This can be a difficult process that can take years,
but we're giving you just one night
to nail a perfect recipe.
Be really precise with these recipes
because we may put them to a little test tomorrow.
Morning, chefs. For your recipe testers--
[exclaiming happily]
It's kind of cool I got Kwame.
I'm here to test this out like I'm a home cook.
It does not say "add oil to the pan to sear pork belly,"
so I'm following the instructions.
Hopefully, I set her up for success.
Have you made sorghum gnocchi before?
I might not even have food to serve.
I think the gnocchi itself is just dense.
Melissa is clearly a strong cook.
This recipe failed her.
How is your recipe working out?
Oh man, it's perfect.
What do we think of Gabe's dish?
- It's delicious. - It's really good.
Who had our favorite dish of the day?
Gabe.
What really struck me the most about this dish
was Melissa's disappointment.
Chris, please pack your knives and go.
Six chefs remain to compete
in the ultimate culinary showdown.
At stake for the winners--
a feature in Food & Wine magazine,
an appearance at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen,
a quarter of a million dollars furnished by San Pellegrino,
and the title of Top Chef.
♪♪♪
- We made it to the final six. - Yeah.
They said it's going to get harder every time so...
I'm like, "You're definitely doing it."
Torture them! With the first Quickfire
I came in, I was definitely a nervous chef,
but I started adapting and understanding,
like, not to overthink yourself.
She has not an ounce of evil in her.
[laughs] I do!
I know that to be true.
[Dawn, Jamie laugh]
Dawn has been a really good support system for me.
Maria is too. I'm always going to have my anxiety,
but I now have a little bit more tools
to know how to deal with it.
♪♪♪
Good morning.
- Hey, chefs. - Hello.
Hi, everyone.
Bet you didn't think you'd see us here.
Surprise!
Yeah. [laughs]
It's a first.
I'm just hoping they get to cook and we get to watch.
I'm sure you're wondering why we're all here, right?
Yes.
We just wanted to spice things up a little bit.
♪♪♪
Our friends at Chipotle have provided
these 53 real ingredients
that they use to make their food fresh every day.
Behind them, there's the most beautiful selection
of Mexican ingredients.
I am like a kid in a candy store.
You get to use these ingredients
to make something unique for us.
Judges, please draw knives.
I have been waiting 15 years to do this.
Stand back, people!
Gabe.
All right.
- And Jamie. - Nice.
Byron and Dawn.
That leaves me with...
Surprise, surprise!
- Maria and Shota. - Sesame mole.
[Shota laughs]
That means Gabe and Jamie, you're cooking for Gail,
Byron and Dawn are cooking for Tom,
and Maria and Shota will be cooking for me.
We didn't forget about you, Richard.
I'm pretty hungry, too.
Richard, you're going to get to taste everything.
We'll each select a favorite from the two chefs
who cooked for us and Richard will decide
who had the best dish from our three favorites.
Sh--! [laughs]
I'm sure you're no stranger to feeding diners
who have very different tastes.
All right, so let's have a little fun with this.
Tom, what would you like to see in your dish?
I'm in the mood for tangy and crunchy.
Sounds delicious to me. Gail?
- It has to be smoky and charred.
- Got it. - I was thinking
I would like something spicy and tart.
I am screwed.
I am completely in Maria's forte.
You have 30 minutes on the clock
and access to the 53 ingredients here
and that's it.
These ingredients can be turned into
an infinite number of things, so have fun with it
and show us what you can do.
The winner of this challenge will receive
- $10,000... - Geez!
...courtesy of our partners at Chipotle.
All right chefs, good luck, because your time starts now.
♪♪♪
- Sh--! - Excuse me.
Sure.
I'm taking all the ingredients you're taking.
- Okay, thank you. - [Shota laughs]
I'm very grateful this is a Quickfire
because Padma wants something spicy and tart.
Japanese cuisine is very subtle,
so I don't use a lot of spices in general.
I'm literally using cooking techniques
that I've watched Maria do all season.
I'm making a black bean tortilla with a fried avocado taco.
If I put something tart and spicy in every single bite...
God, I got lime in my eye.
...it will build the flavors one by one,
not spice, spice, spice... bland.
That sounds delicious. Right up my alley.
What was I doing? Oh yeah.
Good luck to me. [laughs]
Twenty-four!
Who are you cooking for, Byron?
I'm cooking for Tom.
So definitely no pressure there, huh?
Tom wants something tangy and crunchy.
I'm making, almost like a mojo marinade.
That's what my pork is going to go on.
The acidic notes of the mojo will pair well
with crunchy garlic chips.
- Sexy, dude. - I'm competing with Dawn.
♪♪♪
She's a very strong chef.
She has the warrior spirit.
But I have the pedigree to win
at any level in this competition.
Twenty minutes!
I would pay a lot of people with ten grand. Wouldn't you?
- Oh yeah, my dear. - I'm making a seared chop
with a pepper and corn, kind of, fresh salsa.
Something that's tangy, I automatically go to lime.
So I'm going to cryovac the pork
with lime juice, chipotle, onions, garlic, and olive oil.
[panting]
When I was training to be an Olympian,
my brother Leroy would always tell me
that no one could beat me.
Leroy is a two-time Olympian.
I would not be the athlete
that I was if it was not for him.
Ooh! Hot pot!
♪♪♪
Where's my smoker?
Gail wants charred and smoky,
so I knew I wanted to char the corn for sure,
with grilled skirt steak
and tomatillo salsa, Puebla style.
When I was working at Aureole, at Mandalay Bay,
a lot of my team were from Puebla
and they char a lot of, like, our sauces and stuff,
and I just wanted to rep them.
Maria, can you taste this real fast?
Perfect.
♪♪♪
What are you doing, Gabe?
I'm smoking my sauce now.
My plan is to just create a very smoky charred salsa.
I'm going to do a pork loin marinated in bay leaf oil.
Jamie's got a fire burning inside of her
that she wants to prove,
but I know how to cook with these ingredients.
Got a little bit of a ways to go here.
Ten minutes, guys!
♪♪♪
Can you taste the smokiness on this?
- Yeah. - Yeah.
What is it like to cook for Padma, chef?
Not nerve wracking at all, right?
Padma's not afraid of spice, but spicy isn't my strength.
- Sh--, it's spicy, right? - Yeah.
- [Shota laughs] - It's lingering for sure.
Every single time Padma eats my food,
I want to make sure it tastes good.
I am a big fan of her.
I actually have a selfie with her
from her book signing in Seattle.
♪♪♪
8:57!
My dish needs a crunchy component,
but I have not cooked my crispy onions yet.
That's becoming a big push for me.
- How are you looking? - I'm pushing.
- Chef. - Hey, pork!
- Pork! - Sh--, coming!
I totally forget that the pork is still on the grill.
Tongs, tongs, tongs!
It's in flame.
♪♪♪
- Pork! - Sh--, co!
- Thank you, Shota. - Yeah, for sure, Papi.
Hopefully, I didn't go too much over.
I'm able to save a few pieces,
but I think my pork might be a little bit too charred.
One minute, guys, one minute.
♪♪♪
Five, four, three, two, one.
Time's up!
Hands up, utensils down.
- Smells good in here. - Smells great!
Okay, Maria and Shota, come on up.
I made a spicy avocado purée
with sautéed spinach and pork loin
with crunchy beans on top.
- It's very good. - Thank you.
Maria, what did you make for me?
A black bean tortilla with serrano,
with fried avocado and fresh corn avocado salsa.
This is a hard one.
- I love your tortilla. - Thank you.
And Shota, I'm so surprised because of the spice level.
My scalp is itching slightly.
[laughter]
And I'm going to go with...
- Shota. - That's okay.
Maria, I didn't find yours that spicy.
I didn't want to kill Richard.
But you've got to get past Padma to get to Richard.
[Padma laughs] That's true!
I'm very pissed off.
I was expecting to win this Quickfire.
- Okay, what do we have here? - I have a wood fired pork loin
with crispy onions and a poblano and avocado purée.
- Whoo-hoo. - Byron?
I made a mojo grilled pork butt
with a salad of poblano,
charred corn, red onions, and then there is a tomatillo
and charred poblano salsa.
All right, Tom, who's it going to be?
They both have good acidity,
but there's one dish I like better.
One, I think the meat is cooked way better.
It has the crunch, where one dish
is kind of of lacking the crunch.
My favorite one is...
- Dawn. - Good job, chef.
- Thank you. Thank you. - Congratulations, Dawn.
- Thank you, Padma. - You are in the running
to win this challenge.
I made a grilled skirt steak.
I smoked some corn and grilled it
and then I did a tomatillo jalapeño salsa, Puebla style.
- Whoo! There it is. - It's spicy.
- Yeah. Uh-huh. - [laughs]
I did a bay leaf oil roasted pork loin
with a smoked salsa and avocado.
I definitely get a lot of charred flavor
in this sauce.
All right, Gail, who had your favorite dish,
Jamie or Gabe?
These are both really strong.
♪♪♪
Gabe.
You just got that smoky charred flavor
in there a little bit more.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
Thank you both. I'm going to eat
all of both of these.
- Congratulations, Gabe. - Thank you.
You are in the running to win the challenge.
Richard, of the three chefs,
who had our favorite dishes today,
who do you feel had the winning dish?
Honestly, all of the food was lights out.
It was very, very tight.
At the end of the day it came down to
what chef really hit the challenge on the head,
listened to the judges.
And that chef is...
♪♪♪
Dawn.
[applause]
You just won ten grand!
[laughs]
Congratulations, Dawn!
- Thank you! - You just won $10,000
from our friends at Chipotle.
Thank you, Padma.
In the beginning of the season,
I struggled getting everything on the plate,
but now I've won my second Quickfire in a row
and I'm realizing that I actually can win
and I'm glad to finally be feeling this way.
Well, it was great fun to have you guys here.
Come back any time.
- Always a pleasure. - Oh, we will.
We'll see you tomorrow. Bye, Richard.
Thank you, chefs. Thank you, Gail.
All right, chefs, I'd like to welcome
the newest member of our all-star judging panel.
He's a four-time James Beard Award nominee
and the founder of the Lee Initiative.
Please welcome my friend, Ed Lee.
[applause]
Hi! Welcome back.
- Nice to see you. - Thanks for having me back.
I'm very excited about this next challenge.
Brace yourselves.
♪♪♪
Dating back over 2000 years,
this delicacy travelled throughout
many Asian cultures over the centuries
and eventually made its way into American kitchens
over 100 years ago.
Any guesses?
- Tofu? - Yes, tofu.
In fact, the oldest tofu maker in America
has been operating right here in Portland for over 100 years.
I'm in my forte now so, what's up?
[laughs]
Tofu is high in protein,
so it makes a great substitution in dishes
that traditionally have meat.
It tends to soak up the flavor with whatever it's paired with.
So for your Elimination Challenge,
we want you to show off the versatility of tofu.
And since I'm new here,
I want to see how you guys stack up against each other.
And the best way to do that is tournament-style.
What the [bleep]?
You will each draw knives to determine
three head-to-head brackets.
The knives are labelled
with the different types of tofu.
Those that have matching knives
will battle head-to-head in the first round.
Extra firm.
Rawr!
Ironically enough,
I'm going to head-to-head with Shota once again.
And his own turf with tofu.
I'm not going to lie, I'm scared.
So Shota and Maria, you have medium.
Dawn and Gabe, firm.
And that leaves Jamie and Byron with extra firm.
After the first round,
the three winning chefs will be safe from elimination.
Those who lose their battles will face off
in a three-way cook-off, this time,
making a dish featuring fried tofu.
And the two remaining chefs will have to cook
one more time in the final round
to avoid elimination.
If you find yourself in the final round,
this will be the toughest one.
[clears throat]
To stay in the competition,
you'll need to make a dessert using soft tofu.
I don't cook desserts, I don't bake desserts.
Well, sh--.
- [laughs] - Tofu!
It's a different beast.
So, if you haven't been introduced
to the different textures of tofu before,
you're in luck.
We've arranged for a tour of Ota Tofu.
- Cool! - Oh, nice!
And you'll be able to get all the tofu from Ota.
You'll have two and a half hours tonight
to prep three dishes, one for each round,
since you don't know how many times
you're going to have to cook.
Then you'll have 30 minutes
for each round tomorrow to finish
and serve your dishes right in front of the judges
at Portland's beautiful Japanese garden.
[whispering] I'm so happy.
Okay chefs, enjoy the tofu tour.
I can't wait to see what you guys come up with.
- Good luck. - [overlapping thanks]
♪♪♪
We've come far, chefs. We've come very far.
We're down to six now.
Looking around,
I see two people from Mexico, Maria and Gabe,
and I'm the first Costa Rican on Top Chef.
So, we're definitely breaking some ground here.
Good afternoon, chefs.
- Hi. - Welcome to Ota Tofu.
I'm Jason, and you guys are going to be
trying some tofu today.
It smells delicious in here.
We are the oldest active tofu company in America.
This is our cooking line.
We start with soybeans that we soak the night before.
We grind them, cook them, and then we double filter them
so we have nice, pure soy milk.
And the by-product of it is the okara.
It is very high in fiber.
- Restaurants bake with it. - I like it.
The okara reminds me of chorizo,
like, in texture, and I start to like,
try to develop that idea that can hopefully get me
the W against Shota.
We have different firmnesses of our tofu.
We have our medium firm and extra firm
and we also have a soft that we don't press at all.
I like to say that we make tofu
like it's an art rather than a science.
This is cool to see.
Why don't we go check out our frying station?
♪♪♪
You won't find any fresher tofu.
I love tofu. [laughs]
I like tofu sautéed, tofu fried, tofu in soups,
stuffed, and braised.
I like tofu scrambled, in desserts.
It's like Forrest Gump. [laughs]
What firmness is this?
- This is medium. - Medium.
Fried tofu, medium firm, extra firm, soft.
I don't deal with none of this stuff.
I'll take five packages of the extra firm.
Utilizing a product that I'm not familiar with at all
is a little bit intimidating.
♪♪♪
- Here we go! - Game time, kids.
We have two and a half hours
to prep all three rounds for tomorrow's cook.
This is so much work in a short amount of time, dude.
Oh my God, this is heavy.
Dude, it smells like that factory, man.
Tomorrow we only have 30 minutes to prepare each dish,
which means all the dishes have to be
ready to go by the end of tonight.
[gagging]
[laughs]
How insane is it that we have
to make three dishes in two and a half hours?
- It's stupid! - [laughs]
Mm, something smells good there.
I'm doing tamales with tofu instead of masa.
I'm going Mexican, people!
I'm filling the tamales with the okara
and using it as a chorizo.
Oh. [growls]
Behind, hot, super hot!
But Shota uses tofu like I use lime and chilli.
All right, let's get ----ing going.
♪♪♪
Sexy!
- What you making? - Pork braise for the tofu.
I'll let it sit overnight tonight in that hot liquid.
I'm putting a lot of effort into course one.
Medium tofu is really good for braises,
so I want to slowly braise that for at least two hours today.
That's course one, the tofu salad.
I was going to put it on top of the braise.
- What do you think? - That's ----ing delicious.
- Yeah? - Wow.
You want to just do my course, please?
- No. - [both laugh]
♪♪♪
- The flamethrower over here. - Yeah!
Flamethrower.
What have you decided on this first course?
What are you going to beat me with?
Brown stew tofu.
Really rich West Indian flavors
using short rib as a flavor base.
- Amazing. - I love tofu.
I've worked with tofu a lot.
I worked at a modern Japanese restaurant.
I worked for three years at Uchi,
working myself from the prep team to sous chef.
And after I was promoted,
I moved to Austin to work at Uchiko,
which is the sister restaurant of Uchi.
Dawn, what are you making for round two?
Nashville hot tofu.
I have worked with tofu extensively
and it sometimes gets a bad rap,
so I want to create some interesting things with it.
What's your third round going to be?
Condensed tofu mousse with mango,
but I'm hoping not to get that far.
Yeah, exactly, dude.
Getting a feel for my game plan.
Working on multiple rounds right now.
For the first course I'm doing marinated tofu
that's glazed and then soy beans with that.
- This is going to be my glaze. - Wow, that's sexy, dude.
I'm definitely outside of my comfort zone.
Dawn, I know she has more experience with tofu than I do.
I'm making a pambazo out of the fried tofu.
So I'm going to split my efforts
amongst all three rounds to play it safe.
So for dessert I'm doing a chocolate creameux
with soft tofu.
Tomorrow, if I have to go to the dessert round,
I want to be ready.
Oh, yeah.
One hour and 36, guys.
Heard!
How do you like working with tofu?
I mean it's been years since I worked with tofu, so we'll see.
I'm trying to put as many marbles
as I can into my first dish.
So for the extra firm tofu, I'm going to treat it
almost like a steak.
I'm going to marinate it overnight
then I'll hit it on the grill tomorrow.
Jamie, how's it going over there?
Not enough time. How are you?
Great.
48 minutes!
Ah, sh--!
Jamie, how do you feel about going against Byron?
That's a tough competition.
Everybody is tough at this point.
I feel underestimated all the time.
Maybe because I look like Hello Kitty.
Tee-hee!
Sometimes I am Tony the Tiger.
- What's that for? - That's for my first course.
a bánh xèo, a crepe.
- Amazing. - I'm going to make
a fermented chili paste sauce to sauté in it.
That sounds incredible.
Thank you.
Hmm.
I don't like it.
The okara chorizo, it's gross.
It was too grainy to me.
Are you scratching tamales?
No, I'm not scratching tamales.
I'm changing the filling a little bit.
80% medium tofu in a little bit of masa.
I'm going to 86 the okara.
My tamale is going to have potatoes and raisins.
That's a very typical way to do them back home.
Holy schnikes, this is quite a push.
Let's go, let's go, 1:49!
Make sure I'm not forgetting anything.
I'm just hoping the tofu absorbs enough of the flavor
to be really meaty and luscious tomorrow.
Other way, other way, other way!
If I make it to dessert, you all got it.
Nothing really worked out.
[Gabe laughs]
♪♪♪
We're down to the final six chefs.
Every last little detail, it's all super critical.
♪♪♪
Whoever loses is going to be going home immediately.
It's do or die in the cooking.
♪♪♪
[water babbling]
♪♪♪
Welcome, everyone, to the Portland Japanese garden.
Yesterday, our chefs were placed into three brackets.
Shota and Maria will be cooking with medium tofu,
Gabe and Dawn cooking with firm tofu,
and Jamie and Byron cooking with extra-firm tofu.
And then the three that lost their battles will face off
in a fried tofu round.
The two remaining chefs who lost
will face off in the final round: the dessert course.
Hope you like tofu!
[laughter]
Maria and Shota.
You guys are up first, with medium tofu,
and your time...starts now.
♪♪♪
My life depends on a tofu tamale.
My first thing is to start steaming the tamales.
I put them on the fire and hope for the best.
Medium tofu is a great blending agent.
It adds viscosity and it adds, like, a creamy silkiness.
It's probably the most versatile,
but lacks the most identity.
Warming up my tofu, making my sauce.
I'm making tofu six different ways.
The main tofu is very silky,
the crunchy tofu is gonna add texture.
This is my yuba I made yesterday.
Tofu is the star of the show.
Gabe and Dawn, it's time for the firm tofu round.
A Texas head-to-head!
I am just heating up my beans. I have a glaze reducing.
I would love to see this with a bright, acidic sauce.
There's some strong Mexican flavors in there,
but also, some Asian influence.
My tofu is looking delicious. Nice and marinated.
Yeah? My braising liquid tastes amazing.
Tryin' to scare me, chef?
Oh? Yeah, yeah.
[laughter]
Well, you know, you were talking about
how amazing your dish was.
Hey Dawn! You're gettin' in his head!
- I see what you're doing. - [laughter]
You're livin' there rent free right now.
- Yeah. - [chuckling]
I am tryin' to get situated.
Cryovacing the tofu in the braising liquid
didn't work as well as I would've liked it to.
Excited about it?
All right, we've got about 12 minutes.
Got you. I go to check the tamales.
Nope. They're not done.
Maria, how are your tamales?
Uh, I'll let you know as soon as I find out.
♪♪♪
All right, we've got about 12 minutes.
Nope.
My tamales, they're not done.
My heart sinks, but, I need to think on my toes.
I see the wok. I'm just going to MacGyver.
My intention is to cook it faster, so I cut it in half.
Byron and Jamie, it's time for the extra firm tofu round.
Your time starts now.
Yikes!
How do you like Japanese gardens, Jamie?
I like Japanese gardens, they're so beautiful.
- Yeah, it's uh, very Zen. - Very Zen.
Total opposite of what we're doing right now.
I've only cooked with tofu like, this one restaurant,
like eight years ago, so,
tryin' to get it on the plate.
- How you lookin', chef? - Uhh...
I want to keep it Vietnamese,
- do a traditional bánh xèo. - Okay.
Using extra firm tofu, I'm, like, sautéing it,
just to get that flavor and I do like the flavor of tofu.
I am amped up to win this match.
But the judges' staring is kinda nerve wracking.
♪♪♪
I'm just gonna have fun.
[goofy vocal exclamation]
Maria and Shota. You have five minutes left.
How's things goin' over there?
Dude, the tofu came out so good.
I'm good. Tastes delicious.
[fire whooshing]
Ooh.
Crunchy garnishes.
30 seconds left.
♪♪♪
Shota and Maria, your time is up.
Please bring your dishes up.
Thank you.
I am very excited to taste both these dishes.
Maria, please tell us what you made.
I mean, when you say tofu, you don't think Mexican food,
so I did a soy braised tamale.
That is 80% medium tofu,
and a little bit of masa just to bind it.
So the tamales, you never served us tamales.
This is just masa--
No, I just took it apart,
because I didn't wanna give you too much.
[chewing] Okay.
Shota, what did you make?
Soy braised tofu.
I made some yuba out of the soy milk.
On top, I did shira ae, which is like a tofu
with a tiny bit of tahini paste,
with tofu crumbles that I made in the oven.
Did you put any acid in this dish?
A little bit of vinegar, yes.
Okay, judges, it's time to vote.
Hold up your paddle with the color
of the chef's apron that you prefer.
♪♪♪
- It's a tie? - [laughs]
It's a tie! So that means
all of us need to have a discussion.
- Okay. -We'll be with you momentarily.
It's a tie! Damn, Maria!
- [chuckling] - Excuse me?
Team Maria, over here.
I personally think she took the ingredients,
she applied them a few different ways.
It was more creative of a dish.
Maria's, I thought the masa was just mush.
The tofu wasn't treated well at all.
I thought Shota's was much more tofu-forward.
While Shota used tofu six different ways,
it all tasted the same.
I saw like, nuance and real subtlety.
Thought it was too sweet.
♪♪♪
Shota and Maria, we came to a decision.
And the winner of the medium tofu round is...
♪♪♪
Shota.
[applause]
It was tied for 10 minutes, damn it!
Nobody can take that away from me.
Congratulations, Shota.
Maria, that means you're still cookin' for us next round.
- Oh, I'm so glad. - [laughter]
Down to the wire!
Gettin' there, gettin' there.
Ah! 17 seconds, Gabe.
Yes, chef!
♪♪♪
Exactly enough.
Time's up!
♪♪♪
Let's go, Texas.
♪♪♪
Okay.
This looks beautiful.
Gabe, tell us what you made.
I did a marinated and braised tofu
with braised cabbage and soy beans.
Gabe, what's the base for your sauce?
Chicken and pork jus with miso.
There's some black beans, Mexican chilis in the miso.
Dawn.
I made a West Indian-style braised tofu
with charred vegetables.
Did you do anything to the tofu itself?
I cryovaced it in the cooking jus,
and then I braised it today.
- They're both really good. - Yeah.
It's time to vote.
Blue for Dawn and orange for Gabe.
♪♪♪
It's another tie!
- [laughter] - Really?
Please step to the side. We'll be back.
We have to discuss.
- What the [bleep]? - That's crazy.
[laughs]
Gabe's dish was really bright.
So much more complexity to his sauce.
I also just think the tofu
was much more pleasurable to eat.
It was a little more silky.
But he didn't braise it.
He dropped it in the sauce, he brought it up,
and then basically marinated it.
If I had to order a dish again, I would actually order Dawn's.
But, it was a tofu challenge.
I loved the brown stew aspect.
I also said that earlier, I was like,
"I would do brown stew tofu."
Tofu to tofu, which do you prefer?
♪♪♪
Again, another really, really, close round,
but we did finally come to an agreement.
The winner of the firm tofu round is...
♪♪♪
Gabe.
[applause]
You got it.
Congratulations, Gabe.
Dawn, that means we get to eat your food again.
Excellent.
I'm not a fan of the extra-hard firm tofu.
It's, like, dense and chewy.
No, no. You have to sear it hard.
Yours looks cute. And good.
Jamie's dish is so vibrant.
Three minutes.
She only has one tofu component,
whereas I am using tofu in three different ways.
But, now I'm beginning to question my strategy.
We've got 20 seconds.
- Breathe deep, Jamie. - Okay.
Come on, come on!
Three, two, one.
Time's up! Hands up, utensils down, everybody.
[applause]
I think mine looked like a baby.
Thank you. Mm!
We're gettin' some color, that's exciting.
Byron, tell us what you made.
We have a pan seared, extra firm tofu
served over a salad with daikon radish,
and then a soy vinaigrette.
And there's tofu in the vinaigrette, it looks like.
Yes, there's tofu in the vinaigrette.
- Hi, Jamie. - Hi.
So extra firm tofu, I love sautéing it,
so I made bánh xèo with sautéed tofu and fresh herbs.
Jamie, is there tofu anywhere else, except inside of the...
It's in the crepe. Instead of using water,
I used a soy milk.
At least. At least.
Both really good.
All of the dishes have been magnificent.
- They've been all very tasty. - Really delicious.
I wish you cooked with tofu more, you guys.
[chuckling] Thank you.
Judges, it's time to vote.
Brown for Jamie and red for Byron.
Please put your paddles up.
- Jamie! - Is that me? Oh, crap!
[laughs]
Almost across the board.
- One hold out. - No, I voted for--I voted.
- Good job. - Congratulations.
Jamie pretty much blows it out of the park.
It's a little bit frustrating, for sure.
So, the next match is set. Maria, Dawn, Byron.
Your time for the fried tofu round...
♪♪♪
...starts now.
Your time for the fried tofu round...
starts now. Good luck.
♪♪♪
- Maria, what you makin'? - Tacos.
- With tofu? - No, I'm not.
- Oh. - You really makin' tacos?
- No, I'm not! - Oh.
I'm not that predictable, I hope.
I fried it yesterday and let it marinate.
So I took, like a route on an Asian mole.
I'm here to cook,
and show that Mexican food is delicious.
♪♪♪
Go, Maria!
- Never gonna eat tofu again. - [snorting laugh]
♪♪♪
You know, I actually really love fried tofu.
Yeah, there's so many different possibilities
in which the chefs can play with it.
Dawn, how you doin'?
I am making a Nashville hot tofu,
and a soy buttermilk ranch.
Nashville hot tofu is a play on hot chicken.
This is my very first time making it,
but I think it's a great way to showcase my style with tofu.
What were you gonna fry, Byron? Back there.
Uh, I was gonna fry some tofu.
- Oh, what we're doing? - Yeah! [laughs]
I just have to brush off of the blow out
that I just came out of. Very hot, very hot, very hot.
What are you workin' on, chef?
I'm just heating up my smoked fried tofu puree.
About to get my shrimp going.
The inspiration behind this dish is barbeque.
When I think about fried, I think about bar food.
- Sick! - Go chef, get it!
- Another day at the office. - Ten minutes, ten minutes.
- That looks good, Dawn! - Save me a bite!
Thank you! Ooh!
I think maybe the dish needs a little bit more color.
I decide to throw some radishes on it.
Ah! Medic. Mother----er.
- What's going on? - Medic, please.
Working on the last minute edit, I cut myself.
- Oh, my God. - What?
I bled in my pickles.
When I looked down,
I noticed that the blood was pouring into the pickles
that I'd just picked up,
and also into some of the plates that I'd already plated.
Final minute, let's go, Dawn!
Last touch, chef. What do you need?
- What do you need? - I need two plates.
Oh, no.
- Two extra plates? - Yeah.
Clear that, clear that, clear that.
That's nice they're helping.
- What else? - Cilantro.
Three, two...
- You got it, girl. - You got this!
- One. - Time's up.
- Hands up, guys, everybody. - What is it, Dawn?
- I missed one. - Oh, no.
I can't believe that this dish is playing out this way.
This looks good, whatever this is.
Maria, please tell us what you made.
I made a fried tofu steak
marinated in an Asian mole,
and the crumble is fried soybeans.
This is delicious.
It's very new, all these flavors together,
but it tastes really, really good.
Thank you. Thank you.
Dawn, please tell us what you made.
I made a version or play of Nashville hot tofu
with pickles, and a soy and buttermilk ranch.
By the way, I want to commend your teammates,
or your competitors for jumping in.
That was beautiful to see.
- Very nice. - Thank you.
- That was damn good chicken. - Thank you.
- Or tofu. - [laughter]
Could've fooled me.
Byron, please tell us what you made.
Fried tofu, marinated,
tossed in a guajillo marinade,
along with shrimp hit up in a wok.
And then I have a smoked fried tofu puree
with crispy prosciutto, and then the tofu skins,
fried 'em yesterday to get 'em really, really crispy.
And have you ever fried tofu skin before?
No. That was, until yesterday.
So judges, unfortunately,
Dawn did not get ten plates plated.
So, she is ineligible to win this.
So, she will definitely be cooking again
in the final dessert round.
Can I just put up the blue in protest?
No. So the vote is between Maria and Byron.
So judges, please raise your paddles.
- It's yellow. - Maria, congratulations.
You're safe from elimination.
I'm safe to cook another day.
So, I go to the happy side, and enjoy some sake.
- Cheers. - Dawn and Byron,
you both have just one more chance
to stay in this competition.
- Are you guys both ready? - Yes.
You have 30 minutes to make the soft tofu
into a dessert.
Your time starts now.
♪♪♪
Dawn, are you good?
[unsure vocalization]
[Byron chuckling]
Yeah, I'm all right.
Could be better, though.
Byron, you got a game plan?
Yeah. Yesterday made, like, a custard,
but we're gonna see if we re-whip it, see how it set.
I feel like I'm the least prepared for the third round.
Obviously, it's not the place where I wanna be,
but I thought that the custard was pretty much set.
I'm just trying to add a little bit more soft tofu.
Soft tofu, it's a real delicacy.
- I love it. - It is.
It just breaks in your mouth like custard.
Oh my God, so good.
You got it, guys. Let's go, let's go!
Byron may kill it. Byron seems very calm.
- Because he has a plan. - He has a plan, you can tell.
What are you cuttin' there, Byron?
- Dehydrated mangoes. - Nice.
I didn't completely conceptualize this dish.
I have components.
So this is, like a sesame cookie that I'm crumbling.
It's made out of okara.
I have mangoes marinating in jasmine,
and tofu pudding.
Trying to figure it all out as I'm doing.
She's improvising.
How you looking, Chef Dawn?
It's going to be what it is.
♪♪♪
These two desserts look very, very similar.
The one thing that I feel that's gonna work
to my advantage is the different layers of textures.
You just never know. It's hard not to be nervous.
One minute left.
Let's go, guys. Let's go, let's go!
This is my last chance,
and I don't know that I'm gonna be successful.
Three, two, one!
Time's up.
♪♪♪
I can't wait to taste these.
Sabayon egg, like, curdled?
Okay, Dawn, tell us what you made.
I made a mango tofu mousse with mango
and also diced soft tofu.
What's the crumble?
The crumble is made out of sesame seeds and okara.
Can I ask you, there's soft tofu on the bottom?
- Yes. - And then you made
a tofu foam on top-- aerated tofu on top?
- Yes. Correct. - Okay.
Byron, what's in your tofu?
I have a honey and soft tofu mousse,
and then finished off with a okara granola,
with dried mango and coconut.
It's like the same two dishes.
- Yeah. - Very typical.
- This is hard. - They're both yummy.
We gotta go to the dojo.
- Yeah. - We have to.
We gotta talk about this.
We're gonna talk about it, don't worry.
Thank you both. We have a really difficult decision to make now.
♪♪♪
We deserve one of these.
[sighs and sniffling]
Cheers to all of you.
If I go home, it's been an honor
to work with all of you.
I wish you nothing but success, because this is really,
truly, an amazing experience for all of us, so...
And I couldn't be more grateful for your help,
second round, thank you so much.
- Salut, guys. - Salut.
Today's been pretty impressive.
It's so tough because both of these desserts
are nearly identical.
Dawn's, however, I really enjoyed her crumble
and her use of adding sesame.
She gave us two different tofus,
I thought they were both nice. I liked the two temperatures.
I thought that was a neat way to go.
I mean, thought Dawn's dish was a textural wonderland.
We've all worked with tofu before,
but it definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone.
I really had to think hard, and then afterwards,
I was like, "I hope they like it."
But overall, I think I would go back to Byron's dessert
before I would go back to Dawn's dessert.
Byron's dish was gorgeous.
It felt focused, he knew what he was making,
and he completed it exactly as intended.
There was a fullness and a roundness on my palate
that I was like, "Okay, it feels complete."
You guys, to me, have taught me so much.
Honestly, that gave me hope.
Just trying to find that identity, you know,
that I struggle with.
You guys are rock stars.
Byron nailed it on the texture of that mousse,
Dawn nailed it on the overall flavor profile of the dish.
- It's--it's really close. - Yeah.
So, I think we have our answer, then. Yes?
- Yeah. - Let's get them out here.
Let's go face the music, chef.
♪♪♪
You know, chefs, some of these challenges,
test your skills, test your knowledge of food,
and this one kinda tests your endurance as well.
It's kinda rigorous, going through three cooks.
This challenge really put you to your test,
and dessert will be a bittersweet ending
for one of you.
♪♪♪
Byron,
please pack your knives and go.
Thank you.
I'll see you in Last Chance Kitchen.
Yeah, and um... I mean, to go out
before a panel like this, it's an honor.
To have somebody from Costa Rica,
to come here and have that opportunity, that to me,
I feel like a top chef with that.
Thank you very much, guys.
It's just the beginning. You'll have a long career.
- Just the beginning. - Just the beginning
Thank you, Dawn.
Thank you so much.
Obviously, taking it all was the end goal,
but I'm happy. My heart is full.
They're both crying. Who is?
Oh, no!
I pushed myself in many ways
that I've never pushed myself in my life.
[speaking Spanish]
And, I'm proud. I'm proud of everything.
[speaking Spanish]
♪♪♪
Tonight, the finals of Last Chance Kitchen.
The winner of this challenge
will advance to the next part of the finale.
Oh, my ----ing God.
Will one of these chefs return to the competition?
- [growls] - It's really fun
when you don't know what you're gonna cook.
That looks great, right?
- Delicious. - Yeah.
There's a lot at stake. I'm ready and I'm hungry
and I'm anxious to get back into the Top Chef competition.
[shouting] Let's go!
Find out now in this 2-part finale
on demand, or wherever you stream Top Chef.
Yeah, let's go!
Next time on Top Chef...
For this challenge,
we're doing it Top Chef: France style.
- Oh. - So I have called in
for some all-star reinforcement.
Brooke Williamson.
- Go Shota! - Let's go!
So ----ing weird.
I can't get out.
These are care packages,
personally curated by each of your families.
Try to make us cry, you can't do it!
- Hot, hot, hot! - Whoo!
That is definitely a ghost chili.
- Something burning? - Ah!
A few of us were missing one of the sauces.
At this point in the game, like, these details really matter.
Are you saying you want to quit?