roasting king oyster mushrooms and swordfish with some ginger and allium in seafood stock, miso,
00:20:25and cream.
00:20:26Stephanie can cook, man.
00:20:27She can cook.
00:20:28I think since the chef really went that far on preparing two different dishes in those 35 minutes, pretty spectacular.
00:20:36I really have to say the combination with the beets, you have them under the swordfish, actually when you eat
00:20:42it together, it really comes together.
00:20:44My favorite part is the scallop trumpet mushroom.
00:20:50The use of the blowtorch on top of it gives it that wonderful sear.
00:20:54Really, really smart.
00:20:57Great presentation.
00:20:58Love that.
00:20:59Swordfish is cooked perfectly.
00:21:01But the trumpet mushroom, for me it needed salt and a little bit of acid.
00:21:08Judges, thank you very much.
00:21:09Scorecards in front of you.
00:21:10I mean, I think it's anybody's game.
00:21:12They seem to really like my dish.
00:21:14They seem to really like Stephanie's dish.
00:21:16I want to win, but if I don't, I am still very happy that I came back.
00:21:22All right, chef, the scores are in.
00:21:23All right, let's go find out.
00:21:27Ladies and gentlemen, I've got the scores.
00:21:29Let's bring our chefs back out.
00:21:30Chef Marcel Vigneron.
00:21:33Chef Stephanie Izard.
00:21:40I mean, this was great gameplay.
00:21:44And here are the scores coming together.
00:21:47One chef scored 879.
00:21:49The other chef scored 884.
00:21:52Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the second round battle
00:21:54between Chef Marcel Vigneron and Chef Stephanie Izard is...
00:22:08Chef Marcel Vigneron.
00:22:08Chef Isard!
00:22:09Congratulations, sir.
00:22:10Wow, man, gentlemen.
00:22:12Wow!
00:22:16Chef Marcel.
00:22:18Dynamite dish.
00:22:19It's just a couple points shy, but I will tell you,
00:22:21every time we get a chance to have the Wolf in TOC, we love it.
00:22:24Pleasure and an honor to be here.
00:22:26The Wolf!
00:22:27Chef Marcel Vigneron.
00:22:34I'm not going to lie.
00:22:35I kind of had my eye set on that belt.
00:22:38I still got a long way to go.
00:22:39I did not see that coming.
00:22:40Chef Izard making it to the quarterfinals.
00:22:46Let's take a look at your bracket.
00:22:48Up against either Kalina Bliss or Kenny Gilbert.
00:22:52They're both great.
00:22:54You are dynamite.
00:22:55You deserve this.
00:22:56Congratulations.
00:22:57Big win.
00:22:57The GOAT.
00:22:58Bye, guys.
00:23:07Happy New Year.
00:23:08Happy New Year.
00:23:09Well done, Chef.
00:23:10Congratulations.
00:23:11I mean, this is the farthest you've ever come in TOC.
00:23:14I'm excited.
00:23:14I mean, I think it's going to be...
00:23:15It just keeps getting harder and harder, but I feel maybe a little more confident.
00:23:20Well, congratulations, Chef.
00:23:22You've seen the great day.
00:23:23Nice job.
00:23:23He cooked a salsa matcha grilled swordfish with crispy king trumpet mushrooms.
00:23:30That little fritter itself looked sensational.
00:23:33Yes.
00:23:33Did you not want it just to be on its own?
00:23:36Well, since it was an item that was supposed to be represented on that dish, I think it came
00:23:41out a little bit short.
00:23:42I was kind of looking in the dish to see if there's any more of those mushrooms, and I
00:23:46guess they were not.
00:23:47It tasted really good, but in TOC, it does come down to gameplay.
00:23:53Now, up next, we have the number eight seed, Chef Viet Phong, who just took down a massive
00:23:59culinary icon, Chef Jonathan Waxman, in a stunning first-round victory.
00:24:03What did you learn in the last round against Jonathan Waxman?
00:24:07Just calm and steady, but, you know, I'd be lying if I were to say that I'm not nervous
00:24:11because I'm going against Shirley Chung.
00:24:14She's really good.
00:24:15She is a fierce chef to have to reckon with.
00:24:17His opponent is the number six seed, Chef Shirley Chung, who stepped back into the arena
00:24:22after winning the fight of her life against tongue cancer and earned the highest score
00:24:28of the entire first round.
00:24:30This is a necklace that's been blasted by a monk from a famous temple in Beijing.
00:24:36So, this is a collection, and it's been helping me run my battle with cancer.
00:24:42And you won your last battle?
00:24:43Yeah, with high score.
00:24:45So, it's definitely working very well.
00:24:47Are you ready to meet the culinary contenders?
00:24:50Well, let's light this up!
00:24:54The son of Vietnamese immigrants, he is a successful restaurateur with almost two decades as an executive
00:25:01chef.
00:25:04He was named Food & Wine's Best New Chef of 2011, and is a three-time James Beard Award
00:25:12semifinalist.
00:25:16Put your hands together, Chef Viet Phong!
00:25:28You've had some fantastic wins and have gone against some heavy, heavy hitters.
00:25:33This is the farthest you've made it?
00:25:34It's the farthest I've made it.
00:25:36And this is big.
00:25:37This is huge.
00:25:43It's the farthest I've made it.
00:26:08You have to do it.
00:26:08You have to do it.
00:26:08Chef Shirley Chan!
00:26:10Shirley Chan!
00:26:12Woo!
00:26:15Woo!
00:26:15The dumpling mafia queen who has been through the toughest battle of all battles.
00:26:21You both are going to be facing not just each other, but more importantly, the randomizer.
00:26:26Time to get busy.
00:26:27Woo!
00:26:28Woo!
00:26:29Woo!
00:26:33Woo!
00:26:33The food is potentially hazardous.
00:26:34Very.
00:26:35Go for the proteins!
00:26:44Woo!
00:26:45Woo!
00:26:45Woo!
00:26:45Hangar lamb, chop, hangar steak, perico bear.
00:26:50Perico bear.
00:26:50Perico bear.
00:26:50Immersion wonder, appetizer duo.
00:26:55And hollow cheese.
00:26:59I know that you just prepared.
00:27:01Those were easy for you.
00:27:03Hollow cheese.
00:27:04So we can just go.
00:27:10Hanger steak.
00:27:11Pretty dynamite piece of meat.
00:27:12There's only one per steer.
00:27:13A perico bear.
00:27:14Slender, thin, skinny bean.
00:27:16Immersion blender.
00:27:17I think it's one of the greatest pieces of equipment I have.
00:27:19Appetizer duo.
00:27:20Now here's something interesting.
00:27:21This is two appetizers.
00:27:22We're not requiring them to have the appetizers.
00:27:23The hairy couvert and the hanger steak are in both.
00:27:26They want to mix the two.
00:27:27They can't.
00:27:28Cotton cheese separates the curd in the way by adding acid to the milk.
00:27:31This was big during the war.
00:27:33This is what people were eating for their protein.
00:27:34There's going to be sauces made, and this will make it into a great sauce.
00:27:37Can you still know?
00:27:38After the first battle, I have the highest score.
00:27:42I know to win.
00:27:44I cannot play safe.
00:27:46After the battle of my life, I'm back.
00:27:49Stronger than ever.
00:27:50I feel like now I really know how to win.
00:27:53Baking soda?
00:27:55Baking soda?
00:27:56It's in your station.
00:27:56I've made it into the Sweet 16, and this is the farthest I've ever made it.
00:28:01I'm very hard on myself.
00:28:02I don't want to go home.
00:28:03I want to be able to have that belt.
00:28:09And there she is, my dumpling queen.
00:28:11This looks very French.
00:28:13Very.
00:28:14Mauricio made a hanger steak capacio with cottage cheese mushroom and yoli.
00:28:19Followed by a butter-roasted shaken beef with a whipped cottage cheese on the bottom.
00:28:26I want to make this appetizer jewel that highlights both of my ingredients.
00:28:32Hanger steak and herocomere.
00:28:34But I really don't have time to cook two appetizers.
00:28:38So my mind is falling through carpaccio.
00:28:42The hanger steak can easily be a carpaccio.
00:28:44She just really needs to pound it out.
00:28:46So when the judges eat it, it eats like a paper thin carpaccio.
00:28:52Ah, she's using the tortilla press.
00:28:54God, so smart.
00:28:55I love it.
00:28:56Yeah.
00:28:56That's a good move.
00:28:58Harry Culvera going.
00:28:59Harry Culvera being blanched right now.
00:29:01I don't know what the leader planned for it.
00:29:04What is the story on the cottage cheese?
00:29:06The cottage cheese we make into an aioli.
00:29:07Since my cancer, cottage cheese actually became a source of my morning protein.
00:29:15Using an emotion blender is my everyday life right now.
00:29:19For my breakfast, when I make my protein shake.
00:29:22Chef Shirley, Chef Viet, 25 minutes, 25 to go.
00:29:27I'm going to do like a French fried tempura batter, Harry Cloubert.
00:29:31And then grill the hanger steaks.
00:29:34Slice them thin.
00:29:35And they're going to be served in a lettuce wrap with a Vietnamese inspired dipping sauce.
00:29:40So first thing I'm going to do is start on the steak.
00:29:42I'm going to grill it, slice it, and make a nice marinade.
00:29:46I'm going to blitz this with a hand blender.
00:29:49And then this is going to go into the marinade for the beef really quick.
00:29:52Shallots, some lemongrass, fish sauce, sugar.
00:29:56I get it back on the grill.
00:29:58Cottage cheese.
00:29:59Cottage cheese, I am going to whip, make a sauce as a dipping for the hair cloubert.
00:30:05I want to preserve the integrity somewhat of the cottage cheese.
00:30:10Where the judges hopefully will be like, wow, this is cottage cheese.
00:30:13And wow, it's amazing because typically cottage cheese doesn't taste this way.
00:30:17Fish sauce and cheese.
00:30:18Why not?
00:30:21Umami is umami, Chef.
00:30:22Umami is umami.
00:30:23That's right.
00:30:23This is the moment of truth because one of us is going home.
00:30:2820 minutes.
00:30:2920 minutes.
00:30:30Shirley and I belong to a very special club.
00:30:34We both had our bouts with cancer and in a lot of ways we're very similar.
00:30:39We're both Asian descent and we both cook Asian food.
00:30:42It's like me going up against literally myself.
00:30:45I think this is going to be an incredible battle.
00:30:5318 minutes.
00:30:5418 minutes to cook.
00:30:57What you got?
00:30:58Uh, we have carpaccio.
00:31:00The idea is carpaccio and then shaking beef.
00:31:02Shaking beef is really classic Vietnamese dish.
00:31:04A hot and a cold.
00:31:05Hot and cold.
00:31:07Our style is appetizers roll.
00:31:10Now we have twice of opportunities to mess up.
00:31:14So you're just going to marinate it and it's going to be cooked very high, high heat to like caramelize
00:31:18with the seasoning sauce and everything that's on the outside of the meat.
00:31:20Chef Herrick Goubert also in the shaking beef.
00:31:23Yup.
00:31:23And then in the carpaccio got that.
00:31:25Right.
00:31:25And then the hand mixer is just the aioli.
00:31:27Mm-hmm.
00:31:28My chicken beef can totally use another creaminess.
00:31:33So I'm cutting up some fresh earth, parsley and chai.
00:31:38And then putting some honey cheese and also a fresh whole of garlic.
00:31:43Now, this is a cohesive dish.
00:31:49So I closed my restaurant to really focus on my country treatment.
00:31:53In order for me to focus on myself, I made a tough decision of closing my restaurant with tea.
00:32:00If I won, I would definitely love to really make jumping mafia a true concept.
00:32:07Bring my jumping back to Los Angeles.
00:32:11The caramelization on that hanger steak is wild.
00:32:14It's so good.
00:32:1512 minutes, chef.
00:32:1612 to go.
00:32:17What's the plan here, chef?
00:32:18I'm going to make a tempura batter using the cream whipper.
00:32:21Tight.
00:32:22Nice and light.
00:32:22At my restaurant, Pretty Bird, we sell tempura fried green beans.
00:32:26It's going to offer deliciousness, a nice textural contrast to the lettuce wraps.
00:32:31Believe it or not, as that club soda is exposed to air, that's going to form carbonic acid.
00:32:36The carbonic acid is going to react to the baking powder.
00:32:38That's going to make for a very lacy exterior.
00:32:41I want to show these chefs here that I'm good.
00:32:44The show is a big deal.
00:32:46It's competitive.
00:32:46It's stressful.
00:32:48It's hard in so many different ways.
00:32:50And in the end, it's really who has the most mental fortitude to filter through all the stressors and just
00:32:56maintain that focus.
00:32:57A little nest of green beans.
00:32:59Exactly.
00:32:59Normally, I'm against crowding the fryer on a tempura thing, but that nest of green beans, just to like break
00:33:03it apart.
00:33:04It'll look at, yeah, it'll be its own entity.
00:33:07Cool little finishing touch vadovan curry.
00:33:10Just sprinkled over the end, having them on the exterior in that hot oil, just kind of confiting as the
00:33:15dish cools.
00:33:15Sign me up.
00:33:17Chefs, there's 10 minutes left.
00:33:19The next thing, I'm going to work on very traditional Vietnamese dipping sauce.
00:33:24I'm going to make a dipping sauce for the lettuce wrap.
00:33:27Got it.
00:33:28I take a pest and mortar, I add some garlic, shallots, lime juice, sugar, and Thai chilies, and I work
00:33:35it all in.
00:33:37So the idea is to form, like, this nice paste.
00:33:39There's a saying, cook from your heart.
00:33:41And where my heart has been has been in this rediscovery of my culture, my identity, and who I am.
00:33:49So going into the kitchen, that's where my heart leads me, and I have enough faith in my experience that
00:33:55I could hopefully make this successful.
00:33:59And selected. One of the best.
00:34:02Chefs, five minutes left.
00:34:06If you're doing a carpaccio, you've got to reserve some time to make sure that plating is perfect.
00:34:10One half of your dish is not cooked.
00:34:11Everything around it needs to be perfectly seasoned and gorgeous.
00:34:14I'm feeling extremely good about my dishes.
00:34:18Tweezers, getting serious.
00:34:20I know.
00:34:20How do you say, I'm a shallow plate.
00:34:23I have plenty of lemon olive oil.
00:34:27And every single pair of flour gets a tiny dollop of my mustard cottage cheese, aioli.
00:34:34And then I want to introduce some crunchy element, crispy shallots.
00:34:39And then for my shaken beef, I'm placing this creamy herb cottage cheese emulsion on the bottom first.
00:34:47And then I place my perfectly cooked butter hair conveyor onto the center of the plate.
00:34:55Then I build five pieces of the shaken beef on top.
00:35:01And I really hope that judges will see all my attention to all the small details.
00:35:1090 seconds, chef.
00:35:1190 to go.
00:35:13Looks like Chef Viet is going to plate his duo on one plate.
00:35:16I think that's a sure sign of cohesiveness.
00:35:18I put the butter lettuce on the bottom.
00:35:20A little bit of the cottage cheese.
00:35:22And then the gem lettuce.
00:35:24And then finally the hanger steak.
00:35:25And then the traditional Vietnamese dipping sauce on the gem.
00:35:29And then the herbs, which are mint, dill, and cilantro.
00:35:33And then next to it, I'm going to put the cottage cheese dipping sauce.
00:35:38And then finally on top, the tempura haricot verre.
00:35:42I've taken down Erica Barrett.
00:35:43I don't know how, but I've taken down Jonathan Waxman.
00:35:46So, Shirley Chung, you are next.
00:35:49Five, four, three, two, one!
00:35:54That's it!
00:35:59Great job, Chef Viet.
00:36:00Chef Shirley, back to your trailers.
00:36:04Wow.
00:36:08I'm feeling great.
00:36:10I did the best that I could do.
00:36:12Utilizing the ingredients, the tools.
00:36:15I always feel like it's me.
00:36:16I can't see Roger Meiser.
00:36:18And I think I really did justice.
00:36:21All I can hope for is that I get another round of cooking.
00:36:26I'm feeling excited.
00:36:28I did exactly how I planned it in my head.
00:36:33All right.
00:36:34This is the moment of truth.
00:36:35Let's see who the judges are.
00:36:37Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome back our judges.
00:36:39Chef Susan Finnegar.
00:36:41Susan Finnegar.
00:36:42The champ, Monique Chauhan.
00:36:45Wow.
00:36:46And the legend, Chef Hubert Keller.
00:36:49Wow.
00:36:51Three culinary greats.
00:36:52Tonight, the randomizer served up hanger steak, Harry Covert, immersion blender.
00:36:59The style was appetizer duo.
00:37:01And the wild card ingredient was cottage cheese.
00:37:04And our TOC3 champ herself, Chef Tiffany Faison.
00:37:08Chefs, this chef would like to first have you remove the top, the carpaccio, from the second appetizer that's below.
00:37:15Wow.
00:37:16Quite simply, this is a master's thesis of France and Asia through the appetizer duo of hanger carpaccio and shaking
00:37:22beef.
00:37:22Carpaccio of hanger.
00:37:24The Harry Covert were sliced and treated to a chili Szechuan pickling liquid.
00:37:28And aioli was obviously made with the immersion blender, blending cottage cheese and Dijon.
00:37:33Ready to shake on?
00:37:34The hanger steak was seasoned with oyster sauce, sesame shoyu, garlic and black pepper.
00:37:39The garlic bourre fondue Harry Covert on the bottom obviously blanched and then treated to a beautiful bourre fondue.
00:37:46You know, this reminds me of a present, a birthday present, which is beautifully wrapped.
00:37:51And then you open it up and the gift is even better.
00:37:54This is such a smart game play.
00:37:57All the randomizer ingredients in two completely different formats, both of them as impressive as the other.
00:38:06Okay, first of all, my favorite tool in the kitchen.
00:38:10Who thinks about doing an immersion blender aioli with cottage cheese?
00:38:14So, it worked great on both of these.
00:38:16I just think it was a great use of all of the ingredients that were important in this.
00:38:21First of all, the carpaccio was extremely well executed, but maybe I get a little extra touch of salt.
00:38:28The hanger steak here, the way it has been cooked, I have to congratulate the chef.
00:38:32It's really well done.
00:38:33And the haricot vert, and then the sauce that goes with it.
00:38:36Great combination, great idea.
00:38:38I take it.
00:38:40Scorecards are in front of you.
00:38:4350 points for your taste, 40 points for the use of randomizer, and 10 in the plating.
00:38:48I didn't really have anything negative to say.
00:38:51Judges, here to present the second dish is the wild card himself, Justin Warner.
00:38:55Chef?
00:38:56Judges, the first of your appetizer duo is a Vietnamese marinated hanger steak lettuce wrap.
00:39:02The hanger steak was sliced and marinated in an immersion blender concocted marinade.
00:39:08From there, it was grilled and then rested.
00:39:11The second of your appetizer duo is a tempura haricot vert with vadovan and whipped cottage cheese with Vietnamese flavors.
00:39:19For the immersion blender, three components.
00:39:21That's shallot, garlic, lime juice, sauce that is on the lettuce cup.
00:39:25We also have the marinade for the steak.
00:39:27The sauce that accompanies the haricot vert, that was black pepper, buttermilk, fish sauce, and the cottage cheese.
00:39:35Chef Keller.
00:39:36First impression when I got the dish, I think I was a little bit less impressed comparing to the other
00:39:42chef with the presentation.
00:39:44Oh, man.
00:39:45When I dig into the hanger steak, although perfectly cooked, beautiful, moist, very tender.
00:39:51I have to congratulate the chef on the preparation of the haricot vert.
00:39:54I could eat a whole bowl of it, right? It's so good.
00:39:57Two-time champ.
00:39:58Come on, come on.
00:39:59I love the hanger steak wrap right over here. It's delicious.
00:40:02It's packed with flavor to make the sauce, I think, great use of the immersion blender.
00:40:09This sauce right over here, it's delicious.
00:40:12But when I look at it, it seems that it is broken.
00:40:17Oh, come on.
00:40:19Come on.
00:40:19The hanger steak was incredibly tender.
00:40:23The flavor combinations here, I love with the fresh mint, the scallion.
00:40:28For me, the green beans are overcooked.
00:40:31But the batter was really quite delicious.
00:40:35All right, judges, thank you very much.
00:40:3650 points in taste, 40 points in the use of the randomizer.
00:40:39Ted in plating.
00:40:41I'm proud of the dish.
00:40:42Am I proud of the judging?
00:40:44I think I'm always nervous.
00:40:46Perhaps I have a little bit of more when it comes to randomizer.
00:40:52The chefs should be very proud.
00:40:53I've got some great scores.
00:40:55Let's go ahead and bring the chefs back out.
00:40:57Chef Shirley Chung.
00:40:58Chef Viet Pham.
00:41:04Chefs, I will tell you, that was some great cooking.
00:41:09Only one score moves on to the quarterfinals.
00:41:1280 to 87.
00:41:14Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the second round battle
00:41:16between Chef Shirley Chung and Chef Viet Pham is...
00:41:27Chef Shirley Chung.
00:41:35Congrats.
00:41:37You're welcome.
00:41:42It was great cooking.
00:41:44I'm sorry this is the end of the road.
00:41:45Ladies and gentlemen, Chef Viet Pham, thank you.
00:41:48Thank you, guys.
00:41:52I called it.
00:41:56You know, I...
00:41:59Defeated.
00:42:01I've gotten to the point now where I can talk to Shirley
00:42:05or about Shirley without getting teary-eyed.
00:42:07Wouldn't be able to stand here, be alive, without your love.
00:42:12And food is my passion.
00:42:15Congratulations.
00:42:18Love you.
00:42:20Into the quarterfinals.
00:42:22Next facing either Brian Voltaggio or Dan Jacobs.
00:42:25Yay.
00:42:28Ladies and gentlemen, Chef Shirley Chung.
00:42:31Congratulations.
00:42:32Yay!
00:42:40I won. Second round.
00:42:42Woo!
00:42:43Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to meet the next two contenders
00:42:47that are fighting for the belt?
00:42:52We have the number eight seed, Chef Kenny Gilbert, who followed up his qualifier with an even bigger
00:42:57first round victory against culinary icon, the one and only Aaron Sanchez.
00:43:02This is just an amazing dream for me to be here.
00:43:04I want to take every challenge as it comes.
00:43:07You know, my confidence is very high.
00:43:09I'm super excited about this cook.
00:43:11Now his opponent is the number four seed, Chef Kalina Bliss, the returning TOC competitor who once again knocked it
00:43:19out of the park in her first round battle.
00:43:21Last season I made it to the great eight. This year I came like super hungry and I really want
00:43:28that spot again.
00:43:29Kalina, um, Top Chef alumni, you know, so we're part of that group.
00:43:33I had to go in with the winning mindset.
00:43:35He took down an icon. He really impressed me. I mean, he's looking at flavors, he's looking at textures, he's
00:43:40really playing the game.
00:43:42He's gonna be a tough one.
00:43:43Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready for another fantastic food fight?
00:43:48Then let's light this up!
00:43:51He became the chef de cuisine of a five-diamond restaurant at the age of 23 and worked in prestigious
00:43:57kitchens in Japan, Spain, and the Caribbean.
00:44:03He spent time as Oprah's personal chef whose favorite dishes included his jalapeno cheddar drop biscuits, fried chicken, and field
00:44:12peas.
00:44:12He was a semi-finalist on Top Chef season seven, and he defeated culinary icon Aron Sanchez in the first
00:44:20round with a fried clam dish that Judge Scott Connick called game changer.
00:44:25Put your hands together for the beast of the kitchen, it's Chef Kenny Gilbert!
00:44:41Such a gentle, humble, realistic, down-to-earth guy.
00:44:47But when he is in the kitchen, he is absolutely the beast.
00:44:52Very well-suited name, Chef.
00:44:56And I say good luck because your opponent is hungry.
00:45:01Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, she loves incorporating forage and coastal ingredients in her cooking.
00:45:07She has been the executive chef of award-winning restaurants in Washington State and Chicago.
00:45:14And was a 2022 Chopped Grand Champion.
00:45:20She's standing back there, she's fired up!
00:45:24Welcome Chef Kalina Blitz!
00:45:40Talk about another just happy person.
00:45:44Happy until that clock goes tick, and then she just turns into this tactician.
00:45:50I mean, like a culinary sniper.
00:45:52I mean, that's always that way.
00:45:54We gotta believe in ourselves.
00:45:55We're fired up!
00:45:56Time to go to the randomizer!
00:45:58Right this way!
00:46:05All right, the randomizer will determine the mandatory details of your dish.
00:46:09The protein, the produce, the equipment, the style, and the wild card.
00:46:13Lots of opportunities for things to go horribly wrong.
00:46:17And here we go!
00:46:25Round and round it goes, and it lands on pork chop, duck legs, lamb, pork chops!
00:46:32Pork chops and patch peppers, french fry press, comfort classic, and ketchup!
00:46:40Wow!
00:46:41Well, if you got questions, I don't got the answers, because your time starts now.
00:46:51Double-cut pork chops, I'm a big pork chop fan.
00:46:54The great thing about that is when you have a double-thick cut pork chop like that, it's
00:46:57gonna stay nice and moist.
00:46:59Patch peppers, they definitely got a good heat to it, but so much flavor, a little bit
00:47:03of sweetness to it.
00:47:04French fry press, what it does, it gives you nice uniform cuts.
00:47:07Comfort classic, you know, it invokes comfort and happiness, and I think that pork chop
00:47:12would be awesome.
00:47:13Ketchup.
00:47:14This can be used in the marinade, this can be used in sauces, there's a lot going on.
00:47:18This is gonna be a really fun competition with these two.
00:47:22I came in as a qualifier, and to be able to get to the play-in, and then to make
00:47:26it through
00:47:27this second round, it's gonna mean everything.
00:47:30Double-cut pork chops is a great cut of meat.
00:47:32The wild card ingredient is ketchup.
00:47:35We know this is a condiment, but essentially it's a tomato sauce.
00:47:39When I think about these ingredients, you know, I'm coming from the Midwest.
00:47:42I'm originally from Cleveland, Ohio, and you know, I just remember as a kid going to school,
00:47:49that one of the lunch meals was gonna be a sloppy joe.
00:47:52That's just a comfort food, but taking it to another level.
00:47:55Sloppy Joe 2.0, where I'm gonna fry the chop, take that trim from the chop, and actually grind
00:48:00it up, and make a sloppy joe.
00:48:02And I'm gonna use the heck out of the Hats chilies all throughout the cook.
00:48:06It's gonna be epic.
00:48:11A comfort classic with a double-cut pork chop, I mean, what's not to like?
00:48:15So I'm gonna do a plate on a pork kotsudon, and I wanna do a tomato curry sauce using the
00:48:21ketchup.
00:48:22I know I wanna roast some hatched pepper, and that I wanna serve it with rice,
00:48:27because to me, that's just like, that's a plate of comfort food.
00:48:30Uh, hi, chef.
00:48:31Hi.
00:48:33Kenny has the years and experience on me.
00:48:36He's been exec chefing since he was 23, but you're only as good as your current cook.
00:48:41So he might make a great dish.
00:48:44I just need to make a better dish.
00:48:46Chefs, we've got 25 minutes left.
00:48:49I'm gonna start by breaking down my pork chops.
00:48:51And I'm gonna save that trim, which will be used for the sloppy joe.
00:48:56This is Tournament of Champions.
00:48:57I need to make use of this randomizer and taking this protein and doing two different preparations with it.
00:49:04So by grinding it up, now I'm gonna create a layered experience.
00:49:09Sloppy joe?
00:49:11Comfort classic?
00:49:12It's gonna be a sandwich with a bone coming out, and then the sloppy joe is smothering it.
00:49:15Okay, make six.
00:49:16That's fine.
00:49:17When you hear sloppy joe, you know, you think something very, very simple.
00:49:21I'm gonna take it to a whole other level.
00:49:22Walk me through seasoning here.
00:49:24So we have the chicken seasoning, Cajun seasoning, fried shallots, fried garlic.
00:49:29The wild card ingredient is ketchup.
00:49:32Ketchup is very, very user-friendly.
00:49:34It's a tomato product at the end of the day.
00:49:36Ketchup in for the sloppy joe.
00:49:37Yep.
00:49:38A little tomato product.
00:49:39I've gone through a lot of different things in my life.
00:49:41You know, I'm a cancer survivor.
00:49:43I was a widower at 21.
00:49:44I was raising my daughter by myself.
00:49:47At the end of the day, there's nothing that I haven't gone through already.
00:49:50You know, just saying out there, you fall down seven times, you get up eight.
00:49:53That's just kind of what I live by.
00:49:55I want this really bad because I want that belt.
00:49:58I want that banner.
00:50:00I want the ring.
00:50:01And then I want the money.
00:50:05I think what I'm gonna kind of do is, like, a play on, like, a pork cauchon.
00:50:10I'm gonna do, like, a hatch pepper, like, spicy relish.
00:50:13I'm gonna start the base of my curry.
00:50:14I'm gonna cut some vegetables that are gonna go in my curry sauce with the fry press.
00:50:21You have to use your whole body.
00:50:23In restaurants, you attach them to the wall.
00:50:24The wall comes down.
00:50:25Oh, you hang on it. Oh, yeah.
00:50:26Next, I'm gonna add some spices to the pan.
00:50:28Curry powder, some onion powder, ground ginger, and turmeric.
00:50:33That's gonna be the curry sauce?
00:50:34Yeah.
00:50:36There we go.
00:50:37That's how we ketchup.
00:50:38Ketchup is so great for so many sauces.
00:50:41A little bit of sweetness.
00:50:42It adds some acidity.
00:50:43I'm an adopted Korean, so I was adopted at four months old.
00:50:47My parents were American, and they absolutely raised me on, like, very traditional American food.
00:50:53But my cooking, like, in the last handful of years has definitely started leaning towards, you know, Southeast Asian.
00:50:59I just soaked it all up.
00:51:01Um, and so I feel like that's kind of given me a little bit of my own style.
00:51:06Last year, I was able to make it to the grade eight.
00:51:09I really want to prove to myself that it wasn't a fluke, and it wasn't luck, and I deserve to
00:51:14be here.
00:51:16They're both working with purpose.
00:51:22Right now, Chef Kenny Gilbert has a ton of momentum behind him.
00:51:25He fought his way out of the qualifiers, got a win in round one.
00:51:29These are one of my favorite things in the whole world.
00:51:31Love them.
00:51:33Favorite, favorite, favorite.
00:51:35The purpose of the french fry press is to do french fries.
00:51:38And being that this is a comfort classic, it works out perfectly.
00:51:41I use Idaho russet potatoes.
00:51:43I press it through, and I put it in one fryer.
00:51:47And then I take the hatch peppers and place it into the blender with a little bit of water and
00:51:51puree it up.
00:51:52The hatch peppers was the easiest thing for me to use multiple ways.
00:51:58The pulp of the hatch chilies, I added into my sloppy joe.
00:52:04Also my remoulin.
00:52:05What's this?
00:52:06A little hatch chili mayo.
00:52:08So I'm gonna use this for the buns, top and bottom, before I sandwich.
00:52:11Got it.
00:52:1215 minutes, 15 to go.
00:52:17This is an umami bomb, Chef.
00:52:18Yeah, it's always the plan.
00:52:20Chef Kalina joined us at TOC last year, TOC 6.
00:52:23And no one saw her coming.
00:52:25When I tell you it was one chef after another just being weed whacked into the great eight.
00:52:30She's back this year, and she is just as hungry.
00:52:32Next, I really need to start the pork chops.
00:52:35I get the dredge station together.
00:52:37I throw in a lot of the similar spices that went into the sauce to kind of complement it.
00:52:40Onion powder, I add some garam masala to it.
00:52:43Similar flavors.
00:52:44Sometimes, you know, there's this little, like, voice in my head that gives me a little bit of self-doubt.
00:52:48I think it happens to a lot of us.
00:52:50I am my harshest critic, so I really want to win and move on to the next round.
00:52:55They're happy in there.
00:52:56They're happy.
00:52:56So next, I'm gonna add some of these, like, spicy hatch peppers to the rice.
00:53:03Ah!
00:53:04I feel pretty focused this round.
00:53:06Everything is tasting good.
00:53:08I feel like I'm adding flavor.
00:53:09I'm using a randomizer.
00:53:10Still needs longer, but we have plenty of time.
00:53:13Kalina's pork chops are in the fryer.
00:53:15They've been in there for a long time, and the color of the outside of the pork chop
00:53:18is telling me that they're probably starting to flirt with overcooking.
00:53:21Seven minutes!
00:53:24He works so fast.
00:53:25Oh, he is a wide beast in the kitchen.
00:53:27Where did this batter come from, Chef?
00:53:29Uh, bottom of my egg batter.
00:53:31Cajun spice chicken seasoning.
00:53:32Some Hatch chilis.
00:53:34I get the pork chops battered, breaded, and I place them into the fryer.
00:53:39Five minutes, five to go.
00:53:44First thing I do is take the Hatch chili rice.
00:53:46I do a nice big pile down on the bottom of the plate.
00:53:50Next, I grab the tomato curry sauce.
00:53:52I really want to make sure that the cuts from the french fry cutter are,
00:53:57you know, very present.
00:53:58And then I grab the pork chop.
00:54:00I know I'm one of the younger kids here,
00:54:03so to make it to the end would just be amazing.
00:54:06Two minutes, two to go.
00:54:08Pork chop's looking good, Chef.
00:54:10Yes, sir.
00:54:11I'm taking my Hatch chili mayo
00:54:13and putting it on the bottom part of the bun and the top of the bun.
00:54:17I place my fried pork chop there.
00:54:20I top the pork chop with the sloppy joe.
00:54:24And then my fries, season it up, place into my bowls.
00:54:2930 seconds!
00:54:33I'm super excited.
00:54:35I left it all on in the arena.
00:54:37I did everything I possibly could.
00:54:39And then now it's in the judges' hands.
00:54:41Five, four, three, two, one!
00:54:46Done!
00:54:47Oh, that was a crazy battle.
00:54:53Back to your trailers.
00:54:55Let's bring in the judges!
00:54:57They're gonna love this.
00:55:02Crazy.
00:55:03Once I saw the randomizer, I was like,
00:55:06I feel like this is what I have to do.
00:55:07I mean, look, I cooked the dish that I'd want to eat,
00:55:10that I want to eat right now.
00:55:12The question is gonna be use of the randomizer and taste.
00:55:19All right, ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome back the esteemed panel of judges.
00:55:23Chef Susan Finnegar.
00:55:26Oh, my God.
00:55:27I grew up watching Susan.
00:55:30She's actually a living legend.
00:55:32TOC champ Monique Chauhan.
00:55:34Oh, God, I made a curry sauce for Monique?
00:55:37Why?
00:55:38And legendary chef Hubert Keller.
00:55:41Oh, Hubert Keller.
00:55:42Nice.
00:55:43I applied to this restaurant when I was, like, 19 years old and didn't get a callback.
00:55:48Tonight, the randomizer chefs kicked down for protein and double-cut pork chop.
00:55:52The produce was hatch peppers.
00:55:55Restaurant equipment was french fry press.
00:55:57Style was comfort classic.
00:55:59And that fantastic wild card ingredient was ketchup.
00:56:02And our TOC 3 champ herself, Chef Tiffany Faison.
00:56:06For this randomizer, the chef has hatched a pork plan of comfort classics.
00:56:11This is bone-in pork katsudan with ketchup and hatched chili curry, kombu and hatched pepper rice.
00:56:17Everything was processed through the french fry press for the curry.
00:56:20The pork was fabricated, leaving the center bone chopped only.
00:56:24That was seasoned with curry powder, turmeric, garam masala, ginger and onion powders, mushroom soy gill stock, which is dried
00:56:28sauce, and shiitakes.
00:56:31Say something.
00:56:32Say something good.
00:56:34Comfort classic to me is something which is a hug on a plate.
00:56:37And this is something which is definitely that.
00:56:40I want to hug you, Manit.
00:56:42Using the curry sauce as a base to put the ketchup in, the sweetness of the ketchup, I think that
00:56:49is absolutely genius.
00:56:51That is incredible.
00:56:53The one thing which I would have loved on this dish is a little bit more of that acid in
00:56:58it.
00:56:59I think that would have balanced off the spices.
00:57:02To use the french fry press for the vegetables, which we can see and we can taste.
00:57:07This chef has done an incredible job in developing flavors in a really short time.
00:57:12Yes!
00:57:15Conceptually, this was amazing.
00:57:17The perfect comfort dish, it really hit the mark.
00:57:21In terms of the use of the hatch chili, the concept, I think was perfect and right on.
00:57:27To be a comfort and classic dish, I do agree.
00:57:31That really works.
00:57:33The rice, the vegetable, tomato, when you're eating it together, it really brings the dish together.
00:57:38But I think...
00:57:39I'm scared.
00:57:40If I cut even to the center, my pork chop was a little bit overcooked.
00:57:45Great, judges, thank you very much.
00:57:47Your scorecard, 50 points for taste, 40 points for the use of the randomizer, and 10 points in plating.
00:57:54I think she did a great cook. She put together a dish that the judges felt was comforting.
00:57:58We're just gonna have to see, you know, how Kenny's goes. If his is perfect, then I'm going home.
00:58:03All right, judges, thank you very much. And to present the second dish, Justin Warner.
00:58:09Judges, our chef calls this Sloppy Joe 2.0.
00:58:12The double-cut pork chop was Frenched and trimmed.
00:58:15The trim was ground. It was used to start the process of the Sloppy Joe, which you will see crowning
00:58:20the bone-in chop, which has been fried.
00:58:21So that Sloppy Joe mixture was done with ketchup, the solids from blended hatch chili, and plenty of seasoning.
00:58:28The French fry press was used to make French fries. In terms of the use of the ketchup, it was
00:58:32in the Sloppy Joe, and also in the remoulade at the center of the plate.
00:58:37This is my comfort food. I grew up in Toledo, Ohio. We had Sloppy Joe's all the time. And ketchup
00:58:45was in the mix.
00:58:46Cleveland, that's what's up.
00:58:48I really love having the bone in there. That's a really interesting thing, because probably what I would do is
00:58:55eat half of it, and then I would take this other half and eat it like that.
00:58:59You just put it in your purse and have it foil, and then when you're on the road...
00:59:05And the pork chop is actually quite moist. The aioli's got that really nice spice to it from the hatch
00:59:11chili, so the use of that is really good.
00:59:14Yes.
00:59:16Shoot.
00:59:16Come on, chef. Give me some love.
00:59:19I think, personally, the chef had the finger right on the pulse for that challenge. I think he succeeded in
00:59:25really using all the elements that needed to be done.
00:59:29Yes! Let's go!
00:59:31The pork chop was perfectly cooked.
00:59:33That's actually impressive. I mean, like, Kenny did a really good job with that dish.
00:59:37This chef has done an amazing job in creating layers and layers of flavors. But the piece of resistance of
00:59:44this entire burger is the Sloppy Joe part about it.
00:59:49It's flavorful. It's got that ketchup in it. I do like the french fries. I do think that maybe if
00:59:57there was a little bit of cornstarch, it might have made it crispier.
01:00:00Thank you very much, judges. Scorecards are in front of you.
01:00:04Okay.
01:00:05You're only as good as, like, your current cook, and every single thing has to be perfect, you know? And
01:00:10not everything was perfect on mine.
01:00:11I've been dying to be here. I've been grinding, and I am one with food. I knew that pork chop
01:00:20was gonna be juicy. I knew I used the ingredients right. There's nothing else I can do.
01:00:25The scores are in. They're ready for you.
01:00:26Okay.
01:00:27Whew.
01:00:29All right, let's do this.
01:00:32The judges have spoken. I've got the scores. Let's call them back in. Chef Kalina Bliss.
01:00:39Chef Kenny Gilbert.
01:00:45This really came down to mainly about flavor. One chef scored a 81. Good score.
01:00:55The other chef, 91.
01:01:00Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the second round battle between Chef Kalina Bliss and Chef Kenny Gilbert is...
01:01:18Chef Kenny Gilbert.
01:01:19Let's go! Let's go!
01:01:22Let's go!
01:01:24Congratulations, chef.
01:01:33Chef Kalina, you were doing so many things that I thought were right, and an 81's a great score, but
01:01:38unfortunately, it's the end of the road, and we'll look forward to seeing you in TOC in the future. Thank
01:01:42you, chef.
01:01:42Chef Kalina Bliss.
01:01:47Oh, he whooped me. He had a great score.
01:01:50I'm going to learn from this. We're going to keep our, you know, head held high, and we're going to
01:01:55keep cooking, and you guys will see me next year.
01:01:56That was one of the most remarkable dishes we've seen so far in the competition. Congratulations! You're in the quarterfinals,
01:02:04my friend. Let's take a look. Here you are going up against Stephanie Izard.
01:02:09The GOAT! Let's GOAT!
01:02:11The GOAT!
01:02:11But I'll tell you right now, everybody should take notice. The new guys in town, the beast in the kitchen!
01:02:17Kenny Gilbert!
01:02:19That was a huge win.
01:02:2210-point win. Now you're in the grade eight.
01:02:25Yes.
01:02:26That's got to feel pretty amazing.
01:02:27I'm so excited. I've been locked in.
01:02:30And the chefs all see it, watching how cool, calm, and collective you were. Brother, we'll see you in the
01:02:34grade eight. Congratulations.
01:02:35Yes, sir. Thank you. Thank you.
01:02:36Well done, chef.
01:02:36Appreciate you.
01:02:37All right, folks. Are you ready to hear about the contenders for the final spot in the upcoming quarterfinals?
01:02:47First, we have the number eight seed, Chef Dan Jacobs, the qualifier winner, fresh off a major upset victory, who
01:02:54has proven that nothing, nothing in life can slow this guy down.
01:03:00I have Kennedy's disease, which is a rare neuromuscular disease similar to ALS.
01:03:05Being the lower seed, being in the further kitchen, that's just more walking around for me. So I have to
01:03:09be real conscious of, you know, grabbing all my stuff.
01:03:12I think it's so cool going up against Brian, somebody I looked up to for a long time. Brian did
01:03:17just win TOC Christmas, and he's got this momentum going with him.
01:03:20To me, I think I have just as much momentum. I beat Top Chef champion in Joe Flom. I beat
01:03:25the runner-up last year on TOC and Sir Bradley. I'm feeling just as confident as I did going in
01:03:30against either one of them.
01:03:31Now, his opponent is the number three seed, Chef Brian Voltaggio, the TOC All-Star Christmas champion, who won his
01:03:38first solo TOC victory in the first round.
01:03:41I've never won an individual contest or competition in my career. So for me, this would be a big win.
01:03:47I am going up against Dan Jacobs. I only know him from actually judging him in Top Chef in the
01:03:53season he was in. Great cook, great guy.
01:03:55For him to take out Sarah Bradley in the last round means that, you know, he's a force to be
01:03:59reckoned with.
01:04:00Are you ready to see these two powerhouses cook it up tonight?
01:04:04Let's light it up!
01:04:07He has two celebrated restaurants, including a modern Asian spot that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel praised for its completely delicious
01:04:16courses and perfect meals.
01:04:18He is a six-time James Beard semi-finalist.
01:04:23Now, in the first round, he scored an upset victory over TOC 6 runner-up, Chef Sarah Bradley.
01:04:33Chef Dan Jacobs!
01:04:46What have you done to ground yourself and stay focused on what's coming up?
01:04:50There's not a lot of expectation coming out of, like, a seven seed.
01:04:52I think that I surprise some people. And I am confident in myself. That's all I need.
01:04:58Dan, great to have you. Thank you.
01:05:00And your opponent...
01:05:04He's a two-time James Beard nominee with claimed restaurants on both coasts.
01:05:09He's a three-time Top Chef finalist and recently won the TOC All-Star Christmas Tournament along with his brother,
01:05:17Michael, with a record-breaking score of 98.
01:05:24Ladies and gentlemen, the Bolts of the East, Chef Brian Voltaggio!
01:05:36What's up, my brother?
01:05:38You haven't had a lot of success inside of TOC.
01:05:42No.
01:05:42Then you have enormous success with the Tournament of Champions holiday, and now you're back and we're seeing a different
01:05:49side of Brian Voltaggio.
01:05:51This one is a bucket list one for me. This is one I want to take, and I'm very focused
01:05:56on this competition.
01:05:58Chefs, time to do it. Let's take it to the randomizer. Good luck.
01:06:05So for the big finale of the night, you know, you guys are the title fight guys. I mean, that's
01:06:10a big deal.
01:06:11Going for Protein!
01:06:13Woo!
01:06:14Oh, that's what happened.
01:06:22Lamb, halibut, duck, lamb, halibut.
01:06:26Halibut, okay.
01:06:27And watermelon radish.
01:06:32Metal skewers.
01:06:35Sunday supper.
01:06:36And who doesn't like a finale with a little nacho cheese?
01:06:41I might be late for dinner.
01:06:44Your 35 starts now. Good luck, guys.
01:06:48This is not a fun randomizer. Okay, halibut.
01:06:52The thing about halibut is, it overcooks really easy and it gets dry.
01:06:55Watermelon radish. Part of the daikon radish family.
01:06:58It's not as pungent or bitter as most radishes are.
01:07:01Metal skewers. We always know what this is.
01:07:03Sunday supper. Bringing the family together.
01:07:05This is usually that low, slow and slow meal. Nacho cheese.
01:07:09So this is more of a processed cheese.
01:07:11That and halibut. Good luck.
01:07:13I've been a runner-up in countless seasons of Top Chef.
01:07:17I've been a runner-up on 24 and 24.
01:07:19I've never tasted victory on my own.
01:07:21And I'm looking forward to doing it this season.
01:07:23It's you and me, kid.
01:07:24Be right with you.
01:07:25I'm thinking, like, a crispy, bold salad
01:07:27with, like, lots of acid and crunch
01:07:29that's gonna be paired alongside this halibut
01:07:31that's gonna be skewered with, like, umami-rich mushrooms.
01:07:33You would find, like, grilling over coals in the backyard.
01:07:36You know, I'm out there. I'm working a lot.
01:07:38I'm out here competing.
01:07:38I'm spending a lot of time away from home.
01:07:40We always have a family dinner as much as we can.
01:07:42Food and family is what's so important.
01:07:44Gathering around food, spending time together,
01:07:46and sharing those meals.
01:07:50I got kind of a little bit of a plan here.
01:07:52We're gonna batter and fry the fish for sure.
01:07:54Nice.
01:07:54We're gonna make amole.
01:07:55Okay.
01:07:56We're gonna incorporate the stews and radishes,
01:07:58both in grilled and in an espichet.
01:08:01So we're gonna go from there with it.
01:08:02All right. I believe in you, chef.
01:08:04I believe in me, too. Thanks.
01:08:05I came into this battle knowing that I need to shop efficiently.
01:08:08Ugh! I hate having to run back and forth.
01:08:10I forgot one thing.
01:08:12And I am not doing that.
01:08:15It takes me a long time to move around,
01:08:17and I'm wasting time.
01:08:19In 2016, I was diagnosed with Kennedy's disease.
01:08:22It's degenerative in the fact that I am slowly losing my ability
01:08:25to walk, talk, use my hands, pretty much everything.
01:08:29Nachochi!
01:08:31I think being diagnosed was able to kind of reshape how I live.
01:08:34It made me really kind of want to push myself to do as many things
01:08:37as I could before I couldn't do those things anymore.
01:08:39So we're gonna do a mole verde.
01:08:41Yeah.
01:08:42A little bit different.
01:08:42Just I think it's gonna work really well with the fish.
01:08:44It's a little bit fresher.
01:08:46I'm gonna get my onion serrano, garlic, and tomatillos charring.
01:08:50I think there's seven styles of mole in Oaxaca.
01:08:53I'm a mole monster.
01:08:54I'm not typically a mole guy, but I've been cooking for 27 years.
01:08:58I've cooked a little bit of everything.
01:09:00It's gonna have a ton of flavor.
01:09:02It speaks to Sunday supper.
01:09:03What's the plan there, chef?
01:09:04Mexican oregano, a little Chinese five spice fish sauce.
01:09:10And then here comes everybody's favorite, nacho cheese.
01:09:14You know, the biggest thing with the nacho cheese is how do I incorporate this into my dish
01:09:17without completely ruining that dish?
01:09:19I think using it as the emulsifier in my mole is the smartest way I can do that.
01:09:27I'm gonna add cilantro and kale, and this is gonna give that bright green to the dish.
01:09:34Mole verde, baby.
01:09:36And we're gonna blend her up.
01:09:37I just let it go because the longer it's gonna blend, the greener it's gonna get.
01:09:40What's the plan with those pickles?
01:09:41So we're gonna do a little escobiche with a little bit of red wine vinegar, lime juice.
01:09:46So with the radishes, we're gonna do a little quick pickle because it's gonna cut through that richness of the
01:09:51mole and the fried fish.
01:09:53So skewering, we're gonna do some daily onions, watermelon radish, and then we're gonna do some eggplant on there.
01:10:00Got it.
01:10:00We do vegetable skewers at the house.
01:10:02Olive oil, Aleppo peppers, salt and pepper.
01:10:05Get it onto the grill.
01:10:06This is taking way too much time.
01:10:08Welcome to TOC.
01:10:10This is an interesting one.
01:10:12It sure is.
01:10:13To say the least.
01:10:15Skewers on the grill is a Sunday supper.
01:10:17It sometimes happens at my house.
01:10:19You know, kebab style, right?
01:10:21Okay.
01:10:21This is nacho cheese that's really the throw off here.
01:10:24It does become a good sauce, that's for sure.
01:10:26I am quite worried about this has to be Sunday supper.
01:10:29I need to convince the judges this is something you would have if you came over to Voltaggio's household and
01:10:34you sat down for Sunday supper.
01:10:36I think this is one of the harder randomizers.
01:10:38Ah, the yeah.
01:10:39Like combo platter of everything together.
01:10:42I mean, if there's any two minds that are creative enough to pull this off.
01:10:45These guys.
01:10:5520 minutes.
01:10:5620 minutes left.
01:10:59So the first thing I do is I start building a marinade for the halibut.
01:11:02Definitely a skewer of the halibut.
01:11:04I'm going to marinate, I got some miso, shirudashi.
01:11:06I'm going to put some mustard in this.
01:11:08I'm going to marinate the outside of the fish.
01:11:09Yep.
01:11:09Somewhere in America, this is their Sunday supper.
01:11:12I think my biggest crutch in my competitions is that I don't pay attention to the challenge.
01:11:17I put up a really delicious, great dish.
01:11:19But sometimes I don't check all the criteria that's needed.
01:11:22It's going in.
01:11:24It's definitely an interesting flavor profile, for sure.
01:11:26I want to show that I'm not afraid to use the nacho cheese.
01:11:29Look at that.
01:11:29That's nacho cheese for sure.
01:11:31It tastes good.
01:11:34That emulsifier that's in that cheese is going to actually help coat around the halibut.
01:11:38It's going to make it nice and tacky.
01:11:43So I'm being very careful to cook the mushrooms separate from the halibut initially.
01:11:47My taki mushrooms, they have, like, a really great meaty corp.
01:11:51But I want to make sure that it doesn't take a long time for that to cook on a skewer
01:11:55while I overcook the fish.
01:11:58I've never glazed mushrooms in nacho cheese.
01:12:00This is a first.
01:12:03Just saying.
01:12:05The skewer actually helps sell Sunday supper.
01:12:07This is kebabs on the grill.
01:12:09Kebabs on the grill.
01:12:09Right?
01:12:12Everybody knows I've competed a lot.
01:12:14I have a really fortunate career.
01:12:16I'm really comfortable with who I am and how I am and what I've done.
01:12:19But I have a couple of accolades I've been striving for.
01:12:22A competition like TOC, which is the hardest culinary competition that's out there.
01:12:25And to be a winner is something I need on my mantle.
01:12:2818 minutes, Chef.
01:12:3018.
01:12:30Good.
01:12:31Because he's time to figure out the rest.
01:12:35Chef, am I invited to the fish fry?
01:12:37Dude, have you ever been to a fish fry?
01:12:38Has anybody ever been to a Wisconsin fish fry?
01:12:40Hell, yeah.
01:12:41Let's go.
01:12:42I get the fish into the dredge.
01:12:44Fish fries in Wisconsin are a rite of passage.
01:12:47It speaks to Sunday supper.
01:12:49But I've never fried halibut before.
01:12:53Halibut's incredibly delicate.
01:12:55You have like this tiny little window to make it perfect.
01:12:58Nice color.
01:13:01Got some nice char on these, which is great.
01:13:03What's the plan here?
01:13:04Uh, just because it's Sunday supper, we're gonna do a little bit of cilantro rice in here.
01:13:08I'm nervous for them.
01:13:10I'm nervous for them, too.
01:13:11What do you think of the randomizer?
01:13:12A little bit interesting.
01:13:13I think it's a great randomizer.
01:13:15You want the nacho cheese?
01:13:16Yeah.
01:13:17Yeah.
01:13:18Chefs, ten minutes.
01:13:19Ten to go.
01:13:20Final ten.
01:13:21I need to have, you know, a great sauce that's gonna add some acid, some creaminess to the skewer.
01:13:26This is gonna be super weird, but hey.
01:13:28I'm here for it.
01:13:29In this case, I have nacho cheese.
01:13:32Yogurt, nacho cheese, crema.
01:13:34I'm here.
01:13:35I mean, you hear me?
01:13:36Like what I'm saying out loud?
01:13:38I want to kind of like lean towards ranch flavors.
01:13:40So I grab onion powder, garlic powder.
01:13:42I'm seasoning with nori.
01:13:44So seafood ranch?
01:13:46Seafood nacho ranch.
01:13:47Yeah.
01:13:47Obviously.
01:13:53Sea ranch for the halibut.
01:13:55I'm gonna put them onto the grill on a griddle plate and sear each side.
01:13:59I mean, this fish can be dry if you're not careful with it.
01:14:01So it's gonna be really, really technical to cook.
01:14:03The watermelon radish, I'm probably gonna spiralize and do like a nice salad with that.
01:14:08Going up against somebody who I've never competed against.
01:14:11Don't really know too much about them.
01:14:13Dan's an unknown for me.
01:14:14He knocked out somebody who was in a finale of last season.
01:14:17So I know that he's got a lot of gas behind him.
01:14:20So I'm just gonna do like a quick pickle with citrus on the radish.
01:14:25I'm doing two different applications of the radish.
01:14:27I'm using one to work as a sauce and the other one to work as texture of like a crispy
01:14:31salad that'll be served alongside the kebabs.
01:14:34I mean, I'm gonna try to make it scream with the ingredients and technique.
01:14:37Getting nice sear on each side of the fish, the mushrooms are starting to caramelize a little bit more.
01:14:40But I'm also gonna be very careful. I don't want to fully cook them on a griddle.
01:14:44I'm using this to kind of get the glaze nice and tacky on the outside.
01:14:48I mean, I was working on the grill, but see that haliband is fragile.
01:14:51So I'm gonna let it glaze under the salamander.
01:14:53You know, Sunday afternoons, you might be watching sports or something and hanging out grilling a little bit.
01:14:59There's always gonna be some sort of a chip and dip element.
01:15:02It's always on the table.
01:15:03Gonna help scrape up that ranch dressing.
01:15:06Okay.
01:15:08So a little rice paper chip.
01:15:09The last thing I'm gonna do is I'm gonna throw it to the fryer to make it puff up and
01:15:12get nice and crispy.
01:15:16Five minutes, chefs.
01:15:18Five minutes.
01:15:20I'm plating this like I would plate this at a restaurant.
01:15:22We get points for a presentation. I want it to look beautiful.
01:15:25I'm gonna do some mole down in the middle, and then I'm gonna do a little swoosham mole kind of
01:15:28around the plate
01:15:29to get some of that cilantro rice onto the plate.
01:15:33We're gonna put that skewer on the side because, you know, gotta use a skewer.
01:15:36I'm gonna put some fried fish on top.
01:15:39We're gonna put my pickle onion and watermelon rash right on top of that.
01:15:44I am not the person who's supposed to beat Brian Pottaggio, but I'm literally playing with house money.
01:15:49I have nothing to lose.
01:15:52Looking good. Two minutes.
01:15:54So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna put a nice pool of the nacho cheese ranch dressing down underneath.
01:15:59I want the kebab to rest right in the center of that.
01:16:02Then just to the left of it, I'm gonna put this sort of crispy radish salad.
01:16:07I'm gonna drape over the top a piece of puff-fried rice paper.
01:16:10I need to crush it and just get all the way through.
01:16:12Five, four, three, two, one.
01:16:18Done.
01:16:22Thank you very much. You're done.
01:16:26Who's that randomizer?
01:16:28Oh, my God.
01:16:32Whoo-wee.
01:16:34That was a tough one.
01:16:35I had to work through that one, like, as I was cooking.
01:16:37I don't think I used the randomizer super great, but, you know, we'll go from there.
01:16:44See how it goes.
01:16:45Nervous sweat.
01:16:50Whew.
01:16:52What a day.
01:16:53That randomizer was a nightmare.
01:16:54Everybody's got a different interpretation of Sunday's supper.
01:16:57I just hope this translates.
01:16:58My dish is tasty.
01:16:59Gotta poke and pray that's enough to bring home a W.
01:17:03Please welcome back Chef Susan Finneger.
01:17:06Oh, wow. Susan Finneger?
01:17:08TOC championing Shohan.
01:17:10Wow.
01:17:11And the legend himself, Chef Hubert Keller.
01:17:13No way!
01:17:15I got his cookbook when I was, like, 19 years old. I still have it.
01:17:18If I would have known that he was going to be here, I would have brought it so I could
01:17:20get him to sign it.
01:17:21Look at that guy.
01:17:22Still rocking that ponytail.
01:17:23Chefs, we just round out this entire competition with a little Sunday supper.
01:17:27The randomizer offered up tonight, halibut, watermelon radish, metal skewer,
01:17:33and who doesn't love Sunday supper with little nacho cheese?
01:17:38Here to present is our TOC champ, Tiffany Faison.
01:17:42Chef, you pulled out the skewers on a Sunday and had a little backyard roast with halibut skewers,
01:17:48watermelon radish salad, and nacho ocean ranch.
01:17:52Let's start with the halibut.
01:17:53Marinated with a marinade of nacho cheese, Dijon, miso, shirodashi, and soy.
01:17:58We have a ranch that was constructed on the bottom of your plate.
01:18:01It's not your average ranch. It's nacho ocean ranch that was crafted by spiralizing the watermelon radish.
01:18:07Different watermelon radish vinaigrette was also constructed that got to plate around with a little bit of olive oil.
01:18:13It's always interesting for me to see how a creative mind works under pressure.
01:18:20I think that here the dish was perfectly executed in sense of with the pressure and the time.
01:18:26I love the way the halibut was cooked because it can be dry very fast.
01:18:31Very careful with the halibut.
01:18:32A good execution, really.
01:18:35So as soon as I saw the nacho cheese, I'm like, this is the whammy.
01:18:39This is what is going to take the dish down.
01:18:41That's how I felt, Chef.
01:18:44But this chef has so expertly used it while not highlighting it.
01:18:51To me, the most impressive thing is with the skewers, both the halibut and the mushrooms are cooked beautifully and
01:18:57perfectly.
01:18:58This looks pretty good for Brian.
01:19:00I do think that the one thing which I'm missing is just a touch of sweetness to round out the
01:19:06savoriness.
01:19:07I think the use of the radish is incredible.
01:19:13I love the radish vinaigrette is amazing.
01:19:16There's like plenty of acidity in there.
01:19:19My halibut was overcooked, but I could overlook that because the seasoning on it was just perfect.
01:19:25The dish is really delicious, and I would have it as a Sunday supper.
01:19:29Thank you very much.
01:19:34Judges, 50 points in taste, 40 points in the use for the randomizer, 10 points in plating.
01:19:40I feel like they connected to the dish in a way that I wanted to execute it, and for that
01:19:45I'm grateful.
01:19:46All right, judges, here to present the second dish, Justin Warner.
01:19:49Chef.
01:19:50Here we go.
01:19:51Judges, this is fried halibut with mole verde, skewered watermelon radish, and watermelon radish escabeche.
01:19:58The halibut fillets were done with tapioca, corn starch, seasoned with Aleppo pepper, and fried.
01:20:05The radish, you have thick batons that were skewered with onion and eggplant and then grilled.
01:20:10Another utilization of the radish, as you'll see on top, is as an escabeche.
01:20:15Now let's get into that sauce because that's where the nacho cheese comes into play.
01:20:19Pepita's grilled onion serrano, this was all blended together with the nacho cheese functioning for body flavor and as an
01:20:25emulsifier.
01:20:26I mean, I think they like it. I keep eating it.
01:20:29I think nacho cheese now should be a requirement in a pepita mole.
01:20:36Even the batter on the halibut is incredible. Best of when you think of deep fried fish.
01:20:43Sunday supper, yes, really well done.
01:20:46The randomizer was really represented the way the radishes were put on top of the little crunchiness, which is great.
01:20:54Unfortunately, the radishes got a little charred.
01:20:59They're supposed to be charred. It's charred radishes.
01:21:02I just had that burnt flavor in my mouth.
01:21:06Chef vinegar.
01:21:06The flavor of that mole is really nice, really nice.
01:21:11Incorporating the nacho cheese, that sort of blows me away.
01:21:14My halibut is a little bit overcooked and a little bit under seasoned.
01:21:20Thank you very much, judges.
01:21:2250 points in taste, 40 in the randomizer tendon plating.
01:21:26This would feel amazing to go into the next round and knowing I have the chance to go all the
01:21:31way.
01:21:31I'm not going to turn back. It's going to be a tight one, though.
01:21:34I competed against one of the, you know, great competitors of all time.
01:21:37And I held my own, so I feel okay.
01:21:40Ladies and gentlemen, I told you I'd give you a great finale.
01:21:42Did the chefs deliver or what?
01:21:45I agree.
01:21:47That was a tough randomizer. Let's bring him back out.
01:21:50Chef Dan, Chef Ryan, come on out.
01:21:58Good job.
01:22:01Very close.
01:22:0480 to 77.
01:22:07Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of tonight's final second round battle between Chef Brian Voltaggio and Chef Dan Jacobs is...
01:22:22Brian Voltaggio!
01:22:25Congratulations!
01:22:25Congratulations!
01:22:30Well done, Chef.
01:22:32Chef Dan, I'm sad to see this be the end of your TOC run. We will see you again.
01:22:36Thank you so much.
01:22:38Dan Jacobs!
01:22:41Ladies and gentlemen!
01:22:48You know, I did my best. I lost by three points. I'm ready to attack this again next time.
01:22:55Brian is going to the quarterfinals of TOC 7!
01:23:01Let's take a look.
01:23:04You take Dan down. Now it's you and Shirley Chung.
01:23:07Oof.
01:23:08Shirley's on fire.
01:23:09I know she is.
01:23:10I know this is going to be a tough one.
01:23:11Congratulations, my friend.
01:23:13So happy for you.
01:23:16Brian Voltaggio!
01:23:26That was wild.
01:23:27Keep that cheering, you guys. I can't breathe.
01:23:29Join us next time when the triumphant great eights step back into the arena.
01:23:33Let's get to this final four for an epic quarterfinals as the chefs move within striking distance of the title.
01:23:40Mustache is coming in hot.
01:23:42Not today, Joe.
01:23:43The championship belt.
01:23:45I don't know one-third of these things.
01:23:48At $150,000.
01:23:51There is no bigger prize, no better trophy.
01:23:55Can you believe what's happening?
01:23:57See you next week on TOC 7.
01:24:00Adios.
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