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00:00All right, I think we have our decision.
00:07Please pack your knives and go.
00:09Kristen Gale, thank you very much, but the kitchen's mine now.
00:13Last Chance Kitchen is back.
00:15My anxiety is through the roof.
00:17Fifteen highly skilled chefs have joined us here in Canada
00:20for the culinary fight of their lives.
00:22Nominated for the Best New Restaurant.
00:24Best Chef Great Lakes.
00:25Two Michelin Star Kitchen.
00:26Three Michelin Star Kitchen.
00:27Michelin recognition.
00:29And they hope the title of Top Chef is their destiny.
00:32This isn't just for fun.
00:33Someone has to win and someone has to lose.
00:35But with this caliber of talent.
00:37I have to push myself to a level that I've never done before.
00:40Two minutes.
00:41Wow, that was fun.
00:42Top Chef, Destination Canada
00:44might be our toughest competition yet.
00:46Spectacular across the board.
00:48Unbelievable at this stage of the competition.
00:49I don't want to prejudge, but I don't know how you beat this.
00:51You got to follow up to that.
00:53If you get knocked out, you just got beat by a better dish.
00:55One dish means so much.
00:57We're making it hard on the judges.
00:59Are we eliminating somebody today?
01:00Of course.
01:01Wow.
01:02That's what we do.
01:03Eliminated chefs from the competition will meet me here
01:06for a chance to get back in.
01:08We're going to turn off the clock.
01:09There's going to be some plot twists here.
01:11So are you happy you're sitting this one out?
01:13Hope you use your prep time wisely.
01:15Our host country is packed with talent,
01:17so I made room for a couple more locals.
01:19Take a look behind you.
01:22This is Last Chance Kitchen,
01:23presented by BMW, the ultimate driving machine.
01:28Last Chance Kitchen
01:34I can't believe that I went out this way.
01:37Just all these years of being in the kitchen,
01:39coming up on 21 years and having three restaurants,
01:43I put up a bad representation of who I am.
01:48Going into Last Chance Kitchen,
01:49I'm feeling like I put my football stripes on
01:52and I'm ready for another round of war.
01:58Hey, Mimi.
01:59Hey, Chef.
02:00Welcome to Last Chance Kitchen.
02:01Thank you so much.
02:02How you doing?
02:03Hanging in there.
02:04Well, get another shot.
02:06Perfect.
02:07You know, any chef could have a bad day.
02:09Yours just came a little earlier than you probably liked.
02:12A little bit earlier than I wanted, but I'm sorry.
02:15This season, I'm starting Last Chance Kitchen
02:17a little bit earlier than usual.
02:19We're not waiting for anybody else to get eliminated.
02:23So far, it's just you.
02:25So far, it's just you.
02:27That's haunting.
02:28Oh, God.
02:30Is this going to be me versus Tom?
02:33Is this going to be me versus me?
02:35Let's just say we wanted to see a little bit more
02:37of what Canada had to offer.
02:44Let's do this.
02:45My name is Sam.
02:46I'm 34 years old.
02:47For the last five years,
02:48I was running a restaurant called Arige.
02:51We got the restaurant on a Michelin Guide.
02:53Taking risks and being innovative
02:55is definitely part of my personality.
02:57Thinking about getting into this competition,
02:59the more I get excited.
03:03Take me to the Last Chance Kitchen.
03:05Let's go.
03:06My name is Ying Gao.
03:08I'm 40 years old.
03:10I'm an executive chef at Araxi Restaurant in Whistler.
03:14Before that, I worked at Riley's Fish and Steak.
03:17The first year, we got a Michelin recommendation.
03:20Like, I was shocked.
03:22Fourth year.
03:23Hey, how are you?
03:24Good, how are you doing?
03:25Who are you?
03:26I'm Ying.
03:27I'm not scared for this game,
03:28and I really want to see what I can do.
03:31I always want to challenge myself.
03:34Good luck.
03:35Cheers.
03:36Take a look behind you.
03:38Have I seen these two before?
03:40They've got knives,
03:41so clearly they're here to compete with me.
03:43Who are you?
03:44We have Ying and Sam.
03:46Welcome to Last Chance Kitchen.
03:47Thank you, Chef.
03:48Oh, first chance kitchen for the two of you.
03:50Yes.
03:51Ying, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?
03:53I come from Vancouver, Canada.
03:56Originally, I come from China.
03:58So I just started my new job like two weeks ago.
04:01Okay.
04:02In Whistler.
04:03And Sam, what about you?
04:04I just had to close a restaurant,
04:06so I'm looking for a new location
04:08to open up another journey.
04:10The last restaurant that I had
04:11was Modern Contemporary African.
04:13Closing the restaurant was a bit tough,
04:15but I do feel proud.
04:16We took that restaurant to a point
04:18where many restaurants dream of.
04:20Winning Top Chef would definitely add to the confidence
04:23going on to our next concept
04:24or the next journey that I have.
04:26Mimi is the chef and owner
04:28of three restaurants in Portland, Maine.
04:30Oh, wow.
04:31She had a bad day, but she's ready to go.
04:33One very bad day, to be fair.
04:36Mimi's dish.
04:38It's completely dry and overcooked.
04:40I did not enjoy anything on Mimi's plate.
04:43I don't believe you put up a plate of food
04:45that is representative of who you are as a chef.
04:47So in order to make it back into the competition,
04:49you're gonna have to beat out these two strong competitors.
04:51Ying and Sam, you're both here to compete for your own shot
04:54to get into the competition.
04:56But the road for all of you will be a tough one.
05:02Ying and Sam, you missed this part.
05:04In our very first quick fire of the season,
05:06the chefs chose one ingredient out of the pantry.
05:09And here tonight, we're gonna do that again.
05:11Each of you can head over to the pantry
05:13and choose one ingredient
05:14that you will make the star of your dish.
05:16Got it?
05:17Got it.
05:18Go grab your ingredients.
05:20I ran to the pantry and grabbed a mushroom.
05:23There is so much flavor.
05:25They are easy for cook.
05:26Okay, eggplant.
05:27This should be fun.
05:29It's a stop, chef.
05:30It's not this straightforward.
05:31Eggplant is very versatile.
05:33I'm expecting anything to be thrown at me.
05:36I grabbed squash.
05:38This would make a wonderful base,
05:39a puree, the start of a soup.
05:42So Ying, you chose mushrooms.
05:43Sam, you chose eggplant.
05:45Yeah, Japanese eggplant.
05:46Mimi, acorn squash.
05:48Acorn squash.
05:49Hats off to her because squash has a tendency
05:52to take a decent amount of time to cook.
05:54While it's important to show off
05:55who you are as a chef in this competition,
05:57it's equally as important to be able to pivot.
06:00So take a look at what your competitors chose.
06:04Your challenge tonight
06:06is to make all three of these ingredients the star.
06:10Tom, no.
06:11I don't want to cook with eggplant.
06:12Please.
06:13I'm gonna make it work, but I'm not thrilled about it.
06:17Mushrooms, squash, and eggplant,
06:19you should be the heroes.
06:20I'm not scared for this challenge.
06:22I want to know what I can do with three ingredients.
06:25Bring it on. I'm ready.
06:26You have 30 minutes on the clock,
06:28and your time starts now.
06:30♪♪
06:38Carrot.
06:39Shallot.
06:40I already know this gonna be a really big challenge for me
06:43because I don't know the space.
06:46Shallot.
06:47So I'm start looking for some seafood
06:49easy to cook in 30 minutes.
06:51What are you making over there?
06:52I'm thinking make a mushroom quinceanilla salad
06:56with red snappers, quick pickle squash,
06:59and crispy eggplant.
07:01Yes, chef.
07:02When I was young, we lived under the mountain.
07:05Every morning, hiking to the mountain,
07:07we pick all the mushrooms for our lunch and dinner.
07:10My first thought is it's gonna be a vegetarian dish.
07:14I'm gonna let these three ingredients shine.
07:16There's no point in adding a protein.
07:18Butter, butter.
07:19Thank you, madame.
07:20Squash is gonna be turned into a puree.
07:22It'll be fast for the mushrooms.
07:25I go into my bin and use an Ethiopian spice blend
07:29called beriberi.
07:30There's usually paprika, a little bit of cumin,
07:32fenugreek, allspice, cloves, cinnamon.
07:35Salmon yang.
07:37Welcome to Last Chance Kitchen.
07:39Oh, thank you very much.
07:41Nice and only lasts for a little while.
07:43Enjoy it.
07:44No doubt.
07:45What do you guys got going on?
07:46Squash, soup, and I want to take
07:48those really beautiful mushrooms
07:49and saute them up with some garlic,
07:51some onion, some thyme.
07:53I love soup.
07:54I also love crunchy things on them,
07:56so eggplant could be like a crouton.
07:59Crouton.
08:00I am excited now about it.
08:01You my new best friend, eggplant.
08:0324 minutes left.
08:05Why would you want to do this to yourself?
08:08Why?
08:09This is one of my dreams.
08:11Around, like, 23, I come to Canada
08:14with zero English to learn all the cuisines.
08:17Life is all about risk.
08:20If I win, I want to buy my own restaurant.
08:23Use my grandma's name.
08:25She pass away when I study at the university.
08:29That's my dream.
08:31How are you, chefs?
08:32Are you guys gonna be finished on time?
08:34Something is gonna be on this plate
08:35by the time I'm done.
08:36To add that perfect layer,
08:38I want to put a scallop on top.
08:40The only hang-up I'm worried about
08:42is just getting every single required thing on the plate.
08:46Less than 15 minutes left.
08:47Ah!
08:48No, not yet.
08:51I cannot find the butter,
08:52and we all know butter, mushroom.
08:55I don't want to running around
08:56just looking for butter.
08:57I don't have time.
08:59You know what? Forgot it.
09:00I have bacon.
09:01I can use the bacon fat.
09:03Less than 10, my friends.
09:06My squash has been cooking down
09:07for about 12 to 15 minutes.
09:09I got to poke it and pray that it is soft.
09:13It's soft enough.
09:15First challenge done.
09:16Challenge two.
09:17I got to get this thing pureed now.
09:19Chef, we're the best.
09:20Let's do this one, the best dish.
09:23Yes, chef.
09:26Smells good in here.
09:29How we doing?
09:30So I'm making a squash puree
09:31with a little bit of berry berry.
09:33I'm going to do some sautéed mushrooms,
09:34deglaze with a little bit of white wine,
09:35and add another little bit of berry berry in there.
09:37So earthiness and mushroom.
09:39It'll come together.
09:40Sounds good.
09:41Mimi, what do you have?
09:42Hi, chef.
09:43Got some scallops.
09:44Up where you're from, they call them scallops?
09:46Tomato, tomato, yeah.
09:47But yeah, I think that is the consensus.
09:49Okay.
09:50And what's that?
09:51That's a little bit of a squash soup puree.
09:53Squash soup puree.
09:54Yeah.
09:55Got it.
09:56Mimi, what are you making?
09:57Hi, chef.
09:58I'm making a red snapper.
10:00Red snapper.
10:01With mushroom and a crispy eggplant.
10:04Okay.
10:05Super squash.
10:06Great.
10:07Thank you, chef.
10:08Sorry, chef.
10:09What are you sorry for?
10:10Didn't do anything.
10:11When I watch TV, when I saw Tom,
10:12I say, oh my god, he look really scared and serious.
10:15But for real, Tom, he's really sweet.
10:18I feel really comfortable cook for him.
10:22Chefs, we have five minutes left, five minutes.
10:25Yes, chef.
10:27Make sure it's going.
10:32Squash is cooked.
10:33Huge sense of relief.
10:34Huge sense of relief.
10:36Yeah, boom.
10:37Two and a half minutes, chef.
10:39Yes, chef.
10:40I know I need to start plating.
10:42I want to be perfect as always, especially for Tom.
10:46Okay, chefs, we have one minute left, one minute.
10:49One minute left, chefs.
10:51Everything on track, but just like so much going on.
10:5530 seconds.
10:56Yes, chef.
10:57I feel great about each star component here.
11:00Just throw it up to hope and a prayer
11:02that Tom is picking up what I'm putting down.
11:05Plating now.
11:06I'm looking at the other chefs.
11:08Damn, they did a protein.
11:09Should I have actually done a protein on here?
11:1210 seconds.
11:15I forgot.
11:16There is a fish and the eggplant over on the other side.
11:21Oh, shit.
11:23Five, four, three, two, one.
11:28Time's up, time's up.
11:32Okay, chefs, bring up your dishes.
11:36Okay.
11:41So, Ying, let's start with you.
11:42Tell me about your dish.
11:43I tried to make a mushroom panzanilla salad
11:46with warm, crispy bread croutons.
11:50So there are mushrooms here.
11:51I don't see squash and I don't see eggplant.
11:54I see the finish.
11:55Sorry, chef.
11:58Got it.
12:02Mimi, tell me about your dish.
12:03Squash soup, sautéed mushrooms with just shallot and thyme
12:07and then crispy eggplant to maybe kind of replicate
12:10something like a crouton.
12:11And then I love scallops, so there you have a scallop.
12:15I'm not seeing much eggplant here at all.
12:17In fact, is it in here?
12:22Yeah, yeah.
12:24Okay.
12:26Sam, tell me about your dish.
12:27Squash and beriberi puree, play on eggplant and vitassi.
12:31And then we have some sautéed mushrooms
12:33and a little bit of beriberi and white wine and butter.
12:38Great.
12:44I'll start with you, Ying.
12:45What you served was actually very nice.
12:47It's really well seasoned.
12:48I like the crunchy bits from the panzanella.
12:50Mushrooms are nicely cooked.
12:51There's good herbaceous notes in there.
12:53Mimi, the squash soup is really nice.
12:56Maybe a little scallop forward?
12:57The challenge was for the play of each three things.
12:59This is more playing of the scallop.
13:01Sammy put together a really nice dish here.
13:03There was equal weight given to the eggplant,
13:05the mushrooms, and the squash.
13:06The beriberi comes nicely through
13:08and the mushrooms are beautifully cooked.
13:09The challenge was to actually highlight eggplant,
13:12squash, and the mushrooms.
13:14And the chef that I think did the best job of doing that,
13:19Sam.
13:21So you are definitely going home.
13:23You did a good job of equally weighting
13:25mushrooms, the eggplant, and the squash.
13:27And that was the challenge.
13:30So that leaves Mimi and Ying.
13:37Ying, unfortunately, you're going home.
13:38Yes, Chef.
13:39The squash isn't on the dish.
13:40The eggplant is not on the dish.
13:41Yes, Chef.
13:42You did put together a tasty dish, but fell a little short.
13:45Unfortunately.
13:46Thanks.
13:47You can exit the kitchen.
13:48Thank you so much, Chef.
13:49Really disappointing I didn't finish the dish.
13:52But when I arrived in this country,
13:55I know no English, no friend, and no family.
13:57I'm here today.
13:59I think I must be doing something right.
14:03Mimi, you're going forward.
14:04Shut up.
14:05No, the two of you are going forward.
14:06You're not in yet.
14:08You're not in the competition yet.
14:09You've got a few more to go before you get there.
14:11I think you guys need these, because you're back in this part of the competition.
14:17Nice job.
14:18Keep cooking like this.
14:20Cheers.
14:21Thank you, Chef.
14:22Awesome.
14:23What surprised me is the time that we're given.
14:25It goes really fast.
14:27Now that I've got the lay of the land,
14:29the next challenge won't be as nerve-wracking.
14:32When a minute comes by, you're like, shit, I've got to plate this.
14:35I know.
14:36I'm one for one in a quick fire, and I'm one for one in last chance kitchen.
14:40I was built for last chance kitchen.
14:42I'm going to be a last chance kitchen queen.
14:45It's like, ah, let it go.
14:47It's on the plate at least.
14:48Yeah, exactly.