22x14 - Finito

[bunniefuu]

It's all on the line
for the final three chefs

in the last culinary clash
of the season.

Top Chefis no joke.

It 100% is the hardest thing
I've ever done.

Bailey, please pack
your knives and go.

It's not over yet. We'll see you
in Last Chance Kitchen.

Yes, girl.

Coming back from
Last Chance Kitchen

has really fueled me.

I've learned to trust all
the weird thoughts that I have.

I feel like I could pick your
dish out of a lineup anywhere.

And I think that's a marker of
a very, very strong chef.

I made tiramisu fugazi.

Pickle and red wine ragu.

Polenta gratinata with
gorgonzola dolce brûlée.

I'm just getting started.

Stay tuned.

I wanted to compete on
Top Chefjust for my business.

We're horribly in debt.

I woke up missing home a lot
today. My wife and my dogs.

Like, that's the hardest
part of this challenge.

I didn't expect the competition

to reawaken
what was inside me as a chef.

This is the first time
on Top Chef

that I felt like myself
cooking that dish.

It seemed like a much freer
dish, like you were having fun.

Scallion pancake pizza,

Sichuan lamb
and tiger salad on top.

Last, a little hot pot
with a sweet potato dumpling,

Roasted cabbage
with ant togarashi.

I'm ready to show people
who I really am as a chef.

Chinese mishmash, trashy fancy,
bizarrely wonderful.

Yahoo!

Chefs don't always get
the acknowledgement

that they necessarily deserve.

I wanted to play reference
to my Afro-Caribbean culture.

I call it the OG Jerk.

Steak tartare
flavored with obiata.

These are beets glazed
in a shadow beni epis.

Being on this experience
is really special

because I've been
showing my point of view

through creativity.

Marcus asked me why
I did what I did, and I said,

so that one day I can do
what you did for me.

Yeah. And I encourage you all
to continue standing on

your soapbox and your platforms.

And I think we'll all support
each other in doing it.

It's been a really great,
long, extremely emotional ride.

Trying to stay on, you know
what I mean, was hard all day.

Your parents
should be commended.

Since losing my father, Russell,

I'm working on
his determination.

And now, I'm just going
to bust my a*s even more.

Tonight,
it's the finale of Top Chef.

At stake for the winner,
the largest prize package

in Top Chefhistory.

The grand prize of a quarter
of a million dollars

furnished
by Saratoga Spring Water,

the official water of Top Chef,

Delta Sky Miles
Diamond Medallion status,

and $125,000 to spend on travel
with Delta Airlines,

A feature
in Food & WineMagazine,

an appearance at the
Food & WineClassic in Aspen,

And for the first time ever,

the winner of Top Chef
will headline

their own exclusive dinner

at the historic
James Beard House in New York.

And the title of Top Chef.

Wow...

Wow.

This is insane.

We're at
the Last Supperpainting.

It's just like
a moment frozen in time.

You know, he's talented
in so many different ways.

Yeah, for sure.

And Da Vinci
painted this scene

that's been depicted
a million different ways.

And I feel that way
a little bit about my food.

People have done Italian food
the same way a million times,

but I think it's
an important lesson

that like, you can be a little
weird and a little quirky,

and that's probably
what's going to make you shine.

That's why I'm here today.

I didn't know it was this big.

That's incredible.

Leonardo da Vinci
made something spectacular

that's lasted
through generations.

And I feel that way about food.

All these things I'm taking
from my mom and my grandma,

I don't have children
to pass it on to.

And that's very heartwarming
for me to share my food

with the world through Top Chef.

That's my legacy.

Both physically
and ideologically,

this is a lot bigger
than I ever thought it was.

I find it
very strange that Judas,

who's the antagonist
of this painting,

is the one represented
as a dark-skinned person.

Stereotyping has been around
for a really long time,

and my mission has been
to increase the value

of Black food across the world.

I am ready to get this done.

Well, this was inspiring.

We're here.

Uh-oh.

- Good morning.
- Hey, Chefs.

Congratulations on
making it to the finale.

One of you is going to
walk away with the grand prize

of $250,000, furnished
by Saratoga Springwater,

and the title of Top Chef.

Wow.

How was the private viewing
of Da Vinci's Last Supper?

It was kind of magical.

Absolutely magical. Yeah.

Da Vinci's
creativity knows no limits.

That's what we want
to see from you today

for your final meal
of the season.

For your last and final
challenge of the season,

we want you to simply make us

the best four-course
progressive meal of your life.

- No pressure.
-No pressure.

No big deal, yeah.

To help you prepare
and cook your final meals,

we asked you
to choose your sous-chef.

Woop, woop, woop, woop. Hey!

What's up?
How you doing, brother?

How you doin'?

I'm back.
Like, this is awesome.

If I can't be here myself
in the finals,

then it's literally
the most perfect next best thing

to be here for Bailey.

Shuai, why'd you choose Paula?

I thought about Paula
as a chef a lot

ever since Restaurant Wars,

just how much she sacrificed
for all of us

and I wanted
someone like that by my side.

- I'm your rock. I got you.
-All right.

And Tristen?

Zubair and I kind of
vibed in the beginning,

and I thought he was
one of the only people

that would understand me
on spices.

Hell yeah.

- So, we'll put flavor down.
- Yeah.

Now that everyone
has their sous-chef,

we're going to give you a little
bit of time to menu plan here.

And then you'll have 2,000 euro

to shop at
a variety of local markets,

followed by five hours
of prep and cook.

Tomorrow,
you'll have an additional

two hours to prep and cook
before service begins

at Michelin Star
Restaurante, Cracco.

Oh. Sick.

You'll be serving us judges

and an impressive lineup
of guest diners,

including owner
of Restaurante Cracco,

and Michelin Star chef,
Carlo Cracco,

chef and owner of
Santo Palato in Rome,

Sarah Cicolini.

- Oh, my God.
- No pressure.

And your guest judge,

three Michelin Star chef,
Clare Smith.

Wow.

All right, chefs, good luck,
and get to menu planning.

- We'll see you later.
- Good luck.

Thank you.

All right.

This is the most important cook,

possibly of
my whole entire life.

- Good to see you.
- You too, brother.

Let's get you this win.

This whole menu is about

progressing
Afro-Caribbean cuisine...

Mm-hmm. I love that.

...and a little history lesson
a little bit as well.

I have a pretty good
grasp on what I want to do.

Awesome.

I'm going
to do Chinese techniques

and dishes that I feel like

that's influenced me

or just some of my favorite
things that I have had.

Love that.

I want to keep it
a little quirky, as they say.

- Perfect, perfect.
-And fun.

The whole vibe
is giro stravagante,

and so I want it to be
super whimsical, creative.

I kind of want to feature
different artisans

and chefs that have
influenced who I am.

Italy tried to invade Ethiopia.

I want to give that little nod
to that bit of history,

so I want to do
something called "dorengo."

- Dorengo is short for doro wat.
- Doro wat.

Which is the national
dish of Ethiopia.

And then
there's a northern Italian,

southern French dish
called chicken marengo.

The next one, oxtail Milanese.

Risotto Milanese and ossobuco
is a staple dish here,

but I am going to use oxtail,

which I think is
the poster child

for Trinidadian cuisine.

Make it
really Caribbean-flavored.

- Beautiful.
- We're in Italy

and we have
to do some pasta, right?

Yes!

I want to make a raviolo,

but I want to have it taste
like soup dumpling.

Oh, my God, I love that.

The third course,
I was doing research in Milan,

and I think about ossobuco,

and my mom makes this
delicious tangcu [indistinct],

which is like sweet and sour
pork ribs instead of polenta.

I'm just going to do
a little southern-a*s grits.

Yes! Love that!

Second course,
I want to make anolini alpini.

-Cute.
-Third course is

the blackened redfish.

All right, now dessert time.

It's part tiramisu,
part zucca,

- like pasta...
- Cute.

...and then it's made
with pizzelle cookies.

-Cool.
-I have a dessert.

I call it truffle roots.

It's basically a carrot cake.
No carrots.

Okay.

But using parsnips,
and then just like

a little
coconut milk veil on top.

This sounds amazing, man.

- I love this.
-That's it.

One of my favorite desserts

is the ambrosia salad.

I would have never thought
you were like that,

but it's okay!

I feel like that's so me,
because it's like,

it's trashy, but it's
like something that's playful.

Yeah.

Let's make this
the cutest meal ever, girl!

- Let's do it!
- I'm in the mood!

Let's go.

- Let's go to pesce.
- Belt check.

-Find us some seafood.
-Yes.

I'm so happy.
Look at us. Look at us!

- Woo!
- Look at us!

-Okay, let's go.
-Ciao!

Ooh, look at those fishes.

Oh, wow.
Look at those things.

Ooh.

This smells like the ocean.

And you already know
this is a good spot.

- Like that?
- Yeah.

For the first course,
I'm planning on

making a panipuri.

It's my favorite bite
in the whole entire world.

It's so much punch.
One single bite.

Oh, my God.
That's gonna be so good.

My eye is immediately caught
by the scarlet red shrimp.

Just glowing red.
So, why not? You know?

Yep. All of it.

Whoa. Shuai's spendin', dog.

What do we think, fam?

They are very small.

So, I kind of think we go big.

- Okay.
- For the first course,

I am going
to be making a polpo e mozz.

It will be this beautiful
grilled octopus

and mozzarella inspired by
my first line cooking job

at an Izakaya-style
restaurant, Yusho.

- How many do you want?
- 50.

People say, you know, you're not
supposed to mix cheese

and seafood together,

but rules are meant
to be broken sometimes.

Let's look at some of
the other stuff.

-The baccala?
-Yes.

Oh, those are salted before?

Oh, I want this then.
I want this. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

My first course is going
to be baccala mbongo,

and I am on a hell-bent mission
to find really good-quality cod.

Okay, last. This, please.

-I love monkfish.
-I do, too.

The monkfish looks so good,
I can't ignore it.

We're gonna roll them all,
we're gonna slice them all,

see what's
the best of the texture.

- Hell yeah.
-Now, I'm torn on

the direction
I want to go, but as a cook,

when you see great ingredients,
all you want to do is cook them.

And that's it. Don't sell me
anything else, please.

Woo, girl!
You're about to eat well.

Grazie.

I really wanna hit up
the open-air market.

So, that's gonna be
our big produce haul.

Yeah.

Doing a little market
shopping in Milan.

Soy sauce, oyster sauce.

You want to do
a round first?

Yeah, maybe just
a little look-see.

Let's do this.

Oh, yeah.

I didn't think
I was gonna find these.

Perfect.

We're still
missing cilantro.

cilantro?

Si, si, si, I have it.

Y'all taking all the cilantro?

Y'all!

That's enough, though,
that's enough, that's enough.

I love the very
multicultural finalists

that have
made it here to Milan.

Four courses
of cilantro tasting?

Well.

With Shuai, the judges
always really love

the depth of flavor
that he can get.

Do you have
four courses of daikon?

Wouldn't you like to know?

He is a force.

Uh,

I think
if we have five of these.

- Yeah.
- And they look really nice.

- Grazie.
-Bailey's a beast.

I was gonna make 1,200 grams
worth of pasta, I think.

She's an Italian queen.

She makes Italian food that
I've never seen done before.

Well, well, well.
Did you see all the plantains?

Maybe.

Tristen weaves these
beautiful stories with his food,

with the ingredients he uses,

and he's very incredible
at doing it.

- All right, let's boogie.
- Ciao.

It's pretty surreal
to think that at the end

of the day tomorrow,
someone will be Top Chef.

I want to beat everyone.

There it is.

- Thanks. Buongiorno.
- Grazie.

- Here?
- Yep, here, here, here.

- Here?
- Yup.

Oh, well,
I guess we're here then.

Prep list for today.

All right, boo boo,
let's get it.

Oh, I broke the cutting board.

- Calm down, Massimo.
-Sorry.

Woo.

I'm going full speed on veg.

- Lots of spices, Zub.
- Yes, chef.

Paula, it's like
Restaurant Wars all over again.

I'm cleaning seafood.

You're doing everything else.

For the second course,
I'm planning on making

pork and king crab
soup dumpling raviolo.

It's kind of Italian,
it's kind of Chinese.

I think it's gonna be awesome.

Or I'll never be allowed back
in Italy or China ever again.

Black vinegar,
I believe is this one, chef?

-Yas, queen.
- Yas.

For the third course,
I'm making tangcu ossobuco.

It's gonna be served on some
southern-style cheesy-a*s grits.

One of my favorite things
growing up

my grandma made for me
is sweet and sour pork rib.

The sweet and sour sauce is made
with Chinese black vinegar

and soy sauce, lightly sweet,

and it works so well
with braised meats.

Fantastic.

Smells like a wet dog.

For today, the main focus
is the braised ossobuco,

doing the stocks,
and make the dessert.

We need to make sure
everything that has gelatin

is setting overnight.

It takes a long time.

That should be done,
like, tomorrow.

Corner, corner, corner.

I'm making the pasta dough today

because I have
not made this filling before.

The second course
will be anolini alpini,

porcini-filled pasta
with brown butter pecan.

This is a dish that
draws inspiration from

the mountains of Canada.

It's like we were
in the Alps of Canada,

and now
we're in the Italian Alps.

Having never made it before,
it has to be pretty special.

I'll see you soon, my friend.

I'm just cleaning the chicken,

- getting them ready for stock.
-Great.

Fish looks nice.

-Yeah?
-My third course is

sort of a nod
to Sarah Grueneberg.

I will be making
blackened orata

because of her
upbringing in Houston,

fishing with her grandfather.

- Isn't she cute?
-Yeah.

- Bye.
- Bye.

What else do you need,
chef? How are you looking?

Good. I'm going to start
working on my doro wat dish.

The second course is going
to be the mashup

of polo dorengo
and doro wat from Ethiopia

with an injera shrimp toast.

I'm essentially trying to
uncolonize colonized dishes, so.

After that, it's going
to be my oxtail Milanese,

paying tribute
to both the Caribbean

and the national dish of Milan.

There's rum, there's tamarind,
there's red wine,

there's chilies.

What is that?

Is Tristen
trying to m*rder us?

Yeah, they're just
trying to take us out.

Spices.

- Oxtail's in.
-Oxtail's in. Heard.

Three hours, 30 minutes, guys.

Hey, chefs.
How's it going?

- Hi, Tom.
- Hey, chef.

- Hey, Bailey.
- Hi.

-What are you making?
- I wanted to create a menu

that consists of all the people

and places that have inspired me
on my cooking journey.

And are you doing dessert?

Yeah. It is going to be
a torta di pizzelle.

I'm going to layer it with
mascarpone and zucca filling,

making a little ice cream
to go with that.

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

- Hey, Tristen.
- Hey, chef. What's going on?

- Zubair, how are you?
- How are you doing?

- Good.
- Good, good, good.

So, let's talk about your menu.

I got discredited a lot, like,

trying to do my own stuff in,

like, my classical
training places.

But this menu is basically
just trying to bridge that gap.

Roots are a really big thing
in Afro-Caribbean.

So, for dessert,
we're going to be doing

essentially like a carrot cake,

but we're switching out
the carrots

for different types of roots.

Doing a plantain miso sauce
and a ice cream using cassareep.

Awesome. All right.

I'll let
you guys get back to it.

- Thank you, chef.
- Good luck.

- Appreciate it.
- Thank you.

- Hello, chef.
- How's it going?

I'm just happy to be able
to share this meal with y'all.

So, let's talk about the meal.

It's my style of food, which
is Chinese, but it's not really.

It's just dishes
and food and recipes

that inspired me throughout
my whole entire career.

You know? Panipuri and,
like, grits and stuff like that.

We're going to do an ambrosia
for the last course.

I hear it's making a comeback.

-Barely.
- Awesome.

But, no, I really love
to have fun while I'm cooking

because I think
you can taste it in the food.

- Good luck.
-Thank you, chef.

Okay, chefs.
This is for the finalists only.

After you're done prepping,
meet me at Residenza Vignale.

We'll have a little downtime.

- Ah!
- We'll see you there.

Awesome, chef.

I'm just layering the braising
jus back into the meat,

and this
will help it stick together.

It'll look like
a little piece of ossobucco.

Tomorrow, these should
just jiggle just enough,

just like me.

-45 minutes.
-45.

Right behind.

-Porcinis are so good.
-It's good?

Taste.

I think I'm gonna add just
a little porcini powder to it.

Oh, my God. Girl.

I'm about
to start cranking this fish.

I'm going to marinate it
a little bit.

-Awesome.
- For my first course,

I'm not entirely sure

if I want to go with
monkfish or cod.

So, I'm going to treat them
the same exact way.

So, I've marinated it,

and now I am just rolling it
to hold the shape.

And I'm leaving the cooking on
all the fish to test tomorrow.

So, I will either be
in a really great position

or a really sh-- position.

- You put it back here, right?
-Yep.

Eight minutes, 45 seconds, guys.

Veg is pickling.
You're working prepared chard.

Yep.

I'm just hoping that
we've set everything up

well enough that we can
execute each dish perfectly.

Pasta.

I'll just steam it straight

in that thing tomorrow.

We'll just full steam, no heat.

For tomorrow's cook,

the only thing I'm really
worried about is the raviolo.

Soup dumpling's
always been my Everest,

so I'll just keep
climbing that mountain.

Yeah!

- You're amazing. I love you.
-Thank you.

- Thank you so much.
- We're gonna rock tomorrow.

- Don't even worry.
- My heart and soul.

Let's go see
what Tom has tonight.

What a day.

Playtime's over.

- How's the truffle?
-It smells nice.

Look at this beautiful chicory.

I think it's done.

- Oh, my God.
- Oh, wow.

Hey, folks.

Uh-oh.

We're just finishing up dinner.

No, stop it.

So, why don't you guys
go sit down at the table,

start noshing.

It's a once in a lifetime
experience, right?

When's the next time
I'm ever going to have

this intimate dinner cooked by
Tom, Kristen, and Gail?

Ah.

This is way better
than going to a restaurant.

It didn't seem so--
so finale real until today.

Yeah.

- Oh, my God.
-Oh, hey.

Clearance for some tortellini
in brodo with white truffle.

- Oh, my God.
-It doesn't feel right

that you're serving me
right now.

- Some porchetta.
-Wow, that is gorgeous.

Roasted veg.

Oh, my gosh, yum.

Puntarelle,
anchovy, and chicory salad.

Simple, simple, simple.

-Gorge.
-Thank you.

You're welcome.

Yum.

-Mm.
- That's delicious.

So, how are you guys feeling?
Prep day went well?

Prep day was good.

- I feel great.
- For the most part, yeah.

Had you been to Milan before?

No, the northmost I've been
is Emilia-Romagna.

I didn't get on a plane
until I was like 20.

It's amazing.

The energy
that you guys brought,

and I'd say this without
an ounce of smoke blowing.

First day you walked in
the kitchen,

the three of us turned
to each other and were like,

"They've got the juju."

We are truly getting
to know you by your food,

but also
your personalities are just,

they're there every single time
that you show up in front of us,

and it's been really such a joy
to get to know you that way.

I like to keep it humble,

but I'm also really proud of
what I've accomplished

to get me here.

I think I'm able to say
to myself with confidence

that I deserve to be here.

Look at that.
That is gorgeous.

It's just a simple
poached pear crostata.

Everybody's going
to change their dessert.

After this many seasons,

it's still very
exciting every single time?

-Absolutely.
- Yeah?

I get to mentor, in a way,
a bunch of young people.

My book, Why I Cook,
there's several reasons in there

for why I do,
and I love doing this.

It's so amazing when you
can be around so many people

who have the same exact goal,
especially now in restaurants.

- Yeah.
-You make that happen.

You hire the people
that want to be there.

You inspire them to be there.

When I worked at Rakel, which
was Thomas Keller's restaurant

in New York, the conversation
in the kitchen was never about

what movie did you see,
what bar are you going to?

- Of course.
- It was food.

- It was always food.
- All we talked about was food.

So you have to foster that,
I think.

Yeah.

Well, I've got to say,
it's been really fantastic

getting to know you and spending
some time having dinner.

Thank you for having us.

Good luck tomorrow.
We're rooting for all of you.

Yeah, we really are.
We're really proud of you.

It's the last day of Top Chef.

There's a little bit
of senioritis going on,

the last day of school,

but you know on the last day
of this school,

it's going
to change your life forever.

Woo!

Let's get this sh-- going.

Let's do it, guys. Final cook.

Yeah!

-Chef!
- Hey, girl.

- Let's do it!
- A lot of energy,

- a lot of focus, baby.
-All right, boo-boo.

- I need you today.
- Let's go, let's go.

All right, first course is gonna
be the cod or the monkfish.

I'm going
to see which one is good.

I need you to start working
on the cake.

Got you, got you.

This is the mbungo
and the doro wat.

Running. Woo-hoo!

Hot, hot, hot.
It's very hot.

How are we feeling
on time today, Bailey?

It's going to be a push,
but we know that.

We're gonna crush,
don't worry.

First thing I want you
to do is just to get grits on.

Yes.

And I am getting
the filling done

for my raviolos.

Oh, hello. Meat jello.

Set very nicely,

- so I'm very happy with that.
-Yes!

The most difficult thing
for me to pull off today

is definitely that raviolo.

I don't want it to melt
until you steam the dumplings.

I need the dough
steamed correctly.

I want to make a really big one

because I want to put as much
soup in there as possible.

It's-a big meatball.
Okay, don't put that on TV.

I am making tiramisu pizzele
cake with a zucca filling,

and then we're going
to Ice Cream Town USA.

I would love to go there.

Fire and ice, baby.
Fire and ice.

Chef, we're going on cake
and ice cream.

- Do you have enough sancho?
- I do.

Would you like some
grated sweet potato in there?

Yeah, a little bit of
sweet potato would be great.

Now you go night-night.
Dry out a little bit, chill.

Forty-five minutes until
we serve our first course, guys.

-Oui, Chef.
-Heard.

I'm going
to try some panipuri

I wanted their first bite
to kind of be unforgettable.

Shuai, I'm working right now
on straining the gazpacho.

Just lemon and salt, right?

Lemon and salt.
Nice and tart.

Perfect.

The monkfish looks good.

The cod came out
really well as well.

For the first course.
I'm still trying to decide

the pros and cons of each fish.

Both of them have
slightly different textures.

Monkfish is
an easier fish to overcook,

but cod has less texture.

At six minutes,
we're going to fire fish.

There's not a lot of time, but
I'm going to keep forging ahead

until I can make
the right decision.

Six minutes, fire fish.

Six minutes.

I'm going to fire them both
to see how they both come out.

Time to party.

We need everything
ready for the first course.

It's kind
of inspired by Campania,

and it's like the products of
the sea versus the land.

How much of a char
do you want on it, babe?

Pretty heavy.

I need to get a really
nice char on that octopus

to balance with the creaminess
of the mozzarella.

It's the best mozzarella
that there is.

-There we go.
- Please.

-Wow.
-It's beautiful.

It's beautiful here.

Please.

Welcome, everyone, to
the finale meal of the season.

We all know at this table
that the most important thing

once you get to a certain level,
is finding your own style.

And I think that's where
they are in their career.

I think we're all in
for a really big treat.

Behind.

Babe, we have to plate.

Shrimp down first,
and then salsa macha.

All right, going on fish.

I'm going to test
a piece right now.

It looks really great.

I'm going to go with monkfish.

I like the texture of it
a little more.

It has more of
a lobster texture.

Sauce directly on the fish?

North of the fish.

North of the fish, chef.



Good, good, good, good, good.

- Thank you.
- Oh, wow.

-That looks like monkfish.
-It does.

-Interesting.
- Hi, chefs.

- Hi.
- Hi.

Bailey, what did you make
for your first course?

My menu is paying homage
to all the people

that have influenced me,

but then putting
my own spin on the food.

I wanted to pay nod
to my first-line cooking job

being from
a Japanese background.

We've got grilled octopus,
mozzarella tomato dashi,

and then giardiniera.

This is sort of like
a star-crossed-lovers situation.

Really good choice.

Shuai, what did you make
for your first course?

I wanted to showcase
that Chinese food can take

many forms, and today
we're starting off with

a little panipuri with
a cured scarlet red shrimp,

aji verde, salsa matcha,

and then on the side,
gazpacho verde.

Tristen.

I always kind of looked at
my own cuisine as something that

wasn't really revered
and valued at tables like this.

What we have here is monkfish,

turmeric turnips
that have been pickled.

The black sauce is
a baccala mbongo,

something I grew up with.

Tristen,
how do you cook the fish?

It was steamed in a little
bit of, like, epi-sputter.

- Thank you, chefs.
- Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, let's reset up.

- Yes, chef.
- How are you doing over here?

If this was a fight,

they all came out and punched
each other in the face.

- They're swinging, yeah.
- Hard.

I love Bailey's use of
the octopus and the mozzarella

because it's dumb and brilliant.

The mozzarella helped tamper
and tame the char,

balance out the sweetness.

That one was
a really strong dish.

Mm-hmm.

- How'd it go?
- Good, I think.

Shuai's dish, just,
like, flavor expl*si*n.

It was crunchy, lovely acidity,

that wonderful heat
coming through.

The gazpacho verde chutney
had such beautiful herbal notes.

It's so hard to balance
so many things in that bite.

But it comes together in
a really refreshing way.

The chefs always have
very good poker faces.

I know, right?

Tristen dish.

It's very simple,
but very, very perfect.

I think my fish was a bit under.

The fish looked undercooked,

but when I ate it,
it didn't eat undercooked.

It was, like,
right on the border.

Tristen and I are
aligned in ways of wanting

to elevate certain
cultures of food

in a fine dining space,
and he did really great.

I get it all.

Get the shrimp out.
Get a pan.

- We're gonna fry 'em.
- Fry 'em, heard.

That was so good.
I'm going to go in

and just kind of give them
a little encouragement.

I'm going to steam
one raviolo right now,

- just to test it, yeah?
- Yes, chef.

These pecan color
looks great, Lana.

Hey, chefs.

Real quick. You guys nailed
that first course.

- Thank you, chef.
- Thank you, chef.

- Yay!
- Everybody was really impressed.

- Keep it up.
- Thanks, guys!

- Really awesome. Keep it up.
- Thank you, chef.

Daddy said it's good.

Let's go!

Injera shrimp.
This is just amazing.

Super unique.

Favorite thing of this whole
night is this shrimp toast,

but done with injera.

So just like you're making
a grilled cheese, all right?

- You got it, chef.
- No burning, okay?

Yes, chef.

The size of the moment
is getting more real,

and you can definitely
feel that in the room.

Just a little fry.
A little more.

Crispy.

I can smell that broth.
It smells good.

All right.

This is four minutes.

- It just came out a little dry.
-That's true.

The texture,
it's not the right texture.

- Uh...
- 13 minutes.

I'm pretty nervous
about this dish,

but there's no time
to linger on emotions.

Just got to focus
and keep moving forward.

Think, Shuai.
Think, Shuai. Think.

-That's a little too dry.
-You wanna poach it?

Let's do that.

I didn't want to boil
the raviolis because there's

higher chances of
the stock inside leaking.

At this point, I just want
to get this dish on the plate.



-Dropping pasta.
-Dropping.

Just gonna nappé
the chicken, okay?

Nappé the chicken.

Heard that.

It's definitely soupy,
so that's great.

- Three minutes.
- Gotta go.

I feel like the filling has
a decent amount of seasoning.

The filling is great.

-Behind.
-10 seconds, y'all.

Let's go, baby.

So make sure I'm staying
busy while you're gone.

Thank you.

Wow.
I'm gonna move this over.

Bailey, can you tell us about
your second course, please?

So, this is anolini alpini.

The filling is roasted porcini,

a little bit of shallot,
robiola,

parmigiano,
and a little ricotta.

We were in the mountains
of Calgary,

and I think that was one of
the most important challenges.

It built a lot of
confidence for me.

Now we are in North Italy,
near the Alps,

and porcinis are in season,
so I felt like

I absolutely have
to use porcinis.

I made a raviolo with
charred leek vinaigrette

and a little bit of lardo.

I really wanted
to make soup dumplings,

so the filling itself has
ground pork, king crab,

and a little bit of
gelatinous pork stock.

Have you ever made this size
of soup dumpling before?

I have never made dumplings
that big before.

The filling I've been
working on for a while.

I call this dish "Dorengo."

It's short for doro wat,
meaning chicken,

and polo marengo,
northern Italian kind of thing

shared between southern France.

There is a chicken poached
in niter kibbeh,

an Ethiopian
fermented spice butter.

Next to that is
an injera shrimp toast

with a little bit of egg yolk
jam and some butter.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

Corner!

All right, guys,
that one felt good.

The one from Tristen
is just next level.

My chicken was
cooked beautifully,

but I think the star was
the shrimp toast.

I love the crispy chew.

The seasoning is right up
to the edge.

A couple grains more,
it's salty.

A couple few,
and it's not seasoned.

And so he's playing his game
and doing it really well.

You're gonna have
to mass-produce those

injera bites, man.

Bailey's dish is
really wholesome.

I love the fact that
she's using a porcini.

They're in season here,
and it's really lovely

that she's embraced that.

The pecans gave it
something different.

It's the quirky part of Bailey
that we've grown to love.

If I close my eyes, I remember
the broth my grandma made.

So it's beautiful.

I think it went well.

Depends how much
people liked it.

Shuai's soup dumpling,

he really, really
understands flavor.

He understands balance.
The vinaigrette,

especially with
the black vinegar,

was such a smart ingredient
with such a hearty dish.

I wanted more soup
in the dumpling.

I believe that he has a version
of this dish that is perfect.

A big part of a soup dumpling
is the ratios,

and that's the only thing
that was really wrong

with this dish, because all
the parts were really delicious.

I worry about the pasta dough
being a little thick, but...

it seemed very thin
when I was rolling it.

I'm still at three restaurants,

and I'm still
having a great time.

We need to just get fish going.
Can you get the sauté pans on?

Yes. I'm going to pull it
when it's a little under, yeah?

No. In mid-rear?

Yep.

If the roles were reversed,
I would probably want to cook

all my proteins, but whatever
chef needs me to do, I'll do it.

I don't want to overcook
that side,

so yeah, I think you're good.

That's not even grits anymore.

That's just cheese.

That's what I'm all about.

Just a big spoonful
right in the middle.

Gotcha.

I'm so glad Paola's here.

Thank you so much.
You'll make me cry.

Three minutes remaining,
guys, three minutes.

Looks like a fish on plate.

Scallions on top.

Are there any of
these fish pieces

that you are worried
about cook-wise?

I attempt a few of them.

I don't like
how that one looks...

The fish I'm noticing
that it is over.

- You want me to do more?
- No, no, no.

- Go, go, go.
- Going.

But we don't have
the time to refire it.

Can you swap this plate
with this plate?

That's beautiful.

This is
a blackened-style orata

with a Calabrian chili crunch
and a little whipped tahini.

This dish is kind of inspired
by chef Sarah Monteverde.

She grew up fishing redfish
with her grandfather,

so we always have some variation
of redfish on the menu there.

This is a tangcu ossobuco
with long beans, radicchio,

little burgundy truffles,
and a sweet-and-sour sauce.

This was inspired by
my grandmother.

Growing up, she used to make me
this sweet-and-sour rib.

This one is very close to me,
very West Indian,

but in the structure of
a Milanese.

In the middle,
it is oxtail braised whole,

and on the bottom are
Carolina gold rice grits

with a curry butter.

And on top is a little
bone marrow gremolata.

Tristen, how did you keep
the individual grains

of the rice grits separate?

Cooked it more like pasta,
and then mounted it with

the rest of
the curry butter.

Your final course on Top Chef
is about to be plated,

so get back there, and we'll
see you in a little bit.

Okay.

Last one, last one, last one.

Last one, baby, come on.

I don't want it to be over.

Bailey's was balanced,
had some bright flavors.

My fish was a little
bit overcooked,

but I did appreciate
the creaminess of the tahini.

It didn't have the brightness
that I wanted it to.

It just didn't feel like
the sunny, happy food

that I know Bailey's
used to making.



I can do this.
We can do this.

Historically,
we've been underserved oxtail,

and Tristen took the time
to pull it,

create that beautiful,
huge, maybe too big

portion of oxtail, and then
cover it with that gremolata.

He did not forget
the bone marrow.

That's very, very smart.

No words.

It's perfect.

- Last course, guys.
- Last course, chef.

Shuai's dish, it was rustic.

You've got that creamy,
the grits,

sweet and sour,
truffle, radicchio.

There's lots of different
things happening.

The amount of dairy
in the grits took over,

and I wanted the richness
from the actual ossobuco.

Allora.

Let's take a moment
to appreciate this,

and I'll spend the next


We've got this.

Looks good.

I'm serving ambrosia salad

to some of the best
chefs in the world.

I can't think of
a better way to end my meal.

Three minutes!

We're going to torch that.

Parapa-pa-pa! Love it!

Do you wanna do one more?

Good job, guys.

Nice job.
You did it.

It's been an honor.

Zucca is one of my favorite
pastas, and we are in Milan.

So I decided to try to make
zucca into a true dessert.

Roasted squash filling,
pizzelle cookies,

mascarpone cream, and an
espresso stracciatella gelato.

- Shuai.
- One of the most unique things

I had moving down south
was an ambrosia salad.

So I just wanted to make
something that tasted like that

using seasonal pears,
goji berries,

a little bit of Italian meringue
on top, pistachios for texture,

and then just a little bit
of toasted coconut,

which is very traditional
for ambrosia salad.

This is similar to a carrot
cake, but also to a pone.

A pone is basically
a root vegetable

dessert that we eat in Trinidad.

I've paired that with different
roots that I've found here.

Sunchoke, some sweet potato,

spiced with a little bit
of garam masala.

On the bottom is
a charred plantain cream,

and the cassareep sorbet.

This one's a really big honor
to my parents.

- Thank you.
- Thank you, guys.

Well, I hope you all feel very,
very proud of it.

I want you to embrace it all,
feel it all,

and celebrate all
of your accomplishments.

Don't start crying,
we're going to cry.

Congratulations.
Enjoy.

- Thank you, guys.
- Thank you.

Woo!

Yeah!

Wow, what an end.

I think Bailey
really brought it home,

and I kind of really
can see Bailey's style

quite clearly now.

I like the idea of
using the zucca.

The layering with the
pizzelle is really beautiful.

Congratulations.
So proud of you.

Shuai's dish,
every bite is different

every time you dig in there, and
I think that's one of the most

successful parts of this dish.

I was really impressed
at how light it was,

bursting with
the flavor of pear.

This is like
a really cool dessert.

- Thank you so much.
- No, thank you!

You're awesome.

Tristen,

chapeau.

I think it's interesting,
but to me, this is where

the whole thing got off
the tracks here.

I don't want
effervescent ice cream.

I think it's too spicy.

It's interesting,
but is it delicious?

I don't know if I have a strong
opinion on like or dislike.

Appreciate it 100%.

- Thank you for the help.
- Of course.

Couldn't have done it
without you.

Thank you for having me.

Couldn't have done it
without you.

You know, we're seeing
the future of food.

These are young chefs
that are doing great things,

and we know that our industry
is going to just

keep on growing because of chefs
like we have right here.

Carlo, thank you very much.

It's a pleasure.
It's very, very difficult

to judge three chef,
is amazing.

Thank you for being here

and experiencing
three incredible chefs.

Shall we go to Judges table
to discuss?

Absolutely.

Well, chefs,
it's all come down to this.

Today's meal
was just exceptional.

They say I don't have much
of a poker face.

If I'm not happy,
I'm not happy,

but I was happy,
so thank you.

Aww.

Bailey, can you explain
the first course?

There's been so much of this
journey that has been working on

my confidence outside of who
I am at Monteverde,

and so I thought it would be
kind of fun to do

octo and mozz together.

Who are we to judge them
if they're happy together,

living their lives?

I think that dish showed
extreme confidence.

The idea of putting those
two things together,

it absolutely worked
because you made it work.

- Thanks.
- From the octopus,

there's lots of little elements
of, like, pickled things.

It's just like,
I kept popping in my mouth.

Super dish.

No Italians were harmed
in the making of that dish.

Shuai.

I wanted to start off
with a little snack

'cause I knew the rest of the
meal could be a little heavier,

and panipuri is
this expl*si*n of, like,

textures and flavors.

The expl*si*n of flavor is
exactly what it was.

I thought it was just
perfectly balanced.

The technical ability
to pull something like that off.

I'm pretty sure everyone
said it was, like,

one of the best bites
of the night.

- Really, really good.
- Thank you.

Your first course, Tristen.

It was subtle.
It was beautiful to look at.

Everything was wonderfully
tasting and seasoned.

The only question is with
the cooking of the fish.

It looked really undercooked,
but it didn't eat undercooked.

I like monkfish almost,
like, scallop-y.

- I loved it.
- Thank you.

Bailey, talk to us
about your anolini pasta.

Being in Calgary,
I did something that felt

really different,
and it worked out really well.

And so I wanted
to then transport us

to the Alps of Italy.

I could eat
that dish every day.

I loved it.

The anolini were beautifully
made, the broth was delicious,

and I really loved the pecans.

Everything about it was
really comfortable.

Thank you so much.

Shuai, talk us through
your raviolo soup dumpling.

I did struggle with
the steamer a little bit,

so I just decided to poach it.

It's not the exact texture
that I wanted.

The dish is there.

There is just that
one piece with

the chicken soup
that you can figure out.

Like, whip it in,
but also then take a cut out

of the gelatin
and put it on top.

Oh, where were you
while I was making that?

Tristen, your chicken dish.

I thought the reworking of

chicken marengo
was just brilliant.

A lot of people sometimes
talk a good game

and they can't execute.
You just nailed it.

- Absolutely nailed it.
- Thank you.

The shrimp toast. There was
a snap, there was a crunch.

- Yeah.
- This was, like,

a banger of a dish.

All right, Bailey.
How did you cook the fish?

I seared it topside and then
finished it on the skin side.

You know, it was blackened, sort
of charred, robust flavor there.

About 80% of mine
was overcooked.

The first two courses were
so unmistakably Bailey.

And then you told
the story about Sarah.

It felt like it was a dish
for her as opposed to a dish

that showed us more of you.

Shuai, what inspired you
to make ossobuco?

I really wanted to do ossobuco
by reminding me of my grandma.

And grits was one of
those things

I kind of fell in love with
when I first moved down south.

There was a lot going on
in the dish.

I loved the flavor of the grits.

I loved the flavor of
the ossobuco.

Marrying all the things
together then with the truffles

and the salad and the garnish.
That's where things started

to get a little bit
confusing for me.

Tristen, tell me about
your oxtail Milanese.

I called it oxtail Milanese,

but I just wanted to really make
it a Caribbean kind of flavor.

The curry grits really
did pay respect to Milan.

But when you took a spoonful,
you were absolutely in Trinidad.

Fabulous dish.

We've made it
to dessert. Bailey.

I love frittelle di zucca.

And so I thought about
how could I take something

from a pasta and then
make it into a dessert.

That's our Bailey.

That was the Bailey
that I lost for a second,

and then I got her right back.

The gelato was just fantastic.

- This felt like you.
- Thank you.

Shuai, ambrosia.

Yeah, it was my first time
having ambrosia.

And I think maybe now I might
be spoiled to have yours

to start with
because it was delicious.

I think it was the dish of
the night for me that gave me

the giddy, smile,
childlike playfulness.

And that was a really great way
for you to end your menu.

Appreciate it.
Thank you so much.

Tristen, this was
so complex for a dessert.

A lot of the ingredients
are simple roots,

but they're put together in
a way where it just--

it just has your head spinning.

To some people,
maybe a little too much.

I happen to really enjoy it.

I've never had
anything like that.

The sunchoke and
the sweet potato, pineapple.

I really loved having
something that was so original.

- Thank you.
- Chef Carlo took

his imaginary hat off
to this one.

Amazing, thank you.

Overall, it was just
a really outstanding showing

from the three of you.

We have a lot to discuss, but
thank you very much for today.

Thank you.

We'll call you back
in a little bit.

Thank you, chefs.

Well, the finale of season 22,
I'd say that the chefs certainly

delivered on a lot
of promises to us,

but also to themselves.

This is everything
you can ask for in a finale.

I better get some fresh air.

This is better.

We all crushed.

We all crushed.

We always tend to go
course by course,

but looking at their meals,
they're so different.

And they're trying
to accomplish different things

because there are
so few mistakes.

You almost want to avoid
going head to head

and talk through the menus.

Here's this thing.
I find myself to be quite

knowledgeable about food.
I'm a dweeb.

I look up stuff.
I've been to Italy.

I've worked in
Italian restaurants.

But, like, sometimes
Bailey just starts talking

and I'm like,
I don't think I know

what she's talking about, actually.

There's a lot of things
you say that I don't know

what you're talking about.

You know, I'm going to go
stage at Monteverde.

Bailey, it was a very complete
menu from start to finish.

On paper, a lot of
the things she tries

shouldn't work, but they do.

Bailey's octopus course.

The mozzarella with
the octopus and tomato dashi.

Layers and depth
and layers and depth

in this one little humble
bowl of food.

Yeah.
The fish is the problem I had.

It felt such a departure
from the other two dishes.

It just felt out of place.

Look, I mean,
I really liked the chili flavor.

I like the flavor
that she created.

But overall,
the dish didn't work.

One thing I love about
Top Chef is, like,

sometimes you don't know
what you don't know until...

You have to know it.

You know?

But then she brings it
back home with dessert.

It was Bailey through
and through.

It was well made.
I loved the layers.

It was clever.

It was like pumpkin spice
tiramisu in a good way.

It felt like I was walking into,
like, hipster Nona Central.

You know what I mean?

She knew who she was
and she went with it.

Tristen, I hope you open
a restaurant soon

because I want to eat your food.

I want to experience it
in my mouth.

Tristen came in
with such a mission.

Every single ingredient on
every plate had a story to tell.

And I think it really
made it stand out.

You can never forget about his
perfectly cooked chicken breast.

And then the shrimp toast.
Genius.

So interesting,
innovative, flavorful.

As much as I loved
his chicken dish,

the oxtail was just
so well done.

Being able to see individual
pieces of rice,

the care that goes into
that was just extraordinary.

It was beautiful.
It was rich.

I love the curry and
a little bit of saffron.

He just seems to bring
together all these flavors

and create this harmony.

We all deserve to always
think about the positive things

they say about our food
because anything else they say

is literal nitpicking.

I mean, in Tristen's dessert,
I'm straight down the line of

just complete appreciation.

I don't know if I like it still.

I like it because it's different

and it was a bit more
savory rather than sweet.

When you eat food
at that level,

part of the fun is trying
to figure it out.

Fine dining,
that's what it should do.

It should challenge you.

Every time Shuai makes a broth,
it's going to be a banger.

Like, I never thought of
aromats being jujubes,

break every French rule,
which obviously I'm all about.

Hell yeah.

Didn't anyone feel like Shuai's

was maybe a collection of dishes

as opposed to
a through line of a menu?

Again, everything was delicious.
That's just it.

- Yes.
- Although the progression

maybe was a little clunky.

He had two dishes that were the
highlight for a lot of people.

The panipuri k*lled it.

Just opened the palate.
Bam. It was delicious.

That bite was so sophisticated.

There was such a balance
there because he put

so many different flavors,
but it all worked.

I wish he stayed on that track.

Shuai's ravioli was like
a great love letter

in the wrong envelope.

What was your favorite comment?

Oh, the ambrosia salad,
how fun it is.

And that's just kind
of what my food is.

You know, Shuai gave
this crazy ambrosia thing

at the end that was really
flavorful and fun.

Lots going on
and really playful.

They like the poached fruit.

I just feel so many feelings
at once that I'm like...

...you know,
it's like happy tears.

Yeah, happy tears are good.

I love y'all.

I love y'all too, baby.

I think they all accomplished
what they set out to do tonight,

and that's really exciting.

There's so much to like about
all these dishes, but overall,

somewhat delivered

very distinct flavors,
a distinct point of view

that I can't get out of my head.

A tough decision, but we know
who our next Top Chef is.

Yes.

Great,
let's get the chefs out here.

This entire season,
we got to see

the three of you just really
blossom into finding yourself,

finding your mission, and just
cooking with a lot of joy.

While each of you deserve
this title of Top Chef,

there will only be one,
but you all should be really,

really proud of what
you accomplished here.

The next Top Chef is...

Tristen.

Let's go, baby!

Let's go, let's go!

Let's go!

So proud of you,

and you earned it, and you
deserve every second of it.

What's up, Ma?
I just won Top Chef.

You [bleep]!

I'm so, so, so, so happy.

So that means now
you're hired as momager.

Oh, my God, Tristen.

Yay, Top Chef!

- Yeah!
- Thank you.

- You really knocked it.
- Thank you.

Bailey, you are so tremendous.
You know that.

- You made us so happy.
- Thank you.

Congrats, man.
You [bleep] deserve it.

You [bleep] deserve it, dude.

Every single moment of this.

Don't be down on yourself.

You're a Top Chef, man.

You're a Top Chef.

I love you, boo-boo.

I love you too, boo-boo.
So proud of you.

I got through here through
a lot of support,

and I'm so appreciative
to everybody here,

and it means so much that
the cuisine gets recognized

and the people get recognized.

I don't know.
I didn't do it for me.

I did it for so many people.

First person to pull off
Afro-Caribbean cuisine

in Top Chefand win.

I thank every single chef
that did it and paved that way.

Man, if I can't say
that I miss my dad so much.

I almost quit
because I was hurt,

and somebody believed
in me enough

on their deathbed
for me to stay...

and I'm so happy
I made it worth it.

I really appreciate it,
and thank you all.

-We love you!
-Well done, everyone.

Cheers to season 22, y'all.

Cheers to 22! Whoo!