Top Chef: Freedmen's Town

April 30, 2022 12:26 AM - Season 19, Episode 9

As the chefs return to the Top Chef Kitchen they are greeted by a rainbow of produce and all-star Nyesha Arrington, who asks them to create a monochromatic plant-based dish for their Quickfire Challenge. Then, for the Elimination Challenge, the chefs will be tasked with creating dishes that speak to their souls for a block party fundraiser. To gain inspiration they’ll visit historic Freedmen’s Town where they’ll meet with Zion Escobar from the Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy. The chef’s will have to bare their souls in the historic Bethel Church to feed 120 diners as well as guest judges Dawn Burrell and Kwame Onwuachi, who know a thing or two about cooking from the heart.

Summary from Bravo.

posted by Superilla (2 comments total)

Really good! Wonderful seeing Freedmen's town too, I didn't know much about it before so was very nice to see that highlighted. What a backhanded compliment to Luke though, he gets singled out, not with a winning dish, but with an attaboy from Padma about how he finally is getting it. And then gets sent home! I really didn't understand his cooking approach here and it doesn't seem like he really did either. Happy he's gone as he was frustrating in some ways to watch, but really curious what he does well and where he might actually come alive and shine.
posted by Carillon at 1:06 AM on April 30, 2022

It was a good episode overall; a worthy spot to highlight, a good straightforward quickfire, good cooking overall, probably the most reasonable chef to be eliminated. In a way, not a lot to say.
posted by Superilla at 10:29 PM on May 11, 2022 [1 favorite]