PADMA: Previously on "Top Chef World All Stars"...
For your final challenge here in London,
you'll need to impress us
with your very own trompe l'oeil dish.
Ugh, destroy me.
They just keep getting more trickier, don't they?
- Yes. - They call me El Gato.
Gabri's actually gonna be on the bottom and survive.
You're a cat, bro.
[laughter] El Gato.
I'm going to fight like a cat.
[snarls, laughs]
It's kinda ugly, isn't it?
The molds, like, take away from my vision,
but everybody else is doing it.
Just don't know what that jelly in the bottom
is supposed to represent.
I think seaweed is a nice alternative for caviar.
It didn't taste different enough
- from what it looked like. - Making my cherries
and beet juice made out of pork rillette.
Looked like a scene from a Renaissance painting.
Buddha, we will see you and Gabri in Paris.
Going to Paris.
Tom, please pack your knives and go.
Thank you.
♪
Only four chefs remain to compete
in the ultimate culinary showdown.
At stake for the winner--
a feature in "Food & Wine" magazine,
an appearance
at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen,
$250,000...
furnished by Saratoga Spring Water,
and the title of Top Chef World All-Star.
♪
SARA: Of the top four, I'm the only one
that didn't win my season.
They probably think that I don't cook as refined as them.
♪
But that's my journey, is realizing my self-worth.
I want to win for Paducah, for all the mamas and the papas
that think they have to choose
between their career and their family.
♪
It feels amazing being in the top four,
but for me to win "Top Chef World All-Stars,"
it will take me to be fully concentrated.
Ca va bien, y tú?
Sara has a lot of good flavors.
Gabri in the kitchen is really fast.
Buddha is very technical, but hey,
it's not a finale without Ali. [chuckles]
♪
[chuckles]
Oh, my God.
[in French]
This is the dream of my life.
Don't call me El Gato anymore.
I'm Le Chat. [laughs]
Oh, look at that. Ooh-la-la!
I can tell where we're going.
It's kind of huge and pointy, and it's in the sky.
♪
We're in Paris!
ALL: Bonjour!
[laughter]
- Good morning, Chefs... - Good morning.
...and welcome to Paris!
- Thank you. - Merci.
Today we mark our 300th episode.
ALL: Wow.
I know you've all worked so hard to be here in the finals.
You traveled from your hometowns around the world
to London and now to Paris.
♪
For your final Quickfire Challenge,
please welcome entrepreneur and Michelin-starred chef
and owner of Frenchie, Greg Marchand.
[applause]
- Welcome. - Thank you.
"Top Chef" is very popular here in France,
so we are thrilled to welcome you here
to our beautiful city for this great competition.
- Thank you. - Merci.
In just over a year's time,
the worlds' greatest athletes will be coming together here
in Paris for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games,
where they'll be competing in the ultimate tests
of their endurance and skills.
- Sound familiar? - [chuckles]
Thanks to Delta Airlines,
the official airline of Team USA,
the four of you will be doing the same here in Paris
over the next two weeks, and it all starts right now.
♪
For your last Quickfire of the season,
you'll do the infamous Wall Challenge.
♪
Have any of you done it in your seasons? No?
- No. - PADMA: Did you?
No, but I've seen it happen many times on "Top Chef."
Yes.
I know this challenge.
[overlapping chatter]
Shirley! Shh.
You don't know who's next to you.
You don't know how experienced they are. It's just crazy.
You'll be responsible for creating a dish
using only a small pantry available at your stations.
You will work on one side of the partition
while a mystery guest works on the other side.
Aw, jeez.
You must coach your teammate to make the exact same dish
without being able to see each other.
Our friends at Delta have flown in
some very special teammates for you today,
but you won't know who they are until you're done cooking.
[laughter]
You will be judged on how close
your dishes looks and tastes like.
Okay, Chefs, please head to your stations
and put on your blindfolds.
♪
- All right, you ready? - Whoo!
♪
Whoo!
[gasps]
All right, Chefs, remove your blindfolds, please.
You will have 30 minutes to cook
and instruct your teammates.
Your time... starts... now!
- Hi. How are you? - Hello. How are you?
Can you hear me?
Uh, a little bit. Can you speak a little louder?
- Are you cooking before? - Sorta.
Okay. Have you tried Mexican food?
- Yes. - All right. Let's make a...
- sort of Mexican dish. You agree? - Okay.
Are you familiar with French food or Asian food?
I'm novice at both.
I thought it could possibly be a family member,
but I don't recognize this voice at all.
Whatever you can teach, I can cook.
Doesn't sound that confident. Oh, okay, cool.
What's your favorite thing to cook?
- Chicken. - So let's do some chicken, okay?
Tell me "yes" so I know that you heard me, okay?
Yes?
Have you ever done a soup before?
- Yes. - Okay, perfect.
We have potatoes, and we have leeks.
I want you to grab the potatoes.
Potatoes?
I am thinking of something very simple,
not that hard to follow.
Cut it lengthwise.
- Yep. - Awesome. Okay.
Grab a small pan, please.
- A small cup? - Yes.
- Cup... - And then fill it with oil
and put it in deep fry.
[laughs] Wait, what? In the cup?
- In a pan. - Okay.
- Yes. - Wait, how much oil?
I don't even know what my dish is going to look like.
Then you're going to see a chile, a big one.
Like a green chile?
Exactly, that one. Put it in the pan with the oil.
- Oh, okay. - Yeah.
Your chili is in the oil?
- Yes. - Cool.
♪
What we're making here
is chicken with caramelized cauliflower
and herb salad to go with it.
Sounds good.
I'm pretty familiar with trying to
walk people through preparing my food.
During COVID, I started teaching cooking classes.
The money from that cooking class
went straight to my employees.
It was nice to keep everybody employed
when we didn't have any money coming in.
I can't wait to see who you are.
[laughs] Me, too.
Take the leek and cut it lengthwise, then slice it.
Cut it in half and then slices?
Yeah, slice it really thin.
You're gonna get the leeks
and then split the leeks in half.
Okay, I don't know what the leeks are.
It's got a green top. It's white on the bottom.
Okay, it looks like a giant onion.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay.
- Okay, lovely. - I hope this is a leek.
Cheese and rice.
And then we're gonna get capers. It's in a jar.
Yeah, it tastes like a salty pea.
To be honest, I just want to jump over the bench,
cook both of our dishes, and he can just watch me.
[laughs]
♪
All right, blending it out!
[whirring]
I want you to take the measurement spoons.
Use the biggest spoon to pour salt.
For the seasoning, I went with measurement spoons
because it's really important to have the same taste.
I want you to use the 1-cup measurement
and pour it inside the soup.
- Okay, one cup inside. - You're doing great.
I'm cooking with you. Don't worry.
Let's gather some parsley on top.
Parsley is pointy.
That's right. If you--if you know
you're not gonna have it, then that's fine.
No, I got it. I got it.
Grab the green chile.
I just used the green one.
- Oh. - I thought you said green.
That isn't the chile.
[laughs] Okay, so what do I do now?
- Okay, okay. - I see a purple one.
Whatever. It's okay.
- Exactly, that one. - Oh.
Also there's some coriander.
- There's what? - Coriander?
What's that?
- Coriander! - [giggles]
♪
- You got the bacon? - Okay, yeah.
- So we're gonna do 12 lardons. - Okay.
I don't know what the lardons is.
It should be like a pinky.
- Oh, got you. Okay, cool. - Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Give me a second.
My leeks might have burnt a little bit.
Did they change in color?
There is a little color to them, yes.
It's okay.
So let's flip the chicken over.
Does it have a good color on it?
- Yes, it has color. - [sizzling]
We only have seven minutes left.
In your cooler, you're gonna find butter
and then put it in a big pan.
Okay, okay, okay. Put it into what? Like, what?
Then half all your baby corn.
- Half what? - Half all your baby corn!
Well... [laughs] I don't think we're on the same page.
The baby corn! Then you're gonna half the sausage
that you made, just half of it.
- What half? - [sizzling]
Okay.
It burned!
Doesn't smell good.
- It doesn't? - No.
[under breath] Shoot.
Have you ever cooked in your life?
[laughs]
From the energy in this kitchen, I think we might be winning.
- [laughs] - We're just gonna do
some croutons that we're gonna cook in oil, okay?
Okay, I'm cutting it up right now.
Take the potatoes and leeks with no liquid.
Okay.
And put it inside the blender, and we need to blend it.
- [whirring] - You got this, come on.
Now take your chicken, cut it into three slices.
- Okay. - Now put the chicken
right next to the cauliflower straight up and down.
And we got 30 seconds, so let's get this done.
A couple of pinch at a time.
It looks like a Christmas tree?
- One. - I'm having a blast.
[bleep], yeah!
Three lardons, scatter the croutons.
Try to put it one-third full.
- Pour it now? - Yes, pour it now.
- We don't have time. - Now put your herbs
right in the middle, half on the chicken,
half on the cauliflower.
- What do I do now?! - Your sauce is in the plate?
- Yes. - With the pine nuts?
No! No pine nuts.
Ugh, come on, come on.
Just add whatever you want.
[laughing]
♪
Time's up. Hands up. Utensils down.
PADMA: Previously on "Top Chef World All Stars"...
♪
Okay, Gabriel, are you ready to find out
- who your teammate is? - Yeah, definitely, yeah.
Open the window.
♪
- Hi! [giggles] - Hello!
Please meet Tokyo all-around gymnastics champion Suni Lee.
- Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
Oh, my----ing God.
This girl has been winning an Olympic gold medal,
and I just scream at her.
It was a little bit rough.
I feel so embarrassed right now.
- You were confusing me. - Oh, so sorry.
- Buddha! - How's it going?
Please welcome 3-time Paralympic medalist
in track and field-- Hunter Woodhall.
- Pleasure to meet you. - The pleasure's all mine.
I hope this is what you envisioned.
Oh, yeah, that's pretty much spot on. [laughs]
It's getting a little rainy.
Okay, Alex, please open your window.
- Hello! - Hi! How are you?
5-time Paralympic medalist in swimming--Malloy Weggemann.
I'm very happy that we kind of worked together.
- We worked together, yeah. - Yeah.
- Hello! - Hi!
Please meet 2-time Olympic gold medalist
in track and field-- Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
I know who this is.
I went to University of Kentucky.
- I know. - There we go.
I know exactly who you are. I watched her in the Olympics.
She broke a world record.
- Go, Cats. - [laughs] Good job.
Let's see how these dishes taste.
Buddha and Hunter, please come up.
Hunter, tell them what we got.
Uh, so today we have prepared a cauliflower purée
with bacon, croutons,
and some other... greens.
BUDDHA: Leek and capers.
Well, they taste very similar, so...
- That's a good sign. - Yeah.
♪
Plating's pretty good, I have to say.
Today we prepared a roasted baby corn
with pine nuts and poblano sauce.
Why is Suni's sauce so much darker?
I couldn't smell the warm butter that she got.
The taste is similar,
a bit more caramelized on Suni's side.
Does this make you want to cook more or less?
- I think less. - [laughter]
- Almost the same. - Thank you. Almost.
You know, us Minnesotans are a little more generous
- in our serving sizes. - [laughter]
We have prepared potato and leek soup
with crème fraîche.
We used measuring cups and spoons
on oil, seasoning, and anything.
PADMA: I think that was a very good decision.
You did a really nice job walking me through that.
- Likewise. - Yeah.
I was very happy, like, working next to you, you know?
The seasoning is-- is--is very similar.
[whispers] Yes! [laughs]
♪
We made spiced chicken with sweet and sour cauliflower
and herb salad.
They look very similar.
I like the cauliflower very much.
- Thank you. - All right, thank you both.
- Thank you. - [singsongy] Good job!
Good job.
I think you all worked as great teams,
especially in this weather.
♪
All right, let's get the bad news out of the way first.
Gabri and Suni unfortunately produced
something that was a bit less interesting.
I almost like the caramelized one better.
[laughter]
♪
Sara and Sydney,
I think the chicken let the dish down a little bit.
It was a little dry,
but well done on the cauliflower.
- That was delicious. - Thank you.
And of course, we had two teams that had then our favorites.
The dish of Ali and Mallory really stand out.
I couldn't really make the difference...
- Oh, wow. - ...between both of the dishes.
Both your seasoning was spot on.
BOTH: Thank you.
Of course, that leaves Buddha and Hunter.
It was very courageous to instruct that many element.
I love the creativity of your dish, the bacon,
the sweetness in the velouté.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
The team who made an excellent connection
and a great dish was...
♪
Ali and Mallory.
- Yes! - [applause]
- Great job. - Amazing.
Congratulations, Ali.
You've just won a Delta gift card...
- Oh. - ...valued at $10,000
for a trip anywhere Delta flies worldwide.
Thank you.
I am proud of myself because it was not only about cooking.
It was about trust and communication.
That's awesome. Congrats.
Now it's her time to teach me
how to swim like a champion. [laughs]
I want to thank all of our Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
- Good job. Thank you so much. - Oh, it was so good.
Good luck in everything you do.
- It was a great time, bro. - Good luck.
- Yeah, good luck to you. - Good luck.
Thank you, thank you.
You're moving to the finals.
[laughter]
Chefs, I know you want to reach for the stars,
but greatness often grows from the humblest of beginnings.
♪
French cuisine is known for simple ingredients
that are artfully prepared.
We want you to create a Michelin star-worthy dish
utilizing one humble ingredient in particular.
Is anyone familiar with le champignon de Paris?
Oui, monsieur.
- Oui. - Oui, Chef
- Mushroom. - Champignon.
You may also know it as the simple button mushroom,
but the cultivation of this mushroom
dates back to the 1700s
when they were found growing on horse manure
in the Paris catacombs.
[chuckles]
Before you go shopping, you'll all take a field trip
to Champignonnière des Carrières,
where you'll meet with Angel.
His family has been cultivating these mushrooms
for three generations.
Pretty cool.
You'll then head to Galeries Lafayette,
where you'll have 400 euros
to shop for the rest of your ingredients.
Galeries Lafayette.
Your contactless Mastercard will allow you to simply tap and go
for a faster checkout.
Tomorrow, you'll have three hours
to prep and cook your Michelin-star worthy dishes
- on a boat. - [laughs] Okay.
But not just any boat. Oh, no.
This boat is Ducasse sur Seine,
owned by 21-Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse.
[exhales deeply]
Alain Ducasse has impact my life, my style of cooking.
Unfortunately, chef Alain Ducasse
won't be able to be there, but he sends his best.
In addition to Gregory and the judges,
you will be serving your dishes
to an esteemed panel of Michelin-star chefs.
No pressure at all.
There's only one challenge
between you and the finale of "Top Chef: World All-Stars."
- Whoo! - Yes. Oui.
All right, I think it's time you guys get out of here.
Good luck. I'm rooting for you all.
- SARA: Thank you. - I can't wait.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
♪
[dog barks]
♪
Where do you think you'll go with your $10,000?
Hmm, not sure. Maybe I'll come visit you in Kentucky.
- I like it. - [laughs]
♪
Have you ever been to a mushroom farm before?
No, never...
I pretty much love mushrooms.
♪
Oh, yeah. Champignons.
This is cool.
- Where are we going? - I have no idea.
It's like the beginning of a horror movie.
Yeah, yeah.
SARA: I think that--This way?
- Where are we? - This way, Sara.
SARA: Okay, okay.
♪
- This way, Sara. - Okay, okay.
Does anyone remember how we got in here?
Oh, my. Don't forget me!
♪
Okay.
Wow.
We're entering this big, dark cave,
and right away you can smell the mushroom.
♪
- Oh, my God. - Wow.
Wow.
Mushrooms.
Look at these big boys down here.
That is so cool, man.
[speaking French]
This family is working since three generation
in this career here.
I'm Etienne. I'm a family friend helping translate.
[in French]
And how big is the production in here?
Wow.
And he's the only one working here.
- Oh, really? - Whoa.
So to grow the Paris mushroom, you need the horse's creation,
and then you mix it with the soil
and you wait for it to ferment it.
Is there a proper way to...
- Take it out? - ...to take it?
Okay. I'll take that.
Merci. [speaks French]
- Smell it. - They're so pretty.
Harvest your ingredients is the most humble thing
that you can do as a chef.
You are picking them from the source.
You can still smell the freshness and the horsesh--.
[laughs]
What's your favorite way to prepare these?
His favorite way is just to pick it and eat it directly.
Ah.
It feels like you're in a candy store.
Oh.
My idea for this dish is having a mushroom steak
that looks like a meat to elevate it to another level.
[speaks French]
- Wow. - SARA: It's perfect.
Merci beaucoup.
Bye-bye, guys.
- Au revoir. - Au revoir.
- We have to find our way out. - It's this way. [laughs]
BUDDHA: First time these mushrooms getting sunlight.
♪
SARA: Don't run. Don't run.
[fantastical music playing]
Ooh-la-la, monsieur.
Trying to find things.
Ali, what are you thinking about making?
I'm making...
The table is going to be stacked with Michelin-star chefs,
and that's a big responsibility.
So for elevating this ingredient,
I'm thinking of doing different textures
and techniques for the mushroom.
Panko breadcrumbs.
I'm looking for panko for my mushroom croquette.
- Panko breadcrumbs. - Panko breadcrumbs. What is it?
But it is a bit hard to navigate the store
because everything is in French.
- Where can I find panko? - I don't know.
- Flour? - I mean, I--I don't know.
Everybody kind of looks like a deer in the headlights.
[screeching]
Bonjour.
My French is pretty good.
No, my French is sh--.
- Bonjour. - Bonjour.
[in French]
I never been to Paris, but I took some French lessons.
[laughs]
So, I got this.
[clicks teeth]
♪
[speaking French]
I'm thinking of making champignons de Paris en croute.
Literally mushrooms on toast.
When I was a teenager, that was one of the things
that I'd cook myself the most.
La crème. Voilà.
But there's not a dish worthy to be on Alain Ducasse's boat.
Gonna get some chèvre.
So I'm gonna French it up.
- Five minutes. - Okay.
Thank you very much.
- You found it? - Panko.
♪
- [beeps and chimes] - Thank you.
♪
Here we are.
Oh, wow.
- Ooh! - Oh, wow.
- Look at this. - Wow.
- This is the honeymoon suite. - Ooh-la-la, monsieur.
- Look at this suite. - Look. The Eiffel Tower.
Feels good being on the top, baby.
Nice.
This is sick.
[cellphone chimes]
[in Spanish]
- [speaks Spanish] - [laughs]
There's no words that can describe
the feeling that I got.
I'm in Paris,
but, you know, I don't forget where I came from.
Being this little weird kid in a really violent neighborhood,
I feel like, uh, I didn't belong.
[voice breaking] I want to give my life to the kitchen
because the kitchen saved my life.
When I start working at the best restaurant in México,
I can move out from my neighborhood,
and that's how I started,
and look at me now.
The underdog is--is in Paris.
♪
BUDDHA: Hey, Mom.
Yeah, Mom. Look.
There's the Eiffel Tower.
This experience in Paris has already been incredible,
but at the same time, I'm not here to have a vacation.
I'm here to compete,
And I'm ready to take World All-Stars.
I've won more challenges than I did last year.
- Good. [laughs] - [laughs]
My mom and my brother--they're my biggest support group,
and that's what keeps me going
and makes me want to do even better.
BUDDHA: Ready for your last elimination cook?
You know, it would suck to come this far and not make it.
I don't want to even think of that.
How do you say, "Oh, my God"?
- Oh, mon dieu. - Oh, mon dieu.
- The Eiffel Tower right there. - This is gorgeous.
Wow. Look at that. Right by the Eiffel Tower.
♪
SARA: This is an amazing moment, something that you dream about.
I mean, Alain Ducasse is someone that years ago,
I would look at books of his and think this food is so cool,
and here I am cooking in one of his restaurants.
♪
You guys feel that move?
We're cooking on the cruise of Alain Ducasse.
- That's an honor, no? - Amazing, right?
The most challenging part of this
is create a dish that's worthy to be on Alain Ducasse's boat.
Mushrooms, bit of butter, thyme, and garlic.
Great dish already, but you need to do it a lot more.
Buddha, are you using any proteins?
Yeah, I'm using a little bit of chicken.
I'm doing a dish called champignons de Paris en croute,
almost like a Wellington.
So, I'm gonna put this bacon,
mushroom, and leek loose in the middle.
And then around that,
it's gonna surround a duck tail like a terrine.
We're in France, so I'm going to bring the French.
♪
I can't believe we're actually cooking
with the mushrooms that we picked.
First things first, I need to create
a very nice mushroom broth, also with chicken.
How beautiful is this? I'm this close to the finale,
and so I want to represent my past
and also my future in one plate.
I grew up on a chicken store.
I start working with my dad at the age of 8.
I'm a chicken person.
I'm going to roast some chicken
to make stronger flavor in the broth.
Well, my dish is going to be
a nice champignons de Paris purée.
I'm going to add some Mexican touches in it.
You know, this morita pepper, because, of course. [laughs]
I get inspired by all of this beautiful mushroom
that we picked yesterday.
♪
I'm just doing my mushrooms duxelles
because I need to make for the purée
and also for the croquettes.
You don't need a nice, beautiful piece of meat with it.
...as the star of the dish.
Champignons de Paris is humble, but it's very versatile.
So, I'm going to be doing mushroom steak,
mushroom jus, pickled mushroom, fresh mushrooms,
and a croquette of, uh, mushrooms.
Sara, how are you doing?
I'm essentially making mushroom soup,
so I have to make sure
that I show some technique while doing that.
I look around, and I see Gabri,
and he's, like, running and hustling,
and Buddha is building this whole intricate dish.
And I am making mushroom soup with a couple garnishes.
So, I always question if I'm doing enough.
So, mushrooms with a little bit of beef leg marmalade and pears.
I didn't even buy spices to cook with.
Didn't buy a single spice.
How are looking, Gabri?
I'm working on my cured egg yolks.
[in Spanish]
...so I need to focus.
- Buddha, 45 minutes. - Yes.
Champignons de Paris. Beautiful mushroom.
Lots of versatility to it.
I'm making leaves out of mushroom.
Mushroom biscuits.
That's going to be mushroom purée
and just a touch of sugar so I can bend them.
I'm starting to put together my en croute.
I think I'm doing mushrooms seven plus ways.
Put some stars and blossoms for the stars.
Coming through. Back.
- Hey, Chefs. - Hello, Chef.
- Hey, Chefs. - Ah!
You met Gregory yesterday, right?
- Hi, Chef. - Hey, Chef.
- Can see a lot of mushroom here. - Yeah.
- Great. - Yeah, a lot, Chef.
[music warps down]
The kitchen you're working, and this guy wants to make sure
you keep it nice and clean, okay?
- [gasps] - Yes, Chef.
Let me introduce to you, uh, Chef Alain Ducasse.
- Oh! - [laughter]
- Chef. Wow. - Good morning.
Oh, my God. It's Alain Ducasse. I mean... [laughs]
- Such an honor. - [laughs]
Good morning.
Oh, my... I thought you were joking.
No, I wasn't joking. When do I joke? I don't joke.
There's the camera. It's Alain Ducasse.
- Welcome, everybody. - [laughter]
I don't think I've ever been this starstruck in my life.
- I'm shaking. - Welcome in Paris.
- It's an honor. It's an honor. - Welcome in--on my boat.
- Yes. Thank you. - Hello. How are you?
So, Gabri, what are you making?
And around all the nests,
it's going to be all the textures of the mushrooms.
You have a timing?
- Yes, Chef. Yes, over here. - Move, move, move, move.
- Yes, yes. Yes, Chef. - Okay, good luck.
[laughs]
Sara, what are you making?
I'm going to do, um, roasted mushroom soup.
Yeah. Oh, no.
[Tom laughs]
- Oh, good. - Okay.
- [laughter] - That's good. That's good.
I want to shave raw all over the top.
- Good. - Should I peel them all, Chef?
- Yeah. - Okay. Noted.
TOM: Ali, what are you making?
I'm going to be having a mushroom steak.
- Whoa. - It's going to be pan-seared.
Then it's going to be glazed with the jus.
- DUCASSE: Beautiful, huh? - Beautiful mushrooms.
Do you like them?
Are you going to use the sumac as well?
The sumac is going to go on the glaze,
and I have croquettes and shaved raw mushrooms.
- Okay, merci. - It's an honor meeting you.
Have a good time in Paris. Good luck.
It's like a Wellington almost.
Yeah. Yeah, it's just mushroom. Mushroom Wellington.
Yeah. Mushroom Wellington.
A little bit of mousse, chicken boudin, duxelles.
- And sauce? - And sauce--the jus.
Amazing.
[in French]
Okay.
- Nice. - Champignon.
- Beautiful and good. - Merci, Chef.
- Looks good. - Good luck.
Chefs, just so you know,
Chef Ducasse will not be dining with us,
but he wanted to come by and make sure you're okay.
- Goodbye. - Bye-bye.
- Bye, Chef. - Good luck, guys.
SARA: Well, that was insanity.
BUDDHA: It was incredible. Highlight of my life.
Looks like they're doing some pretty good things.
So Chef Buddha--he's doing the champignons en croute.
Yeah. I like this idea because they are in Paris, ah?
- TOM: Yeah, yeah. - DUCASSE: Yeah.
Chef Ali-- he had the big mushroom.
He's doing, like, steak?
- SARA: You looking all right? - I'm feeling good.
I'm just pan-searing my mushroom.
I'm seeing Ali is really inspired by his origins,
that and the sumac.
So Sara-- she's the American chef,
and she's cooking a beef marmalade with the mushroom.
- I like this idea. - Yeah.
It's consistent sauce. I taste.
Listen, when Alain Ducasse tells you
to peel your mushrooms, you peel your mushrooms,
Now I have to peel every single one.
Chef Gabri-- he's actually from Mexico,
and he's doing cured egg yolk, potato nest, and some mushrooms.
I'm curious to discover the nest.
How you looking, Gabri?
Yes, I'm focused.
On paper, it sounds great. Cannot wait to try.
They all sound good on paper. [laughs]
Coming through. Back, back.
30 minutes left.
Ali, what you working on?
I'm doing my croquette--
pomegranate, walnuts, and butter.
- These are very pretty. - Thank you, Sara.
I've got everything done.
Let's start getting ready to plate up.
Sara, what you got left to do?
I've got my sauce working, my meat working.
I'm making a little, um, pear and mushroom purée.
Good. I got a lot of things to do.
If you put something on that induction burner,
it automatically turns on high.
- Oh, yeah? - SARA: Just be careful.
I need to very carefully reduce this beautiful mushroom purée.
Behind, behind, behind.
And then I make this mushroom cookie.
It's going to be beautiful,
because this champignon de Paris...
Gabri. Gabri. Gabri.
- What the [bleep]? No. - Can you save it?
Oh, sh--.
♪
Hello. Hello. Thank you for hosting us.
- Thank you for coming to the... - Merci.
[speaks French]
Okay.
Sit down, please. You have lunch.
[laughter]
[in French]
Thank you for being here,
and I'm very happy to have you here.
- DUCASSE: Merci. - And thank you for allowing us
your beautiful boat.
- Cheers, cheers. - Cheers.
Welcome, everybody.
So, I know we only have Alain for a little bit of time,
and I would just like to know from you, Alain,
what made you go into food way back when?
Where? Southwest?
- Ah. Okay. - I leave.
- Bye-bye. [kisses] - TOM: Bye-bye.
- Merci, Chef. - Thank you again.
Okay, merci. Okay, bye-bye.
Cheers.
- A bientôt. - [glasses clink]
- Merci. - Ciao, Tom.
Ciao, ciao.
- SARA: Gabri! - Oh, sh--.
No.
I just----ed my dish.
- Wait. Just get the top off. - Yeah.
There's absolutely no room for mistake.
You only need a plate for nine, so don't take extra.
I start to separate with another pan.
I don't want that warm flavor in my stock.
- Can you save it? - Yes, I save it.
Perfect.
♪
Coming through.
Everything's looking really good.
My champignons de Paris en croute
is cooked really well.
SARA: How's it going over there? Is that a pizza roll?
[laughs]
There's a lot of pressure
to perform because only three people
are gonna make it to the finale,
but this dish is fitting to be on Alain Ducasse's boat.
Vive la France.
[timer beeping]
♪
- Great. - That looks beautiful.
Merci, chef.
PADMA: What did you make for us today?
The champignons de Paris en croute.
So it's got a farce over the purée.
And inside it's got bacon, mushrooms, and leek.
The champignons de Paris purée, pomme purée.
And the leaves are made out of mushroom as well.
- Thank you so much, Buddha. - Merci.
- See you later. - Au revoir.
♪
Mmm.
- I think everybody liked this. - Yeah.
[laughter]
Super classic, but really well done.
- Well executed, - Yes.
How he worked with the different textures
of the mushrooms is very interesting.
To do that in three hours, you know, I'm quite impressed.
The farce around the pastry en croute
is very thin, very nice.
And you can feel the mushroom. That's important.
I love the combination of textures.
How'd it go, Buddha?
- Uh, très bien. - Good.
A lot of Michelin stars out there.
I don't like that.
What do you have? Let me taste.
- It tastes gritty. - What is this?
It's like a pear mushroom purée.
I'm going to throw it out. I just want your opinion.
♪
Right?
Yeah.
I'm hoping that the addition of the raw pears in this dish
is what's gonna really make it stand out.
Like, right around the time when you harvest pears
is also when a lot of wild mushrooms are in season.
I really want to win this one.
I don't have an Elimination Challenge win,
and I want just one. Just one.
If it grows together, it goes together.
- Everything good? - Yeah.
I'm just getting ready to plate.
That's beautiful. What's that?
I have no doubts whatsoever
that I have featured the champignons de Paris.
I'm just worried because I really don't want to go home.
It's only, like, inches away from making it to the finale
and winning "Top Chef World All-Stars."
♪
Good job, buddy.
♪
Thank you, Chef Ali.
♪
Ali, tell us what you made.
I have prepared for you today a mushroom steak,
mushroom purée,
mushroom croquette with za'atar and goat cheese,
mushroom aioli, jus, and lastly, pickled mushrooms.
ALI: Yeah.
Grenadine walnuts, za'atar, and goat cheese.
Okay.
There's an amazing aroma when you cut into it.
- Thank you so much, Ali. - Thank you so much.
Thank you, Ali.
♪
When you taste the plate, we--we feel the spicy.
- I have an emotion inside. - PADMA: Mm-hmm.
You know, I love the idea
of just putting a steak of mushroom,
but after two or three bite, I found it a little boring
in terms of texture.
It's almost gritty. I wouldn't put whole pomegranates in.
Yeah.
But I saw here, uh, was the respect for the mushroom.
Oy. Whew.
- 11 minutes, Sara. - Thank you, Gabri.
♪
- Mmm. - [utensil clatters]
I got sent home. I fought my way back.
It's so good.
I got to come all the way to Paris,
and I don't wanna, like, go home now.
I'm done cooking.
♪
Merci.
[all chuckle]
Sara, tell us what you made.
Today I made, um, mushrooms with a beef leg marmalade,
and then there's some raw pear, raw mushroom,
and pickled mushrooms on top.
How does it feel to be at this point in the competition?
Coming to Paris has always been a dream,
and it's, like... I mean, it's amazing.
- Thank you so much, Sara. - Thank you.
- Thanks, you guys. - Thank you.
For the first time in this meal,
I taste really the champignons de Paris.
Uh, very simple, very clean, very pure. She has taken risk.
I love the beef and the vinegar, so I really enjoyed it.
It's kind of hard to cook at a certain level
when you could do a soup.
- Right. - And I think she elevated a soup
that would fit in a starred establishment.
I love the freshness of the fruits with the mushroom,
the sweetness of the pear.
It's just, you know, something you would...
just need a little fireplace,
and then you can just, uh, hit it with a-a...
- Blanket. [laughs] - Little blanket.
Cozy.
How you feeling on time, Gabri?
You know, time is never your friend. Come on.
SARA: Push, push, push, okay?
I got not much time to play.
My purée.
[in Spanish]
No time.
For a Michelin star dish, you need to be super precise,
super clean.
And I'm still rushing like... [babbles]
Plating like a maniac.
No time. Ah.
[bleep]
♪
I didn't put these mushroom cookies,
my herbs, the roasted stems.
I'm so close to became Top Chef of All Stars.
I'm feeling like I already lost my shot.
♪
Hello. Hello. Thank you for hosting us.
♪
PADMA: We have a pour with every course today. [laughs]
[Tom laughs]
Today I made a nest in the woods.
There's a nest of potatoes, also chile morita,
and champignons de Paris purée,
shiitake broth, and cured egg yolk.
How did you make the broth?
I start with, uh, some shallot, ginger, and garlic,
a lot of shiitakes, roasted chicken,
- and roasted tomatoes. - Nice.
Did your dish come out exactly the way you wanted it to?
I run out of time and miss the herbs.
- And also a mushroom cookie. - A mushroom cookie?
Yes, Chef.
[in French]
- Thank you, Gabri. - Thank you, Chef.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
It's like, the spiciest thing
we've gotten from Gabri all season long.
It's an odd moment to bring it out.
It's, um, very, um...
- Intense. - Intense.
[laughter]
Gabri's broth was, uh, was amazing.
I really enjoyed.
For me, it's very, um, interesting.
If he want to work with me...
- [laughter] - He's got a job.
I love the egg yolk, and Gabri gave me the crunch I wanted...
- Yeah. - ...all meal long.
The construction of the dish could have been a bit better,
but in terms of flavor, I took a lot of pleasure eating it.
I went like, wow.
Maybe the taste of champignons de Paris
- was not so, so here. - Yeah, I agree.
A lot of chicken. I'm getting tons of chicken,
not--not so much mushroom.
- It's good. - Yes.
But the question is, is it the best thing for the mushroom?
I really love the four of them.
I think the level is--is-- is--is pretty high.
They're real chefs, and they're good.
They know what to do. Yeah.
Every dish were so nice and interesting.
Wow.
We have a very difficult decision to make,
but I want to thank all of you for joining us today.
Thank you so much. We have to go to Judges' Table.
♪
- GABRI: Ooh-la-la. - SARA: Whoo!
BUDDHA: Wow.
SARA: So, what about Chef Alain Ducasse?
- GABRI: Oh, my God. - ALI: That's what's crazy, no?
- Cheers, you guys. - Cheers.
- SARA: Good job. - BUDDHA: Cheers.
- To Paris. - [glasses clink]
♪
So cool. Only three of us get to go on to cook,
like, you know, the meal of our life.
- Man, what a journey, huh? - Yeah.
[laughter]
♪
I don't hide my emotions. When it's bad, I tell you.
When it's good, I tell you.
♪
This was really good. You all proved that you deserve
to be right where you are right now, so thank you.
It was really exciting to sit at this table
and watch eight extraordinary chefs
get more excited by the flavors and the personalities
that came through on your plates.
Greg, as our guest judge, you have the honor of announcing
who won this mushroom challenge today.
So, the winning chef today
that really highlighted the champignons de Paris is...
♪
...Chef Sara.
Wow.
[Sara laughs]
[applause]
- Great job, Sara. - Thanks, you guys.
GABRI: Well done.
Sara, you made a beautiful dish.
It had acid. It had texture. It had nuance.
I thought that mushroom flavor came through
really, really true, especially in the soup.
Yes, the soup, it was essence of, um, champignons de Paris,
and with the pear, you know, that was a great combination.
It was very comforting.
Like, I was so wanting to impress everyone at the table,
but I really wanted to, like, make you guys proud.
Well, you made us all proud.
I've waited all season to be able to say, like,
I won one all by myself.
I'm just glad that I got to take this one home.
And how does it feel to know you are making it to the finale?
So good. I mean, to, like, get sent home and come back and...
Oh! I'm in the finale, baby. Top three. Did it again.
Does it feel better the second time around
or the first time around?
- Second time. Second time. - [laughs]
We did have another favorite today,
and that chef will also be joining Sara in the finale,
and that dish belonged to...
♪
Buddha.
Saw you sweating there for a second.
- [laughter] - There's a lot of technique
and stuff going on, but never forgot
that the challenge was about mushrooms.
You didn't let technique get in the way of the mushroom flavor.
Thank you.
It was a very tight competition here.
- PADMA: Yeah. - Well done.
- Thank you. - PADMA: Congratulations, Buddha.
- You've made it to the finale. - Thank you.
Ali and Gabri, we enjoyed
eating everything on both of your plates, but, of course,
only one of you will advance to the finale.
♪
Ali and Gabri, only one of you will advance to the finale.
Gabri, walk us through how today was for you.
I was a little behind with the elements
that I want to plate at the end.
There was a lot going on,
regardless of those missing elements--
perhaps a blessing in disguise.
I know.
To me, I thought it clearly had a lot of chicken flavor,
and so it moved a little more towards
you know, chicken than mushrooms.
But that's it. But fantastic dish.
Thank you, Chef.
The chile was incredible.
It was good, but it was a very tricky, uh, risk that you took.
But I think--I think everyone really enjoyed the spiciness.
- Yeah. - Thanks.
- PADMA: Ali. - Yes.
How was this challenge for you?
I think I focused my dish around mushrooms
with different techniques and different textures.
I like the intensity of the dish.
That's really true to your roots with the spice
and the jus went very well with the mushroom steak.
Thank you.
I thought it was a great idea doing the mushroom steak,
but when you bite into a croquette that's soft,
and you bite into a pomegranate seed.
- Yeah, it's a little bit hard. - It's a little...
If you had done maybe a finer crumb and more coated,
a little smoother would have felt a little more refined
for this challenge.
But the total experience was really, really a wonderful one.
Thank you.
Both of you are already winners of your own "Top Chefs."
What would it mean for each of you to make it to the finale?
It would mean the world, literally.
I mean, I want to show the world that México deserve
a big place in the cuisine of the world.
Sometimes, once you own restaurants,
you think about the business side of the restaurant.
But I do believe that this experience
rediscovered my passion toward food,
like running in the kitchen and cooking, all of these stuff,
and that's why it means a lot to me, and, yeah, I hope.
It's been a pleasure to get to know you,
and most of all, to taste your food.
- We'll call you back in a bit. - Thanks.
- That'll be all for now.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
♪
- Well, congratulations, guys. - Congrats.
- Well done. - Oh, yes! Buddies, come on.
Thank you. How are you two feeling?
I don't know how to feel exactly.
When I was there, they seemed to enjoy the dish,
and also the croquettes when they opened it, like,
Padma was like, "Wow, this is very aromatic. It's delicious."
In Ali's case, I think it may have been a bad decision
to make a croquette for something at this level.
Yeah, I think the croquette,
but I think the mushroom as well.
I mean, you're on the semifinal of "Top Chef" here.
- Right. - Right.
So is a pan-fried mushroom enough?
Right, but he did give us other preparations of mushroom.
I agree, but the work on the croquette
and the work on the mushroom, I feel, could have been, um,
uh, taken to another level.
No matter what happened today, I'm so happy.
This is a dream come true. I mean...
[sobs] This is a dream came true.
And Gabri's dish was, like, crazy, crazy.
- Yes. - You know, it's just, like,
very different way of thinking. It wasn't conventional.
The combination of this yolk and this spicy purée
and this broth and this crunch, all that was like,
oh, this is different.
- It was very exciting. - Yeah, very exciting.
But did Gabri's taste more of mushroom than Ali's?
That's my problem. That's my problem right now.
- GAIL: That's exactly it. - Exactly why I'm having
a problem with this, because Gabri gave us
a better-tasting dish,
but I think Ali gave us more mushroom flavor.
Well, Gabri, whatever happens, happens, to be honest, you know?
Yeah, man. Yeah, yeah.
- [sighs] - Well, just...
- Well, just enjoy. Just enjoy. - Take it in. Have a moment.
- Yes, exactly. - Exactly.
There's nothing else you can do now.
- This could be... - Exactly.
- I don't know. - No, I'm with you.
I know. It's terrible. It's terrible.
I agree. I-I agree.
In honesty, I liked them both for different--
I don't wanna make this decision.
- I know. - It's sometimes it is
that there isn't one answer, but we need to wrap this up.
Well, lads, this has been a great pleasure.
It was an honor. It was a great journey.
Good luck, everyone.
- Okay, that's it. - Well, what do you think?
- Same. - Okay, great.
As my friend Padma Lakshmi likes to say,
- "I think we have our answer." - Yes.
All right, let's get them out here.
Yeah, well, let's go and see what they have for us.
Come on, Gato.
♪
It's just been an absolute pleasure
watching your journey all through this entire season
and see you reach for those dreams.
You have plenty more dreams to reach for,
and, uh, it's going to be really exciting to see you
attain everything that-- that you deserve.
Padma?
♪
Ali... please pack your knives and go.
Thank you.
♪
Congratulations, guys. Congratulations.
♪
Congratulations. Well done.
It's a bit hard. I'm sad, disappointed.
But you need to embrace the win. You need to embrace the loss,
and you take from there.
- Absolute honor. - It's just an absolute pleasure.
Padma, thank you so much for everything.
Thank you so much. Thank you.
Chef, pleasure meeting you. It's an honor.
This is a true lesson in life.
Sometimes you might find rejection,
but if you're persistent enough, you can make it,
uh, even though you are facing all of these obstacles.
It's the beginning of the journey with them.
- Be happy, okay? - Yeah, definitely.
I'm very grateful for every single step in this journey.
I was able to represent Jordanian cuisine,
and I hope people know more about our culture,
our cuisine, our people, and I'm very happy for that.
♪
- PADMA: Gabri. - [crying] I'm sorry.
- Gabri, congratulations. - You made it to the finale.
It's amazing. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for everything.
My dream came true right now.
Look at that. [laughs] Look at that!
Congratulations to all three of you.
I cannot wait to taste what you'll make in the finale.
- So, please get some rest. - Thank you.
- Thanks. - And we'll see you.
Thanks, you guys. Thank you so much.
"Top Chef" finale! [laughs]
What the mother----
- Champagne me! - Oh!
I'm here to claim back to back. I'm ready to take it all out.
- [cork pops] - [screaming]
[laughter]
Aah! [laughs]
You can be the underdog, you can be the down and out,
and you could still-- you could still do it all.
Let's win $250,000.
- We did it. - [bottles clink]
- Cheers, boys. - [laughs] Cheers.
♪
Next time on the season finale "Top Chef: World All-Stars"...
The food this season has been beyond our expectations.
For your final challenge, cook whatever you like.
We cooked for you something special, of course.
Lovely.
- Mmm! That's so good. - [laughs]
Ready for this?
This is the biggest moment of my life,
and I'm gunning it to win it.
- In a push. - Bring me here,
and I'm never going to let it aside.
This cat got more than nine lives.
Something's burning. Gabri, Gabri.
- Oh, my gosh. - [laughs]
I'm going to do what I do best-- staying true to myself
and my food and cook my heart out.
- Shellfish oil. - That really looks beautiful.
- Good job as well. - Oh, beautiful.
A lot of personalities in these dishes.
The flavors are just kind of wild.
- Fantastic. - You will remember it.
You should be very proud proud of what you did today.
The first Top Chef: World All-Star is...
[dramatic music playing]