01x03 - New Cooks, New Tricks

[bunniefuu]

[man] The next generation
of chefs,

they cook like me.

[Cesarina] Modern food
and traditional food,

if you put them together,

they can do amazing things.

[Liza] Innovators
and game changers,

they are our future.

And the future is here.

[indistinct chatter]

[upbeat music playing]

[Liza] This looks crazy.

[singer] ♪ Get ready
For new reality ♪

[Liza]
This is Chopped Next Gen.

[man] I wake up
in the morning,

I live for this.

Whoo, I like it.

We're looking for some
culinary innovation a threat.

[woman] We're just coming in
and we're breaking up

the system.

[singer] ♪ Get ready
For new me ♪

[Liza] Dishes to transport
our taste buds

into the future.

[singer] ♪ Get ready
'Cause you're gonna like
What you see ♪

Okay. Boom.

-What?
-Oh.

[Liza] Oh, oh, oh.

[upbeat music playing]

Today, we have four new chefs

who are pushing the limits
of what we all thought

was possible in the kitchen.

So let's meet them.

[upbeat music playing]

[Cesarina] My home country
is Rome, Italy.

So, I like to bring
the same comfort food,

but execute it
in a modern way.

I'm a very young girl,

but I'm the chef owner
of Italian Cescurina.

We make all of our product
from scratch.

Each ravioli is made by hand.

I think that modern food
and traditional food,

if you put them together,

you can do amazing things.

[upbeat music playing]

[Benjamin] My style of cooking
is fine dining

French technique
with worldly flavors.

I have a lot of powerhouse
things on my resume

including three Michelin star
restaurant in DC,

school in France.

I am the most competitive
person probably in the world.

I'm going to win
because I am the best.

Good luck.

[upbeat music playing]

[Mika] I am known
for Cuban comfort food,

but I like to
put a modern twist

on things that
I grew up eating

and my parents grew up eating.

The definition
of a next generation chef

would be someone
that's breaking barriers.

And it's, you know, badass.

If you're on a diet, this is
what you don't wanna eat.

I'm bringing
to the competition some fire,

some caliente energy,
and a little bit of surprises.

[upbeat music playing]

[Jackson] My cooking
can best be described

as rustic
with refined technique.

The thing that will
set me apart is

I trained in
Michelin star kitchens

for about ten years.

I wanna represent for
the next generation of chefs,

getting back to basics

and cooking food
for the people.

I am one of the next
great chefs of our generation.

Chefs, best of luck
out there,

but, I got this one
in the bag.

[dramatic music playing]

What up, chefs?
How we feeling?

-Feeling good.
-Perfect.

[speaking in Italian]

[Liza] Now, you're here
because you got skills

and you're gonna need to
use them

in order to earn the title of

Chopped Next GenChampion.

Do that, and you'll walk away
with $10,000.

I'm ready.

Remember,
there are three rounds today.

The judges will be
evaluating you based on taste,

presentation, creativity,

as well as
culinary innovation.

And if your dish
doesn't deliver that,

well then you will be chopped.

Chefs, go ahead
and put your hot little hands

on those crates.

Bust it open in three,
two, one,

open up your crates.

What?

[Liza] What you got
in those crates

are beet Wellington.

-[Jackson] Beet or beef?
-Beet.

[Jackson] I have no idea

what I'm gonna do
with a beet Wellington.

[Liza] You also got
fish collars.

-[Benjamin] Fish collars?
-Which is b*mb.

Some sort of shell,
bean, or pea.

[Liza] Green chickpeas

and craft beer jelly.

Thinking it's gonna be tough.

[Liza] Chefs,
you have 20 minutes

for your appetizer round

and the clock starts now.

Whoo, come on, chefs,
let's go.

-Let's go. Let's go.
-[Benjamin] Come on, let's go.

Whoo!

[Liza] Now the judges looking
to be electrified today are...

Cuisine pioneer
Esdras Ochoa.

I expect to see a lot
of fireworks today.

[Liza] Classically
French-trained chef,

Nyesha Arrington.

I mean it's gonna come down
to technique, right?

[Liza] And award-winning chef
and restauranteur,

Kwame Onwuachi.

Guys, we have $10,000
on the line.

I need to see you push.

Okay.

[Liza] Judges,
what kind of reinvention

and new approaches
are we wanting to see

from our chefs today?

You should be asking yourself,

what am I going to
almost teach these judges

about this technique
and about these ingredients.

I mean there's definitely
no room for error, right?

[Kwame] Yeah and,
teach us some things.

-[Nyesha] Exactly. Yes
-That's what we're here for,
right?

[Jackson] Next gen chef
to me is

not someone who can gain

a massive TikTok following

and fizzle out
after a few months.

Next generation of chefs

are making modern
interpretations of classics,

that's what I do.

I am comfortable
with fish collars

because I've eaten them
in Japanese restaurants

and I immediately
think of tare.

It's like a basting condiment

often used
in Japanese cuisine.

But I'm gonna make
a wood-fired

hamachi collar with tare

and green garbanzo crumble.

Tare is soy-based
with a touch of sake,

mirin, to the sauce,
some chili paste.

[Kwame] I'm most excited
about these fish collars.

[Liza] Okay.
Tell me about them.

[Kwame]
I love hamachi collars.

-Speak on it. Speak on it.
-[Kwame] So much flavor

and they're so fatty.
It's just right by the belly.

-[Nyesha] Absolutely.
-My favorite part of the fish.

[Nyesha] Absolutely.

[Liza] How would you cook
up fish collars, Nyesha?

[Nyesha] Well,
hamachi collar loves high heat

and I love to sometimes
deep fry

-or serve it crispy.
-Okay.

[Mika] For me, it's
definitely really important

to keep my family traditions
and recipes alive.

So, I immediately think
of making a tostada

and frying up
those fish collars

and putting it as a topping.

I'm making a fish collar
tostada

and a chipotle chickpea crema.

In 20 minutes,
I have to break it down,

my heart is beating
out of my chest.

You just got to be
really careful

because it's really bony

and I don't wanna
feed the judges bone.

[upbeat music playing]

[Cesarina] Let's see
how they taste like.

Green chickpeas,
what is the difference

between green chickpeas
and chickpea chickpeas?

[Kwame] Well, they're fresh.

They haven't been
taken the time

to ripen on the plant.

The trick is you have to

peel off that membrane.

[Cesarina]
The green chickpeas,

they are very hard to open,

but when I've tried them,

immediately reminds me
of the fava beans.

And what we do in Italy
for the 1st of May

is combining fava beans
with pecorino cheese.

I decide to make
chopped green garbanzo salad

and some shaved
pecorino romano

with sesame-crusted
fish collar.

I never work
with fish collar before,

but I am confident
about my skills

and I'm pretty sure that
the result will be amazing.

[Benjamin] Fish collars
are super bony

and not super fun
to break down.

But they're great fried.

So I'm gonna make
crispy fish with lentils.

Lentils can be a tricky thing
with only 20 minutes.

But I'm using lentils
because I believe

they go well
with the green chickpeas.

Now we're cooking
with some heat.

[upbeat music playing]

[Liza] All right, chefs,
you have ten minutes

on the clock, half time.

[Esdras] Ten minutes left,
chefs.

Let's go, chefs.

[Liza] Can someone
tell me what beet,

beet Wellington is?

It's a classic dish, right?

So you're gonna have
mushroom puree.

Traditionally,
you'll see it with beef,

and, you know,
they have that puff pastry,

which they could use
as a crisp

and the beet of course.

Beet Wellington was like
a party trick in the 1960s.

-We wanna see something new.
-[Liza] Right.

We wanna see something fresh.

We're looking for
innovation presentation,

plating techniques,
I think color.

The color of the beets,
it's gonna come through

-right there.
-Yeah.

[Mika] So, I wanna use
that puff pastry

from the beet Wellington

into my breading
for my fried fish collar.

So, I put it
in a food processor,

add some bread crumbs,

some cumin, garlic powder.

Okay. And how would you
whip that up, Esdras?

He stole all my recipes.

I'm blown away.

[Mika] And going back
to Cuban inspiration,

I think what better
than a black bean salsa?

I grew up in a family
of cooks and chefs.

My grandfather was the owner
of several restaurants

and I open a food truck
alongside my mom.

I think
being a next gen chef

comes with a great
responsibility

to keep passing down
the traditions,

but also keeping it modern

to inspire the next gen.

[speaking in Italian]

[Liza] So, how would you
describe craft beer jelly?

The craft beer jelly
has a good amount

of sweetness to it,
so there's a good

-sort of IPA flavor,
very hoppy.
-[Liza] Okay.

[Esdras] You definitely taste
beer in it.

But it's got
a lot of sugar content.

I think you do
a nice glaze with it

and that could be very nice

to put in the wood oven,
give it a nice crust

-with the sugar in it.
-Okay.

[Jackson] I'm stumped
on the beet Wellington,

but I associate a touch
a sweetness with tare,

so both the beet
and the jelly have sweetness.

It's not typically
done with collar,

but I think it will work
with something sweet like...

Ew.

All right. That's gross.

So, I add some to the tare

and I'm just praying
that it works.

The wood-fired oven,
it's right next to me,

I can smell the smoke.

It's almost permeating me.

So, I feel like
the flavor of that smoke

would go well with fish.

[Kwame] This just then,
we got glaze going on

-over in the pizza oven.
-[Nyesha] Nice.

-Oh, nice.
-Here we go.

[Cesarina]
I open the beet Wellington

and I see
they are cold beets.

So I blend them
with creme fraiche

and the beer jelly

to make a sweet beet puree.

[blender hissing]

[Cesarina] Can I get some
of your bread crumbs?

-[Mika] Yeah, babe. Yeah.
-[Cesarina] Thank you.

For the fish collar
I decide to make turmeric

and sesame fried,
crusted fish collars.

What's really make my cuisine
next generation

is that I deliver
very original comfort food.

But execute it
in a modern way.

[Benjamin]
I take the chickpeas

and cook them in a stock.

With the craft beer jelly,
I'm making beer gastrique

using Champagne vinegar

and I'm gonna glaze
the fried fish with it.

At 20 years old, I worked at
three Michelin star

The Inn at Little Washington.
I then proceed

to have a short study abroad
in Paris.

I get my confidence
from the experiences

that I have and the education
that's under my belt.

[upbeat music playing]

[Liza] Chefs,
you have five minutes left.

-Five minutes left.
-Mexican crema,

I'm gonna do a chipotle
Mexican crema.

And I'm gonna add
my chickpeas right in there,

hopefully they boil down.

I'm peeling these
extremely hot chickpeas

that are burning
my fingertips.

[Nyesha] Wow. Chef Mika
has got something going down.

Very hot. [chuckles]

-[Nyesha] Oh.
-[Kwame] She's pushing.

[Nyesha] Oh, let's go,
chef Mika.

[Mika]
Things are getting real now

and I'm just praying
that it comes off

because I don't think
it's enough time

to execute this.

Oh, it's gonna suck.

[Nyesha] Whoo,
let's go, chefs.

[Kwame] Let's go,
let's go, let's go.

[Mika] I have to make
the chipotle chickpea crema.

And the chickpeas,
they're burning my hands

but definitely wanna
get enough

for each portion.

And then I still have to
fry my fish.

I'm gonna bread it
in my puff pastry

and bread crumb.

-[Liza] Come on.
-Come on, chefs.

[Kwame] It's all about
the game plan.

I have zero plan
as to what to do

with this beer jelly,
so last minute,

I put it into my egg wash.

[Nyesha] Let's go, chef Mika.

Come on, chef Mika.

[Benjamin] With the beets
I'm going to puree them

to make a beautiful,
smooth puree.

I add some stock,
salt, and a lot of lemon.

I'm feeling good.

The real question is
how are my lentils feeling.

Maybe not so good.

[Esdras] Two minutes left.
This is coming to the court.

[Cesarina] I hear that
they have two minutes left.

I start getting completely
into panic.

I smashed the beet,
put it on the plate.

Then I put
the green chickpeas,

with olive oil
and some shaved cheese.

Okay. Look,
we got some parmesan shards...

Pecorino.

[Liza] What's that combination
of fish and cheese?

Interesting.

[Jackson] The green chickpeas,

I blanched and fried them

and then I blended it
with the puff pastry.

[Nyesha] Come on.

Let's go, guys, big push.

[Liza] Yeah, chef,
one minute left.

-One minute.
-[Esdras] Come on, chefs.

[Kwame] Let's go, Ben,
let's go.

You got this. You got this.

[Esdras] Let's see that
innovation, chefs, come on.

[Nyesha]
A countdown is coming.

[Liza] Ten, nine, eight...

-[Liza] Seven, six, five...
-Seven, six, five,

[Liza] ...four, three,
two, one.

-[Esdras] All right.
-[Liza] Hands up.

-Fingers off your food!
-Wow.

[Esdras] Wow.
That was intense.

[Mika] That was tough,
but I think the dish

represents me.

And looking at the other
competitor's dishes,

I feel most confident

that mine is the
best-looking dish.

[Jackson] I feel like if you
rang out my clothes right now,

you could make soup.

[laughs]

And when I'm nervous,
I tend to laugh a lot

and I'm very nervous
right now.

[intense music playing]

[Liza] Chefs,
in your appetizer crate,

you were given
beet Wellington,

fish collars,

green chickpeas,

and craft beer jelly.

Chef Ben, please tell us
what's on your dish.

Sure. I did
a beer glaze fish collar

over lentils and beet coulis,

and I made a gastrique
with the jam

using champagne vinegar.

[Liza] So Chef Ben, you are
the youngest chef here.

-Yes, I am.
-[Liza] Yeah,

how do you feel about that?
Feel confident?

[Ben] Yeah,
I feel pretty good.

Age does not matter.

I've experience that people
double my age

are jealous of.

-[Kwame] Oh, okay.
-[Liza] Oh.

All right, all right.

[Nyesha] Well, thank you
for this very sort of

Jackson Pollock-esque
plating approach.

Definitely next gen.

And there's a beautiful
brightness to this dish.

It seems very playful.

[Esdras] I love lentils

but I find that
these are undercooked.

-Okay.
-[Esdras] Not to the point

where I...
Where I hate the dish

but I do wish they were
slightly better cooked.

[Benjamin] Sure.
Maybe next time

we should have five
or seven minutes

to the time.

I'll talk...
I'll talk to the producers.

-Maybe.
-[Ben] Absolutely.

[Kwame] The lentils are very,

very underdone for me.

And the chickpeas still had
their outer membrane.

-Yes, sir.
-Thank you so much, Chef Ben.

-[Benjamin] Thank you.
-[Liza] Chef Mika.

I made for you guys today
a Fried Collar Fish Tostada

with a black bean salsa

and a chipotle chickpea crema.

[Nyesha] Chef Mika,
the breading

on your hamachi collar
is quite fantastic.

Thank you.

[Nyesha]
I enjoy the texture.

That crunch
is absolutely craveable.

The dish is playful. It's fun.

But the most
exciting part for me

on the ingredient list
was the beets.

Why? Just because of
the vibrancy of the color.

You know,
it's a perfect tool

to pop this out of the park.

I don't see any representation
of that on the dish.

[Kwame] I think if I ordered
this at a restaurant,

the first thing
I would say was

can I get
another plate of this?

-Thank you, chef.
-[Kwame] It's delicious.

I can taste soul.

That's what the next
generation chef

is gonna bring.
But then if someone

was to tell me that
there was beet wellington

in here, beer jelly,

I would say where?

It's just missing, you know.

-[Liza] Thank you, Chef Mika.
-Thank you.

Chef Cesarina.

So what I made for you
today, chefs,

is a sesame crusted
fish collar

on top of creme fraiche,
beets, and beer jelly puree

with green chickpeas
brunoise

and sheep pecorino.

The name of the dish
is Primo Maggio,

the first of May.

And I gave this name to it

because the green chickpeas

reminds me of fava beans.

And what we do in Italy
for the 1st of May,

we eat fava beans,
just raw fava beans

with pecorino cheese.

So I'm very attached
to my Italian culture.

Every time
I have something to cook,

there's always
something Italian in it.

So I wanted to bring it
in my dish.

Amazing. Introducing
your identity on a plate.

Yes.

[Nyesha] I definitely see you

and your culture
on this plate.

And I actually adore
the chickpeas.

It's beautiful.
It's a very inventive way

to bring such a special
ingredient to life.

Thank you.

I think the presentation
was beautiful.

The crispiness on this fish
is superb.

But the puree,
adding beer jelly to the beet,

it resulted
in a very strange texture.

[Esdras] The sauce,
even though

it's beautifully colored,

I think it's missing
some finesse.

It's not smooth.

But it tells a story.

It's taking me to Italy.

I see yourself on this dish.

Thank you.

Chef Jackson.

Chefs, I have for you
a wood-fired hamachi collar

with beet tare
and green garbanzo crumble.

[Esdras] Chef Jackson,
I love the fact

that you used stonewood oven.

It shows the marks properly.

I don't think I could've
cooked it better myself.

It's juicy.
It's tender inside.

It's got a crust.

The use of the beets,
you know, that was lovely.

[Nyesha] Chef Jackson,
what an imaginative

inventive way to use beets.

I mean, that is truly
a display

of reinventing an ingredient.

It's absolutely stunning.

But there's a little bit
more fish to that sauce

than I would've liked.

When I eat hamachi collar
that has a tare on it

or a glaze, I want it to be
dripping with that sauce.

And the beer jelly
is lost in this sauce

because there is such
a small amount of it.

And when I think of a crumble,

I think of something crunchy.

And to have soggy bread

and blanched green chickpeas,

those aren't two things
I would put together.

-Sure.
-Thank you, Chef Jackson.

All right. Clearly,
you've given our judges

a lot to marinate on.

Thank you, Chefs.

[Jackson] After hearing
the judges' critiques,

I think Jackson, you suck.

This was terrible.
What's wrong with you?

Cooked the fish okay
but that's about it.

[Mika] I think
the judges overall

are really happy
with the dish

but my competitors definitely
are extremely talented

and honestly after round one,

I have no idea
who's getting chopped.

[dramatic music playing]

[Liza] So whose dish
is on the chopping block?

Chef Ben,
you have been chopped.

-Judges.
-[Kwame] You know, Ben,

the lentils
were severely undercooked.

And the chickpeas still had
their outer membrane on them.

-Sure.
-For these reasons,

-you've been chopped.
-Absolutely.

Thank you. I appreciate it.

[Liza] Thank you, Chef Ben.

[Benjamin] It's a bummer
but I think

there's always stars to
reach for

and I'll continue to do that

until I reach the moon.

[upbeat music playing]

[Liza] Chef Cesarina,

Chef Mika, Chef Jackson,

you're going to have to
really cook up some magic

with your entree crates
if you want to move forward

and win that 10 grand.

Can you taste it?

How you feeling over there?

Feeling good.

Hands on crates.

Okay. Open them up.

[Jackson] All right.
No idea what that is.

[Liza] You are working
with a cured tuna heart.

[Mika] Smells fishy.

It's gross.

[Cesarina] Samita skewers.

[Liza] Beef kebabs.

We have some mushrooms.

[Liza]
King oyster mushrooms.

[Jackson] All right.

[Liza] And kimchi fries.

Not sure exactly
what I'm gonna do here.

[Liza] All right, chefs.

You've got 30 minutes
for your entree round.

And that clock,
that starts now.

Go get them, chefs. Get them.

-[Kwame] Let's go.
-[Liza] Let's go.

[Esdras] I'm very excited
about this crate.

The kimchi fries.
I could eat that alone

-and I'm happy.
-[Nyesha] Absolutely.

Kimchi is definitely one
of my most favorite things.

-All right.
-[Nyesha] This napa cabbage

that's been seasoned
with gochugaru,

which is like a sort of
smoky Korean chili flake,

some fresh garlic,
tons of depth of flavor,

and a lot of umami.

[Kwame] I'm always excited
to eat French fries.

I'm a French fry sl*t.

So give it to me
any kind of way.

But I wanna see something new.

-[Liza] Right.
-[Kwame] So taking that

and altering it into something

that does not resemble
French fries,

something I'm gonna be
looking for.

[Cesarina] Being here
as a next generation chef,

I really want to
challenge myself.

So I decide to
turn the kimchi fries

into a potato dough gnocchi.

I want to make fried gnocchi

stuffed with beef pate.

So I start blending
the French fries

and getting
my gnocchi dough ready.

[Liza] Chefs are working with
some wild ingredients
this round.

A cured heart.
Can you someone tell me

how you cure a heart?
I'm working with a broken one.

-Oh.
-Just kidding.

-I break hearts, girl.
-[Nyesha] Okay. I got it.

I knew you were...
I knew you were...

[Liza] What does
a cured heart taste like?

[Nyesha] Salt, right?
Salt's essentially

going to be
what's gonna cure it.

and that tuna heart
actually takes on

a lot of salt flavor to it.

It's not a piece of the tuna
that you're gonna

wanna saute or sear.

[Kwame] I would grate it.
I would get a microplane out,

finish a dish with it.

Super umami, lots of salt.
It's actually delicious.

[Mika] Tuna heart,
I already know that

it's gonna be salty.

So I kind of
wanna downplay that,

so I'm gonna microplane it

with some breadcrumbs,
pecorino cheese,

and a little bit
of olive oil

to make a tuna heart crumble.

[Liza] Chef Mika is doing
exactly what you suggested,

grating the tuna heart.

-Oh, yeah.
-[Liza] Yeah.

It's a good way
to incorporate that flavor.

I'm so excited. That's great.

[Mika] And then my game plan
for my dish

is Picadillo because
I grew up eating Picadillo.

So for the base,
I'm putting some shallots,

bell pepper and garlic.

So I'm making a Sofrito.

It's basically the base
of every Cuban dish.

And I'm going to incorporate
the mushrooms

right into the Sofrito,

which I've never done before.

-Come on.
-Develop those flavors.

[Jackson] The first thing
that goes through my mind

is to make a pasta
with a ragout

and use the kimchi fries
as part of the base

for a potato foam.

I'm gonna make an Orecchiette

with a pork sausage
Sugo Bianco

and potato and tuna foam.

So I incorporated the kebabs
by grinding the beef.

And using the onions
as part of the base.

We call it a Sofrito
for the ragout.

And I add some mushrooms,
butter oil,

a little bit of tuna heart.

My restaurant,
my ragout normally takes

four to six years,
sometimes ten.

Let's go, chef.

[Mika]
Anybody have white wine?

-I got it here. here you go.
-[Mika] Thank you.

Thank you, thank you,
thank you.

[Liza] Chefs, you have
less than 20 minutes left.

-Let's go.
-[Kwame] Let's go, let's go.

[Mika] I decide to cook
the beef chunks

with some cherry tomatoes,

some chopped
red onions

and white wine.

And then I chop the heads
of the oyster mushroom

and I saute them
with the butter, sage,

and a drizzle of olive oil.

So in my family,
we always loved food.

My dad had a battery shop
and my mom,

she's one of the best cook
I ever seen in my life.

She's really an idol for me.

She really help me become
the person I am today.

So I hope to win for my mom.

[Mika] I need to break down
these kebabs.

So I'm grabbing the meat
and I'm throwing it

into my food processor.

And then into my Sofrito.

And then I put a little bit
of tomato paste.

And then the juices
of the whole canned tomato.

I definitely would attribute
my success

to the lessons that my mom
has passed on to me.

And speaking
about next generation,

it's where you see
the old school mentality

kind of meshing
with my idea of dishes

that are relevant now.

There's nothing better.

[Liza] Chefs, you have
ten minutes on the clock.

Exactly ten minutes.

[Jackson]
I use the kimchi fries

by scraping off
all of the kimchi.

And using the fries
as part of the base

for my potato foam.

I decided to make
the potato foam very rich

in umami flavor
by adding the tuna

straight into the foam.

And I've added some russets

to increase
the starch content,

and some Ultratex as well

just to help
with the texture.

I'm up against an Italian,

she is hand making gnocchi

whereas I am
blanching orecchiette.

And the only thought
that goes through my mind

is oh, [bleep].

So I could've done something
much more easier

but I really wanted to show
my skills.

And I'm gonna stuff
the gnocchi

with this beef pate filling.

[Liza] Chef Cesarina
is taking her French fries

and transforming them
into a gnocchi.

Wow.

[Liza] Her Italian
background again.

That is so smart.

[Kwame] There's nothing
that screams next generation

than French fry gnocchi.

A hundred percent.

[Liza] Chefs,
you have five minutes.

[Esdras] Come on, chefs.

[Mika] So I look at
the French fries

and I immediately think
I wanna make

kind of like a tostone.

So we're going to break
them down,

kind of flatten it out,
and I'm gonna press them.

But for some reason,

it's just not
sticking together.

That's not gonna work.

[Mika] I think the kimchi
made the fries soggy.

It's just not
sticking together.

That's not gonna work.

So my first thought
is when in doubt, fry.

[Esdras] So it looks like
Chef Mika's

grill press stopped working.

-[Nyesha] Wow.
-I think she's throwing them

into... directly in the fryer.

It's all about innovation
and resiliency.

This is what we wanna see
from next generation chefs.

French fried filled gnocchi.

We wanna see
French fry tostones

and then pivot on the dime.

[Jackson] I pour the potato
fries cream mixture

into the ISI, please work.

And I start spraying
the foam on the plate.

Chefs, your final minute
is happening now.

One minute left.

Guys, we have $10,000
on the line.

Oh, man.
This is intense.

[Cesarina]
I still have the gnocchi

with a touch of water,
sage, and the tuna hearts,

I grate on top of my dish.

[Liza] This is a $10,000 dish.

Let's go, let's go, let's go.

[Liza] You're gonna hate me
for this, but...

Ten, nine, eight,

seven, six, five, four,

-three, two, one.
-[Esdras] Yeah.

Hands up.
Fingers up, chef.

[Esdras] Well done, chefs.
Good job.

-Good job.
-Great job.

Heart attack.

Why do you guys
gotta do me like this?

[Mika] I could've done just
a ready-made pasta.

That's not what I wanted
to show today.

I hope the judges gonna like
that I made

something from scratch.

[dramatic music playing]

[Liza] Chefs,
your entree crate included

cured tuna hearts,
beef kebabs,

king oyster mushrooms,
and kimchi fries.

Chef Mika, please walk us
through what's on the plate.

I made for you
a Picadillo topped

with a fried egg
and I made a tuna heart

breadcrumb crumble.

This dish represents me
to a T.

My grandfather
was a restaurateur.

My mom had a catering company
in our backyard.

And these are things
that I learned from them.

And it just makes me
really happy to be able

to bring it to you guys today.

[Esdras] Chef, the highlight
of the dish is the crumble.

It's fabulous.

I could pop it in a bag
and just eat it

-while I'm watching a movie.
-Thank you.

[Esdras] But I'm also
a big fan of salt.

I like the fact
that you were able to season

at the end with the tuna,

but perhaps slightly bit more.

-Just a tad more.
-Thank you.

-Thank you, Chef.
-[Nyesha] Chef Mika,

I'm a sucker
for a comfort food dish.

Where I believe you could've
sort of excelled a bit more

is just give me a little bit
of salt on that egg.

For not developing
flavor there,

it falls flat.

-So bring out the flavor.
-Thank you.

I mean, I think you've made
your family proud today.

But the one thing
for this dish

it doesn't scream
is next generation.

It's your story
but not taking your story

and looking into the future.

-Okay.
-Thank you, Chef Mika.

-Thank you.
-[Liza] Chef Jackson.

Chefs,
I have for you Orecchiette

with a sausage Sugo Bianco
and a potato tuna heart foam.

[Kwame] The way you
manipulated the French fries

into this tuna
heart potato espuma,

that's genius.

That's genius.

And this sauce on this pasta
is so flavorful

and you keep going back
for a bite

and then another bite
and another bite

and it's all gone
and then you're pissed off.

So yeah, this is a really,
really beautiful dish.

-Thank you.
-[Esdras] Chef Jackson,

it's very hard to create
a proper foam in 30 minutes.

It's a perfect foam.

That texture
doesn't fall flat.

It stays elevated.

It was very, very ambitious
and next generation.

But I don't get too much
of the flavor

of the cured tuna heart
into the foam.

[Nyesha] I, too, also
would have loved to see

a little bit more
of that cured tuna heart.

And the size of it maybe reads
a little bit small

if we're talking
about entree only,

but overall,
it ate delicious.

-Thank you.
-[Liza] All right.

Thank you, Chef Jackson.

Chef Cesarina.

Today, I made
a Fried Potato Gnocchi.

I called them fried
because I used French...

The French fries to make up
the dough of the gnocchi.

And then I finished the plate
with fried oyster mushroom

and cured tuna heart.

Well, if there's a dish
that screams next generation,

this is it.

For you to think
to take the French fries

and then turn it into gnocchi
is brilliant.

I mean,
this filled gnocchi is so,

so inspiring.

This filling
for the stuffed gnocchi

is absolutely impeccable.

But you spent so much time
making the dough

and I think it needed
a little more salt, right,

just to really drive it home.

But great job overall.

Thank you so much.

It's a beautiful dish.
It's an art piece.

But it is
the Next Generation Chopped,

right?

And it's lacking flavor
as a whole.

Did you get a chance
to taste it

right before you served?
Because that's huge.

-That's key.
-No, chef.

[Esdras] It's one
of the biggest mistakes.

We've all made it
before at one point.

I should have tasted it.

-Thank you, Chef Cesarina.
-[Cesarina] Thank you.

[Liza] Chefs,
let's give our judges

some time to think
everything over.

I think I should've salted
my dish more

but Jackson didn't put
the tuna heart

enough in his dish

and Cesarina
didn't salt her dish.

So I think it's...
We don't know.

[Liza] So whose dish
is on the chopping block?

[intense music playing]

[Liza] Chef Mika.

You have been chopped.
Judges.

[Nyesha] Chef Mika,
we think you took it

just a little too safe.

And, you know, overall,

your dish lacked seasoning,
depth.

And for these reasons,
you've been chopped.

Thank you, guys.

-Thank you, Chef.
-Good luck.

[Mika] I don't agree
that I played it too safe.

I'm very proud
of what I made.

And in the future,
the sky's the limit.

[Liza] Chef Cesarina,
Chef Jackson.

Are you ready to see
what's in those crates?

-Yes.
-Ready.

[intense music playing]

All right, chefs.

Bust those crates open
in three, two, one.

Open them up.

Beautiful tower of pancakes.

[Liza] You have pancake
wedding cake.

-Caper berries.
-Okay.

Caper berry.

What am I supposed to do
with this?

[Liza] Pineapple.

And Stroopwafel liqueur.

I'm so over this.

[Liza]
Dessert round, 30 minutes,

and that clock starts now.

[Nyesha] Come on chefs,
make it sweet.

[Liza]
Describe to me the taste

of stroopwafel liqueur.

[Nyesha] It's got this
sort of like cinnamon

and, you know,
caramel and vanilla.

It definitely does tastes
like almost like

Christmas
in a bottle, absolutely.

[Kwame] This is...
this is the drink

-that an elf orders at a bar.
-[Nyesha] Yeah.

[Kwame] You're in the bar
and like,

give me the stroopwafel
liqueur, please?

[Liza]
How does one mix those flavors

-with caper berries?
-[Nyesha] Caper berries.

[Kwame] You got to go
sweet and salty.

You know, you got to lean
into that salt.

So fry them and then blitz
in it to a crumble,

so use that
as your flavor enhancer

for this round.

[Cesarina] The caper berries
are very tangy

and, uh, salty but I have
the pancakes wedding cake,

so I think
of putting them together.

And I decide to make capers
and wedding pancakes crumble

and marinated pineapple.

So I think the pancakes
and the caper berries

I put them in a blender,
adding some butter,

brown sugar, and flour.

Then I bake it
in the oven.

[Jackson] I have this
beautiful wood burning oven

right behind me,

so I wanna caramelize
the pineapple.

And instead of using sugar,

I choose to use
the stroopwafel liqueur

because it is sickly,
disgustingly,

horrendously sweet.

Oh.

And I wanna manipulate
the pineapple

in another way,
so I choose to carbonate it.

My dish
is pineapple two ways

and caper berry caramel.

So I triple carbonate
the ice container

after throwing pineapple
in there.

A touch
of stroopwafel liqueur

and I'm just praying
that it works.

[Liza] Chefs,
less than 20 minutes left.

Let's go, chefs.

[Kwame] These chefs
have been delivering

this whole entire competition.

At this point,
we wanna see them

-rise up to the occasion.
-Wow.

-That's a lot of pressure.
-Absolutely.

[Cesarina] For me, the
possibilities would be

the next generation chef
would be confirmation

that I'm doing what I love
the right way.

I think that my mom
can be proud.

With the stroopwafel liqueur,
I decide to make

mascarpone cream
with some lemon zest,

powdered sugar,
and heavy cream.

Then I realize
that I want to do more,

so I decide
to candy the capers.

Chef Cesarina,
she actually has some

sugar caramelizing
and I believe

that she's gonna candy
those caper berries.

-[Kwame] Nice one.
-[Nyesha] Yeah. Smart, right?

Who would ever make a dessert
with caper berries, you know?

I'm making a caper caramel,

so I grab the caper berries
and sugar,

and a touch of corn syrup.

And once it is
fully caramelized,

I throw the caper berries
inside of the caramel.

Now I own two restaurants,
but in ten years

I plan to have
sixty-five restaurants

and a few hotels.

Winning Chopped Next Gen
is an amazing opportunity

to get my name out there.

-Come on.
-[Nyesha] Bring it home.

Come on, chefs.
Dessert round

and you have
less than ten minutes in it.

[Cesarina] With the pineapple,
I decide to leave it raw

and just marinate it
with some mint,

lemon juice,
and orange juice.

[Jackson] It's always supposed
to be this hard?

[Kwame]
So close to the finish line

knowing that you were...
You're right there

-for that $10,000.
-[Nyesha] Mmm-hmm.

[Kwame]
And also taking the crown

for Chopped Next Generation
champion.

-Very important.
-[Liza] That's right.

[Jackson] What am I supposed
to do with these pancakes,

you know what I mean?

So I'm gonna bread
these really quickly.

I believe the dish
is lacking some richness,

so I grab some mascarpone,
add some egg yolks,

and touch of sugar as well.

[Liza] Less than
five minutes left, chefs.

[Nyesha] Let's go chefs,
bring it home.

-Come on.
-[Esdras] This is it, guys.

So much on the line
right now.

If I were in their shoes,
I would be stressed out.

Burnt out.

I realized that the caramel
is burning.

I'm not really sure
that I'm gonna make it.

How you're doing Chef?

Actually, not really good.

Can I have the sugar?

-Can I take it?
-[Jackson] Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, go for it.

[Cesarina] So as far
as redoing my sugar,

I'm not really sure
how this caper

is gonna turn out.

I'm not really sure
that I'm gonna make it.

[Liza] Come on, chefs.
We have two minutes.

[Jackson] I am very frazzled,

and I leave
the burner on accidentally.

The caramel does overcook.

But I dump it in the blender
and it blends beautifully.

-[Liza] Under a minute left.
-Wow, this is...

-[Nyesha] Under a minute.
-...this is the one, chefs.

[Esdras] This is it.

Oh, this is such a mess.
This is a joke.

I promise I normally clean.

There is just total disarray.

I'm so worried that
I'm not gonna be able

to get all these components
on the dish.

Jackson,
how are you doing, chef?

Ready for this to be over.

[Liza] Come on, chefs.

Let's go.

In ten, nine, eight...

[Kwame] Come on.
This is it, guys.

-[Liza] ...seven, six...
-[Nyesha] Let's go.

-[Liza] ...five...
-[Esdras] Beautiful.

[Liza] ...four, final touches,
three, two one.

Hands up,
fingers off the food.

[Kwame] Wow.
Yes, yes, yes.

[Liza] All right.

-Good job.
-Good job, you too.

It was very tough.
That's Jackson's plate.

It doesn't really remind me
as a dessert.

I hope mine's gonna be better.

[Jackson] That was crazy.

Cesarina,
she's very talented,

so I'm assuming that
she blew it out of the park.

Chef Cesarina,
and Chef Jackson,

you made desserts
using caper berries,

pineapple,
stroopwafel liqueur,

and pancake wedding cake.

Chef Cesarina, what did
you make for us today?

So, uh, the dessert
I made today

is marinated
pineapple capers

and wedding pancake crumble,
sweet liquor,

mascarpone,
and the candied capers.

[Nyesha] Chef Cesarina,
when I put the initial

bite in my mouth,
I mean,

a shot of joy
ran through my body, okay?

And I thought,
"Wow, how imaginative of you

to use that pancake

and create
this delicious crumble?"

It has such
a sensational texture, right?

And for me this is...
This left me excited

and refreshed, right?

-So I'm pleasantly satisfied.
-Thank you.

[Esdras]
It's a beautiful dessert.

Big props for the, uh,
caper berry.

You know,
it's a difficult ingredient.

It was good.

But I wish
you would had showed, uh,

a little bit more
of your knife skills

on the pineapple.

Yeah, it's a little bit
too rustic

on the chopping and yes,
it was marinated,

but I didn't taste much
of the marinade.

There's something missing.

There's a soul
that I'm searching for

in this dish.

[Kwame] You know,
we're at the end of the road,

right?

It's time to step it up.

And this dish
although it was smart,

it was safe.

We didn't really manipulate
the ingredients

to the best degree
that we could have

with that time given.

But you did a great job, Chef.

-Thank you.
-Chef Jackson.

I have for you textures
of pineapple

with mascarpone,

crispy pancake
caper berry caramel.

[Kwame]
How did you incorporate

the stroopwafel liqueur?

[Jackson] In both textures
of the pineapple,

so I roasted it
and then I, uh,

essentially marinated it
with CO2, um,

and vanilla
with the sliced raw pineapple.

Pineapple express, over here.

This dish really shows off
your style.

You did pineapple two ways.

They were both successful.

I love charred
and roasted pineapple.

It represents your cooking

throughout
this whole challenge

which is a great thing to see.

[Nyesha] Chef Jackson,
how innovative

to take an already delicious
dish of pancake, right?

And then reimagine it
by making that crunchy.

Amazing.

It really adds a nice
textural element, uh,

to the pineapple
and I feel there's a lot

of richness, um, coming
from that mascarpone.

It plays very nicely
with the pineapple.

[Esdras] Chef Jackson,
it's beautiful and stunning,

but the caramel,
I find it a little bit

overcooked, almost burnt.

Unfortunately,
that's kind of hurting

all the other
beautiful elements,

all the beautiful components
to it.

But your craftsmanship
is definitely on this plate

and I love to see that.

-Thank you, Chef.
-Thank you.

[Liza] And Chef,
why would being crowned

Chopped's Next Gen champion
means so much to you?

I never went
to culinary school,

so I was classically trained
by chefs

instead of, uh,
the school experience,

so I kind of just need
that validation to be honest.

And this would be
a huge knock out

of the park, uh, for me.

[Liza] All right.
And Chef Cesarina?

I'm 26-years-old.

I moved to California
when I was only 20.

And, uh, back in Italy
I have my mom.

So winning $10,000
will give me the chance

to buying a ticket for my mom
to come visit me.

It's been two years
that I haven't seen her.

[Esdras] And clearly,
you two have given our judges

a lot to digest today
and we'll discuss.

-Thank you, chefs.
-[Jackson] Thank you.

Thank you.

Judges, we have two
very well-seasoned chefs

here today
and we have Chef Jackson.

With his appetizer,
how did you feel?

Jackson,
great job on the first course.

He gave us a whole
hamachi collar

cooked on the bone,

flavor all the way
to the last bite.

I was like, "Wow,
like that out of the gate.

That's progressive cooking."

And that hamachi collar,
it was delicious.

Just a little bit more
of that sauce.

Right. And Chef Cesarina
came out swinging.

She was the only Chef
to actually bring

those green chickpeas.

I really thought
that was a progressive way

to highlight
such a delicate ingredient.

[Esdras] I also love the way
she cooked the fish

and I was blown away
by the presentation.

The only thing
that was in the sauce

it was a little bit
missing finesse.

But I thought
she was very strong.

-Entree round.
-Chef Jackson.

I love the way he used
his technique on the foam.

The foam was ex*cuted
to perfection.

[Nyesha] Yes. But I thought
he could have brought

a little bit more
of that tuna heart

-to that delicious espuma.
-Mmm-hmm.

Chef Cesarina's entree, wow.

To have that kind
of confidence in herself

to come in here
and transform French fries

-into gnocchis.
-Mmm-hmm.

[Esdras] I mean,
who does it in 30 minutes?

And the finishing result

was actually
surprisingly good.

Absolutely.

So wish we had
a little bit more salt,

a little bit more
seasoning on it,

and it would have been
perfect for me.

Take that aside,
that dish was one of the most

ambitious dishes
I've ever seen.

-One hundred percent.
-Right. Our dessert round.

Chef Jackson.

[Esdras]
It was a strong finish.

He was confident manipulating
that pineapple

in various ways.

Um, however, the caramel.

I think he overcooked it
a tad.

If it wasn't
for that caramel,

it would have been one
of my favorite desserts

-of all time.
-I loved the way

that Cesarina used the capers.

She made this sweet
and salty crumble.

It's balanced.

But we wanna see you
take it to the next level

because this is
Next Generation.

And I didn't really see
that dish shine.

I think
this is gonna be tough.

Yeah. Do we know whose dish
is on the chopping block?

-I think we do.
-Bring them on out.

[Liza] Okay.

[intense music playing]

[Cesarina]
This is my American dream

and winning this competition
will be the crown

on top of my dream.

[Jackson]
I think I did my best

but I just don't know
if it was enough.

I think she's gonna be
crowned champion.

So whose dish
is on the chopping block?

Chef Cesarina,
you have been chopped.

Chef Cesarina,
I love your first course.

However,
the sauce was lacking

a lot of finesse.

On your main course,
it was lacking flavor.

And on your dessert,
your pineapple

was not transformed
in any way.

And for this reason
you have been chopped.

[Cesarina] Thank you.

I will keep this experience
in my heart forever.

-Beautiful.
-Thank you.

-[Cesarina] Congrats. Goodbye.
-Keep your head up.

-Thank you, chef.
-Good luck, chef.

[Cesarina]
I think that I won today.

I didn't win the money
but I won much more.

And, uh, you'll see me again
somewhere in the future.

[Liza] And that means
Chef Jackson Kalb,

you are the
Chopped Next GenChampion.

-[Nyesha] Woo. Let's go.
-[Kwame] Yeah.

-[Nyesha] Let's go, champion.
-Thank you.

And you're walking away now
with $10,000.

-Thank you.
-[Nyesha] Well deserved.

[Kwame] Congratulations.

[Liza] Chef, you're the champ.

This is so surreal.

I mean, my confidence
has definitely been boosted.

Maybe it will only last
a day,

maybe it will last a year,
who knows.

But for now in this moment,
I feel amazing.

[dramatic music playing]