FanFare

The finalists prepare themselves for the most important cook of their lives. They’ll have to leave it all on the plate in order to wow Padma, Tom, Gail, and guest judges Stephanie Izard and Eric Ripert along with special guest diners Gregory Gourdet, Edward Lee, Janos Wilder, Bricia Lopez, Hunter Lewis and Alexander Smalls. Once they’re reunited with their sous chefs, the top three immediately get to work on executing a four-course progressive menu worthy of $250,000 and the title of Top Chef. [more inside]
posted by Superilla on Jun 6, 2022 - 11 comments

The final four chefs are headed to Tucson. For their last Quickfire Challenge, they’ll make the trip to El Charro, the oldest family-run Mexican restaurant in the country, where legendary chef Carlotta Flores challenges them to create a dish featuring her Carne Seca. In the final Elimination Challenge, alum and Tucson local Maria Mazon wants the chefs to embrace the desert lifestyle and create two dishes – one sweet and one savory – using the classic Sonoran ingredients: cactus and chiltepin. With an impressive assortment of locals and “Top Chef Seattle” winner Kristen Kish joining the judges table, the heat is on. [more inside]
posted by Superilla on Jun 1, 2022 - 4 comments

After saying goodbye to their loved ones and another fellow competitor, the chefs receive an ominous gift from Tom, who tells them to get up early and meet him at the docks. They’ll have to find their sea legs quickly because for their Elimination Challenge each chef must create two fresh fish dishes to hook their guest judges Stephanie Izard and Daniel Boulud. The catch? They’ll be fishing for all of their protein themselves. [more inside]
posted by Superilla on May 23, 2022 - 5 comments

It’s time to hit the beach. The Chefs head to the Gulf of Mexico in Galveston Texas, but they won’t have any time to relax. Chef Shota Nakajima is here to present them with their next Quickfire Challenge: using the freshest gulf shellfish to create a seafood tower with one hot and one cold dish. Then, for the Elimination Challenge, Padma announces that along with alumni Sheldon Simeon and Adrienne Cheatham, the chefs will be feeding a family of special VIPs, who are expecting them to cater to some very specific tastes. [more inside]
posted by Superilla on May 16, 2022 - 7 comments

The chefs get an early start as they head to the Houston farmers market to meet Padma and Quickfire guest judge Claudette Zepeda. For this Quickfire Challenge, the chefs have to put their own fresh take on fajitas, a Houston classic. The best fajita dish will win $10,000 courtesy of a sponsor. Next, the competition reaches new heights in the Elimination Challenge as the chefs voyage to the Houston Space Center to meet up with Melissa King and a few experts in space cuisine. If they want to blast off to victory, they’ll have to create a stellar new menu item that they would crave if they were on a multi-year mission to Mars that meets both NASA and guest judge Marcus Samuelson’s culinary standards. [more inside]
posted by Superilla on May 11, 2022 - 9 comments

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. [more inside]
posted by Superilla on Apr 30, 2022 - 2 comments

In the most anticipated challenge of the season, the chefs are put to the ultimate test. Not only will they have to build restaurants from the ground up, but the Chefs’ Table is back. If that wasn’t enough pressure, “Top Chef’s” signature challenge levels up yet again, requiring the chefs to satisfy their VIP counter and a dining room full of guests watching their every move in an open kitchen. Guest judges Tiffany Derry and Hunter Lewis join Padma, Tom and Gail on the battlefield. [more inside]
posted by Superilla on Apr 23, 2022 - 10 comments

The chefs expand their horizons in a master class on Nigerian flavors guided by local chef Ope Amosu, and all-star Kwame Onwuachi. They’ll have to pay close attention because for this Quickfire challenge they must create a stew that perfectly pairs with traditional Nigerian swallows. Then, “Top Chef Colorado” winner (and part-time paleontologist) Joe Flamm challenges the chefs to dig deep and dominate the competition. They’ll work in teams of three to create a progressive menu of jurassic proportions to serve the judges, as well as a special guest from the upcoming film “Jurassic World Dominion.” [more inside]
posted by Superilla on Apr 16, 2022 - 9 comments

After a competitor returns from phase 1 of Last Chance Kitchen, the cheftestants compete in a Quickfire in teams of two, making a dessert that pairs a salty and sweet ingredient. The elimination challenge is to make a dish inspired by one of five trailblazing Texan women, to be served to a dinner celebrating the achievements of Texan women past and present. [more inside]
posted by Superilla on Apr 9, 2022 - 5 comments

The chefs spend the episode at J Bar M Barbecue, where they go straight into the Elimination Challenge -- they are given 12 hours to smoke a beef brisket to incorporate into a dish, to be served to twenty of Houston's finest pitmasters, including guest judge Greg Gatlin. In a Top Chef first, the chefs are surprised that while their briskets are barbecuing, they will get to compete in a Quickfire challenge cooking for Tom and Brooke Williamson, themed around Texas Toast. [more inside]
posted by Superilla on Apr 3, 2022 - 5 comments

The chefs are joined by local chef Chris Williams in the Quickfire Challenge. He tasks the chefs to put their own twist on a biscuit dish in honor of his great grandmother, Lucille B. Smith. Then in the Elimination Challenge, the chefs find themselves pushed out of their comfort zones by chef Wylie Dufresne when they’re tasked to work in teams of two to create two dishes that look exactly the same, but taste completely different. The pressure is on because this is a double elimination.
posted by ShooBoo on Mar 26, 2022 - 5 comments

The chefs are surprised in the kitchen by "Top Chef Miami" winner, Hung Huynh, and challenged to make a dish inspired by five of the larger Asian communities in Houston; along with Hung, the judges and Kiran Verma, they'll be serving 100 guests.
posted by ShooBoo on Mar 19, 2022 - 7 comments