Latest news with #EliminationChallenge
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'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.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Top Chef' will move from Canada to Italy for the Season 22 finale, Kristen Kish announces in Calgary
Top Chef Season 22 moved to a different Canadian city this week, with the competitors making the journey from Toronto to the Alberta city of Calgary. As the chefs stood together at the city's Olympic Plaza, Kristen Kish announced the upcoming finale will take place in Milan, Italy. Maybe an odd choice for a season technically called Top Chef: Destination Canada, but the chefs were excited. A guest judge this week was Connie Desousa, chef at Charcut in Calgary. The Top Chef Canada finalist stood with the judges, including Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons, to announce the Quickfire Challenge, inspired by the Calgary Stampede. The chefs were given 45 minutes to create their own handheld pancake breakfast to feed 50 diners. There was $10,000 up for grabs for the Quickfire Challenge winner, which was Shuai, who made a cornmeal pancake with scrambled eggs, lap cheong, cheddar and chili crisp avocado aioli. Moving into the Elimination Challenge, chef Denia Baltzer, chef and owner of Creative Cuisine Catering, and member of the Łııdlı̨ı̨ Kųę First Nation, greeted the competitors and provided more details about the Stampede. Specifically its history of being an event where ranchers and First Nations people come together. Kristen explained that the Elimination Challenge would be centred around two ingredients, one from each of these communities, beef and berries. The chefs got to decide amongst themselves which cut of beef they would use, and drew knives for the type of berry. With Shuai being the winner of the Quickfire Challenge, he was given three hours to cook, while the rest of the chefs had two hours. Much like we've seen throughout the season, there weren't any significant cooking disasters during this Elimination Challenge, before the chefs brought their dishes to the judges table, which included Paul Roglaski, chef and co-owner of Rogue restaurant and co-host of Wild Harvest. The dishes made by each chef and the judges feedback went as follows: Lana — Grilled New York strip steak with pommes anna, haskap berry condiment and smoked haskap berry jus — Connie loved the sauce and the savoury element of the condiment, but Denia wanted to see more berry, Kristen found the sage overpowering, Gail found the potato too dry, and Tom said the meat was over-rested, cooked too early Massimo — Tenderloin with umeboshi, pickled elderberry sauce, smoked kohlrabi and elderberry soup purée — Gail called the dish a "showstopper," Kristen said the beef was cooked beautifully Bailey — Saskatoon braised beef cheek, creamy polenta, brûléed blue cheese and roasted walnut — Gail said the brûléed blue cheese threw her off, with Tom questioning the decision as well, while Denia said the Saskatoon berry flavour got lost in the sauce Tristen — Alberta flat iron with kohlrabi, gooseberries and bone marrow pemmican — Tom said there was a ton of flavour, Kristen loved that the gooseberries reminded her of sour candies, but Gail identified that her steak wasn't cooked properly César — Grilled ribeye, chokeberry reduction, rutabaga cream and bone marrow cornbread — Gail said everything on her plate was cooked perfectly, but all the chefs criticized the lack of tartness from the berries Shuai — Mama Wang's stuffed cabbage with braised short rib, wild rice congee and black currant black pepper sauce — Connie loved it and said it reminded her of a dish her mother makes, Tom said the beef was rich and the congee was also rich, but it was flavourful, and Gail loved the tartness from the black currents The winning chef was Canadian Massimo, who will get an advantage next week, while Lana was eliminated from the competition.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Top Chef' Season 22 recap: Canada's history as the birthplace of Hawaiian pizza
Top Chef Season 22 takes on the great Hawaiian pizza debate, whether pineapple belongs on pizza. And with only nine chefs left in the competition, there's a lot of stress in the Canadian kitchen for the show's stars. But before the pizza, host Kristen Kish was joined by Top Chef Canada host Eden Grinshpan to greet the chefs for their Quickfire Challenge. This week, it was all about dirty dishes. The chef had to use stains on dishes s inspiration. The options included dried remnants of tomato sauce, meat sauce, coffee, guacamole, mac and cheese, oatmeal, egg yolks, rice and lasagna. The winner of the challenge, Henry, received $10,00. He made glutinous rice balls filled with maple butter, toasted oats and oatmeal broth. Moving on to the Elimination Challenge, Top Chef threw its first pizza party. Bringing on Michelin-star chef Wylie Dufresne, owner of Stretch Pizza in New York, and Top Chef All Stars alum Spike Mendelsohn, owner of We, The Pizza, for reinforcements. Why a pizza challenge in Canada? The Hawaiian pizza was invented in the country in 1962. Additionally, the now popular sushi pizza was also invented in Canada. And the intention of the challenge for the chefs was to make an unconventional pizza for the judges. There was a lot on the line for this Elimination Challenge, with Kristen announced that this would be the last immunity up for grabs on the season. Taking place at Ravine Winery, in Niagara, Ont., judges Kristen, Tom Collicchio and Gail Simmons were were joined by Eden, chefs Wylie, Spike, and John Vetere, executive chef and director or Ravine Winery. The dishes each chef created, and judges feedback, were as follows: Shuai — Scallion pancake pizza with cumin Szechuan lamb, mozzarella and tiger salad — Wylie really enjoyed the texture of the pancake and Tom said he was smart to play to his strengths Tristen — Lahmajun pizza with lamb, anchovy ranch and pickled grapes — Wylie like the flavour a lot, Tom liked the ranch with the pizza, and Spike said he needs to sell his anchovy ranch Lana — Honeynut squash sauce pizza with tamarind bbq oxtails, buttermilk dressing and plantain chips — John said the crust was cooked well, but Tom said the sauce was too dry Henry — Pho rice pizza with pho marinated brisket, herb pesto and hoisin sriracha aioli — Wylie like the flavour profile but the rice was missing crispiness, ad Kristen said he didn't lean into the pho flavour enough César — Mole negro pizza with chicken thighs, black bean salsa and crispy chicken skin — Spike said the crust had a bitter taste from the cocoa powder and Eden said the dough was too soft Bailey — Chicken parmesan pizza with tigele bread, chicken thigh sausage, provolone, parmesan and pecorino — Wylie pointed out that the dough was undercooked and Gail found the cornmeal too grainy Massimo — Napoletana style pizza with fermented parsley paste, potatoes, mussels and clams — John appreciated the lightness of the crust and Spike said his style of making dough was right, but Gail said the potatoes were a little undercooked Paula — Pineapple-braised pork pizza with caramelized onions, chimichurri and mornay sauce — Tom pointed out that the dough was too soft and there were too many toppings on the pizza Vinny — Reuben pizza with pickle, sauerkraut, thousand island whipped ricotta and gruyère cheese — Wylie said the dough was successful and Tom said it really tasted like a reuben Vinny, Tristen and Shuai at the favourite pizzas for the judges, but ultimately Tristen was crowned the challenge winner, achieving his third immunity. Henry, Paula and César has the least favourite pizzas of the day, with Henry eliminated from the competition, heading to Last Chance Kitchen.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Top Chef' recap: 'Jeopardy!' champs Mattea Roach and Amy Schneider, actor Michael Cera, join show
Michael Cera made a visit to the Top Chef kitchen for this week's episode, along with two iconic Jeopardy! champions, Mattea Roach and Amy Schneider. So as you imagine, with 12 remaining chefs on Top Chef Season 22, with the contestants still in Toronto, the Quickfire Challenge was trivia-related. As Kristen Kish announced, the Quickfire Challenge involved a trivia game to determine cook times for the chefs. Split into three teams, there were 15 questions total that the Top Chef competitors had to answer. If one team did not know the answer, another team could buzz in to answer instead. The team with the most correct answers got 30 minutes to cook, then 20 minutes for the second place team, and only 15 minutes for the team that answered the least number of questions correctly. The questions ranged from, "what is one of the most suggestive vegetable emojis?" To, "what fatty piece of protein also translates to bull in Spanish?" The green team, César, Corwin, Shuai and Vincenzo "Vinny," were quick winners, getting eight questions correct before any other time could even get one point. The purple team, Massimo, Zubair, Paula and Lana, came in second place. Leaving Katianna, Henry, Kat and Tristen in last place. For the second part of the challenge, each team had to create a dish with at least three of the ingredients from their team's trivia answers. But it was judged as an individual challenge for $10,000 in Quickfire Quick Cash. Green team ingredients: Shiso Ginger Eggplant Lamb Scallops Chili crisp Nectarines Panko Purple team ingredients: Fennel Toro Pretzels Curry Yellow team ingredients: Battered Rice Sandwich Corwin won the challenge with seared scallop with chili crisp and ginger beurre blanc, shrimp paste, yuzu and shiso. This win brought his total winnings to $15,000. For the Elimination Challenge, a table of "iconic" Canadian desserts was wheeled into the Top Chef kitchen. The chefs had to incorporate these items into their dishes. Specifically, they had to deconstruct the desserts to make a savoury dish. There were six dessert and 12 chef, meaning they had to draw knives to work in pairs. Team pairings for the Elimination Challenge: Tristen and Corwin, Figgy Duff Zubair and Henry, Butter Tarts Paula and Kat, Nanaimo Bars Shuai and Katianna, Jam Jams Vinny and Lana, Potato Chocolate Cake Massimo and César, Date Squares They had 30 minutes and $100 to shop at the St. Lawrence Market for ingreidents, and two hours to cook the next day at Casa Loma. In addition to Michael Cera, co-owner of Roselle Desserts, Stephanie Duong, and Lenore Johnson, owner of Lenjo Bakes and The Shed, joined Kristen Kish, Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons at the judges table. The biggest disaster of the competition was that Henry didn't put his sauce on one plate, which went to Gail. The dish from each chef and the feedback from the judges went as follows: Kat — Nanaimo duck breast with mustard custard, duck skin and walnut Nanaimo crumble and soy cacao ganache — Stephanie said the dish "screamed" Nanaimo bar and Tom applauded the decision to take the skin off the duck and make the crumble with the skin Paula — Cacao-rubbed braised pork belly with coconut vanilla vinaigrette roasted beets and chocolate graham cracker — Michael said he didn't really taste the cacao Vinny — Roasted Yukon potatoes with chocolate miso glaze and caviar vin blanc — Michael loved that potatoes were the star, but Lenore thought the chocolate could have been more "forward" in the dish Lana — Cacao gnocchi with cacao-braised lamb and pickled shallots — Stephanie said the dish was "a bit of a miss" and felt "heavy" César — Lamb tartare with date and shallot purée, roasted carrot purée and buñuelo — Lenore enjoyed the texture of the tartare, Michael highlighted that it had a bit of sweetness to it that he enjoyed Massimo — Lamb tartare with ras el hanout crisp, date jam, harissa and ras el hanout yogurt — Gail liked the idea of the dish and said the yogurt was "beautiful," Michael said he had a hard time tasting the date and Lenore said the texture of the tartare was "mushy" Corwin — Jerk marinated friend chicken with miso raisin bbq sauce and cabbage slaw — Lenore said the all spice and the ginger came through really well, Stephanie said the chicken was "tender" and "succulent" Tristen — Pepperpot with braised lamb, lamb fat madeleine and pickled grapes — Stephanie wanted to ask Tristen for the recipe for the madeleines, and Michael and Tom applauded the way the lamb was cooked Katianna — Rye porridge with molasses glazed mushrooms, raspberry and bacon confit — Tom said the porridge was "slimy" but Lenore liked the use of the raspberry Shuai — Tsukune with raspberry pepper jelly, tare, chilled napa and hot mustard — Gail said she didn't love the texture of the meatball, Tom said there was nothing that reminded him of a cookie and Kristen said the tare was overwhelming Henry — Seared duck breast with brown sugar corn syrup glaze, mushroom crumb, jus and parsnip purée — Lenore wasn't sure the dish read butter tart, even though all the elements were present, Stephanie said her duck was undercooked and Gail never got the sauce Zubair — Seared duck with sheermal, pecan and cashew korma — Stephanie appreciated the aesthetics, but said the components were a "miss," Gail said the duck was overcooked, over-rested and "almost impossible to chew," and Kristen said the wheat berries were hard Kat, Tristen and Corwin had the judges favourite dishes of the Elimination Challenge, but ultimately Tristen was named the winner, meaning he has immunity in the next elimination challenge. Henry, Zubair and Shuai had the least favourite dishes of the challenge, with the judges having a bit of a debate about whose dish was actually cooked the worst, leading to Zubair being eliminated, heading to Last Chance Kitchen. But Tom quickly made the announcement that Last Chance Kitchen was starting immediately, with Zubair having to put his skills up against Bailey. And we'll find out who returns to the competition in next week's episode.
