3 days ago
'Top Chef': Big loss for Canadians just before the competition moves to Italy for the final
Lana's elimination in last week's episode of Top Chef Season 22 was certainly felt by the remaining chefs. But the competition must go on and this week, the chefs received mystery bags with foraging gear. It was exciting for some, an intimidating unknown challenge for others.
As the chefs headed to Quarry Lake in Alberta, they met up with host Kristen Kish, who announced that there wouldn't be a Quickfire Challenge. Additionally, this is the last Elimination Challenge in Canada.
Brenda Holder, Cree knowledge keeper of traditional medicine owner, Mahikan Trails, was on site to tell the chefs about her family's lineage of people who survived on the land. And Tracy Little, chef and owner of Sauvage restaurant, and master forager, also greeted the competitors.
Each chef had to create a dish using foraged ingredients, with Brenda and Tracy there to assist. They also had $200 to shop for remaining ingredients and there was an additional pantry of foraged ingredients. For Massimo, who won last week's challenge, he had an additional 30 minutes to cook.
There was also $10,000 up for grabs for the winner.
Joining the judges table this week, Nicole Gomes, chef and co-founder of Cluck n Cleaver, Paul Rogalski, chef and co-owner of Rouge restaurant and co-host of Wild Harvest, Scott Iserhoff, chef and founder of Pei Pei Chei Ow, and Indigenous herbalist Matricia Bauer.
The dishes each chef made, and the feedback from the judges, was as follows:
Tristen — "OG Jerk" pork, plantain miso glaze, Quarry Lake callaloo and coal roasted roots — Brenda liked that she could really taste the land in the dish, Gail Simmons loved the sweetness in the sauce and the balance with the pork and greens
César — Mushroom trompo, mushroom pibil broth and toasted ants — Scott loved the soup, Kristen said the dish was "completely dialled in"
Bailey — Lamb spiedino with grilled dandelion salad, "cowtown" cowpeas and thistle root purée — Brenda loved the lamb, Nicole said the peas were a little too crunchy
Shuai — Roasted cabbage with rose hip-glazed pork belly, sour cabbage broth, lovage and thatching ant togarashi — Scott highlighted how much flavour was in the dish, Brenda loved how nicely the flavours played together, Gail said it was "excellent" and Tom Colicchio was "absolutely loving it"
Massimo — Grilled trout with mustard sauce, smoked potato purée and bannock with wildflowers — Gail said the bannock felt very "intense," Nicole said it was a very "elegant" dish
Shuai won the Elimination Challenge, securing his spot in the final in Milan and receiving $10,000.
But Massimo, the one Canadian chef in the competition, didn't get the chance to leave the country, eliminated from the competition.
And so the "Destination Canada" season of the show continues, without a Canadian chef.
