01x07 - Ice Cold

[bunniefuu]

(tense music)

♪

LUCA: This is insane.

TRACY: That doesn't look
very promising.

ROBERT: Like foraging-wise,
we're screwed.

TRACY: Nothing we want
to eat there.

There's nothing
out there to cook.

TRACY: Oh, my gosh.
This is crazy.

ROBERT: You have
a drop-off right here.

This is almost impossible.

TRACY: Oh!

I forgot to put
the blackberries in it.

I just can't believe
I messed that up.

KIRAN: Two world-class chefs,
dropped into the wilderness.

CHEF 1: Every second counts
in this competition.

We get one shot.

KIRAN: Their mission, to find
enough wild ingredients

- to make a five-star meal.
- CHEF 2: Found one.

It's not your ordinary day
at the grocery store.

KIRAN: And here on the coast
of British Columbia,

the chefs will use those
ingredients to battle it out

and see whose forage feast
reigns supreme.

CHEF 3: Wow, my menu changes
depending on what I find.

KIRAN: I'm Kiran Jethwa,

international chef
and restaurateur.

I've traveled
the globe to collect

and cook
incredible wild foods.

And here in this competition,
only chefs with skills

in both the wilderness
and the kitchen will prevail.

CHEF 4: If I mess this up,
the whole dish will suffer.

KIRAN:
This is Chefs vs Wild.

♪

(dramatic music)

As the winter wraps
its icy grip

around British Columbia,

most wildlife has
retreated to warmer dens

to wait out the cold.

But the cougar
has only grown bolder,

seizing every opportunity
to find its next meal

hidden within
this barren landscape.

For chefs Luca and Tracy,
persistence like the cougar

will be essential.

The chefs will cook
spot prawns

in my wilderness kitchen.

To successfully forage

in these harsh
winter conditions,

they'll need
a level of knowledge,

grit, and determination
worthy of an apex predator.

LUCA: My name is Luca,

and I'm currently
a private chef.

My caterings have been
recognized in Ontario and BC.

My cooking style is
very poetic,

really understanding
what an ingredient wants.

How does it feel?
How does it make you feel?

In the culinary world,
there's always been

rules and guidelines that
you always need to follow,

and I want to break them all.

Everybody in the world
knows what a burger is,

but nobody will know any
of the dishes that I've made,

because no one's
making them but me.

This competition
is a chance for me

to find new creative
corners through discomfort

and hopefully inspire others
to discover culinary ideas.

♪

TRACY: I'm Tracy,
and I'm from Canmore, Alberta,

and I'm a chef.

I own a restaurant
called Sauvage.

It's all about foraged food
and introducing people

to the world that we live in.

Straight out of school,
I used to compete

in anything I could get into.

I won the Food Games in LA.

Since the pandemic,
keeping the restaurant open

has been a constant struggle.

But Sauvage is my dream.

I'm determined
to win this competition

and put myself and my
restaurant on the culinary map

and keep that dream alive.

(dramatic music)

♪

LUCA: Let's go.

KIRAN: Luca will be meeting
his foraging partner

by a rocky inlet
off the Sunshine Coast,

granting him easier
access to the shellfish

and seaweed that will pair
well with a spot prawn.

But he will be competing
with the local seals

for the remaining
oysters and crabs

while cold winter winds
have battered the shoreline,

leaving few
leafy greens and fruits.

LUCA: Wow.

ROBERT: Hello, there.

LUCA: Hey!

ROBERT: Hello!

- Luca.
- ROBERT: Rob.

- Nice to meet you.
- Yeah, same here.

Nice to meet you.

- I mean, look around.
- LUCA: I know.

ROBERT: I mean,
it's just unbelievable.

It's unbelievable.

So let's go,
and I will put you to work.

LUCA: Sounds good.

My menu is gonna be sea-based,

but right now, I think
we should focus on finding

berries and mushrooms before
it starts raining and snowing

and everything gets
hit with frost.

Let's do this.

♪

KIRAN: The foraging area where
Tracy will meet her partner

is a coniferous forest
that may still shelter

late-season mushrooms
and edible greens.

But with the days
now colder and shorter,

finding plants,
mushrooms, and any protein

that haven't succumbed to frost

will take
phenomenal perseverance.

- TONY: Hey!
- Hey!

- TONY: You made it out here.
- TRACY: Barely.

- I'm Tony.
- TRACY: Tracy.

- Pleased to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.

So the protein
for the competition...

we have spot prawns.

TONY: Really? Cool.

Give me some pointers
about what goes good

with spot prawn, and I'm happy
to help you find it.

Should we wander?

TONY: Yeah, we'll head up
this hill right here.

♪

ROBERT: Let's go, Luca.

LUCA: Oh, my Lord.

I found some
oyster mushrooms here.

ROBERT: Awesome.

LUCA: They're so beautiful.

I'm just gonna harvest these.

ROBERT: Okay, sounds good.

LUCA: I think finding
mushrooms right now

gives me a sense of warmth.

I'm stumbling upon something
that is still trying to push

through this time of year.

I think I'll find the meaning
and the beauty in that

and potentially
be able to transfer that

into the kitchen.

The culinary industry
in Toronto

is extremely cutthroat.

There were so many rules
and parameters that you need

to follow, and I hated it.

I needed it to be
beautiful all the time.

It has taken a toll
on my internal creativity.

So I went
into private catering.

The moment I did that,
I just excelled.

I'm here
because I want to prove

my catering
is something really special

and there's nothing like it.

Hey, Robert.

- Are those pine mushrooms?
- ROBERT: Good eyes.

LUCA: I think they're pine.

Um, no, the pine mushrooms are

- white mushrooms.
- LUCA: Okay.

ROBERT: When they open up,
then you know eventually...

Oh, okay, okay.

ROBERT: You know, but they are
more like a round ball on top.

I wouldn't see any use
for it, personally.

Okay.

This is not gonna be easy.

You good to go?

LUCA: Okay, let's go.

ROBERT: Let's go.

My name is Robert Wagner.

I'm a professional
hunting guide.

I'm a chef by trade also.

I come from a long line
of restaurateurs,

so it's in the blood, I guess.

My outdoor skills come from
my military time in Austria.

I will be out there
24/7 to make sure

that we get the stuff
we need to succeed.

LUCA: Okay, let's get going.

(tense music)

♪

TONY: All right.

TRACY: Look how big
this blackberry bush is.

TONY: It's a huge
blackberry patch.

TRACY: There are a lot
of little blackberry nubs

that were leftover
from the fall.

I picked what I could, and I'm
gonna try to preserve them

in sugar and just
a touch of vodka,

and dry them again
and put them into my dessert.

Nice.
(laughs)

My dad and my grandpa
were super into the woods.

They loved to play outside.

My dad was hoping
to have a son,

but he ended up with me,
so he made do.

Whether it was
hunting or fishing

or just out picking berries,
I was always a part of that.

That was where I just learned

if you can use what's
in the world around you,

that's pretty cool.

I'm up for the challenge,
because I hope

to make my dad very proud.

I'm just gonna keep
looking for other stuff.

(light music)

That's Douglas fir.

Amazing.

I'm stoked.

I've never seen
these little buds on a tree

at this time of year.

Okay.

TRACY: I think what I need
to do is just roast 'em.

It's kind of got
a pine nut flavor.

TONY: Yeah.
So piney, yeah.

TRACY: It's not as offensive
as you thought it might be.

Yeah, yeah, no,
it's, like, refreshing.

My name is Tony.

I am a survivalist.

Since I was a kid,
I always just enjoyed

being out there in forests,

playing in the creeks,
fishing the ponds.

And I'd say foraging
and fishing is probably

my strongest skill.

I'm gonna give my chef
every chance to work

with anything
and everything that I can.

TRACY: I'm stoked.

(dramatic music)

♪

ROBERT: Let's get some stuff, eh?

LUCA: Yeah.

Today, what I want
to focus on is our fruit.

And then I just want
to get some hemlock.

They're gonna be
closer to the coast.

Vast selection
in availability right now.

(chuckles)

There's certain criteria
that I need

to meet for this competition,
and it's just not the time

of year to find anything.

Hmm.

♪

TONY: There's definitely
some dead cedar

back here that I saw
some termites in,

and hopefully, we could
crank that out early for you.

TRACY: Okay, perfect.

For my dessert,
I'm gonna be really daring

and go for termites.

I'm not afraid of bugs.

Nothing's off the table.

TONY: This downed cedar,

it has all these pieces
that are just falling out.

It looks like
a termite or something

has been eating on it.

There's the holes
from the termite.

- TONY: Yeah.
- TRACY: But I don't see them.

TONY: Might have
to get up in there more.

I was thinking maybe chunk
a piece off that stump.

- TRACY: Try that first.
- TONY: Yeah.

TRACY: Okay.

ROBERT: Little change of gear

makes all the difference
out here.

LUCA: Yeah.

ROBERT: This fine kind of mist
makes everything

more wet than actual rain.

LUCA: Some winter
chanterelles here.

They're definitely
bitten by the frost.

When frost touches mushrooms,
they become mushy and gross,

and sometimes
they become toxic.

I can't use those.

This weather is so challenging
to get inspired again.

It's crazy.

This is insane.

You got one?

TONY: No,
I guess that's a mealworm.

- (Tracy retches)
- TONY: Yeah.

TRACY: He's waking up
from the heat of my body.

(laughter)

It's important to have fun
in the kitchen,

because the way to breed
creativity is through play.

If you have that
opportunity to kind of

open up that part
of your brain a little bit,

it's inspiring.

Did I just give myself
makeup with wood dust?

I mean, it looks like you're
ready to go into battle.

All right,
we'll just play that up, then.

TONY: You know, it's, like,
major... see, that's perfect.

- Like a major athlete.
- (laughter)

♪

That doesn't look
very promising.

TONY: No, not for termites.

- Sorry, got excited.
- No, you're all right.

They're here somewhere.

ROBERT: Well, what do you think
if we find some more

substantial stuff, you know?

There's quite a few
plantains here.

I'm just... I'm going through
my creative process right now.

- ROBERT: Okay.
- Like, I'm looking,

but I'm not gonna take
anything yet.

I'm just kind of...

- ROBERT: Oh, okay.
- LUCA: Yeah.

Robert has his opinions,
but to have this menu done,

I have specific things
I'm looking for right now.

If I come across something
that talks to me,

I'm definitely
going to take it,

but I'm not
going to exhaust myself

to look for something
that's not inspiring.

This is my process.

Ugh.

♪

ROBERT: There's some hemlock,
actually, right there.

LUCA: I think it's beautiful.

Hemlock has a really
nice little bite to it.

I will grind the needles up
into a nice fine powder,

make a bread as an appetizer.

I think it's gonna be great.

- Okay.
- ROBERT: There you go.

Just believe.

TONY: Maybe if we kind of split
up and just look in this area...

TRACY: My father
was a forester.

I think he's very excited
about this adventure.

I really gotta show him
that he can be proud.

Or he's probably gonna be like,

"You know
what you should have done?"

And nobody wants to hear that.

- TONY: Look at this.
- TRACY: Oh! Hey!

TONY: Not the termites,
but pretty mushroom.

- TRACY: That's beautiful.
- (Tony laughs)

And that's a chanterelle, right?

TRACY: My God!

TONY: The termites are
hard to come by,

but at least this produced
something really good for us.

TRACY: Tony stumbles across
this chanterelle.

It was so good,
I nearly cried.

Chanterelle isn't
just any mushroom.

It's so meaty and flavorful.

It doesn't need any more
processing than just to touch

the fire for half a second.

Tony's gonna be
the reason that we win

this competition
if he keeps pulling out

all the stops like that.

- The sun is shining on us now.
- TONY (laughing): It's our time.

Metaphorically speaking,
of course.

We're putting in the work.

(laughter)

(dramatic music)

KIRAN: At this point
in the competition,

both chefs and their partners

are facing the bitter realities

of foraging in winter.

Their persistence has paid off

with two
spectacular mushroom finds

well out of season.

But other ingredients
have proven elusive.

As both teams reinforce
their shelters

to withstand
night temperatures

dipping into the 30s,

snowfall looms
on the horizon,

bringing a new layer
of challenge

to these already tough conditions.

♪

LUCA: The weather [bleep].

There's now snow on the ground.

It's miserable.

There's nothing
out there to cook.

Like, it's really challenging.

I'm worrying about losing a lot
of things in the competition,

because of the snow
kind of ruining everything.

The idea of that makes me sick.

Yeah, it doesn't look like
that the weather lets go.

Like, foraging-wise,
we're screwed.

LUCA: This is [bleep].

(dramatic music)

ROBERT: Let's check out
the freezer aisle.

LUCA: You got it.

I want to forge a little bit
on the shoreline here.

I would love to find
sea urchins, oysters,

Pacific fish,
so come competition day,

I have the bare minimum
that I'll need.

Okay. We'll see.

ROBERT: I will check
the rocks a little bit

to see if I can find something.

It would be nice
to get some oysters.

♪

An oyster shell.

I think the water is
too high already,

but they are here.

We just have to get
further in there.

♪

TONY: If we're lucky,
maybe there'll be

some oysters or mussels
down here.

I don't know
what the tide's doing.

TRACY: It's not looking
very hopeful already.

Foraging is gonna be
rough right now

because of the snow.

I'm gonna have to turn
to the water more,

but the tide had come in.

- You see anything?
- TONY: No.

It's always the dead ones.

TRACY: Are you an oyster?

My protein is spot prawn.

I'm really gonna have to find
some ingredients around here

to make that shine.

Our food's out there.

Maybe we'll just have to come
back and revisit this beach.

I don't see much
happening right now.

♪

Lots of oyster shells.

♪

I think there's
a seal over there,

so there has to be something
here what he is after, right?

We should actually
go over there and see,

because he is in here
for a reason, right?

LUCA: Yeah,
and that's what I was doing.

ROBERT: Maybe he leads us
to something to eat.

♪

Watch, there could be
actually nothing

underneath you, eh?

LUCA: Yeah.

ROBERT: You have
a drop-off right here.

This is almost impossible.

LUCA: What if there's
food over there?

ROBERT: I know.

LUCA: I think we can get
right over this thing here.

It's just tricky.

I'm sliding.

There was a stick at the end!

Everything is completely
changed with the snow now.

Tony's out right now
foraging for termites,

and there's
a well-drained slope here.

Maybe I can find
rattlesnake plantain

or something like that
hiding in the snow.

I will take what I can get.

This mushroom, he's just
a little too old for us.

All right.

Keep looking.

Foraging for the restaurant,
I know the area extremely well.

This is not the same.

I am in a foreign territory
dealing with ingredients

I'm not familiar with.

It's a challenge.

♪

LUCA: Okay.

Robert. Lookit. Lookit.

ROBERT: Oh, yeah,
there he is again, our friend.

Oh. Oh, what do we have here?

We got ourselves
the first oyster.

There you go.

Finding a lot of oysters.

That's crazy.

Here's three
that are so beautiful.

Who doesn't like
eating oysters?

We're now finding oysters,
which is great.

I want to pair them
with the oyster mushrooms

and recreate the feeling
of being in our shelter

by adding a touch of smoke.

It'll be lovely.

♪

ROBERT: This one is
the bull kelp, I think.

Almost a fishy kind of a taste.

LUCA: Today is hard for me.

But that doesn't mean
that it's not beautiful.

I came for a challenge.

I needed to wake myself up.

You have to hurt
and hit that wall.

Through that,
I'm gonna start to grow,

I think, and that's
where the menu

is gonna start to blossom.

ROBERT: Yeah, gives you
something to play with.

LUCA: And then
we still need fruit.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I mean, the snow is
receding a little bit,

you know, so maybe
we can actually

see some of the plants, eh?

LUCA: Yeah.

TRACY: I was hoping to see
some mushrooms in here.

What did I find? Okay.

Oh, this is rock lettuce.

So I just found
some rock lettuce.

There was this giant cedar tree
with roots just growing

out over this rock wall.

It provided enough protection
of that one little spot.

And I've got so much
beautiful rock lettuce now.

For my appetizer, I'm gonna do
a winter salad.

I want to make a savory
granita on the bottom,

made from the snow that I've
harvested from around here.

'Cause that'll work
with the wasabi flavors

of the wild rock lettuce.

And it's just going to be like
a little forest on a plate.

Good score.
(laughs)

♪

See these little
tiny, tiny leaves?

ROBERT: Like microgreens?

LUCA: Yeah.
If you could find

a patch that has lot,
cut a perfect circle,

and we'll actually just
harvest the ground.

And then
on the cooking station,

we'll, like, have it there
to kind of, like, reinspire us,

pull that energy forward.

I don't want to be
like the typical chef

out there that is practically
just a social media blogger

and does things that
some millennial says is cool.

Like, I just want
to be me and just go

without limitations or rules.

Just keep growing, you know.

I just want to get
a couple berries.

ROBERT: Yeah, that was it, eh?

The critters and birds
and everything

got the best of it already.

What do you think
about the further side there?

LUCA: Over there?

ROBERT: Look to your
right there.

LUCA: Check it out.
Look at all the rose hips.

- ROBERT: Oh, yeah.
- This is perfect.

Holy [bleep].

I'm gonna cure
the rose hips in some sugar,

and then we're
going to just make

a syrup out of the berries.

And I think it's gonna be
a great part of my dessert.

I just want to get
some crabs and sea urchins.

ROBERT: Tonight,
with the low tide, we'll get

some more substantial stuff.

♪

Any luck
with the termite stock?

TONY: Not yet.

Right now, priority is
to find some termites.

They really have a smell
to them, don't they?

TONY: These cedars? Yeah.

TRACY: When I was growing up,
my dad was always very good

at being like,
"What kind of tree is that?"

And looking
at the nuances of plants.

It's good to know
what can feed you.

Is there another stump
we can hit?

TONY: Oh, yeah,
there's a few more stumps.

TRACY: Oh, [bleep] yeah!

- There's another spruce!
- TONY: What's that?

- I just found a spruce tree.
- TONY: Oh, that's awesome!

TRACY: I have to separate
the layers of the bark

and try to dry it
for milling it into a flour.

I can use the spruce bark
flour to add forest flavor

to a cake or pudding
for my dessert.

TONY: Oh, yeah!

- Did you find 'em?
- TONY: Oh, yeah.

- I'm coming.
- TONY: Jackpot.

Right here. That's a nice one.

I'm really excited to see

what you can do
with these little guys.

Never even considered making
a gourmet dish out of a termite.

- (laughs)
- TRACY: Ha-ha!

I'll pick them out,
you put them in the bag?

TONY: Good job.

Holy cow.

TRACY: I want to candy
the termites in sugar

for my dessert.

This is awesome.

I still have to find shellfish
and seaweed for the entrée.

The only chance
we have right now

of getting stuff
out of the water

is gonna be
in the middle of the night.

It's in the bag, baby.

♪

KIRAN: As the foraging clock
winds down to the final hours,

Chef Tracy's team uncovered
precious greens

and a treasure trove
of termites.

And thanks to his
partner's keen eye,

Chef Luca has snagged
some oysters and fruit.

But both chefs are
still in desperate need

for more substantial seafood.

With winter cutting
the daylight hours short,

both teams will risk it all
on a dangerous night forage

when the tide is at its lowest.

♪

TONY: It's late.

You want to go
check out that tide?

TRACY: Well, it's like
the lowest tide of the year,

so yes.

All right.
Let's do this?

- TONY: Yeah, I guess this is it.
- All right.

TONY: Let's go check it out.

♪

ROBERT: That's good light
with torches, actually.

Oh, [bleep]. Look at that.

That's crazy how much
is exposed here.

LUCA: Where are the urchins?

- ROBERT: Do you see any?
- LUCA: No.

Not at all.

Nothing.

[bleep].

♪

TRACY: Oh, my gosh.

TONY: I can't believe
how far out it is.

TRACY: This is crazy.

What do you see down there?

I don't see any movement.

TONY: Here's some seaweed.

TRACY: Oh, yeah. That's awesome!

- TONY: This is awesome!
- Oh, my God!

Oh, that's a...

TRACY: Oh, we got
the sea spaghetti!

TONY: Sea spaghetti?

TRACY: This is so cool!

TONY: Oh, there's so much here.

I was panicking a little bit

if we would find seaweed for
the entrée in the competition.

But when we got down there,
there was sea spaghetti.

It would be very cool
if you could

make pasta out of the seaweed.

All right, let's keep moving.

TONY: Yes! Ha!

- Clam!
- TRACY: What?

TONY: Yes! Butter clam.

Look how cool that is.

Look at the size
of these things.

- TRACY: Oh, my God.
- They're huge!

TRACY: The clam is so sweet.

I don't need to do
anything with it

but just steam it
and let it shine through

the best that it naturally is.

- TONY: Hey. Good work!
- TRACY: Aww!

This is awesome!

I'm very proud
of the fact that

I was able to adapt to this
environment so readily.

It doesn't take much
to remind you

how much
this land has to offer.

I feel like
this experience legitimizes

my foraging for the restaurant.

It's real. It's a real thing.

And now, I can show people
it's a real thing.

♪

ROBERT: Luca!
Got the crab!

Have a look.

LUCA: Cool, cool.

Oh, they're really small.

I just need bigger crabs.

These crabs...
like, they're tiny.

They're gonna have to work.

ROBERT: Personally,
as a former chef,

I think you have to appreciate

the ingredient you have,
but Luca is never satisfied.

His standards are unrealistic,
and it's exhausting.

Look what we have here.
Sea urchin.

I can't use those.
They're so small.

ROBERT: You're a crafty one.

You will fix
something out of it.

LUCA: I was going to make
a rock crab donut

with sea urchin custard,
but I needed something bigger.

So I just need to rethink
that dish now.

I'm not excited at all.

Luca, are we going over
on that other side there?

There's not really
anything here.

I'm miserable.

This whole process has been
extremely humbling,

mentally, physically,
and emotionally.

But I'm looking forward
to engaging

with these ingredients.

I have the bare minimum
of the last bits of everything.

And from that, I'm going to dig
deep in my poetic roots

and recreate the journey
we had in the woods.

Food will be the language
of this experience.

♪

(dramatic music)

LUCA: I'm feeling
super excited

to be in the kitchen.

Tracy is an expert forager.

She's also
a very talented chef.

And competition
within food is something

I've never agreed with,

so this is my first time
ever competing.

But the real challenge here
is to honor these ingredients

and to bring
the journey to life.

It's getting real.

Luca, he is
a really good chef.

But I didn't spend
all these cold,

wet days to feel intimidated.

I know that I can do it.

ROBERT: Wow.

This is unreal.
Look at this, guys.

- LUCA: Whoa.
- Holy shitake!

ROBERT: That is sweet.

TRACY: I can't wait
to get in there.

- Should we do this?
- LUCA: Yeah. Let's go.

TONY: Let's go!

TRACY: From sleeping
in a foxhole to

this magnificent view
from this mountaintop kitchen

that is stacked with everything
you could imagine

just blows me away.

LUCA: The kitchen looks great.

It's still cold outside,
but fire is already going.

It's making me feel
super inspired.

It's almost like
the fuel to all of this.

- It's getting me pumped.
- KIRAN: Hey, guys!

- TONY: Hey.
- KIRAN: Welcome. Come in.

You made it.

Very good to see you all
back here in one piece.

Well, let me introduce you
to Valerie Segrest.

Valerie is from
the Muckleshoot tribe

and a wild edibles expert.

So the first
snowfall happened,

which is pretty significant.

For the Coast Salish people,
snow signals the season

to spend our energy wisely
by honoring

the gifts that are presented
to us while they're still ripe.

KIRAN: Now, you have this
incredible wilderness kitchen.

I mean, this is
a fire-cooking Eden.

What you don't have
is any electricity.

We also revealed you would have
some beautiful spot prawns.

These are
a British Columbian delicacy.

They are sought-after
all over the world.

That is a canvas for your
wild bounty to work off.

Now, guys, you have to create

a three-course
culinary masterpiece

that allow your wild
foraged ingredients to shine.

You have a pantry there
with a few basic essentials

that should be the sideshow
to your ingredients.

Tony, Robert, you guys are
now sous chefs to the chefs.

(laughs)

KIRAN: Teamwork in here, essential.

You have exactly four hours
to cook the meals of your lives.

- Let's go, guys. Come on.
- LUCA: Okay. Thank you.

VALERIE: All right.
Good luck.

KIRAN: Good luck.

- ROBERT: Don't drop them.
- LUCA: Yeah.

ROBERT: Don't drop them.
Don't drop them.

I'm not trying to beat
my competitor.

I want to win for myself.

I need the sense
of satisfaction

that the pain was worth it.

First thing on the agenda
is to actually

clean the spot prawns.

I'm way too excited to feel

the cold and the tired
in this moment.

This is why came.

Okay.

My entrée is gonna be
this beautiful sea spaghetti,

topped with the prawn
and served with the clam.

The spot prawns...

I'm using the shells to make
a fumet,

which I'm gonna cook
the seaweed with.

Fume is shells, water,
and a little bit of onion,

a little bit of garlic.

And it's gonna just be infused

by the natural smokiness
as it cooks on the fire.

Oh, my God, that smells good.

ROBERT: Okay.
Let's get going here.

LUCA: So for my menu,
the first thing

I'm gonna start with is making

the stockbrot bread
as an appetizer,

which is like
a Scandinavian bread,

that we'll be suspending
from the branch.

The bread will be
a flour-based bread

made with oat beer
but also hemlock powder.

I want that
to flavor everything.

And then I also have
prawn head butter.

If you caramelize the prawn
heads in brown butter,

there's just so much flavor.

I want to extract that flavor
and put it into the butter

to enjoy with the bread.

That stuff is so good.

If you smear it over yourself,
I lick it off.

(laughter)

TRACY: Oh, wrong dish.

I can't even pay attention
'cause I'm just...

- TONY: You're good.
- TRACY: Hungry.

I'm hungry, and I'm tired.

I'm not really thinking
about the delicate details

that I should be
in this challenge.

- Hey.
- Hey.

How are you getting on in here?

TRACY: I'm just trying
to stay focused.

It's very hard for me usually.

Smoked cedar?

TRACY: No, that's spruce bark.

I'm making spotted d*ck
pudding as a dessert.

So this spruce flour is used
in my spotted d*ck batter,

and I think that by using
the spruce flour

instead of the regular flour,
we're able to really showcase

how much is actually
available in the forest.

Just amazing.

I'm gonna make you
hungry for trees.

And then, also,
we're going to use

blackberry nibs in the pudding,
with termites on top.

- God almighty, it's smelly.
- (Tracy laughs)

- Hey, Luca.
- Hey.

You got a sec?
I like the way you kept

the head on with the tail.

LUCA: Yeah, Robert did that.

KIRAN: It's nice presentation,
I think.

LUCA: We're doing
several small plates,

starting with raw prawn,
topped with pickled bull kelp.

Next, we'll grill whole prawns
with kelp pesto

and raw crab marmalade on top.

KIRAN: Cool.

LUCA: As well as a kelp
vinegar whipped cream.

Yeah.

LUCA: The last plate will be
a smoked oyster

in oyster mushrooms.

There are lots of elements
to all of your dishes.

- Lots of elements.
- The big issue with that

is time management, isn't it?

Getting everything
ready in time

so that it all comes together
at the right time.

- You got it.
- KIRAN: 'Cause you got

a lot going on.
I hope you pull it off.

TRACY: Busting up spruce bark
to make flour.

- Ugh! Do you want to trade?
- TONY: You want me to try that?

Yeah, I've never used
one of these before.

- Neither have I.
- So we're gonna find out.

It's an effort, but I like it.

Teams, you guys only have
two hours left.

You are two hours in.

Half your time is gone.

ROBERT: Where did the time go, eh?

LUCA: It's nuts.

We're gonna do
an urchin custard

with the rose hips
and all of the urchin.

We're gonna plate it
in the head of the crab.

I want to bring
the sea to this dessert.

ROBERT: They don't have
much in this urchin.

LUCA: It's okay.
It is what it is.

Already, I feel I'm shaking
off the negative energy,

and now, it's time
to grow again

and be this better version
of me.

TRACY: I'm so excited for this, friend.

We're gonna get
this bad boy in there,

and then we're gonna steam it.

The pudding in spotted d*ck
pudding is like a sponge cake,

but mine uses spruce flour.

Ahh.

All right, fingers crossed.

(dramatic music)

ROBERT: How is the dough coming
along for the bread?

Is it proofing?

LUCA: Yep.
Do a little spin-a-roo here.

To make stockbrot, you have
to wrap dough around a stick

and rotate it slowly
over an open fire.

So our appetizer is
going to be winter salad.

So I have all these
beautiful greens

and Douglas fir tips.

I can't believe that
this snow survived.

- TONY: Oh, it looks so good.
- Oh. I was so scared.

I'm gonna use the snow
to make a granita vinaigrette.

And last, we have
the golden chanterelle,

which I'm gonna lightly roast
as the centerpiece of the dish.

There's a rainbow!

- TONY: Oh, my gosh!
- TRACY: Right?

TONY: I see the end of it
in the water.

That never happens.

TRACY: Hey, guys, did you
guys notice the rainbow?

ROBERT: Oh! Nice.

LUCA: I'm in
a competition right now.

I don't really want
to look at a rainbow.

KIRAN: Chefs! One hour left!

The final hour.

That's not a lot of time.

I'll give you a bowl
to pour the termites into.

TONY: Okay.

TRACY: So the plan is,
I'm gonna roast them,

just to get that crunch,
and then we'll candy them.

TONY: I can't wait to see what
a candied termite looks like.

TRACY: I can't wait to eat it.

LUCA: Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Bring this over here.

I'm gonna tie it up
so that one doesn't fall off.

The bread is falling
off the stick.

If I don't secure it better,

it could end up falling
into the fire.

♪

You okay with that?

I don't know if both breads
will make it to the table,

- you know, today.
- LUCA: Why?

ROBERT: Because I'm going
to eat one of them.

(chuckles)

LUCA: Don't freak me out
like that.

TRACY: Oh!

I forgot to put
the blackberries in it.

It's not a spotted d*ck.

It's just [bleep].

Sorry. (laughs)

The pudding's
already in the smoker.

I didn't put the berries
into the pudding!

I'm extremely worried now
that my dessert

could possibly cost me
the game.

I'm really embarrassed
that I have to do this,

but they gotta go in.

Okay.

TONY: You need to set that
back in there?

Let's do it.

I just can't believe
I messed that up.

TONY: No, no. I got you.

- I'll go get more coal.
- TRACY: Okay. Perfect.

- Thank you so much.
- TONY: I got that.

Hopefully, we're on time,
but I don't really know.

(chuckles)
I'm nervous, for sure.

ROBERT: Is that fine
enough for you, Luca?

LUCA: Can you do
a little bit more?

ROBERT: Being in the kitchen,
it's just my second home.

It's a really natural
environment for me.

TRACY: Time to cook
the sea spaghetti.

TONY: If you need me to get
that pudding off, let me know.

TRACY: How do you want
to check it?

Go for the fumet.

TONY: Don't look at that side.

TRACY: [bleep].
It looks horrible.

KIRAN: Five minutes left!

You are nearly
at the end, guys.

Get it done, get it finished.

ROBERT: I made a mess
over here.

LUCA: We're cooking.
That's the name of the game.

TRACY: Obviously, we don't
want that part, right?

TONY: Right.

TRACY: Just carve around
the burnt bits.

We only need a small piece
of pudding for the plate.

LUCA: Smoked oysters
and smoked oyster mushrooms.

Delicate ingredients
need delicate cooking,

so it's just, like,
super low temp.

TRACY: [bleep].

I almost forgot
about the snow.

[bleep].

Luckily,
granita is quick to make.

Just add honey and vinegar,
and we're basically done.

All right, chefs, you guys
have got 30 seconds left.

You need to finish up now.

Sorry I'm plating
with my fingers,

but they're clean.

KIRAN: Ten seconds.

BOTH:
Five, four, three, two, one.

- VALERIE: You're done.
- KIRAN: Let's do it.

- Yeah.
- VALERIE: All right.

- KIRAN: High fives all round!
- LUCA: Cheers.

Cheers, brother.

All right, guys.
Now, it's all about the food.

Look at your appetizer.

That is definitely eye-catching.

(chuckles)

KIRAN: Could you please
tell us about this?

LUCA:
This is a Scandinavian bread

called stockbrot that symbolizes
love and connection.

The bread is seasoned
with hemlock dust

and a prawn head burnt butter.

And then on the side,
there's two prawn heads

that are cooked
in burnt butter.

Try.

So I love the fact
you've used prawns' heads,

'cause there's
so much flavor in this.

The issue that I'm having
with it is,

the wild foraged ingredients
are a little bit buried

in that bread,
and they're not jumping out.

Maybe a little bit of that
hemlock in with the prawn butter

might have helped the flavor
get into the bread,

as opposed to the bread
burying the flavor

of the hemlock a little bit.

Tracy, now your
appetizer, please.

So this is my winter salad.

We have Douglas fir
tips underneath.

Covering that,
we have rock lettuce.

I made a dressing
with wild honey

infused in the foraged snow.

And underneath, you'll find

golden chanterelle mushroom
as well.

So you've basically got
the entire forest

in the salad there.

(laughs) Pretty much.

VALERIE: Uh, the Doug fir tips...

I mean, they're the promise
of the next season of life.

Those tips will get so engorged

with the new needles
and pop open.

It's so special.
And then it's like a popcorn.

Like a crunch
and a texture in the salad

that mixes really well.

I really commend you
for having created a salad

that is as outstanding as that.

I really pick up
all the flavors

of the different greens.

And really,
the headline there to create

a salad at this time
of year that is just

wild all the way through...
I'm impressed.

Can we please have
your entrées now?

And Tracy, I think we'll
start with your entrée.

TRACY: Here, we have
the sea spaghetti,

and then I reduced
into it the fumet

that I made out of all
the different types

of seafood that I found.

KIRAN: I think what you've done
very successfully here

is allowed the shellfish
to have their space.

That clam... you couldn't
hide it if you wanted to.

It's enormous,
but it's delicious.

And the prawns are lovely.

What I really am
a bit frustrated about

is this spaghetti.

By cooking it, it's got tough,

and it's totally lost its color.

And I'd agree
the sea spaghetti

is such a special find.

We dry it, and then
we'll prepare a broth,

and at the last minute,

we'll throw it in
and give it to somebody.

So it was just
a little bit overcooked.

Luca, your entrée.

LUCA: Tracy had a good name
for it... a sea-cuterie board.

Yeah, it's like
a sea-cuterie.

(laughter)

LUCA: So the first spot prawn
dish is a raw spot prawn,

and on top is just two
little pickled kelp.

The second one... the prawns
are quickly chargrilled,

and then there's a kelp pesto.

And on top of that is
a rock crab marmalade

with vinegar whipped cream.

And the next one is oyster
mushroom smoked with oysters,

and they're just placed
back in the shell,

with a little bit
of burnt prawn head butter

on top of that as well.

It's great.

I really like it.

The crab marmalade... sweet.

You get the shrimp.
You get the kelp in there.

I think the oyster
and oyster mushroom

is one of my favorite things
to eat.

Both from a textural
and a flavor perspective,

they really work.

So I'm really happy
with this dish, Luca.

Well done. Good cooking.

It's well thought through.

The kelp pickles...

that's, like, one of my
favorite things to eat already.

It was a nice little brightener
to that, like, sweet flavor.

- Thank you.
- Okay, Luca.

Can we see this dessert
of yours, please?

LUCA: Yeah.

This dessert is a sea urchin
custard with rose hips

served in a red rock crab shell.

It's a delicious custard.

I don't get the uni.
It's not there.

And I think it's 'cause
there's just

a little bit too much sugar.

It's quite sweet.

Ingredients like
rose hips really need

to be dehydrated to get
that full flavor out of them.

The flavor gets really lost.

Got the sugar balance right,

the rose hips would be
more prominent.

The uni would be
more prominent.

I just think the sugar balance
here is the misstep.

Tracy, your dessert, please.

Last, but as they say,
not least.

TRACY: We have spruce flour,
spotted d*ck pudding

and blackberry nibs,
and then that is garnished

with some candied termites.

The silence is
k*lling me, guys.

So it's very tasty.
Really outstanding.

I love the idea of you
putting termites in anything,

but particularly
being brave enough

to bring them into a dessert.

I think candying them
was very good.

They're very, very rich
in these fats,

and when you cook them,
they get a nuttiness to them,

which I'm very happy about.

I don't know if you know,

but this guy loves
eating insects.

We haven't had them
so in your face.

They've been hidden in other
ingredients previously.

So for me, I thought that
was a really bold move.

Double down on that.

It was very brave,
and I really enjoyed them.

And the spruce flour
is so cool.

It's just a really great touch.

I think the fact
that you made

this flour is commendable.

It's incredible.

I have really learned
something there today,

and I thank you for that.

Cooked your hearts out,
all of you today, so well done.

You can all be really proud,
wherever we end up from here.

Okay.
Let's go have a chat.

- You guys can all have a hug.
- TRACY: Okay.

(laughter)

I felt like
what I was doing today

was a test of what I do
in my restaurant every day.

Is it as good as I think
it is?

Am I sharing
my experience with people?

And I think,
based on what the judges said,

I'm doing that.

LUCA: I think Kiran was
super fair with this tasting.

He understands complexities
and has an incredible palate.

I agree with everything
that he says.

I think it's totally fine.

But that said, like,
I was super proud

of what I put out with Robert,

so I feel good
about the outcome.

Well, guys, you guys went out
in the middle of winter,

but you managed to come
back to this kitchen

with a serious bounty of food.

The environment works on us
as much as we're working on it,

and we can tap into that
and pull out lessons

that will take you so far.

It's really amazing.

KIRAN: I'll just be very frank
and honest with you.

Appetizer... Tracy,
you took that.

Entrée... Luca, you just
knocked it out the park.

So it genuinely came down
to dessert.

And it was by such
a slim margin.

But the person who has won
this competition...

♪

Is Tracy.

(laughing) Okay.

- Thank you, guys.
- TONY: I'm so proud of you.

- Good job.
- LUCA: Congratulations.

I feel like I gave 100%
of the challenge, for sure.

But this time of year
is just awful.

I hated it so much.

But when you're in
a situation like this,

you gotta go through
the dirt and the cold

to realize
how great things are.

I have a very
privileged life and have

great people around me,
and I realize that more.

So I'm grateful
for the experience.

- KIRAN: Well done.
- TRACY: Thank you.

VALERIE: Yes. Good job.

TRACY: I'm still in shock.

This competition
is just insane.

Anyone who wants
to compete in it is insane.

But it's probably
the most rewarding

thing I've ever done.

I can't wait to call my dad.

I just picture
big old Papa being like,

"h*, h*, h*, that's my girl."