05x12 - The Last Supper

[bunniefuu]

Previously on Top Chef...

Fresh water eel.

Ohh.

I look over and stefan's
just got this glint in his eye.

Stefan, you won.

Great for stefan.

Just another reason
you're so great.

[tom]
the mere fact that
they're in this kitchen cooking

Is enough to scare
the chef pants

Out of anybody.

I'm getting frustrated

Because I realize
as I'm plating it

That the celery
is too salty.

The winner
is stefan.

I really appreciate it.

Feels good.
Five to go.

Jamie, please pack your knives
and go.

At stake for the winner

Of our top chef finale
in new orleans,

A feature
in food & wine magazine,

A showcase at the annual
food & wine classic in aspen,

$100,000 to help

Turn their culinary dreams
into reality,

Furnished by the makers
of the glad family of products,

And the title of top chef.

[rock music]

♪ ♪

[stefan]
I'm happy jamie's home

Because it's one less person
to worry about.

And she screwed up, and she
screwed up at the wrong moment,

So it makes our life easier.

The thing was not edible.

She knows what she did wrong.

[stefan]
you can't slip at this point.

If you slip,
you're in the bottom,

You go home.

I was almost sent home.

I feel like
I need to prove myself.

I really love cooking.

It's the only thing
I've ever been able

To do really well.

I did really poorly
in college.

So I went back home
to new york

And I just started working
in a restaurant.

I really
fell in love with it

And decided to go
to culinary school.

Winning top chef
would just be a validation

Of why I am doing
what I'm doing,

Which is cook.

[carla]
come on, you can do it.

Yes, you can.
You can do it.

You can do it.

[carla]
I am a bit
of a dark horse.

I'm a career changer.

I used to model.

And when I was modeling,
started buying cookbooks.

And then I went
to culinary school.

So I started cooking
very late.

And I think it would inspire
a lot of other women

To follow your dream
to make the final four.

Let's go.
Let's go, guys.

Thanks.

Ladies first.
Stefan, ladies first.

Good morning, chefs.

Morning.

You know our guest judge
for this round.

Culinary innovator

And chef/owner
of wd-50 in new york,

Mr. Wylie dufresne.

Hello, g*ng.
Hello, chef.

[hosea]
I'm really excited
to meet wylie dufresne.

He is known as, like,

A wonder with molecular
gastronomy.

His food is all about
reinventing things.

You know, standing food
on its head.

The five of you have
made it to our last round

In new york.

At the end
of this next round,

Four of you will move on
to the semifinal

In new orleans.

Okay, so, wylie, you're
pretty famous

For your obsession
with eggs.

I've always--
I've always loved eggs.

Breakfast is my favorite
meal of the day.

And as I became a chef,

It became clear

That proper egg cookery
was a sign

Of a good chef.

I think it's a good way

Of seeing what people
are made of.

[padma]
so let's see what you guys
are made of.

Your quickfire challenge:

Create something with eggs
that will surprise

And delight our egghead,
wylie over here.

[chuckles]

Okay, so you have
one hour

And access
to all the eggs here

As well as anything you see
in the top chef pantry.

The winner of this quickfire
will get a serious advantage

In the next challenge.

This is the last quickfire
before the semifinal.

I would like to win
the quickfire

Just because
I never won one.

Do I need an advantage?
Yes.

The stakes for me
are high.

Your time starts now.

I'm making a dish

That has three component.

One is actual eggs.

One is a dessert
that resembles the eggs.

And third,
I'm gonna use an egg shell

And fill it up
with lychee soup

And the cantaloupe
melon yolk.

In molecular gastronomy,

You can change the taste
of something,

The consistency
of something,

Through chemical reaction
in food.

I'm happy to cook
for dufresne.

I can please his palate.

For me it's less about
doing molecular gastronomy.

It's utilizing the egg
and trying to turn the egg

Into something
that it's not.

I wanna do this kinda like
take on japanese food.

So I'm doing almost
like a sushi roll,

Where instead
of seaweed and rice,

I'm using a thin sheet
of egg white

To wrap around salmon
and asparagus.

And then I'm gonna try
a tempura fried whole egg.

I've never done any
of this stuff before.

I'm wondering if I'm
over-committing myself,

But this is the last chance
to shine.

I think it's important
to know molecular gastronomy

Just because
that's kind of like

The new, cutting-edge
thing in food.

So if I don't win
this challenge,

I'm gonna be pretty upset
with myself.

Perfect, perfect.

I'm a great chef,
and I know I'm a great chef.

Of course I want to make it
to the final four.

I'm making a panna cotta
with a mango puree inside.

So when you cut it open,

The yellow comes out
of the panna cotta,

And looks like of like
a poached egg.

And on the other side,
I'm gonna make a poached egg

And the real,
proper bearnaise on top.

I know it's gonna
impress him.

Molecular gastronomy
and carla

Are like oil and water.

They just don't mix.

My game plan
is just to be clever.

The first thing that came
to me was dr. Seuss,

Green eggs and ham.

Come on, little baby.

I've been on a roll,

And I kinda want to continue
on this roll,

So it's important
for me to do well.

Oh!

I have five minutes to go.

I still have to plate
three component.

So I'm running
like flash.

Whew, whew, whew.

Everyone in the room
is hauling ass today.

I think we're all
just trying to do a lot.

The only person I see
that seems really just steady

Is carla.

I know her dish
is really simple.

In my opinion
it's too simple.

I don't think wylie's
gonna be impressed

By carla's green egg.

[carla]
come on, baby, cook.

I'm moving
rather slowly

Because I know exactly
what I want,

And I just want it
to be perfect.

It's like that last mile
in a long race.

I'm the tortoise here.

[padma]
you have five seconds left.

Four.

Three.

Two, one.
Utensils down.

[loud sigh]

[gasps]

Hi, stefan.
Hi, padma.
How are you?

I have eggs two ways.

One is savory,

And the other one
is it's sweet.

It's almost sort of
an eggs benedict here.

Yes.

Is there white
in the panna cotta?

What's in the panna cotta
is egg yolk

And vice versa is egg white
in the mango salsa.

Very clever.

[padma]
hi, leah.

Well, I did quail egg
wrapped with potato

And a little caviar.

And then this is like
a bacon, egg, and cheese.

So the cheese
is a ricotta.

I made a bacon hollandaise.

Nice.
Very nice.

Thank you.
Thanks.

What did you do?

Well, my inspiration
was dr. Seuss.

So I have green eggs
and ham.

It's actually spinach
in the egg whites.

And a little bit of salsa
on the side.

It's very pretty,
carla.

It is indeed.

It's not too spicy.

Thank you.

So this is a trio

Of japanese dinner
egg-style.

First is a roll.

I used the egg white
instead of seaweed.

It's got salmon
and asparagus inside.

In the middle,
some poached shrimp,

Avocado sriracha aioli.

Last is a tempura-fried
egg salad.

How did you make
this egg white sheet here?

Started with about,
say, six whites.

Started a cold pan
and just brought

The temperature up
really slowly

And popped it in the oven
for about two minutes,

So it turned into
just a sheet.

Neat idea.
Not as eggy maybe.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Okay, I'm not big
in breakfast.

So I made eggs
sunny-side up two ways.

With a little egg quail
and buckwheat pancake.

And I made panna cotta
sunny-side up

With coconut milk.

And here we have raw eggs
with lychee juice

And melon yolk.

So no actual egg
in there?

No actual egg.

Just dessert.

Dessert.

Fantastic.

And this is a yolk?

It's the yolk made out of
just mango puree.

And how did you
make the yolk?

Reverse spherification.

Alginate?

Of course.

A lot of dessert.
All right.

Thank you, sir.
Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Okay, who was on
the bottom?

I would say fabio.

You weren't really comfortable
with breakfast.

So you sort of
danced around the idea

Of playing with eggs.

I think I was hoping
for just a little bit more

Showcasing the egg.

I'm pissed.

I'm on the freaking bottom
for what?

Hosea, I appreciated
your efforts

With the white.

I thought that was
a really smart technique.

And I really liked
the tempura.

But I didn't really see
how ultimately

They played off
one another.

In a real japanese
dining experience,

The components flow together
from one to the next.

I understand.

Leah, I really liked
your fake egg.

I liked the ricotta around,
looked like an egg white.

And I liked the yolk inside.

But I felt like
the little potato ravioli

Was a little bit heavy

And a little bit greasy.

Okay.

All right,
so some good news.

Carla, I really liked
the playfulness of your dish.

Humor is always good
in cooking.

You did that nicely.

Oh, thank you very much.

Stefan,
it was clear to me

That your technique
is very strong.

I really liked
what you did

With the sweet side
of the plate.

Broke right into it,
it really mimicked

A proper poached egg.

The other side,
your eggs benedict,

Was also
very expertly prepared.

A very nice dish overall.
Thank you.

So, wylie, who is the winner
of this quickfire?

[suspenseful music]

It has to go to carla.

[applause]

Thank you.

I got the win
with the simple dish,

Not over-thinking it,
with being clever,

And no molecular gastronomy.

You made one thing.

Everybody else made at least
two elements on the dish.

Sticking with one
was a smart move,

And it really pushed
you through there,

So congratulations.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

So, carla, as the winner
of the quickfire,

You will get
a serious advantage

In the last
elimination challenge

In new york.

And to find out
what that is,

Please draw knives.

Lidia bastianich.

Lidia bastianich,
she is the queen

Of the italian cuisine
in this country.

That is what
I'm talking about.

Susan ungaro.

She's the president
of the james beard foundation.

They give out awards every year
for the best chefs,

The best restaurants.

That is like
the epicenter

Of all things culinary
in america.

Marcus samuelsson.

[laughter]
wylie dufresne.

Carla.

Jacques pepin.

The names you've pulled
are all superstars

Of the culinary world.

So this is the last challenge
in new york.

With that in mind,
we asked each of these chefs

What their last meal
would be.

And that's what you guys
are gonna be cooking for them.

[chuckles]

[chuckles]

This is amazing.

I'm getting tingly, you know,
thinking about this.

This is
the biggest challenge yet.

These are the most important
judges we could ever have

To cook for.

It's more pressure I think

Than I have ever felt
cooking for anyone ever.

So, carla,
you have jacques pepin.

He'd like roast squab
with fresh peas.

Hosea, you had
susan ungaro.

Yes.

Shrimp scampi

With tomatoes provencal.

Stefan,
marcus samuelsson.

Roasted salmon and spinach.

Fabio,
you had lidia bastianich.

Roast chicken
with roasted potatoes

And a leafy salad.

How about that?

What do you want
for your last meal, wylie?

Well, I ate it today.
I could eat it every day.

Eggs benedict.

Okay.

So, carla, as the winner
of the quickfire,

You can swap dishes with any
of your fellow competitors

If you like.

Actually, I like mine.

I'm actually so proud
that I am cooking

For jacques pepin.

I'm like, "oh, my god,

Do you think
I'm giving up jacques?"

No way.
And he wants peas?

Jacques, we are like this
with peas.

For the last supper
in new york,

You'll create
a five-course meal

For these icons
of the food world

And the judges.

Tomorrow you'll have
$300 and 30 minutes

To shop at whole foods.

Then you'll have two hours

To prep and cook

Before serving your meal

At the historic

And impressive capitale.

It's an exclusive events
place in lower manhattan.

At the end
of the last supper,

Four of you will go forward
to the final leg

And one of you,
unfortunately, must go home.

It's huge to be eliminated
as fifth.

That's a true, real
[bleep] stick.

It's so close
you can taste it,

But it's still
so far away.

I'll be pissed if I go home.
Absolutely.

Good luck.

Thank you very much.
Thank you.

Thank you.

How much time do I have?

[crashing sounds]

I hear this commotion
in the back.

Do you wanna go
to the hospital?

So we head off
to eat dinner at perilla,

Which is harold dieterle,

The first top chef,
his restaurant.

Hey.
How's everything?

Good.

He finished the show.
He's got his own restaurant.

He's doing really well.

It's where we all
want to be right now.

So what's the craziest stuff
they've had you do so far?

Cooking a big dinner out of
toaster ovens was a fun one.

Yeah, toaster ovens
and microwaves.

[fabio]
meet harold is a pleasure.

You know, he know what we
are going through right now.

It's tough, it's tough.
It's not easy.

Stand behind your food
and cook your heart out.

It doesn't make a difference
if you're top chef one

Or top chef five;
it's really exciting.

Final five.

Final five.
Cheers.

Cheers.

[chuckling]

[carla]
we head to whole foods.

We have 30 minutes,
and we have $300.

We have to make
the last meal

For these famous people
in the food world.

Do you all have squab?

And for jacques pepin,
it's squab

With fresh peas.

I think jacques and I
are two peas in a pod.

Ha ha.

It is an amazing,
amazing honor

To cook for jacques pepin.

Whole chicken.

Last supper for
lidia bastianich

Is a roasted chicken,
roasted potatoes,

Caramelized onion,

And a leafy salad.

Yes.

Fabio.

How are you doing,
my friend?

What do you do
in new york?

You just handed to me
a big, huge freaking deal

And it says on,
"you are welcome

To the final."

Organic european butter.

[laughs]

What do you think,
huh, huh?

You got raw shrimp somewhere?
Yes, sir.

Five pounds, please.

Give him, like, the little,
the small, little shrimp.

Don't you have something
to go find?

Without a doubt,
stefan is the guy to b*at.

He gets people
off their game.

But it doesn't matter
how good of a cook you are.

You make one mistake
and you can go home.

I really want
to b*at this guy.

Wild salmon, yeah.

How much you need?

I need three sides.

Hosea has not been
around long enough.

You can chop my legs off
and my arms off,

I'd still run circles
around that dude.

I don't think he has the balls
for being a chef.

That's it.

Ten minutes, everybody.

Where are eggs
and butter?

I'm making eggs benedict.

Traditionally it's, like,
an english muffin,

Hollandaise,
a poached egg,

Either ham or bacon.

I got challah bread.
It actually looks really good.

I don't really want to go
super traditional.

I know wylie probably
might want it like that.

I just plan on doing something
a little different,

Like, my own spin on it.

Thank you very much.

[rock music]

♪ ♪

We walk into the kitchen
at capitale,

And we have two hours
to cook.

We're staggered 30 minutes
in terms of cooking

Because of how the courses
will follow each other.

I'm putting squab and peas
on the plate.

This is what jacques wanted.

I'm gonna make
a great sauce.

I just want to show
my confidence as a chef

And do very little.

Less is more.

I love eggs.

So I'll eat eggs, like,
any time of the day.

I definitely think that
I have something to prove.

I mean, like,
I sucked ass

In the last challenge.

It's pretty perfect.

Marcus samuelsson
is actually egyptian,

But he grew up in sweden.

And of course the swedes
like salmon, potatoes, and dill.

There's nothing I could possibly
screw up with this dish.

I've been doing this
for 22 years.

I can cook
a piece of fish.

This is as high of stakes
as I can think of

As far as somebody
critiquing your food.

Susan's dish
is shrimp scampi

And tomatoes provencal.

Instead of just doing
straight up sauteed shrimp

With a little bit
of garlic,

I'm gonna do a little
just butter sauce

To kinda go right over.

I like my shrimp buttery,

So I'm gonna add kind of
my thing to the scampi,

Which I'm not sure if
they're gonna love that part

Or if they're not gonna be
so down with that.

I think we're all debating
in our heads

Whether or not we need to take
this completely 100% literal

Or if we're supposed to play
with the food a little bit.

Like, are we supposed
to put our own spin on this

Or are we supposed to stay
very traditional?

[loud crash]

[bleep]

My finger,
it went completely back

And it cracked.

And I broke my finger.

I hear this commotion
in the back,

And I look over
and fabio

Has got the medic
over there.

[groaning]

His face is pale.
He looks freaked out.

And his finger
is up in this thing.

Do you want to go
to the hospital or anything?

No way.

Hospital?

I'll chop it off
and sear it on the flattop

So it doesn't bleed anymore.

And tomorrow I will deal
with nine fingers.

[bleep] hospital
right now.

You're kidding me, right?

How the [bleep] I am going
to get through this tonight?

Our challenge is to make
the last meal

For these amazing people
in the food world.

And if I make it
to the final four,

Oh, my gosh, it is going
to be a-mazing.

You look good.
Get in there, fight it out.

Fight it out, rocky.

[grunts]

I always say,
"that's so easy

I can do it with one hand
tied on my back."

I didn't mean to.

I got a broken finger now.

And I'm in the [bleep].

[bleep]

How the [bleep] I am going
to get through this tonight?

I gotta peel potatoes.

I gotta peel cipollini onion.

I got so many kick
in my ass

That sometime
when I'm in the bathroom

I still pull shoes
out of my ass.

I am not gonna go down.

I made two spinaches
because some people

Like it with cream,
some without.

So I give people
two options.

It's about getting
in the final four.

I feel absolutely confident
I can make that happen.

Stefan, I don't know what
he was thinking

About doing something
two ways.

Oh, marcus, I know that's
your dying wish dinner,

But I'm gonna give you
something else.

What?

What the hell?

Shrimp scampi with tomatoes.
I can do this.

It's not what my last meal
would be.

You know, for me it might
be a b.L.T.

Just a simple sandwich
made well.

That's all I want.

But I want to do some really
damn tasty shrimp tonight.

The biggest challenge
of my dish

Is to have the meat
perfectly cooked.

The breast meat
is generally medium rare.

Carla, all good?

I feel like it is.

Lidia bastianich,
she's huge in italian.

And I hope I'm gonna
make her proud

With my roasted chicken
and roasted potatoes.

I don't think
that I want my last meal

Prepared by contestants
on top chef.

My last meal should be
prepared by my grandma.

She d*ed two years ago.

She was the best cook ever.

I have to cook
my home food.

That's my grandma food.

I have goosebumps.
Look at that.

Hello, chefs.

Obviously the stakes
are huge here.

You have an incredible group of
people that you're cooking for.

Please, I don't want
to be embarrassed.

Okay?

Absolutely, chef.
Awesome.

Tom comes in
and tells us one thing:

"do not embarrass me."

These are big chefs.
This is big time.

I can't believe that
I'm cooking for these people.

And they're all legendary.

Welcome, everybody
to the last supper

In new york.

[hosea]
on judges' panel
will be jacques pepin.

Jacques pepin is like
the most influential chef

In american cookery.

It's going to
be such an honor

To be in his presence.

Tonight, jacques
will be representing

All of you
at judges table.

Yes.

A lot of pressure.

[tom]
this is huge.

For one person it's gonna be
their last chance

To cook in this competition.

And we have a great panel
of food celebrities and chefs.

You know, they're some of
the biggest names

In the culinary world.

I think with each dish

There is a certain amount
of latitude

Where you can use
your imagination

To take that dish
that sounds simple

And really elevate it and make
it really, really special.

How much time
do I have?

Two minutes and 27.
All right.

I was just
checking everything.

I think my hollandaise
is a little too thick.

So I thin it out
a little bit

Just so it would have, like,
a nicer texture.

I'll be going first

'cause everyone else's dish

Is more dinnertime fare.

Can you just help me
put these eggs on, please?

I think leah
is a very talented chef.

We would love
to have two women

Go to new orleans, and so
we're just really trying

To help each other do
the best food that we can.

[tom]
so, wylie,
why eggs benedict?

I've always been
an egg fan.

Breakfast is my favorite meal
of the day.

Hi, everyone.

Hey, leah.
How are you?

Hello again.

So I did it
pretty traditional--

Hollandaise, bacon,
hollow bread.

I did a slow-poached egg

Because I know you're a fan
of the slow-poach egg.

And a salad just because
there's so much fat.

With the acidity
I just wanted

To kinda, like,
cut the fat with it.

Thank you.
Thank you very much.

[leah]
you know, it's pretty surreal

To just see
this history of chefs

Who you have
so much respect for.

Well, wylie,
what do you think?

The white is a little
watery for me.
Yep.

The bacon is nice.

But I don't think
I'd want to be bothered

With any salad
on my last day.

This dish is based
on a lot of textures,

And she doesn't really
have the textures down.

I think the hollandaise
should be thicker.

Mine is a little
broken down.

Otherwise, it's really good.

Yeah.

I quite like
my egg whites runny.

So I've
no complaints there.

All in all, I think
it wasn't a bad effort.

Like that, stefan?

Yes, beautiful.

Two minutes
and two seconds.

I tasted my salmon,
I tasted my spinach,

My sauce,
my potatoes.

All was good.

I'm thinking
I might win it.

Ready?
Let's go.

The fact that stefan
just keep winning challenges.

Doesn't matter if you win
ten challenge or none.

This is a single-challenge
competition.

If you screw up the next plate,
you're out.

So your wish was salmon,

Roast potatoes, spinach,
for your last meal.

I didn't know
what kind of spinach,

So I made creamed spinach
and regular sauteed spinach,

And made dill sauce
because you're from sweden.

Great, thank you.
Enjoy.

[padma]
thank you, stefan.

I grew up right by
the water in sweden,

And we ate
just a piece of fish

With potatoes

And a little bit
of dill on top.

He nailed that
in the sense

That he had
all those elements.

But I think the salmon
is overcooked.

I think the fish
is horribly overcooked.

Execution-wise
it was less successful,

In a way, than the course
prior to it.

If you take this dish,

And if you present it
to one of our clients,

The fact that it was
overcooked

Nils the whole dish.

They just would say,
"overcooked."

Send it back to you.

I liked the dill sauce.

I also appreciate
the fact

That it's well-seasoned.

If he had not told us

That he did two kinds
of spinach,

I would not
have even known it.

I'm shaking right now.
I always do this.

Right before I plate,
my hands start shaking.

Talk about pressure
on a dish.

It's one thing
to go in a restaurant

And serve somebody
a beautiful plate of food.

But, you know,
if you miss the mark,

You'll have another day.

You can re-prove yourself
tomorrow.

But if it's somebody's
last meal

And you screw it up,

That's not the way
you want to go out.

Good evening.
It's a huge honor to be here.

It's like I opened up
the history of modern culinary

In america.

But I'm not trying
to kiss any butt.

So shrimp scampi

With tomatoes provencal.

The tomatoes are roasted,

Hollowed out
just a little bit

With tarragon, parsley,
and thyme, herbed bread crumbs.

The shrimp
are simple cooked shrimp

With garlic, lemon, herbs,

A little white wine,

And finished with just
a drizzle of beurre blanc.

Thank you.
My pleasure.

Looks beautiful.

I thought he did
a fine job between

Sort of creativity

And staying true
to the dish.

He didn't cook
from his guts.

You know, this is not
tomate provencale.

Right.

I like the tomato
cut in half and seared

In order to get
a caramelized taste on it.

I thought it was
a bit disappointing.

I was expecting something
much more traditional.

The cream, I'm not a lover
of cream in anything.

I don't cook much with cream.

I would have liked
a little more garlic flavor

With my scampi.

But I think overall

It has all the right flavor
for the shrimp.

There's two ways
to look at this.

You can say, well, "what are
your expectations of the dish?"

And then if he decided

Not to go with that,
then did he do

A good version
of his version?

I'm really having problem
to butcher the chicken.

I can't push on this hand.

It's all swollen.
It hurt.

So I get the cleaver,

And I start to butcher
the chicken with the cleaver

Like jason on
Friday the 13th.

I'm just slaughtering
the chicken.

The fleur de sel.

I got it right here.

Good evening, everybody.

Fabio, grazie.

For lidia's last supper,

I did a whole roasted chicken.

There is herb
and roasted lemon inside.

Roasted herb potato
and caramelized cipollini.

And she asked also
for a leafy salad.

The dressing of course,
as a good italian,

Is just super extra virgin
olive oil

And a little sprinkle
of balsamic vinegar.

Enjoy.
Thank you.

[jacques]
that looks good.

Well, lidia,

We drink to your last meal.

I hope you're not going
to depart too fast.

No, no, no.

But what a great company
to depart in,

Let me tell you.

I mean,
the chicken's awesome.

It's absolutely awesome.

I mean, this is
the first course we've had

Where I can imagine

That somebody
actually channeled

The chef properly.

It's super tasty.

I guess if I had
to levy a criticism

It would be the salad,

Which almost looks
like something

That you would get
on an airplane.

It's the first dish
for me that I've seen

That could go straight
into a restaurant.

This is something
I was hoping would be

Just like this--

A simple, straightforward,

Well-seasoned
roasted chicken.

[carla]
all right,
where are we?

Six minutes.

Six?
Yes.

Lord, have mercy.

I just feel the pressure

Just to get my food out.

So I cut my squab,

And I have it
under the heat lamp.

Oh, I should have waited
to cut them.

Service.

I'm really concerned
about the temperature

Of my squab.

But the thing about my dish

That makes it
a great last supper

Is I was very true

To what I was told
about jacques pepin.

[leah]
good job, carla.

[padma]
chef, why did you choose squab
as your last meal?

It's all about comfort food.

It's all about emotion.

For any type,

At first communion
or special thing,

My mother would have squab.

How are you, carla?

I'm fine.
Thank you very much.

Thank you so much.

I'm in awe of this man.

Any chef has at least
one book of jacques pepin.

Well, it is certainly
an honor today.

I have a squab,
and under the breast

There is a lemon-thyme
butter.

There's a demi-glace

And butter-tarragon peas.

And peas are my favorite,
so I hope you enjoy them.

Thank you.

Carla has made me a convert.

I would never
have selected squab

As my last meal.

I think the peas
were perfection.

Listen, I think
it's beautiful

When a chef cooks
really simple with the food.

But, um, for me
I think that, uh,

The breast was
a little bit overcooked.

A think this
is a reflection

Of a purest.

I kind of like
the squab like this.

It doesn't
have to be blood red.

The difference
of opinion here

Is the younger generation
of chefs

And the older generation
of chefs.

Because
the younger generation

Prefers squab less-cooked.

And I think this could have
been cooked a little less.

You know, that said,
I appreciate

Just the audacity of her
just to give us something

So simple as the roast
on a plate,

A side of peas,
and that's it.

[jacques]
I think it's very good.

The peas are absolutely
scrumptious.

It's tender like butter.

The natural juice
is excellent.

I think I could
die happy with that.

[padma]
cheers, everyone.

And thank you so much

For being here to share
this meal with us.

Thank you.

Thank you.

You know,
the last thing I said

Before I left the kitchen
earlier was, you know,

"please, don't embarrass me
in front of this panel."

And you didn't.

You did a great job.
Thank you.

[applause]

Thank you.

[hosea]
we all have something
to worry about.

But as a whole,
I feel like we all

Accomplished our goal.

And we've got these
famous, famous chefs

And culinary masters
applauding our dinner.

I'm close to tears right now.

[padma]
I'll see you at judges' table

With the rest
of the panel.

Thank you.

[carla]
and now we're going into

The last judges' table
in new york city.

It's either make it
or break it time.

If I go home tonight,

It would break me.

I don't want to put out
anything that looks ugly.

You should be
going for taste.

Wylie actually said

That it looked like
an airplane salad.

I don't know
what I would have done

If I [bleep]
my hand up.

No, I think I woulda
just rolled with it.

What do you want me
to do?

It's top chef
not top [bleep].

[laughter]

I'm just kidding!

I'm kidding.

Nice work, everybody

On making it through


Okay, cheers,
everybody.

Cheers, everybody.

Cheers.

We'd like to invite
all of you

To come to judges' table.

Thank you very much.

Guys, let's get
out of here.

All right, let's go.

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

This is our last judges' table
here in new york.

Tonight we decide

Who goes on
to the final leg

Of this competition

And who does not.

Leah.

[jacques]
the way you cooked the eggs,
I liked the texture.

However, it needed
a bit more cooking.

I mean, I think
what was wrong more for me

Was the hollandaise.

The hollandaise
should be very thick.

I mean,
you could see the eggs.

I mean, normally
you put that on top,

It cover the eggs,
and then you're not going

To see right through.

Well, I had it thicker and then
I thinned it out right before.

Like, I was worried.

I didn't want it
to be too thick.

So I thinned it out,

And maybe I thinned it out
a little too much.

I think you winded up

Thinning out
the flavor too.

There was a lot
of very good thing in it.

But some problem
with the technique

And the consistency
of the sauce, you know.

Okay.

Stefan.
Yes.

[tom]
pretty unanimous
across the board

That the salmon
was overcooked.

It was overcooked?
It was cooked through.

Completely cooked through.

[padma]
the spinach two ways

Seemed like spinach one way.

[tom]
the sauce and the dill

I thought all worked
really well together.

But you had creamy sauce
and cream on the spinach,

So it was cream and cream.

Ugh.

[toby]
yeah, I agree

About both the salmon
and the spinach.

It would have been nice
if the potatoes

Had been a little crispier
just to have

Some kind of variety

In the texture
of what was on the plate.

[padma]
hosea.

Susan really liked
your dish.

I think she also said that it's
not her idea of shrimp scampi,

But she was looking
for more of that

Broken butter, oil,
more garlic,

More punched up,
the sauce.

I thought the shrimp
were excellent.

They were well-cooked.

But the tomate provencal,

They were too refined.

I would have taken
that half tomato and sear it

To get some caramelized
taste on it.

I want it to look refined.

I don't want to put out
anything that looks ugly.

You should be going
for taste, you know?

Fabio.
Yes, padma?

Your chicken was delicious.

Thank you.

What lidia said about it?

She was very happy.

It wasn't too fussy.
It wasn't too refined.

Tasted great.

And it was as though
you decided just to produce

Something perhaps you remember
from your own childhood,

And I think
that was really

What people wanted,
what they had in mind.

And it's true.

Anyone would have recognized
that chicken

With all the taste in it
from the rosemary to everything.

Thank you.

There was one problem though
with the dish,

And that was
the salad on the side.

Wylie actually said

That it looked like
an airplane salad.

You got a point there.

I'm gonna go back there
and sh**t myself.

I did an airplane salad.
I'm sorry.

[laughter]

It's okay,
the airlines

Are always looking
for good chefs.

[padma]
carla.

I chose to keep
my dish really simple

Because I wanted everything
to be perfect.

And the breasts
were overcooked.

I was disappointed
about that.

The squab was overcooked.

Although certain people
disagree with that.

But when you bite into it
if you had been blind,

You would have thought
that it was fine.

You sliced your breast,

And it probably was rare
at that point,

And you put it
back in the oven,

So it colored
and seared fast,

And when you look at it, it
look great, it look overcooked.

When in fact,
when you bite into it

It was very tender.

The peas were incredible.

Where did you get
fresh peas?

They had them at whole foods
and I shelled them today.

They do?

I was very surprised
that they were good

'cause this time of year,
they're not.

Yeah, I was surprised too.

[jacques]
the squab was very good too.

I loved it, I enjoyed it.
Thank you.

All right,
we'll call you back

When we have
a decision.

Thank you.
Appreciate it.

[carla]
thank you very much.

That was fun, you guys.

[hosea]
we all got
some [bleep] stick.

The funny thing,
you know what,

You over-think it,
and you know what,

It's just--it's weird.

All right,
we have to decide

Who goes on to new orleans
and who doesn't.

It's already
a difficult thing to do.

But when you look
at the work that they did,

At the hope they they have,
you know?

It's difficult to create
disappointment.

But I think overall

We really
enjoyed the meal.

You still need to judge
on whether or not something

Was ex*cuted
correctly or not.

Right.

The decision of who wins
this challenge

Is really for me
between the two birds,

The squab and the chicken.

No arguments there.

If fabio decided to open
a nice restaurant or something,

He would be known
for that dish.

That's a dish
that makes you,

And that says a lot.

But then again,
fabio made a mistake

With his salad.

I think that

Was universally derided.

Yeah, obviously
he broke his finger,

So it was kinda hard
for him to slice the chicken.

Should we take that
into account?

Um...

You guys overcooked
your stuff a little bit.

You made airplane food.

[chuckling]

Airplane chef.

Airplane fabio.

Airplane.
Airplane bitch.

[laughs]

With me, if I had to take
two perfect thing

That I ate tonight,

Were the peas of carla

And the potato
of fabio.

I thought those peas
were perfection.

I love the fact that she
was competent enough

To put squab and peas.

But on the other hand,
I still wish that maybe

It was worked
into the dish a little better.

Now the hard part.
Who's going home?

Stefan's salmon?

[padma]
and you know it was unanimous

At the table that
that salmon was overcooked.

I think the salmon
was overcooked,

But I think the rest
of the dish was well-seasoned.

The rest of the garnishes
I thought were good.

[sighs]

It's a very nauseous feeling.

[tom]
I still have
a bigger problem

With thin hollandaise
and undercooked eggs.

[toby]
on the other hand,

I've so often had
eggs benedict in which

The hollandaise has completely
overwhelmed the dish.

The fact that she erred
on the side of caution

With that sauce,
I wouldn't dock

Too many points
from her for that.

I liked the bacon.

I thought it was
cooked perfectly.

I did like the bacon.

And the egg was well ex*cuted
in the style

That she wanted to do.

It needed another

Five or seven minutes,
you know?

So that it would be
a bit creamier.

The temperature needed to be
two or three degrees higher.

Without any question.

My least favorite dish
was hosea's.

[jacques]
I look at the tomato
and the shrimp,

Technically
he did everything right.

[tom]
but we often tell them,
sort of go your own way,

Find your own way,

And at least he was
trying to find his way.

But the shrimp were good.

Yeah, the shrimp
were cooked properly.

It was ambitious
and well ex*cuted.

But overall,
it lacked impact.

It was a little bit dull.

Yeah, that's why
it didn't win.

I don't know if it deserves
to lose for that.

Okay, well, I think
we have our answers.

Let's get them back here.

[suspenseful music]

[tom]
so tonight's challenge
was to cook a last supper

For some esteemed chefs
and taste-makers

In our industry,

And you delivered
some great dishes.

But we were all unanimous
in our choice

Of who won this evening.

[padma]
jacques, as our guest judge,

Please announce the winner.

The winner
of the challenge tonight is...

You, fabio.

[applause]

Nice job.

Congratulations,
fabio.

Thank you, guys.

This means
you'll be going on

To the semifinal round.

You've also just
won a bottle

Of terlato
angels' peak wine.

I think it's gonna be gone
in a couple of hours.

[laughter]

And this bottle

Comes with a three day,
two night trip

To the terlato family vineyards
in napa valley

In california.

So please come get
your prize.

I'm not surprised.

I worked hard for this one.

I'm going to the semifinal,

Not because I'm funny
or because I paid somebody.

I'm in because I made good food
through the competition.

[tom]
carla, we all did agree
that the peas were

Just superb,

So you are going
to the semifinal round as well.

Thank you.

Good job, lady.
Thank you.

The two of you

Can leave the kitchen
and start celebrating.

I just feel like
I was this tortoise.

And I've been picking up speed,
and I'm like,

"oh, see ya.

See ya."

That's how it feels,

That I'm just, like,
coming ahead.

It feels amazing.

That's awesome.
Congratulations.

Congratulations
to you.

Thank you so much.
Thank you.

I'm happy for you.
Really happy.

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

[tom]
we all thought

That your dishes
were the weakest.

Leah, the egg
was slightly undercooked.

The hollandaise sauce,

I wish you hadn't
second-guessed yourself.

It was probably right
the first time.

Stefan,
the flavors were great.

Eight of us
were all unanimous

In the fact
that it was overcooked.

Hosea,
you went too far outside

Of what shrimp scampi
is supposed to be.

You know,
you all deserve to move on

To the semifinal round
in new orleans.

But unfortunately,
only two of you are going.

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

Leah,

Please pack your knives
and go.

I just want
to say thank you.

It was an honor
to cook for everyone.

Thank you very much.

It's okay.
It's all good.

So obviously that means,

Stefan, hosea,

You're both going
to new orleans.

Congratulations.

Thank you.
Bye.

This competition
has been really hard for me.

I didn't think it was
gonna be this hard.

Peace.

Oh.

I'm out.

I think I made friends
with people

That I'll probably
be friends with

For many years to come.

Hey, I'm gonna miss you.

I'm surprised that
leah's going home.

I think she should be really
proud of how far she's gotten.

Now I got one more person
to do this for,

Is the way I see it.

We'll be forever.

L.A.?
Yeah.

Can I leave now?
Yeah.

This has been
long enough.

All right,
peace out, b*tches.

Being in this competition,
I really learned that

I should just go
with my initial gut feeling.

I think I'm way better
than the food

That I've cooked
on this show.

But there's still a lot
that I have to learn.

Would I have liked
to make it to the finale?

Of course.

But I'm okay with making it
as far as I've come.

Now how about
[bleep] that?

Got it.
Yeah!

[stefan]
I don't do mediocre [bleep].
I do good stuff.

I had to be
in the final four.

There was
no other option for me.

I got a lot of respect
for all three of you.

I am in the final four.

And I'm gonna
get the chance now

To show
some of my food.

Carla, stefan, and fabio
better think of me as a thr*at

Because I am a thr*at.

I'm gonna kick stefan's ass.

Thank you for having
faith in me.

[carla]
I knew it was
really important

For me to make good food.

I just started
getting into my flow,

And I am absolutely
taking that process

To the finals with me.

Oh, mama mia!

I came
two and a half years ago

In this country.

And to be in the final four
of top chef--

Are you kidding me?
It's huge.

Huge.

Get me somebody else

That has done
in two and a half year

What I've done
in this country.

Tonight we drink in hell.

How 'bout that?

Love that.

Stefan, he need
to get his ass kicked.

In new orleans,
I will kick his ass.

Byes to you.

[padma]
next on top chef...

[horn sounds]

Chefs,
welcome to new orleans.

Emeril lagasse,
I'm like, "oh, my god."

Why you wasting my time,
stefan?

There's a lot
on the line here.

Don't disappoint us.

You gotta be kidding me,
right?

I don't trust anybody
at this point.

You all are all
asking me for stuff.

They're sort of underestimating
what I can do.

Hooty.
Hoo!

Oh, it's delicious.

Top chef will be the answer
of everything I need.

I can't worry about stefan

Because I have the skills
to b*at anybody.

It's very hard to please
a new orleans crowd.

What's missing
is the heat.

I tried hosea's gumbo.

It was nasty.

[padma]
for more about the recipes
seen tonight,