- 1 hour ago
America's Culinary Cup Season 1 Episode 11
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00:00Culinary cop Matt, Cara, and Chris have beat out 13 of the best chefs in America
00:06and have survived nine exacting culinary commandments.
00:10Right in, Cara.
00:11Oh my God.
00:12This is really raw.
00:14This commandment has been mentally demanding.
00:18The family of vegetable is...
00:20Confucius?
00:21Cruciferous.
00:22Cruciferous.
00:23What happened to your evil dessert?
00:25I just didn't finish it on time.
00:28I really don't want to go home.
00:31Two bones in one piece of fish.
00:33What?
00:33This one up.
00:35Katie, you served your final dish.
00:39You win some, you lose some.
00:40Can't always win everything.
00:42Now they stand on the cusp of $1 million.
00:46Matt, in first place to lock in your spot in the finals.
00:51I've had a target on my back since day one.
00:53We have the opportunity to take out a percustal medalist.
00:55It'd be stupid enough to do it.
00:57This has been harder than I thought.
00:59But it's America's culinary done.
01:02I came with an expectation and I'm going to win this competition.
01:06Cara, second place.
01:08Congratulations.
01:09It sucks to come in second over and over and over again.
01:12But I think I've been playing the game well.
01:14I don't have to win every time.
01:16The chef who puts out the best food in the finale will be the winner of this competition.
01:19And I can do that.
01:21I voted most likely to leave and I'm still here.
01:24I was voted least likely to win the competition.
01:28Now I'm headed to the finals.
01:30I know this is going to be insanely difficult, but I'm ready to show people why I'm here.
01:34But only one can be the winner of America's Culinary Cup.
01:39Find out who tonight.
01:53The cup.
01:55Let it touch it.
01:56That luck has touched it.
01:58Yeah.
01:59The expectation was always to be at least to the final three.
02:02I'm just trying to cook my food.
02:03And that's what I'm excited to do.
02:05Let the best chef win.
02:11Oh, boy.
02:12Waffle cones.
02:13What are we doing?
02:15Is there any new equipment, Al?
02:17I don't know.
02:18Not really.
02:19No new equipment.
02:20I've made it this far.
02:21I'm standing next to two amazing chefs out of 16.
02:25All fierce competitors.
02:26I mean, it's been a wild ride.
02:28Maybe we're just making breakfast for ourselves.
02:29Wouldn't that be nice?
02:30Eggs and bacon make me want to vomit right now.
02:32No, it would not be nice.
02:35Being pregnant is probably the thing that's brought me my biggest advantage.
02:39Because it's forced me to put calmness in front of everything else.
02:43I'm just going to try to keep calm and win a million dollars.
02:46Oh, elevator's coming up.
02:49Uh-oh.
02:55Dancing.
02:56Yeah.
02:58Hello, chefs.
02:59Hi.
03:00Welcome to the finals of America's Culinary Cup.
03:04In this game, there can only be one winner.
03:07And as you know, they'll walk away with America's Culinary Cup and one million dollars, thanks to Dawn Power Wash.
03:17Chefs, we have one final commandment to test you on.
03:21Your final culinary commandment is innovation.
03:27A truly great chef looks to the future.
03:30They're constantly learning, evolving, and pushing the limits of the culinary landscape.
03:36Innovation is about making people feel something new.
03:40Finding novel ways to introduce new ingredients and new flavors through your cooking is what innovation is all about.
03:46For your final commandment, you must reimagine an iconic dish that's influenced and changed the culinary landscape.
03:56It's an intimidating ask to take iconic dishes and innovate them.
04:01These are dishes that are already quote-unquote perfect, and I don't want to touch that with a 10-foot
04:06pole, but I guess we have to.
04:07I've invited some friends to help determine which dishes you'll be reimagining, and I handpicked them.
04:14She's a trailblazing chef and restaurateur whose soulful California-inspired cuisine has redefined modern American dining.
04:25Please welcome Suzanne Goen.
04:28No way, Chef Suzanne.
04:30She's an incredible, world-renowned chef.
04:32Hi.
04:33Welcome.
04:34Hello, hello, chef.
04:35Meeting her is an absolute honor.
04:38She took the world by storm with her vibrant, modern approach to Mexican cuisine, and is one of only two
04:46North American chefs to be named world's best female chef.
04:51Please welcome Daniela Soto-Inez.
04:57Daniela Soto-Inez is an inspiration.
05:00She's, you know, changed the way people look at her food and her culture for the better.
05:05And to do that and have such an impact so quickly is amazing.
05:09And last but not least, he's a three-Michelin-starred chef, and his restaurant, Le Bernardin, is consistently ranked as
05:17one of the world's best restaurants.
05:19Please welcome my dear friend, Eric Repair.
05:24Last but not least, Eric Repair walks in the door, and it's like, wow, one of the most decorated chefs
05:29in the world.
05:30You're kind of in awe with the caliber of chefs that are standing in front of us.
05:33Each of these three culinary legends has brought with them one of their iconic dishes, and it's your job to
05:41reimagine them.
05:42Each of you have been randomly assigned one of these iconic dishes.
05:48Let's see which dish you'll be innovating, shall we?
05:56Kara, you have Eric's.
05:59Chris, you have Suzanne.
06:01And that means Matt, you have Daniela.
06:05Kara, how do you feel about reimagining a three-Michelin-starred chef's dish?
06:10Terrible.
06:13You'll have a chance not only to taste the dish, but to talk one-on-one with the legend that
06:19created it.
06:21Then, you'll have two hours to reimagine it and take it into the future.
06:26Make this your best dish of the competition, because whomever has the lowest score will be eliminated and lose their
06:35shot at $1 million.
06:40My heart's pounding out of my chest.
06:42I thought they were picking the winner from the final three.
06:44So to hear that one of us is going to be going home, anxiety's back.
06:48Big time.
06:49Please head to your stations.
06:52Wasn't exciting, yes.
06:53Nope.
06:54Goodness.
06:55Legends, please join your chefs.
06:57Hola, Chef.
06:58How are you?
06:59Hello.
07:00Kara.
07:00How are you, Kara?
07:01Congratulations on getting this far.
07:02It's amazing.
07:03So this dish has been on the menu for about five years.
07:07The fish is a salmon that is cooked unilateral, which means it's cooked only from the bottom of the pan,
07:14slowly to the top.
07:15It's on the bed of braised leeks.
07:18Baby beets cooked in vinegar and water to have a little bit of acidity.
07:23And then on top of the salmon is a kernel of caviar.
07:26And the sauce is made with wasabi, mussel stock, clam stock, horseradish, and a bit of heavy cream.
07:34That's it.
07:34That's the dish.
07:35It's very clean.
07:36I'm assigned Eric Repair.
07:38I'm incredibly nervous.
07:39He's famous for expressing quality through execution and simplicity.
07:44So it's nerve-wracking as someone who cooks Chinese food, which is like five bazillion ingredients shoved into a dish.
07:50It's kind of like complete opposite.
07:53Can I?
07:53Of course.
07:54It's barely cooked.
07:55Almost raw.
07:56It looks like it's very simple, but it's very delicate because everything has a lot to do with the harmony
08:03of the dish.
08:04How do you have to reinvent something that is so delicious?
08:07I'm sure you're going to find some solutions.
08:09I can see the mound of caviar on Eric's dish from here.
08:12It's just giant.
08:14And I'm not wearing my glasses.
08:16I spent a lot of time living in Texas, and I love barbecue.
08:21So lamb belly barbacoa that has been cured, lightly smoked, and then roasted in between my gay leaves.
08:30Two sauces.
08:30One of them is a passion fruit from my garden.
08:34On the other side is a sauce of de juan.
08:37We also have plantain tortillas, and the idea is to make yourself a little tropical taco.
08:42This is a passion fruit with butter.
08:45I was also trained French, so like a little bit of a fruit ber blanc.
08:49That's lovely.
08:51I've eaten at Daniela's restaurant in New York City multiple different times, so I'm very familiar with her food.
08:57You know, this isn't necessarily in my wheelhouse, but I moved from New York to Austin, Texas, so I start
09:03to figure out how can I tie this in to where I am and where I've been.
09:07In the jungle, we have plantains.
09:10Right.
09:11Think of jungle meets Austin.
09:13Yeah.
09:14That's kind of where my game plan is at the moment.
09:16One Sunday, I did braised beef cheek, and everybody freaked out.
09:19So they were like, okay, you have to put this on the regular menu.
09:21That dish was just so, like, satisfying and comforting.
09:24So the first thing is the beef cheek, and it's served with the rice soubise, and then the salsa verde
09:28on top.
09:29Pounded parsley, mint, oregano, capers, anchovy, lemon juice, and that feta.
09:34Because the meat is so rich, you want this counterpoint.
09:37It brings the freshness and the brightness.
09:39Stunning dish.
09:40This is a very intimidating commandment, and I don't want to bastardize Chef Suzanne's dish.
09:45You know, I want to make sure that I can pay respect.
09:48I really want to create the same structure, meaning I want to have the soubise.
09:52I want to have the beef cheek on top, just like she does.
09:54But I want the flavors and the vegetables to be different.
09:57The beauty of a braised meat is that it breaks down, it melts in your mouth, it's luscious.
10:01How long do you cook it for?
10:02Braise it at 325.
10:04Yep.
10:04Usually it's about three and a half hours.
10:06Wow.
10:07I'm concerned.
10:08I only have two hours.
10:09Chef Suzanne cooks it in the oven for three and a half.
10:12But if I choose a different protein, maybe I've jumped so far outside the ring that she's like,
10:17this doesn't remind me of my dish at all.
10:18All right, chefs, your time with the legends is done.
10:23Having to innovate someone else's dish is terrifying.
10:26I'm so nervous I could puke.
10:28Chefs, you have two hours to reimagine and innovate your legends' iconic dish.
10:34Good luck to all of you.
10:36Kara, your time starts now.
10:39As always, for their final commandment, chefs will be scored on four judging criteria, taste, creativity, presentation, and mastery of
10:49the commandment, with a possible perfect score of 20 points from each judge.
10:53The chef with the lowest score will be going home.
10:58I'm trying to pay respect to the original dish and then change it into something new.
11:04I think I need to take it away from France if I'm going to make it my own.
11:08So I'm going to break it down and then rebuild it up with Chinese flavors.
11:12I'm making salmon with XO sauce.
11:14XO sauce is a Chinese sauce that's like an umami spice bomb.
11:17But the reality is XO is not mild.
11:19You don't want it to be too spicy.
11:21The fish is the star and you don't want anything to overwhelm that.
11:24It will really just kill the profile.
11:25And so cutting it with cream softens the intensity of that flavor profile vastly to match the subtleness and the
11:32deliciousness of the salmon.
11:34Chris, your time starts now.
11:37My innovation is to reinterpret her dish using my flavors.
11:40I'm leaning into a blend of Middle Eastern and Persian food.
11:43I don't want to take like a contemporary approach to this and do something super chef-y.
11:49I just want to create a delicious plate of food that's going to pay homage to her dish.
11:53Usually it takes me about three and a half to four hours to properly braise beef cheeks.
11:57I feel like my best chance for success is to use beef cheeks.
12:00It's a game of high risk, high reward.
12:03I'm going to try to do it in an hour and 45 using the pressure cooker.
12:06Anything can go wrong with a pressure cooker.
12:08It could overcook it.
12:09It could be undercooked.
12:10The liquid could cook out.
12:11I don't know how quick that's going to happen and then it burns.
12:13If I were Chris, I'd be worried about that pressure cooker.
12:16Yes, very worried.
12:17He's got no idea what's going on in there.
12:19There are other things he could have cooked.
12:23Are you kidding me?
12:30I definitely do not like using pressure cookers.
12:34For the two-hour challenge, my only option, if I want to use beef cheeks, is going to be to
12:38use the pressure cooker again.
12:40It served me well the last time.
12:42Chris, you are the first chef to earn a perfect score on a dish.
12:46So, we'll see.
12:49There we go.
12:49Matt, your time starts now.
12:52I love the innovation commandment and I know I can really excel at this and make it my own.
12:57I'm playing off of the great Mexican cuisines and the barbecue of Austin, Texas.
13:01What drew me into Texas was just the spices and the bold flavors and I wanted to have more fun
13:07with fine dining.
13:08And Austin, it just felt perfect.
13:10Nothing like 110 degrees outside.
13:13Yeah, you're 150 degrees in here.
13:14For my innovation of the dish, I'm excited to lean in on a little bit of this Austin theme.
13:21Making barbecue lamb belly on top of a tostada.
13:26One of the ways I'm going to innovate the dish is create more of a barbecue-esque touch to this
13:31lamb belly.
13:32I'm grilling the lamb because I want some of that smoky flavor.
13:35And then the brine is cured with flavors of pastrami.
13:37In order to get the brine flavor into it, I'm actually going to pressure cook it in the brine.
13:42So, it basically speeds up and pulls all that flavor into the lamb belly.
13:46There we go.
13:53Hi, Kiera.
13:54Hi.
13:55How are you reinventing Eric's dish?
13:58Trying to riff it into a Chinese dish.
14:01Oh.
14:01A Chinese-French dish.
14:03In what way?
14:03Instead of going a horseradish sauce, I'm going for an exo sauce.
14:06Roasted turn instead of beets.
14:07And then we're going to do scallions instead of weeks.
14:10Very nice.
14:11So, same but different.
14:16Going to make plantain emulsion.
14:19Plantains are in the oven.
14:21This plantain emulsion is the way I'm innovating Daniela's plantain tortillas.
14:25Make a nice sweet puree with them.
14:28It plays off of and has a similar flavor or texture as queso, but in a very nice, sweet, and
14:33delicate way.
14:36Hey, Chris.
14:37Hi.
14:37How are you reinventing Suzanne Goins' dish?
14:41I'm going to be doing sous-bisse in the style of sabzi polo, which is herb rice with cilantro, confit
14:45garlic, and parsley.
14:47And I'll be folding in cask, which is like a fermented yogurt, and then beef cheek with golpar, which is
14:52Persian hogweed, Aleppo chili, coriander, and turmeric.
14:55And then I'll be doing a saffron-cured egg yolk, some piopini mushrooms, and chermoula.
14:59I see you've fired up the pressure cooker.
15:02How long are you cooking the beef cheeks?
15:04Until they're done.
15:05I don't have an answer for you on that one.
15:07I don't have a ton of experience with pressure cookers, so I'm just going to check it every once in
15:10a while, make sure it's where I want it to be.
15:12Where is your sous-bisse right now?
15:14The sous-bisse, I have not started yet.
15:16How are you feeling about the time, Chris?
15:17Can I execute everything?
15:19I believe yes, but I'm going to run like I can't.
15:22All right, we're going to let you cook.
15:23Thank you, guys.
15:27Chef, how you doing?
15:28Good.
15:28First time cooking lamb in the competition, huh?
15:31This is the first time in lamb, yes.
15:32Yeah, so...
15:33Not my first time in life, though.
15:34Well, I'm hoping not.
15:36So how are you going to innovate Chef Daniela's dish?
15:39We're going to have fun with it.
15:40You know, the barbecue, the Texas element of it, bring a little bit of this French mix, if you will.
15:44So what are you using eggs for, Chef?
15:46So with the passion fruit, I'm going to make mousseline instead, so I'm going to bring the fat through
15:51the kind of a hollandaise base that we're going to do with the ISI, so that's going to aerate it,
15:55bringing a little bit of that French technique into the Mexican culture.
15:58Oh, cool.
15:58That sounds like fun.
15:59Yes.
15:59Thank you, Chef.
16:01I'm going to try and do it justice.
16:04Juicing my passion fruit.
16:07There's a lot of question marks in this dish right now.
16:09Hope I nail it.
16:10This is Eric's method.
16:11It's a unilateral method of cooking the fish where you only put heat on one side of it.
16:15I've never done this before.
16:16It's very important to have the fish cooked to perfection.
16:20Mm-hmm.
16:21The cooking technique creates an incredible texture for the piece of fish,
16:24and it showcases how beautiful salmon is.
16:26If this goes wrong, I'm probably going home.
16:28Her demeanor in the kitchen and her aura is just like zen, under control.
16:33I've never in the whole competition seen her frazzled.
16:37Well, at least she doesn't show it.
16:38You know, Kara is the greatest poker player in the room at all times.
16:41Yes, she really is.
16:44I need a chicken.
16:46He's letting the pressure out, so he's going in.
16:51What did you think of what Chris is making?
16:53Could be a few too many things going on.
16:55I couldn't quite tell.
16:56That is a symptom of Chris's cooking.
16:58Sometimes he doesn't know when to stop.
17:01Oh, yay.
17:02They're cooked.
17:02Oh, that's the best feeling ever.
17:05Now I'm worried about my rice.
17:07Matt is very calm.
17:09He looks so confident.
17:10Yes, the only American book historical medalist.
17:14Kara, five minutes left.
17:17The stakes couldn't be higher.
17:19After these three plates, one of our chefs will be going home,
17:23and two will move on where they'll compete for $1 million.
17:27Oh, my God.
17:29Five, four, three, two, one.
17:33Time is up, Kara.
17:35Kara, I'm curious.
17:36I can't wait.
17:37Hello, chef.
17:38Hello.
17:39Oof, that smells good.
17:41I've never cooked salmon this way, but I really enjoyed it, so I hope I did it some justice.
17:46I took sort of all the components and twisted them into something Chinese.
17:49I made salmon on a bed of turnip greens with sautéed scallions, a XO cream sauce, salmon roe, kickled ginger,
17:59and turnips in a shellfish stock and butter.
18:02Did you blanch the ginger julienne?
18:05Yes, twice to let the salmon shine.
18:07The ginger on the salmon is delicious.
18:10The salmon is cooked almost to perfection.
18:13I like very much the flavor, combination of the scallions and the salmon eggs.
18:18Really, it's a dish that I love.
18:20The salmon roe was definitely the way to go, just visually and also texturally.
18:24And the scallion, I loved how you did it two ways, and that brought so much freshness and brightness to
18:30the dish.
18:30I think this dish was brilliant in the sense that, you know, you took a dish that was very, very
18:34French in execution and in spirit, and it just took a hard turn to the east.
18:39I love the warming sensation that I get from both the XO and the ginger, and I wish I had
18:45a baguette to finish this sauce, a French baguette to finish this sauce, because it's so damn good, Cara.
18:51I think you gave us a really elegant dish that both channeled the essence of Eric's subtlety, but brought in
19:00what we've come to love from your food as well.
19:03Thank you, Cara.
19:04Okay, let's go for Cara's dish.
19:06Michael, get your fancy pen out, buddy.
19:09After ready, my friend.
19:14Chris, you have 10 minutes left.
19:18Rice needs a little more time, but I have a plan.
19:21It's carnaroli rice, so I treat it like risotto, get my cash, fold that in, a little bit of lemon
19:26zest, and some Parmesan, and I just start seasoning it and cooking it and cooking it and cooking it until
19:30it gets to a nice, rich texture that I like.
19:34Chris, you have two minutes, two minutes left.
19:36I'm in that final sprint right at the end.
19:39Oh, God.
19:40Oh, that sucks.
19:41The egg yolk's absolutely destroyed.
19:43Oh, my gosh.
19:45Oh.
19:48Chris, you have one minute left.
19:51Saffron egg yolk started to kind of fall apart on me a little bit.
19:54Maybe should have refrigerated them to make them easier to handle.
19:57It's all right.
19:57It's flavor and texture.
19:58At this point, I have no idea if the egg yolk's going to make or break me, but ultimately, I
20:03wanted the texture and flavor to stand out.
20:05I think I'm going to achieve that.
20:06Five, four, three, two, one.
20:10Time's up.
20:11Chris, please bring up your dishes.
20:14Hello, chefs.
20:15Hello.
20:15Hello.
20:16Hoping I'd deliver on this amazing dish.
20:18It felt very homey to me.
20:19It reminded me of dishes my mother would make.
20:21In front of you is a rice soubise, and I finished it with cash, which is a fermented yogurt product
20:28from Iran.
20:28On the top, you have a spiced beef cheek seasoned with golpar, which is Persian hogweed, coriander, Aleppo chili, and
20:35then lightly cured saffron, egg yolk, some roasted piopini mushrooms, and chermoula.
20:40My second time using the pressure cooker in my career.
20:43Seems like it worked.
20:44Yeah, I think it worked.
20:45What happened to the egg yolk?
20:46I had a little piece of it.
20:47It didn't cure for quite long enough, so they broke over the mushrooms.
20:51But I did want it to eat and mix it into the dish, so I think it still achieved the
20:54flavor and richness that I was hoping for.
20:56I love all the flavors that you brought to it from Persia and the Middle East.
20:59It has the earthiness, the comfortingness.
21:01I love the flavor of that saffron and the egg.
21:03I think you did a great job.
21:04Thank you so much, Chef.
21:05Considering that you and the pressure cooker are not that well acquainted, you did a great job.
21:10There's some beautiful bits of, you know, the way that collagen turns to gelatin, and you get that little sticky
21:15bit on your lips.
21:15I like that sticky collagen, too.
21:17I'm using it on my lips now.
21:19It's lip gloss.
21:21You know, Chris, this plate was visually very similar to Suzanne's, but yet was very different.
21:26Using a lot of the flavors we've come to know and love from you, I think you gave this dish
21:31some great innovative twists and turns.
21:33For me, I thought the rice was a little under-seasoned.
21:35I think it could have used a little bit more salt.
21:38It's an absolute pleasure to cook for the three of you.
21:40It's really an honor.
21:42You're a good chore.
21:43Yeah.
21:43Can you believe he did this in two hours?
21:45That's a pretty good family meal.
21:49We need to score.
21:51Matt, five minutes.
21:53Five minutes left.
21:55One of the ways that I'm trying to innovate the dish is by bringing it together as one individual dish,
22:00rather deconstruct it and kind of build your own environment like she had.
22:04So I'm adding it all onto a crostata.
22:08Just lightly press them down and lay all the garnishes over the top so it's kind of more of like
22:13a flakier texture.
22:16Five, four, three, two, one.
22:20Time is up, Matt.
22:23You liked yours, Matt.
22:24I liked it, but I don't know.
22:26You know, I never know.
22:27Hello.
22:29Wow.
22:29Looks beautiful.
22:30Oh, we're a lot closer now.
22:32Well, you're a lot closer to a million dollars.
22:36Fingers crossed.
22:37Wanted to have fun with the play between my new home, Austin, Texas, and New York.
22:43So you have barbecued lamb belly tostada with sesame barbecue, passion fruit, mousseline, and plantain emulsion.
22:51Can you tell us a little more about the tortillas?
22:52These were flowers, so I added masa to the outside and tried to dust them.
22:56I really love the three sauces that you made.
22:59Really beautifully balanced.
23:00I love the coriander seeds.
23:02It reminded me of the pastrami.
23:05Make sure you write the recipe down so I can put it in my kitchen.
23:08Wow.
23:09The only thing, I'm not a fan of the tostado.
23:12Maybe you didn't need to add something you didn't make from scratch.
23:16I loved how bright and sweet the plantains made the dish.
23:21This was maybe the biggest departure of the three dishes from the original.
23:25I really love the way you brought little elements like the mustard seeds and even how the sabayon looked almost
23:32mustardy in a way.
23:33I think my lamb could have gone just a little bit farther.
23:37Okay.
23:37I would agree with Wiley.
23:39The meat could have been cooked a little bit more and therefore will be much more tender.
23:44Appreciate it.
23:45Thank you, Matt.
23:46Thank you, Chef.
23:47Based on innovation, I think he nailed it.
23:50All right.
23:50Let's score Matt's dish.
23:54I'm sorry, I'm slow, but...
23:56You don't have to write the numbers in French, Chef.
24:01Chefs, the scores are in.
24:03Please, come join us.
24:07Sadly, only two of you will move on to the final cook.
24:12Are you guys ready?
24:13As we'll ever be.
24:15Fair enough.
24:17Let's see who came in first and who will be advancing into the final cook.
24:28Cara, congratulations.
24:30With 113 points out of a possible 120, you came in first place.
24:36And you couldn't have done it at a better time.
24:40It's nice to be number one.
24:42It took a while.
24:43The validation of being able to compete at this level is huge.
24:46Now I feel like it's tangible that I could win.
24:49Matt and Chris, one of you will join Cara in the final cook.
24:55And one of you will be going home.
24:58I'm standing next to the only American to ever win gold for Boku's Dora.
25:03There is nobody more intimidating for me to go up against.
25:06You get a 50-50 shot in the worst way possible.
25:10Somebody's going home.
25:33Matt, I'm so sorry you've served your final dish.
25:41Please say your goodbyes.
25:43Bloody buddy.
25:46Just so damn close and to not hit it, it's, you know, I'm disappointed in myself.
25:51You know, sometimes God puts you in a position to fail sometimes because there's successes to come.
25:58Matt, just amazing.
26:01It's been an honor to watch you cook.
26:05And your legacy in this profession will shine on.
26:08So thank you so much.
26:10Can I give you a hug?
26:12Can't go wrong.
26:14And I think it's a good place to be.
26:16Thank you, chefs.
26:18Absolute pleasure.
26:19Because I think that's really what makes me hungrier.
26:22Congratulations, Matt.
26:24You are the winner of the Carnivore Classic.
26:27I want to be the best.
26:28Your capellini was impeccable.
26:31That's what pushes me and drives me.
26:33I'm going to put one of these Agnolodi in my pocket.
26:36There's more to do.
26:37And it's time to move on.
26:52Chris, well done.
26:56You've earned a spot in the final cook where you'll be battling it out with Cara for America's Culinary Cup
27:03and $1 million.
27:06Congratulations to you, Beau.
27:09It feels amazing.
27:10I know I've doubted myself a lot throughout this competition, but I beat Matt.
27:14One of the best.
27:15It's just the greatest win of my career.
27:18We'll see you tomorrow where your destiny awaits.
27:22Thank you, chefs.
27:26Congratulations.
27:27This is wild.
27:29I know.
27:30Oh, my gosh.
27:43Let's talk about Chris.
27:44Chris has had the most tumultuous journey on America's Culinary Cup.
27:50Time's up.
27:51Time's up.
27:51Hands up.
27:52I didn't finish the plate.
27:53He has all these ideas and he's so excited that he wants to give it all to you right now.
27:58And that has been Chris's one stumbling point in this competition.
28:01I just think that you put too much of each item in the bowl.
28:04Dial it back a little bit.
28:05Save a little something for tomorrow.
28:06I wish you had committed to one and I wish you had committed to the carrot.
28:09Understood.
28:10Then Chris was voted least likely to win this competition, which he used as fuel for the fire.
28:15You gave us like three concise, delicious dishes.
28:18You should always look like this.
28:20I think you're back, baby.
28:22Chris is the guy that is easy to root for.
28:25His unbridled enthusiasm is his greatest characteristic and he's exciting to watch.
28:30This is so beautiful.
28:32It was bomb, dude.
28:33Ten out of ten, no notes.
28:34Chris, you are the first chef to earn a perfect score from all six judges.
28:40Wow.
28:40If Chris can unclutter his mind, I think he's going to be very dangerous.
28:48Hello.
28:49It's very pretty.
28:50Very.
28:51And then, you know, you've got Kara.
28:54Kara's been an endless source of surprise for me.
28:57Kara's just like one trip.
28:59She's running for two.
29:00Kara's not someone that you can size up pretty quickly.
29:04She has a lot of arrows in the quiver.
29:06It's one of the most interesting desserts that I've ever had in my life.
29:08It delivered on a whole other level.
29:10You made it very well.
29:12I love it.
29:12If Kara keeps cooking like this, she's going to have her baby here in the kitchen.
29:16Kara has consistently been near the top of the pack.
29:19Like, this whole time, she's just been, like, building up a head of steam.
29:22And I think Kara's got a really, really good shot at winning this.
29:25Congratulations.
29:26Nice to be here with you.
29:27Likewise.
29:28Seriously.
29:29What a surreal feeling.
29:31What a surreal feeling.
29:32It's been a wild ride.
29:34Yeah, it has.
29:35It's pretty amazing to have made it this far.
29:37Look at that.
29:38That's wild.
29:39Oh, man.
29:39A lot.
29:402,495 minutes.
29:42This competition, it's a test of your pride, your patience, your creativity, everything.
29:47I'm in that final sprint right at the end, and I'm excited to be in the finals, and I'm ready
29:51to go.
29:57Good evening, chefs.
29:59Good evening.
30:00Only one cook stands between you and a million dollars.
30:05There are no more commandments, no more tests, and no more limits.
30:10It's time to let you do what you do best.
30:14Cook your food.
30:17For your final challenge, you must make us a three-course meal.
30:23Chefs, we want you to put your personal story on the plate.
30:27Your first course should tell us about your past, where you come from, and what shaped you.
30:32Your second course should tell us about your present, your now, and what matters to you in this moment.
30:39And your third and final course should tell us the story of your future, where you're going, and who you
30:47want to be.
30:48Chefs, cooking is a craft, and storytelling can play an important role in that.
30:54The question you need to be asking yourselves is this.
30:57Is my story worth a million dollars?
30:59I think it is.
31:02And since everything is on the line, we want to make sure you have everything you need to win.
31:08So we called in your sous chefs.
31:13Beverly, you're back!
31:15I love a good reunion.
31:16I'm sorry.
31:17Hi, guys!
31:19I love you, too.
31:21You're popping out more, too!
31:23Oh!
31:23Hi, Bev!
31:24Oh, my gosh!
31:25Hi, I'm Pugna Luxury.
31:28Nice to meet you.
31:29I'm Gerald.
31:30Nice to meet you.
31:30Chris, why did you bring Gerald?
31:32We want a Michelin star together.
31:34There's no one I've ever cooked with where you just kind of finish each other's sentences culinarily,
31:39and I've never had more fun cooking with anybody than him.
31:44Kira, why did you choose Beverly?
31:46Being a chef who's not currently still in the industry, I was like, there's no one I think I could
31:51be more excited to cook with.
31:53Chefs, you have six hours to prep and cook.
31:57You'll be serving us in that private dining room, along with Eric Repair, Suzanne Gowen, and Daniela Soto-Inaz.
32:07No pressure, but tonight, one of you will be walking out of here with $1 million.
32:19Please take your stations.
32:22Good luck to both of you.
32:24We'll see you later.
32:26All right, what are you thinking for the first course, buddy?
32:27I mean, I like the idea of, like, doing verblanc with crab.
32:30Sure.
32:30Maybe, like, if we do the pistachio soup, which is one of the best things at the restaurant.
32:34My pass, I'm going to do a soup dumpling, because it's technical, and it also comes from where my Chinese
32:38family comes.
32:39I love soup dumplings.
32:40The second course, at the restaurant, I do, like, mariguet stuff, quail, that I like a lot.
32:44Okay.
32:45And then maybe, like, a nod to my mom.
32:47Like, maybe a sweet component?
32:48Yeah, like apricot.
32:49Second course, I'm thinking lobster molly, because this is lobsters from the Gulf of Maine.
32:53What I care about now is being local and sourcing local.
32:55Sounds good.
32:56For, like, future, it's kind of, like, an amalgamation of, like, all the things that I've, like, cooked over the
33:01years.
33:01Sure.
33:01Beef short rib.
33:02You got to go beef.
33:03And then dessert.
33:04My future is my children.
33:07And fusion.
33:08Because, like, I am a mix of Chinese and American.
33:09My wife is English.
33:10Like, together we make something better than what we are.
33:13Sounds amazing.
33:18The chefs have six hours to create three-course meals.
33:22The first course must be ready at the four-hour mark.
33:25The second course must be ready at the five-hour mark.
33:28And the third course when time is up.
33:31I'm going to grab all the spices and check them with the station.
33:33Oh, that's a smart idea.
33:35Grab what you need.
33:36Kara, we're going to win this.
33:38Let's crush it.
33:40What are you working on, apparently?
33:41I am finishing rice.
33:43I'm going to get it in the dehydrator.
33:44Dude, I love the menu you're doing.
33:46Oh, thanks, brother.
33:47I love you so much.
33:48I'm so happy to share this moment with you, brother.
33:50I'm so happy to share this moment with you, too, brother.
33:53Here.
33:53This.
33:55Okay, I'm going to get my station dirty because I'm going to do all the dough work over here.
33:58Yes, chef.
33:59You don't have to say, yes, chef-y.
34:00It's kind of cute, isn't it?
34:04I think they're probably anxious.
34:07Would you be nervous, Daniela?
34:08With a million dollars at stake.
34:10Of course, I'd be nervous, but I would just try to have a lot of fun and focus on what
34:16I think is important for me.
34:18I'm so happy it's not me.
34:20I would be a nervous wreck.
34:22I don't think I've ever seen you frazzled.
34:24There's a lot of frazzle going on inside.
34:27Internal frazzle.
34:30Jay, you saw her on the crab.
34:31I'm going to get going on the pistachio soup.
34:33Yep.
34:33For my first dish representing my past, when I was in San Francisco, which is where I got my start,
34:38cooking out there, learning under some of the best chefs.
34:41In my off time, I was making recipes out of Najmie Badmanglish's cookbook that was sent out to me from
34:46my mother.
34:46Najmie is the matriarch of Persian cooking in the world, and then it kind of came full circle because she's
34:51now my business partner in my current restaurant, June.
34:54And one of the recipes is pistachio soup that keeps calling my name.
34:58We've got to finish seasoning our soup and make a saffron ber blanc.
35:02All right, how are you feeling?
35:03I've got the garlic peeling.
35:05For my past, I'm making three types of dim sum, which means little bites.
35:08The first dim sum is going to be a crab and pork soup dumpling from Mushi, which is where my
35:13family is from.
35:14These are the soup dumpling balls.
35:15And after soup dumpling, I'm going to go into the skins for the hargau.
35:18A hargau is a shrimp and bacon filling with a crystal dumpling skin.
35:23My mother taught me how to make this dumpling.
35:25And it's the dumpling that we grew up eating and distributing between my siblings because we loved it so much.
35:29And it's one of my favorite things.
35:31Nothing like a starch dough in a black jacket.
35:33The third dim sum is a zonza filled with sticky rice and belly stuffed bamboo leaf.
35:39It's homey and comforting and rich and gooey in all the right ways.
35:42Make it beautiful.
35:43Make it fast.
35:53Can I taste the soup?
35:54Yeah.
35:56How's the viscosity?
35:57Viscosity is nice.
35:58Soup is beautiful.
35:59The orange is really nice and kind of unexpected.
36:02The rice crisps look beautiful.
36:05Good?
36:07A little crunchy.
36:08I'm going with that.
36:09You go crab lemon down on the plate.
36:11I'm going to follow with bourblanc wheat.
36:15Let's f***ing go, brother.
36:17Let's f***ing go.
36:21This is beautiful, buddy.
36:23All right.
36:24Let's do it.
36:30Hi.
36:31Hi.
36:34How are you feeling?
36:36Nervous to cook for you all again.
36:37But I'm feeling really happy today.
36:39So I'm just so happy to be here still.
36:41So I'm insanely close to the million dollar prize right now.
36:44And it started to feel very real.
36:46Tell us about your past dish and why it's the first course.
36:51So my story begins in San Francisco.
36:53That's where I really fell in love with cooking.
36:56My mother went to Najmi Abad Manglisha's cooking class, who is probably the matriarch of Persian
37:01cooking.
37:01She sent me a signed copy of her book.
37:03And I fell really in love with the food.
37:05The pistachio soup is an homage to Ronnie in cooking.
37:08And then Dungeness crab is like a nod to San Francisco.
37:11Lightly warmed and then dressed in bourblanc.
37:14And then we have a saffron rice cracker or crisp.
37:18Suzanne.
37:19Chris, I thought your dish was really beautiful when it came to the table.
37:21And actually, when I tasted the pistachio soup, it felt a little heavy and like too much to me.
37:26But when I poured it into the dish, like everything came alive.
37:30And I loved the pops of acid from like the barbary and the little pickled shallot and the fennel.
37:35I have a question for Chef Repair.
37:37What did you think of the crab in the soup?
37:39I think it's cooked perfectly.
37:40Yeah, I did too.
37:42Thank you so much.
37:43Really like the sour orange with the saffron and how it behaved.
37:47It's so delicious.
37:49I did eat all my soup.
37:51Thank you, Chef.
37:53I like how you layered the acid, which is something that's very indicative of Iranian or Persian food.
38:00I don't think you needed this rice cracker.
38:03Yeah, it was so pretty and elegant.
38:04It didn't need one more thing.
38:06And unfortunately, you dried it too much because you didn't get that lightness.
38:09Yeah.
38:10But this soup is so beautiful.
38:12Really, I'm proud of you.
38:14Thank you all.
38:15Thank you, Chris.
38:15As always.
38:16I know they like the soup.
38:18Hooray.
38:19But like lately, there's been no room for error.
38:21It's what sent Matt home.
38:23It's what sent Buddha home.
38:24Like tiny details.
38:26The rice crisp.
38:27But they didn't like the rice crisp.
38:29They didn't feel like it just didn't need it.
38:30They're like the soup is like insanely elegant.
38:32We probably should have just omitted it.
38:34With a million dollars on the line, I just know the next course has to be well executed.
38:38Oh, man.
38:39This is my bear.
38:43Here we go.
38:45Come on over, huh?
38:47Mindy.
38:47Mindy.
38:48Mindy.
38:48Mindy.
38:50Mindy.
38:50Mindy.
38:51You look good, yeah?
38:52This one.
38:52This one.
38:53This one.
38:53Yeah.
38:54Okay.
38:58I'm excited, actually.
38:59Yeah.
38:59I'm super excited.
39:02Hi.
39:02I didn't think I'd be standing here.
39:04And I'm very excited about it.
39:06And I'm very nervous.
39:07This is it.
39:08Wow.
39:09Tell us about your past dish, Kara, and why it represents your past.
39:13So these are all dishes from my family history and my culinary history as a child.
39:19The soup dumpling is a wushi soup dumpling with crab and pork, which comes from the province
39:24right outside of Shanghai.
39:25So that's where my family's from for a thousand years.
39:27The hard gao is a feeling that my mother taught me as a child, put into a crystal skin dumpling.
39:32And then the zonza is a childhood snack.
39:34I would bring it and eat it with these kids, and they thought I was a little bit odd for
39:38my choice.
39:39It's a sticky rice that has been soaked and then wrapped in a bamboo leaf.
39:44I thought they were all delicious.
39:46My favorite of them was certainly this rice.
39:48I loved the pork belly in it.
39:49I thought that was delicious.
39:50I agree.
39:51I feel like the sticky rice was definitely the showstopper.
39:54And I loved the salsa verde that you gave us to garnish the rice with, because I thought
39:58it was just that nice, salty, kind of onion-y kick that it absolutely needed.
40:02Kara, I liked all three of your dim sum.
40:05I thought what was wrapped in the bamboo leaf was the most flavorful.
40:10I will say, for me, the soup dumpling ate a bit dry, and I didn't get that burst of
40:17broth and hot liquid that I'm used to.
40:20The soup dumpling, for me, was a little bit dry as well, but I'm very impressed with what
40:26you have done.
40:27The shrimp dumpling that you made, this is probably my favorite.
40:31And the three of them seems to represent also very well your past.
40:36Thank you, Kara.
40:39I want more of that salsa verde.
40:41Yeah, it's so good.
40:42How did it go in there?
40:43I said they loved everything, and the soup dumpling wasn't soupy enough.
40:46The soup dumpling didn't have enough soup.
40:48That's not a good sign, you know?
40:49It was a harsh critique.
40:51It felt like I didn't do a good enough job.
40:53It's juicy.
40:54It's just not soupy.
40:56We're heading to Morocco for the second course.
40:58Second course, I want to go the route of Gerald Knight's travels.
41:01North Africa and the Middle East.
41:02It's quail time.
41:03So we're making a barragas stuffed quail with patata harra and this apricot chutney that
41:10I used to make with my mother for Thanksgiving.
41:12All right, three quails down.
41:13These are nice though, yeah?
41:14Yeah.
41:15This fried curry squash.
41:16I'm just going to roast it with some ghee and salt, and we're going to puree it with just
41:21butter as part of the base for the lobster.
41:24Lobster carnage is where I'm at right now.
41:27My present is in Maine, and I'm just trying to represent the things that are in abundance
41:31for me that I love from the place that I'm currently at, mixed with the things that inspire
41:35me to cook right now, which is flavors from all over the world.
41:39I love Indian food.
41:40It's like there's a whole world of cultures out there.
41:42Why wouldn't you want to explore it?
41:44So, for my present, I'm making a lobster moylee.
41:47I know it's a risk, specifically because I'm making a dish from Padma's hometown, which
41:51means there's no room for error, and that makes me nervous.
41:56The moylee base is oil, black mustard seeds, and curry leaves until they crackle.
42:02And I add onions, ginger, and garlic, chilies, turmeric, and black pepper, and then add in
42:08the coconut milk and the lobster stock and cook it down to consistency.
42:13Serving Padma her own food.
42:16I mean, this is South Indian inspired.
42:18It's ballsy, and I like it.
42:20How's the milfui looking, Chef?
42:23Stunning.
42:24Woo!
42:24Milfui means a thousand layers.
42:26The potato version is just lots of layers of thinly sliced potato, typically with clarified
42:30butter, cooked in an oven.
42:32Milfui in the oven, Chef.
42:33Atta boy.
42:34I want to make it in the style of patata harra, which is like a spiced potato dish that we
42:39specifically ate in Lebanon that we love.
42:43So, I forgot chutney is the nod to my mom.
42:46Yeah, I think that's nice.
42:47We would make a chutney every Thanksgiving.
42:49I like the lemon.
42:50The only thing that I could say is that it could be a touch softer, but that's going to be
42:54your
42:54call.
42:57I don't mind the texture.
42:58If you like the texture, is that how your mom likes it?
43:01Yeah.
43:01You got to do it that way.
43:02Yeah.
43:03I'm always thinking about my mother.
43:04I want to have a piece of her on the plate because I'm thinking about her every day, and
43:07that's right now.
43:09I think we're sitting pretty now.
43:13I'm getting the quail in.
43:15Have you scored these?
43:16I didn't score them yet.
43:18That's fine.
43:18Here.
43:18I'm just going to score them.
43:19This dish is, in my mind, sort of a way to highlight a lot of styles and techniques.
43:23You've got the roti, you've got the curry, you've got your tomato salad, and then there's
43:28a chili pickle on the side.
43:30Hot and spicy, I'm sorry.
43:32You like spicy.
43:32More acid?
43:33Leave it.
43:34A little bit.
43:35Do you think we're in a good place?
43:37We shall see.
43:41Now we hustle.
43:43Shaky, shaky, shaky.
43:45So nervous.
43:47Four pieces, buddy?
43:48Yeah.
43:50These are really nice.
43:51Yeah, I think so, too.
43:53Did you put lemon on quail?
43:53Yes, yes, yes, yes.
43:54On all of them?
43:55Yes.
43:56I trust you, dog.
43:57This is pretty, dude.
43:59Really, really pretty.
44:03Heck yeah, buddy.
44:04Two down.
44:05Two down.
44:12Oh, wow.
44:14Chris, tell us about your present.
44:16I have been very fortunate to travel all over the Middle East and North Africa.
44:20I draw on those experiences in my food.
44:22So today is kind of a blend of Morocco and Lebanon.
44:25So you have a merguez stuffed quail, a little bit of Lebanon on the plate, and then you have
44:30potato milfui, and then a little apricot chutney, which is an ode to my mother.
44:36She passed away in January very suddenly.
44:38In this present moment, I'm thinking about her, and every day I'm thinking about her.
44:41I think that's a big reason I'm still in this competition.
44:44So I wanted to, you know, include my mother, of course, as well.
44:52Chris, this was beautiful and alarming the way it arrived.
44:56Legs up.
44:57I thought that was super fun and whimsical and playful.
45:00The potato is maybe the sleeper on the plate.
45:02It's fantastic.
45:04All of this stuff was, the flavors came together in a really nice way.
45:06I think mom would be very proud.
45:09I love the chutney that you made with the apricot.
45:12It brings some refreshment to my palate because it's a lot of spice that you are using.
45:15I love the marguese.
45:17I think it's really delicious, and I love how fun this is.
45:23I thought it was really fun and festive, and I love all those flavors of that part of the world.
45:27I think just a little bit more crispy skin quail.
45:31Well, I think when you can put that kind of emotion into a plate,
45:34it makes up for all sorts of little tiny things that we might notice.
45:38Thank you, chef.
45:39Very much.
45:40I think your mother would be incredibly proud of you.
45:43Thank you, Chris.
45:46No matter what the outcome, just being able to represent my mom, yeah, that was special.
45:52They were like, your mother would be very proud.
45:53This dish is amazing.
45:55Que bonito.
45:56Si.
45:57Don't cry.
45:58It's about the food.
45:58I was crying.
46:00It's about the food.
46:01I was trying to hold the tears.
46:03This is a competition with a big prize, but the heart is still here.
46:07Yeah.
46:07And it's in a plate.
46:09This plate reflects this journey that he's been on,
46:12and I hope that the rest of his story holds true, you know,
46:14because there's a lot of promising Chris.
46:18Oh, man.
46:23Okay, I'm going to do this.
46:24The roti's next to the lobster, Wally.
46:26So the roti, you want to flatten to a very, very thin layer.
46:31Okay, got it.
46:35And then you fold it sort of like a fan to create smaller layers
46:38so that you've got more layers on layers on layers.
46:41Then I'm going to start plating.
46:42Yeah, sounds good.
46:43Lemon juice over.
46:44And then put the tomato plates on each one.
46:46What am I missing on this?
46:48Lemon, mullein, ginger, curry leaves, pickle mustard seeds, broth.
46:55This is my story to tell, and this really represents my present.
46:59Good luck.
46:59Kill it.
47:00I'm taking a risk because I want to win.
47:02Give them the best you got.
47:03It just so happens that this dish comes from Padma's hometown in India.
47:07No pressure.
47:18Kara, tell us about how this dish, your second course, is your present.
47:22So this is my iteration of lobster moylee.
47:25There's some chili on the side for those who like heat,
47:27and then there's heirloom tomato salads on the side.
47:30These are the flavors I love now and the produce that I love now
47:33and what I'm cooking currently on a regular basis.
47:36I commend you on your courage to make me moylee.
47:40This is one of my favorite dishes from Kerala, from South India.
47:45What is the paste under the lobster?
47:47It's a red curry squash.
47:48I don't think you needed that squash.
47:51It muddled the clarity of flavor, but the broth tasted beautiful.
47:56I think your lobster was cooked well.
47:58The consistency of your soup is, like, spot on.
48:01It's quite spicy.
48:02I'm not sure why there's more spice on the side.
48:05Actually, Wiley, if somebody tried to take my chilies away right now,
48:08I would smack you.
48:09I think the chilies are so delicious.
48:11I love them.
48:12I think the sauce is very well executed.
48:14The way you cook the lobster is perfection.
48:16I love the salad and the way you cut the tomatoes.
48:19It's such a beautiful dish, Chef.
48:22Thank you, Cara.
48:24Thank you, Cara.
48:28How'd you do?
48:30I don't know.
48:31I never know.
48:32That was tough.
48:33I thought it was beautiful.
48:34I really enjoyed eating it.
48:36Yes.
48:36Last dish.
48:37And I think it is very close.
48:39It is.
48:39This is the million-dollar dish.
48:41This one.
48:43This is for my kashke kadu.
48:45Third course to go with my short ribs.
48:47Roasted butternut squash, honey, turmeric, and cash,
48:50which is a fermented yogurt product.
48:52That's how I make it at least.
48:53A little sweet, a little acidic,
48:55filled with some nice braised beef short rib.
48:57I'm telling the story about my future,
48:58and if I win a billion dollars,
49:00that's going straight to my kids.
49:01So I've got to time my kids a little bit,
49:03and both my kids love roasted squash and braised beef.
49:07Luckily, we have a blast chiller
49:08to set them in their own juices.
49:09Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to pull this dish off.
49:12I'm sure Cara's putting out great food.
49:14I have to do the same thing.
49:17When I think of my future,
49:18I think of my children.
49:20One, two, three, go.
49:22Good.
49:22My wife is English,
49:23and so the idea is very traditional English dessert,
49:27but then adding this sort of Asian twist to it.
49:30This is a pasta.
49:31We use tangerine juice,
49:32a little bit of fig leaf kind of steeped in there as well.
49:36I think it's delicious.
49:37Do you think it's delicious?
49:38Yeah.
49:38Simple.
49:39It's like super simple.
49:40It's kind of like a panna cotta, but no gelatin.
49:42Listen, we're going to crush it.
49:43I believe it.
49:43Second place is not good enough.
49:45I want to win.
49:46It's do or die.
49:55Center of the plate.
49:57Perfect.
49:58With a million dollars on the line,
49:59your heart's beating out of your chest.
50:01This is the most important meal I've ever served in my life,
50:03and it's very terrifying.
50:04It's just down to two of us.
50:05There's fewer people, more judges,
50:07and a hell of a lot more scrutiny.
50:08It's hard.
50:10Yeah, buddy.
50:11Love you.
50:12It's about making as few mistakes as possible
50:14and hoping you put up a better plate of food.
50:17Your third and final course.
50:19Your future.
50:20What does it hold?
50:21So it's a kashuke kadu underneath,
50:24which is a traditional butternut squash dish.
50:26On top, you have beef short rib pavé,
50:28a rub of paprika, soaked chili, and gulpar.
50:32Then there's a black garlic pistachio relish.
50:36I have a two and a four-year-old, two girls.
50:38When conceptualizing this dish,
50:39I wanted to tie them into it because they are my future.
50:41The one thing I can guarantee that they'll always eat
50:43is, like, braised beef and roasted sweet potato
50:46or a squash puree.
50:49It's a beautiful dish.
50:51The meat is cooked perfectly, and it's very tender.
50:54So I don't think it needs so much oil.
50:56But other than that,
50:57I'm very pleased with the flavors and the cooking.
50:59Thank you, chef.
51:00Chris, a beautiful dish.
51:01I love your love of flavor and your robust cooking.
51:04But there was a lot of sweetness going on.
51:06Like, I wouldn't have put the honey maybe in your relish.
51:08But I loved your black garlic pistachio.
51:11The texture of it is that nubbly texture like a romesco has,
51:14which I love.
51:15You gave us a beautiful, cohesive meal,
51:17and I love your beef.
51:19I love how rich and robust and decadent this particular dish is.
51:24I think this is a fabulous end to your whole meal.
51:29I'm really, really proud of you.
51:30Thank you all.
51:36Done.
51:37What?
51:38He said we're done.
51:39If this is the last thing he wants us to think of him,
51:42I think that that was a bold move.
51:43I mean, it's showing restraint that we didn't see
51:46when we first met Chris.
51:47They were like,
51:47you should be very proud of this.
51:48It's your final day.
51:49Let's go.
51:50See what happens.
51:56Two small ones.
51:58Two small ones only.
51:59Okay, small ones.
51:59I'm sorry.
52:00That's okay.
52:00That's okay.
52:01So in my mind,
52:02I'm thinking of three things that are representative
52:04both of me and my wife mixed together
52:07and the future that holds.
52:09It's a playful dessert.
52:10This is intentionally playful.
52:12Children are playful inherently.
52:14And the only thing that's made me cry this whole time
52:15I've been away is thinking about my daughter.
52:17I just miss her.
52:19I miss the hugs.
52:21Oy.
52:24Okay, time's up.
52:27Beautiful.
52:31Kara, tell us about your last course,
52:34your future dish.
52:35My wife is English and I'm Asian,
52:37so this is sort of a fusion.
52:39So when I think of my future,
52:40I think of my children.
52:41Hopefully we'll be three.
52:42We have one on the way
52:44and my wife plans to have the next one.
52:45So there's three major components,
52:46which is the digestive biscuit
52:48and you have it with tea.
52:50It's a play on a London fog.
52:51In the tea are three chocolate-filled dumplings
52:54and then you have a posset,
52:56which is the just barely set custard
52:58and a little bit of candied cocoa nibs
52:59and dried mandarin peel on top of that.
53:02I love the dumplings or the ganache.
53:04It's really balanced.
53:05It's not cloying.
53:06It's not overly sweet.
53:07The posset,
53:08I like the clean, fresh, potent flavor
53:11of the citruses that you put it in.
53:13It's very sophisticated,
53:14very well-balanced,
53:15great flavors.
53:16The tea, I wish,
53:18not as thin in terms of texture,
53:21except that it's really delicious.
53:23This beautiful and elegant little teacup
53:27is so pillowy and delicious.
53:29and I've learned in this past two days.
53:32The journey that you've had
53:34and your family as well,
53:36it's all present here.
53:37I love how you pair unexpected things together.
53:41To put mochi dumplings
53:42with chocolate ganache inside my tea
53:45was just genius.
53:47Nobody else could have made this dish.
53:49It is so personal
53:50and specific to you
53:52and your story
53:53that no one could have executed it
53:56with this kind of imagination
53:58and you've done a beautiful job
54:00not only today
54:01but this whole season
54:03and I commend you for that.
54:05Thank you, Cara.
54:10Beverly, come give me a hug.
54:13You're the best.
54:14Yeah, oh my, this is so funny.
54:15Thank you so much.
54:17I personally liked how homey
54:18this dessert was.
54:20This was a proper British spread.
54:22It was very clever.
54:23All right, we've had three amazing courses
54:26from both Chris and Cara.
54:28Let's score.
54:29I did not think it was going to be this close.
54:33This is so hard.
54:39Please, chef.
54:41We're doing that.
54:45All right.
54:54Tara and Chris, please gather around
54:57the scores you're in.
55:01It's been an honor, chefs,
55:02to witness your excellence
55:04throughout this competition.
55:07Now the time has come.
55:10Tonight, there was a total
55:12of 360 points up for grabs.
55:17And it all came down
55:19to four points.
55:23Could hardly have been much closer.
55:27The winner of America's Culinary Cup
55:30and one million dollars is...
55:44The winner of America's Culinary Cup
55:49and one million dollars is...
55:52All right.
56:00Cara, congratulations.
56:04Cara, congratulations!
56:06Come on up here, Cara.
56:16Congratulations!
56:18Cara, we search the nation
56:19for greatness and you delivered your excellence and bodies the very spirit of America's Culinary
56:27Cup. You don't have any words. Thank you. I just bought America's Culinary Cup. I can't believe it.
56:36Thank you. Thank you. Chris, congratulations to you. It's devastating. I lost my four points.
56:45I mean, it's the experience of a lifetime. I know everyone in my family is insanely proud of me.
56:50I know my mom's looking down and she's proud of me. And that's what I want more than me.
56:56Look at these ways you created.
57:01Oh my gosh. Yes. Run through the fields.
57:07You should go right home and put this on your menu. Thank you.
57:10I certainly envy the way you think about food. You're going to make me cry, Wally.
57:16These are some of the best shots in the country. That's pretty incredible.
57:19Are you making puff pastry?
57:20Yes. I'm jumping off the deep end.
57:22I don't want to get too chaffy.
57:26Yeah! Let's do it!
57:30What's your favorite, though?
57:31That'd be Michael for me.
57:33Wiley.
57:34I'm pregnant.
57:37I've never won once, though.
57:39Just saying. It feels really good to come in second for so long and then crush it at the end.
57:48I'm coming home with a million dollars.
57:50I know.
57:55CBS Thursday. Time to treat ourselves to...
57:58Can I look?
57:59...a brand new Georgie and Mandy's first marriage.
58:01You bought a jet ski!
58:02It's like a motorcycle, except if you fall off, instead of dying, you get wet.
58:06New Georgie and Mandy.
58:07CBS Thursday.
58:09Queen Latifah hosts the American Music Awards Live.
58:13CBS Memorial Day Monday.
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