10x15 - Glacial Gourmand

[bunniefuu]

1
Previously on Top Chef...

Welcome to Alaska.

Never did I think that I'd make
it to the last frontier, Alaska.

Chefs, here salmon is king.

- How awesome is this?
- Whoo!

Being here on the docks
reminds me so much of my dad.

He would love to watch me today.

Any news yet on the baby?

She's having
some contractions, so--

- So that's any moment.
- Any--yeah.

I think Sheldon's
seems too thick,

and it reminded me more
of baby food.

Well-flavored baby food.

I mean, I think the biggest
problem with Lizzie's dish

is she didn't marinate
the salmon in beet and citrus

before she cooked it.

Well, this far
in the competition,

I'd be a little bit more daring.

- Brooke's broth is really nice.
- She nailed the bread.

- So the winner is Brooke.
- Thank you.

To be in the top three,
I just can't believe it.

Lizzie, your salmon
just wasn't seasoned.

Did you taste
a whole slider?

I tasted all the components.

See, that's not the same.

Lizzie, please pack
your knives and go.

Three chefs remain,

all fighting to win a feature
in Food & Wine magazine,

a showcase at the annual
Food & Wine classic in Aspen,

$125,000
furnished by Healthy Choice,

and the title Top Chef.

[Rock music]

I feel like I just ran
a marathon.

I think I only signed up
for the 5k, though.

And somehow I'm running
the full thing.

It feels really, really good
to be in the top three,

but I'm always thinking
of my wife.

She's about a week overdue,
I guess.

And it's difficult
not being able

to be with my family
right now.

So for me it's super important
to not let them down.

Let's go have some breakfast.

- What is that?
- Oh, man!

"Good morning, chefs.

Head to the Eaglecrest
for your next quickfire."

Quickfire.

- "Dress warm."
- Eaglecrest.

That sounds like--I don't know.
A mountain.

That sounds
like something high.

The top three is more
than a big achievement for me,

but I want to be here
at the end

and have that title of being
Top Chef.

Oh, it looks like we're going
somewhere.

We're starting to go up
already.

- Way up on the mountain.
- Shut up.

It's gonna be straight up.

What's that
in the front there?

What the hell is that?

That is a helicopter.

I'm not going in that thing.

- Hello.
- Hi.

- Hello.
- I'm Jennifer.

I'm gonna be your pilot.
Oh, my God.

And I'm gonna take you
to meet Padma.

Oh, my God.

- I'm so sorry.
- No, you're not.

It's kind of funny.

Flying in a helicopter

is the epitome of all
of my fears combined.

I can't breathe.

Being enclosed in a tight space,
no control whatsoever.

I've got survival gear
for seven days.

It should only be
about 15 minutes to get there.

You'll be fine.

I'll live.

Just wait five minutes
until my Xanax kicks in.

Here we go, Brooke.

- Oh, my God.
- Yeah.

I'm not gonna look.

I've never seen this much snow
in one place.

Just how big Alaska is--

it's just breath-taking.

Oh, my God, Brooke.
You're missing.

Brooke is squeezing my arm
pretty tightly.

I hope she opens her eyes,
because, to see these mountains

and these glaciers,
it's not something

that I'll probably get
to see again in my lifetime.

Whoa!

It's awesome, isn't it?

I am so overwhelmed
by the beauty

of what is around me

that I almost
don't even care anymore

that I'm in the helicopter.

Holy [bleep].

Not that bad, was it?

We're landing on a glacier.

There's dogs everywhere.

I would die for some
good reefer. [Laughs]

Holy [bleep].
This is cool.

[Dogs barking]

- Are you kidding me?
- Hey, guys.

Hop onboard. I'm gonna take you
the rest of the way.

We're going dog sledding.

- All right.
- Whoa!

- Yeah!
- Oh, my...

Oh, my God.
This is awesome.

Oh, my God.

I have this little kid
excitement in my stomach.

This is the coolest thing
I've ever done in my whole life.

By far.

Okay. Put on that brake.
Whoa.

That was some unexpected
transportation.

Good morning, chefs.

Pretty amazing, huh?
Awesome.

You're standing
on Norris Glacier

at the base
of Guardian mountain.

You made it to the final
three, but it's not over yet.

This is it.
This is the final push.

Only two of you will move on
to compete in the finale.

Ouch.

We're at the Alaska Heli-Mush
dogsled camp

where training is going on
for the Iditarod.

The men and women
have been training

on this glacier for months.

The food here is kind of what
you'd expect at a training camp.

Not really gourmet.

Your quickfire is to create
a dish in 30 minutes

using whatever you find here
in the camp.

Chefs, this is your last
quickfire before the finale.

Make it count.

Your time starts now.

- [Exclaims]
- This is the first time

I have ever set foot
in snow like this.

I'm definitely having a blast.

These ovens work?
Yeah, they're on.

The kitchen is super tiny.

There's no electrical equipment,

and they've got
these little burners here.

It's definitely a challenge.


Already?

Oh!

What's your guys'
main proteins, guys?

Gonna do halibut.

What are you making?
I've got halibut also.

Stop copying me.

Sheldon is also cooking halibut.

So I want to separate myself
and do a warm vinaigrette

with some beets
and some red currant jelly.

I just need to put it
all together now.

I mean, that's the challenge
in itself

in extreme conditions
like this.

I'm doing breakfast.

- Seriously?
- Why not?

Josh is making breakfast,
which seems

to be the only thing
he can cook.

Were there fresh herbs
over there, guys?

- I don't know.
- Fine.

I'm gonna make a corn cake
with an egg and smoked salmon.



Back and forth.

Josh and I represent

the heavier-set guys
here on Top Chef.

We call ourselves team Husky.
[Dog yaps]

But being out here with all
these dogs, we are definitely

with the real team husky.

[Dogs barking]

What is your typical diet like

when you're training
for the race?

- Carbs. Calories.
- Carbs.

- Lots of calories.
- When you're working outside

at 20 below--
so who eats more,

you guys or the dogs?

- The dogs.
- The dogs.

- Well...
- Depends.

It's pretty close.

Six minutes.
Here.

Over here.
Oh, thank you.

I want to fry the eggs
over easy,

but, just with running
through the snow back and forth,

I'm not gonna have time to fry.

So I end up scrambling them.

So now the textures of this dish

are ironically gonna be
a lot like mush.

Why won't you sear?

The ovens do work differently.

I don't know if it's the stove
or the altitude.

But I put my fish
in a pretty hot pan,

and it cools down
really quickly.

- One minute.
- One minute?

[Bleep].

[Timer beeps]
Whoo!

[Dogs barking]

Thank you.

Thank you.
It smells delicious.

Both: Yeah.
It smells amazing.

- Oh, my God.
- Brooke, let's start with you.

What'd you make?
I made a panroasted halibut

topped off with a little
lemon zest and smoked sea salt,

a panzanella salad
with walnuts,

and a red currant
and beet vinaigrette.

The flavor's really good.
I like the arugula.

The crunch in the bread's
really good.

Mm, I'm really picky,
but I really liked it.

Let's move on to what looks
like a form of breakfast.

I'm gonna guess
that you made this, Josh.

- Shocking, right?
- Shocking.

So what I've done
is a cornmeal cake

that's got a little bit
of Canadian bacon

and cheddar cheese,
the scrambled egg,

some sockeye smoked salmon,

and then just topped
with a little bit of arugula.

The eggs, it's just
straight up scrambled or--

Straight up scrambled.
Yeah.

Really?
Okay.

The corn cake was wonderful.

That's really what we eat
up here, and we love

that good, hearty camp food.

Mmhmm.

Sheldon, tell us
about your dish.

I also did a pan-roasted
halibut with a tomato sauce

that's made with some chicken
broth, some cherry tomatoes,

and finished off
with some sesame-fried bok choy

and a pickled radish on top.

The halibut's nicely cooked.

The sauce is-- it's kind
of a salty flavor to it.

What did you think, Jeremiah?

It is great.
Really good.

Is it good as winning
the junior Iditarod?

- Pretty close.
- Pretty close.

Yeah.

- Yeah.
- Thanks a lot.

- Thanks. This was fun.
- Thank you guys.

- Thank you.
- And good luck in the Iditarod.

- Yeah.
- We'll be rooting for you.

Okay, Tom,
how'd our chefs do?

We're cooking in a camp
up here on a glacier.

There's a limited pantry.
I think they did pretty good.

You know, Brooke put together
a really nice dish.

I liked the arugula.
Really loved the walnuts.

But what really made the dish

was the crunch
from the croutons.

Josh gave us a nice breakfast.

The eggs weren't mixed enough,
so the whites and the yolks

were kind of separated,
but it was still scrambled.

A little weird.

Sheldon perfectly cooked
the halibut.

I liked the bok choy,
a little tomato.

The only thing was that sauce
was very one-note.

But again, all and all,
really nice dishes.

Tom, please announce
the winner.

Brooke.

Thank you.
Winning this quickfire today

is like the icing on the cake.

Conquering my fears has been
probably the greatest aspect

out of everything
that I've done here.

Congratulations, Brooke.

You're on quite a roll.
Trying to keep it that way.

My water broke, and we're
heading to the hospital.

I really want to be there.

I love you.

[Dogs barking]

For your next challenge,
I have another surprise for you.

Come with me.

You're just full
of surprises today.

- Bye.
- See you later.

I'm serious.
Let's go.

All right, guys.
Thank you.

Step into my chariot.

I've never seen Padma drive.

I think
she gets chauffeured around,

so I hope she can actually
get us home safely.

So what's the surprise?

[Laughter]

What do you guys think it is?

- I--
- I think it's a person.

- Yeah.
- I really want to see a bear.

[Laughter]

Wow.

The table's set.

Wow!
Chefs.

[Laughter]

- Meet Roy Choi.
- Roy Choi.

- Your guest judge.
- How you doing?

He's the cofounder of Kogi
and A-Frame in Los Angeles.

And of course you know
returning Judge Emeril Lagasse.

- Hi, chefs.
- Roy, do you recognize anybody?

Yeah, I recognize this girl
right here.

- How are you, Roy?
- Yeah.

She used to cook
at the restaurant

I actually cook at
right now.

Ever since Kogi
blew up the scene,

we've been friends
since day one.

That ain't gonna buy her
any extra points, though.

- Yeah, there ain't no points.
- Come on.

Roy Choi started the whole
gourmet food truck revolution,

and he's a very huge name
in Los Angeles.

Roy and I have cooked you
a special lunch in celebration

of you being the final three.

So please have a seat
at the table,

and we'll begin.
Okay. Great.

See you soon.

The way that I clean rice is,

when I wash it, I try to
transfer all of the ancestors

and all the spirits
and all the energies

that surround
my whole existence,

put that into every single
kernel of rice as we wash it.

- I love it.
- Yeah.

- I love it.
- That's how we cook

on the streets of L.A.
I love it.

There's no sugar
in southern cornbread.

Just salt.

It smells incredible already.

Thank you, Chef.

Make sure you serve me
the big piece.

- Okay.
- [Laughs]

Well, it smells fantastic.

You can smell it
down the street.

It's smelling great.

Today's turning out to be one

of the most epic days
of my life,

to be sitting at a table
and eating food

that Emeril and Roy Choi
cooked for us.

Before we begin,
make a little toast.

To the final three.

Here we go.

Pleasure cooking with you,
brother.

Thank you.

Roy, tell us
what dish you made.

We made a dish
called kalbijjim,

which is braised short rib.

- It's delicious.
- It's gorgeous.

This dish represents
a significant moment in my life

when I knew I wanted
to become a chef.

I didn't become a chef
till later in life.

Till I was, like, 25,

like, I was--
I was a scumbag.

I mean, like, straight up.

You did not want to, like,
meet me on the street.

I was really at a bad place.

And this dude
was on the TV, man.

- Me?
- Yeah, to be honest.

What you were cooking was
braised short rib and red wine.

And I was lying there, and
that's when Emeril popped out.

He popped out of the TV,
and, like, just slapped me

across the face.

- Wow.
- I got up,

and I wiped the snot
from my eyes.

And I just looked in the mirror.

And I was just,
like, washing my face.

And that was it.

I started researching
culinary schools.

And then from that moment on

that's all I've done is cook.

That's really cool.

To hear him talk
about how Emeril helped him

in a way that Emeril
probably had no idea,

it's inspirational.

This is like grandma, you know,

every time I take
a bite of cornbread.

I have a debate, Emeril,

and I'd like to get your opinion
on this.

When it comes to cornbread,
sugar or no sugar?

- No sugar.
- Absolutely.

I agree.
Why I did cornbread is,

because, you know,
I started washing pots and pans

when I was ten years old
in a Portuguese bakery

where I grew up.

And Portuguese bakers
took a liking to me

and showed me
how to make bread.

So it was that moment when I was
learning to bake that I realized

that I wanted to be a cook.

I, myself,
started as a dishwasher

and worked my way up
the same as he did.

If you put your mind to it,
work hard,

that you can achieve
anything.

This is totally something that I
would make back home, actually.

Varied along the lines of--
stop kissing a*s.

Come on.

Come on.
Chefs, these amazing stories

bring us
to your elimination challenge.

Oh.

We want you to make a dish
that represents the moment

when you knew you wanted
to be a chef

for the rest of your life.

It's hard to think back,
isn't it?

Yeah, I was like four.

It's really difficult for me
to sort of wrap my head around,

because I've known that I wanted
to be a chef for as long

as I can remember being alive.

Chefs, to commemorate
this momentous occasion,

you will be cooking
for the governor of Alaska

and his first lady
at the Governor's mansion.

Tonight you'll have 2 1/2hours
to prep and cook.

Tomorrow you'll have an hour and
a half to finalize your dishes

at the Governor's mansion.

So I would not hold back
at all.

Roy and Emeril, thank you
for cooking for us.

I know you guys have a lot
of thinking to do.

Thank you so much for lunch.

It was amazing.
Thank you.

- A great lunch.
- You all can do the dishes.

[Laughter]

- We'll see you tomorrow.
- Okay.

Good to see you guys.
Bye.

You can clean this later,
Josh.

Yeah.
Yeah.

There are some dishes
that restaurants I worked at

so significant in my career,

but then there's the food
that I grew up with

that made me the chef
that I am today.

[Cell phone buzzing]

- That your phone?
- My phone's going off.

Oh, I need to go make
a phone call.

You think it's happening?

I think it might be.

[Cell phone ringing]
Hello?

- Hey, baby.
- We're heading to the hospital.

I was cooking,
and my water broke.

I really want to be there.

I know.
It's okay, baby.

I love you.
I love you.

Can you imagine having a baby,
not having your husband there?

No.

I can't even imagine
what Josh is going through

not being there
for his wife.

Do you think you'll get
to come home soon?

I hope so.
I have no idea.

Well, if you are still
competing, you just need to win.

- I love you.
- Okay. I love you.

The fact that she has to go
through this whole process,

you know, without me, it just--
it hurts.

- Well?
- What's up, man?

So the process has started.
She's gone into labor.

- Right on.
- Yeah.

Are you okay?

I don't know.

Let me know if you need
breathing exercises.

I can help you through that.

Appreciate it.
[Laughter]

So, yeah, I mean, it could be,
you know,

hours or days even now.

So it's like there's no telling.

Do you want to go home?

No.
[Laughter]

No. I mean, eventually, yes.
Right.

- But just not right now.
- Not right now?

All right, guys.
Ready to cook?

Let's do it.

This is definitely
turning out

to be a big day.

Yeah, right?

I waited
till the very last second.

It bit me in the a*s.
It's a little too salty.

One mistake is gonna separate

someone from either going home
or going to the finale.

[Sighs]

We have 2 1/2 hours
to prep and cook our dish.

I feel like I need
that entire 2 1/2 hours

to just conceptualize my dish.

Brooke, you know
what you're doing yet?

Nope.

I'm going to ask you
all the time.

I'm stuck in my head
at this moment.

I can't think of what to make.
Hey, Brooke.

- What?
- You know what you're doing?

Nope.

This prehistoric fish.

When I think about the moment
when I wanted to become a chef,

I think about Sam Choy,

one of the founders of Hawaiian
regional cuisine.

He has a cooking show in Hawaii.

And to see on TV a chef actually
doing it kind of validated

what I wanted to do in life.

Sorry, Brooke.
Watch your scales, dude.

That's a lot of foie gras.
Yep.

The defining moment for me
in being a chef

was the first moment
that I tasted foie gras.

It had this delicate liver
flavor, and that really changed

the way that I thought
about food.

So I'm making
a foie gras torchon.

Usually, it's
a two- to three-day process.

I'm trying to do it
in four hours.

I'm either gonna live by it,
or I'm gonna die by it.

Hey, chefs.

- Hey, Chef.
- How's it going?

Good.

- Hey, Sheldon.
- Hey, Chef.

You look like you're ready
to go.

Well, this
is all my garnishes,

but the dish is gonna be
snapper, or rockfish.

I've noticed that every time
someone's cooked fish,

they always start
way too soon.

Maybe it's the clock.
People get nervous.

Definitely.

But I'm gonna keep that note
in mind and make sure.

I don't want to screw you up.

If you don't get it plated,
don't blame me.

I'm gonna take
chef Tom's advice and wait

till the last second
to get it on the plate.

- Hey, Brooke. What's going on?
- Chef.

This is a hard challenge for me
'cause I've, like,

known that I wanted to be a chef
since I can remember.

You know, I woke up
in the morning, and,

instead of watching cartoons,
I watched Julia Child.

The base of that really comes

from my mother cooking us dinner
every night.

- Okay.
- And so I'm kind of going off

of my mother's braised chicken.

This could be the moment
you get into the finale.

How confident are you
with this dish?

It just hasn't completely come
together in my head yet, so--

With that, I'll let you finish
your onions.

- Thanks.
- See ya.

Hey, Josh.
Hey, Chef.

So what was
that "a-ha" moment?

What was it?
Ironically, wrestling.

You know, I couldn't eat
mom's cooking anymore

because I had to figure out
how I was gonna make weight.

So I just started reading
about food.

And I remember a moment
that I'm in the sauna

riding a stationary bicycle,
reading Food & Wine magazine.

- Okay.
- You know.

I come across this article
about foie gras.

And foie gras at the time of 16,

that sounded like something
I would never see.

The but the "a-ha" moment
really happened

for me the first time I
actually got to taste foie gras.

I was doing an internship
at a restaurant called Alma

for a chef
named Alex Roberts.

Alex used to work for me.
I know Alex well.

I know.
And the first time

I had foie gras there,
it was just

kind of like, "oh, my God.

This is what food is about."

Was that a torchon recipe
he made for you?

I'm sure it was my recipe.
It probably was.

Oh, man.
That really even adds

another level of pressure
on the torchon.

I'm gonna get it cured tonight.
Do you think

you'll have enough time
to have it

poached and chilled tomorrow?
I think so. Yeah.

Okay, chefs.

Make it count.
This is it.

Good night.
One more hour, guys.

- Know what you're doing yet?
- Nope.

Are you worried about me, Josh?
Yeah, a little.

No pressure.
You're the only girl left.

- Can't hear you.
- It's probably best.

I finally have decided to make
chicken and quail.

My chicken
represents my childhood

and how my mother
cooked for us.

And the quail represents
who I became

once I started cooking
professionally.

Showing the evolution
of who I am as a chef.

What are you making?

- I don't know.
- Don't lie.

He doesn't need to know
what I'm doing.



Now or never.

Let's go home.

It's been a long day.

What a day.

There's a lot riding
on service tomorrow.

To get this far and not make
it, that would be painful.

I've just taken this
huge amount of precious time

away from being
with my son.

I can't have gotten this far
and go home.

I can't even imagine being
in your shoes right now,

going into a challenge
with your wife in labor.

I'm hoping it all happens
tonight.

But you never know.

I mean, how long were you
in labor?

Days.

Thanks for the mood k*ller.

[Laughter]

Come on.
We all need to rest.

[Cell phone ringing]
Josh.

Yeah?

I know.
I want to be there too.

[Crying]

I love you.

Okay, baby.
I love you.

- Josh?
- Yeah?

Okeydoke.

It's just really hard to hear
her crying out for me like that.

It's pretty tough.

So now I'll just have to wait,
you know.

That's all I can really do
at this moment.

[Ringing]

- Hi, baby.
- Hey.

How are you?

Oh, my God.

She's beautiful.

Baby Georgia's here.

And every bit of beautiful
as I could have imagined.

Oh.

Well, that's
not the best face.

Oh.

She's got your pouty face.
Yeah.

Yeah.

I'm so excited right now.

I can't hold her, but being able
to see her is amazing.

I instantly fell in love
with Georgia

the moment I laid eyes
on her.

We decided to name her that
after my dad.

He passed away.
His name was George.

God, she's beautiful.

It wasn't so bad.

So I guess we could maybe have
another one.

Well, we can wait
a little bit.

Don't worry.
Well, yeah, not right now.

What's up, dude?

- Baby Georgia is here.
- Whoo-hoo!

- What?
- Nice!

Congratulations, honey.

That's awesome.
Good job, man.

Thanks, man.

It is more important than ever
to win now.

She had to do this miraculous
thing without me.

I don't want any of that
to be in vain.

It's definitely
gonna push me more

to make it to the finale
for sure.

How can you even concentrate
on cooking today after that?

Oh, yeah.

It's kind
of a stress reliever, actually.

Brooke, you figure
out what you're doing yet?

- Working on it.
- [Chuckles]

We have 1 1/2 hours to prep
and finalize

a dish that signifies when we
knew we wanted to be a chef.

I think that's the brightest
oil I've ever made.

It looks like Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles.

Mutant green?

Brooke's super talented.

She's won more challenges
than anyone else.

She's the one to beat.

So I got to be on top
of my "A" game for this.

Brooke, how much time you got?

An hour and 18 minutes.

- It's gonna be all right?
- I think I'll be okay.

I feel more nervous than I have
since I've been here.

There is so much on the line.

I mean, it's all come down
to the three of us.

And one of us still needs to go.

Here we go again.

This is the dish that started it
all off on me becoming a chef.

And 12 years later
that same dish

could be elevating me
to become Top Chef.

I don't want to start plating
too early.

How many minutes
do you have left?

- 50.
- 50?

All I could hear in my head
is Chef Tom.

"Don't cook your fish
too early."

It's definitely making my mind
spin right now.

Welcome.

Thank you.
Hello, Governor.

Welcome
to the Governor's house.

Emeril, wonderful to have you.
Nice to be here.

Hello, Governor.
Good to be here.

It's beautiful.

Thank you,
Governor and the First Lady,

for having us
in your home.

We're honored
to be able to do it.

When I first got here,
I looked out my window.

I was like,
"oh, my God, there's an eagle.

Oh, well, there's another one.
Oh, there's another one."

Juneau's a place where you
can drive down the road,

and the eagles are perched
on the streetlamps.

- Everywhere.
- Right.

Everywhere.

There are three chefs
remaining.

We asked them to cook a dish

based on the moment
they realized

their destiny
was to become a chef.

I can imagine they're
pretty nervous back there.

I'll start going in a second.

With 20 minutes to go,
I'm gonna start cooking.

I smell lemongrass.

Is that your face lotion?

I taste the broth,
and it's way too salty.

I let that broth reduce
way too much.

Ugh!

I waited till the very
last second to plate up,

and it bit me in the a*s.

- Good luck, Sheldon.
- Good luck, brother.

I'd like to introduce you
to your diners--

the Governor of Alaska
Sean Parnell,

Head Judge Tom Colicchio,

Gail Simmons
of Food & Wine magazine.

Emeril Lagasse, chef and owner
of Emeril's New Orleans.

You remember Roy Choi,
cofounder of Kogi and A-Frame.

Wolfgang Puck,
chef and restaurateur.

And last, but not least,
the First Lady Sandy Parnell.

Aloha, everyone.

One of the forefathers

of Hawaii regional cuisine
is Sam Choy.

And I seen him actually doing
a version of this dish.

At that moment, I just wanted
to be a chef.

What we have
is Chinese-style rockfish,

pan-roasted,
and then poured hot peanut oil,

some baby vegetables.
Spot prawns,

and a little bit of the dashi
that came off of the fish.

Thank you, Sheldon.

It smells Japanese to me.

I like the way he cooked
the spot prawns.

Very light.

So they are so sweet.

Yeah, the hard part
of doing this dish

is cooking the fish correctly

and the prawn dressing.
They were perfect.

A really nice flavor.

I thought the presentation
was lovely.

The colors just leaped out
of the bowl.

Being a Hawaii boy, I have
a lot of connection to Sheldon,

and the conception of the dish
is amazing.

- Yeah.
- But it's a little too salty.

The salt
did overtake it a bit.

It's unfortunate,
'cause Sheldon

is never heavy-handed
with it.

One mistake is gonna separate

someone from either going home
or going to the finale.

It's just one mistake.

And this is that one mistake
so far.

I had a hard time
conceptualizing this dish.

My quail breast
is overcooked.

This is nothing to do with
how good of a chef you are.

You just can't do it.

Do you remember that moment
when you thought,

"this is what I'm gonna do?"

My mother
was a professional chef,

and I used to go in the hotel

and help the pastry chef,
because I loved sweets.

My father, he always told me
I'm good for nothing

and nothing
will ever happen.

I told him,
"I'm gonna be a chef."

He said,
"Oh, cooking is for women.

That's not a man's job."

For me, my mother cooked
every night.

When I was about 15, my dad
suggested I become a chef.

I found that I was pretty good
at it and just loved it.

I thought, "ooh,
that's a pretty good idea."

It's probably the only time
I listened to my father.

It was good advice.

Do you feel okay?

Finally.

Is this where you stop talking
to me?

Is this that point?

This is definitely a dish

that I've struggled
to come up with.

And I feel
like I kind of pulled it

out of the deeper place,
and maybe that's

why it was so hard for me.

- Good luck, Brooke.
- Thanks.

So my first memory of cooking
really starts with my mother.

She made a lot of braises,
slow-cooked chickens.

And then, when I decided that I
really wanted to be a chef,

those homey flavors had
a big influence on my career.

So I did a braised chicken
with crispy skin,

grilled quail
over carrot barley

with a little bit of kale,
some pickled vegetables,

mushrooms, and pearl onions.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

- Enjoy.
- Thank you.

I always know
when food's good.

Everybody's quiet.
Yeah.

It's very homey, huh?
Yeah.

It looks really simple
until you break it apart,

and then you see
all these layers

and these different
temperatures and textures.

Every bite had some, you know,
wonderful flavor to it.

I think, if I would have
one criticism,

is my quail breast
is overcooked.

- Yep.
- But you know what?

If her mother cooks like that,
I will come to her house.

I think Brooke accomplished
sort of the idea of taking

something her mother did

and then making it
much more upscale.

This evoked memories
and thoughts of my mom.

I don't know if you guys
know much about Brooke,

but she was a prodigy
in the city of L.A.

She started really young.

And this is her style of food.

This is Brooke on the plate
right here.

I don't even get nervous
anymore.

And I just got all nervous
standing at that bright table.

Feel free to help me plate.

Stick around.
Sorry, Charlie.

Good luck.
Thanks.

The torchon has not set up
the way that I want it to.

So I've got to switch it
to the freezer.

What you're trying to do
by chilling it

is to let that
re-harden and solidify

so you can portion it out
correctly.

The other two portions
of foie gras,

they just look great.

So I really think the flavors
will pull me through.

Josh, do you have any news?

I do.
Last night my wife gave birth

to our beautiful baby girl
Georgia.

- Georgia.
- So...

Thank you very much.

I really got interested in food
via wrestling.

I was always watching my weight.

So a particular moment comes
to mind where I was in a sauna,

riding a stationary bike,
reading Food & Wine magazine.

They had foie gras.

And, you know, I'm just
a small-town kid from Oklahoma.

That seemed so opulent and out
of my reach.

I've prepared it three different
ways for you today.

On your left is a foie gras
torchon with braised pineapple.

In the middle is seared
foie gras on cornbread puree.

It's a cornmeal that's
been cooked in corn juice

with a little jalapeño.

On top of that
is a roasted apricot.

And then a foie gras profiterole
with foie gras mousse.

Enjoy.
All: Thank you.

Thanks, Josh.

Roy, you've eaten
your whole plate.

The flavors were really good
on all three.

The profiterole was probably
my favorite.

It had a lot of acid
and a lot of punch.

And the foie gras mousse
that he made was very smooth.

But the torchon, to me,
it wasn't set.

He's pushing himself,
and I understand that.

Sometimes you have to sort
of just pull back a little bit.

Yeah.

You cannot make
foie gras torchon in one day.

You just can't do it.
The individual elements,

very good, but I wanted
to see more texture.

I wanted to chew on something.

I love the sauteed one.

The apricot
was a perfect balance to it.

Absolutely.
I liked the cornmeal.

I thought the cornmeal--
and I had a little bit

of jalapeño in there.
I like that.

The corn puree,
I don't know

if I even need the foie gras
with it.

You know,
I could eat a bowl of that.

You got three great chefs.

You have a difficult choice
ahead.

Thank you, Governor.
And to you, Sandy.

All: Cheers.

Brooke, Sheldon, and Josh,

only two of you
will be moving on

to the finale
in Los Angeles...

Where one chef will win
$125,000

furnished by Healthy Choice...

and the title of Top Chef.

It was really great
listening to your stories.

All in all, really nice work.

Josh,

I was surprised to get
foie gras from you.

I really wanted to go,

excuse me, ba*ls to the wall.

I really wanted to push it,
you know, and that's--

- Go big or go home.
- Yeah.

And that's exactly
what my mentality was.

You know, I wish
I would have had maybe

a few more hours
for my torchon to set up.

And when you make torchon, how
long does it take to make it?

It usually takes me days.

Why did you think
you can shortcut it?

You know, I had it in my mind
that I was gonna make torchon.

And I was gonna try
and make torchon.

There's absolutely no way
to poach it

and form it and chill it
in an hour.

This has nothing to do
with how good of a chef you are.

You just can't do it.

The torchon fell apart.

It was veiny for me.
It wasn't cooked through.

Otherwise, your flavors,
they were great.

The apricot was fantastic.

I found it salty,
and I loved that.

And also, I thought
it was very clever

what you did
with the cornbread.

It worked for me.

Wolfgang, what did you think
of Brooke's dish?

Brooke, your dish
had really great flavors,

but I thought my quail
was a little overcooked.

I thought it looked really
simple when I first got it.

And then, as I opened it up,
it was almost like an origami.

It was really fantastic.
Thank you.

Brooke, I thought you set
yourself a complicated task

trying to meld two dishes
into one.

I had a hard time
conceptualizing this dish.

You have chicken, there's
quail, there's, I think,

two or three different kind
of mushrooms.

But it all just worked.
Thank you.

Sheldon, how can you cook
the fish so perfectly

and screw up
the broth afterwards?

I thought there must be
a different person

cooking the broth.

As I was plating,
I tasted it.

I seen the clock.

You got to taste it
before you plate it.

Not after you plate it.
Oh.

There was a lot of flavor,

but, when the salt hit your
mouth, it left a harshness.

Both the fish and the prawn
were beautifully cooked.

You took care of the fish,
the shrimp,

like you would be the best chef
in the world.

This has been a real ride.
It's been 28 challenges.

And it's been really exciting
watching you guys

throughout the season so far.

Brooke, Sheldon, Josh,
today's winner

was a unanimous decision.

Brooke, congratulations.

You're moving on to the finale.

Thank you very much.

Holy crap.
This is absolutely fantastic.

I'm not here to gloat.
[Laughs]

Although it feels good.

You can return to the kitchen.

- Congratulations.
- Good luck, guys.

- You're welcome.
- Congrats.

Congratulations.

Josh and Sheldon,
only one of you

will be moving on to the finale
in Los Angeles.

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

Congrats, though.

- Thank you.
- Yeah, congratulations.

Thank you.

Two major mistakes.

Sheldon made a mistake
of over seasoning a dish.

Josh made a mistake of working
with an ingredient that,

really, I don't think
he understands.

We know these two chefs
can cook great food.

- Yeah.
- They are very accomplished

in their own right.
Yeah.

Josh has had great training.

Sheldon won Food & Wine
people's best new chef last year

for Hawaii.

Josh should have done
something he knows

he can make in the amount
of time we gave him.

I felt like he was trying
to impress us.

I think, because of that,
he lost his sense of purpose

within the dish, then you
start overcompensating.

If he would have just
concentrated on one dish,

not three,
he may not be being discussed

right now on the table.

I feel really frustrated
by Sheldon

because he should have been able

to make that broth
in his sleep.

But the fish was fantastic.

It had a beautiful sear.
It had golden crust.

I think it's crazy to me

that a young chef
has come so far,

and then at the end
he doesn't taste his food.

Whoever we send home,
they still have one more shot

in Last Chance Kitchen
and hopefully won't make

that same rookie mistake.

Oh, man.
We both can cook.

For sure.

I think we have our answer.

I think this is
a really compelling story

of two small-town kids
really struggling to make it

in the big leagues, and you've
both come really a long way.

But, unfortunately, only one
of you can move into the finale.

Josh, you decided to give us
foie gras three ways.

You probably should have stopped
with one way.

Sheldon, you gave us
a great fish dish,

but really, really difficult
to get past salty broth.

You're left with the choice
between improper cooking

or something that
was completely over-seasoned.

It was a tough decision
to make.

Padma.

Josh...

Please
pack your knives and go.

It's been an honor, guys.

Thank you so much.
Thank you, Josh.

Take care, buddy.

I came here to be Top Chef.

Anything short of that
is a failure.

Thank you, guys.
Thank you both

for a great competition.

Congratulations, Sheldon.
You will be going to the finale.

That's the hardest part.

It's tough,
but it's the right decision.

All good things must come
to an end, baby.

- Oh, Joshy.
- I knew it.

No worries.

I was going up against
two super talented chefs.

I wish both of them luck.

It's gonna be
a fantastic finale.

It's all right.

I feel lucky
to have come this far.

So you guys knock them dead
in L.A.

Maybe I'll see you.
All right, Josh.

Wow.

Congrats.

One challenge from the finale.

That's the hard part.

Right now I have
a bittersweet taste in my mouth.

But, if I get the opportunity
to compete

in the Last Chance Kitchen
for a chance

to come back to the finale,
that would be a little revenge.

- Hi, guys.
- Hi, chefs.

- Congratulations.
- Well done.

Both: Thank you.
- I'm going to L.A.

The two of you will be
competing in the finale,

plus the winner
of Last Chance Kitchen.

Come on.
[Laughter]

You need to bring your "A"
game to be that tenth Top Chef.

So head home
and really think about this.

You know, work on technique.

But come back raring to go.
Will do.

- May the best chef win.
- Mm.

Both: Mm.

[Laughter]

To win Top Chef, that would
mean the world to me.

This kid from Hawaii's
gonna bring that warrior spirit.

Watch out for this menehune.

Cheers to going home.
Cheers to going home.

Right now, it's the finale
of Last Chance Kitchen.

After 11 battles
and 13 eliminations,

Kristen and Josh are
the last chefs standing.

But the b*ttlefield grows

as the winner of "Save a Chef"
joins them.

Who will emerge the winner
and enter the Top Chef finale?

To find out,
go to bravotv.com now.

Next week, part one
of the Top Chef finale.

Gonna go into the final
like a beast.

- Argh argh argh!
- [Giggles]

The winner of Last Chance
Kitchen is...

- Ah!
- Wow.

Fire another quail.
Pick it up with the short ribs.

- [Bleep]
- Do not burn down craft.

I can't believe that you're
going into service

and you're still using
a knife.

- Bad day to have a bad day.
- You guys are k*lling me.

- Holy smokes.
- Well, size does matter.

Very difficult.

I thought it was
pretty damn good.

For one of you, the road
to the finale ends here.