[Guy] For the next five weeks, Flavortown Market will become...
Flavortown Academy...
[all laughing]
I can't believe I'm here. It's so awesome.
I wanna learn as much as I can.
I am the headmaster Guy Fieri.
Fun.
[Guy] ...where the best home cooks in the country
can learn to take their skills to the next level.
This is a lot more hectic than I could have ever possibly imagined.
[Guy] Luckily, they'll have two of the best professors in all of the food world.
Chef Antonia Lofaso
and Chef Jet Tila.
Each professor will lead their class...
Let's talk about time management.
[Guy] ...but only one student will go all the way.
[Jet] There you go.
Each week, students must master a crucial lesson in cooking.
This week is all about elevating your food to make higher-end dishes.
Take this time to make it look beautiful.
[Guy] In the end, one home cook will graduate with top honors.
Hi, Mom.
Wait for me!
[Guy] Which professor's student will go all the way and win $35,000?
What?
[Guy] It's the kickoff of Flavortown Academy...
So, on a scale of one to ten, whose class would you rather be in?
...right now on Triple-G.
So let's meet
our incoming class of home cooks.
[cooks cheering]
Here I am. Flavortown with Guy!
There we go. Hello, folks. Welcome.
I can't believe I'm here. It's so awesome.
Hey!
Let's go!
[Guy] Welcome to Flavortown Academy, folks.
I am the headmaster Guy Fieri.
I feel like I should have a pipe
and be walking around in a tweed jacket.
[all laugh]
We offer one of the most immersive, competitive,
and whammy-filled culinary programs in the world.
Now we've selected you,
some of the best home cooks in America,
because we believe that your skills could be taken to the next level
with the correct tutelage, education, and fear.
Uh, enthusiasm. That was the word I was looking for.
-There you go. -Better.
This is a five-week course and it's going to be intense.
Each week, we will cover crucial lessons in cooking
that will help take you to a mastery of cooking
that has no one has seen before.
The student who receives the highest marks
will continue on to the next course,
but the others will be forced to drop out.
The student who makes it to our senior course and aces the final exam,
will win an automatic $35,000.
[cooks cheering and applauding]
-What? -Let's go.
Yeah!
The good news is you will be taught every step of the way
by two of our most prestigious faculty members.
Please welcome two culinary greats,
the one and only Professor Chef Antonia Lofaso
and Professor Chef Jet Tila!
[cheering]
Oh, my gosh. To see them in person? To learn from them?
What an experience.
Jet and I are so excited to take you under our wings.
You know, we can't be sure which student is a good fit until we see you cook.
[Antonia] Mmm.
So I want you to earn your spot in their class.
Let's just give you your opening run.
I want you to show the chefs your culinary chops.
I want you to make your signature dish.
-Oh, yeah. -Sounds good. Hell yeah.
Now after tasting your dishes, the chefs will...
They'll recruit you to be in their class.
Only three cooks will make it per class.
Which means one of you won't make it into Flavortown Academy.
Oh, man.
All right. Hunter has a little warm-up gift for you.
Hunter, what you got for us, buddy?
[Maria] We don't want it.
-Nice. -Look at that.
You can't come to the Flavortown Academy without a little gift.
Oh, backpacks.
Preparedness is key.
So why don't we do this for your first cook?
We're gonna call this backpack shop.
There you go. Nice to see you.
[Antonia] Welcome to school.
Everything that you need to make your signature dish must fit in your backpack.
-Oh, backpacks. -Oh, backpacks.
[Guy] It is a one shop only.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, wait.
You can't put some of your own stuff in there already.
I didn't!
I gave it to 'em. I figure you're going to school,
you gotta bring a lunch, gotta bring a little snack.
Oh, you gave them snacks already in their pack?
[cooks] Aw.
[Maria] Oh, I understand.
Oh, this is great. Chef, what do you have?
-American cheese. -Canned cheese. Fantastic.
Turkey jerky. I love it.
Maraschino cherries.
What you got, Chef?
I have some popcorn.
I have no idea.
It's a fruity grain-free high-protein cereal.
Brain food. I like it.
I got peanut butter and jelly.
Chef, what you got?
Good old-fashioned bologna.
[Jet] Yeah.
-Oh, man. -That's a great product.
Great, so you're welcome to shop for anything else you want in Flavortown Market,
but this will be a must-use ingredient in your dish.
And it's all gotta fit in the backpack.
You're gonna be doing a lot of cramming, if you know what I mean.
Thirty minutes to shop, prepare, and plate your signature dish.
Remember, you are trying to impress upon the judges. Take your time.
When you start, the last three aisles are the ones
that you're gonna really start to focus on.
Remember. Two and one are in the same areas, you can go there last
-and find out... -[Jet laughing]
[all laughing]
He's already number one in paying attention and listening.
-Paying attention and listening? -Pay attention and listen.
Let's do this.
Having the opportunity to be trained and coached
by Jet or Antonia is incredible.
This first cook, I think, is probably like the most important, right?
Signature dish, so it's really putting
everything that they know right there.
[Jet] Someone's going home today,
so you gotta cook your butt off.
I wanna show Jet and Antonia who I am.
[Caytlin] I'm looking for chicken.
So I just thought to myself, "What would a Greek do?"
I own and operate a blog called FoodByMaria.
I make Greek and Mediterranean-inspired recipes.
For my signature dish, I'm thinking orzo and meatballs.
Feta, feta, feta. We need feta.
But maraschino cherries are a huge staple in Greek cooking
said no one ever.
And the light bulb went on.
By incorporating into the meatball,
they work perfectly with the basil and the dill.
[in sing-song voice] Mayo!
And I just packed my bag.
Eventually I had it nice and big and I was waddling around the store.
Is this too full?
No, you're fine. As long as it's in there.
[Maria] Woo-hoo!
This is what I'm looking for, technique and character.
I can teach you to do anything,
but I need you to sort of like have the passion to want to listen
-and want to learn. -That makes sense.
-My whammy ingredient is... drumroll, please. -[drum roll]
Healthy high-protein fruity cereal.
What in the world?
Chicken thigh.
My name is Mada Abdelhamid, I'm a personal trainer based out of LA.
I'm very well-known online.
On my TikTok I have over 200,000 followers
from cooking, to comedy, to fitness, to family.
Pasta. Let me get this one.
For my signature dish, I wanna make something
that I always make for my kids.
I'm going with a hot honey marinara fried chicken over pasta.
Good sauce.
I was gonna use that whammy ingredient
to add to the crunch and sweetness of that chicken.
Oh, just need a little one.
I am 6'5", 295 pounds of pure muscle
and 22-inch pythons, baby.
It's in my nature to be a competitor and to wanna win.
And I want that spot at Flavortown Academy.
Canned American cheese. Oh.
I'm Mole Mama.
My side hustle, I share food recipes
primarily Mexican and Portuguese.
And canned American cheese doesn't go with mole.
Everyone brings their "POV" in.
If you're gonna survive this entire tournament,
you're gonna have to be more pliable.
-Yeah. -So I'm looking for flexibility.
But it's a cheese so I can make a cheese sauce.
Okay, I need the chorizo.
I'm gonna be making a spicy chorizo and bacon pasta.
I have to shove things around and run around the store with a backpack? Okay.
I feel a lot of pressure to try and impress Antonia and Jet.
They're professional chefs,
they're on TV, they're brilliant.
Okay, Diana. You got this.
And American cheese.
Where's that pork belly? Got some pork belly.
My signature dish, it was a no-brainer.
Pork belly kimchi sliders.
My name's Jeff AKA CrunchDad
and my family and I have created this social media empire,
The CrunchBros...
[food crunching]
-Whoa. -Whoa!
...creating Asian fusion cuisines.
Peanut butter and jelly in the same jar.
What is this?
Oh! Seasoning.
I feel like I can make this kind of work
by incorporating that sweet-salty element
from the jelly and peanut butter into my dish.
I wanna impress my professors so I can make it onto one of their teams.
This is such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Bring it on.
Oh, my gosh. My backpack. It's gonna break.
I'm gonna find my tahini sauce.
I got popcorn. Like, wait, what?
Tahini.
I'm Samar, I'm a content creator,
registered dietitian nutritionist.
I'm Palestinian,
and I'm making a beef kofta that my mother taught me growing up.
Ground beef.
Let me throw the popcorn in the kofta to give it a little bit of a crunch.
So we don't have too much time,
I'm just gonna do the quick rice.
I can't believe I've been given this opportunity.
To learn anything from Jet and Antonia would be such an honor.
So it's important for me to stay calm and stay focused.
Let's do this.
-[Guy] Feeling good? -I'm feeling good.
-I need spinach. -What's it's gonna be, you know?
A creamy Tuscan chicken pasta dish.
And what did you have to work with?
-I have jerky. -[Guy] You got turkey jerky.
-I'm thinking I'm gonna simmer it in the sauce. -Great.
I am Caytlin McCleery, I'm a home cook, stay-at-home mom of five kids
and a recipe creator where we get to take everyday recipes,
elevate them, and make them for the everyday person.
Fettuccine. I'm gonna shove it in there. [chuckles]
And I really wanna show these professors I am a teachable student,
that I'm eager to learn.
I'm done.
Cilantro, cilantro, cilantro. Boom. Cilantro.
Nailed that. Got a signature breakfast sandwich for the people.
It's a great way to start a morning before you head to class.
Think about that.
Tyler Fulghum, I host the show Daily Wager on ESPN2. Shameless plug.
Hopefully I don't break any eggs in here
'cause that would be a disaster.
I was given bologna. I love bologna.
Basically just treated it like bacon.
Again, hope I'm not ruining my eggs.
I need my breakfast sandwich to stand out
because I wanna impress these professors
and I want them to teach me.
I don't wanna be kicked out of class the first day.
[Guy] Twenty-five minutes!
What's gonna happen now is they're gonna cook.
After the judges have a chance to taste their food,
that's when they're gonna start picking who they want in their class.
Within these weeks, I think we're gonna be giving them
the closest thing they've ever had to real culinary school.
-Welcome to Grocery Games 101. -[Jet laughing]
[Guy] Twenty-four minutes!
You gotta pick your winner.
Are you going to find the diamond in the rough of these home cooks?
'Cause I know both of you and how competitive you are with one another.
-[Jet laughing] -Oh, my...
These two battle who gets to sit in the front seat.
-[Jet] That's right. -These two battle... I mean, trust me.
-The competition runs deep. -That's actually very true.
Kind of wanna gauge to see where all of these home cooks are
just as far as like, cooking 101.
-[Jet] Yeah. -[Antonia] Like, how are they cutting?
How are they roasting?
Sauteing, seasoning.
Just the basics, right?
-Why don't you two go and start meandering... -Perfect.
...and start making your decision?
-Maria. -♪ Maria ♪
[Jet] What are you making?
-[Maria] I'm making Greek meatballs. -All right.
The key with meatballs, and my mom taught me this,
we obviously want them packed with flavor.
I'm using onion, garlic, onion powder, oregano, garlic powder, bread crumbs,
a little bit of lemon, and of course, some eggs to adhere them.
Where does maraschino play with meatballs?
[Maria] Put them into the meatballs. It will pair well.
-I grabbed some basil and dill to kind of play off it. -I like that.
[Maria] I have a huge opportunity
to learn from two of the greatest.
I'm gonna put 100% into this challenge.
[Jet] Her meatballs are looking spot-on.
She's taking the time to cook them correctly. I see some mad potential here.
Hi, Diana. What are you making right now?
[Diana] I'm making a chorizo-bacon creamy, cheesy pasta dish.
Okay, all right, and you have
the canned cheese so you're gonna use that.
How long have you been cooking for?
-Since I was nine years old. -Nine years old.
I started cooking with my mother, my tias, my grandmother, everybody.
Huge Mexican family and we cook a lot together.
Okay.
I'm impressed with Diana. She has recipes in her arsenal from her abuela
and you can tell Diana has generational cooking under her belt.
Tyler, what are we making, bud?
All right, we're gonna make my signature breakfast sandwich here, Guy,
and I'm gonna pickle these Fresnos right there.
I got the bologna, which I love.
You cook with bologna a lot?
[Tyler] Yes, I used to eat it a lot.
I don't now, I cook mostly with bacon.
But, I mean, who doesn't love bologna?
-[Guy] I mean, that is... -[Tyler] Beef bologna!
[Tyler] I mix brown sugar that I got and a bunch of cracked black pepper.
I'm gonna dust the bologna with that.
Just to give it a little sweetness.
Jet and Antonia are chefs I've seen on Tournament of Champions.
I mean, they're obviously two of the best in the entire world,
so they are two people I look up to
and hopefully I can get one to become my teacher.
Tyler, you know you have two pans here.
[Tyler] Yes, and this one needs to be turned down.
[Jet] One's pretty burnt and you're still using it, and one's not.
-[sarcastically] Hmm. -Makes sense. That makes sense.
Let's listen to Chef. He makes a good point about that being burnt.
[Jet] What he's doing well is kind of making fun food.
He's upmarketing his bologna with avocado,
he's trying to make a runny egg.
I mean, I like his whole kind of vibe.
Oh, man, this is a lot more hectic
than I could have ever possibly imagined.
I need this pasta in ASAP.
Mada, what's on the menu, bud?
We got a hot honey chicken pasta.
-[Guy] Did you just call me honey? -[Mada laughs]
All right, what is your extracurricular ingredient that Hunter gave you?
So knowing me, of course, this is all this muscle,
he gave me a high-protein no-grain--
-[Guy] It's a cereal. -[Mada] Yeah.
What I'mma do is I'mma crush it up
and then I'mma coat that chicken with it
'cause I'm going with that hot honey
so it's gonna give it that sweet spicy taste.
Okay. I like it.
[Mada] All right. Crush these bad boys up.
Oh, yeah. That's beautiful. Look at that.
Taste the rainbow.
I've got my flour, my egg wash.
My mom. I've always loved watching her cook
and I was overweight when I was a kid.
I was 300 pounds by age 15.
So a lot of my cooking, I found a way to Mada-fy my cooking.
A little play on my name there.
I wanted to know exactly what was going into my body.
[Antonia] Caytlin, what are you doing over here?
I am making a Tuscany chicken dish.
[Antonia] And then why is this your signature dish?
I'm all about bringing people to the table with a dish that is fast.
[Antonia] So what else is going with the chicken?
A nice, thick, creamy sauce.
And that's your turkey jerky.
-That is going to simmer with our heavy cream. -[Antonia] Okay.
Going to add in some sun-dried tomatoes and some spinach.
-[Antonia] Okay. -[Jet] Hi.
So, on a scale of one to ten, whose class would you rather be in?
[Jet laughing]
Oh, my gosh.
-It's okay if Jet's here. We just wanna know. -It's okay if Antonia's here.
You guys, give me your ways. Teach me everything.
I am going to take that turkey jerky and I'm going to fine chop it.
I think it's gonna give the sauce a nice smoky tone.
[Jet] Caytlin is great.
And as a mom who has to throw down dinner for five kids every night,
that's a lot of experience, man. That gives me a lot of hope.
Okay, let's do this.
[Guy] Samar, what are we making?
We're making kofta. So, it's a Middle-Eastern kebab--
Oh, I know what kofta is. I love it, I love it.
And I'm gonna do... So my ingredient is popcorn.
So I'm probably gonna do a little bit of crunch in the kofta with the popcorn.
Got it. have you popped the popcorn yet?
-Nope, about to do it right now. -[Guy] Okay.
A classic kofta has this flavor profile
of parsley, garlic, I love garlic, and jalapeno.
Smells so good.
The popcorn, it's gonna absorb the flavor
from the kofta and give it a nice little crunch.
It's a fun surprise in your kofta.
All right. I'm gonna mix this up.
And this dish really shows who I am,
so I wanna make sure I bring it the right way.
Samar, is there some kind of sauce that's going with it?
Yes, I'm doing a tahini sauce with a little bit of garlic.
[Antonia] Samar is very even-tempered.
Knew that today was gonna be a hard first day of school,
she kept it very, very simple, really was able to focus.
Chefs, we've got 15 minutes to go!
Wow, the clock moves fast.
Hi, Jeff. How are you?
Good. How are you, Chef?
-What are you making, love? -I'm making a pork belly kimchi slider
and I'm gonna do something with that peanut butter and grape jelly.
[Antonia] So, you're, like, the Crunch King.
What do you hope to learn while you're in school over the next couple of weeks?
If you make it to the--
[Jeff] Honestly, I wanna make it
and I wanna take this to the next level.
I wanna see what else is out there
-and kind of learn as much as I can. -Okay.
[Jeff] Should have gotten a bigger pan.
Gotta get a good caramel on that kimchi.
-This is your pork belly? -That is my pork belly and kimchi right there.
That is unbelievably tough.
[Jeff] It is, it is. Um, I...
You better make some very quick decisions.
I didn't think it was gonna be this hard. Oh, my goodness!
Yes.
[Guy] Thirteen minutes!
[Jeff] I don't have enough time for my pork belly to cook,
so I'm taking it out, putting it into a food processor,
and just breaking it down a little bit more.
All right, pork belly's in there.
They're bite-sized pieces.
-All right, Maria, you got a little bit of orzo in here? -[Maria] Yeah.
[Antonia] I love all of Maria's flavors.
If I was making a Greek dish, this is everything that I would use.
Diana, what's the overall dish?
[Diana] I'm making a chorizo-bacon pasta.
Oh, pasta. Okay.
[Diana] With canned cheese.
And I guess you're making a cheese sauce.
I'm making a cheese sauce.
So I'm gonna start with a crema. I'm gonna add in some of the cream.
To make it spicier, I'm gonna add in this chili powder
and then add it in the chorizo.
[Jet] She understands these Latin flavors deeply.
I think she's an encyclopedia of food knowledge.
Canned cheese is either your friend or your foe.
I guess we're about to find out.
Students! Ten minutes! Ten minutes left!
-Hi, Tyler. -[Tyler] Chef Antonia.
[Antonia] Let's talk about time management.
I would get eggs cooking ASAP because plating does take a good amount of time, okay?
[Tyler] My nerves are going crazy.
[Jet] How's it looking?
Like, right now, Tyler, just seeing the avocado separately seasoned...
-[Jet] Smart. -[Antonia] ...I think that's actually really smart.
I think time management's a huge issue for him.
All right. Say a prayer.
-Mada. What are we making? -Yes.
[Mada] We're making a hot honey chicken pasta.
Just be careful. In here, you see if there's sugar in that,
you're gonna get a little too dark on the chicken.
Now, I might take it out and put it in the oven.
[Mada] Next up, I start the sauce.
A lot of people are thrown off when they taste that hot honey with that marinara sauce.
But then when they actually take that first bite,
they're like, "Mmm, that's delicious."
-What's up, brother? How are you doing, man? -How are you, man?
I am good. You guys are picking the teams?
-Yeah, but you gotta get there to be picked. -[Mada laughs]
But that looks delicious so far.
[Jet] Mada is my kind of dude.
I'm not looking at this physique,
I'm looking at the hours it takes to get that physique.
And that tells me he's a hard worker.
[Samar] I'm gonna throw the rice in the microwave.
I'm very impressed with Samar.
She's bringing her food and she has some technique.
I could definitely see Samar on my team.
[Guy] Eight minutes to go!
PB and J.
I figure, you know what?
A lot of Asian cooking also incorporates some nuttiness as well, too.
It's not too far off. I can make it work.
A little bit of soy sauce.
I throw a little bit of soy sauce in there to add a little saltiness.
I'm just gonna use that to spread onto my bun.
Peanut butter and jelly is not an ingredient
that plays well with savory food.
It takes you directly to sweetness.
I think he's embracing it really smart.
This is the kind of dude that belongs on Team Tila.
[Jeff] Phew.
Chefs, the class bell will ring in six minutes!
[Caytlin] I'll bring my pasta. Where's my pasta?
I need to make sure each plate
has a lovely piece of chicken.
I want you guys to survive
so we can actually get on our teams and do well.
That's what I'm hoping.
All right, the first thing I do is put down the English muffin.
The next layer is the avocado. Gotta have that fat.
All kinds of good baloney right there for ya.
I got the star whammy ingredient,
the baloney. It looks good.
Next, I throw that egg on there.
They're perfect.
And the final piece, those pickled Fresno chilis and shallots.
I'm hoping that at least one, if not both,
of our professors are impressed with my homework.
Really impressed with the flavors of Maria.
-[Jet] You like her flavors. -I--
Don't take my idea.
[Maria] I grabbed my beautiful, creamy orzo,
then I grabbed the meatballs.
And then I started dolloping my red tomato salad.
Let's do this!
[Guy] Four minutes. Four minutes to be plated and finished.
[Diana] I tasted the sauce with the cheese in it,
and it's got heat, and it's got the flavor that I wanted.
So I've got to get this pasta together.
I've got to add the sauce, and I'm gonna top it with cilantro.
There's a lot going on, and time is ticking.
[Samar] Nice.
I put my tahini sauce into the ramekin.
All right.
I topped it with a kofta.
[Mada] My chicken's ready, my sauce is ready.
Perfect.
I start with my pasta.
I add my chicken on top.
Ooh, I like that.
I like that.
[Guy] One minute.
Crunch time. Here we go.
I got my peanut butter and jelly on the buns.
I put some fresh cabbage, and I taste the pork belly.
Mmm!
And then I throw my pork belly and kimchi
that have been nicely caramelized right on top.
[Guy] Five, four, three, two, one.
-[bell ringing] -Stop working!
Wow!
Oh, my gosh.
-[Diana] Whoo-hoo. -That was wild.
Opa!
-[Maria trilling] -[Jet] Very nice, very nice.
Uh-huh, uh-huh.
That was a workout right there.
All right, professors, this is Round 1 of enrollment week
at Flavortown Academy.
Assistant Dean Hunter was so wonderful to present them with some backpacks,
included with random snacks.
Key ingredient that must be used in their signature dish.
Up first, Diana,
please tell us what you have made for the judges.
My signature dish is a spicy chorizo and bacon pasta dish.
Chefs, welcome to rush week.
Chef Diana, I think you played the game fantastically here
with your canned cheese, which means you're a good student.
The pasta is cooked perfectly.
I do think it needs more spice.
When you say this is my spicy chorizo Mexican pasta,
like, I'm expecting heat.
-Thank you. -Up next, Chef Jeff.
My signature dish is a pork belly kimchi slider.
I used that peanut butter and jelly jam to make a nice sweetness
to, kind of, combat that spiciness of it.
-[Antonia] Flavors are phenomenal. -Thank you.
We're not just evaluating all of the students today
based on, like, their technique, their food,
but, like, how well of a student you could possibly be.
The use of the peanut butter and jelly, I thought,
was so, so, so smart.
I want peanut flavor 100%.
The jelly adds to the sweetness.
-Thank you. -The pork needs to be rendered.
That makes me worry about technique.
-Thank you. -Now, Chef Tyler.
So, professors, you have a toasted English muffin,
fatty avocado.
My secret ingredient was baloney.
And then for some acid and texture, I pickled some Fresno chili.
Dig in.
What I really like about your cooking is
it's confident like you are.
I think there's a lot to work with here.
You got good flavor.
The pickled Fresnos are great.
Baloney, char's a little aggressive,
the egg is on the overcooked side.
So I think it's just about harnessing.
I love that you leaned into the baloney.
You treated it, right? You made it something special.
Up next, Chef Samar. What do you have for us?
I made a kofta.
My whammy was popcorn,
so I incorporated the popcorn into the kebab
to give it a little bit of a crunch.
And I served it with some jasmine rice.
Samar, masterful move of Hunter's snack.
Popcorn as a binder, it's perfect
'cause it absorbs, it gives texture.
Some of the most beautiful plating we've seen so far.
But tahini is sesame,
and it just sucks everything in.
Really, the entire dish is missing acid for me.
Up next, Chef Maria, what do you have for us?
My signature dish today is a creamy lemon orzo
with Greek keftedes,
which I incorporated my maraschino cherry into.
I gotta say, this is a gorgeous dish.
-Thank you. -[Jet] You basically had three things.
Two hots, one cold.
A starch and a protein.
You are showing me you can cook different ingredients,
which is massive.
But I don't think you played the maraschino cherries the best.
-Okay. -I actually am totally into the maraschino cherries
inside the meatball.
I am in love with the orzo.
That has such natural, like, intuitive cooking.
It tastes beautiful.
-Thank you. -Up next, Chef Caytlin.
That's me. And I made for you guys
this creamy Tuscany chicken dish
that I plated over some fettuccini.
And I incorporated that turkey jerky into that sauce.
The cook on your chicken is actually textbook.
Like, it is juicy.
It does need a lot more salt and some acid.
-Yes. -The pasta is perfectly cooked.
I'm searching for the jerky.
It's masked by sun-dried tomato.
But I almost would say then, "Is that the right use of it?"
Last but not least, Chef Mada.
-What do you got for us? -I have my world famous
hot honey marinara fried chicken over pasta.
For my whammy ingredient, I had a high protein fruit cereal,
which I leaned into and I coated the chicken with.
[Jet] Mada, this dish is super fun.
I think you showed really good technique.
I think the pasta's cooked perfectly. It's really well coated.
That tomato basil plays lovely.
The cook on that chicken thigh
is actually really, really nice.
I am getting a ton of sweet, I'm not getting enough spice.
-Okay. -Parts of the fried chicken are crispy,
-other parts are not. -Yeah.
I think you played your cereal well.
I think your temperature was too high.
All right, students, thank you very much for sharing your signature dish.
And I'm sure the professors, Chef Jet and Chef Antonia,
already know who they want in their class.
But the question is,
who gets to pick first?
[Antonia] Oh, I know how this works.
You're gonna probably make us do something
to figure out who picks first.
-I've been here before. -Actually, you know what, that's a good idea.
Let's turn the tables and let's put the professors on the hot seat
for a little surprise culinary pop quiz
in the form of a scavenger hunt.
-No. -See?
Why don't we do that?
He just happens to have a basket
underneath his chair.
Question is, who gets to pick first?
Let's put the professors on the hot seat...
-Oh. -...for a little surprise culinary scavenger hunt.
-[Antonia sighs] -[Guy] After I read the first question for you,
you have to go and grab the correct item and put it in your basket.
Now, next to that item, you will find the second question,
which will lead you to another item and a third question.
And the first one to bring back all three items
will get first pick of students.
Whoo-hoo!
First clue, what vegetable is part of the Cajun holy trinity,
is not part of the classic mirepoix flavor base?
Bell pepper. Green bell pepper, by the way.
Has to be green.
Where's-- Oh.
What kitchen staple is made of 100% sodium bicarbonate?
Second clue they're looking for is,
what kitchen staple is made of 100% sodium bicarbonate?
[Antonia] Wait for me!
Whoa, whoa. Stop cutting me off!
Baking soda. Very nice.
There it is.
-[Jet] Grilling cheese. -[Antonia] I got you.
And the third clue is, what grilling cheese is made from goat and sheep's milk
using centuries-old methods on the island of Cyprus?
-Halloumi. -It is halloumi.
[Antonia] Got it.
Who's got it? Who's coming back?
Antonia and I are neck and neck.
Picking first just gives me exactly who I want out of the game.
[Guy] Oh, it's neck and neck.
[Jet] Oh!
Down.
Down goes Tila.
That was awesome.
There we have it. Green bell pepper,
baking soda,
and halloumi.
All right, Chef Antonia, you're first.
Okay, my first pick is going to be...
Samar.
-[Guy] Samar. -[Antonia] Yes.
[Guy] Congratulations.
-The direction and the focus of the dish really impressed. -Thank you.
Antonia's first pick was me.
-Your apron. -[Samar] I'm so excited.
[Guy] We'll see you in class.
-Chef Jet. -All right.
I am gonna pick Maria.
[Guy] Maria, congratulations.
-There you are. -[Maria] Thank you.
-[Jet] I believe you cook from your soul. -[Maria] Thank you.
Let's just get those technical things spot on.
-Let's go do this. -Thank you.
I'm so excited.
He is genuinely so talented.
I think I can learn so much from Jet.
I'm gonna go with...
Jeff.
I think, all in all, you had a very strong direction
and I thought you played the game very well.
She's a seasoned pro.
I can learn different cuisines
and, kind of, learn to incorporate that into my own.
-There you go, buddy. -[Jeff] Thank you, thank you.
My next pick is Tyler.
We're gonna get you to school,
we're gonna get you straight As on everything.
[Tyler] Jet's gonna teach me some things about technique
that could really take my game in the kitchen to the next level,
and that's what I need to do if I'm gonna keep advancing in this tournament.
For my third enrolment pick, I'd like to go with Diana.
Again, some execution issues,
but your flavors were beautiful.
I think she can help me, like, get out of my comfort zone.
-Congratulations. -Thank you.
All right, Chef Jet, that leaves you
-with Mada... -Ooh.
...and Caytlin.
So there's two of you left and only one apron.
All right. You guys were neck and neck to me.
Unfortunately, I think I need to see you two cook again
-to really be sure. -Whoa.
I think there's only one way to find out.
So that means we will be in a sudden-death cook-off.
-Antonia. -[Antonia] Yeah.
That's all we need of you.
-[Antonia] Okay. -Thank you very much.
Thank you, thank you.
-[Guy] All right, chefs, good luck. -Thank you.
-[Guy] Back to your carts. -All right. Thank you, Chef.
I am so bummed.
My heart sank.
Even though I'm in the bottom now,
I'm not gonna be in the bottom for long
'cause I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get to the top.
So, Professor Jet, this is their final chance to prove to you
who belongs to be in your class,
and who will be going back to the drawing board.
So, Hunter.
Oh, my goodness.
Chalkboard menu her at Flavortown Academy
that could be combined to create different menu possibilities.
We have the choices between adjectives of cheesy, fried and garlicky.
Protein, we have pork, turkey and beef.
And the dish would either have to be
a brunch, a burger, or a soup and sandwich.
I'm gonna let the students pick.
-So, ladies first. -Okay.
-I'm going garlicky. -Good choice, good choice.
-Garlicky it is. Fantastic. -Good choice, good choice.
Garlic is my jam.
[Guy] Mada, why don't you come up and pick the protein for us?
[Hunter] Ooh, what's he gonna pick?
-[Mada] I got beef. -[Hunter] Oh, beef.
[Mada] I thought it'd go well with garlic,
and also, I'm the best at cooking beef.
Well, I'm gonna have to leave up to the Professor then.
Professor, what do you wanna pick?
I am going with...
I really gotta think about this, though.
Can I think about it for a second?
-Uh, brunches are good. -[Guy] Hey, hey, hey, hey.
'Sup?
What is this guy doing here?
-Keeping the place clean. -[Guy] I know that voice.
It's so ridiculous.
Ladies and gentlemen, the acclaimed chef,
the one and only Chef Josh Capon.
You know what, since we've got Capon.
Yeah.
-What's it gonna be? -I've been upgraded.
[Josh] Come on, this one's too easy.
As a seven-time champion of the Burger Bash, make me proud.
Yeah!
My man.
Yeah, you missed a spot over there.
[laughing]
-[Mada] Yes. -[Josh] Good luck.
-[Guy] That's so ridiculous. -Good luck.
Thank you.
You have 30 minutes to shop, prepare a plate of your garlicky beef burger
that will enroll you in Professor Jet's class.
And just so it happens, it's in three, two, one.
No, you gotta wait.
You have to wait till I say go and all that.
-Whoa. -They're not falling for that.
Thirty minutes to make it happen.
Let's roll.
I've only got room for one more student in my class
so I'm looking for really great technique.
I'm looking for confidence,
I'm looking for the ability to be moldable.
Garlicky beef burger, I mean, it's kind of a slam dunk.
[Caytlin] Bacon. Gotta have bacon.
I'm going to impress Jet by making my famous ranch burger.
Secret ingredient for my burgers.
I love the simple ranch packet
because there's so many different flavors.
Plus, it's got the garlic, so check.
And then, of course, garlic.
And I like this roasted garlic.
[Mada] I'm bringing garlic, on garlic, on garlic.
I'm gonna make an over the top garlic stuffed cheeseburger.
I need that brioche.
On a garlic bun with some garlic aioli, too.
Mayo, garlic, garlic. All right.
Roasted garlic. Love it.
Crushed garlic. Oh, man.
They want garlic, Imma give 'em garlic.
There we go. Got the extra garlic.
Being down to the bottom two and not hearing my name being called,
this reminds me back when I was about ten years old,
when I first started playing basketball.
And I was always the last to get picked.
If you crumble under the pressure,
you're not gonna go far in life, and I was built for this.
They want garlic, Imma give them garlic.
[Guy] Twenty-four minutes.
What are you looking for in your, uh, garlic and beef burger?
[Jet] I'm looking for a perfect cook on burger,
I'm looking for really good interpretations.
All right, Chef, tell me about this garlic burger.
[Mada] Put garlic inside the meat,
and then make a real garlicky mayonnaise.
And I'm also gonna toast the buns almost like a garlic bread.
Okay.
I wanted to char my burgers first on the grill
before I finished them in the oven.
[Jet] Are they seasoned up really well?
-We talked about seasoning a lot. -[Mada] Yes.
That's one thing I learned from that last round.
So I'm not going home over seasoning.
For my kids, I'm their superhero.
They look up to me like I'm super dad.
And so for me, there's no greater pride
than having my kids see me compete and win this one.
[Caytlin] Bacon's going in the oven.
How are you gonna be better than your classmate, Mada?
I got this.
I like to use 80/20 ground beef
'cause it's got good fat content.
Here's my secret weapon, ranch dressing packet.
-Some powdered ranch dressing. -Yes.
-That is my, like, secret ingredient... -[Guy] I like that.
-...that I use a lot. -[Guy] The kids must go nuts for it.
[Caytlin] Now, it's time to cook the patties.
Chefs, 15 minutes to go.
Fifteen minutes to see who's staying and who's going.
[Mada] Okay, a little bit more, a little bit more.
Mada is grabbing the probe thermometer.
He's looking for a very specific temperature.
I think that's really smart.
I'd rather take something slightly under, than over and dry.
[Mada] And while those are cooking in the oven,
I get started on my garlicky aioli.
I add mayo, then I add some granulated garlic,
roasted garlic and minced garlic.
Tasting as I go along,
making sure everything is seasoned.
Need more garlic.
I do see that they're learning from their mistakes.
We've got Mada tasting more.
Perfect.
-Caytlin, you feeling good? -Heck yeah.
Mercy, it goes fast.
I'm gonna throw some cheese on there.
We're gonna take this.
We're gonna add this.
What you got going on top there, Chef?
I've got some roasty-toasty garlic.
Get that internal temp on my burgers is perfect.
Next, I'm going to whip up some garlic spread.
Goes on these buns.
It would be amazing if this burger made me win it to be on Jet's team.
Perfect.
[Guy] Four minutes. Four to go.
[Mada] I start with my toasted buns,
adding the garlicky, garlicky aioli.
And on top of that, I added some more roasted garlic.
It's gonna be garlicky.
Those patties come out super, super juicy. Cooked to perfection.
And last to go on is the cheese.
I start blow torching it to get it nice and melted.
Looking across from Caytlin, there's only two of us,
and one of us is going home.
[Caytlin] Garlicky, smoky sauce.
We are going to load it on on there.
Lettuce on the bottom.
I open the oven, and those burgers are gorgeous.
Whoo-wee.
Chef, let's get plating. One minute!
Oh, look at that cheesy, gooey burger.
This is a do-or-die situation.
Which chef is gonna join my class?
[Guy] Four, three, two, one.
-[bell ringing] -Stop working.
Let's go.
All right, chefs, it's time to give your dish dissertation to the Professor.
Let's take it to Chef Jet. Right this way.
This is it, the Pass/Fail test
in week one of Flavortown Academy.
They were required to make us a garlicky beef burger.
But, Professor Jet, since this is someone
that will be attending your class,
I think it's only fair that you make the decision.
-Thanks for the honor. -Chef Mada, what do you have for us?
I toasted the bun in some garlic butter.
And then we got garlic inside the patty.
And then we got garlic aioli as a spread.
[whistles]
Mmm.
Mada, you crushed this cook, brother.
-Thank you. -[Jet] Beautiful seasoning.
The cook on the burger, spot on.
Putting the garlic on the bun
with the spread, with the meat,
I think that was a solid move.
But believe it or not, it's still not blowing my head off with garlic.
-Okay. -It still could take a little more.
Thank you, Chef.
All right, not to be outdone.
Chef Caytlin, what do you have?
I have my garlicky ranch burger.
And this has garlic in the sauce.
And then, of course, garlic in the meat itself.
Caytlin, flavor-wise, I like the ranch in there.
-The issue is the cook on the patty. -Oh.
You took it too far.
-It's actually started to gray out. -Okay.
All right, thank you very much.
Professor Jet, you got a tough decision.
Students, we're gonna send you back to the kitchens.
And we will call you back when we have a decision. Thank you.
[Caytlin] Oh, my goodness.
All right, Jet, who is gonna be the final student to make your roster?
Man, Caytlin gave me perfect garlic.
Mada gave me really perfect beef.
That's exactly where I'm stuck.
I feel one can be a better student over time.
All right, it is Professor Jet's time.
Professor, who is the final student to join your class?
Final student is...
Mada.
Thank you, Chef.
Chef Mada, congratulations.
Chef Caytlin, I think the ranch was dynamite,
I think the garlic was dynamite.
Unfortunately, overcooking the burger
makes us pull you out of class.
-But thank you very much. It was great to have you. -Thank you.
Good luck, buddy. -Thank you.
I'm supper bummed that I don't get to continue to learn from them.
-Thank you. -Great to have you.
[Caytlin] Thank you.
But until next time,
we'll see you later.
[Guy] Chef Mada, I will tell this to you.
This is one of the best in the industry.
Five-time world record holder.
He's got a giant canvas to work on so I'm ready.
Hopefully this will cover some of it,
but welcome to Jet's class.
-Congrats, Chef. -There you go, buddy.
-We'll see you next week. -Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Chef.
Jet, I gotta tell you, enrolment week is done. It's over.
Next week's freshman course is gonna start off with a big bang.
Congratulations to the six of you.
If you thought that that was challenging,
wait till you see this week's coursework.
They're coming, they're coming.
This week is all about how to cook on a budget.
-[Maria sighs] -[Jeff] $2, $2.
-$2. -Elevating your food.
[Jet] Take this time to make it look beautiful.
International cuisines.
Don't go crazy, don't go crazy.
-Whoo! -Why am I nervous?
-Come on, run, run, run. Pick it up! -Let's go, let's go, let's go.
And these two want to beat each other so bad.
-No. -Come check your shrimp.
No, no, don't put 'em back.
Go, go, go. Just go, start over.
I am learning how to harness my calm energy.
It's exciting, it's extravagant and it's over the top.
What else can I say? It's super delicious.
-[Maria exclaiming] -The hardest thing about this tournament
is just how grueling it is.
What am I gonna do? What am I doing? What am I doing?
The student who was the most worthy
of earning them the top honors
and the $35,000 grand prize is...
This is gonna be a fight.