'Top Chef' Season 22 finale: Kristen Kish brought to tears as chefs present their final dishes in Italy
Up for grabs was the $250,000 grand prize, provided by Saratoga Spring Water, the official water of Top Chef; Delta SkyMiles Diamond Medallion Status, and a $125,000 flight credit to spend on travel with Delta Air Lines. The chef were also competing for a feature in Food & Wine magazine and an appearance at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen.
As the finale began, the three remaining competitors chose sous chef for their last challenge. They had to make "the best four course progressive meal." Bailey worked with Lana, Shuai chose Paula, and Tristen had Zubair on his side. They had seven hours to prep and cook in total, split with five hours on the first day, and two hours before service the next day.
After their first day of prep, the competitors got to enjoy a meal prepared by Kristen Kish, Tom Colicchio, and Gail Simmons. They also got to open up to each other about the experience of being in the competition, from both the competitors and judges perspective.
Just hours away from presenting their final dishes, each chef really felt the pressure of the clock.
Joining the judges table was Italian chef Carlo Cracco, Sarah Cicolini of SantoPalato in Rome, Top Chef alums Richard Blais and Gregory Gourdet, Food & Wine Editor in Chief Hunter Lewis, Santiago Lastra of Kol restaurant, Genie Kwon and Tim Flores from Kasama, and chef Clare Smyth from the restaurant Core by Clare Smyth.
Bailey — Polpo e mozz, tomato dashi and giardiniera — Richard said it was "dumb and brilliant" to put mozzarella and octopus together
Shuai — Panpuri with scarlet shrimp, aji verde, salsa macha and gazpacho verde — Clare said the dish was a "flavour explosion"
Tristen — Monkfish with pickled turnips, tempura broccoli and baccalà mbongo — Tom said the fish looked undercooked, but didn't eat undercooked, it was just on the line
The first course dishes were so impressive, Tom went into the kitchen to give the chefs some encouragement.
Bailey — Porcini and robiola anolini alpini with cabbage, pecan and brodo — Clare said the dish was "wholesome" and Kristen said the pecans give it something unique
Shuai — Soup dumpling raviolo with pork and king crab, charred leek vinaigrette and lardo — Hunter said it had great balance, but the dumpling needed more soup
Tristen — Pollo "dorengo" with injera shrimp toast and shellfish jus — Santiago said it was "next level" and Genie said the star was the shrimp toast, while Tom added that it was perfectly seasoned
Bailey — Blacked orata with calabrian chili crunch, whipped tahini, brussels sprouts and beets — Genie said her fish was a little overcooked, but appreciated the creaminess of the tahini, and Gail said it was missing a brightness
Shuai — Tangcu ossobuco with sweet and sour sauce, radicchio, long beans and grits — Clare said it was "rustic" and Kristen said the amount of dairy in the grits took over
Tristen — Oxtail milanese crépinette with carolina gold rice grits, curry butter and bone marrow gremolata — Gregory highlight the great oxtail and Carlo said it was "perfect"
Bailey — Torta di pizzelle with zucca, mascarpone cream and espresso stracciatella gelato — Clare said Bailey "brought it home" and she got a real sense of Bailey's style
Shuai — Ambrosia pear and orange jello, pistachio, Italian meringue and coconut — Gregory was impressed by how light this "cool" dessert was
Tristen — Tropical root vegetable cake with chutney, charred plantain cream and cassareep sorbet — Carlo called Tristen "a chef," but Richard said this dish "got off the tracks" and was too spicy, while others at the table enjoyed the dish more
Kristen got emotional after the final course, getting choked up, with tears in her eyes, as she told the chefs to "embrace it all, feel it all and celebrate all of your accomplishments."
After the judges deliberated, Tristen was crown the winner of Top Chef Season 22, really telling a story with his food and his dishes, with the goal of progressing Afro-Caribbean cuisine.
"I'm essentially trying to un-colonize colonized dishes," Tristen said as he went into crafting his final menu on the show.
In a tearful ending, Tristen said he misses his dad so much, after his step-father died while he was on the show, but concluded the season by saying how happy he is that he stayed in the competition.
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