Top Chef Season-Premiere Recap: Great Northern Exposure

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Over the countless hours of TV shows stored in my memory, none have provided me with an instant sense of comfort quite like “Top Chef.” Just as people get excited by the iconic “dun dun” sounds from “Law and Order,” I feel the same way about the distinctive theme music for “Top Chef,” complete with its clashing knives and echoing guitars from the 2000s (“dununnunun DUNUNUN nunun DUNUN! DUNUN!”). Incredibly, this show manages to relax me despite the producers’ efforts, and I am eager to start our journey together, nearly 20 years after my initial fascination with it began. Here we go! Let’s get started.

As a movie critic, I must say that the opening montage was a whirlwind of shaky vlogs from contestants embarking on their culinary journey, sprinkled with impressive resumes and countless shots of the Delta logo that stretched on like a never-ending road. Upon reaching the same Canadian parking lot, the sight of the iconic Top Chef knife block had me gripped with anticipation, mirroring the emotions of the contestants themselves.

In an attempt to breathe fresh air into the show’s format for Season 21 (affectionately titled “Haaave You Met Milwaukee?”), Kristen Kish took over Padma Lakshmi’s host seat, aiming to bring about change. However, many of the risks — in terms of format, editing, and pacing — did not quite hit the mark. Thus, while I fully acknowledge and applaud Top Chef’s desire to experiment after all these years, the constant deviations from the original formula mostly left me feeling perplexed rather than exhilarated.

Thankfully, the sudden split of the group into five groups of three isn’t as complicated as it appears. It’s simply a nerve-wracking method of organizing them for carpools. However, given the circumstances, it’s understandable that everyone might be suspicious about who their traveling companions will also be working alongside in the competition. Once all 15 brave chefs are gathered in the Top Chef kitchen, we move on to learning about their initial challenge – another moment for me to exhale with relief. Last season, the premiere omitted the Quickfire, and I believe both the contestants and I missed out on it. Despite being high-pressure situations, Quickfires offer a chance to familiarize yourself with your rivals and judges, shake off some nerves, and dive straight into cooking without overthinking.

Prior to the Quickfire event, let’s discuss an important point: The Canadian theme of tonight’s show. With their denim tuxedos, Kristen, Tom, and Gail pay homage to this season’s host country. This choice was likely less political when the season was filmed last summer, but in our current circumstances, it has taken on a different significance. It’s hard to believe that welcoming Gail back home would have felt like a form of resistance then, but here we are! The situation is certainly unexpected, but such is life.

Moving on to the main cooking aspect of this cooking show competition, Chefs don’t make much money, so let’s give them more! As for this week’s Quickfire, it’s a classic twist on Top Chef. Each contestant will have 30 seconds to choose one ingredient from the pantry. The twist? They must collaborate with their carpool group to create a single dish using all their chosen ingredients combined. Now isn’t that an exciting way to learn about each other, like figuring out how to blend maple syrup with king oyster mushrooms as quickly and effectively as possible?

An unexpectedly large group opts for corn as one of their three choices, with one contestant team actually selecting it twice among their picks. Other favorites are the apple and intriguingly, the Fresno chile. Fortunately, the judges add additional ingredients to make up the total of six, symbolizing Toronto’s nickname “The Six.” Kristen contributes tomatoes, Gail presents chives, and Tom, as expected, determines at least one protein by presenting a mound of clams.

It seems like the relaxed atmosphere of this Quickfire Challenge in Canada might be what’s settling everyone down, as opposed to the usual chaos and fluster during the first round. Most chefs are keeping their cool, hiding any jitters beneath a calm exterior while maintaining focus on the task at hand. The most noteworthy moment occurs when Bailey Sullivan presents the blue team’s dish, inadvertently overlooking Anya El-Wattar and her cabbage contribution, hinting that she and Zubair Mohajir may have overlooked their third teammate entirely.

Other intriguing moments in Quickfire were:

1. The main character Massimo Piedimonte expressing his strong desire for the prize money as he stated, “My children desperately need new shoes!”
2. Tristan Epps revealing a fun fact about himself, saying, “I’m a true Virgo through and through” (understanding astrological signs is always important).
3. Mimi Weissenborn displaying her resilience with a humorous comment, sharing that her recent ex-partner had taken “every pot, pan, and pet” (can’t wait to hear more about the life of Mimi in Maine!).

In addition, there’s a lot of soup today. We have a puree, a nage, a broth, and a charred corn sauce. The red team served their corn and clam chowder inside an apple hollowed out at Vincenzo Loseto’s request – a move that Lana Lagomarsini found gimmicky but which turned out to be a hit when Tom scraped the bottom for a delightful mix of apple, chowder, and chive relish. The judges seemed to enjoy the soup-focused dishes, with everyone agreeing that the overall food was strong enough to keep Tom from being grumpy, at least temporarily. However, it was the yellow team – Mimi, Katianna Hong, and César Murillo – who took home the $15,000 prize for their apple and fennel soup with potato and chorizo, which was the best puree of the day. Go on and buy yourself some new pots, Mimi! You deserve it!

Moving forward, we’re diving into the Elimination Round. It was comforting to know that this task wouldn’t be too complex. Joining us are chefs Sheila Flaherty, David Zilber, Jeremy Charles, and familiar faces Dale McKay and Nicole Gomez from Top Chef World All-Stars. Each of them has a basket filled with ingredients representing five distinct regions of Canada. Now, each team will take on a different region’s basket to craft their own dish using at least three of its components. One contestant will shine, another will find themselves in the middle, and unfortunately, one will be at the bottom.

Immediately after her teammates disrespected her during the Quickfire, Anya yearns to acquire the North basket, reminiscent of the Russian cuisine she grew up with, filled with beets, arctic char, and crowberries. Fortunately, though they were among the last teams to choose, she manages to secure it. Meanwhile, the victorious yellow team selects Central (with pork, peaches, and rainbow trout), followed by the purple team’s preference for Prairie (containing beef, walleye, sour cherries), red team’s choice of Western (with lamb, hazelnuts, plums), and lastly, the green team grabs Atlantic (including Snow crab, potatoes, and blueberries).

Among all the types of “Top Chef” challenges, this one is my favorite. It seamlessly integrates with the episode’s storyline and offers enough guidelines to spark creativity, yet leaves plenty of space for the chefs to demonstrate their skills. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t make mistakes without reason. For instance, when Bailey decides to prepare risotto for her individual dish on “Top Chef”, it’s like watching someone walk into a trap in a horror movie. I can’t help but scream at the screen as if watching an unknowing victim check their basement for a serial killer, because I feel just as helpless! Don’t venture into risotto territory unless you know how to dodge the knife that’s most certainly coming for your culinary face!!

This Elimination challenge feels simpler compared to the disorienting visuals of last season, making it more straightforward for the contestants. However, there are still blunders, such as Paula Endara losing track of her lamb chops’ cooking time and Mimi seemingly losing track of everything. It seems they may have grown complacent after a successful Quickfire round. Final presentation issues also become problematic for this group. Tristan forgets an essential curry component in his dish, while Kat carelessly throws ingredients over her dishes at the last minute, more like feeding pigeons than judges.

Among the initial dishes served, Vinny’s confit salmon with mushrooms, hazelnuts cooked in miso butter takes center stage as my personal favorite. Hailing from the red/Western team, this dish has everyone raving! Served on a delicate consomme made from the finest ingredients, it might just be this season’s equivalent to “dashi”. With each bite, he claims victory and secures immunity for the upcoming Elimination challenge next week.

Among the other competitors, there’s Anya whose culinary creation is deeply rooted in her Russian heritage. She shares that Russia holds a profound significance in her upbringing, despite the complexities of her current relationship with it. Shuai’s steamed cod with braised daikon in egg drop sauce truly stands out due to its exquisite blend of textures. As for Cesar, he left Tom absolutely smitten with a delightful treat – a radicchio-wrapped peach that he couldn’t help but swoon over, exclaiming it was “so sweet!” – a term I often use when praising my dog, although in her case, she’s adorable enough to make me gush over even the smallest things.

In group competitions, some teams outperform others significantly, causing dishes like Massimo’s French cod “love letter” to be unfairly relegated to the bottom when they could have placed higher in other categories. However, after Kat received a brief but enlightening warning for her careless presentation, the judges’ deliberations were swiftly concluded when Kristen informed Mimi that she needed to leave immediately, without any further debate.

A dismissal like that is usually surprising, but in this instance, it feels fitting. Generally, the overall quality was excellent everywhere else, and when Mimi presented her dish with “I intended to create something different,” everyone could tell, including herself. The harsh critique of her “upgraded hospital cuisine” (that hurt) made it abundantly clear that she would be the one leaving the competition.

And thus, Mimi ventures into Last Chance Kitchen to battle for additional cooking utensils and furry companions, while we embark on the remainder of a fresh new season of Top Chef, eagerly hoping it will captivate us just as much as a peach encased in radicchio.

Spare Crumbs

The rewards for this year’s “Top Chef” competition are simply extraordinary! The victor not only receives a quarter of a million dollars, a feature in “Food & Wine”, and a spotlight at an Aspen festival, but also a gala dinner at the James Beard House in New York, elite Delta “SkyMiles Diamond Medallion Status”, and a generous travel allowance of $125,000 from Delta. Just thinking about that final contest would make me push harder to get there, so I can only imagine how intense the competition in that kitchen could be!

In a surprising twist during Kat’s conversation about her role as Billy Corgan’s vegan chef, my jaw dropped when I learned that she is connected to actor Reid Scott – her adopted brother! (Though she didn’t explicitly mention it, I had to double-check the photo of them together to make sure I wasn’t mistaken. So, here’s your trivia tidbit for the day!)

Most memorable moment of the evening: Massimo deafening the judges and Tristan’s dry comment, “You eventually get accustomed to it.” (Informal version)

Or

Highlight of the night: The volume of Massimo’s performance leaving the judges in a daze and Tristan’s quip, “Over time, you grow accustomed to it.” (Casual version)

As a long-time admirer of Kristen, even before she landed the hosting role, I’ve been captivated by her effortless self-assurance in taking on this task – a trait that similarly shines when she struts in a vibrant collection of suits, ones I’d go to extreme lengths to acquire. For this week’s edition of the Kristen Kish Suit Envy Watch, I’m rating her crimson pinstripe suit an enticing 9. The moment I set eyes on it, I found myself salivating with desire, dreaming of owning one for a luxurious holiday party gathering.

At the moment I’m writing this, I’m unfamiliar with Last Chance Kitchen. However, it appears as though another potential contestant is emerging from it, and to be honest, it’s not one that immediately excites me. Let’s wait and see! Discussion ensues!

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2025-03-14 05:55