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Tournament of Champions - Season 7 - Episode 08: And the Winner Is…

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00:00:01It's the finale of the greatest culinary competition on Earth.
00:00:06We watched 32 of the food world's best chefs enter the TOC arena
00:00:11with the dreams of glory.
00:00:13But after 28 epic head-to-head battles,
00:00:17four victorious chefs stand alone.
00:00:21Tonight, they'll face off at two of the toughest semifinal face-offs
00:00:25ever imagined.
00:00:27First, the Jetster, Chef Jet Tila,
00:00:29enters his fifth Final Four battle against the Dragon Slayer, Chef Kevin Lee.
00:00:35Fifth time, man. Totally different mentality.
00:00:38Will Jet finally make it to the finals this year?
00:00:40I'm absolutely there to destroy Kevin.
00:00:42I'm not there to be nice. I'm not there to be friends.
00:00:44Today, I am slaying that dragon, Uncle Jet.
00:00:48Then the Volt of the East, Brian Voltaggio,
00:00:51looks to add to his GOC Christmas win.
00:00:53I've never had my own individual win.
00:00:55It's long overdue.
00:00:56I mean, too many times that I've been a runner-up.
00:00:58And proved that he can do it on his own
00:01:00by taking on the beast of the kitchen, Chef Kenny Gilbert,
00:01:03the TOC newbie who beasted his way
00:01:05from the qualifiers to the semifinals.
00:01:08Whoa!
00:01:08Whoa!
00:01:09Then, the two triumphant winners,
00:01:11the best of the best, will go head-to-head
00:01:14in the ultimate battle for the belt.
00:01:16Oh, boy.
00:01:17Tonight's battles are so extreme and so high stakes,
00:01:21they demand the opinion of a fourth judge.
00:01:24One of today's most consequential culinary figures
00:01:27who is guaranteed to blow our chefs' minds.
00:01:31What?
00:01:32No way.
00:01:34Only one chef can earn the belt, the title,
00:01:37and the $150,000 grand prize.
00:01:41Who will win the Tournament of Champion Seven?
00:01:49Are you ready to meet the TOC Final Four?
00:01:52Yes!
00:01:54Yes!
00:01:54Yes!
00:01:55Please welcome Division A winner,
00:01:59the Jetster, Chef Jet Tila.
00:02:03I'm in the Final Four for the fifth time in seven years.
00:02:08It doesn't get any easier.
00:02:09I want to win because I need to complete this journey.
00:02:12I'm that close.
00:02:13I'm that close every single year.
00:02:15I need to finish this mission.
00:02:18Division B winner, the Dragon Slayer, Chef Kevin Lee!
00:02:23My journey through TOC 7 has been amazing.
00:02:27I've taken out some big dragons along the way.
00:02:30Even though I have never really won a huge tournament,
00:02:33I'm here to win that bag of money.
00:02:37Division C winner, the Volt of the East,
00:02:40Chef Brian Goltaggio!
00:02:42I've been runner-up way too many times.
00:02:44I've been trying to get this chip off my shoulder.
00:02:46I really want a title.
00:02:48I want my banner hanging in the TOC kitchen.
00:02:50It's something I've been striving for all of my career.
00:02:53TOC is the biggest stage to do so.
00:02:55And the Division D winner,
00:02:58the Beast of the Kitchen, Chef Kenny Gilbert!
00:03:02This is my first time on TOC,
00:03:04and I've been dreaming about this moment
00:03:07ever since I saw TOC start several years ago.
00:03:10This is like gladiators going against each other
00:03:13for the ultimate prize.
00:03:14Audience, one more time,
00:03:16for the fantastic Final Four!
00:03:26Three of you are here for the first time.
00:03:29One of you all the way from the qualifiers.
00:03:31Amazing.
00:03:32If I can go out on a limb,
00:03:34I'm going to predict that TOC 7
00:03:38will be won by a male chef.
00:03:45First time ever.
00:03:46Chefs, congratulations!
00:03:48You have achieved something that 28 of your fellow chefs'
00:03:51competitors dreamed of.
00:03:53Oh, my God.
00:03:55You got goosebumps.
00:03:56You are now just two cooks away from winning it all.
00:04:00The championship, the belt, the covenant title,
00:04:04and the grand prize of $150,000.
00:04:13The randomizer options in this round are unconventional.
00:04:18Oh, unconventional.
00:04:21The good news is tonight's dishes will be tasted by four culinary greats.
00:04:28Wow.
00:04:30How you feel?
00:04:31Oh, man.
00:04:32This is a bag of nerves, bro.
00:04:34Nauseous.
00:04:34Nauseous.
00:04:35All right.
00:04:36Let's do it.
00:04:37Dragon Slayer through that door.
00:04:39Jets through that door.
00:04:40And you two, we're going to hold on ice.
00:04:42Good luck, guys.
00:04:49Let's go.
00:04:50Let's go.
00:04:52Not overthinking it.
00:04:53I'm going to embrace the randomizer.
00:04:56I'm a different person this year.
00:04:58I'm excited.
00:04:59This is what I live for.
00:05:00I'm as ready as I'm going to be.
00:05:02I feel the best I have in all of these seven years.
00:05:06We have the number three seed, Chef Kevin Lee,
00:05:08who has taken down some of TOC's greatest chefs.
00:05:11But tonight, he'll have to defeat one of the tournaments winning his chefs
00:05:15to reach the final battle.
00:05:17Here I am in the final four, going against Jet,
00:05:20like one of the strongest competitors here.
00:05:23I feel like I've been, you know, training for this moment.
00:05:26Anything short of a championship is a failure.
00:05:28His opponent, the number two seed, Chef Jet Tila,
00:05:32who has made it to the semifinals more than any chef in TOC history,
00:05:37but is yet to compete in the final battle for the belt.
00:05:41Kevin is not scared to be Kevin Lee, right?
00:05:45He cooks this thing.
00:05:46I could learn that from him and just kind of be proud of your food
00:05:49and do what you're best at.
00:05:51Jet is truly somebody who I admire to be.
00:05:54A great chef, a great father, a great husband,
00:05:57and just a great guy in general.
00:05:59Everybody loves Jet.
00:06:00He knows food, and he understands what it takes to win these things.
00:06:04I'm here to finish this chapter.
00:06:08There's no way I'm going to make it easy on Kevin.
00:06:10When we're in that arena, I mean, I'm absolutely there to destroy Kevin.
00:06:13I'm not there to be nice and not there to be friends.
00:06:16You know what I mean?
00:06:16He's in my way to get that belt.
00:06:19Jet is the dragon.
00:06:21So today I am slaying that dragon, Uncle Jet.
00:06:26Let's go.
00:06:27Let's go.
00:06:28Are you ready for a sensational semifinal showdown?
00:06:34Let's light this up!
00:06:37He became an executive chef in Vegas at the age of 21
00:06:41before returning to his Oklahoma birthplace
00:06:43and opened two critically acclaimed Korean-inspired steakhouses.
00:06:51He has topped multiple Best Chef lists in his home state
00:06:55and has won a James Beard Award semifinalist
00:06:58for Best Chef Southwest in 2025.
00:07:02He crushed the TOC5 qualifiers
00:07:05and made it to the Great Eight in TOC5 and TOC6,
00:07:10earning the nickname of the Dragon Slayer along the way.
00:07:14And this year, he's defeated Chef Joe Sasto
00:07:17in TOC7 quarterfinals with a pork collar dish
00:07:21that Judge Susan Feniger said was delicious.
00:07:24The dish really hits it right on the nose.
00:07:27Give it up for the Dragon Slayer,
00:07:29Chef Kevin Lee!
00:07:42Oh, boy.
00:07:44Now you're a competitor that is in the Final Four.
00:07:47Did you ever think this was gonna be the case?
00:07:50Never.
00:07:51It's just been an unbelievable ride.
00:07:52I just don't want it to end.
00:07:54You deserve to be here.
00:07:55Thank you, guys.
00:07:56Congratulations to be in the Final Four.
00:07:57Thank you, thank you.
00:07:57So happy for you.
00:07:58And talk about deserving to be here.
00:08:01He went from a tireless worker
00:08:03at his family's pioneering Thai market and restaurant
00:08:06to a celebrated chef named Culinary Ambassador
00:08:10of Thai cuisine by the Royal Thai Council General.
00:08:16He's a renowned culinary competitor
00:08:18and currently has 16 wins on TOC.
00:08:23And his defeat of Chef Jonathan Sawyer
00:08:26in the quarterfinals with a whole Branzino dish
00:08:28Judge Mei-Lynn called...
00:08:30I mean, just stellar.
00:08:31...has returned him to the Final Four
00:08:34for the fifth time.
00:08:38Make some noise for the Jetster,
00:08:40Chef Jet Keeler!
00:08:57Oh, yeah!
00:08:59Woo!
00:09:01Yeah!
00:09:02Yeah!
00:09:03Yeah!
00:09:04Yeah!
00:09:04Jet, this is your fifth time in the Final Four.
00:09:07What is different about this year?
00:09:11My mindset is totally different this year.
00:09:15I'm working with the randomizer, not against it.
00:09:18I'm here in the moment right now.
00:09:19Chefs, let's take it to the randomizer.
00:09:21Good luck.
00:09:22Oh!
00:09:28Once again, the randomizer will determine
00:09:31the mandatory details of your dish.
00:09:33The protein, the produce, the equipment.
00:09:36Style!
00:09:37This will be the predominant color of your dish.
00:09:39Will it be orange, white, or pink?
00:09:43What?
00:09:44Wild card ingredient.
00:09:46Ostrich egg, crown melon, and fresh seaweed from Monterey Bay.
00:09:51Oh, my God.
00:09:52Best of luck to both of you.
00:09:54Let's get busy.
00:09:55Going for protein!
00:09:57Let's go!
00:09:59Oh!
00:10:00Oh, man.
00:10:01Come on.
00:10:03Randa.
00:10:05What do you want to give us, Randa?
00:10:08Squab salmon, elk, salmon, elk, squab salmon belly.
00:10:13Oh.
00:10:14Cauliflower mushrooms.
00:10:16Oh, wow.
00:10:17Banana leaves, white, and ostrich egg.
00:10:23Goodbye.
00:10:24See you later.
00:10:28Have you guys ever opened an ostrich egg?
00:10:30No.
00:10:31Never.
00:10:31This is going to be so fun.
00:10:3345 minutes starts now.
00:10:35Good luck.
00:10:37I like this randomizer.
00:10:39Salmon belly is one of the best parts of the salmon.
00:10:41Fatty, really flavorful.
00:10:43Tons of opportunity.
00:10:45Cauliflower mushrooms look like, almost like a cauliflower.
00:10:48They have a mild, nutty flavor.
00:10:50Banana leaves are used all over the world.
00:10:51It really holds in the moisture.
00:10:53White.
00:10:54Well, you think about all the things that are white.
00:10:55I mean, there's a ton of vegetables that are white.
00:10:57Sauces that are white.
00:10:58Speaking of white, they're going to get it out of the ostrich egg.
00:11:01Tastes like a chicken egg, except 24 of them.
00:11:03It's going to be quite the battle.
00:11:0545 minutes.
00:11:06Oh, Justin.
00:11:08Hi-ya-ya.
00:11:10How are you?
00:11:11I'm thinking my way through this.
00:11:13Okay.
00:11:13That's good.
00:11:14Oh, my God.
00:11:15This is a trippy one.
00:11:17I'm joined, as always, by my incredible culinary commentators,
00:11:20the Michelin-recommended chef and the food genius,
00:11:23the wild-guard chef Justin Warner,
00:11:25and the brilliant Boston restaurateur
00:11:27and the TOC3 champ herself, sweet tea chef Tiffany Faison.
00:11:31Now, Justin and Tiffany are shadowing the chefs
00:11:34so they can faithfully present their dishes
00:11:36to the judges during the blind tasting.
00:11:37We're also joined by our roving reporter,
00:11:40the one and only Hunter Fieri,
00:11:41who will be talking with our winners backstage,
00:11:43and the culinary scholar, Simon Majendar,
00:11:46who will discuss each randomizer challenge with the judges.
00:11:50All right, Chef.
00:11:51Here we are.
00:11:52I'm going to get my rice going first.
00:11:53Okay, I hear you.
00:11:54For me to get the win from our legendary Jet Tila
00:11:57will mean the world to me.
00:12:00So my strategy is to cook my food.
00:12:04That's what got me here, and I'm sticking to my plan.
00:12:08So I'm going to make a .
00:12:10Hueda pap is like a salmon sashimi like bibimbap.
00:12:13It's like a cold seafood version of it.
00:12:15Hueda pap is still a very unknown dish.
00:12:18It's got seafood sashimi.
00:12:20It's got fresh vegetables.
00:12:22It was one of my favorite dishes growing up.
00:12:25I'm making a salmon belly hueda pap with mushroom rice.
00:12:31I'm adding the banana leaves on top
00:12:33to really absorb a lot of the aromatics
00:12:35from the banana leaves.
00:12:37Oh, yeah.
00:12:41I think I'm going to make a white donburi.
00:12:46Japanese donburi means meal over rice.
00:12:49I keep going to omelet over rice
00:12:53because that covers the egg
00:12:55and that covers a lot of white.
00:12:56And the protein is going to be salmon.
00:12:58I think Japanese food always has a high perception
00:13:02of refinement and is difficult to execute well.
00:13:06So I'm trying to show technique here against Kevin.
00:13:09I'm going to smoke some of this salmon in hay and banana.
00:13:15Got it.
00:13:16I take the salmon bellies.
00:13:18I run them over skewers.
00:13:19I add koji, which gives a ton of umami.
00:13:22And then I'm going to fire smoke it over banana leaf and hay.
00:13:26Don't do this at home.
00:13:27Hot.
00:13:28Very hot.
00:13:30To sear lightly and to penetrate with smoke.
00:13:33Did he get enough smoke?
00:13:34I mean, there's a lot of smoke there.
00:13:36And, you know, luckily there's a lot of fat,
00:13:38which is going to absorb a lot of that smoke.
00:13:40Okay.
00:13:40Let's focus.
00:13:42Thanks for all the support, team.
00:13:43You guys are the best.
00:13:46Kevin, how's it going, man?
00:13:48Chef?
00:13:49This one sucks.
00:13:49This one sucks.
00:13:50This one really sucks.
00:13:52When you have a color drive your dish,
00:13:55that's a massive challenge to overcome.
00:13:58Anything delicious like charring or frying or broiling
00:14:01is going to make food not white.
00:14:04It's going to make it brown.
00:14:05White.
00:14:06White.
00:14:06Everything's going to be super white.
00:14:10Using the white parts of the green onion.
00:14:13White typically equals no flavor.
00:14:15So this is going to be a huge challenge.
00:14:18Who can really hit that randomizer with the white?
00:14:22It's going to win this round.
00:14:25I'm nervous for them.
00:14:26I want it for them so badly.
00:14:28I want it for both of them.
00:14:29They really deserve to be here.
00:14:31I think this is one of the hardest TOCs I've seen.
00:14:33Agreed.
00:14:34Just breathe, brother.
00:14:36Just breathe.
00:14:36You got this.
00:14:40Chef Jet, Chef Kevin,
00:14:42you have 30 minutes left, 30 to go.
00:14:49My game plan is making sure this plate is all white
00:14:53from start to finish.
00:14:55One thing I know about the salmon bellies,
00:14:57if I take the skin off perfectly,
00:14:59it's going to leave a nice white flesh on that salmon.
00:15:02So I'm not going to cook the salmon for my quite a buck.
00:15:06White flesh!
00:15:07Jet is a strong competitor.
00:15:10He's always going to give it his all every single round.
00:15:13But I have earned my name Dragon Slayer through TOC.
00:15:17And I believe I've lived up to my nickname to this point.
00:15:21I'm hoping I can actually finish this thing this year.
00:15:25Tonight's judging will be done in a blind tasting
00:15:27by a panel of not three, but four award-winning chefs.
00:15:31Our judges are sequestered in their trailers,
00:15:33totally unaware of who's cooking,
00:15:35so their focus will be entirely on the food itself.
00:15:38They'll score the dishes based on taste,
00:15:40use of the items on the randomizer,
00:15:42and presentation.
00:15:43The chef with the top score
00:15:45will move on to the final battle.
00:15:46For the other chef,
00:15:48well, this will be their final cook.
00:15:53Whoo-hoo-hoo!
00:15:54Thank you!
00:15:5616 wins in the TOC universe
00:15:59makes me feel proud.
00:16:01But I've never made it to the final battle,
00:16:03and it's been heartbreaking.
00:16:05What's the plan with the rice, Chef?
00:16:06I'm gonna make mushroom rice.
00:16:08Just trying to get white in here as much as possible.
00:16:11If I win this $150,000 bucks,
00:16:13part of it goes to celebrate my family
00:16:15and what they endure because of my work, life, and schedule.
00:16:19And the rest basically goes to charity immediately
00:16:22for first responders in the military.
00:16:24My brother's been a longtime police officer.
00:16:26My best friends are all military and first responders,
00:16:29and I always felt like I didn't do my part.
00:16:32So this is the way I serve.
00:16:33I'm a staunch supporter of this country
00:16:36and its soldiers and its first responders.
00:16:40Thank you!
00:16:43Chefs, 20 minutes, 20 to go.
00:16:46Egg time.
00:16:47Egg time.
00:16:51Whoo!
00:16:52It's a big egg.
00:16:54Typically, this huay the bar is served with a red
00:16:57gochujang-based vinaigrette sauce called chojang.
00:17:01But today, the challenge is to make everything white.
00:17:05As I'm looking around, what is white?
00:17:08Egg whites are white.
00:17:09We got tofu that's white.
00:17:11Garlic is white.
00:17:12If I add a little vinegar in there,
00:17:14it's not gonna change the color.
00:17:16Every time I come on TOC to make Korean food,
00:17:19I feel super proud to represent my culture.
00:17:23Being an immigrant kid in America,
00:17:25I've always felt like I was a step behind.
00:17:28I've always felt like I had to do more
00:17:30to achieve the same thing as others.
00:17:33And here I am in the semifinals.
00:17:35That grit and hard work has finally gotten me here.
00:17:40Oh, yeah.
00:17:4215 minutes remaining.
00:17:4415 to go.
00:17:47Egg go in, Chuck.
00:17:48Not yet. It's going in right now.
00:17:49I need an ostrich egg for the omelet on top.
00:17:52These are giant.
00:17:54Oh, my God.
00:17:58I still feel the salmon is under.
00:18:01I still feel it's kind of fatty,
00:18:02and it needs to cook a little bit.
00:18:04So I lay my salmon in there,
00:18:05and I really want kind of this loose, runny omelet.
00:18:0912 minutes.
00:18:14Egg-cellent.
00:18:15I want to really use this ostrich egg multiple times.
00:18:19I want it to be a little bit more meaningful.
00:18:21It'll be nice to have a nice, thick, savory meringue.
00:18:25Got a nice mouthfeel.
00:18:27I'm adding vinegar.
00:18:28I'm adding garlic.
00:18:32Egglet's working a savory meringue.
00:18:35Merengue is not typical for an huena pot,
00:18:38but we're playing a game.
00:18:40We're playing that randomizer.
00:18:43This is going to make our sauce, too.
00:18:45Okay.
00:18:45Murin bonito flake.
00:18:47Yup.
00:18:47I also have to make a crispy mushroom.
00:18:49I also want to use the mushroom in another way.
00:18:52Tempura water.
00:18:53I'm making tempura water,
00:18:55which is basically water and eggs.
00:18:58And once that comes together with the flour and the starch,
00:19:00it makes a really nice crispy batter for the mushrooms.
00:19:03Whites.
00:19:04Give me whites.
00:19:05Yes, exactly like that.
00:19:06I also wanted one more moment for ostrich eggs,
00:19:09so I'm going to make a sauce.
00:19:10I'm just having the banana catch that and cook that a little bit.
00:19:14I'm basically going to make like an aioli-style sauce
00:19:17using the cooked ostrich egg.
00:19:19And you need egg yolk to emulsify.
00:19:21So I take the egg, put it into a blender,
00:19:23add some white miso,
00:19:25and then I hit that with a little bit of yuzu kosho.
00:19:28It's coming out definitely more on the mustardy color.
00:19:31I have too high of a percentage of egg yolk,
00:19:34but it's too late to try to make this white.
00:19:37I'm always cooking for flavor, you know?
00:19:40I mean, when I'm a judge,
00:19:42dishes that win are the most delicious, no matter what.
00:19:44And that's how I cook.
00:19:47The next thing I want to make is a quick slaw.
00:19:50So I'm grabbing the white Napa cabbage.
00:19:52I'm adding white parts of the green onions.
00:19:55I'm adding white onions.
00:19:57And I know if you fry up some rice paper in the fryer,
00:20:02it'll pump up to this nice white cylinder.
00:20:04I can almost use it as a lid to sit on top
00:20:07to cover everything in white.
00:20:09It's not just about who cooks the best food.
00:20:12It's about who plays the game right.
00:20:17Four minutes, chefs. Four to go.
00:20:22I start building the dish with the mushroom rice.
00:20:26I slide on the omelet with the salmon in it.
00:20:32They're not completely white, but enough fat in it.
00:20:35Yeah.
00:20:35I put a little bit of the miso yuzu kosho sauce on,
00:20:39and then I garnish with scallion.
00:20:41And I finish topping the dish
00:20:43with those white, crispy cauliflower mushroom bits.
00:20:46This is the dish I want to eat.
00:20:48I always cook from the belly.
00:20:50Let's get two more wins.
00:20:51I'm two cooks away from winning this whole thing.
00:20:54I'm just wondering if I have enough white on the plate.
00:20:56Two minutes, chefs. Two to go.
00:21:00To plate my huedo pa,
00:21:02I'm going to set a nice banana leaf on the plate,
00:21:05going in with the mushroom rice.
00:21:07Then we have the pickled napa cabbage
00:21:09with the salmon sashimi,
00:21:12some daikon radish that has been shredded
00:21:14with our tofu vinaigrette
00:21:16with the savory meringue
00:21:18and the crispy rice paper.
00:21:20Feels good.
00:21:21This white, I know the flavors are there.
00:21:24I mean, it's a big moment for me.
00:21:27I need to take this win to get to that belt.
00:21:29That will truly change my life.
00:21:32Five, four, three, two, one.
00:21:37We're done.
00:21:38Done.
00:21:44Chefs, that was a randomizer
00:21:46in a battle worthy of a semifinal.
00:21:50Back to your trailers.
00:21:51Good job.
00:21:52Chef Jack.
00:21:53Chef Kevin.
00:21:55Bring those superstar judges in.
00:21:59I don't even know what happened out there.
00:22:01Let me see that.
00:22:02That was a hard randomizer.
00:22:04It's not a slam dunk.
00:22:05It's just about cooking better than Kevin.
00:22:07That's what this one's about.
00:22:09It was a really, really hard randomizer.
00:22:11I just hope that I win.
00:22:12You know, I just, I really hope that I can move on.
00:22:15Being in final for jail for the fifth time is on the line.
00:22:20This was tough.
00:22:22I don't know if I should do this again.
00:22:23Ladies and gentlemen, our TOC judges have been waiting in their trailer
00:22:27for their first blind tasting.
00:22:28Let's meet them.
00:22:30First, acclaimed executive chef and winner of Top Chef Season 12,
00:22:35and TOC for champ, Chef Malin.
00:22:41Hey, Lynn is back.
00:22:43Wow.
00:22:45She gets this style of food.
00:22:48The first ever female Iron Chef who has opened over 18 restaurants
00:22:52across the U.S. and around the world.
00:22:54Iron Chef, Kat Cora.
00:22:59Woo!
00:23:01No way.
00:23:03Discerning palates, Iron Chef, come on.
00:23:06Next, folks, one of the remarkable titans on Bobby's Triple Threat,
00:23:10a Top Chef winner, and the champion of the very first TOC,
00:23:16V-Dub, Chef Brooke Williamson.
00:23:21The champ is back.
00:23:23It's nice to be judged by chefs that have cooked in his kitchen.
00:23:27It's gonna take you, along with one other judge, to help us find the TOC 7 champ.
00:23:33No pressure.
00:23:34Joining us for the first time, a chef whose first restaurant was called
00:23:38the most important restaurant in America by Bon Appetit,
00:23:41who has won six James Beard Awards and earned honors like GQ's Man of the Year,
00:23:47and whose restaurant retained two Michelin stars for an incredible 14 years.
00:23:53Ladies and gentlemen, an honor and a pleasure to welcome Chef David Chang!
00:23:59Whoa!
00:24:00Oh!
00:24:03I just made windowpuffer David Chang!
00:24:06Holy crap!
00:24:08No way.
00:24:10That is crazy.
00:24:13No way David is here.
00:24:16Wow!
00:24:19Just so honored to be here.
00:24:23He is my idol, and he's here eating my food.
00:24:27I have to get to the next round.
00:24:29This has been a tough night, folks, I'll tell you already.
00:24:32The randomizer determined the chefs had to make salmon belly,
00:24:37cauliflower mushrooms,
00:24:38the equipment that needed to be employed was banana leaves,
00:24:42the style of the dish was white,
00:24:44and the wild card ingredient was ostrich egg.
00:24:49And here to tell you about the first chef's dish, Chef Tiffany Faison!
00:24:56This chef would like you to mix everything up as you eat.
00:24:58This is way the pop.
00:25:00This is a summer-style Korean salmon sashimi.
00:25:03A sushi-style rice was constructed by cooking out the rice with banana leaf.
00:25:08The white sauce on top of your rice and your fish is constructed of lightly cooked ostrich egg, the white
00:25:13only.
00:25:14The savory meringue was whipped with the ostrich egg whites.
00:25:16Then you have a white julienne of daikon.
00:25:19Rice paper then finishes the dish to add a little bit of crunch.
00:25:24Very interesting.
00:25:26I think this is a really delicious dish.
00:25:30Yes.
00:25:31I think the salmon belly is very tender.
00:25:34I know how hard it is to cook with an ostrich egg.
00:25:36I did that at Iron Chef.
00:25:37So I like the fact that they whipped it and made a meringue out of it.
00:25:41I think it's nice and light on top.
00:25:43I'll take it.
00:25:44There's so many smart technique-forward moves on this plate.
00:25:48The meringue itself has so much flavor.
00:25:51The banana leaf, I don't taste it a whole lot.
00:25:53I definitely see it.
00:25:55Randomizer-wise, I would say that that's the weakest point.
00:25:59I really love the textural components that really just amp up this dish.
00:26:04You obviously see white.
00:26:06There's white throughout.
00:26:07I mean, just texture alone.
00:26:09The fried crispies, as well as the fried rice paper,
00:26:11I think really made this dish a star.
00:26:14Oh!
00:26:16Good gameplay.
00:26:18Well, Juedo Pap is one of my favorite dishes in Korean cuisine.
00:26:22My mom loved eating it.
00:26:24Juedo Pap!
00:26:26This is not the traditional version.
00:26:28But that's why we're here.
00:26:29To reinterpret and to sort of express oneself.
00:26:32And I think it was a bold take.
00:26:34But it is very, very flavorful.
00:26:37No!
00:26:38The leaf, it was harder to taste.
00:26:40But I think it was a dish that showcased the chef's ability to have a lot of technique and culinary
00:26:47knowledge.
00:26:47And that was on full display here.
00:26:49Fantastic.
00:26:50Thank you very much, judges.
00:26:51Your scorecards are in front of you.
00:26:53You have 50 points available in the taste.
00:26:5540 points in the use of the randomizer.
00:26:58And 10 points for the plating.
00:27:00I mean, David Chang is literally one of the reasons I started cooking.
00:27:06It's probably the coolest moment of my TLC career.
00:27:10David Chang eating my food.
00:27:11This is outrunning just Kevin to get to the finale.
00:27:16All right, judges, here to present the second dish, the wild card, Chef Justin Warner.
00:27:21This is a sake harasu, or salmon belly and cauliflower mushroom donburi.
00:27:26So the salmon belly was skewered and smoked over the banana leaf.
00:27:30From there, the salmon belly was placed in the final cooking of ostrich egg omelet.
00:27:36For the cauliflower mushroom, these were chopped, seasoned with koji, and then sauteed with butter,
00:27:41just to get a little color but retain some of their whiteness.
00:27:44In addition, you'll find some as the tempura crunch.
00:27:47They're eating.
00:27:48Keep eating.
00:27:49Keep eating.
00:27:50This is nerve-wracking.
00:27:53Another incredibly delicious dish.
00:27:56The salmon belly here has been sliced slightly thinner and warmed by the hot rice,
00:28:02and so I'm actually able to break it up as it melts and mix it in, which I really like.
00:28:07I like how the mushrooms were treated in a couple of different ways.
00:28:11I think that this is a bowl of food that I want to dig into and sit by myself with.
00:28:17Yes, yes, more positive.
00:28:19This is a feeling word.
00:28:21This is definitely a craveable bowl of food.
00:28:25Yes, it's a feeling word.
00:28:26It doesn't read as white as the first dish, but that's because the whole ostrich egg was used.
00:28:33I think this is a delicious dish overall.
00:28:37You know, it's got a lot of great elements.
00:28:39It's got smoke.
00:28:39It's got crispiness.
00:28:40It's got texture.
00:28:41They're still eating.
00:28:42They're still eating.
00:28:43But gameplay is white, and I don't think they hit that mark.
00:28:47Mm-hmm.
00:28:48Gameplay is white.
00:28:49But otherwise, the flavor overall is delicious.
00:28:53Absolutely delicious.
00:28:54That would be a close one.
00:28:56This is hard.
00:28:57This is really hard, because on one hand, it is delicious.
00:29:00I think on the white palate, as we've mentioned, there were choices that could have been made to reinforce that.
00:29:08I think they could have just done egg whites.
00:29:11But again, like, that doesn't mean that it's not delicious.
00:29:13It's a very delicious dish.
00:29:15Wow.
00:29:1650 points again.
00:29:17Available in taste.
00:29:1840 points in the use of the randomizer.
00:29:21And 10 for the plating.
00:29:23It was hard to not make the most delicious food, you know?
00:29:29Sacrifice that richness to stay with egg whites, and I can see that being the thing that sends me home.
00:29:37Casa.
00:29:39Casa.
00:29:39I mean, wow.
00:29:43Let's bring our chefs out.
00:29:44Chef Chetila.
00:29:47Chef Kevin Lee.
00:29:56Chefs, what a pleasure.
00:29:58For the first semifinal battle, here are the scores.
00:30:0383 to 81.
00:30:05Wow.
00:30:07Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the first semifinal battle between Chef Chetila and Chef Kevin Lee is...
00:30:25Chef Kevin Lee!
00:30:30Chef Kevin Lee!
00:30:33Congratulations!
00:30:35Well played together.
00:30:37So well played.
00:30:44I want to say really quickly, thank you guys.
00:30:47I hear you when I'm here.
00:30:48I won't quit if you won't quit.
00:30:50Thank you to the crew.
00:30:51There you have it!
00:30:52The Jetster, Chef Chetila!
00:30:55Thanks guys, we'll see you later.
00:30:56Thank you everybody.
00:31:03Oh, it hurts, but you know, Kevin played a great game.
00:31:10I'll never quit.
00:31:12But, you know, dumping out every time in this round is always tough.
00:31:20But you know what?
00:31:21I own it.
00:31:21I did it to myself.
00:31:23Could have played the game better.
00:31:24I take full responsibility.
00:31:26So I'm going to lick my wounds.
00:31:28I'm going to go think about it.
00:31:30I'm going to rest, get some therapy, and I'll come back next year.
00:31:37You have created the Dragonslayer.
00:31:40You have lived up to the Dragonslayer.
00:31:44And Chef Kevin Lee, you are in the finals of TOC 7!
00:31:50Congratulations!
00:31:51Congratulations!
00:31:51Oh!
00:31:57One win away from the championship!
00:32:01And more.
00:32:02Standing between you and that opportunity are two chefs.
00:32:08Chef Fultaggio or Chef Gilbert?
00:32:11They're both killers.
00:32:12I don't know who it's going to be, but I'll tell you what we do know right now.
00:32:14You're in the finals, my friend.
00:32:16You're in the finals!
00:32:17Let's go!
00:32:19Ladies and gentlemen, the Dragonslayer, Chef Kevin Lee.
00:32:23We will see you later tonight.
00:32:24Congratulations.
00:32:25Wow!
00:32:26Wow!
00:32:30Let's go!
00:32:33Oh my gosh.
00:32:35I just beat Uncle Jack.
00:32:37Congratulations.
00:32:38What's going through your head right now?
00:32:39I'm in the finale.
00:32:40Dude, you're in the finale.
00:32:41You know, I've had a lot of big wins in this arena.
00:32:43Yeah.
00:32:43But this one feels special.
00:32:45Money on the line.
00:32:46Bell on the line.
00:32:47You know, the ring on the line.
00:32:49One more battle to go.
00:32:50One more battle to go.
00:32:50You ready?
00:32:51Absolutely.
00:32:52Congratulations, brother.
00:32:53So let's talk about these dishes.
00:32:56I think one felt like you were eating at a fine dining restaurant.
00:32:59I thought it was a beautiful dish.
00:33:00So let's turn to the next dish.
00:33:03So let's turn to the next dish.
00:33:03The stakes are super high.
00:33:04We're at the semifinal now.
00:33:05And I just think the chef missed the mark on the white style.
00:33:09Not using that full ostrich egg and just using the white part.
00:33:12You know, I think that in itself would have made a huge difference in that final dish.
00:33:19You ready to do this?
00:33:20Yes!
00:33:21I know you just like me on the edge of your seat waiting to meet the other two contenders
00:33:26that are going for the crown.
00:33:28We have the number eight seed chef, Kenny Gilbert.
00:33:31The only TOC qualifier winner to ever make it to the final four.
00:33:36This has been a dream come true to make it through all these cooks from qualifiers
00:33:40and round one, two, and three to make it here.
00:33:44I'm just a ball of energy and nerves and I'm super pumped to cook.
00:33:48His opponent is the number three seed chef, Brian Valtaggio,
00:33:51who is back after his TOC all-star Christmas team victory with his brother, Michael.
00:33:56I feel good.
00:33:57I still keep some nervous energy, of course, going into these cooks
00:34:01to remind myself what's at stake.
00:34:03I've never had my own individual win.
00:34:05I have what it takes to do it.
00:34:07I know that whatever Brian cooks, he's going to be very smart.
00:34:11My goal is to get as many points as I possibly can and do everything right.
00:34:16I know Kenny is an incredible cook, you know, so I know this is going to be a big battle.
00:34:20Here he is from the play-ins all the way to the final four.
00:34:23Are you ready?
00:34:24I'm ready. Okay, let's do this.
00:34:25All right, chef, you ready to battle?
00:34:26Yep, no longer going to be the runner-up.
00:34:28This is my year.
00:34:29I'm ready to go.
00:34:30Are you ready to meet the contenders?
00:34:33So let's light this up!
00:34:39His dad gave him his own outdoor grill at the age of seven,
00:34:42and he was cooking the family's Thanksgiving dinner from scratch by the time he was 11.
00:34:47He went on to serve as executive chef at some of the most prestigious resorts in America and the Caribbean.
00:34:53He is cooked for the Sports Illustrated Super Bowl party, the G8 Summit, and Oprah.
00:34:59He entered the tournament with a qualifiers win, took down top-seeded culinary icon Aron Sanchez in the first round,
00:35:07and earned the highest score of the second round with a 91.
00:35:11And in the quarterfinals, he outcooked Iron Chef Stephanie Izard with a whole duck dish that Judge Brooke Williamson said.
00:35:19Delicious broth.
00:35:20The excitement that I'm feeling.
00:35:21There's so much flavor here.
00:35:22Give a big welcome to the beast of the kitchen, Chef Kenny Gilbert!
00:35:37How does it feel, Chef, to be the only qualifier in the history of TOC that has ever made it
00:35:45to the Final Four?
00:35:47It feels amazing.
00:35:48You know, it's just validation that all the things I've been doing over the last 35-plus years in this
00:35:54business is coming to light.
00:35:55Well done, Chef.
00:35:57Welcome to the semifinals.
00:35:59Your opponent, he was mentored by the legendary Charlie Palmer and cut his teeth in Michelin-starred kitchen.
00:36:08He's a two-time James Beard Award nominee and a three-time Top Chef finalist.
00:36:15And he's on a tear in TOC 7, taking down James Beard nominee Dan Jacobs in a tough second-round
00:36:22battle with a dish that Hubert Keller called
00:36:24Perfectly executed.
00:36:27Outscoring culinary warrior Shirley Chung in the quarterfinals with a dish Judges called Just Wow.
00:36:33The TOC Christmas Champ, the Vault of the East, Chef Brian Voltaggio!
00:36:52You've had one of the most unique runs in TOC, unsuccessful in the first few attempts.
00:36:58Come back with your brother into Christmas holiday, have a gigantic win with a score of 98.
00:37:04This is long overdue to get to this point right now where I got a chance to move on to
00:37:08hopefully get my first victory.
00:37:09I'm locked in.
00:37:11Gentlemen, one of you two will be going to the finals of TOC 7.
00:37:14And Chefs, to the randomizer. Let's go!
00:37:20There we go.
00:37:23Gentlemen, let's get after it. Here we go. Going for protein.
00:37:35Swab chicken livers!
00:37:38Okay.
00:37:39Chicken livers and...
00:37:41Kohlrabi!
00:37:43Spetzel maker.
00:37:45Pink crown melon.
00:37:47All right.
00:37:4945 minutes on the clock, Chefs.
00:37:51All I have to offer you is...
00:37:53Good luck. Thank you.
00:37:58Chicken livers.
00:38:00Less gamey than, like, beef liver.
00:38:02Kohlrabi is a cruciferous vegetable, and it's a little peppery, kind of like broccoli.
00:38:07Spetzel maker.
00:38:08Use it to shred or grate something through it.
00:38:10Pink's perfect for having, one, the kohlrabi can take on a color.
00:38:14So they can infuse that with maybe a little beet juice or something to make it pink.
00:38:18The crown melon.
00:38:19Take your favorite honeydew melon you've ever had, times 10.
00:38:22One grows per plant.
00:38:24I think this is a really good randomizer.
00:38:26The style is pink.
00:38:27I just want to make sure that it doesn't look like it is through pink on a plate.
00:38:30Like, I want it still to make sense as you're eating through it.
00:38:34So I'm thinking about doing, like, a chicken fried chicken liver.
00:38:37I'm going to use kohlrabi and also the melon to make a pickle and a yogurt sauce made with kohlrabi
00:38:44tops and, obviously, very pink spetzel.
00:38:47So I start soaking the chicken livers in pink salt and buttermilk.
00:38:50I'm only going to be using pink salt today.
00:38:53I see you.
00:38:54So I'm finding these nice, plump chicken livers.
00:38:56I'm going to dredge them in flour, go into the egg wash, and then this corn cereal mixture.
00:39:01I know to beat Kenny, I have to make sure that everything I'm doing on my plate is very intentional.
00:39:07That's the only way I'm going to be able to beat him.
00:39:09I mean, this is my only chance to get in the finale to be able to go against Kevin Lee.
00:39:14I've never competed against Brian before.
00:39:16I've watched him compete.
00:39:18He's a dog.
00:39:19His flavors, his technique are second to none.
00:39:22But I'm going to leave it all in the arena and make it to the finals.
00:39:25What's the plan, Chef?
00:39:28Szechuan flavored crispy chicken livers.
00:39:31That's going to go on a base of a kohlrabi puree that's going to be infused with some of the
00:39:36crown melon,
00:39:38sautéed, spatel, and a Szechuan peppercorn sauce.
00:39:44This should do a little Szechuan rub.
00:39:46When you look at this dish, it should be screen pink.
00:39:49So I'm going to use this beet puree juice for my foundation to make all these other ingredients pink.
00:39:55Spatel in kohlrabi, Chef?
00:39:56Yes.
00:39:57I grated the kohlrabi.
00:39:58I added them to the blender with my beet puree so that I can add those flavors into the flour
00:40:06to make my dough.
00:40:10Chef, I think I know the answer to this.
00:40:12Did you see this coming 11 weeks ago when you were in the qualifiers?
00:40:15I was planning on it.
00:40:16I mean, the goal was I didn't come out here to play games.
00:40:19I was here to win.
00:40:21I've gone through a lot throughout my lifetime.
00:40:23I lost my first wife, and I was like 21 years old.
00:40:27I was raising my daughter.
00:40:28She grew up with me in the business, and I'm there 10, 12 hours a day, and at one point,
00:40:33you know, having nannies.
00:40:34And I know when she looks at this, she'll be able to talk about how proud she is of me
00:40:40and understanding what I did.
00:40:41I think it'll resonate with her now.
00:40:43So for me to be here is absolutely amazing, and I'm here to take it all.
00:40:50Chef Kitty, Chef Brian, 30 minutes, 30 to go.
00:40:55I'm gonna have pink hands by the time I'm done, too.
00:40:58Easiest way to use a spetzle maker is to use it what it's for, make spetzle.
00:41:01In this case, I knew I could make a pink spetzle if I used beet juice.
00:41:05Make a mess today.
00:41:06This beet juice going into buttermilk, which is what we typically use to make our spetzle,
00:41:11it's pink right in the bowl.
00:41:13And so to use the spetzle maker, you have to make sure the dough is, like, thick enough
00:41:16that you can actually run the grater over the boiling water to make the spetzle.
00:41:21Someday he'll tell our grandkids, I made pink spetzle.
00:41:25Yes, one day I will tell my grandkids I took that.
00:41:27I want to win this money because it could do a lot of things for us.
00:41:30I mean, not only for my family, but also I work with No Kid Hungry,
00:41:32so it'll be able to change other people's lives.
00:41:34You know, but for us personally, I want to be able to spend, you know,
00:41:38a really great long vacation where it's just my family before they just get to, you know,
00:41:44before they don't want to hang out with me anymore, you know what I mean?
00:41:47You guys make me do weird stuff here.
00:41:5025 minutes to go, chefs. 25.
00:41:54What's the plan here?
00:41:55So I'm doing my little buttermilk egg batter.
00:41:58Szechuan marinade.
00:41:59It's very, very important to marinate the chicken lovers
00:42:01to kind of take away some of that funk.
00:42:04Chicken liver functions the same as our liver.
00:42:06It functions as almost like the filter.
00:42:08They have a pretty predictable flavor, and that is of iron.
00:42:12When I think about Szechuan, I think about the time that I was working in the restaurant
00:42:15at the Ritz-Carlton, Osaka.
00:42:17Working in that kitchen, I learned a lot about the culture and the cuisine.
00:42:21I'm here to take all my experience over the last 35-plus years of cooking at a high level
00:42:27and make it all shine today and make it to the finals.
00:42:31Normally, you would pickle the rind, right? So...
00:42:34Next, I'm gonna make a really quick pickle using dill and the melon and turn it pink somehow.
00:42:40So I'm gonna add rice wine vinegar.
00:42:41I'm gonna make hibiscus tea, which is really high in acid.
00:42:44And I'll be able to pour that over the melon and tint the melon's color.
00:42:48That's good.
00:42:49Kind of dill pickle flavors, maybe, in there.
00:42:51I think it complements German spitzle.
00:42:55Kohlrabi is gonna be super important to, like, feature in this dish,
00:42:58and I use it in three different ways.
00:43:00Pickle the kohlrabi and the beet juice.
00:43:02It's gonna be two different pickles.
00:43:04Pizza red.
00:43:05Kohlrabi is white, red plus white.
00:43:07Pink.
00:43:10But I'm also going to make a soubise.
00:43:12Soubise is a classic French onion sauce.
00:43:15It's typically stewed down with butter and cream, pureed smooth.
00:43:18This is the kohlrabi onion.
00:43:19Red onion, kohlrabi, the melon.
00:43:24And then I know I can blanch the kohlrabi leaves and puree that really smooth.
00:43:29This is the kohlrabi tops.
00:43:30Kohlrabi tops.
00:43:31Nice play.
00:43:32I like that.
00:43:33But I want to add something like yogurt.
00:43:35Something that has, like, a dairy component to the dish
00:43:36that adds a little bit of richness, another pop of acid.
00:43:40The time is going really in my favor.
00:43:42I feel like I'm running a marathon.
00:43:43Like, it's working.
00:43:44You know?
00:43:45There's no sprints here.
00:43:46And I feel like this is something I've trained for, so I'm ready for it.
00:43:50Ten minutes, chefs.
00:43:51You have ten left.
00:43:53Next step, I'm gonna start working on my pink kohlrabi puree.
00:43:58The kohlrabi crowned melon puree.
00:44:00I'm gonna put some of this melon in there to sweeten it up.
00:44:03I want the sweetness to kind of come through to offset some of the earthiness from the kohlrabi.
00:44:09Now what are we doing?
00:44:11I'm making the Szechuan sauce.
00:44:13So I'm taking some of the Szechuan spices, some fish sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin, black bean paste.
00:44:23Chili crisp?
00:44:24Chili crisp.
00:44:25Do a little black garlic as well.
00:44:26To win the entire title here, coming up from qualifiers, that will be the ultimate bragging rights.
00:44:35My goal is to cement my legacy here.
00:44:38I want my kids and my grandkids to be able to say, wow, that's papa.
00:44:42Look at how hard he's working.
00:44:44That legacy means the world to me.
00:44:47Feeling it?
00:44:47Yes.
00:44:49Five minutes, five to go.
00:44:51They better get busy.
00:44:54So the first thing I'm gonna do is, like, put down the soubis, like, all over the plate.
00:44:58I want there to be pink, pink, pink, like, all over the dish.
00:45:02Then I'm going to put in the kohlrabi yogurt.
00:45:04I think it's really important that there's contrast in colors, so it really makes the pink pop.
00:45:11Then I put a really nice portion of the beet spetzel right in the center, chicken liver on top, and
00:45:16then the pickles.
00:45:17And that's it.
00:45:19I feel like in the last two cooks, I wasn't really careful with my plating.
00:45:22I want to make sure this plate looks beautiful, because it's going to get me those 10 points.
00:45:26I'm extremely proud of what I've done in this cook.
00:45:29There is nothing, nothing I would take off of that plate.
00:45:32I feel really confident in going into this judging.
00:45:3790 seconds, chef. 90 seconds.
00:45:42So the first thing I put down is my kohlrabi beet puree.
00:45:46Then I put down my sauteed pink spatzel and the greens, sauteed in butter.
00:45:53Then I went ahead and topped it with my fried chicken liver.
00:45:56Then I drizzled my Szechuan peppercorn sauce.
00:46:00Then I went ahead and put my torch crowned melon pieces.
00:46:03This is going to balance out the spice.
00:46:05And then I took my candy-striped beets and put that on top as like a lid.
00:46:10I'm so happy with my dish.
00:46:12I want to be known as the best.
00:46:14I want the respect from my peers.
00:46:15My goal is to get to the finals.
00:46:17I'm going to go ahead and take care of business.
00:46:19Five, four, three, two, one.
00:46:23We're done.
00:46:25That ends the semifinals, folks.
00:46:30Gentlemen, that was a beautiful, beautiful cook.
00:46:33Thank you so much.
00:46:35Great job.
00:46:39That was my best cook.
00:46:43Let's go.
00:46:44Let's go.
00:46:45Kenny's a beast, literally.
00:46:47We all know that.
00:46:48But I feel good about what I put together with what the randomizer felt.
00:46:51I feel very proud about my dish.
00:46:54There's nothing else I can do.
00:46:58That challenge was, it was a challenge.
00:47:01You know, you got to use all your senses.
00:47:03You got to think about the components on the plate.
00:47:05It was a hard randomizer.
00:47:06Yeah, it was really hard.
00:47:08Yeah, I was shocked when I saw it.
00:47:10Very happy about what I did.
00:47:12I'm going to hit high marks in the presentation.
00:47:13I feel good about what I left in that kitchen.
00:47:16It looks like Kenny does, too.
00:47:18Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome back our judges.
00:47:20DOC 4 champ, Mei Lin.
00:47:22Oh, well.
00:47:23Come on, Mei Mei.
00:47:25Iron Chef, Kat Cora.
00:47:27She's tough.
00:47:29DOC 1 champ, Brooke Williamson.
00:47:31And Brooke and Mei, I know very well.
00:47:34They know this kitchen more than any of us.
00:47:37And six-time James Beard award winner, Chef David Chang.
00:47:40Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho.
00:47:43I'm an incredible cook.
00:47:44Amazing palate.
00:47:45Let's go.
00:47:46The anticipation is killing me right now.
00:47:48I really want the judges to try the food.
00:47:49And I really want to find out what's going on.
00:47:52Judges, tonight for this second semifinal battle,
00:47:55the randomizer served up chicken livers.
00:47:57Kohlrabi, the spetzle maker.
00:48:00Pink.
00:48:01The wild card ingredient was crowned melon.
00:48:04Justin Warner.
00:48:04Judges, you will notice some flavors of Sichuan.
00:48:08The chicken livers were fried.
00:48:10A sauce was crafted of black garlic, oyster sauce,
00:48:14orange juice, blended with some chili crisp.
00:48:16And you'll see that crowning the chicken livers.
00:48:19The kohlrabi was pureed with crowned melon.
00:48:22You'll find that puree at the bottom.
00:48:24The spetzle maker was employed to make spetzle.
00:48:26The crowned melon has been used to crown the dish.
00:48:31Let's go. Let's go.
00:48:33I think it's a really good dish.
00:48:36It is hitting spice for me.
00:48:38It's hitting the crispness and texture for me.
00:48:40They use the spetzle maker in a great way,
00:48:43making a beet spetzle.
00:48:44And I love that melon.
00:48:46So I think the chef did a great job.
00:48:48Thank you, chef.
00:48:49There's a lot of different ingredients in here
00:48:51that you wouldn't necessarily put together.
00:48:54But I think that this chef put this together really expertly.
00:48:57Totally.
00:48:58The flavors of that glaze over the fried chicken livers is delicious.
00:49:03It's literally an umami bomb.
00:49:05Yes! Let's go!
00:49:07I like the usage of the kohlrabi tops in there.
00:49:10I think that kohlrabi is such an underutilized vegetable.
00:49:13These chicken livers are beautifully fried.
00:49:15They're slightly overcooked on my plate,
00:49:18so I feel like they've gotten a little bit mealy in the center.
00:49:20Let me start off by saying sometimes too much is too much.
00:49:25This is something where, weirdly, everything's balanced.
00:49:29Awesome.
00:49:30Everything is very flavorful, including the pickled beets.
00:49:33Everything was intentional.
00:49:34The nitpicking bits to me were the knife cuts a little too rustico.
00:49:40But overall, this is one of the crazier dishes I've ever had.
00:49:43It worked.
00:49:44Thank you, chef.
00:49:4550 points available for the taste,
00:49:4840 points for the use of the randomizer, and 10 in plating.
00:49:51I left it all on the arena.
00:49:53Tenny did a great job.
00:49:55All right, judges, here to present the second dish
00:49:57is our TOC champ, Tiffany Faison.
00:50:02Judges, in front of you is chicken fried chicken livers
00:50:06with pink spetzel, kohlrabi leaf yogurt sauce,
00:50:09and crown melon and kohlrabi soubise.
00:50:12Finally, a pickling liquid of hibiscus tea
00:50:14and red wine vinegar were constructed
00:50:16to create the crown melon rind pickle
00:50:19and Julianne of kohlrabi that was also dressed with dill.
00:50:27This dish is insane.
00:50:29Hell yes!
00:50:30Yes!
00:50:31It's spectacular.
00:50:33The way that the crown melon was treated in that pickle
00:50:36balanced this entire dish.
00:50:39The seasoning on the chicken liver is slightly over
00:50:44if I'm gonna nitpick on this dish.
00:50:47I have to say this is one of the most thoughtful,
00:50:50finessed, refined dishes that I've seen on TOC.
00:50:55Holy .
00:50:56I am finding really nothing bad to say about this.
00:51:02Ugh.
00:51:03Because the chicken liver has so much fat,
00:51:06you need that acidity that you get from the pickles
00:51:09to balance it all out.
00:51:10I don't understand how this got done in the amount of time.
00:51:13This is really shocking to me.
00:51:16This is spetzel.
00:51:17It's delicious.
00:51:18Both chefs did that.
00:51:19I think I like this spetzel just a touch more
00:51:22only because it's got a nice little mouth feel to it.
00:51:25Thank you, Kat.
00:51:26All right, judges.
00:51:27Thank you very much.
00:51:2950 points available in taste,
00:51:3140 points in the use of the randomizer,
00:51:32and 10 in plating.
00:51:34To remind you, this is for the final spot in the finale.
00:51:37I've never felt better.
00:51:38Win or lose.
00:51:39Those comments I can go home on.
00:51:42You know, I knew Brian was gonna bring it.
00:51:44You know, he's gonna take it to a whole nother level.
00:51:46Um, I'm very proud of my cook.
00:51:48I can tell it's close.
00:51:49Probably gonna both score pretty high.
00:51:52And I'll tell you one thing.
00:51:53If I get through this one,
00:51:55I'm not gonna be runner-up.
00:51:57That ain't happening.
00:51:58Ladies and gentlemen,
00:51:59that was an exciting second round of the semifinals.
00:52:02Let's bring these two competitors back in.
00:52:04Chef Kenny Gilbert!
00:52:07Chef Brian Bocazio!
00:52:14Very, very high scores.
00:52:17One chef scored a 88.
00:52:20Wow.
00:52:24The other chef, a 94.
00:52:28Ladies and gentlemen,
00:52:30the winner of the semifinal battle between Chef Brian Bocazio
00:52:33and Chef Kenny Gilbert is...
00:52:41Ladies and gentlemen,
00:52:43the winner is...
00:52:44Brian Bocazio!
00:52:47Brian Bocazio!
00:52:49Wow!
00:52:56Chef Kenny,
00:52:58this meteoric rise you have had in TOC 7
00:53:01has been unbelievable.
00:53:04No, I'm very honored.
00:53:05Um, I knew it was gonna be a tough battle,
00:53:07and I'm very proud of my score.
00:53:09Yeah.
00:53:09What can I do?
00:53:11Kenny Gilbert!
00:53:17I knew it was gonna take damn their perfection,
00:53:21um, and I felt very good about everything that I did,
00:53:24so I'm very grateful for the opportunity.
00:53:27Congratulations.
00:53:30Let's take a look, Chef.
00:53:32I've never seen my name so many times on that board, Chef.
00:53:35Now, ladies and gentlemen,
00:53:38Brian Bocazio is in the finals,
00:53:41going head-to-head for the championship
00:53:45with Kevin Lee.
00:53:50Wow.
00:53:51Coming for you, Brian.
00:53:53I'll tell you what,
00:53:53you need a moment to relax and to take a break,
00:53:57because coming up,
00:53:58this is going to be a battle we will never forget.
00:54:01Big semifinal win!
00:54:03And the both of the East, Brian Bocazio!
00:54:07Woo!
00:54:10A 94?
00:54:11That is wild.
00:54:12Cannot be more proud.
00:54:13I'm going in the finale.
00:54:14Ladies and gentlemen,
00:54:16the main event for the entire Tournament of Champions 7
00:54:20is finally here.
00:54:22We've narrowed the field of 32 chefs down
00:54:26to the best of the best.
00:54:27We have the number three seed, Chef Brian Bocazio,
00:54:31who suffered first-round losses in TOC 2 and 3.
00:54:36But after winning the TOC All-Star Christmas Team Championship
00:54:39with his brother, Michael,
00:54:41he is now on the cusp of winning his first solo TOC Championship.
00:54:46It's time to close this chapter.
00:54:47It's time for me to get a win.
00:54:48This is mine to take today.
00:54:50I feel calm.
00:54:51I feel, like, ready.
00:54:52I feel clear, focused.
00:54:53I mean, I'm...
00:54:54All the things that I know I need to go into a cook like this,
00:54:57I'm prepared for.
00:54:58Our second contender is also a number three seed,
00:55:02Chef Kevin Lee.
00:55:03In two short years,
00:55:04he has reached the TOC quarterfinals twice,
00:55:07the semifinals for the TOC All-Star Christmas,
00:55:10and now the championship battle of TOC 7.
00:55:14This year, you know, I feel like my mentality is different.
00:55:17I have the confidence,
00:55:18and I've been cooking really well,
00:55:20and now I feel like I can win this thing.
00:55:23Are you ready for the battle of the belt?
00:55:27And let's light it up!
00:55:31I've been a chef all of my life.
00:55:33I have 30-plus years' experience under my belt.
00:55:35I've cooked at a very high level for a long time in my career.
00:55:38I worked for Charlie Palmer for a long time.
00:55:40This is all I've ever done.
00:55:41I've competed extensively.
00:55:43I've been in three finales of Top Chef,
00:55:45went all the way to the end of 24 and 24.
00:55:47I've never tasted a victory.
00:55:50To be able to win,
00:55:51to prove that I have what it takes
00:55:52to represent the Voltaggio name,
00:55:54it's something I've been looking for for a long time.
00:55:56And I'm so close.
00:55:58I'm so close to finally getting it.
00:55:59I want to be the next banner that hangs in this kitchen.
00:56:04Ladies and gentlemen,
00:56:06give a high-voltage round of applause
00:56:08to the Volt of the East,
00:56:10Chef Brian Voltaggio!
00:56:27What does it mean to you to be here right now,
00:56:30to have a chance to win this title?
00:56:33To be standing here right now?
00:56:34I'm glad you welcomed me back
00:56:36because I knew I had what it takes to get right here.
00:56:39Congratulations, Chef.
00:56:40Welcome to the finals.
00:56:43His opponent.
00:56:45My journey as a chef has been a long, hard road.
00:56:49I've been doing this for 21 years.
00:56:52I had a lot of early success in Vegas,
00:56:54but I made a decision to move to Oklahoma
00:56:56to restart my career
00:56:59and even got me a James Beard nominee.
00:57:02Two years ago,
00:57:03I showed up in the scene as the unknown qualifier.
00:57:06I was just happy to be amongst these great chefs.
00:57:10Now I have the confidence
00:57:11that I can actually win this thing.
00:57:13For a chef from Oklahoma City,
00:57:16to be able to win a TLC-7
00:57:17will mean the world for me and the city.
00:57:21Ladies and gentlemen,
00:57:23give a warrior's welcome
00:57:24to the Dragon Slayer,
00:57:26Chef Kevin Lee!
00:57:43What would it mean to you to win the belt?
00:57:47Everything.
00:57:48You know, that would just be a validation
00:57:50of all the hard work I've put into
00:57:52up to this point in my career.
00:57:54Chefs, I wish you the best.
00:57:56I know you will bring your best.
00:57:58And it's time for The Randomizer.
00:58:01Right this way!
00:58:10Let's talk about things.
00:58:11Because this is the final battle,
00:58:13and you are the best of the best,
00:58:15we've raised The Randomizer to its ultimate level
00:58:19of difficulty that we like to call extreme.
00:58:23Yeah.
00:58:24With some of the most demanding ingredients,
00:58:26equipment, and styles of the tournament,
00:58:28the good news is you're going to have one hour
00:58:32to prepare your dishes for our four judges.
00:58:35Because there are two components in every style option,
00:58:39both of your dishes must incorporate
00:58:40your protein, your produce, and use of equipment.
00:58:45When it comes to the wild card,
00:58:48each envelope contains another mandatory dish detail
00:58:52that you have to satisfy.
00:58:54The only question is,
00:58:55will you have to pick one, two, or three envelopes?
00:59:00Okay.
00:59:00This is just dandy.
00:59:04Gentlemen,
00:59:05it's time to get busy.
00:59:07Let's go for the protein!
00:59:18All right.
00:59:21Dory,
00:59:22live craft,
00:59:23live king craft!
00:59:25All right.
00:59:27Live king craft and...
00:59:29Freshwater chestnuts.
00:59:30Pressure cooker.
00:59:32Breakfast and dinner.
00:59:34And...
00:59:34Whoa!
00:59:35We got one!
00:59:36Yeah!
00:59:37Mr. Fieri, envelopes, please.
00:59:40Hello, Chef.
00:59:41Hello.
00:59:41The rando gets what the rando wants.
00:59:44Hunter, give him the number one envelope.
00:59:47Oh, number one.
00:59:48Yes, number one.
00:59:49Okay, number one.
00:59:49There you go.
00:59:51Do you want to open it?
00:59:52It's your honor, Chef.
00:59:53It's your honor.
00:59:54You can't do it.
00:59:55By any means.
00:59:56Sticky.
00:59:57Ooh.
00:59:59Sticky.
01:00:00Sticky will apply to both breakfast and dinner.
01:00:03One hour is on the clock.
01:00:07Chefs,
01:00:08good luck and go.
01:00:09All right.
01:00:14Remember,
01:00:15protein, produce, and equipment all must be incorporated into their breakfast and dinner in each plate.
01:00:20And the one envelope is sticky.
01:00:22Both of these items are going to have to have a sticky component, or as sticky as can be.
01:00:26Talk about a sticky situation.
01:00:28In less than 58 minutes, one of these two chefs will be the champ.
01:00:37I'm going to go fishing for the light crab in the tank, and, you know, the claws are, like, biting
01:00:42my fingers, and, you know, my hands are getting tore up.
01:00:46Let's go.
01:00:47It is going to be a long one out.
01:00:52Woo!
01:00:52This is wild.
01:00:53I believe I am the underdog.
01:00:56You know, Brian's been doing this for a very long time.
01:00:58He's a true living legend in our industry.
01:01:01And I know he's going to bring his best today.
01:01:04This is going to be really hard.
01:01:06So I'm making rice porridge for my breakfast dish.
01:01:09For breakfast, I'm making a king crab jook.
01:01:12Jook is a Korean version of porridge.
01:01:16Then for our dinner, we're making a Korean fried king crab.
01:01:24Making jook is something that takes a lot of love.
01:01:26But I'm hoping I can throw this jook in the pressure cooker where I don't really have to touch it.
01:01:32I'm taking the rice, add it to my king crab stock, and we're going to get it going in that
01:01:36pressure cooker.
01:01:37Not even ten minutes in, and Kevin is working calmly yet with purpose.
01:01:42The pressure cooker has been locked away with some ground cow rose rice.
01:01:46And I think those legs we're going to see come out of the shell and get treated to a Korean
01:01:50fried preparation.
01:01:54The interesting part of this is crab doesn't need a lot of time to cook quickly.
01:01:58You don't want to cook crab meat in a pressure cooker.
01:02:00You want to make a broth with, like, the crab skeleton and the shells,
01:02:03but you don't want to cook crab in a pressure cooker.
01:02:04It'll overcook in a second.
01:02:06Going against Kevin Lee, I know I'm going to have to win on flavor.
01:02:10I know that this is something that he's really good at putting together.
01:02:14I have to make sure that when the judges bite into my dishes,
01:02:17that they are going to be absolutely blown away.
01:02:20Okay, so I'm making a broth right now.
01:02:22Yeah, let's see.
01:02:23I'm doing a play on shrimp and grits.
01:02:24These are things that I eat in the Mid-Atlantic, like where I'm from.
01:02:27So for breakfast, I'm making crab and grits.
01:02:29For dinner, what I want to do is center barrel cut of the crab leg.
01:02:33I want it to be front and center on this dish, crispy tempura fried.
01:02:37The best thing I love about a Sherman Grits dish is the sauce.
01:02:41So what I'm going to do is I'm going to make a crab body stock.
01:02:43I'm going to cook it down with coconut milk,
01:02:45lots of lime leaves, lots of ginger and garlic,
01:02:48adding some dried shrimp to it just to build some umami.
01:02:51I'm going to push that to extract all that crab flavor into this stock.
01:02:55Starting with sugar. There.
01:02:56I'm going to make some crab sauce caramel.
01:02:58So I'm actually going to cook sugar to the point where it caramelizes.
01:03:01I'm going to add a lot of fish sauce to it.
01:03:03I'm going to add the crab bodies, lots of lime juice.
01:03:05I'm going to finish it with some ginger.
01:03:07All of that is going to build really big, bold flavors,
01:03:10but it's also going to add to that sticky element
01:03:12that I need to finish these dishes.
01:03:16So, you know, Korean fried chicken,
01:03:17they typically have those pickled radishes you serve it with.
01:03:20Mm-hmm.
01:03:20So I'm going to pickle these water chestnuts,
01:03:22kind of mimic that.
01:03:23Sure.
01:03:24It is very frustrating.
01:03:25We only have an hour to cook this round,
01:03:28and now we're having to turn all the chestnuts
01:03:31so it can be edible.
01:03:32It has a whole thick skin on it.
01:03:35Chef Kevin, Chef Brian, you have 40 minutes,
01:03:3840 minutes left in the competition.
01:03:40I'm going to use my pressure cooker a second way
01:03:42to make the pickled chestnuts for my dinner dish.
01:03:46Also, I want to make this crab rice.
01:03:49Mm, crab water rice.
01:03:50I'm adding the ends of the crab into my rice,
01:03:54so it really enhances that crab flavor.
01:03:57All right.
01:03:59My wife's been one of my biggest supporters.
01:04:02She's been with me through all the ups and downs
01:04:04throughout my career.
01:04:06When the business wasn't doing great,
01:04:08my wife never complained.
01:04:10I mean, she's a classical piano professor,
01:04:12and for her to be there after teaching,
01:04:16coming to the restaurant to serve tables,
01:04:18and going through all those rough times
01:04:20to be where we are today, it's not easy.
01:04:23If I win, the money's going to go towards my family,
01:04:26because my family is what keeps me going.
01:04:29That crab is hotter than hell,
01:04:31yet he goes right at it.
01:04:34Somehow I'm going to get that garlic in there.
01:04:36There we go.
01:04:36Okay, so the chestnuts are in for my base for my aioli.
01:04:41So for dinner, I'm going to make a sauce
01:04:43using water chestnut as the base.
01:04:45And what we do is I'm going to puree that super smooth
01:04:47with lots of cream and garlic,
01:04:49and I'm going to add sweet chili sauce to that
01:04:52to add another tacky or sticky element to the dish.
01:04:56So it's going to be like spicy crab.
01:04:58Purr.
01:04:59The legs, it's going to be that dinner portion.
01:05:02Got it.
01:05:03Tempura batter is pretty simple.
01:05:04I'm using flour.
01:05:05I'm using baking powder.
01:05:06I'm adding club soda to it.
01:05:08But the cool thing I'm going to do
01:05:09is like for textural element,
01:05:11I'm going to roll it into these crispy little rice pearls
01:05:13right before I put it into the fryer.
01:05:17What's the breading?
01:05:18Misago orari.
01:05:19They're essentially rice balls.
01:05:20These are toasted.
01:05:23I mean, these two are just working in a fever space.
01:05:26They're just going.
01:05:30Chefs, we are at the halfway point of the competition.
01:05:3430 minutes to go.
01:05:38Korean fried chicken put a little hint of turmeric for the fried crab.
01:05:43I want to use the nice fatty legs
01:05:46so I can have a nice juicy succulent fried king crab
01:05:50in the tempura batter.
01:05:52You know, this is a play on the Korean fried chicken.
01:05:55Korean fried chicken is sticky,
01:05:57and the sticky is the name of the game this round.
01:05:59So the fried crab, I'm making my gochujang glaze.
01:06:03Some honey, the sambal, the garlic.
01:06:06To really make a fun, sticky sauce,
01:06:09I'm going to glaze it all over the fried crab.
01:06:12Nice and sticky.
01:06:15Sticky.
01:06:17Oh, good.
01:06:20I want to add another element to my crab and grits,
01:06:22and pork is typically, you know,
01:06:24a part of a shellfish and grits dish.
01:06:26So it's important that I have that there.
01:06:28So I really quickly julienne some applewood smoked bacon,
01:06:31start rendering it in the pan.
01:06:32Then I'm going to strain the sauce right into it,
01:06:34and then I'll mince the water chestnuts into a brunoise
01:06:37and spoon them into the sauce,
01:06:38so that way you get that textural element in the sauce.
01:06:41Oh, there we go.
01:06:42I have tasted victory in TOC Holiday with my brother,
01:06:46but I've never won a competition as an individual.
01:06:49I want this for myself.
01:06:50I want this for my family.
01:06:52I want this for Michael,
01:06:53because he's rooting for me as well.
01:06:55There's no rivalry.
01:06:56My brother and I, we're our biggest supporters.
01:06:58He wants this for me.
01:07:00I don't want to disappoint him.
01:07:02This is the last shot that I'm going to have.
01:07:05I am so close to getting my own individual first win.
01:07:09I cannot mess this up.
01:07:1225 minutes to go, chefs. 25.
01:07:18I need to get my juke out of my pressure cooker.
01:07:23Oh, no.
01:07:26My rice is burnt, and this is bad.
01:07:29This is the whole dish.
01:07:31Without this juke, I have no breakfast.
01:07:38We had a little mishap with the first iteration of ground rice in the pressure cooker.
01:07:43It was scorched on the bottom.
01:07:44Running it way too hot.
01:07:45Yeah, it's not pivoted.
01:07:48So I'm going to restart the pressure cooker,
01:07:50but this time I'm not going to add the rice in there.
01:07:53We're just going to pressure cook the crab so we can extract all the stock.
01:07:57Then I'm grabbing the microwave rice, throw it in the microwave to get the rice going.
01:08:03The key here is to really make sure you're stirring constantly.
01:08:07Back in business.
01:08:08I feel terrible.
01:08:10My juke just got burned.
01:08:12I'm on my second batch.
01:08:14I mean, this is the hardest battle I've ever done in this arena.
01:08:19But I'm going to keep going just like I do in my everyday life
01:08:24to make sure I reach that finish line.
01:08:27Whoo!
01:08:27And especially, I know Brian Batajo is giving his all till the end.
01:08:32It is not the time to give up now.
01:08:35Chefs, 15 minutes, 15 left in the competition.
01:08:38What is this going to be again?
01:08:40For another sticky element, I'm going to do a whipped maple for the breakfast.
01:08:45I'm going to do this whipped maple with sorghum for my crab and grits.
01:08:48So I'm going to use a modified tapioca starch that I could actually put into the sugar,
01:08:52whip it in a high-speed mixer, and that's going to give it a little bit of sweetness over the
01:08:56top
01:08:56and add to the sticky.
01:08:57It literally looks like a marshmallow fluff.
01:08:59That obviously checks the box for sticky.
01:09:02I have to make sure I'm going to bring flavors that are going to go up against Kevin Lee.
01:09:06Kevin Lee can build big, bold, in-your-face flavors.
01:09:11And I have to be better than him.
01:09:13Chefs, this is the final 10 minutes of TOC 7.
01:09:18Final 10 minutes!
01:09:20He's going to the porch, Chef.
01:09:22Going to the porch.
01:09:22I'm going to make it like a sticky chestnut garnish.
01:09:25I'm doing the chestnuts the second way.
01:09:27So I'm going to make a little sticky, a soy garlic clays chestnuts.
01:09:32That will be a wonderful pairing with the juke.
01:09:35This is also one of the sticky parts of this dish.
01:09:39So I'm really hoping that I can hit that randomizer multiple times to take this round.
01:09:45Oh, that's sticky.
01:09:47Kind of emotional at this time.
01:09:49I mean, this is 32 chefs.
01:09:51We're here.
01:09:51We're down to the last two.
01:09:52All the hard work, all the focus, and it's almost over.
01:09:57Chef, are we having eggs for breakfast?
01:09:59I'm going to put a little fish sauce carrot egg up on top of the porch.
01:10:02I'm adding the raw egg to the soup to really get that extra stickiness in this dish.
01:10:10Five minutes.
01:10:15I want egg to be on the dish.
01:10:17It's super important it's there because I want the judges to look down at that egg
01:10:20and see that right dead center of the plate.
01:10:23That's going to scream breakfast.
01:10:26The first thing I'm going to do is put the crab grits right down in the center.
01:10:29Then the sauce is going to go around.
01:10:30And then I'm going to gently place the egg right over the top.
01:10:33Then with some of the crab sauce caramel, and it's quenelle of this maple whip.
01:10:37I'm going to finish it with this beautiful center cut crab legs.
01:10:41I know this is going to be a winner.
01:10:43So for the dinner plate, the first thing I'm going to do is put down my water chestnut sweet chili
01:10:46sauce.
01:10:47Then over the top, I'm going to put this crispy crab.
01:10:50Next, I'm going to finish it with the crab sauce caramel.
01:10:52I feel very proud of it.
01:10:54There's big bowl of flavors.
01:10:56There's crab on crab on crab on each dish.
01:10:58Randomizer, definitely all the boxes checked.
01:11:00It's going to be up to the judges now.
01:11:02Three minutes.
01:11:04For my breakfast, I'm going to lay my juke in this nicely tight bowl.
01:11:09Then we're going to lay the egg yolk in the middle of the juke.
01:11:12Then we're going to finish with cilantro stems, green onions, some fried shallots, and some candy chestnuts.
01:11:19For the dinner, I have my crab fried rice.
01:11:23Going with my Korean fried king crab.
01:11:26With my pickled chestnuts in this little ramekin.
01:11:2990 seconds, chef. 90 seconds.
01:11:32Who would have thought this Korean American chef from Oklahoma will be here in TOC 7 in the finale, winning
01:11:40that $150,000?
01:11:41It's huge.
01:11:43As a chef, you don't really get to touch money like that.
01:11:46And to have that cash take home with me today, what an amazing surprise that would be for my wife.
01:11:53Four, three, two, one.
01:11:56That's it!
01:11:57It's over!
01:11:59TOC 7 is over!
01:12:02Wow, what an ending!
01:12:04Whoo!
01:12:06My friends, it was a spectacle to watch.
01:12:10And the ones that really benefit are the judges.
01:12:13Chef Voltaggio!
01:12:14Chef Lee!
01:12:15We're going to say goodbye for a little bit, but when we come back, one of you will be the
01:12:19champ.
01:12:19Thank you so much!
01:12:20Ryan Voltaggio!
01:12:21Kevin Lee!
01:12:26Wow!
01:12:27What just happened?
01:12:30Um, I definitely went this bad.
01:12:32I've never been so close to a win.
01:12:35Let's go!
01:12:40One last judgment.
01:12:43Oh, Lord.
01:12:44That was hard.
01:12:46I feel really good.
01:12:48That was a lot to accomplish in an hour.
01:12:50I really want to get it tonight.
01:12:51Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome our prestigious final judging panel.
01:12:56Chef Mei Lin.
01:12:59Kat Cora!
01:13:00The OG!
01:13:01Chef Brooke Williamson!
01:13:03And six-time James Beard Award winner, Chef David Chang!
01:13:08Yeah!
01:13:09Come on, judges.
01:13:11You are good to me in the semis.
01:13:13Be good to me in the finals.
01:13:16Tonight, for the protein, live king crab.
01:13:19Fresh water chestnuts was the produce.
01:13:21The equipment was a pressure cooker.
01:13:23The style was breakfast and dinner with a wild card.
01:13:27One envelope for sticky.
01:13:28Here to present for the final time in TOC 7 is our TOC 3 champ, Chef Tiffany Faison.
01:13:37Chefs, in front of you, we have the breakfast of TOC champions.
01:13:41That's king crab and grits.
01:13:43Crab head and crab fat sauce was created entirely in the pressure cooker.
01:13:47Then a dice of water chestnuts was floated into the sauce.
01:13:49A crab fat caramel was constructed.
01:13:52Also, maple syrup and sorghum were whipped, continuing once again the sticky portion of the program.
01:13:57Sounds pretty good.
01:13:59Obviously, it's prime potaggio.
01:14:00I'd like to invite you to dinner.
01:14:02This is masago orare tempura of king crab leg with sweet chili, water chestnut, cream.
01:14:08The sticky and creamy sweet chili sauce on the bottom is made of water chestnuts, allium, cream that was blended
01:14:13together,
01:14:14and then a little bit of sweet chili sauce was added to that.
01:14:16Again, sticky and creamy.
01:14:18The crab fat caramel drizzle was then finished on top.
01:14:23I'm gonna be a minute.
01:14:26I don't know if that's good or bad.
01:14:28I don't know if it's like to tear it apart or to build it up.
01:14:32Start with breakfast.
01:14:33This is like bacon and eggs and shrimp and grits had a baby in the best way.
01:14:38You get this, like, beautiful grit texture, but you also get these little crunchy bites in the water chestnut,
01:14:43which I feel like almost lightens the whole dish up.
01:14:46Okay.
01:14:47Positive remarks.
01:14:48Both breakfast and dinner plates.
01:14:52The king crab was cooked perfectly.
01:14:54Water chestnuts, I can taste throughout both of these dishes.
01:14:57The pressure cooker was obviously used in making these amazingly delicious sauces.
01:15:03All right.
01:15:04Come on.
01:15:04For the finale, this is your skilled, skilled chef.
01:15:07I mean, to be able to pull this off in a short amount of time is mind-blowing.
01:15:11First of all, grits.
01:15:12I'm from the south.
01:15:13I know when grits are good, and this is well-made grits.
01:15:17And this crazy whip was delightful.
01:15:21Okay.
01:15:22Those are positive comments.
01:15:24This just tastes great.
01:15:25I mean, this is breakfast.
01:15:26This is, like, low country meets somewhere in Asia.
01:15:30And I love this dish as well, but is this too thick of a crust?
01:15:34Right?
01:15:35I mean, I don't think it needed the masaga.
01:15:37It might have been better just putting that glaze on that without the frying.
01:15:41So, I don't know.
01:15:42I'm really wrestling with this right now.
01:15:45This is not an easy decision for me.
01:15:46But I love the dish.
01:15:48Yeah.
01:15:49I don't know how David feels about that dish.
01:15:52Let's go to the scoring cards.
01:15:5350 points available in taste.
01:15:5640 points in the use of the randomizer.
01:15:58And 10 points in plating.
01:16:00I mean, I felt like I got a lot of positive remarks from Chef Cat, Maylan, and Brooke.
01:16:04David was the only one I felt like kind of left a cloud over it a little bit.
01:16:08Am I worried about that?
01:16:09For sure.
01:16:09Like, this is finale.
01:16:10Like, I wanted to be perfect.
01:16:12I have a chance.
01:16:13I have a chance.
01:16:15Ladies and gentlemen, for his final presentation of TOC 7, Chef Justin Morner.
01:16:20Judges, it's my honor to present to you two dishes.
01:16:24For breakfast, Alaskan king crab jook with crispy aromatics and sticky water chestnuts.
01:16:30Every gajook begins with a stock.
01:16:32This stock was made from the juices and bodies of the crab, atmospherically extracted in the pressure cooker.
01:16:38You will notice at the top, the honey and soy sauce glaze water chestnuts, along with the sticky elements.
01:16:44Dinner is tempura-fried king crab with a sticky, spicy glaze and pickled water chestnuts.
01:16:50That pressure cooker was used to make those water chestnut pickles.
01:16:54I've been so nervous in my life.
01:16:57This whole season, and this comes down to this one judging.
01:17:00I feel like these two chefs came to play.
01:17:03This is definitely finale food.
01:17:06I really love the presentation of the breakfast.
01:17:11I really appreciate the stickiness that you get from the egg yolk itself.
01:17:15Then when you go over to the dinner portion of the king crab, you have this delicately tempura-fried crab
01:17:22that eats so, so good.
01:17:25It's sticky-icky.
01:17:27Sticky-icky!
01:17:28My crab was so tender.
01:17:30I thought the tempura was done well.
01:17:32I would have liked to have seen the water chestnuts diced up and put in the rice.
01:17:36That's nitpicking, but I thought it was a really great execution.
01:17:40This is why these two chefs are in the finals.
01:17:42Thank you very much, chef.
01:17:43If I'm going to start with breakfast, I love the integrity of the rice having that individual rice grain texture.
01:17:50I do feel like this was a bit of a missed opportunity to showcase crab.
01:17:54I know that there's little pieces of crab in there.
01:17:57I just kind of want to taste the crab a little bit more.
01:17:59Oh, this is stressful.
01:18:02Moving on to dinner, I really, really love these pickles.
01:18:06They're really delicious and really refreshing.
01:18:09Yeah, it's like a palate cleanser. She understands it.
01:18:12This is something else.
01:18:13This first course of the chook, I like this dish.
01:18:17I actually think the crab usage was adequate here because it's showing two different parts.
01:18:22The crab is not just the leg, it's also body meat as well.
01:18:25So that's why I like this dish quite a bit.
01:18:27Thank you, David.
01:18:28But this to me is the most interesting thing here, right?
01:18:31Like, really smart. I would not have thought of that.
01:18:35I think that's one of the most clever techniques.
01:18:37And also shows you that whoever the chef is understands the sort of food science of a water chestnut,
01:18:42that it can take that.
01:18:44It's a really good dish.
01:18:45All the dishes have been really good.
01:18:46But this is the final and this is very difficult.
01:18:48It's very hard for me to make up my mind.
01:18:53For the final scoring, 50 points available in taste, 40 points used for the randomizer,
01:19:00and 10 points in plating.
01:19:03I don't know. It's going to be close.
01:19:05I feel like the critiques are balanced, you know, as far as, like, the criticism is concerned.
01:19:09You know, a knock here and a knock there on both sides.
01:19:11So, I mean, it's going to be a close one.
01:19:13I don't know, after this, who's going to take the surprise.
01:19:19Chef Kevin Lee!
01:19:22Chef Brian Bautazio!
01:19:34Having seen six other championships, I've never seen the judges take so long to get their judging done.
01:19:43Ladies and gentlemen, we have a one-point difference.
01:19:54Wow.
01:19:55One chef scored a 9 out of 10 in presentation.
01:20:00The other chef scored a 9 out of 10 in presentation.
01:20:06One chef scored a 34 out of 40 in the randomizer.
01:20:12The other chef scored a 34 out of 40 in the randomizer.
01:20:20One chef scored a 40 out of 50 in taste.
01:20:26The other chef scored a 41 out of 50 in taste.
01:20:32For a score of 84 to 83.
01:20:36The winner of Tournament of Champions 7 is...
01:20:54Brian Bautazio!
01:20:56Oh, my God!
01:20:58Whoa!
01:21:01Oh, my God!
01:21:04Oh, my God!
01:21:06Oh, my God!
01:21:07Oh, my God!
01:21:08Oh, my God!
01:21:09Oh, my God!
01:21:09Chef Kevin Lee.
01:21:11Heart, determination, hard work, drive, fight, all of it.
01:21:17Packaged into one.
01:21:19What an incredible achievement.
01:21:21I know, without a doubt, you will be back for TOC 8.
01:21:25I look forward to seeing you in competitions in the future.
01:21:27Ladies and gentlemen, the Dragon Slayer!
01:21:29Chef Kevin Lee!
01:21:32What are you doing?
01:21:33Moving on to the champ!
01:21:40One point.
01:21:42God, so close.
01:21:44Brian was a better chef.
01:21:46I mean, he cooked a better dish.
01:21:48I'm gonna have that belt one day.
01:21:50It's just not gonna be today.
01:21:52How do you feel?
01:21:54This is overwhelming.
01:21:55This is amazing.
01:21:56I never thought I would see my name up here on the screen.
01:21:58I've been fighting to do this.
01:22:00I wanted to prove that I had what it takes to come out here and win.
01:22:03And...
01:22:05I...
01:22:06Yeah, I'm...
01:22:07I'm overwhelmed.
01:22:08I'm...
01:22:09I'm...
01:22:10It's...
01:22:13I don't know what it's like to win.
01:22:15You know what I mean?
01:22:16I don't know what it's like to win.
01:22:17Well, you sure know what it's like to win now, Chef.
01:22:19I don't know what it's like to win.
01:22:20Let's go ahead and try this on.
01:22:22No!
01:22:23Yes!
01:22:26Yeah!
01:22:27Yes!
01:22:28Yes!
01:22:29Finally!
01:22:31Woo!
01:22:31Come here!
01:22:32Put this on, brothers.
01:22:33Oh, man!
01:22:34Finally!
01:22:35I've never...
01:22:36I've never...
01:22:36This has never happened.
01:22:38I finally...
01:22:38Finally won.
01:22:40Finally.
01:22:41Look at this.
01:22:42The belt!
01:22:43The title!
01:22:45Wow!
01:22:45And $150,000!
01:22:48This is an amazing feeling.
01:22:50I feel like I worked so hard to get here.
01:22:52I'm proud to be here.
01:22:53I'm proud I finally was able to do this.
01:22:55And I'm grateful.
01:22:55Thank you!
01:22:56Thank you!
01:22:58Thank you!
01:22:59Thank you!
01:22:59Thank you!
01:23:00Thank you!
01:23:00I'm here.
01:23:01I did it.
01:23:01I finally made it happen.
01:23:03I'm the TOC 7 champion.
01:23:05Out of everybody in the world that wants to hear about this, Chef Voltaggio, your brother
01:23:12is the new TOC 7 champ forever!
01:23:19Ryan Voltaggio!
01:23:25My brother's my best friend.
01:23:26He's my mentor.
01:23:27He's my biggest supporter.
01:23:29Woo!
01:23:29The funny thing is, my wife just texted me, are you done competing?
01:23:33Woo!
01:23:34It's gonna be hard to tell her maybe no.
01:23:39Because now I know what it's like to win.
01:23:41There you have it, ladies and gentlemen!
01:23:43Yes!
01:23:45I gotta ask ya, was that the best finale or what?
01:23:48There's no way we can do anything bigger and better than that.
01:23:51But trust me, we are gonna try.
01:23:53And we'll see you next year on Tournament of Champions 8.
01:23:58See you next year!
01:23:59Adios!
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