♪ ♪
I wanted to tell Dale
more than I told him
there at the end.
I just wasn't prepared,
you know?
It is great to win.
It's always an amazing feeling,
but I wanted to go
to the end with Dale,
and this is probably the only
elimination that I'm sad about.
Dale, there is absolutely
no way we could taste
that amberjack buried
underneath all those spices.
Dale, please pack
your knives and go.
[Whispers]
Wow.
- You can't--
just--you're invincible.
Wow.
This is the moment
last season
where I went home.
Not so many people
get a second chance.
I cannot go home
on the same challenge.
It's hard.
[Overlapping chatter]
Mm. I don't even know
what to think at this point.
Don't.
It's better don't think.
Xexe?
Hi!
Being a single mom
is so unbelievably hard.
I miss my daughter Xea.
It's wearing, and I try
not to think about it.
Yeah? Are you having
a good time?
But having her see me
be really passionate about
something that I love...
Bye, sweetie.
It's the best example
that I can set for her.
- Final five?
- Cheers.
Now it gets tough, guys.
Mikey.
This hasn't been tough?
The next challenge,
this is a big one.
We're one step away
from figuring out
who's going to the final rounds.
I don't wanna be happy
until...I get there
because I don't wanna celebrate
before and then drop the ball.
Five Chefs remain,
but only four will make it
into the final rounds of
Top Chef All-Stars
to fight it out
for $1/2 million
in cash and prizes
and the grand prize--
a feature
in Food & Wine magazine,
a showcase at the annual
Food & Wine classic in Aspen,
$200,000 to pursue
their culinary dreams,
furnished by Buitoni,
and the title
that's eluded them all--
Top Chef.
Today is a stressful day.
As long as it's under
Antonia, you have
a good nose for this.
What's happening today?
For real, that's what
I started thinking.
- Did you?
- Yeah.
I'm like,
what is going on?
Hi!
- Mama Mia!
- Aah!
[Overlapping chatter]
Oh, my God!
[Laughter, chatter]
Wow.
Totally surprising.
It's nice to see Padma
in the house.
But this is our area.
It's like the zoo.
Don't get near
the animals.
Padma's in the lion's cage.
One Brooklyn.
Well, it's a great view.
We're actually talking about
what--what's gonna be
going on today.
Well, why don't you get
your Chef coats on,
meet me on the roof,
and I'll tell you.
Hurry up!
The roof, huh?
I think that we're having
a quickfire on the roof.
We're gonna like
base jump off our roof.
She's gonna be like,
"scramble an egg
and fry an egg
before you hit the ground."
started this competition,
and now,
only five of you remain,
and that's quite
an accomplishment.
Congratulations.
Thank you.
Chefs, for your quickfire,
you're taking a ferry
to one of America's
most historical landmarks.
Ellis Island.
I'm kinda bugging out.
I mean, I've never been
to Ellis Island.
I know that's where all
the immigrants came through.
I just don't know what
to expect at this point.
Your guest judge and I
will meet you there.
Sound good?
Awesome.
- Okay.
Good-bye!
Bye.
[Chuckles]
Guys, we have a note.
"Chefs,
"your quickfire challenge
is happening right here.
"Assemble a dish
with whatever ingredients
"you can find onboard
before this ferry docks
at Ellis Island."
The things we find
at the snack bar
are chips and hot dogs
and cheese.
Delicious.
Blah.
"The boat is your clock
for this challenge.
"When you hear the horn,
time starts.
When you hear it again,
time is up."
Our clock
is from horn to horn,
but there's no actual clock.
So it could take five minutes.
It could take three hours.
"Good luck.
Padma."
Thanks, Padma.
Ahh...
Oh, wow.
Scary.
So when's this horn
gonna blow, huh?
When is this horn
gonna blow?
[Suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
This is ridiculous!
♪ ♪
Blow!
[Horn blows]
Oh!
Ha ha!
Is there a cutting board
or anything?
There's no kitchen
equipment.
There's no cooking equipment.
There's no produce.
There's no nothing.
It's just some bagged
and canned stuff.
Guys, we're almost there!
- Shut up! No, we're not.
- Ha ha ha!
I'm thinking I'm gonna make
some type of nachos.
Everyone likes nachos.
I need to win this
to give me the drive
in order to make it
to the final four.
Is that hot dog grill on
over there?
Yeah.
Never made a grilled cheese
sandwich on a hot dog roller,
but I know I can
make that quickly.
I'm like, all right,
if I grab the bread from there
and the cheese from there
and the apple from there,
maybe I can make
a really good grilled cheese.
Where are we?
- Is there water, anyone?
- Yes, there's water.
I grab hot dogs,
and I pull out of my Kn*fe kit
an MRE bag, you know,
a meal ready to eat.
It's actually
what our soldiers eat
when they're in the field
because you just have to take
any liquid,
pour it in the bag,
and you get boiling water.
I've had them in my kit
just kind of waiting
to unveil them, and why not?
I don't see
any fresh herbs.
- Fresh who?
- Fresh mint.
Are you kidding?
Who's in there?
Somebody in there?
Ready!
Oh.
People are doing nachos,
hot dogs.
It's too much junk food.
I decide to make
an orange salad,
which will be
totally different
than what some of the other
Chefs are doing.
In a good way, though.
No, I want it on.
I started it.
It didn't start.
I'm going to infuse
some rosemary
into this papaya carrot juice
because I think creativity
is going to be
the difference between
a winning and a losing dish.
We landing anywhere?
Anyone see anybody?
- That--oh, wait.
If we're turned around, that's--
you know,
not knowing where we are,
in retrospect,
to Ellis Island,
is nerve-racking.
How many minutes away
are we?
- I don't know.
- Can I grab
some of those pork rinds, dude?
Yeah.
I see some pork rinds,
and I kind of had an idea
of a soup in mind.
And I see hot dog rolls,
and that's traditionally
how they were thinking up soups.
They did it with bread,
and that was bread soup.
It tastes a little weird
to have chunks of soggy bread.
Hopefully, if I keep mashing it,
it'll emulsify.
You got my sour cream,
Richie?
- I do, right here.
- Richard is known for his
in one dish.
But I'm looking,
I'm like...
Okay, that's a hot dog
with a lotta stuff on it.
That's Ellis Island
right there.
- Where?
- Right in front of us.
Ah, [Bleep],
I'm in the weeds!
Yeah.
We're definitely pulling in.
Yeah, we're definitely
pulling in.
- Go on with your bad self.
- Girl, shut up.
No one in their right mind
would just put together nachos.
Anybody see
any salt and pepper packages?
Yeah, I decide, okay,
let's go with the second dish.
And I'm making popcorn
with dried fruit.
Who's in the mic?
Richie is.
Richie, you done?
That's a pretty bold move, man.
I'm pushing it.
Boat's slowing down,
guys.
- We're definitely docking.
- Got ten seconds.
[Horn blows]
All right, time's up, guys!
Fortunately,
I finished right on time.
But honestly,
I'm just not happy with it.
I wouldn't serve that dish
to...my cat.
Hi, guys.
I'd like to introduce you
to Dan Barber.
He's the Chef and owner
of Blue Hill and Blue Hill
at Stone Barns.
Dan Barber,
he's all about local
and sustainable food.
And it's funny, because
we only had processed food.
[Laughs]
- Hi, Richard.
- Hi.
We know each other.
We were partners.
I have worked
with Dan Barber.
He was my celebrity sous Chef
for my finale in Puerto Rico.
I think he's a great Chef.
But he's a tough judge.
This is sort of my version
of a banh mi sandwich.
So I've taken some hot dogs
I cooked in an MRE packet,
'cause I just happen to travel
with MRE packets
in my Kn*fe kit.
I wanna go to w*r
with you, bud.
Okay, so I did a little
bit of nachos,
melted down a little
bit of cheese.
Took some lettuce
and tomatoes,
jalapenos, banana peppers.
So really, they had
all the nacho fixings.
Yes.
And then I decided
I had more time
than what I thought,
so I popped a little popcorn
with some candied mangoes
and pineapples,
'cause I like
the sweet and salty popcorn.
Tiffany made nachos.
I mean, here's the cheese,
here's the jalapenos...
In the microwave--
oh, we're done!
Here ya go!
So, yeah, not a lot of effort
put into that one.
- I did a kind of like
a peasant-style soup
where I thickened it
with bread, cheddar cheese,
sour cream, a little bit
of pork rinds in there
to give it that
pork and cheese flavor.
There's bread
thickening the soup?
Yeah. I took some hot dog
rolls, took the crust off,
mashed it all up.
It's just so funny to me
how everyone was sort of
elevating their dishes
in terminology.
Mikey, you just made a soup
using hot dog buns
and sour cream,
and that's disgusting.
I did an orange
an papaya salad
with carrot
and rosemary juice.
I infused the rosemary chips
in the juice.
Very refreshing
after your cheese soup.
So I basically took apart
a lot of sandwiches
and then put them
back together.
I got some really nice
raisin bread,
muenster cheese, and apps
and basically did
a grilled cheese
on the hot dog griller
back there.
So the pork flavor's
coming from the...
Is there a little bit
of pork flavor?
Fantastic. Yes. That's what
I was going for then, Chef.
[Laughs]
I'm kinda seeing what is
being put up around me,
and there's some weird stuff
going on here.
Carla sliced
some of the oranges.
Antonia did the old shell game
and took cheese
from one sandwich
that was already made
and put it on bread
from another sandwich
that was already made,
and then...toasted it.
So I'm feeling pretty good
about my chances
of winning this challenge.
I'm like,
"who are these people?"
[Gasps]
- It's very emotional.
- Aah!
Dan, how do you think
our Chefs did overall
in this quickfire?
It's not the kind of food
that I'm used to on Top Chef,
but...under the circumstances,
you guys did a great job.
Tiffany, the dish was
a little bit plain
and too much
like a throwaway.
I know I messed up.
Just pretty embarrassing.
Richard, we found it tasty,
and I found it really
a creative way
to use a frankfurter.
Thank you.
Mike, you had
the cheese soup,
and it could have
sunk the ship.
[Laughing]
Mike's dish
was gross and disgusting,
so I'm happy that
he's on the bottom.
Antonia, the technique
of grilling it
was really, really smart.
Thank you.
And Carla,
your orange salad
was refreshing
and very innovative
with the infusion
in the carrot juice.
Thank you.
So Dan, tell us who won
this quickfire.
The dish we enjoyed
the most was...
Carla.
Oh!
Thank you!
Watch out, everybody.
Watch out.
T.C. Title!
Whoo!
I'm a little bitter
about it.
Sliced oranges
with some candied fruit
on top of it.
I don't get it.
Chefs, this is the last
elimination challenge
in New York.
Ellis Island is the symbol
of the American immigrant
experience.
More than 20 million immigrants
passed through here,
hoping for a better life
in the United States.
Using your family history,
we want you to assemble
the perfect dish
that represents your heritage,
the journey of your ancestors.
The African-American experience
is obviously very different
from the immigrant
who came through Ellis Island.
The fact that
some of my ancestors
came from Africa
through the sl*ve trade
is just as important to me
as someone else
coming through Ellis Island.
That's just how we got here.
But we still are part of
the fabric of America,
and I love it all.
Knowing where you come from
will play a large role
in helping you become
the kind of Chef
you want to become.
To give you deeper insight
into your ancestry,
we hired one of the best
genealogists in the country.
[Gasps silently]
She's researched
the lineage of each one of you
and compiled
historical documents and stories
about the families
that came before you.
It's an exciting concept
because I think
so much of the food
that we put out as Chefs
are really about
the people that we are.
And we've brought in
some special guests
to help you
go through it all.
Oh, wow.
I'm like,
"who are these people?"
Aah!
Then, I'm like...
[Gasps]
Oh, my gosh!
My husband
was walking toward me.
I see my mom.
It's like a rejuvenation.
I'm so proud of you, Tiff.
So proud of you.
[Both crying]
Seeing my mom
and just letting it all out--
it's a good thing.
[Both crying]
With my mom I'm safe,
you know.
I don't have to worry
about anything.
It--it's just a feeling
that I get
being around her.
Hi, mama.
[Laughing]
I love you.
Oh, my God!
I'm like totally shocked
seeing my mother here.
I haven't seen my mom
in like six months.
It's very emotional.
Lotta pressure.
Oh, I know, I know!
Oh, my God!
Mwah!
Oh, Mikey.
[Laughs]
So what's going on?
I'm excited to see my mom.
She just looked at me,
she's like, "are you okay?"
And I was like,
"I'm just really tired."
I wanted to crouch
into a fetal position
and be like, "mommy,
this has been really hard."
- How are you doing?
- Good. Big.
My wife's there.
She's five months pregnant.
It's a big moment for us.
I got like a bowling ball.
I love you.
Okay, Chefs, good luck,
enjoy your families.
We'll see you tomorrow.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Let's roll!
You look great.
You look amazing.
You have a little
tiny little belly.
I know.
It's exciting.
Family is very important
to me, you know.
And it's the driving force
of everything I do.
I think she's sleeping now.
It's been a very rough
year for us.
My mom passed away
about two months ago.
My wife's grandmother
just passed away prior to that.
So there's a huge emotional
connection to this challenge.
I'm just lucky
to have my wife
and our children,
you know.
It's what life's all about.
Archibald Craig.
What a great name.
Maybe we'll get a baby name
out of this book.
"Richard is mostly Irish
and English
with some deep
American roots."
We find out
some fascinating things.
That my family's
from Worcestershire.
I love Worcestershire sauce.
I guess it's just in my genes.
- Here you go.
- Worcestershire sauce.
Couldn't have lined it up
any easier.
Ding.
A meat market.
That's crazy.
The meat market, chemistry.
My whole shtick as a Chef
is just like kind of unfolding
in front of me.
There's a meat and potatoes
general sort of theme to this.
Yeah. Okay.
- Wow.
- They got all the history.
Now, Mary Lee Tudman.
And look.
That's Mary Lee.
That's your great-grandmother.
Texas, Louisiana.
What are old traditions
that are us, you know?
Like what do we eat
in Louisiana the most?
Pork roast.
Oxtail.
Turkey necks.
We never did
eat them too much.
Cooking for family
is very emotional.
I want to cook
from where we came from.
One dish that
represents where I came from.
- Okra, tomatoes.
- Mm.
I was like, "oh, no. Mm-mm.
Mm-mm. Tom doesn't like okra."
I kind of like the idea
of the okra.
I just started thinking,
"why am I going to change
great recipes?"
Tom's never tasted mine.
So I'm gonna do it.
I know the okra's good.
That's the family
tradition there.
This is exciting,
'cause I have no idea
what they're gonna say.
Oh, there's granny!
So I mean, we've got
Tennessee, Georgia,
Alabama, Mississippi.
Says, "great-grandfather
Horace Price
served in the U.S. colored
troops in the Civil w*r."
Oh!
To find out that
my great-great-grandfather
was in the Civil w*r...
They were the last slaves to be
freed in Lebanon, Tennessee.
It's our history,
and I'm proud of it.
Your grandfather
was a printer.
- Printer.
- And his own boss.
I don't know
any part of this.
And also to find out
that my great-great-grandfather
had his own business,
it's truly an accomplishment.
As soon as I think of someone
who has their own business,
I think of independence.
I have a small business.
I'm a caterer.
I'm like, "okay,
that's where I got that from."
I did so poorly
on the southern food challenge--
it was--oh, my God.
[Laughing]
Couldn't go home?
I know I'm making
a southern dish.
I'm a little nervous.
Well, a soup, like it
almost becomes like a chowder.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, that's tasty.
[Quietly]
Aah!
"Mike appears to be
pure Italian."
I think I knew that
already.
This is your dad.
Okay, that's his mother.
My parents split up
when I was three,
and I grew up
with my mom.
Your father
does not look Italian.
And neither do you,
actually.
- I look Italian.
- No, you don't.
You look Irish to me.
Please.
To say it nicely, I was a
troubled kid when I was younger.
I really didn't have
the guidance of a father
to kinda keep me in line.
I told my mom
I wanted to be a Chef,
and she said fine.
Long as it kept me
out of jail.
So that was grandma
right there.
Grandma
is Antoinette Antonacci.
My mom is my number one
supporter my whole life--
her and my grandmother.
Yeah, grandma.
When she was younger.
- Wow.
- Yeah.
My grandmother
showed me how to cook.
When she passed away,
I never wanted to cook
Italian food
because I never wanted to be
reminded of all those times
of us together.
- You gonna make gravy?
- I am, I am.
Maybe some gnocchis with it.
Ah, okay.
Nice and light, I hope.
"Antonia
has an interesting heritage,
being 3/4 Italian
and 1/4 Jewish."
Okay, mom, we gotta go with
Italian, I'm sorry.
[Both laughing]
Oh, my God, Mike!
We may be--
Mike, we may be related.
- Why's that?
- Really?
Says right here,
"both Antonacci
and Miani names come from
both Mike and Antonia's
family trees."
- Antonacci?
- Quelle surprise!
Mike happens to be
long-distance relative
from Sicily.
That's why we fight
so much.
My, like, crazy
like arch-nemesis
of this entire competition
I am now related to?
Oh, they're--
they're related.
[Laughter]
You have no idea.
I've been trying to figure out
my karma with this man.
Does he--does he
do pastry though?
No. No.
But he, like, burps and farts
and like...
Oh, my God.
That's your father's family.
Don't associate that with me.
I don't do that in my family.
I told you I was
your brother you never had.
[Laughter]
Now I kinda...
I'm rootin' for her,
and I kinda want her to stay,
you know, me and my cousin
being in the finals.
I mean, how cool is that?
Giuseppe Esposito.
That's your great-grandfather.
[Both laughing]
Oh, my God.
I see this picture
of my great-grandfather
who came from
Palermo, Sicily.
They were just like
these very strong men
coming to a country
to make a better life.
What I've sort of seen,
like my father too,
working and really taking
care of his family.
I feel almost grateful
to be a part of that.
I love you.
I love you so much.
- Bye. Love you.
- Bye.
- All right, mom.
- See you. Gotta go shop.
[Overlapping chatter,
laughter]
This picture of me...
Pretty scary.
It was in the seventies.
There's nothing
I can do about it.
That's my cousin.
Go, Mikey.
Hey, guys.
You have osso bucco back there?
You have some chanterelle?
At first I thought,
"I kinda wish I was Italian."
Because I don't have that
sort of backbone to my cuisine.
I'm Irish and English.
You know?
Whiskey's nice.
Potatoes are good.
But it'll be tough.
Gimme two of 'em.
Gimme three of 'em.
Oh, this side.
Thank you.
For this plate of food,
the judges are learning
more about us as people.
It's just a very
intimate challenge.
It would be amazing
to win this for my family.
Right behind you.
Coming through, look out!
Thank you.
That's it.
We're good.
Thanks, mom.
You guys are cousins?
You guys are cousins?
Cousin Mikey!
Let's hug it out.
Let's hug it out.
Aw!
It totally makes sense.
Now I'm starting
to look at them--
Mike, Antonia.
They look the same.
They're related.
It's obvious.
Scary.
I skipped over that paragraph
when I was lookin' at it.
My mom goes,
"he's really cute, Antonia."
I was like, "no, he's not.
He flicks his boogers on me.
He farts."
I was like, "he burps on me."
- Aw!
- I'm like,
he's that annoying cousin
that would have
come over for dinner.
Two people happen to be
on Top Chef together,
arguing and fighting
the entire time.
They're now cousins.
That's me and my dad
and our deli.
You were cute there.
You look like a little
cute boy there.
You cannot write this scenario
that has just played out.
Give it to me right now.
Mikey!
They saw it, Mikey.
[Laughter]
When I was a kid, probably
about five, six years old,
I was in dance school.
That was a long time ago,
in the seventies.
Nothing I can do about it,
this picture of me
in spandex.
Pretty--pretty scary.
[Laughter]
You're exposed now, Mikey.
- Stayin' alive! Hey!
- That's my cousin.
Go, Mikey.
[Laughter]
My man.
Can't even talk about this.
[Laughter]
I don't wanna get up.
I want to go back to sleep.
Carla and I are like BFFs.
And she's much older,
but that's the person
that I can relate to the most.
It's only three girls left,
and so the guys
are looking at it,
and we see it
and we're like, okay,
we just gotta make sure
that we stand tough.
I'm looking forward
to today.
This is the last challenge
in New York,
and I just want us
to make the judges' decision
really hard
by making great food.
What's goin' on here?
Guys, come up here.
We have a DVD.
I don't know.
This was left on the table.
- And these.
- A Toyota.
Let's go see what we got!
Oh, my God!
[Screeching, chattering]
Okay.
Okay.
Okay, here we go.
Hello, Chefs.
Look around.
I hope you like
what you see.
Because the winner of this
elimination challenge
will secure a spot
in the final four
and win this
Toyota Highlander.
[Whooping]
A Toyota
Highlander hybrid
that is off the chain.
Good tuck with the challenge.
It has DVD systems,
leather seats,
touch screen.
Whoo-whee!
It's looking good!
We arrive
at Giando on the Water,
which has a beautiful view
of Manhattan.
This challenge was all about
you embracing
who you are as a Chef.
It's really important
for a Chef to understand
where they've been
to know where they're going.
My family is from so many
different states in the South.
I'm making braised pork
shoulder with fried grits.
My grandmother had this little
biscuit cutter that--
it was all b*at up.
I just loved watching her
make biscuits,
so I wanna make them too.
Get into scatter mode.
I look over,
and Carla's
dabbling with liquid nitrogen.
I think she's pushing herself.
That's what you have to do.
My dish is
one of those dinners
that you would have
anytime at our house.
I'm making braised short ribs,
oxtail marmalade,
and stewed okra and rice.
I'm on a mission to get Tom
to try this okra
and to like it.
Whoo-hoo!
You like it?
Carla--
it's hot, hot.
That's nothing else added.
Straight out the pot.
One of my father's
favorite things to eat is veal,
and that's where
the inspiration
started to come from.
My dad just went through
another bout of radiation.
He had prostate cancer,
and I wanna really
just kind of honor my dad.
The dish is braised veal
with risotto.
Got risotto?
I was gonna go with
the polenta.
It's called always having
a backup plan.
- You're an animal.
- It's all about the recovery.
[Laughing]
I found out I've had relatives
that ran meat markets
and that were chemists.
The dish I'm gonna
be making is
braised short rib
with fried bone marrow,
corn puree,
and pickled glassworts.
It's on here if you need it.
Glasswort is also called
sea beans.
But glasswort just sounds
so much sexier.
That's what they call them
in England, in Ireland,
and I'm representing
my heritage.
You're okay, right? Okay.
Yep.
I had never cooked
Italian professionally.
It all comes from the heart
of my grandmother to me,
and I'm gonna cook it tonight,
and I'm gonna make
the best out of it.
Come on.
Please.
These recipes go back decades
to centuries,
and I just want it
to be so right.
Come on, mother[bleep].
Ah, this is gonna k*ll me.
I love grandma's cooking.
I love grandma.
I know that she's been
watching over me over the years,
even when she passed away,
so she'll shine down on me
and help me through this.
[Sighs]
Whoo!
[Bleep], I'm nervous.
Can opener, anybody?
Can opener?
Yeah, I've got one.
I really wanna get
my biscuits done,
but they look anemic
as if I'd just put them in.
I'm like, oh, no,
are you kidding me?
The temperature says 500,
but there's no way.
Okay,
let me just breathe.
I'm running out of time,
so that throws me into
a little bit of a tizzy.
Behind.
The difficulties in making
a good risotto
is making sure that
it's not overcooked and gooey.
It needs to be
the perfect consistency.
We want the cousins
in the finals.
[Laughing] Tre got sent home
for cooking risotto,
but if I do it well,
it's gonna be a payoff.
It's almost about
that time, my friends.
This could be
our last day together.
The last minutes of cooking,
they're intense.
I'm just...super-focused.
If I go home for a dish that
I feel this confident about,
I will be utterly heartbroken.
Two, four, six, eight, nine.
- Hi.
- Sorry. Hold on.
I got it, I got it.
I'm nervous because
if you're gonna go,
going right near the end,
I think, is the toughest
to swallow.
[Indistinct chatter]
Hello.
Welcome, everyone, to our
final dinner in New York.
It's wonderful to have you all
sharinthis meal with us.
It sounds like everybody
was really surprised
when they saw you here.
They were.
I heard your husband
got all choked up?
Yeah. He's a little
emotional sometimes.
They've been away
from you guys for a long time.
Yeah.
[Bleep] It.
[Mutters] Plate...
Five step plates,
whatever the [bleep] it is.
It's a pain in the ass.
I'm very nervous.
It's a lot of pressure on me.
I just feel my grandmother
on my shoulder,
and I just don't wanna
let anyone down.
All right, guys,
I got 30 seconds left.
It was a pleasure
working with all of you.
Oh, Mike!
[Alarm beeps]
Thank you.
Hello, everybody.
I just want to thank everyone
for coming--
especially my mom.
Whew!
This is tough.
[Chatter, laughter]
All right.
It's getting cold quick.
All right, my great-great-
grandfather was from Naples.
What I decided to do
was bring some elements
from like when they came over
to Ellis Island.
A pork ragu on the bottom,
some potato gnocchis,
some whipped burrata.
That is something my grandmother
would cook for me
when I was young.
Thank you so much, Mike.
Thank you.
Everyone enjoy tonight.
Now, did Michael always cook
when he was young?
When did he start
cooking at home?
I had him on a chair
near the stove at three.
- Really.
- Yes.
He learned from grandmother,
not from me.
We've had a lot of problems
with gnocchi on this show.
This one happens to be
a very good one.
[Giggles]
Gnocchi is my favorite,
so I really thought
that Mike did a great job.
I really like
that it was like a pillow.
It was very tender.
I also tend to stay
away from gnocchi,
'cause I find it
to be a little bit heavy,
especially
to start the meal.
But he hit it with this.
How does it compare
to his grandma's?
He's topping grandma,
and that's like...oh, no.
[Laughter]
Did Antonia learn
to cook from you?
Yes. We had a restaurant
in Beverly Hills
for a couple of years.
And ten years old,
she got behind the counter,
she cooked, so...she's had
a lot of experience.
- You see towels?
- There's a bunch right there.
Cooking for my mom,
it's completely like
my real life and Top Chef
have collided.
So I'm a little nervous,
but I did my best.
Like hopefully,
it pays off.
- Hi, Antonia.
- Hi. How are you?
So it's braised veal,
a risotto of fava beans,
and rapini leaves.
Little bit of lemon zest
bread crumb
and parmesan-reggiano.
My inspiration--I just was
really envisioning
what I would cook for
my husband like back in the day.
Might sound totally sixties.
[Laughs]
So enjoy and thank you.
Mmm.
I thought Antonia
did a great job
with all the flavors,
and I thought the fava beans
were awesome.
It was light, and--
like that lemon zest
was just perfect.
Tom, what did you think?
I have to say,
in both dishes,
it's not
about bells and whistles.
It's really about flavor.
I think Antonia's dish
is just packed with flavor.
Well, I'm not gonna be
partial.
[Laughter]
I thought it was
a gorgeous dish.
Almost as good as Michael's.
Very close!
[Laughter]
You need
to get over here, Carla?
Uh, I'm gonna
try to go here.
This is like
complete deja vu.
I've made it to
the number five position again.
It is minutes before
the plates go out,
and I fry the okra
to get the slime out.
Can opener, anybody,
can opener?
Yeah, I got one.
I know it's a gamble
to do the okra.
If Tom doesn't like it,
I could be eliminated today.
[Alarm beeps]
Hello, everybody!
I grew up
with a family full of cooks,
and we love braised meats.
So what we have here
is a little bit of a braised
short rib with mustard greens
that I cooked down
with pig feet and okra
and an oxtail marmalade.
- Thank you, Tiffany.
- You're welcome.
I think it's delicious.
[Laughter]
Is this something
you used to make at home?
- Mm-hmm.
- Mm-hmm?
I have to say,
your family's well-fed.
This is--
I could eat.
I love that little
crispy nugget of pig's feet.
- Yeah, that makes it.
- Braised short rib.
It's just done perfectly.
I don't like okra
because of the slime.
Tiffany finally made okra
that I like.
We live in Atlanta,
so we eat a good bit
of Southern food,
and I thought this was
a great representation
of her heritage.
It brought all those
nice memories
in terms of this
particular style of food for me,
but it was very elegant
on the plate.
So Matthew and Jasmine,
I have a question for you.
Three really great dishes...
feelin' some pressure
right now?
It's like,
"get out of my head."
I'm already thinking
there's two left to go!
'Cause they're all
really good.
Have you ever had
a final five?
No. We've never had
a final five.
A final five!
[Laughter]
Anything else
in your way, Richard?
No, I'm good.
Thank you.
As I'm plating,
the additional pressure
of cooking for my wife
is ridiculous.
One, two, three,
four, five, six, seven.
She's an athlete
and grew up playing sports
and definitely
more competitive than me.
So, yeah, on her end,
you know, me being here,
I have to win.
[Alarm beeps]
This looks like Richard's.
- It is.
- Hi, guys.
Sorry.
I have to say hello.
Ah. I'm nervous.
So I found out yesterday
that I actually
had someone come through
Ellis Island, Irish/English.
So I figured
that we would go
with a steak
and potatoes theme,
as the other side of my family
is deep-rooted
in the American Midwest.
So potatoes from Ireland,
corn from the United States,
and then one of my favorite
ingredients,
pickled glassworts.
And, of course, it wouldn't be
steak without fried bone marrow.
Enjoy.
I love the bone marrow.
It's just--
it's all right.
I mean...
not all right.
It's all right.
I'm usually
not a fan of bone marrow,
but I really enjoyed
that little crispy
nugget of love
on the plate there.
I think he does
do a good job
of showing
that English/Irish,
and I thought the corn was--
the corn puree was
really good, really tasty.
So Matthew,
what's going through
Carla's mind right now?
I'm sure she has
her game face on.
Can we see that game face?
[Laughter]
And how did you guys meet?
We met on match.com.
- [Gasps]
- Really?
Wow! That's great.
I had been on
for a couple months,
and so I just put in
kind of these crazy parameters
of taller than 5'10",
and, you know,
I read her profile,
and--wow, this is amazing.
And...as the cliche goes,
the rest was history,
and we were married
about eight months later.
I have two minutes?
Okay.
What did I--
what did I do with it?
Oh.
You know, I'm looking
at all of the dishes,
and my plate
looks like this.
It doesn't really look as pretty
as I wanted it to.
Just gentle.
Don't jerk the plate, please.
I immediately
had this sinking feeling
because this challenge
is very personal.
The family members are talking
to the judges about us,
and I don't want
to disappoint them.
Oh, it's gonna be
an emotional ride tonight.
Somebody's supposed
to go home,
and I'm nauseous about it.
No, I couldn't even taste
anything then.
Who did a gremolata?
Here in New York,
this is our last challenge.
It's just emotional
when I think about it.
I want to win it
for my mom and for my family.
Taste this.
See if this is salty.
I try Carla's grits,
and they're really nice.
The biscuits are nice.
Can you taste that for me?
Richard and I
are particularly nervous.
I feel like Carla
and Tiffany
always have this like,
"whatever happens, happens."
And Richard and I are like,
"No! That's not true!"
[Laughs]
It's delicious.
Everyone's dishes
were tasty and amazing.
And the way the challenges
have been going--
big seeds aren't standing.
They're all gone.
I might be the only one left.
So like...
it might be my time.
Like I'm really nervous.
Over here, rich,
over here.
Listen, just 'cause you guys
are related
doesn't mean you start
yelling at everyone else
like we're
in the family too.
- That is true.
- [Laughs]
Hi. How are you?
- Hi, Matthew!
- Hi, Carla!
My family is primarily
from Tennessee,
but there was a little bit
of Mississippi, Alabama.
So this is a, um, braised
pork shoulder with grits,
and I've made some
cheddar biscuits.
Hey, don't hog those.
Get those down here.
- Please enjoy.
- Thank you.
That was my first time
with eating grits.
- Really?
- Yes. Really.
It's delicious.
Yeah.
I thought the passing
of the biscuits
was just such a cool,
family-style thing to do
and really brought in the
Southern roots of her heritage.
I love these grits.
This kind of caramelized,
seared side
brings another texture,
another dimension.
I was really excited that
Carla used a shoulder of pork.
There's not a dry bite
in there.
Carla's really big
on creating food memories,
and I think that
if you've had this food,
it attaches to those memories.
And if you haven't had it,
I think it would create one.
I'm--I'm very pleased
with how she did.
I'm just sitting here
thinking
of how difficult
judges' table's gonna be.
It's so completely
up in the air
who's gonna go home tonight
and how we're gonna make
heads or tails of our decision.
Chefs, I want
to thank you all
for a truly wonderful meal.
It was a great, great evening.
Thank you.
[Indistinct chatter]
Did it remind you
of home?
Yes.
Yours was the best,
I mean, easily.
[Both laughing]
Easily...
Say, if my mom was judging,
I'd be in the winner's circle.
Of course!
I did!
- Flavors okay?
- Flavors were great.
The corn puree was great.
The little reduction
was delicious--yeah.
People say
some things about it?
Yeah.
The meat was perfect.
'Cause you'll know.
[Indistinct]
No, I know.
No. No.
It was all good.
- Was the okra okay?
- It tasted good to me.
- Love you.
- Bye. Love you too.
- Thanks for coming.
- I love you, Mike!
It's been a...
wild ride.
[Laughter]
And I really learned
a lot from all of you.
- Yeah.
- Cheers. Cheers, guys.
It's been an honor
working with all of you guys.
Yeah, it really has.
Oh, it's gonna be
an emotional ride tonight.
My mom said that everybody's
food was good.
And I mean like,
I mean, my mom,
she'll tell you
what she thinks.
I don't think the judges
were gonna say anything
in front of them, you know?
Well, we're gonna hear soon.
Good evening.
- Hello.
- Hello.
We'd like to see all of you
at judges' table.
Thank you.
It's our last judges' table.
Here we go.
All right.
Last judges' table!
Chefs, I want to thank you
for a wonderful meal tonight.
Your family was very proud,
and they should be.
Only four of you can go
for that $200,000.
Carla, how did you find
this challenge?
Going to Ellis Island
was amazing.
And finding out that I had
so many roots
in so many different
southern states
was very inspirational to me.
I loved that broth,
and then those cheddar biscuits
came down the table,
and they were
absolutely beautiful.
Oh, thank you.
- The pork was pork cheek?
- It was pork shoulder.
Pork shoulder. Okay, okay.
I thought that was excellent.
Thank you.
The broth I thought
was interesting
because it had
a roundness to it
that you usually
don't get from broth.
The corn I thought
was on the tough side.
The grits--
did you actually fry them?
I was wondering if they
were gonna stay together
once I put 'em in the pan,
and that's when I took
liquid nitrogen
to really get em cold.
You did what?
- I know!
- Ha ha.
It all worked together.
A soulful,
flavorful dish.
- Richard.
- Quite emotional.
Having family there and then
trying to connect the dots.
When you're a mutt almost,
like there's so many things
to try and connect,
it's kinda tough--you don't
wanna be epcot center.
You know?
So hopefully that didn't happen.
The puree of corn--
I thought it was reminding me
of mashed potatoes.
And I could see your
thoughtfulness
from start to finish
on this plate.
It really worked.
Thank you.
You came up with
a very interesting,
well thought-out dish
that just made perfect sense.
Even sea beans on a meat dish
just all made sense.
The flavors worked together.
Everything was cooked nicely.
The story
that you're telling now
is the story
that was told in the dish,
so...nice work.
Thanks.
Antonia.
Veal was sort of that
celebratory protein
that my grandmothers like served
to their husbands
to get that peasant, like,
"this is gonna fill you,
this is gonna warm you,
this is gonna say thank you."
You were so courageous
in serving us risotto.
I know.
[Laughs]
Risotto's been tricky
on this show.
The risotto
had a great texture,
and the veal shank
just fell apart on top of it.
Thank you.
Everything I hate about
risotto
that you find in most
restaurants--
this was the opposite.
It was about the rice.
It was about the broth.
The vegetables were just there
as a complement.
Confidence came through
with this dish.
Thank you.
- Tiffany.
- Well...
As we found out,
I am from Texas
and Louisiana,
thoroughbred.
And okra's one of those staples
that it's easy to cook,
so that was always
kind of one of those things
that was done.
- Oh, you did it.
- I did what, Chef?
You did it, you did it.
You converted me.
Yay!
That was my biggest worry.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
This was the first time
I had okra where
the slime wasn't slimy;
It was rich.
If this is what okra's about,
you changed my mind.
The memories come through.
It's clear that you
grew up in a house
where food was important
and, you know,
your mom talking about
some of the food--
just a smile on her face.
And her smile is your smile,
her laugh is your smile.
And the dish was just...
It was good.
Your love
for what you were doing
had us tasting things
we otherwise
wouldn't have tasted, so...
Thank you.
Thank you.
Mike.
The gnocchi
were really, really great.
Walk us through that recipe.
Well, my grandmother
would cook.
She would let it cook,
you know,
from early in the morning all
the way through the whole day.
It was just such a bold,
bold flavor of meat.
And I wanted to kind of
do the same thing.
And my mom was like, "well,
you're gonna make gravy, right?"
You're gonna tell 'em, too,
it's gravy.
I said, "ma, yes,
I'll tell 'em it's gravy."
The flavor was rich
without being
heavy or overpowering.
It's really just elevated
a classic, humble dish
to another level.
Mike, the moral of this story
is "listen to your mother."
'Cause it was so good,
soulful and satisfying.
Thank you.
I don't know if I would have
had the courage
to listen to my mother here
if I was in your position.
That said, the last dish
I wanna eat on earth
is my mother's gravy
before I die.
It's a very simple dish,
but it is so soulful.
I really, really enjoyed it.
So...
[Exhales]
What's on your mind?
What's going through
your head right now?
I was really close
to my grandmother
when she passed away
when I was younger,
so I didn't understand it.
So I didn't cook it
for pretty much
my whole career.
Even at home.
Because I didn't
want it to, uh,
remind me of that.
Your mom actually said
to us when we were there
that she thought her mother's
gnocchi was the best gnocchi
she'd ever had.
And then she had yours.
So...you did your grandmother
very proud today, Michael.
Yeah. Hope so.
Well, obviously, we have
a huge decision to make tonight.
Please return to the stew room.
We'll call you back
in a bit.
Thank you.
They liked our food!
I know.
That's awesome!
Mike...
Mike, you're so open.
That's--
that's like really big.
That's really big.
I-I can understand
your missing your grandmother.
Yeah, I thought
I got past it, and then...
The cooking
stops being a job,
and you are emotionally
attached to it
and people
really can taste that.
I always say I can taste
when somebody loves something.
And it's huge.
I mean, you gave them a gift.
Really.
I know it's all good
compliments,
but at the end of the day
it's like
somebody's supposed to
go home,
and I just am nauseous
about it.
I don't know where
to even begin
you know, really--
these tiny little minute
things we can go after.
But it's tough.
Each of these dishes
were just stunning.
I loved Antonia's risotto.
I just--I completely
cleaned my plate.
I thought it was
really well-made
and the ratio of meat
to fava bean to broccoli rabe
was just perfect.
To me, the veal shank,
when eaten alone,
was just a hair...salty.
Salty. Yep.
I think what Mike did
with the gnocchi
was brilliant
with the light sear.
Not only is it
a dish that was--
found some sort of
touch point
and took it from there--
this was a dish that he made
with his grandmother.
And I just thought
it was absolutely delicious.
I thought if I was
gonna plate that,
I'd probably put
a little bit less of the meat.
I loved it with
the fresh burrata on top.
You know, there was a great
balance to that dish.
Let's talk about
Richard's dish.
The flavors are perfect,
the execution was perfect,
and then he gives you
the story
that connects you to the dish
in a way
that you couldn't
without hearing it.
The sea beans
did it for me.
It was something that
I would never think of doing.
I'm gonna steal that.
I thought it was a beautiful
accompaniment to beef.
There wasn't
that much green on his plate.
I wanted more.
I think Richard
did an exceptional job
of embracing his past,
but in usual Richard style,
moving it into the future.
Carla's dish.
I loved the broth.
I thought that was
the best part of the dish.
The garnish--I think it all
got lost in that broth.
I loved that little
grit cake that she made.
- Sure.
- I thought it was beautiful.
It had texture.
It had flavor.
There was just something
interesting
and different about it.
Yeah. She froze 'em
with liquid nitrogen.
She frozen them
in liquid nitrogen!
- Isn't that amazing?
- How crazy is that?
Everything on Tiffany's plate,
be it the okra, the greens,
the sweet potato,
were sort of like a window
into her life.
And although it was so
totally foreign
to what was around my table
growing up,
it made me feel at home.
I think this was Tiffany's
coco chanel moment.
She needed to lose some
accessories here.
I found the oxtail marmalade
to be...
Something I've never
seen before,
never thought of,
and I really enjoyed it.
These were five really,
really great dishes.
It's tough.
Honestly,
it could be anybody.
And I think that
they loved it.
I want their job
to be hard.
Well, I think we have
our decision.
- Yes.
- Absolutely.
Okay.
Let's get them out here.
The winner of this challenge
will be moving on
in the final round
and win a new Toyota
highlander.
Dan, as our guest judge,
please announce the winner.
This was
an incredible dinner
filled with really
impressive dishes.
Our job here is
to pick one dish
that rose above
all the others.
The winner is...
[Suspenseful music]
Antonia.
My mother and daughter
will be so unbelievably
excited.
Congratulations, Antonia.
You win a new 2011
Toyota Highlander hybrid.
Thank you very much.
This means you'll be
moving on to the final round...
Oh, my God!
Thank you so--
thank you so, so much.
Which will take place...
in the Bahamas.
[Laughter and cheers]
Oh, my God.
That's amazing.
Thank you so much.
Thank you for
a beautiful plate of food.
Mike.
You're safe,
and you'll be moving on
to compete in the Bahamas
as well.
Thank you so much.
It feels great to move on
and to finally get
my chance at winning it.
I'm gonna fight my hardest
to be the best.
Congratulations,
Mike and Antonia.
You can return
to the stew room.
- Thank you very much.
- Thank you very much.
I appreciate it.
Chef.
The cousins!
[Giggles]
[Laughing]
Going to the finals, baby!
[Both laughing]
That's so [bleep] awesome.
I'm so excited!
I won a car!
I won a car!
I won a car!
I wanna compete
with her in the finale,
you know, me and my cousin
being in the finale.
I mean, how cool is that?
Well, Chefs,
you learned a lot about
yourselves,
about your family,
about your ancestry,
and clearly, you all
showed it on the plate.
Tiffany, you gave us
a soulful dish
of beautiful southern food.
There were so many things
going on,
but we really enjoyed it.
Richard, that story
just unveiled itself
in a beautiful way
on the plate.
Irish/English food.
But you did pull it off.
Carla, that sauce was one of
the best sauces
I've had all season.
Things here and there
with some of the vegetables,
but...great plate of food.
This is just a hard decision,
and I hate to see any one
of you go home for this.
Richard...
[Suspenseful music]
Please...pack your knives.
You're going to the Bahamas.
Why did you do--
thank you so much.
Thank you.
Why would you do that to me?
You know that I'm crazy
to begin with.
My heart and soul
is like hovering above
the top of the kitchen.
But I'm happy.
Given some of the time frames
that we have, it's not--
Safe.
Yeah!
[Laughter]
We've been going
back and forth
and we're nitpicking
and trying to...
make sense of this all.
It's a tough decision,
but...
[Suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
We've been going
back and forth
and we're nitpicking
and trying to...
make sense of this all.
It's a tough decision.
[Suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
Carla...
Tiffany...
You're both going
to the Bahamas.
You're both going too.
I'm like--we're like--[Gasps].
I'm like, "yeah!"
I'm happy.
I'm amazed.
I'm like, "oh, my gosh!"
I had already said in my head,
"Tiffany, pack your knives,"
but I'm going!
Yay!
We couldn't decide.
Yeah, we always say
it's a tough decision.
And this time
it was just too tough.
[Laughs]
We just couldn't say good-bye
to either of you.
- Thank you.
- Thank you so much.
- Thank you, guys, really.
- Thanks.
- Good night.
- Thank you.
They didn't like my soup.
Who's going?
We're all going!
Aah!
No way!
No way!
I can't believe there's five
people moving forward.
I mean, I wish there
was four, but I'll take five!
It's great to be
the last three women standing.
It would be pretty amazing
to be a woman
winning Top Chef All-Stars.
[All screaming]
Y'all ain't getting rid of me.
I'm here!
Thank you!
- Ha ha!
- Oh, my God!
- Next on Top Chef All-Stars...
The final rounds begin.
Padma in a bikini.
Good morning.
You're gonna go head-to-head
with the Chef that
won your season.
What?
Ooh, they were mad.
- This [bleep] sucks.
- Whoo!
I may have just
sh*t myself in the foot.
We all came back
for redemption.
My knives are sharp.
I'm ready!
Careful. Don't get too close
to the eye.
You know, I've choked
once before.
So, I mean, I'm nervous.
It really is
anybody's game.
Oh!
Everybody out of the kitchen!
[Sirens wailing]
The other Chefs
can think whatever they want,
but I am here to win.
I could not finish
eating the dish.
If I go home
without winning,
I'm just kind of where I was
before I came out here.
It just doesn't work.
I want to do it.
I want to be there at the end.
08x12 - Give Me Your Huddled Masses
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Show features chefs competing against each other in culinary challenges.
Show features chefs competing against each other in culinary challenges.