[singer] ♪ You feel Your heartbeat pumping ♪
[man] You don't get many chances in life.
If the opportunity is there
you have to jump and take it
[Ted] Sixteen elite candidates...
[Lauren] I've dreamed of an opportunity like this
[Angel] This is gonna change my life
[Ted] only one dream job.
-[Maneet] I am desperately.. -[Scott] Desperately...
[Chris] Desperately seeking a sous chef.
I am born for this.
[singer] ♪ Tonight There will be fire ♪
If you want to work for me, you have to earn it.
I started seven years ago with one restaurant
and now we have grown to four restaurants.
[Chris] I need this job and don't take no for an answer
Coming down. Coming down.
It's not gonna to be easy.
Everything fast but everything right.
We're basically the biggest global hospitality
company in the world.
You focus, pay attention,
because if you get behind,
you're gonna stay behind.
Oh. Feeling the pressure.
I'm desperate for a sous chef with impeccable technique.
Refined, honest, soulful cooking.
This is sexy.
That's the type of food that I wanna serve.
I'll make it happen, baby.
[singer] ♪ I will show no mercy ♪
-[man] Am I in over my head -[Chris] We're really
throwing them in the deep en
[Lauren] Everything I've done so far
has been for this moment.
[singer] ♪ Tonight there will be... ♪
Who wants that job?
[pants]
[Maneet] Do you think being a sous chef would be easy?
[singer] ♪ Fire ♪
[dramatic music playing]
It's amazing.
I mean, for how young they are,
they already have such a good experience.
I got my eye on one in particular...
-Do you really? -but I won't to say who it is.
-Really? Really? -I won't say who it is.
[dramatic music playing]
[Michael] Earning this position will b
a dream come true.
[Kevin] This will be a game changer
I'm super girly, but I'm a baddie in the kitchen.
[Angel] I am strong and collected
in the heat of battle.
Welcome candidates.
-Hello. Good morning, Ted. -Thank you. Hello.
You are here to compete for a once-in-a-lifetime
job opportunity.
Judges Chris, Maneet, and Scott
are each desperately seeking
a sous chef to join their team.
Damn. I'm in front of baller
But like, hey, you best bring your A game.
Judges, please tell these chefs
what the ideal candidate needs to show you.
I'm looking for thoughtfulness,
not just in the way you prepare food
but also how you treat one another.
I am looking for somebody with the right attitude
and the fearlessness to learn something new.
And I am looking for somebody who can handle high volume,
high pressure situations and keep their cool.
It's not going to be an easy application process.
Every basket has been carefully curated
by one of your would-be bosses.
Okay. Your appetizer ingredients are waiting.
Open them up.
[dramatic music playing]
[Ted] And what can you do with octopus...
Octopus.
Love that.
Oh, sweet.
[Ted] Buddha's hand...
I have no idea what...
[Ted] frozen hash browns, and duck fat caramels.
Oh, it's duck fat.
Okay.
[Ted] Twenty minutes to nail that first impression.
It's gonna be good. It's gonna be good.
Clock starts now.
[Maneet] Yeah, go chefs.
-Go, go, go. -Let's go. Let's go.
[dramatic music playing]
[Scott] Let's talk about octopus, shall we?
I wanted to put octopus inside these baskets
because it's been on every single one
of my menus over the last 25 years,
and it's important for me to see
with such a high selling item,
how these chefs are gonna treat it.
I'm just hoping that one of them would grab
the plancha and just grill this.
-Char it. -Char it.
-Yes.
I'm the chef to hire because I bring in energy.
I'm not a one-man show.
I'm a one-man army.
I'm a junior sous at Herb & Wood in San Diego
I've worked in fine dining.
I've worked in catering.
I worked at a five diamond hotel.
And the next step in my career is hopefully
being a sous chef for one of the Chopped judges,
and this is that moment.
What we're all looking for is a sous chef
that's innovative, right?
And right now we're gonna see how innovative
they can be with these frozen hash browns.
-How do you repurpose that? -[Scott] Yeah.
How do you make it something better
than what it already is?
I want to grill this octopus because
it just gets this explosion of flavor.
I see frozen hash browns and the first thing
I think of is breakfast.
I'm making octopus potato hash with sauteed spinach.
Let's just fry these off.
Very simple.
Just enough to get across that,
hey, this is simple food done right.
Coming down behind.
Chef Lauren, how are you doing over there?
I'm doing my very best.
I'm a sous chef that the judges should hire
because I'm organized, I'm meticulous,
and I'm a hard-ass.
No time for tongs.
I'm extremely ambitious.
[singer] ♪ So take me Where I wanna go ♪
[Lauren] I'm a lead line cook at King + Duke
in Atlanta, Georgia.
I went to the Culinary Institute of Americ
in Napa Valley.
And my very first kitchen was Ad Hoc,
one of Thomas Keller's kitchen.
I am so ready to move up in my career.
Get a char on those babies.
When I see these frozen hash browns,
my mind immediately goes to a puree,
because I think purees and proteins go great together.
So I am making a citrus charred octopus
over a pomme puree
with a radicchio salad and miso caramel sauce.
[Michael] Getting this job would be the absolute
chance of a lifetime.
I hope to have an empire
like these three judges have created.
I've got big dreams for myself
and I'm not gonna stop until I get them.
I'm the sous chef at Sandba in Cold Spring Harbor.
I went to culinary school
at the International Culinary Center
in New York City,
internship at the James Beard Foundation,
and then I've worked at Del Posto,
a Michelin star upscale restaurant.
I am a natural-born leader.
I'm young, I'm promising, and I got a lot to prove.
Sweet, sweet, sweet.
Grilling is a great way to prepare octopus
because it introduces such a smoky flavor
and it really elevates it.
I'm making grilled octopus and a duck fat caramel sauce.
I mean, a Buddha's hand is an ingredient that you usually
don't see in regular grocery stores.
The rind is beautiful and it's perfumey.
You can zest it.
I taste a little bit of the Buddha's hand
and I realize it will work well in a salad dressing.
I zest some and then I chop some of the flesh up
and toss it into salad.
I'm using the hash browns to add some crispness
to that salad and to the octopus.
[Kevin] Seeing the octopus, I'm immediately
thinking Latin flavors.
Those bright citrus flavors
are things that I just love having.
I'm making an octopus tostad with hash brown crispies
and duck fat caramel orange sauce.
Kevin, is this a dish that's gonna make
-one of us wanna hire you? -Yes.
I'm making something that I'm very comfortable with.
Something that I enjoy eating, most importantly,
so I'd be able to put my heart into this dish.
Wow. Okay.
[upbeat music playing]
And I am the chef at Oxalis in Brooklyn, New York.
I take a lot of pride in being able to seize
any opportunity I get becaus of my strong work ethic,
my keen eye to detail.
I'm not shying down from anything.
My family pushed me as hard as I could to be a lawyer.
But I had a choice, you know, law school all the way
or starting up a new restaurant in California,
and I'm happy I chose the latter.
All right, chefs, you're down to 10 minutes here.
I mean, the duck fat caramel
is so delicious. You've got to try it.
There is that inherent caramelly sweetness,
which if you get some acid,
you can make a gastrique out of it.
[Angel] I think I can elevate this octopus
with sauteed spinach.
I grab red onions.
I get the sherry vinegar,
turmeric, Guajillo chilies.
I'm hoping that the Buddha' hand will add citrus flavor
And then just to bring it all together,
I add the duck fat caramel.
Michael, why is your dish gonna set you apart
from your competitors?
I think it's just something that I've worked with before.
I'm definitely excited to work with the octopus.
I'm keeping my octopus relatively simple.
I don't wanna overextend myself,
do something the wrong way,
and risk me getting chopped.
Can't have a potato puree without butter, right?
My potatoes are heating up.
Now that everything's warm, it's time to puree it.
-Hey, Lauren. -[Lauren] Yes?
[Maneet] How is your potato puree coming along?
It's a little gluey, I'm not gonna lie.
[Maneet] Using a blender to make potato puree
is not a smart utilization of a blender.
Fine.
[sighs]
At this point, my heart just sinks.
If I can't figure out how to get
this pomme puree just right
I am certain that I'm going home.
Wow.
[dramatic music playing]
My pomme puree, I think it's kind of gluey.
Wow.
I'm a little concerned about Lauren's gummy potato puree,
but that can be easily rectified
with liquid and fat, right?
I'm having a really hard time shaking the nerves.
-Hey, Lauren? -[Lauren] Yes, Chef?
Look at me. You got this.
-Thank you, Maneet. -[Maneet] Okay?
Stop second-guessing yourself.
[Lauren] Thank you.
I would love to work for Chef Maneet.
What she has done with her career is so inspiring.
I would love to be a part of that growth.
Behind.
Coming up.
I'm really impressed with how thoughtful
Angel is right over there.
He already has his plate.
There are no hurried steps.
That's impressing me a lot right now.
-He looks very calm. -Yeah.
I mean, and that is something that I would definitely
want in my kitchen.
I pull my hash browns out of the fryer
and I realize that they're not as crispy
as I wanted them to be.
Let's get that going.
So I drop my hash browns back into the fire again.
Kevin is moving in a way that suggests
that he's afraid he's not gonna finish on time.
Yes.
Crisp.
Now, my hash browns are crispy,
but they took a lot of oil in there
and I'm not entirely happy with that.
[Michael] With the duck fat caramels, I'm making a sauc
that I could just drizzle on top of my octopus.
I'm definitely struggling a little bit to figure out
how to put all these items together
but I'm hoping that this sauce make it work
in a cohesive manner.
One minute remaining, chefs.
You gotta get it all done.
There's a job offer for one of you guys.
Only one chance to make a first impression, chefs.
[Ted] This round is winding down.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six,
five, four, three, two, one.
Time's up.
Please step back.
-[applause] -[sighs]
When Maneet gave me the pep talk saying you got this,
that put the extra pep in my step.
To learn from a chef who is so experienced
with so many global flavors and techniques
would be absolutely incredible.
[Angel] I'm feeling extremely hyped up.
I'm feeling like gorilla energy,
if you will, you know?
What worries me is that if I had maybe,
let's say, five more minutes, I can definitely
do something better. But, I mean, that...
That's the whole point of Chopped, right?
[dramatic music playing]
[Ted] Chefs, you've arrived at the chopping block.
You opened your appetizer basket and found octopus,
Buddha's hand, frozen hash browns,
and duck fat caramels.
Chef Angel, please tell us about your dish.
So what we have here is a octopus potato hash,
a citrus duck fat glaze, and all tossed with spinach.
I love seeing the way you were working in the kitchen.
You were so calm and collected.
When it comes to the dish, in my restaurants,
what I look for is that unexpected pop of flavor
and that was something that I definitely
-got in the spinach. -Thank you, Chef.
But the hash browns and the octopus
I think could have been,
in terms of proportion, a lot less.
I think the flavors are good here.
I do agree with Maneet.
It feels a little bit clunky
in terms of the cut size.
I would have liked it to be
just a little bit more delicate.
Thank you, Chef Angel.
Next up, Chef Lauren.
Chefs, I have prepared for you a citrus charred octopus
over a pomme puree,
and then I topped that all with a miso caramel sauce.
[Scott] Miso caramel.
Clever.
And what would a job opportunity
-like this mean to you? -It would change my life.
For the last 17 years, I've been staring at Food Network,
you know, to the point where my dad's like,
"Lauren, can we please switch to the news?"
It feels right. It feels like I belong here.
This is a beautiful presentation.
And it's a very thoughtful dish.
The miso caramel, that is delicious.
Thank you.
I think there's a lot of really good choices here.
I love just the simple move of charring these tomatoes.
Yes, the potato puree is gummy
but I liked that you went for it.
Thank you, Chef Lauren. Next up, Chef Mike.
Today, chefs, I prepared for you charred octopus
with mesclun salad with Buddha's hand dressing
and caramel sauce.
So, Chef, the size...
Your portion size on this octopus is enormous,
but your flavors are on point.
I think that your octopus is seasoned nicely
but it's just too big.
Usually, with a Buddha hand, you zest it,
but the fact that you went ahead and peeled it
and gave us these small pieces, incredible.
As far as these hash browns go,
I think that you are the most successful
with that particular ingredient.
I will say the vinaigrette is really delicious.
But again from turning it into a really successful
cohesive dish, I'm not so sure.
-Thank you. -Finally, Chef Kevin.
Hello, judges. Today I prepared for you
an octopus tostada with hash brown potato crispies
and a duck fat caramel orange sauce.
The flavor profiles remind me of a really great restaurant
I was in Mexico City one time.
I think the ceviche aspect of this, that marinated octopus
with the jalapeno and the cilantro and lime juice
and all this stuff that you have in there
is really working fantastically.
It doesn't matter how great a dish is.
If we can't execute that dish on a busy Saturday night,
a dish isn't... Is nothing, right?
What I think what you have done, sir,
is you've really given us a really
interesting craveable dish
that you executed really, really well
in the time that you had.
The only thing that's not working at all, at all,
at all is the hash browns.
It's just all oil.
-Thank you. -Okay.
Now, the judges have to talk and decide
which three of you move on to round two.
Thank you, chefs.
Definitely, of the... of the dishes we've had so far,
this is the closest to something that I could see
-on one of my menus. -[Scott] Oh, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I think the flavors are great here.
-[Maneet] Yeah. -Yeah. I love the acidity,
the brightness, and we captured
-the flavors really well. -[Chris] Yeah.
The judges, they loved my flavor,
but there are fierce competitors out there.
I'm not taking anything for granted.
Honestly, I think the person that's on the chopping
block is gonna be Angel.
His dish was a little bit clunky.
[dramatic music playing]
So whose dish is on the chopping block?
[dramatic music playing]
Chef Mike, you've been chopped.
-Judges. -Chef Mike, you know,
we really liked the vinaigrette that you made,
but we felt that you didn't manage your time
as well as the other three chefs did.
They were able to be a little bit more creative
with the basket and so we had to chop you.
Yeah. Thank you.
Definitely a little upset about it.
This job would have meant the world to me, you know?
I could have... I would have traveled anywhere
to go work with these chefs,
and it's just a shame that I wasn't able to show
them what I can do.
[dramatic music playing]
When you're standing in front of that stove,
don't forget that this is something
that you do every day.
Lauren, I'm going to just tell you one thing.
-[Lauren] Yes? -[Maneet] As a woman,
in the workplace, we spend so much time
questioning ourselves,
"Can I? Can I? Can I?"
I want you to keep those two words
but just change it to I can.
-Okay. Yeah. -[Maneet] Okay?
-Let's go. -Let's go.
-Let's do it.
Go get them, chefs.
[dramatic music playing]
Chef Angel, Chef Lauren, Chef Kevin,
the basket is packed with ingredients
that not just any chef would know how to handle.
Get in there.
What is happening here?
[Ted] And you've got Korean hot dogs...
Korean hot dog is a popular Korean street food.
And I'm thinking to myself,
Chef Chris put this in the basket.
-[Ted] pears... -Wait.
These aren't Asian pears, are they?
[Ted] cherry cola...
I'm tripping out about the last one.
Hey, little fish.
[Ted] and tilefish.
All right.
[Angel] I can do fish.
Oh, let's go.
[Ted] Thirty minutes.
It's doable. Definitely doable.
Clock starts now.
-All right. -[Maneet] Go, chefs.
Go, go, go, go, go.
I'm going to get...
So with this competition in the role of sous chef
that needs to be filled, we have high expectations.
The sous chef really needs to have a very strong foundation
when it comes to culinary skills, be it chopping,
be it fabrication as we are seeing right over here
with the tilefish.
When you're hiring outside of your team
for a sous chef role,
the expectations are very high.
They may have to execute on the vision
that's provided for them.
Seeing this fish makes me think,
"Oh, these guys are testing us."
It's really important that we know that the chefs
have the skillset to be able to fabricate fish
in a quick timeframe.
So you wanna get nice filets that are pin bone free
which is an important part here.
Tilefish have a lot of pin bones.
You need to be really careful and make sure
that you remove them all.
[Angel] I come across all these pin bones on the fish
This is definitely the most intense job interview
I've ever had in my life.
I'm making a pan-seared tilefish with a pear risotto
along with a cherry cola gastrique.
-Let's go. -That's...
The thing about risotto, it just commands
too much of your time.
I think I'm gonna take a gamble here.
Thirty minutes is plenty of time to make risotto.
And if done properly, I think all these components
together would be an incredible dish.
So I put the Korean hot dog in the basket
because my menus really take a lot of inspiration
from street food from around the world.
You know, how do you incorporate that?
You can use the hot dog, you can use the mozzarella,
both, neither, just the breading.
Tilefish, tilefish, tilefish.
I really want to show the judges
that I have those basic but so fundamental skills
of breaking down a fish, cooking it properly.
What the...
And also to look at an ingredient
and be creative.
So I'm making a hot dog-crusted tilefish
with roasted cabbage.
Nice. Nice. Okay.
I take the cherry cola, put it into a pot,
and then I add in diced pears into it,
and then I start to reduce it down.
Twenty minutes to go, chefs.
[dramatic music playing]
I'm gonna go see how these chefs
are preparing this tilefish.
Chef, what do you got?
-I'm doing good, Chef. -What's happening?
Right now I'm making a pear
and cherry cola gastrique with...
What is a gastrique?
That actually sounds really good.
Chef, I was just checking for your pin bones.
You might have a couple in there,
if you wanna double-check that.
[Kevin] Okay. Thank you, sir.
[Scott] Good. Thank you.
[Kevin] Thank you, sir.
[Lauren] Pin bones are not a fun time
I've never fabricated a tilefish
but I fabricated a salmon,
and they have pretty much the same body types.
I'm making a pan-seared tilefish
and a Korean hot pepper cola reduction.
She's already searing up the fish
which makes me very nervous.
Chef, you're already cooking your fish.
There's 16, 17 minutes on the clock.
-Yeah. -What's up with that?
-I don't know. -You don't know?
I don't really know.
It's gonna be all good.
Then I see Korean hot dogs.
I'm using the crust to make a persillade.
Beautiful. [whistles]
So I placed my cherry cola in a pan
and I add molasses to start my gastrique.
-[Scott] Chef, how are you? -[Angel] Fantastic.
And is that gonna be glazed over the top of the show? Is that the idea?
-That is indeed the idea. -[Scott] Interesting.
-All right. -Angel's risotto doesn't look cooked.
He's put pears in it. He's put parmesan in it.
He's put butter in it.
Those are things that need to be put in the final step.
[Scott] Thirteen minutes to go, chefs.
Time is flying.
To go with my tilefish, I'm making roasted
Napa cabbage and pear.
I want that crisp that the pears can give.
And then I add in bacon after that.
That's gonna be nice.
Lauren seems to be really organized, very thorough.
[Lauren] Even though the nerves are still there,
I'm gonna show them how much I care
about winning this job opportunity.
That's gone. That's gone. That's gone.
I'm feeling stoked about this fish.
So I take the breading off the hot dog
and I'm thinking, "Okay, I can turn this into a crumble.
Make this a crunch factor in my dish."
Woo!
Five minutes to go, chefs.
[Angel] That's used. As time is running out,
I'm using the breading from the hot dog
and I'm gonna make a crust for my fish.
[Chris] I like that Kevin is tasting, tasting, tasting.
That's definitely something that we obviously wanna see
our sous chefs do all day long.
[Angel] Down the line. Behind.
[Scott] Two forty, chefs. Get it on the plate.
[Angel] All right. Behind.
Check all your ingredients, chefs.
Come on. That fish has to finish now.
-Come on. -Presentation matters.
[Ted] One minutes ago, folks.
[Chris] Less than a minute to show us what you got.
This is a big opportunity.
-Wrap it up. -Entree round
is ticking down, chefs.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six,
five, four, three, two, one.
Time's up.
[Maneet chuckles]
Wow.
Kevin and Lauren and Angel
have all shown creativity and risk-taking.
I am worried about Angel.
If someone makes pasta or risotto
in front of Scott Conant,
it's gotta be perfect.
[dramatic music playing]
Chefs, inside your entree baskets
you found Korean hot dogs,
pears, cherry cola, and tilefish.
Chef Lauren, what do we have?
Chefs, today, I have prepared for you
a pan-seared tilefish over persillade.
I think your salad is delicious.
I love the ping pong of flavors and textures
that you have inside there,
but I will say I was very concerned
about your fish because you started it so early.
I would work on that timing
Every French person I've ever worked with,
they would always say you want the fish
to finish cooking on the way to the table, right?
That's the idea.
I liked the fact that you use pears two ways,
both in the sauce and in the salad.
Even the Korean hot dogs that you used to make the crumb,
I think that was delicious. It was crispy.
Thank you, Chef Lauren.
Next up, Chef Kevin.
Tonight, I prepared for you
an herb-crusted tilefish
with roasted Napa cabbage
and a cherry cola gastrique and a pair of pears.
I used it both in the cabbage
as well as in the actual gastrique.
They are some really yummy flavors you've gotten together.
I love the saute of the Napa cabbage
along with the pears.
And the gastrique that you made
I think is great.
The one thing in the saute
is that you added some bacon to it.
You didn't render it properly.
It doesn't have a great texture.
Yeah. Unfortunately, I'm having the same experience.
I just wished that you had not served
the actual pieces of bacon.
I am confused as to why you crusted
one side of the fish but you left the skin
on the bottom side.
I thought if I finished in the oven,
that if I had a crust on the flesh side,
it would have that crispiness.
[Chris] The skin is just really rubbery and flabby.
I agree with Chris. A little floppy.
I don't mean to hurt your feelings.
I'm trying to get across that I feel like
you have a really good skillset here,
that you're not doing yourself the best service.
How did you get started in cooking?
In college, when I was studying law,
I worked at a restaurant as a server, loved it.
And then the kitchen manager asked me to go
into the kitchen to help. And I tried it,
and my first shift, I fell in love.
I'm sure your parents were so proud
to leave law school and go into restaurants?
So much that they didn't talk to me for six months.
Really?
And now they're both proud of me.
And I just hope what I continue to do
will do them justice as well.
Finally, Chef Angel.
So what we have here is a pan-seared tilefish
along with a pear risotto,
a citrus cherry cola gastrique.
[Ted] It's always nerve-racking
when somebody tries risotto here.
Sometimes they pull it off.
Sometimes.
The fish is delicious. I think it's really on point.
The risotto...
I think you used the wrong pan, Chef.
Adding the cold fish broth to the risotto
is never a good idea.
Yeah. It's really, really under.
But this fish is sublime.
The skin is nice and crispy
It's just perfectly seasoned
It's supple, delicate, moist.
It's textbook perfect.
Perfect.
The crumb is absolutely delicious.
Even the sauce that you hav with the cherry cola,
that works very well.
You know, when you're breaking down the fish,
you've got to be very, very careful
because I actually got two pin bones
right over here, right?
I also got a couple pin bones in it.
Chef Angel, thank you.
We'll let you know soon which two chefs
have earned a spot in the desert round.
[Angel] I feel like I was showing the judges
the perseverance that I have
It may not have been perfec
but I think I have what it takes.
There are things about my dish
that judges didn't like, things I know I didn't like.
But the flavors I put on that dish,
I think are strong enough
to make me go into the next round.
[dramatic music playing]
Whose dish is on the chopping block?
[Ted] Chef Angel, you've been chopped.
Judges.
Chef Angel, we do think
that you have a very strong handle on flavors
but all of us got pin bones on our plate.
And then, the undercooked risotto,
that was something which we really couldn't look past.
Unfortunately, we will not be offering you a job.
Thank you. Good luck, guys.
I completely agree with what the judges decided.
I took a huge risk and it didn't work out.
I have no regrets whatsoever. None.
It's been one hell of a ride
Chef Lauren, Chef Kevin,
you've gotta win here and make it to the finale
to keep alive your dream
of joining a Chopped judge's empire.
Baskets are ready.
Check them out.
[gasps]
[Ted] You've got rosewater syrup...
[Kevin] Rosewater syrup. Oh, my gosh.
-[Ted] Dragon fruit. -Dragon fruit.
[Ted] You also have candied fruit slices...
I don't know.
-Caramel jerky. -[Ted] and camel jerky.
Oh, camel. Oh, my God.
That's not cool.
Camel jerky is dried camel meat. It's very gamey.
Lauren, Kevin, are you loving the basket in front of you?
-Yes, Chef. -[Kevin] Absolutely.
It's gonna be great.
It's going to be great.
Wow. This is... This is a lot.
Camel jerky, gonna be difficult to try
to incorporate this into my dessert.
[Ted] Thirty minute round...
I am freaking out.
-starts now. -[Kevin] Woo!
[Scott] All right. Let's go.
[Maneet] Go, chefs.
[Chris] Let's go.
Judges, not every savory chef can make dessert
but that's one-third of this job interview here.
If you look at the hierarchy of the restaurant,
the sous chef will be responsible
for overlooking the dessert department also.
[Chris] What we need to see here is something
that really convinces us that they will make
an effective sous chef in our business
outside of the Chopped kitchen.
Only one of these chefs is gonna make it to the finale,
so this dessert round is critical.
Come on.
I am not a pastry chef.
I do not have a lot of baking experience.
But I've made it this far.
There's no way I'm going home at this point.
I am making a deconstructed parfait
and a camel jerky crumble.
I put heavy cream, mascarpon
vanilla, honey,
and a little bit of rosewate in the food processor
and whip it up until it's smooth.
I think the creamy componen
will pair very nicely with the bright fruit
that I'm putting on the plate.
Oh, that's good.
What I love about Lauren
is she's got this very positive attitude,
and I can see that as a leader in the kitchen.
I feel like Chef Kevin really compose himself well in the kitchen.
Really sound technical skillset,
a sound foundation of technique.
So I put the rosewater syrup in the basket
because it is one of my favorite ingredients
but it's also a very tricky ingredient.
Either people really love it
or they don't,
because it has this perfumey flavor.
I love the floralness of rosewater
but I know that it can also be overpowering
if you use too much so I have to be careful.
At this point, I'm really hoping
to work with Chef Maneet.
The way that she critiqued my flavors,
she really gave positive feedback on that
and that's something I know I can build off on.
Okay. I'm going to go in
and see how they're balancing the flavors.
Hello, Kevin. How is it going?
-It's going well, Chef. -Okay. What are you making?
Camel jerky and orange candied churros
with a dragon fruit and rosewater compote.
To make my churros, I am making a simple choux pastry.
How can he be cracking eggs into a pan that has been...
That's completely hot on the stove?
[Scott] He's making a pate a choux.
He should have it inside a mixer...
-[Chris] Yeah. -with a paddle.
[Chris] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Fifteen minutes to go, chefs.
[Maneet] Hello, Lauren.
What's the plan so far?
I'm going to toss this dragon fruit
and raspberries in my rose syrup
with some sugar candies.
How worried are you about...
-On a scale to ten... -He's talented.
He's the one in the very first round
that I was most worried about.
[Maneet] Best of luck.
Chefs, nine minutes to go.
Nine minutes. Nine minutes.
I'm looking at my pastry
and I realized that it's not this consistency
I'm really looking for.
But I look at the clock and I realize
I can't make another so I have to just go with this.
That's not the easiest thing to work with.
[sighs] All right. Cook, cook, cook.
[Chris] I think he's having some problem
with the temperature of the fryer.
[Ted] Five minutes ago, chefs.
[Kevin] As the churros are frying,
I see that they're not as crispy as I want them to be
Is it 350, 325?
I mean, Kevin's churros
are the focal point of the entire dish.
[Kevin] If these churros aren't perfect,
that's game over for me.
[dramatic music playing]
[Kevin] As the churros are frying,
I see that they're not as crispy as I want them to be
He's latching his entire future
on these churros, let me tell you.
I put them into the oven so I can be sure
that they're cooked all the way.
I see ladyfingers on Lauren's station.
Still a little chewy.
In a food processor, I put my candied camel jerk
and ladyfingers to make the crumble
for my whipped mascarpone.
Come on, baby.
Lauren, how are you doing over there?
[Lauren] I feel pretty good.
[Scott] What are you building?
I'm making a deconstructed parfait.
I haven't done quenelles in six years
but I think I managed.
I saw your technique
and we could work on that, Chef.
[laughs] Thank you.
[Maneet] Chefs, less than two minutes.
[Kevin] So I make a rosewate whipped cream.
I am being very careful with the amount of rosewate
so that it can have that flavor
but not be too overwhelming.
[Chris] Closing in at one minute, chefs.
You've gotta really hustle. Finish your plates.
[Scott] Only one of you is headed to the finale, chefs.
It's now or never. Let's get it done.
-[Maneet] Come on! -[Ted] Thirty seconds.
-[Maneet] You got this. -[Chris] Gotta move.
Got to finish it up.
[Ted] All right, chefs. Final seconds
of the final round here.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six,
five, four, three, two, one.
-Time's up. -[applause]
I want this so badly.
And I never thought I'd even make it
to this point but I want this so badly.
I mean, desserts are a crazy thing,
let alone in 30 minutes.
But I had a plan, I stuck with it,
and I'm really happy with the results.
Chefs, for the desert round,
we gave you camel jerky,
candied fruit slices,
rosewater syrup, and dragon fruit.
Chef Lauren, what do we have?
Chefs, I have prepared for you
a cardamom and honey whipped mascarpone
with raspberries and dragon fruit
tossed in rose syrup
with a camel jerky crumble.
This is lovely. There's nothing on this plate
that doesn't taste good. Everything tastes good.
I am... I don't know that it's a dessert though.
I mean, I think maybe it's the construction.
It's sort of, to me, like a deconstructed parfait
just plated so you can see all the components.
It feels incomplete, honestly.
It needs a foundation.
What this tells me is that
you didn't prepare yourself to bake something
when you came into this kitchen
for a pretty important interview.
The positives are you have really good instincts
with flavor combinations.
Thank you.
Pistachio, rose syrup, cardamom,
this is just such a traditional combination
that you see throughout India,
so your instincts are great
[Ted] How does it feel to have made it this far?
It feels amazing.
The nerves are more intense
than I've ever experienced.
But I... I'm like so surprised at myself.
-[chuckles] -[Ted] Okay.
Chef Lauren, thank you.
Finally, Chef Kevin.
Judges, I prepared for you
churros with a rosewater and lime whipped cream
with a dragon fruit compote.
So one of the reasons why the churros are not as crispy
is that when you were making a basic choux pastry,
usually you put it in a stand mixer,
and then you add the eggs one by one.
That being said, this is actually delicious.
I agree with Maneet. I think you have some
really good flavors here. This feels like
something I would eat in Japan.
Like a million eyes
dipping sauce or something, right?
It's just wild. This is wild.
Based on how we were watching you work,
we didn't have high hopes for these churros.
You definitely under-promised and over-delivered
because they're delicious.
We might have a tie, so you may have to go
into one more round. I'm cool with that.
Thank you, chefs.
-It's close. -Yeah. It's gonna be close.
I mean, think about it. It was so interesting
to see their evolution from the appetizer round
to the desert round. The appetizer round,
Kevin gave us this ceviche tostada...
-Yeah. -with the octopus.
It was delicious.
But that hash brown gotta go.
I think on the other side, with Chef Lauren,
I think she did a great job with the octopus.
A lot of really positive aspects on that dish,
but it did have some flaws.
She took the hash browns
and made it into a puree.
Wasn't successful.
It became too gummy.
I think the trick of the entree round
was to see how all the chefs fabricated the tilefish.
And I think both Lauren and Kevin
did a very good job.
Lauren gave us this beautiful light salad,
which was so beautifully dressed.
We don't usually talk about salad
being one of the best bites of the day
but it was truly an amazing salad.
Kevin's entree, he had a lo of really good technique,
but I think his usage of the bacon
was just over the top.
He didn't render the bacon out properly.
I feel like Chef Kevin really composed himself well in the kitchen.
I really feel like Kevin can step in today
as a sous chef to any of my restaurants
and I feel like we can fast track him
to an executive chef position.
I think that Lauren showed
that she is a sponge for information.
She'd learned everything way faster
than you'd expect her to
and she'd be contributing way sooner
than you think she would.
I don't even have words to describe
what it would mean to win this job.
It would be the pinnacle of my career up to this point.
[Kevin] I think that throughout this whole competition
that I have shown, I have the qualities
that they're looking for in a leader.
But, you know, it's a nail-biter.
It can go either way.
[Ted] Chef Kevin, you've been chopped.
Judges.
Chef Kevin, we loved having you here today.
We loved getting to know you better.
In your main course,
you really doubled down on that double smoked bacon
and, unfortunately, you didn't render it out
and it kind of overpowered
the rest of your dish. And then in your dessert,
you had some technical issues with your pate a choux.
So after a lot of contemplation,
we decided not to extend you a job offer today,
and so we had to chop you.
Thank you very much for the opportunity.
[Scott] But, Chef, I will say this.
I think any of us would be proud
to have you as a member of our team.
That means a lot. Thank you very much.
You know, I feel great.
I feel really good about the whole experience.
And although I didn't win,
I will keep my head held up high.
And that means, Chef Lauren Windham,
you are the Chopped champion.
It also means you'll be returning
for the finale to compete...
-Oh, my gosh. -[Ted] for a job offer.
Believe it when we say that you have a very real shot
at taking this home.
So walk into the kitchen
on the finale day knowing that.
I'm staying in the race, chefs.
-[Maneet] Oh, yes, you are. -[laughs]
Congratulations. Great job.
-Thank you. -[applause]
[Lauren] This is so crazy.
I built my confidence up
and I'm gonna show them how much
I care about winning this job opportunity.
[singer] ♪ Everybody knows Who knows ♪
[Lauren] It's a mixture of nerves and expectation.
[singer] ♪ You can feel it In the air ♪
♪ It's coming ♪
[Ted] This is a pressure cooker situation
if ever there was one.
[singer] ♪ You can feel it In your bones ♪
[Scott] Everybody is pushin themselves to the limit.
[Chris] They are literally fighting for this opportunity.
[Lauren] I'm gonna have a heart attack.
-Wow. -Oh, my God.
[Maneet] Why should we hire you?
[Chris] You're gonna find ou in 10 minutes.
-What are you do... -Back, back, back.
-[man] It's a train wreck. -Plates.
[man] Oh, let's go.
[pants]
[woman] I want that job.