Top Chef Recap: Appalachia Drama

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I’ll definitely remember Sieger – his meltdown at the end of this episode was unlike anything I’ve ever seen on Top Chef. I went from feeling bad for him to being completely captivated. He actually asked for the official rules, thinking he could trick the judges! And then he read them on camera, even though they clearly state the judges can eliminate anyone for any reason. It was unbelievable. I’ve criticized some of the show’s recent attempts to spice things up, like letting diners and influencers judge, and I still think that weakens the series. But Sieger’s reaction was so unexpected for Top Chef that I have to admire his boldness – or maybe it was just delusion. Probably a bit of both.

While Sieger’s surprising move was a highlight, it’s not the sole reason I’m giving this week’s “Appalachian Celebration” episode four out of five stars. After last week’s disappointing challenges and the show’s odd way of celebrating Greenville – which, as one viewer pointed out, didn’t acknowledge the history of the Unity Park area – this episode felt like Top Chef really got Asheville right. The episode powerfully showed the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene in 2024 and how local restaurant owners stepped up to feed those in need. I wish the chefs and the community organizations they worked with had received a bit more recognition, but overall, this episode felt like Top Chef truly focused on the Carolinas and shared something meaningful about the states that many viewers might not have known. Well done to the Top Chef producers.

The episode “Appalachian Celebration” opens with Kristen arriving at the chefs’ lodging carrying two boxes of amazing doughnuts from a local bakery called Scout’s. It reminded me of a game my brother and I played as kids called “Pause!” We’d stop whatever was on TV and pretend we owned whatever we saw. We’d compete to claim toys our parents wouldn’t buy us, like Creepy Crawlers or NERF guns. As soon as the doughnuts appeared on screen, I immediately thought of that game. I live in an area dominated by Dunkin’ Donuts, and I really miss having access to fresh, high-quality doughnuts from a local bakery – it’s something I feel we desperately need, just like universal healthcare.

I need to hurry up – I’m already writing a lot about these doughnuts! Kristen announced to the chefs that there won’t be a Quickfire challenge this week. Instead, they’ll be learning from Ashleigh Santi, a chef from Asheville who competed on Top Chef: Houston. She’ll give them a lesson on ingredients native to the Appalachian region at her restaurant, Good Hot Fish, and introduce them to other Asheville chefs whose businesses were impacted by Hurricane Helene. This week’s Elimination challenge requires the chefs to incorporate at least two Appalachian ingredients into a meal for 200 people – their largest group yet – at the Union Exchange campground in Charlotte. Honestly, I was a little surprised they weren’t cooking in Asheville.

I enjoyed Ashleigh’s personality on Top Chef, and she’s a great teacher, explaining unique ingredients like hominy, pawpaws, and leather britches (a type of dried bean) to the chefs Laurence, Jonathan, Rhoda, Sieger, and Sherry. They visit Chai Pani, where chef Meherwan Irani talks about okra, and drive past local favorites like Corner Kitchen, The Bull & Beggar, Neng Jr.’s, and Master BBQ. Their tour ends at The Market Place, where chef William Dissen teaches them about fermentation and pickling, offering samples of pickled green strawberries, chow chow, and incredibly sour sour corn. Jonathan had a bad experience with sour corn as a child – he says it “scarred for life” – so he’s eager to learn how to cook with it and overcome that memory. Sherry, who won last week’s challenge, gets to pick two Appalachian ingredients that no one else can use. Luckily for Jonathan, she doesn’t choose sour corn! Instead, she selects October beans, similar to black-eyed peas she grew up with in Brazil, and chow chow, which she’s successfully used in the competition before. Interestingly, Sherry is using pre-made chow chow from a jar, which means Laurence, who was planning to use it himself, is out of luck.

The chefs return to Charlotte to shop for ingredients, and Sieger suggests Rhoda try using buckwheat in her stuffed cabbage. Back in the Top Chef kitchen with three hours to prepare, Tom and Ashleigh check in to see what Appalachian ingredients everyone is incorporating. Here’s a look at what they selected:

  • Rhoda: Buckwheat, oyster mushrooms, pawpaw vinegar, apple butter.
  • Jonathan: Sour corn, ramp bulbs, pickled green tomatoes.
  • Laurence: Leather britches, dilly beans, sumac, pickled ramps, sourwood honey.
  • Sieger: Sorghum molasses, rye flour, greasy beans, muscadine shrub.
  • Sherry: October beans, dilly beans, chow chow (jarred).

Each chef has a clear idea of what they want to create. Sherry is using October beans to make batter for acarajé, a Brazilian fritter similar to the accra Anthony made earlier in the season, and serving it with vatapá, a rich stew made with nuts, shrimp, coconut milk, and more. Rhoda is feeling a bit nervous about her stuffed cabbage, inspired by Filipino lumpia, but is committed to making 200 servings. Laurence is taking a risk by baking bread to use for his fried-fish sandwich, ensuring fresh rolls. Jonathan is being ambitious, using very tart sour corn as the base for a relish to accompany his smoked trout and crab cakes. Sieger is sticking with something familiar: a chicken liver mousse set with gelatin. He’s confident it will firm up overnight, allowing him to easily portion it with piping bags. This strategy makes sense because most other dishes will require frying during the limited 90-minute service. If his mousse sets properly, he’ll just need to pipe it onto crackers and add relish, putting him in a good position.

Things didn’t go as planned for everyone. While cooking outdoors is tough, Sieger really struggled. Sherry efficiently shaped and fried fritters, managing about 120 of the 200 she needed per hour. Rhoda quickly adapted, switching from making 200 individual stuffed cabbages to larger roulades – layered cabbage rolls – that she could cook and slice within 90 minutes. Jonathan and Laurence also kept up with orders, frying seafood cakes and patties as diners arrived. The show clearly highlighted Sieger’s difficulties by focusing on his empty station. It became apparent that chicken liver wasn’t a popular choice among the diners. Here’s a look at what each chef prepared:

  • Rhoda: “Filipino egg roll” with stuffed cabbage, pawpaw ponzu, apple butter mostarda, and buckwheat chili crisp.
  • Jonathan: Mountain trout and crab cake, sour corn and peach relish, sage and apple aioli.
  • Laurence: Catfish sandwich with a leather britches bun, sourwood honey mayo, and pickled slaw.
  • Sieger: Chicken liver pâté, rye cracker, pickled watermelon rind, and greasy beans.
  • Sherry: October bean acarajé, vatapá, pico de gallo chow chow, and garlicky shrimp.

With the competition down to the final moments, the judges are focusing on even the smallest details. While chefs Meherwan Irani and William Dissen joined the judges for a meal, only Ashleigh officially joined Kristen, Tom, and Gail as a guest judge, and they all seemed to agree on their opinions. Sherry, Rhoda, and Laurence are currently at the top. Ashleigh noted that Sherry’s peanut sauce was overshadowed by the shrimp and chow chow (which Sherry combined with pico de gallo for a unique touch), but her fritters had a good texture. The judges praised Rhoda’s ambitious and well-made dish, and she was sure to thank Sieger for encouraging her to use buckwheat in her chili crisp, which they especially loved. Although the judges wished they’d tasted more of the leather britches in Laurence’s bread (an ingredient he felt a strong connection to, comparing the drying process to a Cantonese technique), Kristen was amazed he managed to make 200 sandwiches with consistent ingredient proportions. Everyone received positive feedback, but Rhoda stood out – the judges had no criticisms at all. She won the challenge and gained an advantage for next week’s Elimination round.

That leaves Jonathan and Sieger as the final contenders. The judges found Jonathan’s dish a bit too tart and wished it had a richer element, like more of the aioli, to balance the flavors. However, Tom complimented Jonathan’s cake, and both he and Meherwan finished their portions, indicating they enjoyed the dish overall. Sieger, on the other hand, made a risky choice by serving chicken livers to such a large group, a dish that isn’t universally liked. He also struggled with the texture of his mousse – it became too runny when transferred to the piping bags, and it wasn’t ideal for the warm weather. Ashleigh described the texture as “incredibly runny,” and after Jonathan and Sieger were eliminated, Kristen admitted she found the mousse “completely off-putting,” only managing a couple of bites. Gail’s indecision was also noted, but the mousse itself was simply a poorly executed dish. As Kristen pointed out during the tasting, a good idea isn’t enough to succeed on Top Chef.

I was really surprised to see Sieger eliminated, honestly! I get where he was coming from with his comments to the judges – I’ve definitely felt the same way while watching. Sometimes the challenges aren’t explained clearly enough, like that weird rabbit/Michelin Man thing last week. And it feels like the judges sometimes just pick their favorite dish, even if it doesn’t really meet what they asked for. Or they don’t give detailed feedback on how well we actually hit the challenge’s specifics. But I just couldn’t figure out what Sieger hoped to achieve by speaking up. Maybe he was still upset about being sent home during the whole-hog challenge and needed to vent?

The contestant’s sarcastic questioning of the judges, his insistence they try his mousse, and his constant use of dismissive phrases like “okay,” “cool,” and “it is what it is” quickly escalated the situation. I was impressed with how Kristen calmly handled his defensiveness – her response about the mousse falling apart was great under pressure. I’m really wondering what the judges said privately after the cameras stopped recording. Jonathan also remained remarkably composed. It seemed like Sieger thought he could insult Jonathan and criticize his technique, expecting Jonathan to agree, but Jonathan cleverly told him not to end things that way – essentially telling him to get over himself. Sieger doesn’t seem the type to accept criticism, but we’ve seen contestants change their behavior before. Perhaps he’s hoping for another chance on a future season.

Leftovers

• The dishes I most wanted to eat this episode: Everything but the chicken livers, please.

Okay, so I’m officially obsessed with Kristen Kish. Seriously, I’m going to wander into every bakery I see, waving her credit card around and offering to buy everyone doughnuts. It’s ridiculous, I know, but she’s just amazing, and I’m completely won over – I’m a fan for life!

I intentionally didn’t research the influencers who attended the Union Exchange event. So, I won’t be providing them with any website visits or ad revenue!

When the chefs walked into Chai Pani, I immediately noticed the design – it reminded me of Meherwan Irani’s other restaurant in Atlanta, Botiwalla. Botiwalla serves delicious Parsi street food – Parsi cuisine is a unique blend of Iranian and Indian flavors, stemming from the heritage of Iranians who settled in India centuries ago. Both Botiwalla and Irani’s Spicewalla spice blends are fantastic and definitely worth checking out!

I probably would have yelled too, seeing a huge snake nearby, even if it wasn’t dangerous! A big shout-out to Spencer Pharr for calmly picking it up and moving it from the judges’ table. It got me thinking though – how did they handle the bugs? Production must have worked some magic to keep mosquitoes and other pests away while the chefs were cooking.

• Tom fedora sighting! I wish I could peek into that man’s hat closet.

Duyen has shared details and links to the products she wore, for those who asked.

There were two particularly heartwarming moments: Sherry shared how much she admired Neng Jr.’s, a Filipino restaurant, only to discover she was speaking to its owners. Also, Jonathan playfully complimented Sherry’s fritters at the Judges’ Table, calling her a “beast” – meaning she was incredibly skilled.

It reminded me of the show Taskmaster when Sieger tried to convince the judges. On Taskmaster, contestants often argue with the host, Greg Davies, about their scores, but he always sticks to his decision. It never works! Sieger likely knew the judges wouldn’t change their minds, but it felt like making his case was more about the moment than actually changing the outcome.

• Next week: Is that Tom eating food off a … clothespin? Binder clip? What was that?

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2026-05-26 06:57