19x09 - Freedmen's Town

[bunniefuu]

Previously on
Top Chef.

Welcome to Restaurant Wars.

This might be,
I would say, sh-- show.

Good luck.

Show time.

- Five for the judges.
- Love the hat.

I'm impressed
by their composure.

Four tartars coming.

I just maintain
this quiet storm.

- Go grill it.
- I absolutely refuse

to have a fish sit
here for 20 minutes.

You know, I'm really missing
Jackson a little bit.

- Good evening.
- Hi.

- Is he afraid of us?
- He's afraid of us.

The winning chef today
is... Ashleigh.

Jackson, please
pack your knives and go.

Seven chefs remain

to compete in the ultimate
culinary showdown.

At stake
for the winner,

a feature in Food & Wine magazine,

an appearance at the
Food & Wine Classic in Aspen,

$250,000
furnished by Sanpellegrino,

and the coveted title
of Top Chef.

This is
a small group right here.

Now we're top seven.

I don't know.
I'm just a little sad.

I thought we put out
our best food.

At this point
of my career,

I don't really get to hear
all this feedbacks like that.

Fish was really fresh,
it was nicely cut,

and the sauces
tied it all together.

Thank you.

Every day
is not a great day,

but every day
I am making progress.

Well, what do you guys
think's next, then?

- Yeah.
- Oh, God,

I don't know.
I just need to enjoy

this moment for right now.

Yo, you soak
in your win,

- I soak that I'm still here.
- Oh, my God, right?

I was, like,
give me a minute.

- Good morning, chefs.
- Morning.

How does it feel to have
survived Restaurant Wars?

- We survived.
- Yeah, absolutely amazing.

Please welcome

your all-star guest judge,

a chef who has had not one
but two of her restaurants

on Jonathan Gold's


list.

Nyesha Arrington.

Hi, Nyesha. Welcome.

Happy to be here.

I am a huge fan
of Chef Nyesha.

From what I know,
she's the only Black woman

that has ever competed
in Le Bocuse d'Or.

She's also
a Top Chef alum.

I'm already thinking this is
going to be a really good day.

Chefs, people have been
eating vegetarian

and plant-based diets
for centuries.

You may have noticed
in recent years

that a lot more of the best
restaurants in the world

are switching up their styles
to celebrate the vegetable

in the center of the plate
rather than animal proteins.

I've eaten a lot of meat
since I've been here in Houston.

So today we're going vegetarian.
And I'm very happy about it.

Behind us you can see a
bountiful display of ingredients

in all different colors.
For your Quickfire Challenge,

each of you
will only be able to use items

from one color

to create a monochromatic
vegetarian dish.

It's time to draw knives.

Black.

I was super excited
to get to work

with all these beautiful colors,
and I pull black.

It's not even
on the rainbow.

Let's see
what we have.

- Red.
- Yellow.

- Purple.
- White.

- Orange.
- Black.

- And Damarr.
- Green.

You don't look too happy,
Damarr, with green.

I thought I had
my happy face on.

That's your happy face?

This is my happy face.

I've never tried
to make everything

the same color on a dish.

I mean, obviously,
you usually try to make sure

there's a lot of
contrasting colors on dishes,

so that's definitely difficult.

This is the challenge you're
really going to want to win,

because this is the last
immunity of this season.

Thirty minutes on the clock.

Your time starts now.
Good luck.

Is it even fair
that you got sweet potatoes?

No.

Ooh, ooh,
we're dropping stuff.

I love cooking vegetables.

It's always a challenge
to be able to cook a vegetable

and to make you kind of forget
that you're not eating meat.

Once you can do so,
it's a beautiful thing.

I have red.

I'm going to make
a homemade gochujang

with strawberries
and hot peppers.

Strawberry's
my favorite food.

My uncles,
they're all farmers,

and I used to help them out
picking strawberries.

I was a baby labor.

Twenty-five minutes already,
guys. Oh, my God.

What you got
going on?

I'm gonna try to do
a curried cauliflower puree.

Cooking monochromatically is
something that I've never done.

I'm yellow.
That's kind of orange.

But there's certainly
no shortage

of yellow produce
in front of me.

The objective
is figuring out

how I can make these ingredients
all sing together.

How fast can I cook
these lentils?

- I love this black garlic.
- Yeah.

I'm thinking of making a soup
with eggplant and some beans.

Unfortunately,
most black vegetables

are black
on the outside,

but inside tend to have
a white flesh.

It's going to be very hard
to create a black colored dish

without using any kind
of powder or squid ink.

Nick got orange.

Like, sweet potatoes,
is that even fair?

I feel great
about vegetables.

I'm going to do some roasted
broccoli steaks,

a little harissa glaze,
and then definitely be a lot

of green herbs in my dish.

Fifteen minutes.

When you're making steak,

you would traditionally
have some sort of sauce.

So, I have
a broccoli steak

with the sauce
being the puree of avocado

and the chimichurri
being the chermoula,

which is
a Moroccan-style sauce

that they put on meat,
fish and vegetables.

Thankfully,
I got the white color.

Cauliflower and cheese,
very classical combination.

Cauliflower and cheese
can be quite heavy,

so it's important to introduce
acidic flavors into the dish

and that's going to be
pickling different vegetables

that I'll be putting
on the plate.

In restaurants,
it's 80% meat.

It's very exciting
to work with vegetables.

I love cooking
with vegetables.

I've definitely cooked
a cauliflower

like this before
at Noma

and it's really hard
to b*at,

so I'm going to roast
a cauliflower in butter,

then I'm going to throw
in lots of fresh herbs--

sage, thyme, rosemary.

I think it's a very
important one to win,

especially because
I haven't done very well

in these Quickfires,
you know.

If you win this Quickfire,
you get the last immunity.

Anybody would want
to have that.

And, you know, I feel
a little bit more in my element.

I'm just having
a lot of fun.

- Sorry.
- Whoa, aye--

I didn't know you were
coming back that quick.

Come on, Luke.

Come on. There we go.

This challenge
is dear to my heart.

I started a non-profit

going into public schools
in Jackson, Mississippi

just to encourage kids
to eat more vegetables.

Fried rice is a great way
to get kids to eat veggies.

Coming through. Hot.

Chefs, you have
five minutes.

- Eh.
- At the last minute,

I, like, find myself trying
to add something a little sweet,

and I've got these yellow
peaches which are freeze-dried,

so they're adding
this crispy component.

Behind you.

One minute.

Time's up.

Let's start
with you, Buddha.

- Thank you, chef.
- You're welcome.

- I love a good hot plate.
- Thank you.

So, it's
cauliflower and cheese

with vadouvan
and salted grapes.

How did you treat
the roasted cauliflower?

I wood-fire roasted it

with some butter,
garlic and thyme.

Mm.
Very nice.

I have roasted cauliflower
with cabbage

and purple potato puree
with brown butter carrots.

Did you enjoy
this challenge?

I absolutely enjoyed
this challenge.

It shows. Great. Thank you.

I made curried
vegetable puree

with marinated
curried vegetables.

What do you have
in your puree?

Maitake mushrooms,
yellow cauliflower,

and there's
some lentils in there.

- What are the crunchy bits?
- Freeze-dried yellow peach.

I tried to find
as much yellow as I could find

and just
make it taste good.

Thank you.

Nice.

I did a harissa glazed broccoli
with a chermoula

that has hazelnuts
and Romanesco shaved inside it,

and there's
an avocado puree underneath.

There's so much brightness
and acidity coming off

this sort of salsa
that you have on top here.

- Thank you.
- You guys are really doing well.

Making our jobs harder.

I made 20-minute strawberry
gochujang glazed beets

- and walnut puree.
- Mm.

This is a vegetable
fried rice.

I did a kumquat
and peach hot sauce,

some charred papayas,

pumpkin and some charred
orange cauliflower.

You used pumpkin?

I used pumpkin,
sweet potato

and also cauliflower
for the rice.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

- Ooh.
- Gorgeous.

I've made a charred eggplant
and black bean soup

with black lemon
and black garlic.

And on top
we have a dill yogurt

and a black radish
and walnut crumble.

- It's delicious.
- Thank you.

- Thank you, Evelyn.
- Thank you.

Good job.

Wow, my palate
is blown away.

- You guys did an amazing job.
- Everything was delicious.

It looked fantastic.

I feel great.
It is really lovely.

There were a couple
less successful dishes.

Nick.

The ingredients on the plate
lacked a bit of cohesiveness.

Sweet potato and pumpkin
have very similar textures,

and the flavor
gets a little confused.

Who else?

Ashleigh, you brought those
yellow hues and tones to life.

The flavor
didn't match that visual.

Now for some
good news.

Who had one
of our favorite dishes?

Buddha, phenomenal dish.

- Very elegant.
- I think that is menu ready.

It was all beautifully done.
Really, really high art.

- Thank you.
- Thank you so much.

Damarr, there was a clear vision
in the supporting ingredients

to your roasted broccoli,
which is very important.

Everything worked
very well together.

Thank you.

I love that avocado puree

on the bottom.

It was so creamy.

- It looked fabulous.
- Thank you.

Evelyn, first of all,

I have to say super bold
of you to make a soup.

And it was
just impeccable.

That eggplant
lent such a nice,

round, full flavor
to the black beans.

- I loved your soup.
- Thank you.

I also want to give
an honorable mention.

Luke, welcome
to the party, man!

I'm so glad I got to taste
this dish from you.

I want to see more of this food
in your elimination challenges.

Absolutely.

But there can only be
one winner

of the last immunity
of this season.

Nyesha, who's it
going to be?

of the last immunity
of this season.

Nyesha, who's it
going to be?

Damarr.

I'm kind of, like,
in shock.

You know, everyone put up
amazing food today,

so I'm super grateful.

- Congratulations, Damarr.
- Thank you.

Now that's
a happy face.

Nyesha, I want to thank you

- so much for joining us.
- Thank you for having me.

You really inspired
these guys today.

- Good luck, chefs.
- Thank you.

k*ll it.

That was
a fun challenge.

But I think we're going to need
to get to the soul

of the matter
for this next one.

Please welcome
your all-star guest judges

for this elimination challenge.

- Hey.
- Hi.

Dawn Burrell
and Kwame Onwuachi.

Hey, chefs.
Good to see all your faces.

I am also happy to be back

to show you
another part of Houston

you may have
not seen before.

The origin
of our new national holiday,

Juneteenth, has its roots
right here in Texas.

Juneteenth is a celebration

of when all the slaves
were actually freed.

We usually do something
at the restaurant,

you know, do a barbecue
for the community.

It's a very special day
in my mind.

In June of 1865,

nearly three years
after Emancipation Proclamation,

the 13th Army Corps
arrived in Galveston,

delivering
General Order No. 3.

This order informed
all Texans

that they were
actually free.

Many moved north to Houston
following Jack Yates,

who is actually known
as the father of Black Houston.

Together with his community,

they formed a city within a city
called Freedmen's Town.

It's now a nationally
registered historical site

right here
in Houston's Fourth Ward.

One thing
that has remained constant

in this area
is the food.

The food of this neighborhood
was and is soul food.

For your elimination challenge,

we're putting on a fundraiser

for 100 people

at Bethel Church,
founded by Jack Yates himself.

- Awesome.
- And to celebrate,

each of you must make a dish

that speaks to your soul.

So, we're not just looking
for soul food, precisely.

We're looking for things
that have been passed down

from generation to generation.

Things that remind you
of your family.

I think every chef and every
person even has that dish

that warms their soul
and makes them feel at home

or makes them feel
this sense of place.

This is
an important event

where attendees
will be purchasing tickets,

and 100%
of the proceeds

will go towards protecting
and preserving

Houston's
Freedman's Town Conservancy.

It's a beautiful challenge.

Today you'll have
$500 to shop

and two hours
to prep and cook

here in the Top Chef kitchen.

Tomorrow afternoon,

you'll have
an additional two hours

to cook at Bethel Church
historical site.

But before
you go shopping,

Dawn and I are going
to take you to meet

the executive director

of Houston's
Freedmen's Town Conservancy

to learn more
about the history of the town

and its importance
in the community.

I can't wait to taste
what you'll make.

- Good luck. See you guys later.
- Bye, Padma.

Let's go.
Let's do it.

I'm so excited
to be here.

How you doing?

- I am doing fabulous.
- Great dress.

Welcome.
Thank you. Welcome.

It's so beautiful.

These are the Top Chefs.

Great bunch
we have here.

You guys look ready
for anything.

Yes.

We're here
at Bethel Baptist Church.

It's Houston's
first heritage district.

So, you are in a sacred
and very special place.

Let's go inside.

Welcome to this bright,
beautiful space.

If you're wondering why
there's no roof on the church,

it's because
what you see here today

is what was able to be preserved
in the early 2000s.

As you're thinking about,
how are you going to communicate

food that feeds
your soul,

think about these people

who built this church
and founded this community

were enslaved just
a few decades beforehand.

I'm very excited
for this challenge,

not only because I get to pull
inspiration within my own roots,

but also to showcase
this part of history

and this part of the city
that not a lot of people know.

When you think
about Juneteenth,

you think about
that moment of emancipation.

What happens next?
You don't own anything.

You have no education.

How do you earn a living?
Earn
a living, right?

They cleared this area
and they developed homes,

businesses, churches
in Freedmen's Town.

And anyone who asked,
"Where should I go?

"I want to be free.
I want to be safe,"

people would tell you,
"Go to Freedmen's Town."

This is
a beautiful representation

of what my people
are able to do here,

taking food or land or space
that people didn't want,

then creating
something beautiful out of it

through their own hard work
and their own creativity.

Houston Freedmen's Town
Conservancy will be preserving

and protecting these bricks

and restoring them
for our children's children

to appreciate and understand

that something
incredible happened here.

It's so powerful
standing on these bricks

in Freedmen's town.

Just this sense of Black people
that were finally free

coming together to build
this very special thing,

it's really incredible.

It drives me creatively.

This is Jack Yates' son's house.
This was a printing house.

So, when we talk about
how important news and media

and who tells
what story is,

this was the place
where Black people

were telling
their own story.

The power of restoring
and making sure

that you remember
what happened in the past

and the history
is very important.

I'm really excited about cooking
for such a great cause.

Check it out, let's have
a little taste of this is it.

That's soul food,

we pile it on for you.

I am excited.

Man, I haven't had candied yams
in a minute.

- Thank you so much.
- You're welcome.

When I think
of soul food,

it's just cooking
from the heart.

- It's hitting, huh?
- Oh, yeah.

You have to throw me outta here.

I think I'm going to do my
Nana's salmon cast iron cake.

When it was time
to put something on the table

that was full
of love and laughter

and just brought
everybody together,

it was my Nana's
salmon cake.

Did they schedule
a nap after this, too?

Every time I go back
to Australia,

my grandmother
will make us curry.

The last time
I went to go see her,

she showed me
how to make it.

I've never made a dish like this on Top Chef before.

I've never even cooked rice
on
Top Chef.

- When I have that, I'm home.
- Yeah.

Being in this competition,

there's so many different
variations of yourself

that you have
to put out there.

Just because I do
all this cool stuff

doesn't mean
that I don't know

how to cook
something very humble.

My initial idea right now
is like the fish

with, like,
a shrimp bisque.

Koreans eat fish
for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

That is why I fell in love
with New Orleans.

It's all about
the seafood.

So, to make a dish
from my background, my cultures,

it's so personal.

That's how I like
to cook.

Ginger.

Luke, what you got
on your mind?

Man I'm making
mom's meatloaf, man.

That's what's up.

I'm going to make
my mom's recipe

for meatloaf in the style
of a
frikadelle,

which is
a Danish-style meatball.

Every time that I came back
from Copenhagen,

it was the first meal
that we would have.

There's a lot of feeling
behind it, you know.

I just hope
I can also do it justice.

Thank you very much.

Ashleigh, how you feeling
about this challenge?

I don't know
how I'm supposed to feel.

I have felt amazing before
a challenge and not done well.

And I've also felt not so great
about challenges

and I've done
really well too.

My mom always prepares
some sort of rice dish

when she wants everyone
to feel comforted.

I'm going to make
this Low Country crab rice

along with
my mom's oyster gravy.

She is
the gravy queen.

I mean, it's going
to be an exciting one.

We got all
that inspiration beforehand.

Fifteen minutes.

I'm making a
sope.

It's something that my grandma
used to make for me a lot.

So, I'm just trying to honor her
and then also honor my mom.

I'm making chorizo the way
she taught me how to make it.

Yeah, I would love
to try your chorizo.

Yes, I'm so excited.

For all of us,

this challenge
is extremely a personal one.

Six minutes!

It's been 12 years
since I left Korea.

I miss my home,

but I can feel
their support and love.

I hope that
through my dish,

the message can deliver
to the judges.

$494.83. I did it.

Get these beans cooking.

Don't you think
it's cool

that we're able to raise money
cooking for this fundraiser?

I think it's
absolutely incredible.

I always say
food is community.

When I think of what
a Top Chef is, absolutely,

it's technique, it's flavor,

but it's also being able
to connect with your community.

So much to do
and so little time.

Wow, we are all different.
Food brings us all together.

And that's why chefs
have to start seeing themselves

as community leaders.

- Forty-five minutes.
- Yeah.

What does soul food
mean to you?

It's something
that is cooked

with everything that you have,
basically your soul.

So, I'm making a version
of my mom's meatloaf.

It's something
that my mom always makes

every time
I came back from Europe.

It's like my absolute
comfort food from home.

My mom really
liked cooking.

I was an extremely picky eater
as a kid.

She made
a deal with me

that if I didn't like
any of the food that she made,

as long as I tried it,
I never had to eat that again.

I mean, I'm going
to try to elevate it

to see if I can make it
as good as my mom, you know?

That's the idea
of today,

putting love
into the food.

I feel my dad's
always with me

with--
with all the challenges.

But this one,
even more so.

It's a dish
that we had together

before he recently passed away.

Battling stage four cancer
was the worst.

The last day that I actually
got to spend with him,

I was crying
my eyes off

because I knew
it was the last time

I was going
to hug him

and he was just telling me
not to cry.

This is a guy that he was.

He didn't want me to have
any wasted moment.

Cooking from the heart. That's
how my dad used to say things.

That's why
he was really successful,

because every time
he cooked for someone,

not just family,
all of his customers,

he cooked with love.

The week my dad
passed away,

I got the phone call
to come on to
Top Chef.

I never got
to tell him,

but I feel like that was
a departing gift from him.

I know I can win
Top Chef.
I'm going to win it for him.

Jae, how's that cod
looking over there?

Oh, cod looks like a cod.
Thank you.

In Korea,
we cook whole fish.

And as a child,

my mom used to debone
the fish for me

and put it
on my spoon.

I'm making Korean
sweet potato puree.

With my dish,

I want to create
the moment

of a Korean baby eating fish.

Cooking a whole mess of
collard greens with ham hocks.

I'm gonna do some hoecakes as
well to kind of sop that up.

Slaves would
mix cornmeal with water.

They would heat
the blade of the garden tool

we know
as a hoe.

Cook corn cakes
on that blade.

So, I think
that all the ingenuity

that it took
to build Freedmen's Town

resonates with these hoecakes.

Trying to represent,
you know what I mean?

Putting these
two things together

is a perfect
marriage of storytelling.

Twenty minutes.

My brows are burning.

I don't think I can feel
my hands anymore, it's so cold.

But I got
to keep going.

I'm gonna shape up
the salmon cakes tomorrow.

I need to puree
those beets.

This challenge

is a lot of pressure.

Struggle is real here.

This is not just about
cooking for the judges.

There will be 100 guests

raising a fund
to rebuild the community.

Everybody packed up?

- Ready.
- Let's go.

Let's get out
of here.

Finally.

- All right. Let's do this.
- Here we go.

I'm cooking with feel today.

I don't want to say
that this challenge

is easy because they never are.

But this is a dish
that I've made

and that I love.
I feel really good about it

and I'm proud of it.

And I think
that the community will be, too.

Ashleigh, what do you
have to do before service?

My red rice,
pick through some crab,

and put my soul
into a dish.

What are you
getting started?

I'm adding
soy bean paste.

Soy bean paste is really
important to Korean culture.

Creating a dish
that is inspired by my mom,

it makes me very emotional.

How is it tasting
over there, Jae?

Just melting
in my mouth.

- One hour, chefs.
- One hour.

How much stuff do you have
on your plate for today?

I scrapped my whole
entire idea

and I'm going to do it
all from scratch again.

You're going to do it all
from scratch again?

No, I've just got
to season the potatoes

and start forming
my mom's meatloaf.

Buddha, how does
your curry taste?

I actually really miss this.
I haven't had this in a while.

This curry
is a Malaysian dish.

It's got a pretty predominant
flavor and clove and cinnamon,

and it just
packs a punch.

What would
your grandmother say

if she tasted
that curry, Buddha?

I think she'd love it.

If you made it this far
in your cheffing career,

you definitely
cook from the soul.

The pressure is,
"Have I done enough?"

Yum.

I got to start cooking
oat cakes

because that takes
a while.

Okay, 40. Yay.

I made the dough
from Maseca.

I've added beet puree
to make them nice and pink.

This beet
sope
is like a nod to my grandma.

She passed last year,

but she would
always get done up

even for
the simplest tasks.

I dyed her hair,
like, every few months

to not let
those grays show.

We're normally rolling by hand
but, you know, time restraints.

- Yeah.
- And then you sear both sides,

pinch the corners
to make it like a little bowl.

So, definitely a lot
of technique behind this.

That's awesome.

Everybody is really pulling

from their grandmas,
their moms.

I decided to cook
this dish

'cause it's something
my grandmother cooked a lot.

My mom used to cook
the whole fish all the time.

She's definitely
a tiger mom.

I feel like as a chef,
you know,

it's kind of our job
to educate those

about our history
and our culture.

My dad is
from the Low Country

and I mean, for me,

I didn't realize
how meaningful that was.

Preserving our foodways,

ensuring that those things
don't die.

I think it's really
going to be a hard one

because we're all really cooking
from our soul,

which is like, how can you,
like, judge that?

Damn, Nick.

That's Grandma there, man.

That is Grandma Nana.

Such a good woman, too.
Makes you almost want

to shed a tear.

Forty-one minutes.

My plan is to give guests
one
frikadelle

so that way it kind of
will represent a little bit

of that crusty corner,
the end bit

that I really enjoy
from my mom's meatloaf.

- Buddha, are you done?
- I am done.

Here I am
super worried about time.

What the?

- Are you going to be okay?
- Yeah. I b*rned the hoecakes.

The hoecakes
were cooking very slowly

and burning
in some places.

Got to get
these hoecakes right, sh--.

These things
take about six minutes,

and I can only cook
six at a time.

Three minutes.

Game time.

Time's up.

All right.
Here we go.

- Hello, ladies.
- Hi. Good afternoon.

Can I
hook you up?

I'm good.
How are you?

Guests are walking in

and I still haven't
figured this out.

I do not have
enough batter

to continuously throw these
in the garbage.

I'm from Australia.

My grandmother
would cook this curry

every time I come home.

I'm from Jackson, Mississippi.

Awesome.

- How are you today?
- I'm doing very well.

Things are moving slowly.

But after I burn
a few more,

I get a rhythm.

Just going to top you off with
a touch pepper vinegar.

I'm definitely going to have
to chat up a lot more

because I'm going
to be flipping hoecakes

and taking them
directly to plate,

which was
not the plan.

I was a chubby
little kid,

and I had this nickname
ever since then.

You are trying crab rice
with oyster gravy.

Wow. Look at this.

- This is beautiful.
- It is beautiful.

Three Proseccos,
please, thank you.

We ordered
the same thing.

Oh.

It's such a beautiful day.
Great to visit this church.

What was it
like yesterday?

It was so moving
and informative.

You know, because
I live here in Houston,

but I did not know
all of the stories

that were here
in Freedmen's Town.

Really honored
to even be here.

Hopefully they'll knock it out
of the park.

All right.
Let's go try some food.

Let's do it.

Dawn, you want
to come with us?

- Yeah. Let's go.
- All right.

- Your mom's recipe?
- Yeah, my mom's recipe.

- Thank you so much.
- My pleasure.

- Hi, Nick.
- What's going on?

- Good to see you, Gail.
- How are you?

I'm feeling good
about this challenge.

I get to connect
with the community.

So, today I brought
my grandmother here.

This is my nana,
which her name is Queen.

- Love that.
- Yeah.

She's always made salmon
cakes in a cast iron skillet.

And she always served it with,
like, a mayonnaise-based sauce.

I picked
sauce remoulade today.

She served it
with a salad, too.

So, today I'm making
a Hoppin' John salad.

It's so beautiful
that you're carrying on

the legacy
of your grandmother.

- Yes.
- Can definitely taste it.

Appreciate you.

I don't know about you,
but I feel like I'm tasting

the rebirth of Freedmen's Town.

I'm loving it.

I really appreciated
the brightness

in the acidity in that
Hoppin' John sort of salsa.

And how innovative is that
to take a traditional dish

like Hoppin' John
and use it as a condiment?

Seasoning was spot on,
it had acid,

it had just a little
kick at the end. Yeah.

I just want another one.
You know?

- Hello.
- Hi, Jae, how you doing?

I have Mama Kim's
flaked codfish

with a Korean sweet potato puree
and shrimp bisque.

Does she still
make this dish?

She came to visit me when
I used to live in New Orleans,

and she knew
that I missed the dish so much.

And after 20 hours' flight,
she made the dish for me.

- That is love.
- Yeah.

- Thank you so much.
- Thank you.

Very interesting dish.

I thought
it was great.

The capital of South Korea
is Seoul

and so she's--
she's got it.

She's got it.
The fish was perfectly cooked,

beautifully flaked.
All those fermented flavors,

it's hard
to go wrong.

That kimchi salad on top
with the pomegranate.

- Really, really good.
- I love that.

It was delicious.

That's one of those things,
you eat it and you go,

"Where have
you been all my life?"

I think maybe doing something

from her childhood
kind of unleashed

a confidence in her that I hope
we continue to see.

And it smells fantastic.
Can't wait to try it.

- Evelyn.
- Hello, judges.

So-- so yesterday we were
in here walking the streets,

touching the bricks.

It was so inspiring.

Preservation of our history,

our culture--

that's what I was trying
to translate into this dish.

My grandma taught me
how to make
sopes,

which is like
corn masa cake.

And then my mom taught me
how to make chorizo.

So, what I made
is a beet
sope.

Beautiful.

And then on top
we have pureed black beans,

my mom's chorizo recipe,

salsa verde,
charred pineapple pico

and then a little bit
of queso fresco.

I am so impressed by the use
of a vegetable in a
sope.

That's, like, totally
a progressive thing to do.

My mom does that. She adds,
like, spinach or beets,

and I was like, "Mom, we're
still eating carbs, right?"

But thank you.

- It's the illusion of health.
- That extra nutrition.

- Yeah. Exactly.
- It was well worth it.

Thank you, guys.

I don't know, that might
be my favorite.

I don't know.

beets. Sope.

Two words I love.

That maybe a top
for me today.

I can taste
the comfort in that dish.

She clearly took her roots, took
this memory, this comfort food,

and just worked a little bit
of chef magic in there.

- Hello, Mayor.
- Hey, Tom.

- Hi, councilwoman, how are you?
- Nice to see y'all.

Thank you so much
for being here and supporting.

Oh, our pleasure.
We've had a great time.

I'm just excited
to be working

with the Freedmen's
Town Conservancy

to make sure
that we hold on to it,

we restore it,
and we breath life into it.

- Absolutely.
- Thank you. Pleasure.

Cheers to the rebirth.

The words out,
there's good stuff here.

- That's what I hear.
- What are you making?

I am making collard greens
with hoecakes.

There's some smoked ham hocks
in the collard greens,

and then I have a little pepper
vinegar to drizzle over the top.

When I think about soul
I think about ancestry,

and I thought
about everything

that my grandmother and,
you know, the people that came

before her had to do
to get me to this point.

I just get really proud when
I think about where I come from.

In Southern cuisine, when
the greens hit the corn bread,

it is a match
made in heaven.

Well, thank
your ancestors for me

because that's really good.

More delicious food.

It just shows
you how a few things

put together really well
can be so delicious,

and that's what
he gave us.

I thought that it was
so deeply flavored and seasoned.

He did
his ancestors well.

Great dish, we're going to have
a hard time at judges' table--

- You know that, right?
- This is impossible. So far, I--

I can't see sending anybody home
for doing what they've done.

So, are you missing home
right now?

I'm so energized
that I can talk about my family,

and I just want
to show them my Mississippi.

The love in your eyes
is emanating through your soul

when you talk about this dish,
and the memories of your mother.

- Thank you so much.
- Thank you for sharing that.

I made a beet
and masa
sope.

Oh, I love the magenta color.
I think it's beautiful.

If you're trying
to understand someone's culture,

you eat their food,
you'll get it.

Thank you.
Thank you.

- Hello, hello.
- Hi, Ashleigh.

I have prepared some crab rice
and oyster gravy.

A nod
to the Low Country.

My dad, he's from
Edisto Island, South Carolina,

and he talks about how,
when he met my mom,

who is not from the Low Country,
she's from Southern Appalachia,

she made this
"boggy-style rice," he calls it.

So, it just meant that
her rice was really wet.

Definitely has
Low Country flavor.

- Good, good.
- Thank you so much, Ashleigh.

- Thank you.
- Thank y'all so much.

Did you all taste
that crab-fried rice?

- I did not.
- Oh, it's amazing.

I was expecting
some crispy bits of crab

and I did not
really get that.

I think
the oyster gravy was fine,

but I really was hoping
for some texture

that did not come
from the rice itself.

I'm not used to eating that
rice doused in gravy like that.

I think it was two things
that she loves,

and she put them together
and maybe didn't need to.

It's like, you know,
you're gilding the lily there.

Hey, what up,
brother?

How you feeling?
How you feeling?

- Good to see you,
- Good to see you.

- Hello, great to see you.
- Pleasure,

thanks
for being here today.

Absolutely.
I'm enjoying myself.

This is my hometown.

What do you think
of the food?

- Born and raised?
- Born and raised here.

Born and raised here.
The food's b*mb.

It's very special.
It's grounding, you know?

- Beautiful.
- Yeah, it is.

And liberating,

in the spirit
of Juneteenth, you know?

They're being creative
with their food.

This is Top Chef, man, this is how we give it up.

All right, listen, you know--
Kwame knows I'mma eat.

I have to get right on
to this booth.

- Hi, Luke.
- Hey, Luke.

What is a
frikadelle?

So,
frikadelle
is a Danish-style meatball.

So, that was the one
comfort food that I found

when I went
to Denmark.

I always miss
my mom's meatloaf,

it's the thing that I get first
when I come home,

so I took
my mom's recipe,

formed it into the form
of a
frikadelle

and served it
with a Danish-style

gravy which is
with a white cheddar mash.

Don't be shy
with those mashed potatoes.

- Did you enjoy this challenge?
- I did.

It was a very good feeling
in the tour yesterday

and everything that we got to
learn, it's been very surreal.

A lot of butter.

This is how I like
to eat at home.

Really lovely.
Thank you.

- Thank you.
- Glad you enjoyed.

This meatloaf.
It's very delicious.

Luke has been kind of,
like, all over the place.

I thought
he did a nice job.

Yesterday, finally,

Luke broke out of his shell
in the Quickfire.

Now, that said,
I think the meatball could use

- a little more fat.
- Yeah, it was a little tight.

It was very tight.

He's worked for such
a long time in

one restaurant that he needs
to break away from that,

and this seems
like it's more authentic.

I'm feeling
all the soul.

Like, people have been
hitting it out of the park.

Ashleigh's Low Country crab rice
with the oyster gravy?

And the salmon cakes?

- Oh, my gosh.
- Delicious.

We're just grateful,

I mean, not just for
these delicious dishes,

but for all the love
that's being shared here.

Super excited
to be here

and be doing this event
in this awesome church.

It's beautiful.

I'm topping off
a little hoecake

and then I'm going to do
what my grandma used to do

and put a little pepper
vinegar over the top.

- Ooh, good.
- Buddha.

What's up?
You're looking great, mate.

Buddha.
Smelling great.

So, this is
my grandma's curry.

Last time I went to go see her

she actually taught me
how to make it.

So, I'm making
nasi lemak.

It's got some
sambal on here,

cucumber is marinated in some
ginger, scallions, cilantro,

roasted peanuts
with some fried shallots.

You can mix it
all together

once you've, you know,
tried everything separately.

I've worked
around the world,

I've only spent probably
about two months back at home

in the last


and every time
I come back home,

my grandmother
would make this dish.

Beautiful. I'm full.

I was actually finished
a lot earlier than I should.

I didn't want to overthink it
or overwork it.

- Thank you, Buddha.
- Enjoy the rest of your--

You kicking us out
the restaurant?

No, no, no!

- Thanks, man.
- See you later. Thank you.

Buddha's
nasi lamek.

Individually,
it tastes really great,

and then when I ate it together
it needed salt.

It was missing that depth that
everything had individually.

I think you're right.

Nothing completely popped,
but I liked everything.

Fresh herbs would have went
a long way

just to bring some flavor to--
and some cohesiveness, right?

It felt compartmentalized.

Hi!
How are you?

Thank you,
I hope you enjoy.

I've made
my mom's meatloaf recipe,

but I've kind of made it
in the form of
frikadelle,

which is
a Danish-style meatball.

Pickled shallot brings a really
nice layer of flavor to this.

Appreciate it.

- That looks good. Thank you.
- Yeah.

What's comforting to me
and what comforts my soul.

For sure.

Tell me about
this oyster gravy.

I call my mom
the gravy queen.

I made my mom give me
a gravy lesson

after culinary school because
she's just so good at it.

A lesson on gravy.

All right, we've
got to go. Nice to see you.

Bye, y'all. Take care.

Thank you all
for being here today.

I hope you
really enjoyed yourself.

We now know that soul food comes
in many forms and fashions,

and everyone's mother
apparently made a dent

because I started
missing my momma

after I listened
to all these stories.

If you have enjoyed
the delicious food

that was prepared
by the chefs,

please give them
a Texas round of applause.

Share this story
of freedom,

what you've learned here today,
and keep up with us.

Learn more.
Come back and invite others.

Thank you
for being here today.

Thank you.

- Hi, guys.
- Hi.

So, what did you think
of the block party food?

My soul cup
is filled for sure.

- Yes, yes.
- There wasn't a bad dish.

- There was no bad dish.
- There were no bad dishes.

This is going
to be a hard decision.

- They all did so well.
- Absolutely.

All right, let's go back
to judges table.

- Finally.
- Yeah, really.

- Finally.
- We did it!

Perfect weather
for a block party.

I had a great time.

The vibes were just good,
I think, for all of us.

I think it was a great day,

there was a lot done
for the community.

I'm proud to have done this,
though, with you guys.

This is going to be
a hard judges' table.

Yeah, we'll be out
there for a nice, long time.

Probably one
of the hardest ones.

We had a glorious
day today

with delicious, soulful food,
and a beautiful cause

and just a wonderful afternoon
of love everywhere.

The crowd was really,
really into it,

and a lot of you went back
to something familiar

from your family,
and it was just great to see.

Today was a very special day.
I saw nothing but joy.

That's what cooking
from your soul is.

Buddha, tell me
how you came up with this dish?

It was the first dish
that came to my mind

and the only dish that I thought
about during this challenge.

What was
in the sambal?

I made, like, an

- sort of hybrid with a sambal.
- It was delicious.

I thought you did
a beautiful job,

but I would have turned
the heat up on the sambal.

That's actually
my only feedback

that isn't entirely positive,

was that we didn't get any more
bites of it as we ate it.

Take from that it was so good
they wanted more.

- Yeah.
- That's a good thing.

Nick, did you know right away
that you wanted to do

the salmon cake
and remoulade?

That's one of the things
that my nana has always mastered

and always
I've loved it,

so I definitely wanted
to feature it.

And it showed, the flavor,
I thought, was really great.

The real star of the dish,
though, was the beans.

Hoppin' John relish
was brilliant.

It was so acidic
and it made that dish.

You know, you packed
a lot of flavor

into that beautiful
salmon cake.

It was seasoned
in the best way, right?

Definitely I think
there was a lot of panko,

so I think the texture of
the salmon was a little lost,

but I love the pure flavor
of the salmon cake.

Okay.

Luke, I thought your
dish was so comforting.

I can really tell
that it meant a lot to you.

The only criticism I have
is that your meatball was tight.

I like the dish
a lot.

You had a bit of
a predicament, though,

because meatloaf,
you talked about you want

all the crispy bits
on the outside of the meatloaf,

but usually those meatballs
are cooked in the gravy, too.

Why did you go in that direction
to go with the crispy bits

versus cooking the meatball
in the gravy?

It made it maybe difficult
to cut into from time

but I thought there would be
also enough sauce on the plate

and the creaminess
from the mashed potatoes

to kind of
match that.

Best part of the meatloaf
is the crust, right?

Yeah.

Damarr.
You had immunity today.

I did.

This is Damarr
semi-relaxed right now

because he knows
he's not going anywhere,

and you shouldn't anyway
because that dish was delicious.

- Thank you.
- It was perfect collard greens.

The hoecake
was so tender,

when you ate it all together
with that acidic pepper vinegar,

it was a moment
of bliss.

When I was 18 I moved
to East Orange, New Jersey.

Right down
the street from my house,

Althea Gibson
had a soul food restaurant,

and that was my once-a-week
spot that I would go to.

It reminded me of walking
in and getting those greens.

Ashleigh, I thought
your gravy was delicious.

I wanted to take
a vat of it home.

And I thought
your rice was great, too.

I just didn't want all that
gravy on top of the crab rice.

I was so excited
when you described

the crispy bits
of crabs.

Did you
deep fry it?

I didn't deep fry it,
I griddled it

and just kind
of flipped it

and got those, like,
nice crispy brown bits.

I did miss
a little bit

getting the kind
of crispy crab rice pieces.

Evelyn, tell us
about your magenta
sopes.

So, for me-- Sorry,
I'm going to get emotional.

This one
really hit home.

I lost my grandma
last year.

And it's still
very fresh, obviously.

So, Grandma taught me
how to do the
sopes

and my mom taught me
how to make chorizo.

There was
a bit of you

and there was lots
of your grandma and your mom.

You were standing on
a lot of shoulders, you know?

I loved your dish.
Your chorizo was delicious.

I love the color on your
sopes,
I love the texture.

And such brightness
from that pineapple salsa,

what a punch
in the mouth.

The only thing that I didn't
like was that it was so small.

I just wanted
it bigger, you know?

You should be proud

and I know your grandmother
is proud of you for that.

Thank you. Thank you.

- Jae, tell us a little bit--
- Oh, my God--

- more about this dish.
- I was born and raised in Korea

but I grew up
as a chef in New Orleans,

so I wanted to cook
these two cuisines.

It was absolutely delicious.

I mean, everything
about the dish was thoughtful,

had intention.
The fish was perfectly cooked.

All those fermented flavors
were just the perfect amount.

I wanted more and more.

Dawn b*at me
to taking the relish.

The relish was so good,
I was going to grab it

and Dawn pretty much pushed me
out of the way to grab it.

And I was like, wow,
it came together beautifully

in a way
that I couldn't even imagine,

and so thank you
for teaching me today.

It was beautiful.

If you couldn't
tell already,

we totally enjoyed
ourselves today.

Body and soul.

But we are still
in a competition,

so we have a terrible
decision to make now.

We'll call you back in a bit.
Thank you all.

Nice job, everyone.

- Well, that was weird.
- Good job.

Where's my Lukey?

Way to make it
very hard for the judges.

Everyone did a great job.

I mean,
I don't think

I've ever seen the judges'
table like that before.

I'm incredibly proud,
incredibly happy

and I think everybody
should, you know?

I feel bad sending someone home
for the food we had today.

I mean, it was a joyful,
celebratory day

of learning and preservation
and education and emotion.

It's almost impossible
to make this decision.

- But the competition must go on.
- Yes.

But we also have to decide
who won this challenge today.

Person I think that
really embraced the challenge

and also made me think
was Jae.

That dish, I remember eating
it and being a little confused,

but also being
extremely satisfied.

She did something
entirely unique today.

She created something new that
was this instant comfort food.

Cooking your soulful dish
to people who are excited

and thrilled
about that moment,

that was very special.

So, I certainly like Jae's,
but I can make an argument

just for the sheer simplicity
and the audacity to do something

that simple but
so damn good was Damarr.

- Yeah.
- I mean, just something

about the simplicity of it
that I loved,

and that he knew
to just leave it alone.

Damarr's dish was simple,
but familiar to me.

I just expect
really good greens

and that's exactly
what he gave me.

If there were any way
to make greens more perfect,

I don't think
that that even exists.

They got some
really tough jobs.

Like, our jobs are tough,
obviously, but like, that's--

Hey, I was looking
at the lights,

like, these lights
gon' dry my eyes up.

- So, we have our winner.
- Mm-hmm. Yup.

Yes? Great.
Now the hard part.

Padma, this is really hard,
but I think Luke's meatball

was the most flawed out of
anything that I've tasted today.

It was tough.

Meatloaf is tender
and it's juicy

and-- you know, and you can get
everything in one bite.

When you used the word "juicy"
just now, it really hit home

that I really liked the flavors
in Luke's dish today.

It wasn't juicy,

and when you give us
a point of reference

of your mom's meatloaf,

it did not hold up
in consistency.

You also have
to think about conceptually

how we're eating it,
you know.

We're walking around
and taking a plate from a booth.

We shouldn't have
to put it down to then cut it,

and that's
what I had to do.

But a
frikadelle,
which he referred to,

is supposed to be crispy
on both sides,

so that was
his intention.

You know, yeah,
there was maybe a couple little,

you know, technical problems
or whatever

but I'm very happy with
what they all said, you know?

- What about Ashleigh?
- That's what I thought.

- You didn't like Ashleigh's.
- I didn't love Ashleigh's, yeah.

I thought the flavors
of Ashleigh's dish were great.

For me, I was missing
the texture of the crab

and I definitely thought

that she could have benefitted
from plating it differently.

All of the flavors for me
were a little bit lost.

What I was looking for
was not matched in that plate.

I like
the dish, though.

There was something about it
that was just familiar

and I thought
it was good.

I was tasting
that rice

and I was like,
"My mom would be proud,

"my dad would be proud,
the ancestors would be proud,"

and that's it
for me.

What did you think
of Buddha's, Kwame?

Buddha's individually
when I tasted the stuff,

the curry was delicious,

I thought it could have used a
little more salt and more heat.

That dish
was not very strong

compared to the rest
of the dishes.

Buddha's dish needed
a little more heat.

- It did need more heat.
- The sambal and the curry.

But I really liked
all the components.

But, yeah, it's going to be
a super tough one, you know?

And anyone
could go home.

Ugh, this was
such a great day

and such
a difficult decision

and now we have
to send someone home.

Okay, let's get them
out here.

Chefs, all of you
cooked stupendous food today,

but there can
only be one winner.

The chef that won today,
put their soul into it

and really embraced
the challenge at its essence.

The winning chef
today is...

...Jae.

Congratulations, Jae.

You truly made
a completely soulful dish

that was both
inspiring and enlightening.

- It was beautiful.
- Thank you so much.

There are so many people
who have supported me.

You know, they are the reason
why I'm here

and I'm glad
that I make them proud.

I am very happy
to win this one

because this is
my personal story.

I put my own
spin to it

and my mom
should be really proud,

and I am
also proud.

Congratulations, Jae.

Thank you so much.

And now
for the hard part.

We had such
a wonderful day

of really,
really delicious food,

but we're still
in a competition

and so someone
is still going home.

You know, chefs, when we go out
and we get experience

and we learn the techniques,
we learn how to run a kitchen,

but we never get too far away
from where we started,

and I think that's what
this challenge was about today.

It was about going back
to why we do what we do,

and each of you
put your food out there.

It was quite magical.

But there was
just one dish

that fell a little bit short
than the rest of them.

Luke.

Please pack your knives
and go.

- I'm so sorry, Luke.
- Listen, it's not over yet.

I'll see you
in
Last Chance Kitchen.

Thank you very much.

I think this was
a really difficult decision

that they had to make
and at the end of the day

someone had to go, so I'm
leaving with my head held high.

And Luke, keep doing
what you're doing.

I was so happy to taste
that corner you turned

so I'm looking forward
to you finding yourself more

in all that technique
you already possess.

Thank you.

It sucks
to go home.

Made it all the way
to number seven.

Quick toast before I'm out?

Yeah? Quick toast?

I don't know
if anybody is ready to leave.

I'm just happy to have swam
in the same pool as everybody.

This is an absolute
amazing bunch of people.

Just honored
to be in this group.

I fell in love
with cooking

because there was always
an opportunity to learn.

Pleasure, brother.

And you are never
going to stop learning.

I'm excited to continue
on this journey.

Tonight.

Luke enters
Last Chance Kitchen.

Let's get 'er done.

He struggled with seasoning
throughout the competition.

That's not what I think it is.
Oh, sh--.

Now can he cook
his way back?

I'm just shocked.

Find out now
on demand

or wherever
you stream
Top Chef.

Next time
on
Top Chef...

For this challenge,

you'll have to create
a dish for astronauts.

Welcome to the
International Space Station.

- Wow!
- What is that?

This is going to be
a lot of fun.

What's that down there, Nick?
The mix 27?

Twenty-six, come on now.

You know who else liked it?
My man, Tony.

I would really hate to get
this far in a competition...

What the?

...to go home over something
as simple as overcooked rice.

There were a lot
of missed opportunities.

- Oh, my God.
- The bottom line,

I think you can do way better.

Don't say that.