Top Chef Recap: One Side After Another

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I’m wondering if all the chefs on the show really know their culinary identities. Some viewers have commented that this season’s competitors aren’t as strong as those from past seasons, and I tend to agree. However, the recent all-star seasons of Top Chef might have changed our expectations for the show and the level of competition.

We’re living in a moment where shows like Top Chef often feature contestants who were trained by previous competitors. This creates an interesting tension – how much should a chef stick to what they were taught versus developing their own unique style? Some chefs, like Laurence, successfully blend their training with their personal background – he combines Turkish techniques with his Chinese heritage to create exciting dishes. Others, such as Brittany, Jennifer, and Jonathan, are using the competition to figure out exactly what kind of food they want to be known for. I actually prefer watching chefs explore their identities and take risks, rather than simply repeating dishes they’ve already mastered. While all-star seasons are enjoyable, they don’t offer the same sense of discovery that makes Top Chef so compelling. The recent “Pick a Side” episode was strong because it delivered those moments of discovery – Justin learning a new way to cook artichokes, Laurence perfecting crispy rice, and Sieger finally winning over Tom with okra. These were all great moments to watch and showed real growth.

This week’s Quickfire challenge was judged by Tristen Epps-Long, the recent winner of Top Chef. The challenge focused on wine pairing, specifically using wines from Josh Cellars – likely a sponsor of the show. Inspired by the Wright Brothers’ first flight, the chefs were divided into teams of three and tasked with creating a harmonious pairing of wine and food. They randomly selected whether their team would work with red, white, or rosé wine.

Two teams stood out. Rhoda, Laurence, and Sherry decided on a mochi-based pairing, with some playful banter between Rhoda and Laurence while Sherry observed. Sieger, Justin, and Jennifer, who previously worked together in Chicago, opted to focus on cooking eggs. Another team deferred to Duyen, a wine and champagne company owner, for their tomme cheese pairing, while Oscar, Brittany, and Brandon all agreed to prepare seafood – a choice that seemed a bit broad.

The most daring choices came from Justin, who tackled artichokes (apparently a difficult pairing with wine), and Rhoda, who volunteered to make all the mochi dough from scratch. One of these ambitious plans succeeded, while the other didn’t, and I was happily surprised by Justin’s success! Here’s a look at the dishes, served in the order they were presented.

The Green Team’s seafood pairings are as follows: Oscar recommends a rosé wine with an arepa topped with parmesan, crème fraîche, and caviar. Brittany suggests a white wine paired with a seared scallop and plum sauce. Brandon proposes a red wine to accompany sourdough-crusted grouper with dried fruit and nuts.

The Red Team featured dishes highlighting Toumme cheese. Jonathan prepared a grilled cheese with raspberry and apricot compote, paired with rosé. Duyen created roasted and fried sunchokes with a Toumme cheese sauce, served with white wine. Anthony offered sourdough toast with seared ribeye and Toumme, alongside a red wine pairing.

The Blue Team competed with egg-based dishes. Justin prepared a quick poached quail egg with braised artichokes and a rosé-infused mayonnaise. Jennifer created soft scrambled eggs served with roasted grapes and croutons, while Sieger presented peaches poached in Pinot Grigio with a sabayon sauce.

I recently tried the incredible creations from Cream Team, and I have to tell you about the Mochi! Rhoda’s white mochi was filled with perfectly sauteed mushrooms – so delicate and flavorful. Sherry’s rosé mochi was a surprising delight, stuffed with potato, bottarga, and crème fraîche – a really unique combination. And Laurence’s red mochi? It was packed with lamb, cherry, and parsley, and honestly, it was a fantastic savory-sweet experience. Each one was so different and delicious!

Tristen and Kristen evaluated each team’s dishes based on the food and how well it matched the wine. The Green Team struggled because their seafood theme was too wide-ranging, and Kristen felt Brittany’s scallop would have been better with the rosé wine. The Cream Team also didn’t fare well, as their mochi dough was undercooked in every dish. The Red Team received praise for their cheese selection – it turned out to be one of Kristen’s favorites – and the Blue Team was commended by Tristen for a cohesive menu. Ultimately, the Blue Team won the $15,000 prize, and Sieger and Justin earned points for the first time.

Next, Chef Greg Collier, a three-time James Beard Award nominee, brought out a selection of classic Southern side dishes for a quick taste. Everyone sampled collard greens, fried okra, potato salad, Charleston red rice, hoppin’ John, hoecakes, and smothered cabbage – it definitely made me hungry! Tristen explained these are “legacy dishes,” many originating from African culinary traditions, and the challenge is to transform one into a full main course. While chefs can choose the same dish, most initially avoided the fried okra because both judges Tom and Tristen don’t particularly like it. However, Sieger, feeling confident after his earlier Quickfire win and inspired by his mother’s love for okra, decided to take it on – a brave move! The other chefs chose as follows: Rhoda went with the red rice, Laurence and Oscar chose the hoppin’ John, Anthony and Brittany picked the collard greens, Duyen and Brandon opted for the smothered cabbage, Justin and Sherry selected potato salad, and Jonathan and Jennifer chose the hoecakes. They’ll have 90 minutes to prepare for the first wave of diners – 40 people – and then another 90 minutes to complete the rest of the service.

To get us inspired, Tristen took us to Deep Roots CPS Farm, a local farm run by a family. It was amazing to see where some of the ingredients for our side dishes actually came from, and we all got to pick some fresh produce. Anthony immediately went for the Carolina reaper peppers – he’s serious about his collard greens! Sieger was fascinated by the okra, already thinking about how to totally transform its flavor and texture. I spotted Laurence grabbing some shiitake mushrooms growing right on a branch – I love mushrooms, honestly, but sometimes they just don’t hit the spot. The real challenge started when we got back to the kitchen, though. We only had 90 minutes to cook everything! That’s seriously tight when you’re dealing with things like collard greens and cabbage. There’s so much washing involved with the greens, and getting the right consistency with the cabbage takes time because you have to cook out so much water.

Brittany ran into trouble when she discovered the pork sausages wrapped in collard greens weren’t cooking in the steamer. It’s not clear what went wrong – maybe she forgot to turn the oven on, it malfunctioned, or someone switched it off – but with just 17 minutes left, she had to quickly cook the raw sausage on a griddle. She salvaged the situation by mixing the cooked pork with some of Justin’s leftover potatoes and mayonnaise, then stuffing it back into the collard greens, though the result was a far cry from her original plan. It’s a shame, because the idea of wrapping protein in collard greens is actually quite good. Everyone else seems to be having a smooth cooking experience, and their dishes sound promising. Jennifer is drawing inspiration from Justin’s Indian background for her hoecake and pot liquor broth, while Laurence is looking to his family’s Chinese heritage for a unique take on hoppin’ John. Let’s take a closer look at what everyone is making.

  • Sherry, potato salad: Marble potato, smoked fish, potato chip, potato nage.
  • Justin, potato salad: Yukon potato filled with potato salad, scallion cream, and potato chip.
  • Oscar, hoppin’ John: “Hoppin’ Juan” with sofrito, crispy bacon, Carolina gold rice, poached egg.
  • Laurence, hoppin’ John: “Hoppin’ Huang” with crispy rice inspired by Chinese clay pot, plus charred shiitake mushrooms, butter beans, and a cured egg yolk.
  • Anthony: Braised collard greens with Chadon beni sauce (an herby Caribbean condiment), pot liquor, and a black bean and tasso ham fritter.
  • Brittany: Pork and fennel sausage wrapped in collard-green leaf with smoked tomato butter.
  • Duyen: Charred cabbage and grits, confit tomatoes, pickled corn.
  • Brandon: Charred cabbage, smoked bacon cream, parmesan breadcrumbs, chives.
  • Jonathan: Gochujang fried chicken with hoecake and bourbon bacon maple syrup.
  • Jennifer: Yeasted hoecake with pot liquor, butter beans, triple cream, and hot honey.
  • Sieger: Braised pork belly and braised okra with seeded tempura.
  • Rhoda: Red curry rice and fried egg.

The judges had some clear favorites: Sherry’s smoked fish potato salad, the different takes on hoppin’ John from Oscar and Laurence, Duyen and Brandon’s cabbage (though Brandon’s was a bit undercooked), and Sieger’s okra. Some dishes were appreciated for their creativity, even if they weren’t perfect—Tristen enjoyed the black garlic butter with Jonathan’s hoecake, and Tom liked Jennifer’s hoecake despite it being too salty. The collard greens proved challenging for both Anthony and Brittany. Tristen, who previously mentored Anthony, was particularly critical of his dish, praising the flavor but saying it didn’t stand out enough. The other judges agreed. Brittany’s collard greens received even harsher feedback, with Tristen bluntly saying he didn’t recognize the dish. Brittany admitted it didn’t turn out as planned, and while Tristen and Tom advised her against admitting failure, there was no saving it.

Brittany was upfront about her dish not turning out as planned, and unfortunately, it didn’t measure up to the others. The pork filling was a particular problem, and it was hard not to wonder if she could have taken a different approach – perhaps making meatballs or combining the pork and potatoes into a fried patty with collard greens. It’s tough to change course mid-competition, and she struggled to do so. She ended up at the bottom, alongside Jennifer, whose hoecake was too dense, and Anthony, whose dish was overly salty. However, Brittany’s issues were more significant, and her elimination felt predictable, much like Nana’s. It’s disappointing when a local chef can’t find their footing on the show, but it happens. On the other hand, Sherry, Sieger, and Laurence excelled, with Laurence’s dish receiving high praise. Ultimately, Sieger won for his skillful use of okra, earning him immunity, which is good timing considering next week’s challenges: a Quickfire judged by children and an Elimination round featuring dehydrated ingredients. Someone commented that the show might be losing its edge, and the fact that they’re filming at a waterpark seems to support that idea.

Leftovers

This episode, I was really craving a few dishes. From the Quickfire Challenge, Brandon’s fish with dried fruit and nuts sounded surprisingly good, and I loved the look of Jonathan’s grilled cheese. I’m definitely rooting for the twins! I also wanted to try both of the dishes inspired by hoppin’ John – I’m a big rice fan. And honestly, I wanted all of Chef Greg’s Southern side dishes.

It’s really sweet seeing Jennifer and Justin’s connection! Jennifer playfully cut Justin’s jeans into shorts while he was wearing them, and then said he inspires her work on the show. I’m starting to really root for them as a couple!

Kristen advised the chefs, ‘Tom’s a professional, and if a recipe calls for okra, you make it.’ I initially doubted her, but I have to give Tom credit for eating okra despite not liking it. It makes me wonder if Paul Hollywood on The Great British Baking Show could show the same maturity and accept pickles, even though he dislikes them.

Jonathan mentioned that turkeys are unattractive, which reminded me of the Canadian film Universal Language. It’s a really interesting and creative movie where turkeys play a central role, directed and written by Matthew Rankin.

• Gail’s blue and white striped suit during the Elimination challenge: I want it.

Okay, fellow foodies, let me tell you about the new season of Last Chance Kitchen! Thankfully, they’re back to basics this time – just straight-up head-to-head cooking battles for the eliminated chefs, no crazy twists or secret competitors. Hallelujah! Now, don’t think that means Tom Colicchio has gone soft. When both Nana and Brittany messed up fish, he immediately served them braised red snapper and deadpanned, “Is the fish cooked?” Classic Tom! He gave them a simple challenge: show him what you’ve got in 30 minutes. Nana made salmon with a curry tomato sauce and a tomato salad, while Brittany went with seared halibut and a grilled corn and tomato panzanella. Nana ultimately won – Brittany’s bread in the panzanella was a little dry and didn’t soak up enough of the juices. Poor Brittany is officially out. The big question now is, can Nana keep her momentum going? We’ll find out next week!

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2026-03-31 06:57