1 00:00:00,042 --> 00:00:06,000 PADMA: Previously on Top Chef. 2 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:08,626 Welcome to Restaurant Wars. 3 00:00:08,626 --> 00:00:12,626 This might be, I would say, sh-- show. 4 00:00:12,626 --> 00:00:14,000 CHEFS: Good luck. 5 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:15,501 MAN: Show time. 6 00:00:15,501 --> 00:00:18,000 -Five for the judges. -Love the hat. 7 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:19,584 I'm impressed by their composure. 8 00:00:19,584 --> 00:00:21,167 Four tartars coming. 9 00:00:21,167 --> 00:00:22,751 I just maintain this quiet storm. 10 00:00:22,751 --> 00:00:25,167 -Go grill it. -LUKE: I absolutely refuse 11 00:00:25,167 --> 00:00:27,000 to have a fish sit here for 20 minutes. 12 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:29,417 You know, I'm really missing Jackson a little bit. 13 00:00:29,417 --> 00:00:31,417 -Good evening. -MAN: Hi. 14 00:00:31,417 --> 00:00:33,375 -Is he afraid of us? -TOM: He's afraid of us. 15 00:00:33,375 --> 00:00:35,250 [laughs] 16 00:00:35,250 --> 00:00:38,042 The winning chef today is... Ashleigh. 17 00:00:38,042 --> 00:00:40,083 [cheering] 18 00:00:40,083 --> 00:00:45,584 Jackson, please pack your knives and go. 19 00:00:45,584 --> 00:00:47,501 Seven chefs remain 20 00:00:47,501 --> 00:00:50,459 to compete in the ultimate culinary showdown. 21 00:00:50,459 --> 00:00:52,292 At stake for the winner, 22 00:00:52,292 --> 00:00:54,125 a feature in Food & Wine magazine, 23 00:00:54,125 --> 00:00:57,167 an appearance at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, 24 00:00:57,167 --> 00:01:01,250 $250,000 furnished by Sanpellegrino, 25 00:01:01,250 --> 00:01:04,459 and the coveted title of Top Chef. 26 00:01:04,459 --> 00:01:12,375 ♪♪♪ 27 00:01:12,375 --> 00:01:14,751 NICK: This is a small group right here. 28 00:01:14,751 --> 00:01:16,501 LUKE: Now we're top seven. 29 00:01:16,501 --> 00:01:18,501 I don't know. I'm just a little sad. 30 00:01:18,501 --> 00:01:21,125 I thought we put out our best food. 31 00:01:21,125 --> 00:01:23,250 At this point of my career, 32 00:01:23,250 --> 00:01:26,417 I don't really get to hear all this feedbacks like that. 33 00:01:26,417 --> 00:01:29,000 Fish was really fresh, it was nicely cut, 34 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:30,584 and the sauces tied it all together. 35 00:01:30,584 --> 00:01:32,083 Thank you. 36 00:01:32,083 --> 00:01:34,125 Every day is not a great day, 37 00:01:34,125 --> 00:01:37,167 but every day I am making progress. 38 00:01:37,167 --> 00:01:38,751 Well, what do you guys think's next, then? 39 00:01:38,751 --> 00:01:40,250 -Yeah. -ASHLEIGH: Oh, God, 40 00:01:40,250 --> 00:01:41,584 I don't know. I just need to enjoy 41 00:01:41,584 --> 00:01:42,959 this moment for right now. 42 00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:44,584 Yo, you soak in your win, 43 00:01:44,584 --> 00:01:46,417 -I soak that I'm still here. -Oh, my God, right? 44 00:01:46,417 --> 00:01:48,626 EVELYN: I was, like, give me a minute. 45 00:01:48,626 --> 00:01:55,334 [upbeat music] 46 00:01:55,334 --> 00:01:57,417 -Good morning, chefs. -Morning. 47 00:01:57,417 --> 00:02:00,792 How does it feel to have survived Restaurant Wars? 48 00:02:00,792 --> 00:02:03,250 -We survived. -Yeah, absolutely amazing. 49 00:02:03,250 --> 00:02:04,375 Please welcome 50 00:02:04,375 --> 00:02:06,417 your all-star guest judge, 51 00:02:06,417 --> 00:02:09,792 a chef who has had not one but two of her restaurants 52 00:02:09,792 --> 00:02:11,459 on Jonathan Gold's 53 00:02:11,459 --> 00:02:13,626 101 Best Restaurants list. 54 00:02:13,626 --> 00:02:15,125 Nyesha Arrington. 55 00:02:15,125 --> 00:02:16,501 Hi, Nyesha. Welcome. 56 00:02:16,501 --> 00:02:18,000 Happy to be here. 57 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:21,626 I am a huge fan of Chef Nyesha. 58 00:02:21,626 --> 00:02:23,334 From what I know, she's the only Black woman 59 00:02:23,334 --> 00:02:25,459 that has ever competed in Le Bocuse d'Or. 60 00:02:25,459 --> 00:02:27,459 She's also a Top Chef alum. 61 00:02:27,459 --> 00:02:29,959 I'm already thinking this is going to be a really good day. 62 00:02:29,959 --> 00:02:32,417 Chefs, people have been eating vegetarian 63 00:02:32,417 --> 00:02:35,167 and plant-based diets for centuries. 64 00:02:35,167 --> 00:02:37,167 You may have noticed in recent years 65 00:02:37,167 --> 00:02:40,250 that a lot more of the best restaurants in the world 66 00:02:40,250 --> 00:02:43,542 are switching up their styles to celebrate the vegetable 67 00:02:43,542 --> 00:02:46,083 in the center of the plate rather than animal proteins. 68 00:02:46,083 --> 00:02:49,584 I've eaten a lot of meat since I've been here in Houston. 69 00:02:49,584 --> 00:02:53,667 So today we're going vegetarian. And I'm very happy about it. 70 00:02:53,667 --> 00:02:58,167 ♪♪♪ 71 00:02:58,167 --> 00:03:02,000 Behind us you can see a bountiful display of ingredients 72 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:05,792 in all different colors. For your Quickfire Challenge, 73 00:03:05,792 --> 00:03:09,375 each of you will only be able to use items 74 00:03:09,375 --> 00:03:12,042 from one color 75 00:03:12,042 --> 00:03:16,209 to create a monochromatic vegetarian dish. 76 00:03:16,209 --> 00:03:22,167 It's time to draw knives. 77 00:03:22,167 --> 00:03:23,584 EVELYN: Black. 78 00:03:23,584 --> 00:03:25,626 I was super excited to get to work 79 00:03:25,626 --> 00:03:28,292 with all these beautiful colors, and I pull black. 80 00:03:28,292 --> 00:03:30,000 It's not even on the rainbow. 81 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:31,167 Let's see what we have. 82 00:03:31,167 --> 00:03:33,125 -Red. -Yellow. 83 00:03:33,125 --> 00:03:34,375 -Purple. -White. 84 00:03:34,375 --> 00:03:36,375 -Orange. -Black. 85 00:03:36,375 --> 00:03:38,501 -And Damarr. -Green. 86 00:03:38,501 --> 00:03:41,417 You don't look too happy, Damarr, with green. 87 00:03:41,417 --> 00:03:43,083 I thought I had my happy face on. 88 00:03:43,083 --> 00:03:45,626 -That's your happy face? -[laughter] 89 00:03:45,626 --> 00:03:47,125 This is my happy face. 90 00:03:47,125 --> 00:03:48,375 I've never tried to make everything 91 00:03:48,375 --> 00:03:50,167 the same color on a dish. 92 00:03:50,167 --> 00:03:51,709 I mean, obviously, you usually try to make sure 93 00:03:51,709 --> 00:03:53,334 there's a lot of contrasting colors on dishes, 94 00:03:53,334 --> 00:03:55,542 so that's definitely difficult. 95 00:03:55,542 --> 00:03:58,334 This is the challenge you're really going to want to win, 96 00:03:58,334 --> 00:04:03,667 because this is the last immunity of this season. 97 00:04:03,667 --> 00:04:06,751 Thirty minutes on the clock. 98 00:04:06,751 --> 00:04:11,459 Your time starts now. Good luck. 99 00:04:11,459 --> 00:04:13,584 Is it even fair that you got sweet potatoes? 100 00:04:13,584 --> 00:04:15,459 [Nick laughing] No. 101 00:04:15,459 --> 00:04:16,584 LUKE: Ooh, ooh, we're dropping stuff. 102 00:04:16,584 --> 00:04:18,459 I love cooking vegetables. 103 00:04:18,459 --> 00:04:20,459 It's always a challenge to be able to cook a vegetable 104 00:04:20,459 --> 00:04:22,959 and to make you kind of forget that you're not eating meat. 105 00:04:22,959 --> 00:04:25,209 Once you can do so, it's a beautiful thing. 106 00:04:25,209 --> 00:04:30,959 [fast-paced electronic music] 107 00:04:30,959 --> 00:04:32,792 I have red. 108 00:04:32,792 --> 00:04:34,667 I'm going to make a homemade gochujang 109 00:04:34,667 --> 00:04:36,626 with strawberries and hot peppers. 110 00:04:36,626 --> 00:04:38,375 Strawberry's my favorite food. 111 00:04:38,375 --> 00:04:41,000 My uncles, they're all farmers, 112 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:44,000 and I used to help them out picking strawberries. 113 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:48,167 I was a baby labor. [laughs] 114 00:04:48,167 --> 00:04:51,000 Twenty-five minutes already, guys. Oh, my God. 115 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:54,292 ♪♪♪ 116 00:04:54,292 --> 00:04:56,083 [Luke] What you got going on? 117 00:04:56,083 --> 00:04:59,125 I'm gonna try to do a curried cauliflower puree. 118 00:04:59,125 --> 00:05:02,167 Cooking monochromatically is something that I've never done. 119 00:05:02,167 --> 00:05:03,792 I'm yellow. That's kind of orange. 120 00:05:03,792 --> 00:05:05,751 But there's certainly no shortage 121 00:05:05,751 --> 00:05:07,501 of yellow produce in front of me. 122 00:05:07,501 --> 00:05:09,751 The objective is figuring out 123 00:05:09,751 --> 00:05:13,042 how I can make these ingredients all sing together. 124 00:05:13,042 --> 00:05:15,334 How fast can I cook these lentils? 125 00:05:15,334 --> 00:05:17,792 ♪♪♪ 126 00:05:17,792 --> 00:05:20,000 -I love this black garlic. -DAMARR: Yeah. 127 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:25,626 I'm thinking of making a soup with eggplant and some beans. 128 00:05:25,626 --> 00:05:27,959 Unfortunately, most black vegetables 129 00:05:27,959 --> 00:05:29,459 are black on the outside, 130 00:05:29,459 --> 00:05:31,792 but inside tend to have a white flesh. 131 00:05:31,792 --> 00:05:36,584 It's going to be very hard to create a black colored dish 132 00:05:36,584 --> 00:05:39,542 without using any kind of powder or squid ink. 133 00:05:39,542 --> 00:05:41,167 Nick got orange. 134 00:05:41,167 --> 00:05:42,959 Like, sweet potatoes, is that even fair? 135 00:05:42,959 --> 00:05:44,709 I feel great about vegetables. 136 00:05:44,709 --> 00:05:47,042 I'm going to do some roasted broccoli steaks, 137 00:05:47,042 --> 00:05:49,209 a little harissa glaze, and then definitely be a lot 138 00:05:49,209 --> 00:05:50,584 of green herbs in my dish. 139 00:05:50,584 --> 00:05:52,334 Fifteen minutes. 140 00:05:52,334 --> 00:05:54,375 When you're making steak, 141 00:05:54,375 --> 00:05:56,375 you would traditionally have some sort of sauce. 142 00:05:56,375 --> 00:05:58,042 So, I have a broccoli steak 143 00:05:58,042 --> 00:06:00,292 with the sauce being the puree of avocado 144 00:06:00,292 --> 00:06:02,792 and the chimichurri being the chermoula, 145 00:06:02,792 --> 00:06:05,000 which is a Moroccan-style sauce 146 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:07,125 that they put on meat, fish and vegetables. 147 00:06:07,125 --> 00:06:11,167 ♪♪♪ 148 00:06:11,167 --> 00:06:14,000 [tense music] 149 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:16,209 Thankfully, I got the white color. 150 00:06:16,209 --> 00:06:18,083 Cauliflower and cheese, very classical combination. 151 00:06:18,083 --> 00:06:20,375 Cauliflower and cheese can be quite heavy, 152 00:06:20,375 --> 00:06:22,667 so it's important to introduce acidic flavors into the dish 153 00:06:22,667 --> 00:06:25,167 and that's going to be pickling different vegetables 154 00:06:25,167 --> 00:06:27,125 that I'll be putting on the plate. 155 00:06:27,125 --> 00:06:29,792 In restaurants, it's 80% meat. 156 00:06:29,792 --> 00:06:32,459 It's very exciting to work with vegetables. 157 00:06:32,459 --> 00:06:34,501 I love cooking with vegetables. 158 00:06:34,501 --> 00:06:35,626 I've definitely cooked a cauliflower 159 00:06:35,626 --> 00:06:37,042 like this before at Noma 160 00:06:37,042 --> 00:06:38,584 and it's really hard to beat, 161 00:06:38,584 --> 00:06:40,292 so I'm going to roast a cauliflower in butter, 162 00:06:40,292 --> 00:06:42,417 then I'm going to throw in lots of fresh herbs-- 163 00:06:42,417 --> 00:06:44,292 sage, thyme, rosemary. 164 00:06:44,292 --> 00:06:45,959 I think it's a very important one to win, 165 00:06:45,959 --> 00:06:47,375 especially because I haven't done very well 166 00:06:47,375 --> 00:06:49,292 in these Quickfires, you know. 167 00:06:49,292 --> 00:06:51,459 If you win this Quickfire, you get the last immunity. 168 00:06:51,459 --> 00:06:53,375 Anybody would want to have that. 169 00:06:53,375 --> 00:06:56,167 And, you know, I feel a little bit more in my element. 170 00:06:56,167 --> 00:06:57,417 I'm just having a lot of fun. 171 00:06:57,417 --> 00:06:59,167 -Sorry. -Whoa, aye-- 172 00:06:59,167 --> 00:07:01,292 I didn't know you were coming back that quick. 173 00:07:01,292 --> 00:07:04,334 BUDDHA: Come on, Luke. 174 00:07:04,334 --> 00:07:07,167 Come on. There we go. 175 00:07:07,167 --> 00:07:09,792 This challenge is dear to my heart. 176 00:07:09,792 --> 00:07:11,501 I started a non-profit 177 00:07:11,501 --> 00:07:14,167 going into public schools in Jackson, Mississippi 178 00:07:14,167 --> 00:07:17,751 just to encourage kids to eat more vegetables. 179 00:07:17,751 --> 00:07:22,375 Fried rice is a great way to get kids to eat veggies. 180 00:07:22,375 --> 00:07:25,417 Coming through. Hot. 181 00:07:25,417 --> 00:07:28,167 Chefs, you have five minutes. 182 00:07:28,167 --> 00:07:30,167 -Eh. -At the last minute, 183 00:07:30,167 --> 00:07:33,250 I, like, find myself trying to add something a little sweet, 184 00:07:33,250 --> 00:07:36,125 and I've got these yellow peaches which are freeze-dried, 185 00:07:36,125 --> 00:07:38,250 so they're adding this crispy component. 186 00:07:38,250 --> 00:07:48,417 [suspenseful music] 187 00:07:48,417 --> 00:07:50,542 JAE: Behind you. 188 00:07:50,542 --> 00:07:52,167 One minute. 189 00:07:52,167 --> 00:08:02,542 ♪♪♪ 190 00:08:02,542 --> 00:08:04,250 Time's up. 191 00:08:04,250 --> 00:08:05,584 [sighs] 192 00:08:05,584 --> 00:08:09,167 Let's start with you, Buddha. 193 00:08:09,167 --> 00:08:10,751 -Thank you, chef. -You're welcome. 194 00:08:10,751 --> 00:08:13,250 -I love a good hot plate. -Thank you. 195 00:08:13,250 --> 00:08:15,459 So, it's cauliflower and cheese 196 00:08:15,459 --> 00:08:17,542 with vadouvan and salted grapes. 197 00:08:17,542 --> 00:08:19,709 How did you treat the roasted cauliflower? 198 00:08:19,709 --> 00:08:21,334 I wood-fire roasted it 199 00:08:21,334 --> 00:08:22,792 with some butter, garlic and thyme. 200 00:08:22,792 --> 00:08:26,501 Mm. Very nice. 201 00:08:26,501 --> 00:08:29,000 I have roasted cauliflower with cabbage 202 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:31,375 and purple potato puree with brown butter carrots. 203 00:08:31,375 --> 00:08:32,834 PADMA: Did you enjoy this challenge? 204 00:08:32,834 --> 00:08:34,584 I absolutely enjoyed this challenge. 205 00:08:34,584 --> 00:08:38,042 It shows. Great. Thank you. 206 00:08:38,042 --> 00:08:40,125 I made curried vegetable puree 207 00:08:40,125 --> 00:08:41,584 with marinated curried vegetables. 208 00:08:41,584 --> 00:08:43,209 NYESHA: What do you have in your puree? 209 00:08:43,209 --> 00:08:45,459 Maitake mushrooms, yellow cauliflower, 210 00:08:45,459 --> 00:08:47,417 and there's some lentils in there. 211 00:08:47,417 --> 00:08:50,083 -What are the crunchy bits? -Freeze-dried yellow peach. 212 00:08:50,083 --> 00:08:52,167 I tried to find as much yellow as I could find 213 00:08:52,167 --> 00:08:53,667 and just make it taste good. 214 00:08:53,667 --> 00:08:56,375 Thank you. 215 00:08:56,375 --> 00:08:58,375 Nice. 216 00:08:58,375 --> 00:09:01,167 I did a harissa glazed broccoli with a chermoula 217 00:09:01,167 --> 00:09:04,125 that has hazelnuts and Romanesco shaved inside it, 218 00:09:04,125 --> 00:09:06,292 and there's an avocado puree underneath. 219 00:09:06,292 --> 00:09:09,042 There's so much brightness and acidity coming off 220 00:09:09,042 --> 00:09:10,834 this sort of salsa that you have on top here. 221 00:09:10,834 --> 00:09:13,250 -Thank you. -You guys are really doing well. 222 00:09:13,250 --> 00:09:16,584 Making our jobs harder. 223 00:09:16,584 --> 00:09:20,792 I made 20-minute strawberry gochujang glazed beets 224 00:09:20,792 --> 00:09:23,334 -and walnut puree. -Mm. 225 00:09:23,334 --> 00:09:25,792 This is a vegetable fried rice. 226 00:09:25,792 --> 00:09:28,334 I did a kumquat and peach hot sauce, 227 00:09:28,334 --> 00:09:30,626 some charred papayas, 228 00:09:30,626 --> 00:09:32,375 pumpkin and some charred orange cauliflower. 229 00:09:32,375 --> 00:09:33,792 You used pumpkin? 230 00:09:33,792 --> 00:09:36,167 I used pumpkin, sweet potato 231 00:09:36,167 --> 00:09:38,501 and also cauliflower for the rice. 232 00:09:38,501 --> 00:09:41,542 -Thank you. -Thank you. 233 00:09:41,542 --> 00:09:43,667 -PADMA: Ooh. -Gorgeous. 234 00:09:43,667 --> 00:09:46,083 I've made a charred eggplant and black bean soup 235 00:09:46,083 --> 00:09:48,292 with black lemon and black garlic. 236 00:09:48,292 --> 00:09:50,417 And on top we have a dill yogurt 237 00:09:50,417 --> 00:09:53,167 and a black radish and walnut crumble. 238 00:09:53,167 --> 00:09:55,125 -It's delicious. -Thank you. 239 00:09:55,125 --> 00:09:57,459 -Thank you, Evelyn. -Thank you. 240 00:09:57,459 --> 00:10:00,542 Good job. 241 00:10:00,542 --> 00:10:03,667 Wow, my palate is blown away. 242 00:10:03,667 --> 00:10:06,792 -You guys did an amazing job. -Everything was delicious. 243 00:10:06,792 --> 00:10:08,501 It looked fantastic. 244 00:10:08,501 --> 00:10:10,709 I feel great. It is really lovely. 245 00:10:10,709 --> 00:10:15,042 There were a couple less successful dishes. 246 00:10:15,042 --> 00:10:17,375 Nick. 247 00:10:17,375 --> 00:10:19,792 The ingredients on the plate lacked a bit of cohesiveness. 248 00:10:19,792 --> 00:10:24,167 Sweet potato and pumpkin have very similar textures, 249 00:10:24,167 --> 00:10:27,125 and the flavor gets a little confused. 250 00:10:27,125 --> 00:10:29,417 Who else? 251 00:10:29,417 --> 00:10:33,501 Ashleigh, you brought those yellow hues and tones to life. 252 00:10:33,501 --> 00:10:37,125 The flavor didn't match that visual. 253 00:10:37,125 --> 00:10:39,167 Now for some good news. 254 00:10:39,167 --> 00:10:42,417 Who had one of our favorite dishes? 255 00:10:42,417 --> 00:10:45,501 Buddha, phenomenal dish. 256 00:10:45,501 --> 00:10:48,959 -Very elegant. -I think that is menu ready. 257 00:10:48,959 --> 00:10:51,501 It was all beautifully done. Really, really high art. 258 00:10:51,501 --> 00:10:54,375 -Thank you. -Thank you so much. 259 00:10:54,375 --> 00:10:58,584 Damarr, there was a clear vision in the supporting ingredients 260 00:10:58,584 --> 00:11:01,125 to your roasted broccoli, which is very important. 261 00:11:01,125 --> 00:11:02,751 Everything worked very well together. 262 00:11:02,751 --> 00:11:04,125 Thank you. 263 00:11:04,125 --> 00:11:05,334 I love that avocado puree 264 00:11:05,334 --> 00:11:06,459 on the bottom. 265 00:11:06,459 --> 00:11:08,459 It was so creamy. 266 00:11:08,459 --> 00:11:10,501 -It looked fabulous. -Thank you. 267 00:11:10,501 --> 00:11:12,292 Evelyn, first of all, 268 00:11:12,292 --> 00:11:15,000 I have to say super bold of you to make a soup. 269 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:16,792 And it was just impeccable. 270 00:11:16,792 --> 00:11:20,792 That eggplant lent such a nice, 271 00:11:20,792 --> 00:11:24,042 round, full flavor to the black beans. 272 00:11:24,042 --> 00:11:26,250 -I loved your soup. -Thank you. 273 00:11:26,250 --> 00:11:28,751 I also want to give an honorable mention. 274 00:11:28,751 --> 00:11:32,250 Luke, welcome to the party, man! 275 00:11:32,250 --> 00:11:35,959 I'm so glad I got to taste this dish from you. 276 00:11:35,959 --> 00:11:39,417 I want to see more of this food in your elimination challenges. 277 00:11:39,417 --> 00:11:40,959 Absolutely. 278 00:11:40,959 --> 00:11:43,167 But there can only be one winner 279 00:11:43,167 --> 00:11:47,042 of the last immunity of this season. 280 00:11:47,042 --> 00:11:48,542 Nyesha, who's it going to be? 281 00:11:48,542 --> 00:11:57,876 [tense music] 282 00:11:57,876 --> 00:12:00,542 of the last immunity of this season. 283 00:12:00,542 --> 00:12:02,292 Nyesha, who's it going to be? 284 00:12:02,292 --> 00:12:06,042 [tense music] 285 00:12:06,042 --> 00:12:07,417 Damarr. 286 00:12:07,417 --> 00:12:10,417 [clapping] 287 00:12:10,417 --> 00:12:12,334 DAMARR: I'm kind of, like, in shock. 288 00:12:12,334 --> 00:12:14,250 You know, everyone put up amazing food today, 289 00:12:14,250 --> 00:12:16,250 so I'm super grateful. 290 00:12:16,250 --> 00:12:19,167 -Congratulations, Damarr. -Thank you. 291 00:12:19,167 --> 00:12:21,584 Now that's a happy face. 292 00:12:21,584 --> 00:12:23,292 Nyesha, I want to thank you 293 00:12:23,292 --> 00:12:25,501 -so much for joining us. -Thank you for having me. 294 00:12:25,501 --> 00:12:27,334 You really inspired these guys today. 295 00:12:27,334 --> 00:12:29,000 -NYESHA: Good luck, chefs. -Thank you. 296 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:31,667 Kill it. 297 00:12:31,667 --> 00:12:33,709 That was a fun challenge. 298 00:12:33,709 --> 00:12:36,501 But I think we're going to need to get to the soul 299 00:12:36,501 --> 00:12:38,250 of the matter for this next one. 300 00:12:38,250 --> 00:12:41,292 [dramatic music] 301 00:12:41,292 --> 00:12:44,083 Please welcome your all-star guest judges 302 00:12:44,083 --> 00:12:46,042 for this elimination challenge. 303 00:12:46,042 --> 00:12:47,792 -Hey. -Hi. 304 00:12:47,792 --> 00:12:50,751 Dawn Burrell and Kwame Onwuachi. 305 00:12:50,751 --> 00:12:53,167 Hey, chefs. Good to see all your faces. 306 00:12:53,167 --> 00:12:55,167 I am also happy to be back 307 00:12:55,167 --> 00:12:56,501 to show you another part of Houston 308 00:12:56,501 --> 00:12:58,167 you may have not seen before. 309 00:12:58,167 --> 00:13:01,083 The origin of our new national holiday, 310 00:13:01,083 --> 00:13:04,292 Juneteenth, has its roots right here in Texas. 311 00:13:04,292 --> 00:13:06,375 Juneteenth is a celebration 312 00:13:06,375 --> 00:13:09,250 of when all the slaves were actually freed. 313 00:13:09,250 --> 00:13:11,042 We usually do something at the restaurant, 314 00:13:11,042 --> 00:13:13,375 you know, do a barbecue for the community. 315 00:13:13,375 --> 00:13:15,501 It's a very special day in my mind. 316 00:13:15,501 --> 00:13:17,584 In June of 1865, 317 00:13:17,584 --> 00:13:20,167 nearly three years after Emancipation Proclamation, 318 00:13:20,167 --> 00:13:23,417 the 13th Army Corps arrived in Galveston, 319 00:13:23,417 --> 00:13:25,167 delivering General Order No. 3. 320 00:13:25,167 --> 00:13:27,000 This order informed all Texans 321 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:29,167 that they were actually free. 322 00:13:29,167 --> 00:13:31,459 Many moved north to Houston following Jack Yates, 323 00:13:31,459 --> 00:13:33,834 who is actually known as the father of Black Houston. 324 00:13:33,834 --> 00:13:36,042 Together with his community, 325 00:13:36,042 --> 00:13:39,667 they formed a city within a city called Freedmen's Town. 326 00:13:39,667 --> 00:13:42,792 It's now a nationally registered historical site 327 00:13:42,792 --> 00:13:45,042 right here in Houston's Fourth Ward. 328 00:13:45,042 --> 00:13:47,000 DAWN: One thing that has remained constant 329 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:48,709 in this area is the food. 330 00:13:48,709 --> 00:13:53,292 The food of this neighborhood was and is soul food. 331 00:13:53,292 --> 00:13:55,042 For your elimination challenge, 332 00:13:55,042 --> 00:13:56,334 we're putting on a fundraiser 333 00:13:56,334 --> 00:13:58,167 for 100 people 334 00:13:58,167 --> 00:14:02,167 at Bethel Church, founded by Jack Yates himself. 335 00:14:02,167 --> 00:14:03,834 -Awesome. -And to celebrate, 336 00:14:03,834 --> 00:14:05,751 each of you must make a dish 337 00:14:05,751 --> 00:14:08,250 that speaks to your soul. 338 00:14:08,250 --> 00:14:10,375 So, we're not just looking for soul food, precisely. 339 00:14:10,375 --> 00:14:12,375 We're looking for things that have been passed down 340 00:14:12,375 --> 00:14:14,042 from generation to generation. 341 00:14:14,042 --> 00:14:15,876 Things that remind you of your family. 342 00:14:15,876 --> 00:14:19,626 I think every chef and every person even has that dish 343 00:14:19,626 --> 00:14:22,501 that warms their soul and makes them feel at home 344 00:14:22,501 --> 00:14:25,209 or makes them feel this sense of place. 345 00:14:25,209 --> 00:14:26,792 This is an important event 346 00:14:26,792 --> 00:14:28,709 where attendees will be purchasing tickets, 347 00:14:28,709 --> 00:14:31,292 and 100% of the proceeds 348 00:14:31,292 --> 00:14:34,584 will go towards protecting and preserving 349 00:14:34,584 --> 00:14:37,000 Houston's Freedman's Town Conservancy. 350 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:40,334 It's a beautiful challenge. 351 00:14:40,334 --> 00:14:43,167 Today you'll have $500 to shop 352 00:14:43,167 --> 00:14:45,375 and two hours to prep and cook 353 00:14:45,375 --> 00:14:47,083 here in the Top Chef kitchen. 354 00:14:47,083 --> 00:14:48,542 Tomorrow afternoon, 355 00:14:48,542 --> 00:14:50,375 you'll have an additional two hours 356 00:14:50,375 --> 00:14:53,334 to cook at Bethel Church historical site. 357 00:14:53,334 --> 00:14:55,417 But before you go shopping, 358 00:14:55,417 --> 00:14:57,542 Dawn and I are going to take you to meet 359 00:14:57,542 --> 00:14:59,375 the executive director 360 00:14:59,375 --> 00:15:01,459 of Houston's Freedmen's Town Conservancy 361 00:15:01,459 --> 00:15:03,542 to learn more about the history of the town 362 00:15:03,542 --> 00:15:05,459 and its importance in the community. 363 00:15:05,459 --> 00:15:07,167 I can't wait to taste what you'll make. 364 00:15:07,167 --> 00:15:08,876 -Good luck. See you guys later. -Bye, Padma. 365 00:15:08,876 --> 00:15:11,501 KWAME: Let's go. Let's do it. 366 00:15:11,501 --> 00:15:16,167 [rousing music] 367 00:15:16,167 --> 00:15:17,626 DAWN: I'm so excited to be here. 368 00:15:17,626 --> 00:15:19,375 KWME: How you doing? 369 00:15:19,375 --> 00:15:21,792 -ZION: I am doing fabulous. -Great dress. 370 00:15:21,792 --> 00:15:24,125 Welcome. Thank you. Welcome. 371 00:15:24,125 --> 00:15:25,375 It's so beautiful. 372 00:15:25,375 --> 00:15:27,209 KWAME: These are the Top Chefs. 373 00:15:27,209 --> 00:15:29,292 Great bunch we have here. 374 00:15:29,292 --> 00:15:30,792 You guys look ready for anything. 375 00:15:30,792 --> 00:15:32,417 Yes. 376 00:15:32,417 --> 00:15:34,292 We're here at Bethel Baptist Church. 377 00:15:34,292 --> 00:15:36,083 It's Houston's first heritage district. 378 00:15:36,083 --> 00:15:39,083 So, you are in a sacred and very special place. 379 00:15:39,083 --> 00:15:40,792 Let's go inside. 380 00:15:40,792 --> 00:15:43,667 Welcome to this bright, beautiful space. 381 00:15:43,667 --> 00:15:46,292 If you're wondering why there's no roof on the church, 382 00:15:46,292 --> 00:15:48,292 it's because what you see here today 383 00:15:48,292 --> 00:15:51,334 is what was able to be preserved in the early 2000s. 384 00:15:51,334 --> 00:15:55,083 As you're thinking about, how are you going to communicate 385 00:15:55,083 --> 00:15:56,626 food that feeds your soul, 386 00:15:56,626 --> 00:15:58,792 think about these people 387 00:15:58,792 --> 00:16:00,709 who built this church and founded this community 388 00:16:00,709 --> 00:16:04,584 were enslaved just a few decades beforehand. 389 00:16:04,584 --> 00:16:06,709 I'm very excited for this challenge, 390 00:16:06,709 --> 00:16:10,751 not only because I get to pull inspiration within my own roots, 391 00:16:10,751 --> 00:16:13,584 but also to showcase this part of history 392 00:16:13,584 --> 00:16:16,167 and this part of the city that not a lot of people know. 393 00:16:16,167 --> 00:16:18,709 When you think about Juneteenth, 394 00:16:18,709 --> 00:16:22,209 you think about that moment of emancipation. 395 00:16:22,209 --> 00:16:24,792 What happens next? You don't own anything. 396 00:16:24,792 --> 00:16:27,417 You have no education. 397 00:16:27,417 --> 00:16:31,792 How do you earn a living? Earn a living, right? 398 00:16:31,792 --> 00:16:35,417 They cleared this area and they developed homes, 399 00:16:35,417 --> 00:16:38,626 businesses, churches in Freedmen's Town. 400 00:16:38,626 --> 00:16:40,375 And anyone who asked, "Where should I go? 401 00:16:40,375 --> 00:16:43,125 "I want to be free. I want to be safe," 402 00:16:43,125 --> 00:16:45,083 people would tell you, "Go to Freedmen's Town." 403 00:16:45,083 --> 00:16:46,626 This is a beautiful representation 404 00:16:46,626 --> 00:16:48,501 of what my people are able to do here, 405 00:16:48,501 --> 00:16:53,083 taking food or land or space that people didn't want, 406 00:16:53,083 --> 00:16:54,751 then creating something beautiful out of it 407 00:16:54,751 --> 00:16:57,209 through their own hard work and their own creativity. 408 00:16:57,209 --> 00:16:59,918 ZION: Houston Freedmen's Town Conservancy will be preserving 409 00:16:59,918 --> 00:17:01,792 and protecting these bricks 410 00:17:01,792 --> 00:17:04,918 and restoring them for our children's children 411 00:17:04,918 --> 00:17:06,792 to appreciate and understand 412 00:17:06,792 --> 00:17:08,334 that something incredible happened here. 413 00:17:08,334 --> 00:17:10,167 It's so powerful standing on these bricks 414 00:17:10,167 --> 00:17:12,125 in Freedmen's town. 415 00:17:12,125 --> 00:17:14,792 Just this sense of Black people that were finally free 416 00:17:14,792 --> 00:17:17,334 coming together to build this very special thing, 417 00:17:17,334 --> 00:17:19,042 it's really incredible. 418 00:17:19,042 --> 00:17:21,167 It drives me creatively. 419 00:17:21,167 --> 00:17:24,042 This is Jack Yates' son's house. This was a printing house. 420 00:17:24,042 --> 00:17:26,709 So, when we talk about how important news and media 421 00:17:26,709 --> 00:17:28,834 and who tells what story is, 422 00:17:28,834 --> 00:17:30,584 this was the place where Black people 423 00:17:30,584 --> 00:17:32,292 were telling their own story. 424 00:17:32,292 --> 00:17:34,709 The power of restoring and making sure 425 00:17:34,709 --> 00:17:36,876 that you remember what happened in the past 426 00:17:36,876 --> 00:17:38,751 and the history is very important. 427 00:17:38,751 --> 00:17:41,834 I'm really excited about cooking for such a great cause. 428 00:17:41,834 --> 00:17:45,501 Check it out, let's have a little taste of this is it. 429 00:17:45,501 --> 00:17:46,584 That's soul food, 430 00:17:46,584 --> 00:17:47,667 we pile it on for you. 431 00:17:47,667 --> 00:17:49,000 [laughter] 432 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:50,667 JAE: I am excited. 433 00:17:50,667 --> 00:17:53,584 Man, I haven't had candied yams in a minute. 434 00:17:53,584 --> 00:17:55,292 -Thank you so much. -You're welcome. 435 00:17:55,292 --> 00:17:56,792 When I think of soul food, 436 00:17:56,792 --> 00:17:58,375 it's just cooking from the heart. 437 00:17:58,375 --> 00:17:59,792 -It's hitting, huh? -Oh, yeah. 438 00:17:59,792 --> 00:18:01,792 You have to throw me outta here. 439 00:18:01,792 --> 00:18:05,375 I think I'm going to do my Nana's salmon cast iron cake. 440 00:18:05,375 --> 00:18:09,083 When it was time to put something on the table 441 00:18:09,083 --> 00:18:10,751 that was full of love and laughter 442 00:18:10,751 --> 00:18:12,667 and just brought everybody together, 443 00:18:12,667 --> 00:18:14,459 it was my Nana's salmon cake. 444 00:18:14,459 --> 00:18:16,667 Did they schedule a nap after this, too? 445 00:18:16,667 --> 00:18:19,375 [laughter] 446 00:18:19,375 --> 00:18:21,209 Every time I go back to Australia, 447 00:18:21,209 --> 00:18:22,751 my grandmother will make us curry. 448 00:18:22,751 --> 00:18:24,667 The last time I went to go see her, 449 00:18:24,667 --> 00:18:26,584 she showed me how to make it. 450 00:18:26,584 --> 00:18:28,584 I've never made a dish like this on Top Chef before. 451 00:18:28,584 --> 00:18:30,667 I've never even cooked rice on Top Chef. 452 00:18:30,667 --> 00:18:33,375 -When I have that, I'm home. -Yeah. 453 00:18:33,375 --> 00:18:35,083 Being in this competition, 454 00:18:35,083 --> 00:18:36,584 there's so many different variations of yourself 455 00:18:36,584 --> 00:18:38,125 that you have to put out there. 456 00:18:38,125 --> 00:18:39,584 Just because I do all this cool stuff 457 00:18:39,584 --> 00:18:41,167 doesn't mean that I don't know 458 00:18:41,167 --> 00:18:43,167 how to cook something very humble. 459 00:18:43,167 --> 00:18:46,375 My initial idea right now is like the fish 460 00:18:46,375 --> 00:18:49,250 with, like, a shrimp bisque. 461 00:18:49,250 --> 00:18:52,792 Koreans eat fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 462 00:18:52,792 --> 00:18:55,709 That is why I fell in love with New Orleans. 463 00:18:55,709 --> 00:18:57,709 It's all about the seafood. 464 00:18:57,709 --> 00:19:01,167 So, to make a dish from my background, my cultures, 465 00:19:01,167 --> 00:19:03,209 it's so personal. 466 00:19:03,209 --> 00:19:06,876 That's how I like to cook. 467 00:19:06,876 --> 00:19:10,292 [indistinct, excited chatter] 468 00:19:10,292 --> 00:19:11,918 JAE: Ginger. 469 00:19:11,918 --> 00:19:13,417 NICK: Luke, what you got on your mind? 470 00:19:13,417 --> 00:19:15,375 Man I'm making mom's meatloaf, man. 471 00:19:15,375 --> 00:19:16,667 NICK: That's what's up. 472 00:19:16,667 --> 00:19:18,375 I'm going to make my mom's recipe 473 00:19:18,375 --> 00:19:20,542 for meatloaf in the style of a frikadelle, 474 00:19:20,542 --> 00:19:22,501 which is a Danish-style meatball. 475 00:19:22,501 --> 00:19:24,167 Every time that I came back from Copenhagen, 476 00:19:24,167 --> 00:19:25,709 it was the first meal that we would have. 477 00:19:25,709 --> 00:19:27,459 There's a lot of feeling behind it, you know. 478 00:19:27,459 --> 00:19:29,375 I just hope I can also do it justice. 479 00:19:29,375 --> 00:19:31,501 Thank you very much. 480 00:19:31,501 --> 00:19:32,876 Ashleigh, how you feeling about this challenge? 481 00:19:32,876 --> 00:19:34,792 I don't know how I'm supposed to feel. 482 00:19:34,792 --> 00:19:37,709 I have felt amazing before a challenge and not done well. 483 00:19:37,709 --> 00:19:40,167 And I've also felt not so great about challenges 484 00:19:40,167 --> 00:19:41,792 and I've done really well too. 485 00:19:41,792 --> 00:19:44,375 My mom always prepares some sort of rice dish 486 00:19:44,375 --> 00:19:47,167 when she wants everyone to feel comforted. 487 00:19:47,167 --> 00:19:50,417 I'm going to make this Low Country crab rice 488 00:19:50,417 --> 00:19:52,667 along with my mom's oyster gravy. 489 00:19:52,667 --> 00:19:54,334 She is the gravy queen. 490 00:19:54,334 --> 00:19:56,334 I mean, it's going to be an exciting one. 491 00:19:56,334 --> 00:19:58,083 We got all that inspiration beforehand. 492 00:19:58,083 --> 00:19:59,667 BUDDHA: Fifteen minutes. 493 00:19:59,667 --> 00:20:01,834 EVELYN: I'm making a sope. 494 00:20:01,834 --> 00:20:05,083 It's something that my grandma used to make for me a lot. 495 00:20:05,083 --> 00:20:08,501 So, I'm just trying to honor her and then also honor my mom. 496 00:20:08,501 --> 00:20:11,459 I'm making chorizo the way she taught me how to make it. 497 00:20:11,459 --> 00:20:13,167 JAE: Yeah, I would love to try your chorizo. 498 00:20:13,167 --> 00:20:14,709 Yes, I'm so excited. 499 00:20:14,709 --> 00:20:16,375 For all of us, 500 00:20:16,375 --> 00:20:19,375 this challenge is extremely a personal one. 501 00:20:19,375 --> 00:20:21,042 Six minutes! 502 00:20:21,042 --> 00:20:23,042 It's been 12 years since I left Korea. 503 00:20:23,042 --> 00:20:24,501 I miss my home, 504 00:20:24,501 --> 00:20:28,250 but I can feel their support and love. 505 00:20:28,250 --> 00:20:30,792 I hope that through my dish, 506 00:20:30,792 --> 00:20:33,167 the message can deliver to the judges. 507 00:20:33,167 --> 00:20:36,125 ASHLEIGH: $494.83. I did it. 508 00:20:36,125 --> 00:20:45,417 ♪♪♪ 509 00:20:45,417 --> 00:20:50,834 [indistinct chatter] 510 00:20:50,834 --> 00:20:54,292 [sizzling] 511 00:20:54,292 --> 00:20:56,459 EVELYN: Get these beans cooking. 512 00:20:56,459 --> 00:20:58,417 Don't you think it's cool 513 00:20:58,417 --> 00:21:00,417 that we're able to raise money cooking for this fundraiser? 514 00:21:00,417 --> 00:21:02,125 I think it's absolutely incredible. 515 00:21:02,125 --> 00:21:03,751 I always say food is community. 516 00:21:03,751 --> 00:21:06,584 When I think of what a Top Chef is, absolutely, 517 00:21:06,584 --> 00:21:08,584 it's technique, it's flavor, 518 00:21:08,584 --> 00:21:10,626 but it's also being able to connect with your community. 519 00:21:10,626 --> 00:21:13,167 So much to do and so little time. 520 00:21:13,167 --> 00:21:17,334 Wow, we are all different. Food brings us all together. 521 00:21:17,334 --> 00:21:19,667 And that's why chefs have to start seeing themselves 522 00:21:19,667 --> 00:21:21,626 as community leaders. 523 00:21:21,626 --> 00:21:25,834 -Forty-five minutes. -LUKE: Yeah. 524 00:21:25,834 --> 00:21:27,375 BUDDHA: What does soul food mean to you? 525 00:21:27,375 --> 00:21:29,250 It's something that is cooked 526 00:21:29,250 --> 00:21:31,375 with everything that you have, basically your soul. 527 00:21:31,375 --> 00:21:33,042 So, I'm making a version of my mom's meatloaf. 528 00:21:33,042 --> 00:21:34,375 It's something that my mom always makes 529 00:21:34,375 --> 00:21:36,209 every time I came back from Europe. 530 00:21:36,209 --> 00:21:38,250 It's like my absolute comfort food from home. 531 00:21:38,250 --> 00:21:40,042 My mom really liked cooking. 532 00:21:40,042 --> 00:21:42,334 I was an extremely picky eater as a kid. 533 00:21:42,334 --> 00:21:44,167 She made a deal with me 534 00:21:44,167 --> 00:21:46,751 that if I didn't like any of the food that she made, 535 00:21:46,751 --> 00:21:49,167 as long as I tried it, I never had to eat that again. 536 00:21:49,167 --> 00:21:51,000 I mean, I'm going to try to elevate it 537 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:53,542 to see if I can make it as good as my mom, you know? 538 00:21:53,542 --> 00:21:55,250 That's the idea of today, 539 00:21:55,250 --> 00:21:57,083 putting love into the food. 540 00:21:57,083 --> 00:21:58,542 I feel my dad's always with me 541 00:21:58,542 --> 00:22:00,417 with-- with all the challenges. 542 00:22:00,417 --> 00:22:02,292 But this one, even more so. 543 00:22:02,292 --> 00:22:04,626 It's a dish that we had together 544 00:22:04,626 --> 00:22:06,751 before he recently passed away. 545 00:22:06,751 --> 00:22:08,584 [somber music] 546 00:22:08,584 --> 00:22:11,459 Battling stage four cancer was the worst. 547 00:22:11,459 --> 00:22:14,125 The last day that I actually got to spend with him, 548 00:22:14,125 --> 00:22:15,501 I was crying my eyes off 549 00:22:15,501 --> 00:22:17,250 because I knew it was the last time 550 00:22:17,250 --> 00:22:18,709 I was going to hug him 551 00:22:18,709 --> 00:22:20,667 and he was just telling me not to cry. 552 00:22:20,667 --> 00:22:22,334 This is a guy that he was. 553 00:22:22,334 --> 00:22:24,876 He didn't want me to have any wasted moment. 554 00:22:24,876 --> 00:22:27,667 Cooking from the heart. That's how my dad used to say things. 555 00:22:27,667 --> 00:22:30,083 That's why he was really successful, 556 00:22:30,083 --> 00:22:31,667 because every time he cooked for someone, 557 00:22:31,667 --> 00:22:33,375 not just family, all of his customers, 558 00:22:33,375 --> 00:22:35,167 he cooked with love. 559 00:22:35,167 --> 00:22:36,792 The week my dad passed away, 560 00:22:36,792 --> 00:22:38,709 I got the phone call to come on to Top Chef. 561 00:22:38,709 --> 00:22:40,584 I never got to tell him, 562 00:22:40,584 --> 00:22:43,125 but I feel like that was a departing gift from him. 563 00:22:43,125 --> 00:22:48,209 I know I can win Top Chef. I'm going to win it for him. 564 00:22:48,209 --> 00:22:50,334 ASHLEIGH: Jae, how's that cod looking over there? 565 00:22:50,334 --> 00:22:53,167 Oh, cod looks like a cod. Thank you. 566 00:22:53,167 --> 00:22:55,375 In Korea, we cook whole fish. 567 00:22:55,375 --> 00:22:56,876 And as a child, 568 00:22:56,876 --> 00:22:59,167 my mom used to debone the fish for me 569 00:22:59,167 --> 00:23:01,083 and put it on my spoon. 570 00:23:01,083 --> 00:23:04,125 I'm making Korean sweet potato puree. 571 00:23:04,125 --> 00:23:05,542 With my dish, 572 00:23:05,542 --> 00:23:08,626 I want to create the moment 573 00:23:08,626 --> 00:23:12,792 of a Korean baby eating fish. [chuckles] 574 00:23:12,792 --> 00:23:16,626 [singing] 575 00:23:16,626 --> 00:23:19,125 Cooking a whole mess of collard greens with ham hocks. 576 00:23:19,125 --> 00:23:21,626 I'm gonna do some hoecakes as well to kind of sop that up. 577 00:23:21,626 --> 00:23:24,501 Slaves would mix cornmeal with water. 578 00:23:24,501 --> 00:23:26,417 They would heat the blade of the garden tool 579 00:23:26,417 --> 00:23:27,709 we know as a hoe. 580 00:23:27,709 --> 00:23:30,167 Cook corn cakes on that blade. 581 00:23:30,167 --> 00:23:32,709 So, I think that all the ingenuity 582 00:23:32,709 --> 00:23:34,167 that it took to build Freedmen's Town 583 00:23:34,167 --> 00:23:35,876 resonates with these hoecakes. 584 00:23:35,876 --> 00:23:37,709 Trying to represent, you know what I mean? 585 00:23:37,709 --> 00:23:39,542 Putting these two things together 586 00:23:39,542 --> 00:23:41,751 is a perfect marriage of storytelling. 587 00:23:41,751 --> 00:23:44,375 JAE: Twenty minutes. 588 00:23:44,375 --> 00:23:46,959 My brows are burning. 589 00:23:46,959 --> 00:23:49,876 LUKE: I don't think I can feel my hands anymore, it's so cold. 590 00:23:49,876 --> 00:23:51,876 But I got to keep going. 591 00:23:51,876 --> 00:23:54,751 I'm gonna shape up the salmon cakes tomorrow. 592 00:23:54,751 --> 00:23:56,334 EVELYN: I need to puree those beets. 593 00:23:56,334 --> 00:23:57,542 [Jae exclaiming] 594 00:23:57,542 --> 00:23:58,709 This challenge 595 00:23:58,709 --> 00:24:00,125 is a lot of pressure. 596 00:24:00,125 --> 00:24:01,709 Struggle is real here. 597 00:24:01,709 --> 00:24:04,792 This is not just about cooking for the judges. 598 00:24:04,792 --> 00:24:06,751 There will be 100 guests 599 00:24:06,751 --> 00:24:11,709 raising a fund to rebuild the community. 600 00:24:11,709 --> 00:24:13,751 Everybody packed up? 601 00:24:13,751 --> 00:24:15,417 -Ready. -Let's go. 602 00:24:15,417 --> 00:24:16,792 LUKE: Let's get out of here. 603 00:24:16,792 --> 00:24:22,584 [rock music] 604 00:24:22,584 --> 00:24:33,584 [calm music] 605 00:24:33,584 --> 00:24:39,209 Finally. 606 00:24:39,209 --> 00:24:41,209 -LUKE: All right. Let's do this. -NICK: Here we go. 607 00:24:41,209 --> 00:24:46,167 ♪♪♪ 608 00:24:46,167 --> 00:24:47,792 I'm cooking with feel today. 609 00:24:47,792 --> 00:24:49,375 I don't want to say that this challenge 610 00:24:49,375 --> 00:24:51,083 is easy because they never are. 611 00:24:51,083 --> 00:24:52,626 But this is a dish that I've made 612 00:24:52,626 --> 00:24:54,626 and that I love. I feel really good about it 613 00:24:54,626 --> 00:24:56,292 and I'm proud of it. 614 00:24:56,292 --> 00:24:58,167 And I think that the community will be, too. 615 00:24:58,167 --> 00:24:59,751 Ashleigh, what do you have to do before service? 616 00:24:59,751 --> 00:25:02,375 My red rice, pick through some crab, 617 00:25:02,375 --> 00:25:04,709 and put my soul into a dish. 618 00:25:04,709 --> 00:25:06,167 DAMARR: What are you getting started? 619 00:25:06,167 --> 00:25:08,375 I'm adding soy bean paste. 620 00:25:08,375 --> 00:25:11,584 Soy bean paste is really important to Korean culture. 621 00:25:11,584 --> 00:25:14,375 Creating a dish that is inspired by my mom, 622 00:25:14,375 --> 00:25:16,584 it makes me very emotional. 623 00:25:16,584 --> 00:25:18,751 How is it tasting over there, Jae? 624 00:25:18,751 --> 00:25:20,375 Just melting in my mouth. 625 00:25:20,375 --> 00:25:22,375 -One hour, chefs. -One hour. 626 00:25:22,375 --> 00:25:24,375 How much stuff do you have on your plate for today? 627 00:25:24,375 --> 00:25:26,125 I scrapped my whole entire idea 628 00:25:26,125 --> 00:25:27,834 and I'm going to do it all from scratch again. 629 00:25:27,834 --> 00:25:29,751 NICK: You're going to do it all from scratch again? 630 00:25:29,751 --> 00:25:31,250 No, I've just got to season the potatoes 631 00:25:31,250 --> 00:25:33,375 and start forming my mom's meatloaf. 632 00:25:33,375 --> 00:25:35,417 ASHLEIGH: Buddha, how does your curry taste? 633 00:25:35,417 --> 00:25:37,584 I actually really miss this. I haven't had this in a while. 634 00:25:37,584 --> 00:25:40,125 This curry is a Malaysian dish. 635 00:25:40,125 --> 00:25:43,542 It's got a pretty predominant flavor and clove and cinnamon, 636 00:25:43,542 --> 00:25:45,167 and it just packs a punch. 637 00:25:45,167 --> 00:25:46,542 ASHLEIGH: What would your grandmother say 638 00:25:46,542 --> 00:25:47,667 if she tasted that curry, Buddha? 639 00:25:47,667 --> 00:25:49,501 I think she'd love it. 640 00:25:49,501 --> 00:25:51,709 If you made it this far in your cheffing career, 641 00:25:51,709 --> 00:25:53,584 you definitely cook from the soul. 642 00:25:53,584 --> 00:25:55,375 The pressure is, "Have I done enough?" 643 00:25:55,375 --> 00:25:56,626 Yum. 644 00:25:56,626 --> 00:25:58,292 I got to start cooking oat cakes 645 00:25:58,292 --> 00:26:00,250 because that takes a while. 646 00:26:00,250 --> 00:26:01,792 Okay, 40. Yay. 647 00:26:01,792 --> 00:26:03,792 I made the dough from Maseca. 648 00:26:03,792 --> 00:26:06,417 I've added beet puree to make them nice and pink. 649 00:26:06,417 --> 00:26:09,209 This beet sope is like a nod to my grandma. 650 00:26:09,209 --> 00:26:10,626 She passed last year, 651 00:26:10,626 --> 00:26:12,334 but she would always get done up 652 00:26:12,334 --> 00:26:13,792 even for the simplest tasks. 653 00:26:13,792 --> 00:26:15,792 I dyed her hair, like, every few months 654 00:26:15,792 --> 00:26:17,918 to not let those grays show. 655 00:26:17,918 --> 00:26:20,334 We're normally rolling by hand but, you know, time restraints. 656 00:26:20,334 --> 00:26:22,584 -Yeah. -And then you sear both sides, 657 00:26:22,584 --> 00:26:24,792 pinch the corners to make it like a little bowl. 658 00:26:24,792 --> 00:26:26,918 So, definitely a lot of technique behind this. 659 00:26:26,918 --> 00:26:28,459 DAMARR: That's awesome. 660 00:26:28,459 --> 00:26:30,292 Everybody is really pulling 661 00:26:30,292 --> 00:26:32,375 from their grandmas, their moms. 662 00:26:32,375 --> 00:26:34,209 I decided to cook this dish 663 00:26:34,209 --> 00:26:36,209 'cause it's something my grandmother cooked a lot. 664 00:26:36,209 --> 00:26:39,083 My mom used to cook the whole fish all the time. 665 00:26:39,083 --> 00:26:40,876 She's definitely a tiger mom. 666 00:26:40,876 --> 00:26:42,792 [Damarr laughs] 667 00:26:42,792 --> 00:26:44,459 EVELYN: I feel like as a chef, you know, 668 00:26:44,459 --> 00:26:46,250 it's kind of our job to educate those 669 00:26:46,250 --> 00:26:49,167 about our history and our culture. 670 00:26:49,167 --> 00:26:51,209 My dad is from the Low Country 671 00:26:51,209 --> 00:26:52,876 and I mean, for me, 672 00:26:52,876 --> 00:26:54,876 I didn't realize how meaningful that was. 673 00:26:54,876 --> 00:26:56,417 Preserving our foodways, 674 00:26:56,417 --> 00:26:58,626 ensuring that those things don't die. 675 00:26:58,626 --> 00:27:01,834 I think it's really going to be a hard one 676 00:27:01,834 --> 00:27:04,501 because we're all really cooking from our soul, 677 00:27:04,501 --> 00:27:08,250 which is like, how can you, like, judge that? [sniffles] 678 00:27:08,250 --> 00:27:09,417 Damn, Nick. 679 00:27:09,417 --> 00:27:10,792 That's Grandma there, man. 680 00:27:10,792 --> 00:27:12,792 That is Grandma Nana. 681 00:27:12,792 --> 00:27:15,167 Such a good woman, too. Makes you almost want 682 00:27:15,167 --> 00:27:17,209 to shed a tear. 683 00:27:17,209 --> 00:27:18,375 Forty-one minutes. 684 00:27:18,375 --> 00:27:23,542 [intense music] 685 00:27:23,542 --> 00:27:26,209 My plan is to give guests one frikadelle 686 00:27:26,209 --> 00:27:28,542 so that way it kind of will represent a little bit 687 00:27:28,542 --> 00:27:30,375 of that crusty corner, the end bit 688 00:27:30,375 --> 00:27:34,584 that I really enjoy from my mom's meatloaf. 689 00:27:34,584 --> 00:27:37,167 -ASHLEIGH: Buddha, are you done? -I am done. 690 00:27:37,167 --> 00:27:40,250 ASHLEIGH: Here I am super worried about time. 691 00:27:40,250 --> 00:27:42,417 What the [bleep]? 692 00:27:42,417 --> 00:27:44,667 -Are you going to be okay? -Yeah. I burned the hoecakes. 693 00:27:44,667 --> 00:27:47,167 The hoecakes were cooking very slowly 694 00:27:47,167 --> 00:27:48,792 and burning in some places. 695 00:27:48,792 --> 00:27:50,834 Got to get these hoecakes right, sh--. 696 00:27:50,834 --> 00:27:53,167 These things take about six minutes, 697 00:27:53,167 --> 00:27:55,918 and I can only cook six at a time. 698 00:27:55,918 --> 00:27:57,918 JAE: Three minutes. 699 00:27:57,918 --> 00:27:59,959 NICK: Game time. 700 00:27:59,959 --> 00:28:02,959 -[timer beeping] -EVELYN: Time's up. 701 00:28:02,959 --> 00:28:04,834 ASHLEIGH: All right. Here we go. 702 00:28:04,834 --> 00:28:06,792 -BUDDHA: Hello, ladies. -Hi. Good afternoon. 703 00:28:06,792 --> 00:28:12,292 Can I hook you up? 704 00:28:12,292 --> 00:28:13,792 I'm good. How are you? 705 00:28:13,792 --> 00:28:15,334 Guests are walking in 706 00:28:15,334 --> 00:28:18,375 and I still haven't figured this out. 707 00:28:18,375 --> 00:28:20,292 I do not have enough batter 708 00:28:20,292 --> 00:28:21,584 to continuously throw these in the garbage. 709 00:28:21,584 --> 00:28:32,167 [bleep]. 710 00:28:32,167 --> 00:28:41,167 [party din] 711 00:28:41,167 --> 00:28:42,792 I'm from Australia. 712 00:28:42,792 --> 00:28:44,292 My grandmother would cook this curry 713 00:28:44,292 --> 00:28:45,792 every time I come home. 714 00:28:45,792 --> 00:28:48,584 I'm from Jackson, Mississippi. 715 00:28:48,584 --> 00:28:50,417 Awesome. 716 00:28:50,417 --> 00:28:52,709 -WOMAN: How are you today? -I'm doing very well. 717 00:28:52,709 --> 00:28:54,751 Things are moving slowly. 718 00:28:54,751 --> 00:28:56,334 But after I burn a few more, 719 00:28:56,334 --> 00:28:58,209 I get a rhythm. 720 00:28:58,209 --> 00:29:00,417 Just going to top you off with a touch pepper vinegar. 721 00:29:00,417 --> 00:29:02,959 I'm definitely going to have to chat up a lot more 722 00:29:02,959 --> 00:29:04,751 because I'm going to be flipping hoecakes 723 00:29:04,751 --> 00:29:06,709 and taking them directly to plate, 724 00:29:06,709 --> 00:29:07,792 which was not the plan. 725 00:29:07,792 --> 00:29:12,167 [humming] 726 00:29:12,167 --> 00:29:13,834 I was a chubby little kid, 727 00:29:13,834 --> 00:29:16,292 and I had this nickname ever since then. 728 00:29:16,292 --> 00:29:19,375 You are trying crab rice with oyster gravy. 729 00:29:19,375 --> 00:29:23,417 KWAME: Wow. Look at this. 730 00:29:23,417 --> 00:29:27,334 -DAWN: This is beautiful. -PADMA: It is beautiful. 731 00:29:27,334 --> 00:29:29,626 Three Proseccos, please, thank you. 732 00:29:29,626 --> 00:29:31,375 We ordered the same thing. 733 00:29:31,375 --> 00:29:33,792 Oh. [chuckling] 734 00:29:33,792 --> 00:29:36,584 It's such a beautiful day. Great to visit this church. 735 00:29:36,584 --> 00:29:38,250 What was it like yesterday? 736 00:29:38,250 --> 00:29:40,542 It was so moving and informative. 737 00:29:40,542 --> 00:29:41,959 You know, because I live here in Houston, 738 00:29:41,959 --> 00:29:44,209 but I did not know all of the stories 739 00:29:44,209 --> 00:29:45,959 that were here in Freedmen's Town. 740 00:29:45,959 --> 00:29:48,209 Really honored to even be here. 741 00:29:48,209 --> 00:29:51,292 Hopefully they'll knock it out of the park. 742 00:29:51,292 --> 00:29:52,751 All right. Let's go try some food. 743 00:29:52,751 --> 00:29:54,125 Let's do it. 744 00:29:54,125 --> 00:29:55,459 Dawn, you want to come with us? 745 00:29:55,459 --> 00:29:57,375 -Yeah. Let's go. -PADMA: All right. 746 00:29:57,375 --> 00:30:00,584 -WOMAN: Your mom's recipe? -JAE: Yeah, my mom's recipe. 747 00:30:00,584 --> 00:30:02,792 -Thank you so much. -My pleasure. 748 00:30:02,792 --> 00:30:04,375 -Hi, Nick. -What's going on? 749 00:30:04,375 --> 00:30:05,792 -Good to see you, Gail. -How are you? 750 00:30:05,792 --> 00:30:07,334 I'm feeling good about this challenge. 751 00:30:07,334 --> 00:30:09,375 I get to connect with the community. 752 00:30:09,375 --> 00:30:11,375 So, today I brought my grandmother here. 753 00:30:11,375 --> 00:30:14,375 This is my nana, which her name is Queen. 754 00:30:14,375 --> 00:30:16,375 -Love that. -Yeah. 755 00:30:16,375 --> 00:30:18,876 NICK: She's always made salmon cakes in a cast iron skillet. 756 00:30:18,876 --> 00:30:21,584 And she always served it with, like, a mayonnaise-based sauce. 757 00:30:21,584 --> 00:30:23,876 I picked sauce remoulade today. 758 00:30:23,876 --> 00:30:25,584 She served it with a salad, too. 759 00:30:25,584 --> 00:30:27,751 So, today I'm making a Hoppin' John salad. 760 00:30:27,751 --> 00:30:29,584 It's so beautiful that you're carrying on 761 00:30:29,584 --> 00:30:31,375 the legacy of your grandmother. 762 00:30:31,375 --> 00:30:32,751 -Yes. -Can definitely taste it. 763 00:30:32,751 --> 00:30:35,292 Appreciate you. 764 00:30:35,292 --> 00:30:36,918 I don't know about you, but I feel like I'm tasting 765 00:30:36,918 --> 00:30:38,584 the rebirth of Freedmen's Town. 766 00:30:38,584 --> 00:30:40,334 I'm loving it. 767 00:30:40,334 --> 00:30:42,584 I really appreciated the brightness 768 00:30:42,584 --> 00:30:45,375 in the acidity in that Hoppin' John sort of salsa. 769 00:30:45,375 --> 00:30:48,542 And how innovative is that to take a traditional dish 770 00:30:48,542 --> 00:30:50,375 like Hoppin' John and use it as a condiment? 771 00:30:50,375 --> 00:30:52,209 Seasoning was spot on, it had acid, 772 00:30:52,209 --> 00:30:54,792 it had just a little kick at the end. Yeah. 773 00:30:54,792 --> 00:30:56,876 I just want another one. You know? 774 00:30:56,876 --> 00:30:58,918 [all laughing] 775 00:30:58,918 --> 00:31:01,792 [soft music] 776 00:31:01,792 --> 00:31:03,751 -Hello. -Hi, Jae, how you doing? 777 00:31:03,751 --> 00:31:07,417 I have Mama Kim's flaked codfish 778 00:31:07,417 --> 00:31:10,626 with a Korean sweet potato puree and shrimp bisque. 779 00:31:10,626 --> 00:31:12,584 PADMA: Does she still make this dish? 780 00:31:12,584 --> 00:31:15,375 She came to visit me when I used to live in New Orleans, 781 00:31:15,375 --> 00:31:18,375 and she knew that I missed the dish so much. 782 00:31:18,375 --> 00:31:20,792 And after 20 hours' flight, she made the dish for me. 783 00:31:20,792 --> 00:31:22,792 -PADMA: That is love. -Yeah. 784 00:31:22,792 --> 00:31:24,709 -Thank you so much. -JAE: Thank you. 785 00:31:24,709 --> 00:31:29,083 Very interesting dish. 786 00:31:29,083 --> 00:31:31,167 DAWN: I thought it was great. 787 00:31:31,167 --> 00:31:32,584 The capital of South Korea is Seoul 788 00:31:32,584 --> 00:31:34,792 and so she's-- she's got it. 789 00:31:34,792 --> 00:31:37,125 She's got it. The fish was perfectly cooked, 790 00:31:37,125 --> 00:31:39,167 beautifully flaked. All those fermented flavors, 791 00:31:39,167 --> 00:31:40,667 it's hard to go wrong. 792 00:31:40,667 --> 00:31:43,250 That kimchi salad on top with the pomegranate. 793 00:31:43,250 --> 00:31:44,751 -Really, really good. -I love that. 794 00:31:44,751 --> 00:31:46,584 It was delicious. 795 00:31:46,584 --> 00:31:48,584 That's one of those things, you eat it and you go, 796 00:31:48,584 --> 00:31:49,792 "Where have you been all my life?" 797 00:31:49,792 --> 00:31:51,334 I think maybe doing something 798 00:31:51,334 --> 00:31:53,334 from her childhood kind of unleashed 799 00:31:53,334 --> 00:31:57,250 a confidence in her that I hope we continue to see. 800 00:31:57,250 --> 00:32:00,417 And it smells fantastic. Can't wait to try it. 801 00:32:00,417 --> 00:32:02,584 -KWAME: Evelyn. -Hello, judges. 802 00:32:02,584 --> 00:32:05,792 So-- so yesterday we were in here walking the streets, 803 00:32:05,792 --> 00:32:07,292 touching the bricks. 804 00:32:07,292 --> 00:32:08,626 It was so inspiring. 805 00:32:08,626 --> 00:32:10,334 Preservation of our history, 806 00:32:10,334 --> 00:32:12,125 our culture-- 807 00:32:12,125 --> 00:32:13,834 that's what I was trying to translate into this dish. 808 00:32:13,834 --> 00:32:15,584 My grandma taught me how to make sopes, 809 00:32:15,584 --> 00:32:17,584 which is like corn masa cake. 810 00:32:17,584 --> 00:32:19,584 And then my mom taught me how to make chorizo. 811 00:32:19,584 --> 00:32:21,667 So, what I made is a beet sope. 812 00:32:21,667 --> 00:32:23,542 NYESHA: Beautiful. 813 00:32:23,542 --> 00:32:26,584 EVELYN: And then on top we have pureed black beans, 814 00:32:26,584 --> 00:32:28,167 my mom's chorizo recipe, 815 00:32:28,167 --> 00:32:30,083 salsa verde, charred pineapple pico 816 00:32:30,083 --> 00:32:33,751 and then a little bit of queso fresco. 817 00:32:33,751 --> 00:32:37,417 I am so impressed by the use of a vegetable in a sope. 818 00:32:37,417 --> 00:32:40,375 That's, like, totally a progressive thing to do. 819 00:32:40,375 --> 00:32:42,459 My mom does that. She adds, like, spinach or beets, 820 00:32:42,459 --> 00:32:44,375 and I was like, "Mom, we're still eating carbs, right?" 821 00:32:44,375 --> 00:32:46,209 But thank you. 822 00:32:46,209 --> 00:32:48,209 -It's the illusion of health. -That extra nutrition. 823 00:32:48,209 --> 00:32:49,501 -NYESHA: Yeah. Exactly. -It was well worth it. 824 00:32:49,501 --> 00:32:51,209 Thank you, guys. 825 00:32:51,209 --> 00:32:52,709 I don't know, that might be my favorite. 826 00:32:52,709 --> 00:32:54,334 I don't know. 827 00:32:54,334 --> 00:32:56,250 Two words: beets. Sope. 828 00:32:56,250 --> 00:32:57,584 Two words I love. 829 00:32:57,584 --> 00:33:00,375 That maybe a top for me today. 830 00:33:00,375 --> 00:33:02,751 I can taste the comfort in that dish. 831 00:33:02,751 --> 00:33:05,792 She clearly took her roots, took this memory, this comfort food, 832 00:33:05,792 --> 00:33:11,292 and just worked a little bit of chef magic in there. 833 00:33:11,292 --> 00:33:13,584 -TOM: Hello, Mayor. -Hey, Tom. 834 00:33:13,584 --> 00:33:15,626 -Hi, councilwoman, how are you? -Nice to see y'all. 835 00:33:15,626 --> 00:33:18,959 Thank you so much for being here and supporting. 836 00:33:18,959 --> 00:33:20,792 Oh, our pleasure. We've had a great time. 837 00:33:20,792 --> 00:33:22,709 I'm just excited to be working 838 00:33:22,709 --> 00:33:24,417 with the Freedmen's Town Conservancy 839 00:33:24,417 --> 00:33:27,125 to make sure that we hold on to it, 840 00:33:27,125 --> 00:33:29,375 we restore it, and we breath life into it. 841 00:33:29,375 --> 00:33:33,584 -Absolutely. -Thank you. Pleasure. 842 00:33:33,584 --> 00:33:35,501 ZION: Cheers to the rebirth. 843 00:33:35,501 --> 00:33:37,334 The words out, there's good stuff here. 844 00:33:37,334 --> 00:33:39,375 -That's what I hear. -PADMA: What are you making? 845 00:33:39,375 --> 00:33:42,209 I am making collard greens with hoecakes. 846 00:33:42,209 --> 00:33:44,876 There's some smoked ham hocks in the collard greens, 847 00:33:44,876 --> 00:33:47,584 and then I have a little pepper vinegar to drizzle over the top. 848 00:33:47,584 --> 00:33:49,292 When I think about soul I think about ancestry, 849 00:33:49,292 --> 00:33:51,209 and I thought about everything 850 00:33:51,209 --> 00:33:53,751 that my grandmother and, you know, the people that came 851 00:33:53,751 --> 00:33:55,876 before her had to do to get me to this point. 852 00:33:55,876 --> 00:33:58,584 I just get really proud when I think about where I come from. 853 00:33:58,584 --> 00:34:00,459 In Southern cuisine, when the greens hit the corn bread, 854 00:34:00,459 --> 00:34:02,417 it is a match made in heaven. 855 00:34:02,417 --> 00:34:04,584 Well, thank your ancestors for me 856 00:34:04,584 --> 00:34:06,584 because that's really good. 857 00:34:06,584 --> 00:34:09,250 ♪♪♪ 858 00:34:09,250 --> 00:34:10,959 More delicious food. 859 00:34:10,959 --> 00:34:13,125 It just shows you how a few things 860 00:34:13,125 --> 00:34:15,542 put together really well can be so delicious, 861 00:34:15,542 --> 00:34:17,792 and that's what he gave us. 862 00:34:17,792 --> 00:34:21,918 I thought that it was so deeply flavored and seasoned. 863 00:34:21,918 --> 00:34:23,959 He did his ancestors well. 864 00:34:23,959 --> 00:34:26,584 Great dish, we're going to have a hard time at judges' table-- 865 00:34:26,584 --> 00:34:29,501 -You know that, right? -This is impossible. So far, I-- 866 00:34:29,501 --> 00:34:32,834 I can't see sending anybody home for doing what they've done. 867 00:34:32,834 --> 00:34:45,375 ♪♪♪ 868 00:34:45,375 --> 00:34:47,334 TOM: So, are you missing home right now? 869 00:34:47,334 --> 00:34:50,751 I'm so energized that I can talk about my family, 870 00:34:50,751 --> 00:34:52,959 and I just want to show them my Mississippi. 871 00:34:52,959 --> 00:34:56,250 The love in your eyes is emanating through your soul 872 00:34:56,250 --> 00:34:59,334 when you talk about this dish, and the memories of your mother. 873 00:34:59,334 --> 00:35:02,334 -Thank you so much. -Thank you for sharing that. 874 00:35:02,334 --> 00:35:05,709 I made a beet and masa sope. 875 00:35:05,709 --> 00:35:07,959 Oh, I love the magenta color. I think it's beautiful. 876 00:35:07,959 --> 00:35:09,667 If you're trying to understand someone's culture, 877 00:35:09,667 --> 00:35:11,501 you eat their food, you'll get it. 878 00:35:11,501 --> 00:35:12,959 Thank you. Thank you. 879 00:35:12,959 --> 00:35:16,709 ♪♪♪ 880 00:35:16,709 --> 00:35:18,918 -Hello, hello. -Hi, Ashleigh. 881 00:35:18,918 --> 00:35:22,250 I have prepared some crab rice and oyster gravy. 882 00:35:22,250 --> 00:35:23,918 A nod to the Low Country. 883 00:35:23,918 --> 00:35:26,250 My dad, he's from Edisto Island, South Carolina, 884 00:35:26,250 --> 00:35:28,459 and he talks about how, when he met my mom, 885 00:35:28,459 --> 00:35:31,459 who is not from the Low Country, she's from Southern Appalachia, 886 00:35:31,459 --> 00:35:34,667 she made this "boggy-style rice," he calls it. 887 00:35:34,667 --> 00:35:37,167 So, it just meant that her rice was really wet. 888 00:35:37,167 --> 00:35:39,250 TOM: Definitely has Low Country flavor. 889 00:35:39,250 --> 00:35:40,959 -Good, good. -Thank you so much, Ashleigh. 890 00:35:40,959 --> 00:35:42,584 -Thank you. -ASHLEIGH: Thank y'all so much. 891 00:35:42,584 --> 00:35:44,292 Did you all taste that crab-fried rice? 892 00:35:44,292 --> 00:35:46,209 -I did not. -Oh, it's amazing. 893 00:35:46,209 --> 00:35:49,792 I was expecting some crispy bits of crab 894 00:35:49,792 --> 00:35:51,584 and I did not really get that. 895 00:35:51,584 --> 00:35:53,626 I think the oyster gravy was fine, 896 00:35:53,626 --> 00:35:56,334 but I really was hoping for some texture 897 00:35:56,334 --> 00:35:58,334 that did not come from the rice itself. 898 00:35:58,334 --> 00:36:01,667 I'm not used to eating that rice doused in gravy like that. 899 00:36:01,667 --> 00:36:03,667 I think it was two things that she loves, 900 00:36:03,667 --> 00:36:06,501 and she put them together and maybe didn't need to. 901 00:36:06,501 --> 00:36:08,542 It's like, you know, you're gilding the lily there. 902 00:36:08,542 --> 00:36:11,292 [tense music] 903 00:36:11,292 --> 00:36:13,292 KWAME: Hey, what up, brother? 904 00:36:13,292 --> 00:36:14,542 How you feeling? How you feeling? 905 00:36:14,542 --> 00:36:15,959 -Good to see you, -Good to see you. 906 00:36:15,959 --> 00:36:17,751 -Hello, great to see you. -Pleasure, 907 00:36:17,751 --> 00:36:19,250 thanks for being here today. 908 00:36:19,250 --> 00:36:20,918 Absolutely. I'm enjoying myself. 909 00:36:20,918 --> 00:36:22,584 This is my hometown. 910 00:36:22,584 --> 00:36:24,375 What do you think of the food? 911 00:36:24,375 --> 00:36:25,876 -Born and raised? -Born and raised here. 912 00:36:25,876 --> 00:36:27,584 Born and raised here. The food's bomb. 913 00:36:27,584 --> 00:36:30,167 It's very special. It's grounding, you know? 914 00:36:30,167 --> 00:36:31,459 -KWAME: Beautiful. -Yeah, it is. 915 00:36:31,459 --> 00:36:32,959 And liberating, 916 00:36:32,959 --> 00:36:34,501 in the spirit of Juneteenth, you know? 917 00:36:34,501 --> 00:36:36,792 They're being creative with their food. 918 00:36:36,792 --> 00:36:39,209 This is Top Chef, man, this is how we give it up. 919 00:36:39,209 --> 00:36:42,334 All right, listen, you know-- Kwame knows I'mma eat. 920 00:36:42,334 --> 00:36:44,375 I have to get right on to this booth. 921 00:36:44,375 --> 00:36:47,626 [all laughing] 922 00:36:47,626 --> 00:36:48,792 -Hi, Luke. -Hey, Luke. 923 00:36:48,792 --> 00:36:50,834 What is a frikadelle? 924 00:36:50,834 --> 00:36:53,250 So, frikadelle is a Danish-style meatball. 925 00:36:53,250 --> 00:36:54,959 So, that was the one comfort food that I found 926 00:36:54,959 --> 00:36:56,542 when I went to Denmark. 927 00:36:56,542 --> 00:36:58,334 I always miss my mom's meatloaf, 928 00:36:58,334 --> 00:37:00,501 it's the thing that I get first when I come home, 929 00:37:00,501 --> 00:37:02,209 so I took my mom's recipe, 930 00:37:02,209 --> 00:37:04,334 formed it into the form of a frikadelle 931 00:37:04,334 --> 00:37:05,792 and served it with a Danish-style 932 00:37:05,792 --> 00:37:07,667 gravy which is with a white cheddar mash. 933 00:37:07,667 --> 00:37:10,334 [singing] Don't be shy with those mashed potatoes. 934 00:37:10,334 --> 00:37:12,792 -Did you enjoy this challenge? -I did. 935 00:37:12,792 --> 00:37:14,792 It was a very good feeling in the tour yesterday 936 00:37:14,792 --> 00:37:17,375 and everything that we got to learn, it's been very surreal. 937 00:37:17,375 --> 00:37:18,792 A lot of butter. 938 00:37:18,792 --> 00:37:20,501 This is how I like to eat at home. 939 00:37:20,501 --> 00:37:21,834 Really lovely. Thank you. 940 00:37:21,834 --> 00:37:23,417 -Thank you. -LUKE: Glad you enjoyed. 941 00:37:23,417 --> 00:37:25,584 This meatloaf. It's very delicious. 942 00:37:25,584 --> 00:37:27,542 Luke has been kind of, like, all over the place. 943 00:37:27,542 --> 00:37:29,375 I thought he did a nice job. 944 00:37:29,375 --> 00:37:30,918 Yesterday, finally, 945 00:37:30,918 --> 00:37:33,626 Luke broke out of his shell in the Quickfire. 946 00:37:33,626 --> 00:37:35,459 Now, that said, I think the meatball could use 947 00:37:35,459 --> 00:37:37,375 -a little more fat. -Yeah, it was a little tight. 948 00:37:37,375 --> 00:37:38,751 It was very tight. 949 00:37:38,751 --> 00:37:40,584 He's worked for such a long time in 950 00:37:40,584 --> 00:37:42,626 one restaurant that he needs to break away from that, 951 00:37:42,626 --> 00:37:44,459 and this seems like it's more authentic. 952 00:37:44,459 --> 00:37:46,584 I'm feeling all the soul. 953 00:37:46,584 --> 00:37:49,626 Like, people have been hitting it out of the park. 954 00:37:49,626 --> 00:37:54,959 Ashleigh's Low Country crab rice with the oyster gravy? 955 00:37:54,959 --> 00:37:57,709 And the salmon cakes? 956 00:37:57,709 --> 00:37:58,876 -Oh, my gosh. -Delicious. 957 00:37:58,876 --> 00:38:00,709 We're just grateful, 958 00:38:00,709 --> 00:38:02,542 I mean, not just for these delicious dishes, 959 00:38:02,542 --> 00:38:04,792 but for all the love that's being shared here. 960 00:38:04,792 --> 00:38:06,584 Super excited to be here 961 00:38:06,584 --> 00:38:08,501 and be doing this event in this awesome church. 962 00:38:08,501 --> 00:38:09,834 It's beautiful. 963 00:38:09,834 --> 00:38:11,626 I'm topping off a little hoecake 964 00:38:11,626 --> 00:38:13,792 and then I'm going to do what my grandma used to do 965 00:38:13,792 --> 00:38:15,501 and put a little pepper vinegar over the top. 966 00:38:15,501 --> 00:38:17,792 -WOMAN: Ooh, good. -Buddha. 967 00:38:17,792 --> 00:38:19,459 BUDDHA: What's up? You're looking great, mate. 968 00:38:19,459 --> 00:38:20,792 Buddha. Smelling great. 969 00:38:20,792 --> 00:38:22,209 So, this is my grandma's curry. 970 00:38:22,209 --> 00:38:23,709 Last time I went to go see her 971 00:38:23,709 --> 00:38:25,375 she actually taught me how to make it. 972 00:38:25,375 --> 00:38:26,918 So, I'm making nasi lemak. 973 00:38:26,918 --> 00:38:28,918 It's got some sambal on here, 974 00:38:28,918 --> 00:38:32,667 cucumber is marinated in some ginger, scallions, cilantro, 975 00:38:32,667 --> 00:38:34,709 roasted peanuts with some fried shallots. 976 00:38:34,709 --> 00:38:36,626 You can mix it all together 977 00:38:36,626 --> 00:38:38,459 once you've, you know, tried everything separately. 978 00:38:38,459 --> 00:38:40,626 I've worked around the world, 979 00:38:40,626 --> 00:38:42,626 I've only spent probably about two months back at home 980 00:38:42,626 --> 00:38:44,375 in the last 13 years, 981 00:38:44,375 --> 00:38:46,626 and every time I come back home, 982 00:38:46,626 --> 00:38:48,209 my grandmother would make this dish. 983 00:38:48,209 --> 00:38:50,292 Beautiful. I'm full. 984 00:38:50,292 --> 00:38:52,209 I was actually finished a lot earlier than I should. 985 00:38:52,209 --> 00:38:53,709 I didn't want to overthink it or overwork it. 986 00:38:53,709 --> 00:38:55,584 -Thank you, Buddha. -Enjoy the rest of your-- 987 00:38:55,584 --> 00:38:56,918 You kicking us out the restaurant? 988 00:38:56,918 --> 00:38:58,667 -[laughter] -No, no, no! 989 00:38:58,667 --> 00:39:03,209 -Thanks, man. -See you later. Thank you. 990 00:39:03,209 --> 00:39:05,542 Buddha's nasi lamek. 991 00:39:05,542 --> 00:39:07,375 Individually, it tastes really great, 992 00:39:07,375 --> 00:39:09,542 and then when I ate it together it needed salt. 993 00:39:09,542 --> 00:39:12,667 It was missing that depth that everything had individually. 994 00:39:12,667 --> 00:39:14,667 I think you're right. 995 00:39:14,667 --> 00:39:16,584 Nothing completely popped, but I liked everything. 996 00:39:16,584 --> 00:39:18,584 Fresh herbs would have went a long way 997 00:39:18,584 --> 00:39:21,876 just to bring some flavor to-- and some cohesiveness, right? 998 00:39:21,876 --> 00:39:25,417 It felt compartmentalized. 999 00:39:25,417 --> 00:39:26,959 EVELYN: Hi! How are you? 1000 00:39:26,959 --> 00:39:28,626 Thank you, I hope you enjoy. 1001 00:39:28,626 --> 00:39:30,501 I've made my mom's meatloaf recipe, 1002 00:39:30,501 --> 00:39:32,584 but I've kind of made it in the form of frikadelle, 1003 00:39:32,584 --> 00:39:34,626 which is a Danish-style meatball. 1004 00:39:34,626 --> 00:39:37,334 Pickled shallot brings a really nice layer of flavor to this. 1005 00:39:37,334 --> 00:39:38,959 Appreciate it. 1006 00:39:38,959 --> 00:39:41,375 -That looks good. Thank you. -Yeah. 1007 00:39:41,375 --> 00:39:43,751 What's comforting to me and what comforts my soul. 1008 00:39:43,751 --> 00:39:45,584 PADMA: For sure. 1009 00:39:45,584 --> 00:39:46,959 Tell me about this oyster gravy. 1010 00:39:46,959 --> 00:39:48,876 I call my mom the gravy queen. 1011 00:39:48,876 --> 00:39:51,375 I made my mom give me a gravy lesson 1012 00:39:51,375 --> 00:39:53,792 after culinary school because she's just so good at it. 1013 00:39:53,792 --> 00:39:56,667 -A lesson on gravy. -[Ashleigh laughing] 1014 00:39:56,667 --> 00:39:58,959 PADMA: All right, we've got to go. Nice to see you. 1015 00:39:58,959 --> 00:40:00,584 WOMAN: Bye, y'all. Take care. 1016 00:40:00,584 --> 00:40:03,167 [crosstalk] 1017 00:40:03,167 --> 00:40:04,834 Thank you all for being here today. 1018 00:40:04,834 --> 00:40:07,334 I hope you really enjoyed yourself. 1019 00:40:07,334 --> 00:40:10,834 We now know that soul food comes in many forms and fashions, 1020 00:40:10,834 --> 00:40:14,292 and everyone's mother apparently made a dent 1021 00:40:14,292 --> 00:40:15,918 because I started missing my momma 1022 00:40:15,918 --> 00:40:18,375 after I listened to all these stories. 1023 00:40:18,375 --> 00:40:20,667 If you have enjoyed the delicious food 1024 00:40:20,667 --> 00:40:22,542 that was prepared by the chefs, 1025 00:40:22,542 --> 00:40:25,918 please give them a Texas round of applause. 1026 00:40:25,918 --> 00:40:29,250 [cheering] 1027 00:40:29,250 --> 00:40:31,167 Share this story of freedom, 1028 00:40:31,167 --> 00:40:33,626 what you've learned here today, and keep up with us. 1029 00:40:33,626 --> 00:40:35,751 Learn more. Come back and invite others. 1030 00:40:35,751 --> 00:40:37,125 Thank you for being here today. 1031 00:40:37,125 --> 00:40:40,375 Thank you. 1032 00:40:40,375 --> 00:40:42,375 -GAIL: Hi, guys. -JUDGES: Hi. 1033 00:40:42,375 --> 00:40:45,125 So, what did you think of the block party food? 1034 00:40:45,125 --> 00:40:47,626 My soul cup is filled for sure. 1035 00:40:47,626 --> 00:40:50,292 -Yes, yes. -TOM: There wasn't a bad dish. 1036 00:40:50,292 --> 00:40:52,918 -There was no bad dish. -There were no bad dishes. 1037 00:40:52,918 --> 00:40:54,542 This is going to be a hard decision. 1038 00:40:54,542 --> 00:40:55,918 -They all did so well. -Absolutely. 1039 00:40:55,918 --> 00:40:57,542 All right, let's go back to judges table. 1040 00:40:57,542 --> 00:41:04,584 ♪♪♪ 1041 00:41:04,584 --> 00:41:06,792 -Finally. -LUKE: Yeah, really. 1042 00:41:06,792 --> 00:41:10,375 -Finally. -We did it! [laughing] 1043 00:41:10,375 --> 00:41:12,959 ASHLEIGH: Perfect weather for a block party. 1044 00:41:12,959 --> 00:41:14,959 BUDDHA: I had a great time. 1045 00:41:14,959 --> 00:41:17,375 The vibes were just good, I think, for all of us. 1046 00:41:17,375 --> 00:41:18,876 NICK: I think it was a great day, 1047 00:41:18,876 --> 00:41:20,709 there was a lot done for the community. 1048 00:41:20,709 --> 00:41:24,501 I'm proud to have done this, though, with you guys. 1049 00:41:24,501 --> 00:41:26,584 This is going to be a hard judges' table. 1050 00:41:26,584 --> 00:41:28,667 ASHLEIGH: Yeah, we'll be out there for a nice, long time. 1051 00:41:28,667 --> 00:41:29,959 NICK: Probably one of the hardest ones. 1052 00:41:29,959 --> 00:41:43,834 [intense music] 1053 00:41:43,834 --> 00:41:47,334 We had a glorious day today 1054 00:41:47,334 --> 00:41:51,709 with delicious, soulful food, and a beautiful cause 1055 00:41:51,709 --> 00:41:55,250 and just a wonderful afternoon of love everywhere. 1056 00:41:55,250 --> 00:41:57,375 The crowd was really, really into it, 1057 00:41:57,375 --> 00:41:59,417 and a lot of you went back to something familiar 1058 00:41:59,417 --> 00:42:01,709 from your family, and it was just great to see. 1059 00:42:01,709 --> 00:42:04,584 Today was a very special day. I saw nothing but joy. 1060 00:42:04,584 --> 00:42:06,584 That's what cooking from your soul is. 1061 00:42:06,584 --> 00:42:09,584 Buddha, tell me how you came up with this dish? 1062 00:42:09,584 --> 00:42:11,584 It was the first dish that came to my mind 1063 00:42:11,584 --> 00:42:13,959 and the only dish that I thought about during this challenge. 1064 00:42:13,959 --> 00:42:15,334 What was in the sambal? 1065 00:42:15,334 --> 00:42:16,959 I made, like, an [indistinct] 1066 00:42:16,959 --> 00:42:18,959 -sort of hybrid with a sambal. -It was delicious. 1067 00:42:18,959 --> 00:42:21,250 I thought you did a beautiful job, 1068 00:42:21,250 --> 00:42:23,334 but I would have turned the heat up on the sambal. 1069 00:42:23,334 --> 00:42:25,459 That's actually my only feedback 1070 00:42:25,459 --> 00:42:27,375 that isn't entirely positive, 1071 00:42:27,375 --> 00:42:29,959 was that we didn't get any more bites of it as we ate it. 1072 00:42:29,959 --> 00:42:32,542 Take from that it was so good they wanted more. 1073 00:42:32,542 --> 00:42:34,751 -BUDDHA: Yeah. -TOM: That's a good thing. 1074 00:42:34,751 --> 00:42:37,834 Nick, did you know right away that you wanted to do 1075 00:42:37,834 --> 00:42:39,876 the salmon cake and remoulade? 1076 00:42:39,876 --> 00:42:42,959 That's one of the things that my nana has always mastered 1077 00:42:42,959 --> 00:42:44,792 and always I've loved it, 1078 00:42:44,792 --> 00:42:46,918 so I definitely wanted to feature it. 1079 00:42:46,918 --> 00:42:48,959 And it showed, the flavor, I thought, was really great. 1080 00:42:48,959 --> 00:42:51,292 The real star of the dish, though, was the beans. 1081 00:42:51,292 --> 00:42:52,792 Hoppin' John relish was brilliant. 1082 00:42:52,792 --> 00:42:55,209 It was so acidic and it made that dish. 1083 00:42:55,209 --> 00:42:56,792 You know, you packed a lot of flavor 1084 00:42:56,792 --> 00:42:59,000 into that beautiful salmon cake. 1085 00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:01,584 It was seasoned in the best way, right? 1086 00:43:01,584 --> 00:43:03,709 Definitely I think there was a lot of panko, 1087 00:43:03,709 --> 00:43:06,459 so I think the texture of the salmon was a little lost, 1088 00:43:06,459 --> 00:43:09,375 but I love the pure flavor of the salmon cake. 1089 00:43:09,375 --> 00:43:11,292 Okay. 1090 00:43:11,292 --> 00:43:13,250 Luke, I thought your dish was so comforting. 1091 00:43:13,250 --> 00:43:15,501 I can really tell that it meant a lot to you. 1092 00:43:15,501 --> 00:43:19,584 The only criticism I have is that your meatball was tight. 1093 00:43:19,584 --> 00:43:20,959 I like the dish a lot. 1094 00:43:20,959 --> 00:43:22,834 You had a bit of a predicament, though, 1095 00:43:22,834 --> 00:43:24,667 because meatloaf, you talked about you want 1096 00:43:24,667 --> 00:43:26,959 all the crispy bits on the outside of the meatloaf, 1097 00:43:26,959 --> 00:43:28,959 but usually those meatballs are cooked in the gravy, too. 1098 00:43:28,959 --> 00:43:31,918 Why did you go in that direction to go with the crispy bits 1099 00:43:31,918 --> 00:43:34,626 versus cooking the meatball in the gravy? 1100 00:43:34,626 --> 00:43:36,959 It made it maybe difficult to cut into from time 1101 00:43:36,959 --> 00:43:39,334 but I thought there would be also enough sauce on the plate 1102 00:43:39,334 --> 00:43:40,584 and the creaminess from the mashed potatoes 1103 00:43:40,584 --> 00:43:42,375 to kind of match that. 1104 00:43:42,375 --> 00:43:44,250 TOM: Best part of the meatloaf is the crust, right? 1105 00:43:44,250 --> 00:43:45,709 Yeah. 1106 00:43:45,709 --> 00:43:47,792 Damarr. You had immunity today. 1107 00:43:47,792 --> 00:43:49,417 I did. 1108 00:43:49,417 --> 00:43:51,626 This is Damarr semi-relaxed right now 1109 00:43:51,626 --> 00:43:53,876 because he knows he's not going anywhere, 1110 00:43:53,876 --> 00:43:56,959 and you shouldn't anyway because that dish was delicious. 1111 00:43:56,959 --> 00:43:59,709 -Thank you. -It was perfect collard greens. 1112 00:43:59,709 --> 00:44:01,959 The hoecake was so tender, 1113 00:44:01,959 --> 00:44:04,542 when you ate it all together with that acidic pepper vinegar, 1114 00:44:04,542 --> 00:44:06,542 it was a moment of bliss. 1115 00:44:06,542 --> 00:44:08,959 When I was 18 I moved to East Orange, New Jersey. 1116 00:44:08,959 --> 00:44:10,709 Right down the street from my house, 1117 00:44:10,709 --> 00:44:12,918 Althea Gibson had a soul food restaurant, 1118 00:44:12,918 --> 00:44:15,792 and that was my once-a-week spot that I would go to. 1119 00:44:15,792 --> 00:44:18,250 It reminded me of walking in and getting those greens. 1120 00:44:18,250 --> 00:44:22,501 Ashleigh, I thought your gravy was delicious. 1121 00:44:22,501 --> 00:44:24,459 I wanted to take a vat of it home. 1122 00:44:24,459 --> 00:44:26,792 And I thought your rice was great, too. 1123 00:44:26,792 --> 00:44:30,501 I just didn't want all that gravy on top of the crab rice. 1124 00:44:30,501 --> 00:44:32,709 I was so excited when you described 1125 00:44:32,709 --> 00:44:34,542 the crispy bits of crabs. 1126 00:44:34,542 --> 00:44:35,959 Did you deep fry it? 1127 00:44:35,959 --> 00:44:37,792 I didn't deep fry it, I griddled it 1128 00:44:37,792 --> 00:44:39,542 and just kind of flipped it 1129 00:44:39,542 --> 00:44:41,501 and got those, like, nice crispy brown bits. 1130 00:44:41,501 --> 00:44:43,375 I did miss a little bit 1131 00:44:43,375 --> 00:44:48,584 getting the kind of crispy crab rice pieces. 1132 00:44:48,584 --> 00:44:52,417 Evelyn, tell us about your magenta sopes. 1133 00:44:52,417 --> 00:44:55,501 So, for me-- Sorry, I'm going to get emotional. 1134 00:44:55,501 --> 00:44:58,792 This one really hit home. 1135 00:44:58,792 --> 00:45:03,209 I lost my grandma last year. 1136 00:45:03,209 --> 00:45:07,918 And it's still very fresh, obviously. 1137 00:45:07,918 --> 00:45:09,709 So, Grandma taught me how to do the sopes 1138 00:45:09,709 --> 00:45:11,834 and my mom taught me how to make chorizo. 1139 00:45:11,834 --> 00:45:13,709 There was a bit of you 1140 00:45:13,709 --> 00:45:16,375 and there was lots of your grandma and your mom. 1141 00:45:16,375 --> 00:45:19,542 You were standing on a lot of shoulders, you know? 1142 00:45:19,542 --> 00:45:22,959 I loved your dish. Your chorizo was delicious. 1143 00:45:22,959 --> 00:45:26,250 I love the color on your sopes, I love the texture. 1144 00:45:26,250 --> 00:45:28,501 And such brightness from that pineapple salsa, 1145 00:45:28,501 --> 00:45:30,501 what a punch in the mouth. 1146 00:45:30,501 --> 00:45:33,209 The only thing that I didn't like was that it was so small. 1147 00:45:33,209 --> 00:45:34,542 I just wanted it bigger, you know? 1148 00:45:34,542 --> 00:45:36,667 You should be proud 1149 00:45:36,667 --> 00:45:38,667 and I know your grandmother is proud of you for that. 1150 00:45:38,667 --> 00:45:40,375 Thank you. Thank you. 1151 00:45:40,375 --> 00:45:42,501 -Jae, tell us a little bit-- -Oh, my God-- 1152 00:45:42,501 --> 00:45:44,501 -more about this dish. -I was born and raised in Korea 1153 00:45:44,501 --> 00:45:46,709 but I grew up as a chef in New Orleans, 1154 00:45:46,709 --> 00:45:49,501 so I wanted to cook these two cuisines. 1155 00:45:49,501 --> 00:45:51,334 It was absolutely delicious. 1156 00:45:51,334 --> 00:45:53,417 I mean, everything about the dish was thoughtful, 1157 00:45:53,417 --> 00:45:56,667 had intention. The fish was perfectly cooked. 1158 00:45:56,667 --> 00:45:59,375 All those fermented flavors were just the perfect amount. 1159 00:45:59,375 --> 00:46:01,375 I wanted more and more. 1160 00:46:01,375 --> 00:46:02,959 Dawn beat me to taking the relish. 1161 00:46:02,959 --> 00:46:04,959 The relish was so good, I was going to grab it 1162 00:46:04,959 --> 00:46:07,667 and Dawn pretty much pushed me out of the way to grab it. 1163 00:46:07,667 --> 00:46:10,709 And I was like, wow, it came together beautifully 1164 00:46:10,709 --> 00:46:12,542 in a way that I couldn't even imagine, 1165 00:46:12,542 --> 00:46:14,959 and so thank you for teaching me today. 1166 00:46:14,959 --> 00:46:16,751 It was beautiful. 1167 00:46:16,751 --> 00:46:18,334 If you couldn't tell already, 1168 00:46:18,334 --> 00:46:20,959 we totally enjoyed ourselves today. 1169 00:46:20,959 --> 00:46:22,792 Body and soul. 1170 00:46:22,792 --> 00:46:24,959 But we are still in a competition, 1171 00:46:24,959 --> 00:46:27,584 so we have a terrible decision to make now. 1172 00:46:27,584 --> 00:46:37,334 We'll call you back in a bit. Thank you all. 1173 00:46:37,334 --> 00:46:38,918 DAMARR: Nice job, everyone. 1174 00:46:38,918 --> 00:46:40,667 -BUDDHA: Well, that was weird. -JAE: Good job. 1175 00:46:40,667 --> 00:46:42,250 Where's my Lukey? 1176 00:46:42,250 --> 00:46:44,000 Way to make it very hard for the judges. 1177 00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:46,334 [laughter and crosstalk] 1178 00:46:46,334 --> 00:46:48,334 Everyone did a great job. 1179 00:46:48,334 --> 00:46:49,959 I mean, I don't think 1180 00:46:49,959 --> 00:46:52,542 LUKE: I've ever seen the judges' table like that before. 1181 00:46:52,542 --> 00:46:53,959 I'm incredibly proud, incredibly happy 1182 00:46:53,959 --> 00:46:56,000 and I think everybody should, you know? 1183 00:46:56,000 --> 00:47:00,083 I feel bad sending someone home for the food we had today. 1184 00:47:00,083 --> 00:47:03,292 I mean, it was a joyful, celebratory day 1185 00:47:03,292 --> 00:47:07,959 of learning and preservation and education and emotion. 1186 00:47:07,959 --> 00:47:10,792 It's almost impossible to make this decision. 1187 00:47:10,792 --> 00:47:12,792 -But the competition must go on. -Yes. 1188 00:47:12,792 --> 00:47:16,876 But we also have to decide who won this challenge today. 1189 00:47:16,876 --> 00:47:19,459 Person I think that really embraced the challenge 1190 00:47:19,459 --> 00:47:22,042 and also made me think was Jae. 1191 00:47:22,042 --> 00:47:26,417 That dish, I remember eating it and being a little confused, 1192 00:47:26,417 --> 00:47:29,584 but also being extremely satisfied. 1193 00:47:29,584 --> 00:47:32,876 She did something entirely unique today. 1194 00:47:32,876 --> 00:47:36,918 She created something new that was this instant comfort food. 1195 00:47:36,918 --> 00:47:41,375 Cooking your soulful dish to people who are excited 1196 00:47:41,375 --> 00:47:44,375 and thrilled about that moment, 1197 00:47:44,375 --> 00:47:46,959 that was very special. 1198 00:47:46,959 --> 00:47:49,375 So, I certainly like Jae's, but I can make an argument 1199 00:47:49,375 --> 00:47:51,584 just for the sheer simplicity and the audacity to do something 1200 00:47:51,584 --> 00:47:53,709 that simple but so damn good was Damarr. 1201 00:47:53,709 --> 00:47:55,375 -Yeah. -I mean, just something 1202 00:47:55,375 --> 00:47:56,876 about the simplicity of it that I loved, 1203 00:47:56,876 --> 00:47:59,375 and that he knew to just leave it alone. 1204 00:47:59,375 --> 00:48:02,792 Damarr's dish was simple, but familiar to me. 1205 00:48:02,792 --> 00:48:05,584 I just expect really good greens 1206 00:48:05,584 --> 00:48:07,375 and that's exactly what he gave me. 1207 00:48:07,375 --> 00:48:09,375 If there were any way to make greens more perfect, 1208 00:48:09,375 --> 00:48:11,792 I don't think that that even exists. 1209 00:48:11,792 --> 00:48:14,000 They got some really tough jobs. 1210 00:48:14,000 --> 00:48:15,959 Like, our jobs are tough, obviously, but like, that's-- 1211 00:48:15,959 --> 00:48:17,792 Hey, I was looking at the lights, 1212 00:48:17,792 --> 00:48:19,959 like, these lights gon' dry my eyes up. 1213 00:48:19,959 --> 00:48:21,709 [contestants laughing] 1214 00:48:21,709 --> 00:48:23,626 -So, we have our winner. -Mm-hmm. Yup. 1215 00:48:23,626 --> 00:48:26,501 Yes? Great. Now the hard part. 1216 00:48:26,501 --> 00:48:29,667 Padma, this is really hard, but I think Luke's meatball 1217 00:48:29,667 --> 00:48:32,501 was the most flawed out of anything that I've tasted today. 1218 00:48:32,501 --> 00:48:34,375 It was tough. 1219 00:48:34,375 --> 00:48:36,375 Meatloaf is tender and it's juicy 1220 00:48:36,375 --> 00:48:38,584 and-- you know, and you can get everything in one bite. 1221 00:48:38,584 --> 00:48:42,375 When you used the word "juicy" just now, it really hit home 1222 00:48:42,375 --> 00:48:44,626 that I really liked the flavors in Luke's dish today. 1223 00:48:44,626 --> 00:48:46,375 It wasn't juicy, 1224 00:48:46,375 --> 00:48:47,959 and when you give us a point of reference 1225 00:48:47,959 --> 00:48:49,584 of your mom's meatloaf, 1226 00:48:49,584 --> 00:48:52,626 it did not hold up in consistency. 1227 00:48:52,626 --> 00:48:53,959 You also have to think about conceptually 1228 00:48:53,959 --> 00:48:55,918 how we're eating it, you know. 1229 00:48:55,918 --> 00:48:58,584 We're walking around and taking a plate from a booth. 1230 00:48:58,584 --> 00:49:00,751 We shouldn't have to put it down to then cut it, 1231 00:49:00,751 --> 00:49:02,584 and that's what I had to do. 1232 00:49:02,584 --> 00:49:04,792 But a frikadelle, which he referred to, 1233 00:49:04,792 --> 00:49:07,292 is supposed to be crispy on both sides, 1234 00:49:07,292 --> 00:49:09,584 so that was his intention. 1235 00:49:09,584 --> 00:49:11,667 You know, yeah, there was maybe a couple little, 1236 00:49:11,667 --> 00:49:13,584 you know, technical problems or whatever 1237 00:49:13,584 --> 00:49:15,792 but I'm very happy with what they all said, you know? 1238 00:49:15,792 --> 00:49:17,834 -What about Ashleigh? -That's what I thought. 1239 00:49:17,834 --> 00:49:20,584 -You didn't like Ashleigh's. -I didn't love Ashleigh's, yeah. 1240 00:49:20,584 --> 00:49:22,792 I thought the flavors of Ashleigh's dish were great. 1241 00:49:22,792 --> 00:49:24,959 For me, I was missing the texture of the crab 1242 00:49:24,959 --> 00:49:26,918 and I definitely thought 1243 00:49:26,918 --> 00:49:29,375 that she could have benefitted from plating it differently. 1244 00:49:29,375 --> 00:49:31,751 All of the flavors for me were a little bit lost. 1245 00:49:31,751 --> 00:49:34,334 What I was looking for was not matched in that plate. 1246 00:49:34,334 --> 00:49:35,959 I like the dish, though. 1247 00:49:35,959 --> 00:49:37,709 There was something about it that was just familiar 1248 00:49:37,709 --> 00:49:39,542 and I thought it was good. 1249 00:49:39,542 --> 00:49:40,959 I was tasting that rice 1250 00:49:40,959 --> 00:49:42,918 and I was like, "My mom would be proud, 1251 00:49:42,918 --> 00:49:45,584 "my dad would be proud, the ancestors would be proud," 1252 00:49:45,584 --> 00:49:47,042 and that's it for me. 1253 00:49:47,042 --> 00:49:48,792 What did you think of Buddha's, Kwame? 1254 00:49:48,792 --> 00:49:50,292 Buddha's individually when I tasted the stuff, 1255 00:49:50,292 --> 00:49:52,334 the curry was delicious, 1256 00:49:52,334 --> 00:49:54,667 I thought it could have used a little more salt and more heat. 1257 00:49:54,667 --> 00:49:56,250 That dish was not very strong 1258 00:49:56,250 --> 00:49:57,792 compared to the rest of the dishes. 1259 00:49:57,792 --> 00:49:59,751 Buddha's dish needed a little more heat. 1260 00:49:59,751 --> 00:50:01,709 -It did need more heat. -The sambal and the curry. 1261 00:50:01,709 --> 00:50:03,959 But I really liked all the components. 1262 00:50:03,959 --> 00:50:06,459 But, yeah, it's going to be a super tough one, you know? 1263 00:50:06,459 --> 00:50:08,209 And anyone could go home. 1264 00:50:08,209 --> 00:50:09,959 Ugh, this was such a great day 1265 00:50:09,959 --> 00:50:11,626 and such a difficult decision 1266 00:50:11,626 --> 00:50:13,501 and now we have to send someone home. 1267 00:50:13,501 --> 00:50:15,375 Okay, let's get them out here. 1268 00:50:15,375 --> 00:50:22,375 [tense music] 1269 00:50:22,375 --> 00:50:25,792 Chefs, all of you cooked stupendous food today, 1270 00:50:25,792 --> 00:50:28,876 but there can only be one winner. 1271 00:50:28,876 --> 00:50:31,792 The chef that won today, put their soul into it 1272 00:50:31,792 --> 00:50:35,417 and really embraced the challenge at its essence. 1273 00:50:35,417 --> 00:50:37,751 The winning chef today is... 1274 00:50:37,751 --> 00:50:41,792 ♪♪♪ 1275 00:50:41,792 --> 00:50:43,292 ... Jae. 1276 00:50:43,292 --> 00:50:46,417 [inspiring music] 1277 00:50:46,417 --> 00:50:49,584 Congratulations, Jae. 1278 00:50:49,584 --> 00:50:52,584 You truly made a completely soulful dish 1279 00:50:52,584 --> 00:50:55,584 that was both inspiring and enlightening. 1280 00:50:55,584 --> 00:50:57,584 -It was beautiful. -Thank you so much. 1281 00:50:57,584 --> 00:51:00,626 There are so many people who have supported me. 1282 00:51:00,626 --> 00:51:03,334 You know, they are the reason why I'm here 1283 00:51:03,334 --> 00:51:06,042 and I'm glad that I make them proud. 1284 00:51:06,042 --> 00:51:08,876 I am very happy to win this one 1285 00:51:08,876 --> 00:51:11,959 because this is my personal story. 1286 00:51:11,959 --> 00:51:13,959 I put my own spin to it 1287 00:51:13,959 --> 00:51:16,375 and my mom should be really proud, 1288 00:51:16,375 --> 00:51:17,959 and I am also proud. 1289 00:51:17,959 --> 00:51:20,542 Congratulations, Jae. 1290 00:51:20,542 --> 00:51:21,876 Thank you so much. 1291 00:51:21,876 --> 00:51:23,667 And now for the hard part. 1292 00:51:23,667 --> 00:51:25,584 We had such a wonderful day 1293 00:51:25,584 --> 00:51:28,501 of really, really delicious food, 1294 00:51:28,501 --> 00:51:30,709 but we're still in a competition 1295 00:51:30,709 --> 00:51:32,959 and so someone is still going home. 1296 00:51:32,959 --> 00:51:35,542 You know, chefs, when we go out and we get experience 1297 00:51:35,542 --> 00:51:37,959 and we learn the techniques, we learn how to run a kitchen, 1298 00:51:37,959 --> 00:51:40,501 but we never get too far away from where we started, 1299 00:51:40,501 --> 00:51:42,918 and I think that's what this challenge was about today. 1300 00:51:42,918 --> 00:51:47,209 It was about going back to why we do what we do, 1301 00:51:47,209 --> 00:51:49,834 and each of you put your food out there. 1302 00:51:49,834 --> 00:51:51,584 It was quite magical. 1303 00:51:51,584 --> 00:51:53,501 But there was just one dish 1304 00:51:53,501 --> 00:51:55,584 that fell a little bit short than the rest of them. 1305 00:51:55,584 --> 00:51:59,918 [suspenseful music] 1306 00:51:59,918 --> 00:52:01,792 Luke. 1307 00:52:01,792 --> 00:52:04,292 Please pack your knives and go. 1308 00:52:04,292 --> 00:52:05,959 -I'm so sorry, Luke. -Listen, it's not over yet. 1309 00:52:05,959 --> 00:52:07,584 I'll see you in Last Chance Kitchen. 1310 00:52:07,584 --> 00:52:09,250 Thank you very much. 1311 00:52:09,250 --> 00:52:10,792 I think this was a really difficult decision 1312 00:52:10,792 --> 00:52:12,959 that they had to make and at the end of the day 1313 00:52:12,959 --> 00:52:15,626 someone had to go, so I'm leaving with my head held high. 1314 00:52:15,626 --> 00:52:17,542 And Luke, keep doing what you're doing. 1315 00:52:17,542 --> 00:52:20,334 I was so happy to taste that corner you turned 1316 00:52:20,334 --> 00:52:22,709 so I'm looking forward to you finding yourself more 1317 00:52:22,709 --> 00:52:24,918 in all that technique you already possess. 1318 00:52:24,918 --> 00:52:25,959 Thank you. 1319 00:52:25,959 --> 00:52:27,876 It sucks to go home. 1320 00:52:27,876 --> 00:52:29,542 Made it all the way to number seven. 1321 00:52:29,542 --> 00:52:30,959 Quick toast before I'm out? 1322 00:52:30,959 --> 00:52:32,667 Yeah? Quick toast? 1323 00:52:32,667 --> 00:52:34,584 I don't know if anybody is ready to leave. 1324 00:52:34,584 --> 00:52:37,375 I'm just happy to have swam in the same pool as everybody. 1325 00:52:37,375 --> 00:52:40,542 This is an absolute amazing bunch of people. 1326 00:52:40,542 --> 00:52:42,584 Just honored to be in this group. 1327 00:52:42,584 --> 00:52:44,250 I fell in love with cooking 1328 00:52:44,250 --> 00:52:45,876 because there was always an opportunity to learn. 1329 00:52:45,876 --> 00:52:47,959 DAMARR: Pleasure, brother. 1330 00:52:47,959 --> 00:52:49,834 And you are never going to stop learning. 1331 00:52:49,834 --> 00:52:51,876 I'm excited to continue on this journey. 1332 00:52:51,876 --> 00:52:55,792 ♪♪♪ 1333 00:52:55,792 --> 00:52:57,375 PADMA: Tonight. 1334 00:52:57,375 --> 00:52:58,876 TOM: Luke enters Last Chance Kitchen. 1335 00:52:58,876 --> 00:53:01,584 Let's get 'er done. 1336 00:53:01,584 --> 00:53:03,375 He struggled with seasoning throughout the competition. 1337 00:53:03,375 --> 00:53:06,042 That's not what I think it is. Oh, sh--. 1338 00:53:06,042 --> 00:53:08,000 Now can he cook his way back? 1339 00:53:08,000 --> 00:53:09,918 I'm just shocked. 1340 00:53:09,918 --> 00:53:11,959 PADMA: Find out now on demand 1341 00:53:11,959 --> 00:53:14,792 or wherever you stream Top Chef. 1342 00:53:14,792 --> 00:53:16,918 Next time on Top Chef... 1343 00:53:16,918 --> 00:53:18,959 For this challenge, 1344 00:53:18,959 --> 00:53:22,542 you'll have to create a dish for astronauts. 1345 00:53:22,542 --> 00:53:24,792 Welcome to the International Space Station. 1346 00:53:24,792 --> 00:53:26,709 -Wow! -EVELYN: What is that? 1347 00:53:26,709 --> 00:53:31,542 NICK: This is going to be a lot of fun. 1348 00:53:31,542 --> 00:53:34,542 What's that down there, Nick? The mix 27? 1349 00:53:34,542 --> 00:53:36,709 Twenty-six, come on now. 1350 00:53:36,709 --> 00:53:38,709 You know who else liked it? My man, Tony. 1351 00:53:38,709 --> 00:53:40,751 [laughter] 1352 00:53:40,751 --> 00:53:44,709 [dramatic music] 1353 00:53:44,709 --> 00:53:47,959 I would really hate to get this far in a competition... 1354 00:53:47,959 --> 00:53:49,959 What the [bleep]? 1355 00:53:49,959 --> 00:53:53,542 ... to go home over something as simple as overcooked rice. 1356 00:53:53,542 --> 00:53:55,709 There were a lot of missed opportunities. 1357 00:53:55,709 --> 00:53:57,959 -Oh, my God. -The bottom line, 1358 00:53:57,959 --> 00:53:59,709 I think you can do way better. 1359 00:53:59,709 --> 00:54:03,709 Don't say that.