Buddha Lo sums it up as last chance for kitchen chefs to enter

Buddha Lo twice best chef Winner, Executive Chef at Whoso in New York City and Brand Ambassador for Saratoga Spring Water. He shares his thoughts after each episode of Top Chef Season 21, which is set in Wisconsin, offering a unique perspective as a former chef testant.

Warning: This article contains spoilers.

The episode begins with the excitement of two chefs participating in a competition. last chance kitchen. While Karina gave a solid performance, Su An (the 16th contestant) was tearing it up from the beginning, so having them both back on the show was exactly the shake-up we needed mid-season. Ta.

quick fire challenge

The chef testants had to create a dairy-based dessert with Milk Bar owner-chef Christina Tosi as the guest judge. Everyone should know that the dessert challenge is coming at some point, so you should be prepared.

Manny had already practiced, but ended up in last place with Dan, who made churros with melted whipped cream and a pudding with a “peanut butter texture” that was too rubbery, and Danny, who made overcooked pastries. .

Michelle's lemon corn cake stuffed with strawberry mascarpone cheese and topped with basil cream took the top spot. Although Michelle won this challenge, many chefs, including Michelle, were less inclined towards the dairy side.

elimination challenge

The Elimination Challenge was about embracing chaos and breaking with culinary conventions. The chefs received $150 to shop at a specialty store of their choice. Savannah, Dan, Danny, and Sue came out on top.

Savannah's dish was a potato soufflé with golden milk, tropical fruit and mustard greens, which Tom described as a dessert or first course that “defied logic in a very good way.” Dan's dish, which I was very intrigued by, presented what the judges deemed a chaotic masterpiece, transforming the dessert funnel cake into a flavorful Japanese dish.

Danny made scallop choufalci with yuzu pepper sauce. His technique gave the scallop mousse a texture similar to silken tofu. Based on the judges' feedback, I think this was the best dish of the season so far.

Mr Hsu put a twist on General Tso's chicken. He made a shrimp-crusted dish with vermicelli noodles and fried chicken skin, served with salsa verde and salsa roja.

who won

Danny won the Elimination Challenge. But his cooking, which fuses French techniques with Japanese flavors, has been around for decades, and everything was so clean and sophisticated that we're not sure if we'll agree with the judges in this challenge. not.

I think Savannah and Sue handled this challenge better, and personally I think Sue should have won. Because he really embraced the theme of chaos in every way possible, from shopping to presentation.

If I were in the competition, he would be a player to watch in the future. He is technically excellent and creates amazing dishes that are full of flavor while continuing to show that he is very inventive when it comes to cooking.

who lost

Amanda said it was her signature challenge, but the pasta she served was said by the judges to be dry and not too chaotic. Michelle, on the other hand, was worried about the possibility of making a mistake, but she did and perfected a Vietnamese-style dish that wasn't up to the chaotic part of the challenge. Additionally, her pita had raw filling.

Rashika made eggplant stuffed with crab, mushroom conserva, dukkah, and garlic tahini. She received harsh criticism from the judges, all of whom said her dish lacked flavor and described her as “slimy” and “slug-like.” The dishes below were Michelle's stuffed pita and Raisica's eggplant dish.

Given that Rashika was eliminated and the other chefs saw her as the frontrunner, I think this was a shocking ending to a chaotic episode. Still, this episode was packed with perhaps the best dishes the chefs have served this season. Perhaps some chefs cook better in chaos.

best chef It airs Wednesdays at 9pm ET on Bravo.